Jay Leno of the “Tonight Show” loves to tell jokes about stupid criminals. Well, Jay, here is one for the books.

Michael A. McGorman, 22, of Brooklyn, New York, got the bright idea that lottery winner Gary Owens, who lives near Albany New York, kept his $10 million in his house, thus being an inviting robbery target.

McGorman soon learned that just because a lottery winner wins a big prize doesn’t mean he has a house full of cash.

About a week ago, according to the Albany Times Union, McGorman, brandishing a gun, broke into Owens’ home.

Owens told police that a man came to his door. Said his name was Tony and he was there to repay money that had been borrowed. Well, someone named Tony did owe Owens money, but the lottery winner had a clue that the man at the door was not the Tony he knew since he was wearing a hood.

“He broke down the door, put a gun to my head and told me ‘Give me all your money,'” Owens told the cops. He was then told to lie down on the floor, and tied up.

Luckily for Owens his downstairs neighbor came to the rescue, and while he wrestled with the robber, Owens got free, ran to the kitchen, grabbed a wooden chair and smacked the suspect twice.

At this point, McGorman ran for his life.

Meanwhile, Owens said he was “a little shook up by the incident.”

And based on their description of the robber, the NY State police nabbed McGorman on the New York State Thruway.

He was charged with first-degree burglary, first-degree assault, second-degree attempted robbery, unlawful imprisonment and criminal possession of a weapon.

The gun, police said, turned out to be a pellet pistol.

Owens, a retired engineer with General Electric, won his $10 million playing a scratch-off ticket. “Sometimes I wonder if it’s even worth it,” he said to police. “People think I have all this money in my house. Well, I don’t.”

This is a good lesson to all of you lottery winners out there. If you win a big jackpot, bank and invest the winnings. Don’t keep a lot of cash in your house. And buy a good alarm system.

In the Money:

There were no winners in Tuesday night’s Mega Million’s draw, so the jackpot rises to $16 million on Friday. Winning numbers for Tuesday’s game were 2,25,35,38, 42. The Mega ball was 34. Two people matched five balls (but missed the Mega ball). Each of those winning tickets is worth $250,000. The tickets were bought in New York and New Jersey.

Tonight’s Powerball game has a $15 million jackpot.

Good luck.