Natalia Chi
A man from California who claimed Record-breaking $2 billion Powerball lottery jackpot Last year, he may go to court to defend his winnings.
Edwin Castro was served legal papers to his Hollywood Hills home this week and was notified of the pending lawsuit, the US Sun reported. report.of suitwas filed in Los Angeles County in February, accusing Castro of stealing winning tickets from another California resident named Jose Rivera. In his allegations, Rivera names the California Lottery Commission and California resident Ulach “Reggie” Romero as defendants.
Rivera’s attorneys, Brian Kramer and Estella Richeda, did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Friday. Castro’s attorney, David De Paoli, also did not immediately respond to a request for comment confirming that service to clients had been completed.
Rivera purchased Powerball tickets on November 7, 2022 at Joe’s Service Center in Altadena, California, according to the complaint. Rivera claims the tickets were stolen by Romero around the same day. Rivera repeatedly asked for the tickets back, but Romero refused, according to the lawsuit.
The lawsuit did not specify how Castro obtained the winning tickets.
Last year, Castro’s Powerball win made headlines across the country as the jackpot ballooned to billions of dollars. The jackpot is by far the largest lottery prize ever won, surpassing the previous Powerball record of $1.59 billion, which was split among three winners in 2016.
Lottery officials said Castro opted for a one-time payment and received a staggering $997.6 million in prize money.he chose not to reveal himself at a press conference.
Months after victory, Castro Bought a $25 million bachelor padreported by CBS affiliate KCAL. The 3-story mansion has 5 bedrooms, 5 bathrooms, 2 powder rooms, a gym, cold plunge pool, wine cellar, cinema and sauna.
KCAL reports that Castro also bought a small $4 million property in Altadena this year, not far from the store where he bought his Powerball tickets.
The California Lottery said it was confident that: Castro is the rightful winner As for the jackpot, it released a statement in February saying it vetted everyone who came forward to claim the prize and said it “has the utmost confidence in the process.” The California Lottery Commission said the allegations raised by Rivera will be investigated by local law enforcement, not by public agencies.
Despite the lottery commission’s confidence, the lawsuit is moving forward. The next major hearing in the case is scheduled for July 24.
