The Latino who won in California the biggest prize in the history of the Powerball lottery (2,040 million dollars) received in one of the mansions he bought with that money, located in the hills of Hollywood, the judicial notification that he is being sued by another Hispanic who accuses him of stealing the lucky ticket.
The Powerball announced on February 14 that Edwin Castro was the winner of the historic prize, but a few days later it was known that José Rivera, also from California, sued him to claim the prize. Notifying him officially was not easy, however, according to documents seen by The Sun newspaper.
The officers who rushed to the $25.25 million luxury property Castro bought in March April 5 were met by a 50-year-old man who initially refused the notice, court documents show. "The guy said we are serving the wrong Edwin Castro," they say.
For Castro, the lawsuit is not new, since the other Latino who accuses him of being a thief made his complaint publicly in February, just days after the Powerball announced the winner.
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The three-story mansion where the notice was sought was purchased in March in the Hollywood Hills, and has five bedrooms, six bathrooms, a game room, a wine cellar, a movie theater, a bar, a gym, sauna and a huge swimming pool, according to the Los Angeles Times. It's 15,000 square feet with neighbors like singer Ariana Grande, actress Dakota Johnson and host Jimmy Kimmel, among others.
The officers' second visit, according to the documents, was on May 17, and an unidentified man took notice, making it the official notice of the lawsuit.
What is Castro accused of?
The lawsuit was filed in February in a Los Angeles court by Jose Rivera, who says he bought his Powerball ticket on Nov. 7 at Joe's Service Center store in Altadena, the place where the winning ticket was sold. That same day, he reports, a person identified as Reggie stole his ticket; he would later be revealed as the winner of the Powerball. The lawsuit alleges Rivera tried to get it back, but Reggie refused to return it.
The document does not offer details on how the alleged robbery occurred or the relationship between the plaintiff and Edwin Castro. Jose Rivera is seeking compensation for damages and says he contacted the California Lottery to ask it to rectify the results.
"The California Lottery is not authorized to investigate criminal activity reported by players; such allegations are subject to investigation only by local police," Lottery spokeswoman Carolyn Becker told NBC News station in Los Angeles. Becker indicated that the Lottery "has the utmost confidence" in its processes of choosing winners. He explained that there is a strict control of the people who show up with their tickets to claim a prize.
Who is Castro and how much he got his award
Castro did not want to appear publicly to claim his prize, as many winners do concerned about their safety. It is only known that he opted for a one-time payment of $997.6 million.
Castro claimed his prize more than three months after buying the ticket, and his identity was revealed Feb. 14 by California Lottery employees when he issued his statement. "As much as I'm shocked and ecstatic about winning the lottery, the real winner is the Public School System," Castro said, referring to a law that requires the California Lottery to provide supplemental funding to public schools through proceeds from its sales.
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"As someone who was fortunate enough to be educated in California's public education system, it is gratifying to hear that as a result of my award the School System also benefits greatly," Castro concluded in his statement.
Castro opted for a one-time payment of $997.6 million (after taxes). In addition to the $25.5 million luxury property in the Hollywood Hills, he reportedly bought a four-million-dollar mansion in California in March, according to records seen by real estate website Dirt.com.
This mansion is located in Altadena, his hometown, near the gas station where the 30-year-old bought the winning ticket. It was built in 1953 and has five bedrooms and four bathrooms, with Japanese influences and airs of Palm Springs, according to the website; Two of the bedrooms were converted into an art studio and a movie theater. It has a pond, patio and a saltwater pool.