Houses owned by family of Limerick Euromillions winner seized

AROUND 40 homes owned by the family of Euromillions winner Dolores McNamara have been seized by authorities in the American city of Detroit.

The reason for this, according to public records obtained by the Irish Times, is related to the non-payment of property tax.

It is reported that the family of Ms McNamara – a former Limerick Youth Service cleaner, who hails from Garryowen – spent around $5m (€4.7m) on more than 100 homes in less affluent areas of the rust belt city between 2012 and 2014.

Mother-of-six Ms McNamara won the €115 million Euromillions lottery jackpot in 2005.

The majority of the homes were forfeited to Wayne County treasury authorities in the past year, records show, although a handful were seized over the previous two years.

Under Michigan law, the local authorities can seize a building from its owner if property taxes are not paid for three years.

Since landing what was then the biggest prize in Euromillions history, Ms McNamara has kept a very low profile.