French man offers half of $500,000 lottery prize to thieves who stole his credit card

1. French man offers half of $500,000 lottery prize to thieves who stole his credit card

French man offers half of $500,000 lottery prize to thieves who stole his credit card ByMuskaan Sharma Feb 27, 2025 06:40 PM IST Share Via Copy Link A French man, Jean-David Estele, plans to share his €500,000 lottery win with the thieves who used his stolen credit card to buy the ticket.

A French man has offered to split his lottery winnings witht he theives who used his credit car to buy the winning ticket. According to a report by CNN, thieves broke into Jean-David Estele’s car in Toulouse on February 3 and used his credit card to buy things at a bar.

Jean-David Estele plans to split 500,000 euros lottery prize with thieves after they used his credit card.(Representational)

Estele’s lawyer Pierre Debuisson told CNN that among the things they bought was a lottery ticket that later won 500,000 euros. “It’s a miracle for both the thieves and my client. Without my client’s credit card it would not have been possible to buy the ticket, but without the thieves’ behavior, the ticket wouldn’t have been bought either,” he said.

The lawyer added that his client was willing to split the prize money with the thieves as he claimed they appeared to be homeless and in need of money. While the police has not identified them, the French man has appealed to the thieves to come forward.

“I really hope the thieves contact my office to strike a deal that benefits both them and my client, who, despite the crime, is extremely happy to have had his credit card stolen. It’s truly unbelievable,” the lawyer said, adding that Estele did not want to pursue charges.

The lawyer added that Estele and his wife plan to to build a new house with their half of the money. "It must be the first time that a guy who gets his credit card stolen is extremely happy to be the victim of such a crime. I don’t think anything like this has ever happened before. I never imagined this case would gain so much attention worldwide,” he added.

“While it might not be the craziest case I’ve handled, it’s certainly the funniest. I don’t think anything like this has ever happened before. I never imagined this case would gain so much attention worldwide,” he told CNN.

France’s national lottery operator Française des Jeux (FDJ) told CNN Tuesday that it cannot confirm details of the case as “no request for the payment has been made.”