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Ammon News - A shopkeeper who arrived as an immigrant in the US decades ago has become a millionaire after his store sold a winning lottery ticket worth $2.04 billion, according to media reports.

Joseph Chahayed emigrated to Los Angeles from Syria in the 1980s with his wife and two children with about $14,000, CBS reported.

Chahayed plans to spend the maximum-possible bonus amount of $1 million on his family, according to CBS.

“I never collect welfare, I never collect Medicare, I never collect any money from the government. All what I do, I work hard, seven days a week. I raised my kids, graduated from the college and bought a house and I bought a business all because I work hard and become an honest man,” Chahayed was quoted as saying by the American news agency.

The numbers for the largest-ever Powerball worth $2.04 billion were drawn on Tuesday morning. The winning numbers were 10-33-41-47-56 and the Powerball was 10.

The winner, who has not yet come forward, bought the lottery ticket from Joe’s Service Center in Altadena. “I wish I knew who the person (is), most of the people who buy tickets are from the neighborhood. I hope one of them is going to be the winner,” Chahayed was quoted as saying by The Associated Press.

The ticket holder has a choice of taking a lump sum of $997.6 million cash or receiving the full amount in 29 annual payments.

The previous record for a Powerball jackpot was set in 2016 when three ticket holders from California, Florida and Tennessee shared a $1.59 billion top prize.