POWERBALL winner Edwin Castro's rival - who alleged he cashed in a stolen ticket - launched into a blistering rant after leaving court on Thursday as a judge dismissed his case. Los Angeles gardener Jose Rivera first filed his bizarre claim more than a year ago and went through multiple lawyers before eventually representing himself. Leaving court, a furious Rivera blasted, "What do you mean it's over? I'm not going to stay quiet.
I'm p****ed. He's going to pay for it. He's a f***ing liar.
I'm not done with this. I'm very f***ing angry." He appeared to be confused as he showed The U.
S. Sun photographs on his cell phone of a man from TikTok claiming he was "the real Edwin Castro" and started pulling out court files from his bag. In a stunning turn of events, it was also revealed a second person is now suing Castro and Rivera claiming they are the rightful owner of the ticket, a case Rivera claims to know nothing about.
Rivera alleged he regularly picked the same numbers and bought the winning ticket which netted Castro more than $600 million after taxes in November 2022. Edwin Castro The U.S.
Sun covered the case for more than a year which took many twists and turns, as the California Lottery raised suspicion when they refused to release surveillance footage of Castro buying the ticket. But officials always insisted the 32-year-old was the legitimate winner and said they have a rigorous vetting procedure in place. Rivera failed to show any proof he even regularly picked the same numbers which resulted in the jackpot win, and often made wild accusations.
He also told The U.S. Sun he signed the back of the lottery ticket before we published exclusive images of Castro's unsigned slip earlier this year.
Most read in The US Sun MISSED DEADLINE On Thursday morning, Rivera was told by Judge William Crowfoot he had missed a deadline to respond to a demurrer filed by Castro's team months ago. A demurrer is a written statement or plea that challenges the sufficiency or clarity of another party's legal complaint, and if upheld by a judge could mean the case could be dismissed. Rivera did file court papers himself days after the August 16 deadline, but Crowfoot said they made little sense and just repeated his original claims.
He alleged that his former landlord, Urachi "Reggie" Romero, stole his lottery ticket before it ended up in Castro's hands. Romero was also a defendant in the civil case but failed to respond or hire a lawyer. He told The U.
S. Sun he believed Rivera did choose the winning numbers, but had no idea what happened to his ticket and did not know Castro. Becoming frustrated with the proceedings this week, Rivera interrupted Judge Crowfoot who told him "stop" on more than one occasion but took pity on him as it was clear he was confused.
Crowfoot explained he wasn't saying Rivera didn't have a valid claim, but he failed to file the correct documents throughout the case. The judge upheld an earlier tentative ruling, which read, "Plaintiff notably does not allege that Castro was ever in possession of the ticket purchased by Plaintiff. "Instead, Plaintiff alleges that Romero 'asserted stories of how the 'lost' winning ticket found its way to [Defendant].
' JUDGE'S RULING "Therefore, there does not appear to be a controversy between Defendant and Plaintiff regarding the ownership of Plaintiff's ticket. "Furthermore, no 'actual controversy' exists between Defendant and Plaintiff as to the lottery winnings because a bettor’s right to a share of the winnings 'accrues solely from possession of a winning ticket, not from the mere purchase of a ticket.'" Crowfoot said on Thursday that the only remaining issue in the case would be for him to file any declaratory relief action, which is to obtain clarity on a legal issue before any harm or damage has occurred.
Rivera replied, "I'm going to work on it tomorrow, right away." The U.S.
Sun's Katy Forrester has followed the case of Edwin Castro and Jose Rivera for more than a year. "The Castro case has become one of the most fascinating human-interest stories I've covered in recent years. People love to read about big lottery winners, and we're talking about the largest lottery jackpot ever won in America.
"Castro's life changed overnight and he's been splashing hundreds of thousands of dollars on everything from luxury homes to vintage sports cars. And he's still only 32. "But it hasn't all been positive for the former car mechanic, and I know the lawsuit has been weighed heavily on him as he didn't want anyone to think he wasn't the rightful winner.
"Many love to back an underdog, and I have heard from several readers who were supporting Jose Rivera in his fight against the Powerball winner. "But he not only failed to file court documents in time, he failed to provide any evidence that he regularly picked the same numbers from the draw; 10-33-41-47-56, and the Powerball number; 10. "The new information provided showing proof of the ticket purchase, and Rivera's insistence that he signed the back of his slip could provide Castro's team with a very strong case.
"Rivera regularly stated he was broke and the case was affecting his mental health, and it's confusing why he decided to continue with it. "I hope this has been a huge mix-up, that he chose similar numbers and genuinely believed he was the winner, not that he wasted valuable police time and resources, not to mention court staff and lawyers. "Despite previous lawyers trying to convince him to plead guilty, he still refuses and has been deemed competent to stand trial.
"The California Lottery has come under much scrutiny over the years for paying out big sums of money, despite claiming to have rigorous checks in place. "But they have supported Castro from the beginning and never wavered. "I believe Castro only saw the civil lawsuit as an inconvenience and not something to be seriously worried about.
He would never have agreed to settle at any point as he could afford mounting legal fees. "If the California Lottery had released the surveillance footage earlier, I believe it wouldn't have become as big as it did. They obviously felt they didn't need to and the case would soon go away.
"It will be interesting to see if Rivera, who does not have a criminal record, will be found guilty in the criminal case, and if so, what his punishment will be. "As for the second person claiming to be the real winner, I sadly feel it's a desperate grab for attention." Crowfoot advised him to hire a lawyer, but he has admitted he cannot afford one.
Castro's attorney, Michael Freedman, appeared via video during the hearing and agreed Rivera had had more than enough time to respond to the demurrer. The judge also revealed there is yet another person who has come forward claiming to be the rightful owner of the ticket, Brandy Milliner, who has filed a separate suit. The U.
S. Sun was approached by a random woman after the hearing who was handing out leaflets showing the case number and laughed when asked if she was wasting court time. Rivera said he is paying no attention to the latest suit, which he called "dumb," as he now needs to focus on his criminal case.
He has been charged with filing a false police complaint in Pasadena, with authorities claiming he wasted police time and resources. Rivera is set to appear in court again in the coming weeks after pleading not guilty and hiring a new defense lawyer. If convicted, he may serve up to six months in jail or pay a fine of up to $1,000.
00. Commenting on his criminal case on Thursday, he said, "I bought a ticket to go to jail, that f***ing sucks." Asked if he still buys lottery tickets while out of work, he admitted, "Unfortunately, yes.
I'm still playing the lottery." Joe Chahayed, the owner of Joe's Service Center in Altadena, where the ticket was originally bought, has declined to comment on the case in recent months. However, he previously told The U.
S. Sun he remembered Castro buying his ticket. Castro's team refused to comment on Rivera or the second person claiming to be the real winner.
The lawsuit has been nothing but a headache for the sports car enthusiast , who has been trying to navigate his new life as a high-profile person. He has stayed silent throughout the case and has only ever made one comment about his win. Read More on The US Sun After dipping out of the press conference, he said in a statement, "I am shocked and ecstatic to have won the Powerball drawing.
As someone who received the rewards of being educated in the California public education system, it’s gratifying to hear that as a result of my win, the school system greatly benefits as well." Despite the legal drama, he's still been able to enjoy his winnings, splashing out hundreds of thousands on luxury vintage motors and lavish properties in Los Angeles ..
