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SANTA ANA, CA - As reported by the
Orange County Register, The newest millionaire on Bishop Street arrived
home about 1 a.m. Friday, September 6 is still in shock.
Miguel Herrera had
put a quarter into a slot machine in Laughlin, NV, on his 70th birthday
48 hours earlier. When the wheels stopped turning, he had $8.4 million
-- reportedly the biggest payout ever for a 25-cent machine.
Now, he was sitting
in the living room of his modest two-bedroom home as a steady stream of
friends and family members - especially family members - stopped by.
Wife Josefina, seemingly
immune to the fact that she had just jumped into a much higher tax bracket,
continued to cook rice, chicken and beans for everyone expected to visit
through the day.
But Herrera knew what
he wanted to do with his sudden wealth.
For 24 years, he worked
scrubbing dishes, emptying trash cans and mopping floors at two Santa
Ana restaurants before retiring three years ago. Now, thanks to the pull
of a lever, Herrera could buy his own. He plans to open a family-operated
taqueria.
And family will be
the operative word. Herrera has 10 children, 45 grandchildren and 18 great-grandchildren.
"I've always wanted a business that could involve the entire family,"
he said. "And restaurants are what I know best."
Providing for his
family has always been his first priority, said Herrera. He worked as
a dish washer in Santa Ana restaurants since he emigrated from Mexico
with his family in the late 1970s..."
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