Lawsuit Claims $2.1bn Powerball Winner Stole Ticket

Edwin Castro won a record $2.1 billion Powerball jackpot last November. Now he faces a lawsuit claiming he stole his winning ticket.

Mr Castro accepted his Powerball winnings as a one-off payment of $997.6 million before taxes. But did he buy his winning ticket?

Jose Rivera doesn’t believe that he did. He’s served legal papers claiming that Castro stole the ticket that made him a multi-millionaire. Mr Rivera claims that he was the person who bought the Powerball jackpot winning ticket.

Is it on camera?

Rivera claims that there is security footage that proves he was the one who bought the Powerball ticket.  However, an employee of Joe’s Service Center says the claim is “crazy.” The store says that lottery officials had gone through the video footage “frame by frame” to ensure the right person was claiming the Powerball win.

His lawsuit sees him suing not just Castro but the California State Lottery Commission. Despite the lawsuit, California lottery officials say they are sure that the rightful owner of the Powerball ticket is Edwin Castro.

Supporting Mr Rivera’s claim to be the rightful owner is his former landlord. Urachi ‘Reggie’ Romero told the New York Post that he saw his former tenant with the Powerball ticket. He even had a chat with him about how his numbers had been chosen.

Personal numbers?

The winning numbers for the Powerball draw saw ‘10’ come up as a main ball and the Powerball. Rivera allegedly told Romero that he’d chosen the number ten twice as that was the date his parents died. Another number had been chosen as that was his age. Rivera added that his father always dreamed of owning a 1956 Chevy truck, so he chose 56 as one of his numbers.

Since his big Powerball win, he’s been busy buying property. This has included a $25.5 million mansion in Hollywood Hills. A vintage Porsche has also been purchased by Castro.

The next Powerball draw is being held this evening. The jackpot is $226 million with a cash value of $114.9 million.

Get your Powerball tickets from Lottery24.