NEW YORK — Good thing they didn't try to skip out of jury duty.
Queens grand jurors who pooled their cash for a ticket to the huge $588 million Powerball drawing Wednesday night won $10,000, sources told DNAinfo.com New York.
Thirteen of 23 jurors sitting on the criminal court panel kicked in a handful of dollars each for a chance to became millionaires, sources say.
Each will walk away with about $800 before taxes, sources said — not quite enough for the unlucky jurors to riot over. “We didn’t expect any assaults,” a court official joked.
The jurors — whose identities were withheld because grand juries are secret — completed their service early Thursday afternoon. The two biggest winners were still a mystery Thursday night as officials waited for the people to step forward. Two tickets containing all six winning numbers were purchased at Dearborn, Mo., according to the Huffington Post.
Grand jurors are paid $40 a day if their employer does not pay them their regular salary.
District Attorney Richard Brown applauded the fact that their public service netted them a sizable dividend.
“Jury service is one of the most important civic obligations a citizen can perform and I congratulate the jurors both on doing their duty and their good fortune at winning a slice of the lottery pie,” Brown said.
“While some people may view jury duty as a burden, perhaps this good news will encourage more people to participate in the judicial system.”
