Winner of $167M lottery arrested on domestic violence-related charges after several prior arrests
James Farthing, who won a $167.3 million prize in Kentucky's Powerball in April 2025, was arrested in Scott County, Kentucky, on domestic-violence-related charges for an alleged incident that occurred on Sunday, according to county authorities.
Farthing was charged with first-degree strangulation and fourth-degree assault after allegedly wrapping his hands around a woman's neck and lifting her up against a wall in his home, according to a criminal complaint filed with the Scott County Sheriff's Office.
Farthing's win was in the state's largest-ever award, according to a Powerball press release.
Farthing said he would split the prize with his mother, Linda Grizzle, for whom he had bought the lottery ticket, the press release said.
Following Sunday's alleged incident, the victim told the sheriff's office that a verbal argument between herself and Farthing had turned physical after she returned from a boating trip on Sunday morning at 9 a.m., according to the complaint.
The victim sustained visible injuries on her neck, the complaint stated.
Farthing has been arrested several times in the roughly 15 months since he won the Powerball prize.
On April 29, 2025, just days after he won the prize, Farthing was arrested in Pinellas County, Florida, on two counts of first-degree battery and obstructing or resisting an officer without violence, according to Pinellas County records. He pleaded not guilty to the charges at his trial in Feb. 2026, according to the records.
Farthing was also indicted on a felony wanton endangerment charge for allegedly fleeing the scene of a car crash in Lexington, Kentucky, after a collision that occurred on Nov. 23, 2025, while he was driving between 103 and 117 miles per hour, according to ABC News' Lexington, Kentucky affiliate WTVQ.
Several other charges have been filed with the Scott County Sheriff's Department against Farthing in recent years, including past assault and strangulation charges, intimidating a participant in the legal process, and illegal substance possession, according to county records.
Farthing is currently booked in the Scott County Detention Center. ABC News has reached out to his attorney for comment.
