Caller tells dubious Pineville man he won $1 million in NC lottery. It was true

Kourtnie Daugherty of Pineville wasn’t about to be suckered, so when a suspicious caller informed him he’d won $1 million, Daugherty turned the tables.

He said he’d call the guy back.

Turns out, the news was all true. Daugherty had won $1 million as part of the $8 Million Money Maker Second Chance drawing in the North Carolina Education Lottery.

“You just call somebody and tell them they won $1 million. Come on,” Daugherty said in a video shared by lottery officials. “How does anybody believe that? That’s crazy.”

Second shot drawings are offered for some lottery games with pricey tickets. In the case of the $8 Million Money Maker, a single ticket is $50.

There were more than 1.5 million entries in the second chance drawing on April 8, officials said. Lesser prizes in the drawing ranged from $100,000 and $500.

Daugherty’s big win came just two months after he bought a new house, and he now has enough to pay off the mortgage.

“This is so crazy that I won’t have a house payment anymore,” he said in a news release. “I was flabbergasted. This is just surreal. I don’t know how to feel.”

He picked up his cash April 10 and chose to receive a lump sum of $600,000, rather than an annuity of $50,000 over 20 years, officials said.

“In addition to paying off his mortgage, Daugherty plans to use his winnings to pay for a birthday trip to Puerto Rico,” lottery officials said.

Pineville is just south of Charlotte.

This story was originally published April 15, 2026 at 9:54 AM with the headline "Caller tells dubious Pineville man he won $1 million in NC lottery. It was true."