Lawsuit Claims $2.04B Powerball Ticket Stolen from Rightful 'Winner'

A man from Altadena, California, has said that he should rightfully be declared as the victor of the Powerball jackpot worth a remarkable $2.04 billion, a record-breaking sum, claiming that the winning ticket had been stolen from him one day before the lottery results were announced on November 8th.

Joe Chahayed, the proprietor of Joe’s Service Station in Altadena, recently received a $1 million check as a reward for selling the record-breaking lottery ticket. Meanwhile, little is known about the jackpot winner, Edwin Castro, who claimed the prize on February 15. However, Jose Rivera has filed a lawsuit alleging that he purchased the ticket from Joe’s Service Station on November 7, and it was taken from him by a man known as “Reggie.” Although the circumstances of the alleged theft remain unknown, the California Lottery has expressed confidence in the legitimacy of Castro’s claim, as their rules require them to only make public the names of winners and the retail location where the ticket was purchased, leaving all other details about Castro a mystery to the public.

Lottery Confident

In his lawsuit, Rivera states that after the draw, he attempted to reclaim his lottery ticket from Reggie, who informed him it was a dud. Nevertheless, Reggie allegedly declared that, even if it had been a winner, he would only split the prize with Rivera in half. After this, Rivera alleges to have reported the claimed theft to the police and the California Lottery, requesting an investigation before awarding the jackpot. Thus, the lawsuit is asking to have Rivera declared the rightful winner of the famous jackpot, along with damages, and names the California Lottery, Castro, and “Reggie” as defendants. Carolyn Becker, spokesperson of the California Lottery, said in a statement on Thursday that the commission is “certain” that it has the “ justified victor”, nevertheless could not survey any criminal behavior among its players, as it is a operation “only authorized by local law enforcement”.

If allegations arise, Lottery’s role is to simply assist the local law enforcement agency with questions and/or evidence permitted by law, and not launch an investigation on its own.

‘Guy is Crazy’

In November, it was widely reported that Joe’s Service Station sold the winning Lottery ticket. On Friday, a worker at the station, who wished to remain anonymous, told The Daily Mail that the ticket winner, Rivera, had visited the store accompanied by his attorney. The worker described him as “crazy,” adding that the Lottery had obtained security footage of the moment Rivera purchased the ticket and were examining it “frame by frame” as part of the vetting process.