A Primitiva lottery ticket worth 4.7 million euros, sold in A Coruña in 2012, remains unclaimed as two brothers face fraud charges. Police have identified the likely original owner, who died in 2014, as the trial nears its end. The accused will testify next Monday.
On June 26, 2012, the numbers 10, 17, 24, 37, 40 and 43 were validated at the lottery outlet in A Coruña's Carrefour hypermarket, winning 4.7 million euros. Three days later, the ticket was found 'forgotten' on the counter at another outlet in Plaza de San Agustín, run by Manuel Reija. He checked it and notified his brother Miguel, then head of Loterías in A Coruña.
Reija tried to claim it after two months with no claimants, but was rejected. Over 330 people claimed the prize, including a notice in the Official Provincial Bulletin. Then-mayor Carlos Negreira said: «I must be the only mayor in Spain looking for a millionaire to give him money instead of asking for it». Forensic analysis found 11 fingerprints with no matches, and the case inspired HBO's 'Se busca millonario' docuseries.
Judicialized in 2018, investigators reconstructed the incident from terminal records: a customer presented four tickets, claiming a small win but hiding the big prize amid over 20 movements in two minutes. The combinations were played more than 800 times since 2011, linked to José Luis Alonso, a retired A Coruña resident who died in 2014. His widow and daughter claim the prize, backed by police and prosecutors.
Manuel Reija and his brother face up to six years in prison for fraud or misappropriation. Another claim by Manuel Ferreiro (deceased) was dismissed. Jorge Anta of ANAPAL regrets the case fuels distrust in lottery sellers: «This does not define lottery agents». The accused will testify next Monday.
