California Man Claims Billion Dollar-Winning Powerball Ticket Was Stolen From Him
Jose Rivera is suing two men who he claims stole his lottery ticket.
A man in California named Jose Rivera is taking legal action against two men who he claims stole the $2.04 billion-winning Powerball ticket that he bought.
The ticket was reportedly purchased at Joe's Service Center in Altadena, on Nov. 7, 2022, the day before the winning lottery numbers were drawn.
According to legal documents obtained by TMZ, Rivera says a man named "Reggie" stole the ticket from him on Nov. 7.
He reportedly tried to get the ticket back, but Reggie was uncooperative and said it wasn't a winning ticket. Rivera said that he "refused to be blackmailed," before reporting the theft to both the lottery and law enforcement.
This month, the California lottery announced a man named Edwin Castro as the winner of the big prize, which, after taxes, amounts to $997.6 million.
After the announcement, Rivera asked for the situation to be investigated before the winnings are paid out.
He named both Reggie and Castro as defendants in his lawsuit, although it's unclear if he is claiming that they are both involved in the theft or not.
Rivera is requesting damages and to be named the winner of the lottery jackpot.
TMZ later received a statement from the California Lottery in regard to the lawsuit: "The California Lottery is not authorized to investigate criminal activity among its players; such allegations are subject to investigation only by local law enforcement. Should a local law enforcement agency investigate such allegations, Lottery’s only role is to assist in the matter by answering questions and/or providing evidence as allowed under the law."
The statement went on, with the lottery declaring its confidence in naming Castro as the winner, saying, "Further, when it comes to the vetting process for big winners, California Lottery has the utmost confidence in its process for doing so. 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."
