Mo. Powerball winner comes forward to claim $254 million

CHESTERFIELD, Mo. (AP) -- A lucky ticketholder is going to be a whole lot richer: $254 million richer.

Someone has come forward to claim the winning prize from last Wednesday's drawing and that claim has been validated, Missouri lottery spokeswoman, Susan Goedde, said.

Details about the winner will be released at a news conference at 2 p.m. Monday in the St. Louis suburb of Chesterfield.

Lottery officials are not yet saying if the winning ticket was held by one person or more than one, Goedde said.

The lone winning ticket in Wednesday's drawing was purchased at a Dierbergs grocery store in south St. Louis County. That ticket held the winning numbers of 9-19-29-42-53 and a Powerball number of 17.

The winner has the option of receiving the $254 million in 30 payments over 29 years, or accepting a lump-sum payment worth $120 million before taxes.

It's the largest prize in the Missouri Lottery's 21-year history and the seventh-largest Powerball jackpot ever.

Powerball winners in Missouri have 180 days from the drawing to claim their prize.

Dierbergs will get $50,000 for selling the jackpot prize.

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On the Net:

Powerball: http://www.powerball.com.

Dierbergs: www.dierbergs.com.