California lottery officials have confirmed the winner of the $2 billion Powerball draw is the real winner, despite a man claiming his ticket was stolen.
According to legal documents obtained by Telemundo 52, José Rivera claims that he was the one who bought the lottery ticket at Joe’s Service Center in Altadena, California on November 7, the day before the big Powerball draw.
A statement sent by the California Lottery noted that “when it comes to the process of verifying major winners, the California Lottery has the utmost confidence in its process for doing so. The California Lottery remains confident that Edwin Castro is the rightful winner of the $2.04 billion prize derived from the November 2022 Powerball draw.”
On February 14, it was announced that Edwin Castro was the only one to hit all six numbers: 10, 33, 41, 47, 56 and the Powerball, 10.
In the 13-page document, Rivera claims a man named Reggie “stole” his ticket earlier in the day. Moreover, he assures that Reggie told him that if he found the ticket he would give him half the price.
Rivera alleged that he “refused to be blackmailed” and that’s when he filed a lawsuit against the California Lottery.
The California Lottery, through a statement, indicated that it is not authorized to investigate the criminal activities of its players; such complaints are only investigated by local police. In the event such allegations are investigated by a local law enforcement agency, the Lottery’s sole role is to assist by answering questions and/or providing evidence to the extent permitted by law.
Castro, who was not present at the press conference where he was announced the winner, elected to receive the lump sum of $997.6 million.