Connecticut Lottery Winners Deny Claiming Ticket for Client

[Hum]

Three wealth managers who won a $254 million Powerball jackpot in Connecticut Monday deny reports that someone else hired them to claim the ticket.

"To be clear, there are a total of three trustees, and there is no anonymous fourth participant," the men said in a statement released by a representative, Gary Lewi, today.

Earlier, two sources told ABC News that Greg Skidmore, Brandon Lacoff and Tim Davidson were not the "real" winners of the lottery but rather a front for an anonymous winner.

The three men appeared with their attorney, Jason Kurland, at the Connecticut Lottery offices Monday to accept their winnings. There, Kurland announced that the trio had formed a trust, called the Putnam Avenue Family Trust, to manage the money.

All three work for wealth management firm Belpoint Capital in Greenwich, which manages $82 million, according to the Securities and Exchange Commission. Skidmore is president and CEO of the company.

Earlier today, Thomas Gladstone, a friend of one of the men and the landlord of their office space, told ABC News that a client had come to Belpoint Capital with the winning ticket and asked for their help. A relative of one of the men, who wished to remain anonymous, confirmed the story to ABC News.

"These are smart guys. They want to turn the $100 million into ... $400 million. The plan was to keep all this private. You've seen people pry into other people's lives. They want to protect their client," Gladstone said.

But Lewi insisted that Skidmore, Lacoff and Davidson were the true -- and only -- winners.

"While there has been much speculation and quite a bit of misinformation over the last 24 hours, this Trust, with its three trustees, has been established to manage the winnings in the most practical and expedient way possible so that we can achieve our strategic goal of helping those who can best benefit from these funds," the statement said.

When asked if Tim Davidson bought the winning lottery ticket, as Kurland reported to the media Monday, Lewi responded that he did.

The winning ticket from the Nov. 2 drawing had gone unclaimed for so long that Connecticut lottery authorities had begun to advertise widely for people to double-check their tickets.

But Skidmore, Lacoff and Davidson were just taking their time to set up the Putnam Avenue Family Trust, Kurland said.

The attorney said that Davidson had bought a single Quick Pick ticket for $1 at the Shippan Point BP gas station in Stamford. A computer chose the random numbers of 12-14-34-39-46, Powerball 36. The jackpot was the largest ever won in Connecticut and the 12th biggest in Powerball history.

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[Roger H. Veteran]

I just met Brandon Lacoft the other day too, we were checking out a property for him in Greenwich but then it was cancelled so we just moved on. Only to find out few weeks later he's freaking rich! LOL Man I so wish that was me, I bought 3 tickets that week also so got extra excited when they said it was someone from CT that one. Then they later narrowed it down to Fairfield County but by then I already knew I wasn't the winner (i live and work in Fairfield county).

I don't need millions, Mr Lacoff, just about $28,235. Gotta pay off some school loans and then have say $5,000 to put in my savings! Thanks!