A man named Jose Rivera claims he is the rightful owner of a $2.04 billion winning lottery ticket already collected by Edwin Castro, and he’s reportedly suing him for the money.
The largest lottery jackpot in history is now being disputed. Legal documents allege Rivera purchased the winning ticket Nov. 7 from Joe’s Service Center in Altadena, California, the day before the big draw, according to TMZ. He says the ticket was stolen from him by a man named Reggie, then claimed by Castro. Rivera has named both Reggie and Castro as defendants in his newly filed litigation, according to TMZ.
It ain’t easy becoming an overnight billionaire — and there’s a new headache for the winner of the largest lottery jackpot in history — as one man claims the winning ticket was stolen from him … and he’s now filed a lawsuit. https://t.co/KWwwfRaMSV
— TMZ (@TMZ) February 23, 2023
Rivera says he tried to get his stolen ticket back from Reggie when he realized it was the winning ticket, but Reggie denied that it was the winner, according to TMZ. Rivera said he “refused to be blackmailed,” and took his complaint straight to the California Lottery, as well as local police to sort out the matter.
A lottery spokesperson revealed they are not able to assist with the matter.
“The California Lottery is not authorized to investigate criminal activity among its players; such allegations are subject to investigation only by local law enforcement,” the spokesperson told TMZ. “Should a local law enforcement agency investigate such allegations, Lottery’s only role is to assist in the matter by answering questions and/or providing evidence as allowed under the law.” (RELATED: $15.1 Million Lottery Ticket Sold In Town With The Perfect Name)
Edwin Castro has been revealed as the winner of the record-breaking $2 billion Powerball jackpot. @trevorlault has more. pic.twitter.com/Se6x1oXpDE
— Good Morning America (@GMA) February 15, 2023
The spokesperson backed their agency and confirmed their belief that a sound lottery winner had already been declared.
“Further, when it comes to the vetting process for big winners, California Lottery has the utmost confidence in its process for doing so. California Lottery remains confident that Edwin Castro is the rightful winner of the $2.04 billion prize stemming from the Powerball drawing in November of 2022,” they said.
Castro collected his winnings in the form of a lump sum payment totaling $997.6 million. Rivera is pushing forward with his lawsuit and is asking for the court to grant him the historic $2.04 billion jackpot, as well as damages relating to this matter, according to TMZ.