Man loses two lawyers after suing Edwin Castro for stealing $2bn Powerball ticket
California Lottery believes Castro is the rightful winner as man fails to prove his claims
July 20, 2023
The man who claims to have bought the $2 billion Powerball winning ticket has lost two attorneys in the past week after alleging that Edwin Castro cashed it in after stealing it.
Jose Rivera attempted to sue Castro and Urachi "Reggie" Romero, his former landlord, for the prize money, amid claims that Romero stole his golden ticket and Castro misrepresented it to the California State Lottery Commission.
However, according to the US Sun, Rivera has not explained how the winning ticket ended up in Castro's possession and the two lawyers he had retained to represent him in the lawsuit have already withdrawn from the case.
On July 12, R Brian Kramer, one of the lawyers Rivera hired, submitted paperwork to withdraw from the case while, a week later, Estela Richeda, another of his lawyers, informed the Superior Court that she would also no longer be participating in the legal dispute.
Castro's attorney told The Sun that the lawsuit is without merit, and Rivera has failed to link Romero to Castro.
“There is no basis in fact for the suit at all. At this point, we’re just working on service but there are huge problems with the complaint,” attorney David De Paoli said.
“At some point, it is going to become clear that Edwin G. Castro is the legitimate owner of the ticket.” He added that Rivera was “not going to get a dollar.”
The Powerball game is where players can buy a ticket for $2 for each play.
According to USA Today, Players must select one number from one to 26 for the red Powerball and five numbers from one to 69 for the white balls while they also have the option of choosing random numbers.
To win the jackpot, all five white balls' numbers and the red Powerball's numbers must line up.
According to Rivera's claims the Powerball lotto ticket was purchased by him from Joe’s Service Center in Altadena, California — the same location as Castro — a day before the record-breaking drawing.
He said that Romero stole his ticket at their shared home and filed a lawsuit against both men in April.
Romero denies stealing the ticket but believes Rivera purchased the winning numbers saying that he "said it with his own eyes", according to The Post.
However, California Lottery confidently believes Castro is the rightful winner of the large fortune.
