EXCLUSIVE: ‘He’s crazy!’ Worker at store which sold $2bn Power Ball ticket ridicules lawsuit brought by man claiming the lottery winner stole the ticket from him
- A worker has ridiculed the ‘winning ticket’ lawsuit brought forward by Jose Rivera, who claims his ticket was ‘stolen’ and he is owed part of the $2B winnings
- The Joe’s Service Center worker who asked to remain nameless said Rivera is ‘crazy’ and that California Lottery have a strict vetting process to choose winners
- Rivera has asked the court for damages and to declare him the winner of the historic $2.04billion jackpot, not Edwin Castro, who was announced mid-Feb
A worker at a California service station that sold a record breaking $2.04billion Powerball ticket has called a man ‘crazy’ for pursuing legal action claiming his ‘winning ticket’ was stolen.
After months of anticipation, Altadena resident Edwin Castro was identified as the winner of November’s historic jackpot win. He opted to take a lump sum payment option of $997.6million.
Castro did not attend a news conference at California Lottery headquarters in Sacramento and, aside for his name, no other information was released.
The win has been marred with controversy however, with another Altadena resident, Jose Rivera, claiming that he’s owed a portion of the winnings. Workers at Joe’s Service Center, however, told DailyMail.com a different story.
A worker at the California service station that sold a record breaking $2.04billion Powerball ticket has called a man pursuing legal action claiming his ‘winning ticket’ was stolen ‘crazy’
After months of anticipation, California Lottery director Alva Johnson announced Edwin Castro was the winner of November’s historic jackpot win. He opted to take a lump sum payment option of $997.6million
‘California Lottery have strict regulations about how they choose a winner, this guy is crazy, he came in here with his attorney yelling about it and there’s nothing we can do,’ they said.
The worker, who asked to remain anonymous, said that California Lottery obtained video footage from the service station and vetted the winner going ‘frame by frame’ and ‘to the second.’
These sentiments have been echoed by California Lottery, which it is ‘confident Edwin Castro is the rightful winner of the $2.04billion prize.’
‘When it comes to the vetting process for big winners, California Lottery has the utmost confidence in its process for doing so,’ it said in a statement to DailyMail.com.
‘California Lottery remains confident that Edwin Castro is the rightful winner of the $2.04billion prize stemming from the Powerball drawing in November of 2022.’
The organization added that it is ‘not authorized to investigate any criminal activity among its players.
‘Such allegations are subject to investigation only by local law enforcement,’ it said.
‘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.’
First reported by TMZ, legal documents obtained by the outlet claim that Rivera had bought his lottery ticket from Joe’s Service Center in Altadena, California, November 7 but it was stolen from him the same day.
Rivera claims a man named ‘Reggie’ took the ticket and, after the numbers were drawn, he tried to get the winning ticket back to no avail.
It’s claimed that Reggie told Rivera that the ticket was a dud but if it turned out to be a winner that he would give up half the winnings.
Rivera said he ‘refused to be blackmailed’ and reported the theft to the CA Lottery and law enforcement.
Castro and Reggie have both been named as two separate defendants. He’s asking the court for damages and to declare him the winner of the historic $2.04billion jackpot.
DailyMail.com has contacted Castro and Rivera for comment.
Joe Chahayed, the owner of Joe’s Service Center in Altadena, California, sold the $2.04billion Powerball ticket. Chahayed won $1million for selling the ticket at his store
Chahayed – the father-in-law of former NFL player Domata Peko – held up a huge check outside his gas station alongside family wearing a ‘millionaire made here’ shirt
Castro wasn’t the only person to win big following the record-breaking announcement.
The owner of Joe’s Service Center, Joe Chahayed, won $1million for selling the record-breaking $2.04billion Powerball ticket.
At the time, Chahayed said he would share the winnings with his entire family.
Chahayed – the father-in-law of former NFL player Domata Peko – held up a huge check outside his gas station alongside family wearing a ‘millionaire made here’ shirt.
‘We are excited,’ he said at a press conference with California Lottery in November last year.
‘I’ll share it with family, with whatever is needed, with my kids, my grandchildren. I have 11 grandchildren and I’ll share with them.’
His son, who was at the press conference, said ‘no one else deserves it more than this man.’
The winning ticket – 10, 33, 41, 47, 56, and Powerball 10 – was sold at the Altadena store and Chahayed said he was excited to see one of the residents of the ‘poor’ neighborhood win big
‘He’s worked hard his whole life and he deserves every bit of it,’ his son, who was not named, said.
The winning ticket – 10, 33, 41, 47, 56, and Powerball 10 – was sold at the Altadena store and Chahayed said he was excited to see one of the residents of the ‘poor’ neighborhood win big.
‘It’s a very poor neighborhood,’ he said at the time.
‘From the bottom of my heart, I hoped somebody would win, they deserve it. The poor people deserve it.’
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