James Shannon Farthing, a 50-year-old Kentucky man who won a $167.3 million Powerball jackpot in April, is once again behind bars—this time in Florida—after a violent altercation at a luxury resort.
Farthing was arrested at the TradeWinds Island Grand Resort in St. Pete Beach just days after claiming his lottery prize, which he had planned to split with his mother, Linda Grizzle, and his girlfriend, Jacqueline Fightmaster. According to authorities, Farthing allegedly punched another hotel guest in the face, then kicked a responding Pinellas County deputy in the head.
The incident marks just the latest entry in a lengthy criminal history that spans more than three decades. Farthing has served time in 25 correctional facilities and has a 16-page rap sheet listing convictions across multiple counties in Kentucky. His record includes charges for choking a girlfriend, bribing corrections officers, and selling cocaine to an undercover agent.
“He’s what we’d call a career criminal,” said one law enforcement official familiar with his case.
Even while incarcerated, Farthing allegedly continued to break the law. He was repeatedly placed in administrative segregation and, at one point, used his 77-year-old mother to smuggle marijuana into a maximum-security prison.
Parole records show that Farthing frequently violated the terms of his conditional releases, often testing positive for drugs. After collecting his lottery winnings, Farthing left the state without notifying his parole officer—another breach of his agreement.
“He was recently released from a Kentucky jail,” a spokesperson for the Kentucky Parole Board confirmed. “But now he’s facing up to five additional years behind bars for the battery charge stemming from the Florida incident.”
Farthing has pleaded not guilty. His arraignment is scheduled for July 14.
