THE man accusing Powerball winner Edwin Castro of cashing in on his allegedly stolen ticket has doubled down and is willing to face possible charges for filing a fake police report.

Jose Rivera is currently suing Castro, 31, after claiming he lost the $2billion ticket with the winning numbers following the November 8 draw last year.

As the civil case drags on, police have given an update on their criminal investigation, and the saga has taken an unexpected turn.

The U.S. Sun revealed this week that the Pasadena Police Department had completed its investigation and is backing Castro, believing Rivera has been wasting police time.

Public Information Officer Lisa Derderian said cops had turned over the documentation to our City Prosecutor for “potential misdemeanor charges for filing a false police report.”

Rivera’s lawyer, Estela Richeda, has now fired back with her client’s response, telling The U.S. Sun: “Jose Rivera firmly believes that he has a rightful claim.

“He personally made the claim with the Pasadena Police Department, and he was warned at the time of filing the report [not to waste police time].

“Jose has been not provided with any updates or copies of any investigation report by PPD.

“He is ready to face charges if that is the course of action that PPD takes. Jose will present his facts of the claim to the court.”

BLURRY TIMELINE

Pasadena City Prosecutor Michele Beal Bagneris did not immediately respond to The U.S. Sun’s requests for comment.

In California, if someone is convicted of filing a false police report they can face jail time of up to six months, probation, and fines of up to $1,000.

Back in June, police confirmed the case was “active,” and said they were working closely with California Lottery investigators.

Officers were trying to pinpoint where the supposed crime would have taken place, as Rivera struggled to piece together a timeline for what happened to his alleged winning ticket.

In civil court documents, Rivera claims the ticket was stolen by a man called “Reggie,” who has since been identified as Urachi F. Romero and is listed as a co-defendant in civil court documents.

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Romero spoke to the New York Post to confirm he was Rivera’s former landlord and even believes he is the real winner after seeing the lottery ticket numbers.

But he insists he has no idea what happened to the ticket or how it may have ended up in Castro’s hands.

Castro’s lawyer, David De Paoli, has always maintained he did not cash in a stolen ticket and has no connection to Rivera or Romero.

He told The U.S. Sun that the lawsuit is “baseless” and believes Rivera will not be getting a dollar, as they battle to get access to CCTV footage of the purchase from the California Lottery.

CCTV BATTLE

“There is no basis in fact for the suit at all. At this point, we’re just working on service but there are huge problems with the complaint,” he said.

“At some point, it is going to become clear that Edwin G. Castro is the legitimate owner of the ticket.”

It is not known why the California Lottery has not yet released footage or proof of Castro buying the ticket months after the suit was filed.

Requests by The U.S. Sun to view the video have also been declined, while the owner of Joe’s Service Station in Altadena, California, where it was taken from, has also revealed he never watched it.

Meanwhile, a case management hearing has been pushed back until at least February 27, 2024, in the civil case.

Judge William A. Crowfoot told the court that a first amended complaint had been filed, meaning “everybody has been named again, but nobody has been served.”

Judge Crowfoot claimed “none of the proofs of service” are on the court docket, after which Richeda insisted Castro had been served with the original complaint.

“OK. Mr De Paoli is standing here in front of me telling me he’s waiting to be served,” Crowfoot replied, saying the attorney was keen to file his demurrer to the complaint.

Judge Crowfoot said: “Go ahead and serve, he’ll file his demurrer and life will go on.”