Celebrity It's True! The Lottery Confirms That Tennessee Couple Are Indeed Big Winners After They Claimed They Won Part of the Powerball The couple had made a stop on Today claiming they were the winners By Maria Mercedes Lara Maria Mercedes Lara Instagram Twitter Maria Mercedes Lara is the Digital Content Operations Director for PEOPLE, where she oversees content management and editorial workflow for the digital team as well as focus on increasing growth through PEOPLE's newsletters, homepage and notification audiences. She previously held the position of Deputy News Director for PEOPLE.com. Before joining PEOPLE, Maria worked at POPSUGAR, SpinMedia Group and Jezebel. She graduated with a B.A. in Literature from Eugene Lang College of Liberal Arts at the New School in New York City. Maria currently lives in Brooklyn, New York, with her husband and two children. People Editorial Guidelines Published on January 15, 2016 04:50 PM Share Tweet Pin Email Photo: AP Confirmed: The Robinsons from Tennessee are officially Powerball winners. The Tennessee Lottery confirmed on Friday that Lisa and John Robinson, of Munford, were indeed the owners of one of three winning tickets from Wednesday’s $1.6 billion Powerball drawing. Earlier in the day, the couple had traveled to New York City to make an appearance on the Today show, but admitted that they hadn’t officially claimed their winnings at the time. They then flew back to their home state to meet with lottery officials (alongside their adorable – and friendly – dog). “Possible #Powerball jackpot winners are greeted at @TNLottery headquarters,” the Tennessee Lottery tweeted on Friday afternoon. “Soon we’ll know if they’re BIG winners!” An hour later, the lottery confirmed that the Robinsons are indeed the legitimate winners, adding that this Powerball jackpot run resulted in $28.9 million raised for Tennessee education programs. At the press conference on Friday, the Robinsons said, “We just wanted a little piece of the pie. Instead we got a big piece!” The family posed with a check for $528 million, which they can take in annual installments or a lump sum. As for what they’ll do with their money, Lisa said she plans on paying off her family’s student loans.