Surgeon Uses Quick Pick to Remove Lotto Jackpot of $15.7 Million

A Santa Clarita surgeon--who owns five cars and has residences in affluent Sand Canyon and Malibu--has claimed a $15.7-million Lotto jackpot that he won a week ago.

Rumors of Dr. Jorge V. Ragde’s luck had been circulating through the medical community since Thursday, the day after the Nov. 9 drawing. But he waited until Monday to turn over his winning ticket to the Ventura lottery office, lottery officials said Tuesday.

It took lottery security forces nearly 24 hours to complete the process that confirmed his claim was legitimate and to clear the way for Ragde to receive the first of 20 annual checks of $629,600.

Even after the confirmation, the surgeon shunned publicity, failing to return telephone calls and choosing to allow public release of the minimum information required by law: his name, his winning total and his hometown.

Private Practice

However, state medical licensing records reveal that Ragde is a 59-year-old doctor with a private practice in Mission Hills. He attended medical school in the Philippines and has been licensed to practice in California since 1961.

A spokeswoman at Holy Cross Medical Center said that he has been a surgeon there for 24 years. He also has staff privileges at Granada Hills Hospital.

“Our famous lottery winner. It’s pretty exciting,” said Shelly Rondeau, Holy Cross’s media specialist. “He is a very well-thought-of surgeon here.”

At Indian Hills Medical Center, where Ragde has his private practice, a receptionist said the doctor would not return telephone calls from the press.

Against odds of 14 million to 1, Ragde became the sole winner last Wednesday when his quick-pick ticket matched the numbers 9, 10, 17, 22, 40 and 44. In a quick pick, a Lotto machine automatically chooses a random sequence of numbers for the player.