I haven't read the article, but my bet is that she tried to hide the winnings during the divorce to not have to split them, they found out and she got punished for it. Ill go read and come back.
edit : yup --> latimes [dot] com/archives/la-xpm-1999-nov-17-mn-34537-story [dot] html
yeah, heard of this, she tried to do the dirty on him and got caught. Recently in Australia there was a $55 million winner that didn't claim it until 6 months later, why? My theory is they were in a relationship, not married, but the law states they would split the winnings. They started to be an asshole to their partner until such time they left, waited, and then claimed it. But privacy laws means that the partner can't find out.
edit : yup --> latimes [dot] com/archives/la-xpm-1999-nov-17-mn-34537-story [dot] html