Luís Lopes was a tiler living in a small parish in Portugal when he won a share of the EuroMillions jackpot of over €50 million in 2009, but the sudden wealth led to his life spiralling out of control
In 2009, life for Luís Lopes was nothing out of the ordinary. He earned his living as a tiler and though it was hardly enough, he made do with what he had, leading a life of simplicity and satisfaction.
Yet one particular habit stood out: his participation in a EuroMillions syndicate. His days were filled with hard work, a tiresome routine, and the constant battle to make ends meet.
But then, a EuroMillions ticket transformed Luís into an overnight multi-millionaire. .For years, Luís, along with his friends, contributed towards lottery tickets. They had no real expectation of winning – it was more about keeping up a tradition.
They occasionally enjoyed small victories, which they’d celebrate over dinner. Suddenly, their luck turned on a dime after winning a staggering jackpot of over €50million – Luís’ share amounting to nearly €8 million, reports the Mirror.
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The change was astounding for someone who had lived a life of unassuming toil; he was catapulted from his humble existence in Charneca da Caparica, Portugal, into a millionaire’s lifestyle overnight. Recollecting the experience during an interview with Noticias Magazine, Luís said: “I couldn’t believe it,” adding: “I didn’t sleep for 15 days. I just couldn’t. It was anxiety. Something like this changes your life completely.”
In the wake of his lottery win, Luís was caught up in the thrill of it all. Not long after the initial excitement, however, his existence began to careen into a vortex of unrestrained pleasure.
The brief euphoria quickly gave way to an opulent lifestyle as Luís grappled with his altered circumstances. Investing in a new abode at Charneca da Caparica just shy of his former neighbourhood, he embraced constant travel, binging on the high life once exclusive to the elite and splurging on his relatives and mates.
“I still worked for another two months, but then I quit. I bought houses for my nephews, gave money to my siblings, and traveled everywhere. Wherever Benfica went, I went too,” reflected Luís, recollecting the non-stop voyages and the joys that came with his windfall.
It was an era marked by extravagance; yet, it wasn’t purely blissful. But soon enough, Luís started witnessing the repercussions of his wealth. Individuals unbeknownst to him would come forward, claiming familiarity or some kind of tie with him.
“I had people knocking at my door who I had never seen before. They would tell me they knew me, and my house was always full of people,” expressed Luís. He purchased a new home, but it didn’t provide the tranquillity he had anticipated.
Reflecting on his decision, he expresses regret for not distancing himself more from his previous life. He confesses: “Today I wouldn’t buy a house so close. I should have moved further away. It was too much. It became overwhelming.”
His existence was filled with constant interruptions, with individuals knocking on his door, requesting favours and money. It was an experience unlike any he had ever had before. While the wealth provided him the liberty to live a luxurious lifestyle, it also introduced complications. His marriage ended in divorce, and his financial stability began to falter.
The extravagant lifestyle that once seemed so appealing started to lose its lustre, and Luís found himself battling to retain what little he had left. The impact of his choices became evident.
As Luís’s wealth diminished, he sought assistance from those he trusted to manage his finances. One such individual was his lawyer, Sónia Valente.
He reportedly met her through a friend, and they “got along well,” he explained, so he “gave her full control over my financial affairs. I thought she would take care of everything.”
For years, Sónia was the one managing all of Luís’s legal and financial affairs. He would sign off on documents without giving them a glance and forked out hefty sums of cash on her say-so.
He claims she spun him tales of owing taxes or fines, leading him to cough up whatever she demanded. Speaking to Correio da Manha, he revealed: “Never less than €50,000, all in cash. I had never paid taxes in my life. I didn’t know how things worked. I trusted her.”
However, in 2018, after almost ten years of blind trust, Luís smelled a rat. Prompted by a mate to check his tax records, he uncovered a shocking truth – the figures he owed were peanuts compared to what Sónia had been telling him.
Outraged and feeling duped, Luís severed ties with Sónia and lodged a complaint against her for fraud and embezzlement, alleging she swindled more than €500,000 from him under false pretences.
Sónia Valente, on the other hand, refutes every allegation. In her statement to the same paper, she insisted that Luís was just trying to dodge his debts and pinning the blame on her.
“I repudiate all of his accusations,” she declared. “They are false and defamatory. Luís Lopes is responsible for his own financial ruin.”
Sónia alleged that working with Luís proved challenging as he consistently avoided settling his bills and caused issues with the legal services provided to him. She attributed Luís’s monetary woes to his own reckless decisions, describing a lifestyle riddled with “drugs, women, and a life of idleness and luxury as if money would never run out”.
“Luís has never been fond of paying his bills,” she said, highlighting that his financial downfall was a direct consequence of his actions. Sónia didn’t just dismiss Luís’s claims; she took legal action against him over unpaid legal fees.
The court sided with her, leading to the seizure of Luís’s assets. His property in Charneca de Caparica was claimed by the court, his accounts got frozen, and he found himself in a desperate situation.
During these tough times, Luís yearned for serenity, expressing his wish to settle his affairs so he could emigrate to Brazil with his current wife seeking peace. He lamented: “When I worked, I was happier. I didn’t have these headaches.”
Luís looked back at a pivotal point post-lottery win when Santa Casa Jogos’ Department offered him psychological help, which he declined. Reflecting on that decision, he admitted: “I was the one who said no. Today, I would’ve at least thought twice about it.”
Despite the money being spent, his attention is now on the restaurant he managed to retain, some land in Alentejo, and the hope that someday he might win the lottery again – which he still plays, on Tuesdays and Fridays, one €2.5 ticket at a time.