By Adam Beam -
The Associated Press
The California Lottery revealed on Tuesday the identity of the winner of the $2.04 billion Powerball prize drawn in November: it is a man named
Edwin Castro
of whom no details were provided, not even his city of residence.
Castro declined to appear during state Lottery Director Alva Johnson's announcement, but released a statement: "As much as I am shocked and ecstatic to win the Powerball drawing, the real winner is the California Public School System." he said, “As someone who was rewarded by being educated in the California public education system, it is gratifying to hear that the School System also benefits greatly as a result of my award.”
A voter-approved law in 1984 established the California Lottery to provide supplemental funding to the state's public schools.
The winning ticket sold in Washington is the fifth-highest prize in Powerball history.
Feb 7, 202300:23
The winning ticket was sold, after more than three months of raffles without a winner, at a Joe's Service Center store in Altadena, northeast of Los Angeles;
its owner, Joe Chahayed, received a million-dollar bond.
The winning numbers were announced on November 8 in Florida after a delay of almost 10 hours due to a sales data processing problem.
The state Lottery is considering displaying the winning ticket, said deputy director Carolyn Becker.