$2B Powerball Winner Edwin Castro Accused of Stealing Winning Ticket, Served Legal Papers at Newly Purchased $25M Mansion
Sources close to the jackpot winner said he has recruited a new attorney, former federal prosecutor and veteran trial lawyer Michael G. Freedman of The Freedman Firm in LA.
May 26 2023, Published 12:40 p.m. ET
Powerball winner Edwin Castro was recently served legal papers accusing the newly made multi-millionaire of stealing the winning $2 billion lottery ticket, RadarOnline.com has learned.
Castro was reportedly served the lawsuit on April 25 and the proof of service of the lawsuit was officially filed on May 17.
According to the New York Post, process servers arrived at Castro’s newly purchased $25 million Hollywood Hills mansion in April but failed to serve the lawsuit because a “man in his 50s” refused to acknowledge the papers.
“The subject said we are serving the wrong Edwin Castro,” the legal papers said. “I advised the subject to contact the attorney if any questions or concerns.”
The proof of service was filed roughly one month later after Castro acknowledged the lawsuit.
The lawsuit against Castro was first filed earlier this year by plaintiff Jose Rivera.
According to Rivera, Castro was not the winner of the $2 billion jackpot because the winning ticket was stolen from him by a man named “Reggie” shortly after Rivera purchased the ticket at an Altadena gas station on November 7.
“Reggie” has since been identified as Urachi F. Romero and was named as a co-defendant in the lawsuit filed to the Alhambra Superior Court.
A review of the complaint filed by Rivera failed to explain the circumstances of the alleged ticket theft, according to the Post, and how the ticket ultimately ended up in Castro’s hands.
Rivera also argued that surveillance footage recorded at the gas station where the winning ticket was purchased, Joe’s Service Station, would “prove” he was the individual who actually bought the $2 billion jackpot winner.
“In an effort to hopefully reach a prompt resolution of this matter involving the rightful owner of the $2.04 Billion Powerball winning ticket, our client, Jose Rivera, again requests the ‘Lottery’ make available for our review all video depicting the purchase of the winning ticket,” Rivera’s legal team wrote in a letter to the California Lottery.
“We understand the ‘Lottery’ took possession of the video shortly after it was determined the winning ticket was sold at Joe’s Service Station in Altadena, California,” Rivera’s legal team added.
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Meanwhile, the California Lottery has denied Rivera’s accusations and expressed the “utmost confidence” that Castro was the “rightful winner” of the $2 billion Powerball jackpot.
“When it comes to the vetting process for big winners, California Lottery has the utmost confidence in its process for doing so,” a spokesperson for California Lottery said.
“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.”
