Kentucky $167M Powerball winner once again in trouble with the law after suspected hit-and-run

• Kentucky’s biggest-ever Powerball winner ends up in legal trouble again as boisterous behavior continues
• James Farthing, who posed for a photo-op with the largest prize won from the Powerball in the state, has already had several run-ins with the law
• In the latest, Farthing is suspected of a hit-and-run, rear-ending another vehicle and fleeing the scene

The life of James Farthing, the man who won the largest Powerball jackpot in Kentucky ever, continues to be a series of calamities and events of his own doing.

Farthing wins the money, but doesn't change his ways

After claiming the $167,000,000 prize in April 2025, Farthing has been ending up in trouble with the law, not least because of his past, but also because of his immediate actions after the win.

Although vowing to make up for his past at the time of receiving the money, posing with the oversized check at the Kentucky Lottery’s headquarters, alongside his mother and girlfriend, Farthing has gone another path in life, exhibiting boisterous behavior that has often

A day after he claimed the money from his life-altering jackpot, Farthing was celebrating at the Island Grand Hotel in St. Pete Beach, Florida, where he ended up in an altercation with another visitor and punched an intervening police officer.

Farthing tried to flee the scene, but was pinned by security personnel and responding officers. He eventually pled guilty to misdemeanor battery and resisting an officer, but no violence charges were leveled against the man.

He was later charged with a second-degree burglary and marijuana possession in a separate case, but the charges were eventually dropped as the case proved a misunderstanding.

This would have made for a good anecdote in its own right, and also broached the topic of whether second chances truly change people, but Farthing’s most recent antics are now set to get him into even more trouble.

Hit-and-run suspected as Farthing faces further charges

However, there is more. In November 2025, he was also charged with a hit-and-run - his most recent run-in with th law.

According to official reporting, Farthing was driving a 2025 Chevrolet Corvette at 103-117 mph when he rear-ended another vehicle, and immediately fled the scene. This case is still ongoing, but it adds to an already long rap sheet, not only since he won the prize, but even before that.

He has been slapped with various charges over the years, including drug smuggling, being part of organized crime, domestic assault, tampering with physical evidence, and more.

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