Retired grocer wins $140m lottery

California lottery officials say a winner has come forward to claim a $141m dollars prize, the largest single-state jackpot in US history.

Cario ‘‘Al’’ Castellano of San Jose went to the lottery’s San Francisco district office yesterday with the winning ticket from Saturday’s draw. He chose to take the money in a lump sum, which means he will receive $70,794,364 (£50 million) within the next six weeks.

Lottery spokeswoman Norma Minas said Castellano was accompanied by his wife and other family members - one of whom videotaped the exchange when he turned in his ticket.

‘‘They were nervous,’’ Minas said.

Castellano is retired from the grocery business, Minas said. He said he let the lottery machine pick his numbers.

The largest previous single-state lottery prize was $118.8m in 1991, also in California.