On November 7, 2022, Edwin Castro made history by winning $2.04 billion, the largest Powerball jackpot. The sweet taste of victory turned bitter when José Rivera, a gardener, will sue him with the argument that he was the one who actually bought the winning ticket. Since 2023, the legal battle remains ongoing.
Rivera’s sister, who preferred to remain anonymous, recently spoke to The Sun portal to share that the gardenerwho claims to be the real buyer of the historic winning Powerball ticket, has faced a streak of bad events since he initiated his claim.
The woman said that Rivera has suffered to sustain himself since he began his legal battle. During this period he has been unemployed and, in addition, faced the separation of his mother from his children. Now, he lives between two of her sisters’ houses, sleeping on the couch. Despite this, it seems that the gardener does not stop his fight.
“If you have the energy, go ahead,” Rivera’s sister responded to the outlet when asked if she believed the outfielder should follow his legal process. “I don’t have the energy. But I think he is the real winnerthen what he does makes sense.”
It should be noted that Rivera not only sued the person who is currently the official Powerball winner, He also sued Urachi Romero, his former landlord, who he claims stole his ticket. before it somehow got into Castro’s hands.
“As he said, the ticket was stolen. I believe him because he is my brother and he tells the truth.. But let’s see what happens. I don’t get too involved in their business, I’m very reserved. I just listen to you and when you need help I am here to help you. “He talks to me about that,” the woman said.
The man has hired defense lawyer John Michael Flanagan, who became famous after representing Michael Jackson’s doctorConrad Murray.
“I don’t know (how you pay the lawyer), that’s your business. But he is doing well, we make sure he is well,” the woman noted.
What happened in the legal battle over the Powerball jackpot?
After it was announced in November 2022 that a ticket in California won the largest prize in Powerball history, for a whopping $2.04 billion dollars, it was not until February that The California Lottery will announce that Edwin Castro went to claim his prize for a lump sum cash of $997.6 million dollars.
Since then, José Rivera, a 48-year-old landscape gardener, began legal proceedings against Castro and his former landlord, Urachi “Reggie” Romero, by claiming that He was the person who bought the Powerball ticket at Joe’s Service Center in Altadena in Novemberthe day before the draw was held.
In his lawsuit, Rivera comments that Romero stole his ticket and, without knowing how, it came into the hands of Castro, who finally claimed the prize.
According to the California State Lottery Commission, There is an apparent video of Castro’s purchase of the ticket at the Joe’s Service Center in Altadena, California, but has not made it public.
In a case that becomes more intricate as it goes, Rivera was ordered to undergo a psychiatric evaluation after being criminally charged by Castro’s legal team with filing a false police report in Pasadena, Californiain a separate case.
At some point during this entire process, he stated that his former tenant, José Rivera showed him the winning ticket before the draw and even explained why he chose each number, according to The New York Post. However, he defends himself that he did not steal the bill, stating that it is illogical that if he had it he would have given it to Castro. In recent months, Romero has been arrested for possession of weapons, of which he maintains that he brought them because of the threats he has received.
For its part, Edwin Castro has not limited himself in his expenses. Since receiving the award, she has bought three mansions, one of them in the Hollywood Hills, an exclusive area where different celebrities live, different luxury cars, and she even paid her friends an expensive vacation to Fiji.
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