Billionaire lottery winner Edwin Castro gets to keep his jackpot after a judge threw out the lawsuit from a man who accused him of stealing the winning ticket.
Jose Rivera, 43, claimed that the $2 billion jackpot that Edwin Castro, 31, won in November 2022 was his and that Castro had stolen his ticket.
A Los Angeles County Judge dismissed the case on September 30 because Rivera did not have the ticket in his possession.
‘Players are solely responsible for securing their Tickets against theft, loss, damage, or destruction,’ the judge said in documents obtained by TMZ.
‘The person in possession of a winning lottery ticket is the presumptive owner/winner.’Â
Edwin Castro won the the $2 billion jackpot in November 2022
Jose Rivera (pictured), 43, claimed that the $2 billion jackpot that Castro won was his
The judge made the tentative ruling back in August and it became final on Tuesday because Rivera never filed a response.
Castro took the lump sum option after winning $2.04 billion in November 2022, which brought the total down to $997 million after tax.
He used his big earnings to buy a luxury house for himself, one for his parents, multiple sports cars and splurged on exotic trips.
Rivera reported to the Pasadena Police Department that Castro ‘stole’ the winning ticket from him.
Police and California Lottery investigators have tried to find out if a supposed crime took place, but now believe Rivera has lied about his claim. He has since been charged with filing a false police report.
Rivera claimed that the ticket was stolen by his former landlord ‘Reggie’, also known as Urachi F. Romero.
Castro splurged out on a $25million house for himself in Hollywood Hills (pictured) and a $4 million Japanese-inspired home in Altadena for his mom and dad
Castro took the lump sum option after winning $2.04 billion in November 2022, which brought the total down to $997 million after tax
Romero told The New York Post that he saw Rivera with the winning ticket on November 7, the same night he claimed to purchase it from Joe’s Service Center in Altadena, California.
He also claimed that he later received threats from Rivera but has insisted that he didn’t steal the ticket and that he doesn’t know Castro.
In July, the billionaire lottery winner was spotted locking lips with 24-year-old Payten Vincent outside LA celebrity hotspot Nobu.
Castro deleted his social media accounts in the aftermath of his record-breaking lottery scoop, but his new squeeze already has 125,000 followers on her Instagram account where she has posted selfies of herself partying with celebrities including rapper Flavor Flav, and DJs Cedric Gervais and Diplo.
Since he was revealed as the jackpot winner, Castro hired Terry Fahn, a media representative of Strick and Company, to help him with communications and public relations.
In July, the billionaire lottery winner was spotted locking lips with 24-year-old Payten Vincent
Fahn has worked with well-known stars and other high-profile clients before like MLB star Alex Rodriguez and various NBA stars.
Before he was identified as the winner of the largest lottery jackpot in US history, Castro chose Fiji as the spot for his final low-profile blowout.Â
He was seen with friends cracking into coconuts and chilling on the beach with at least six others, who likely didn’t expect to pay for much on the vacation.Â
Castro reportedly returned from his excursion to Fiji to his family’s three-bedroom home near La Crescenta, California, but it didn’t take him long to start splashing the cash.
Castro splurged out on a $25million house for himself in Hollywood Hills and a $4 million Japanese-inspired home in Altadena for his mom and dad.Â
He hired bodyguards for him and his family, and began working with his brother Jesse, a banker, to manage his fortune.
