Powerball winner Edwin Castro is trying to get a lawyer to overturn the lawsuit he’s facing against a man who claims the $2 billion lottery ticket was stolen from him and the thief tried to blackmail him in exchange for his return.
Castro’s lawyers also claim that the summons relating to Jose Rivera’s trial was delivered to the millionaire’s father by mistake. Both Castro and Rivera say they purchased the winning ticket at Joe’s Service Center in Altadena, Calif.
Edwin H. Castro Sr. said in an affidavit that a bailiff showed up at his home in Altadena on April 25 to present the summons and trial. The Powerball winner shares a name with his father but has a different initial.
“I told the usher he was serving the wrong Edwin Castro, but he showed little concern,” the elder Castro said. The Powerball winner claims to have never received a summons.
Castro’s lawyers say there are no details in the legal documents about how the ticket came into his possession. Based on this, Castro’s lawyers are asking a judge to quash the complaint.
Edwin Castro is facing a lawsuit that alleges his winning $2 billion Powerball lottery ticket was stolen
Joe’s Service Center in Altadena, CA, where the ticket was purchased in November 2022
Castro was spotted leaving a bank in a vintage Porsche and has bought two California homes for $29 million since winning nearly $1 billion after tax from his lottery win
In the suit, Rivera says he bought the ticket on Nov. 8, the day before the draw. The ticket was then stolen by a man named Reggie. Reggie’s real name is Urachi F. Romero.
Rivera doesn’t say exactly when Romero allegedly stole the ticket. In legal terms, his attorneys say the accusers “are not alleging facts that connect Edwin G. Castro to ‘Reggie.’
“There are no facts as to how Edwin Castro came into possession of ‘Reggie’s’ winning Powerball ticket,” the complaint continues.
Rivera says Romero repeatedly refused to return the ticket. Romero said he would split the winnings with Rivera if he could find the ticket. He later told Rivera the ticket was a loser.
Shortly after Castro was announced as the winner on Feb. 14, Rivera filed complaints with the California Lottery in Chatsworth and Santa Fe Springs. The Santa Fe office accepted his complaint.
He alleges that until Castro was announced as the winner, Romero threatened to destroy the ticket unless he agreed to split the winnings equally.
His attorneys are demanding that all surveillance video from Joe’s service center from the day the ticket was purchased be retained.
The winning ticket – 10, 33, 41, 47, 56 and Powerball 10 – was sold to the Altadena store, which also saw a $1 million payout for the historic win.
Castro’s new $25 million California home, state lottery officials say he is the rightful owner of the ticket
Castro’s new $4 million in Altadena, Calif., comes with its own home theater and expensive artwork
Castro has been living big since winning, buying two separate California mansions for a total of $29 million
The sprawling 13,578-square-foot hillside estate, which includes a full outdoor kitchen, gym, wine cellar, and infinity pool
Rivera is claiming $2.04 billion in his lawsuit, the amount of the jackpot.
Service center workers told DailyMail.com there was little evidence to support claims the ticket was stolen.
“The California lottery has strict rules on how they choose a winner, this guy is crazy, he came here with his lawyer yelling about it and there’s nothing we can do about it,” said a worker.
The employee added that lottery officials obtained surveillance video and went through it frame by frame for the selected winner.
“When it comes to the process of verifying major winners, the California Lottery has the utmost confidence in its process to do so,” the California Lottery said in a statement to DailyMail.com.
“The California Lottery remains confident that Edwin Castro is the rightful winner of the $2.04 billion prize resulting from the November 2022 Powerball draw.”
At the time of the win, lottery director Alva Johnson said Castro wanted to remain private and declined an invitation from lottery officials to attend the press conference.
In a prepared statement, Castro said, “While I am shocked and ecstatic to have won the Powerball drawing, the real winner is the California public school system.”
California public schools act as beneficiaries of the state lottery.
After months of anticipation, California Lottery Director Alva Johnson has announced Edwin Castro as the winner of November’s historic jackpot. He elected to take a $997.6 million lump sum payment option
Castro bought his two homes down the street from his humble one bedroom home in Altadena
This means the education system received over $156 million as a result of the record win.
After winning, Castro accepted the lump sum payment which amounted to $997.6 million after taxes.
Center workers who sold the winning ticket weren’t as private as they celebrated their $1 million windfall.
Joe Chahayed, won $1 million for selling the record $2.04 billion Powerball ticket.
At the time, Chahayed said he would share the winnings with his entire family.
Chahayed – the stepfather of former NFL player Domata Peko – held up a huge check outside his gas station alongside his family wearing a “millionaire made here” shirt.
“We’re thrilled,” he said at a press conference with California Lottery in November last year.
“I will share it with my family, with whatever is necessary, with my children, my grandchildren. I have 11 grandchildren and will be sharing with them.
His son, who was at the press conference, said “nobody else deserves it more than this man.”
Castro has been living big since winning, buying two separate California mansions for a total of $29 million. He was also seen driving away from a bank in a vintage Porsche.
One of his new homes is a $4 million mansion in the Los Angeles area. The house comes with its own home theater, private office, and expensive artwork, which is sure to be improved given Castro’s large new bank balance.
The Altadena house is only a short drive from where Castro grew up.
If Castro tires of the $4 million estate, he’s only about 20 miles from his second California resort, which he bought for $25 million eight days prior.
The sprawling 13,578 square foot hillside estate, which includes a full outdoor kitchen, gym, wine cellar, and infinity pool.
