A Kentucky man with one of the most extensive rap sheets in state history just won the lottery then found himself back in jail weeks later.
James Farthing, 52, claimed a $167.3 million Powerball jackpot on April 28 after buying a $2 ticket at a convenience store in Georgetown. It is the biggest win in Kentucky Lottery history.
Farthing shares an address with his 77-year-old mother, Linda Grizzle, but quickly left town after his win. He and his girlfriend flew to a beachfront resort in Florida to celebrate. The only problem was that Farthing never got permission from his parole officer to leave Kentucky.
Farthing has been classified by authorities as a “persistent felony offender.” His criminal record spans 35 years, fills 16 pages, and includes convictions in at least nine counties. He has done time for drug trafficking, bribing corrections officers, possessing stolen firearms, strangling a girlfriend, and escaping from a prison work detail. He also once involved his own mother in a marijuana smuggling plot.
According to The Smoking Gun, Farthing has been incarcerated in 25 different prisons and jails, serving nearly 30 years behind bars. He continued committing crimes behind bars, too. Prison records accuse him of drug smuggling, assaults, gambling, loansharking, and even operating a theft racket where inmates had to pay him to get their stolen items back.
Career criminal arrested after winning $167.3M Powerball
His Florida vacation lasted just one day before he allegedly punched a hotel guest during a late-night argument at the TradeWinds Resort in St. Pete Beach. When a sheriff’s deputy tried to intervene, Farthing reportedly kicked him in the face and ran.
According to the arrest affidavit, Farthing tried to “injure or incapacitate” the officer. He was eventually caught and charged with battery on a law enforcement officer, resisting arrest, and simple battery. He was booked into the Pinellas County jail and held for violating his Kentucky parole.
Some of James Farthing’s many mugshots.
Farthing was later extradited back to Kentucky and detained at the Scott County jail. Officials kept his identity off the public jail roster due to safety concerns around his sudden wealth.
He chose to waive his parole hearings and served an additional month in custody before being released in late June. Two days after his release, Florida prosecutors formally charged him with felony battery on an officer and resisting arrest. The simple battery charge was dropped.
Farthing pleaded not guilty and was released on $11,000 bond. He is scheduled to appear in court for arraignment on July 14. The felony charge carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison.
Despite his lottery fortune, Farthing’s past continues to follow him and now it may land him back behind bars again.
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