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THE winner of the largest U.S. lottery jackpot in history has had two years of pain after being plagued by bad luck.
Edwin Castro – who won the record-breaking $2.04 billion Powerball prize – believed that “God guided him to win.”
Castro has been besieged by a string of problems since he became an overnight billionaire.
He has been the subject of a lawsuit over the huge sum of money; his cousins were allegedly involved in a white-collar crime scandal; and one of his mansions burned down during the devastating Los Angeles infernos.
Castro’s troubles kicked off moments after California lottery bosses announced his huge win in February 2023.
The officials said that Castro – who was hoping to remain out of the spotlight – had won the record-breaking $2.04 billion Powerball prize in November 2022.
The winning ticket was sold at Joe’s Service Center in Altadena, an unincorporated community in the foothills northeast of Los Angeles.
SHOCKED
Castro said he was “shocked and ecstatic” and chose to accept the jackpot in a lump sum payment of $997.6 million.
The car fanatic set about splurging on luxurious vehicles to enjoy his tremendous wealth.
An anonymous source told the New York Post in 2023 that he believed divine guidance had led him to the biggest jackpot in lottery history.
“God gave him [the win] because He knew [Castro] would be a good steward with it and use it to help others,” the source added.
But, just several months after he was revealed as the winner, all hell broke loose.
He was sued by a man who claimed the ticket was stolen from him before the winning numbers were drawn.
Los Angeles gardener Jose Rivera filed his bizarre claim and went through multiple lawyers before eventually representing himself.
Rivera alleged that he regularly picked the same numbers and bought the winning ticket.
There were more than 40 consecutive drawings before Castro’s numbers were called: 10, 33, 41, 47 and 56, plus the red Powerball was 10.
However, California Lottery officials always insisted that Castro was the legitimate winner and that they had a rigorous vetting procedure in place.
NO PROOF
Rivera failed to show any proof that he regularly picked the same numbers that 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 last year.
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.
Edwin Castro’s Powerball win timeline
Inside Castro’s win and legal battle with Jose Rivera
On November 7, 2022, Castro bought a winning Powerball ticket at Joe’s Service Center in Altadena, California.
The grand prize was $2.04 billion at the time – the largest in US history.
On February 14, 2023, the California Lottery announced Castro’s win, and he took home a one-time lump sum payment of $997.6 million.
Castro’s identity was released, but little information was known about the former mechanic.
In May 2023, Jose Rivera, a gardener from California, filed a lawsuit claiming that he was the rightful owner of the golden ticket.
Rivera claimed his former landlord, Urachi F. Romero, stole the ticket before it ended up in Castro’s hands.
Both Romero and Castro have denied any involvement, although Romero bizarrely claimed he believed Rivera had chosen the winning numbers but had no idea what happened to the ticket.
The California Lottery has backed the 32-year-old from the beginning but has failed to release video footage of the alleged sale, which Castro’s team has previously viewed.
Rivera has since been charged with filing a false police report and has pleaded not guilty.
He has lost several lawyers in his civil battle.
In August 2024, Los Angeles gardener Jose Rivera had his case dismissed by Judge William Crowfoot.
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.
And last August, his case was rejected.
Judge William Crowfoot dismissed the lawsuit, upholding an earlier tentative ruling that Rivera “notably does not allege that Castro was ever in possession of the ticket purchased by [the] Plaintiff.”
“Instead, [Rivera] alleges that Romero ‘asserted stories of how the ‘lost’ winning ticket found its way to [the Defendant].
“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.'”
Edwin Castro’s rollercoaster court case
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.”
FAMILY STRIFE
Also last year, two of Castro’s cousins were photographed wearing dramatic face shields to court, where they pleaded not guilty amid a car theft scandal.
Jean Pierre Castro and his brother Byron Castro Jr. were accused of stealing classic cars and pocketing hundreds of thousands of dollars.
The Orange County District Attorney’s Office decided to bring criminal charges against the pair.
CAR FIRM
The Castro brothers were running a classic car business in Laguna Beach, California, called Alphamotive Motors LLC.
In light of the charges against the Castro brothers, a representative for the multi-millionaire confirmed he did not go into business with the pair.
In a statement to The U.S. Sun, his attorney Michael G. Freedman also said, “Edwin Castro was completely surprised to learn of the allegations against Jean Pierre and Byron Castro.
“He had absolutely no involvement with the transactions and issues that led to the criminal charges, and he is re-evaluating his relationship with them.”
A felony complaint obtained by The U.S. Sun shows Jean Castro has been charged with 24 counts in total after an investigation by the Laguna Beach Police Department.
The charges include four counts of grand theft, three of grand theft auto, eight counts of enhanced aggravated white-collar crime over $100,000 and under $500,000, and seven counts of enhanced property damage over $200,000.
Byron, who was in business with his brother, is listed as a co-defendant on one charge of procuring or offering false or forged documents to be filed, registered, or recorded.
The U.S. Sun has reached out to both Jean and Byron Castro, along with a lawyer dealing with one of their civil complaints, but did not hear back.
While Byron, 38, is only charged with one count, both brothers are defendants in at least two separate civil lawsuits filed by two of the three alleged victims named in the criminal charges.
Multiple calls to both brothers by The U.S. Sun have gone unanswered and they have not formally responded to either lawsuit.
They both have rap sheets featuring driving offenses and have had tax liens filed against them over the years.
It’s an unfortunate situation for Castro, who is said to be close to his family and has tried to keep his circle tight since his mammoth win.
HOUSE RAZED
Aside from family troubles and the dismissed lawsuit, Castro has had problems closer to home – literally.
In the wake of last month’s devastating blazes that ravaged Los Angeles County, it was revealed that a Malibu property he purchased in 2023 for $3.8 million was gutted in the fires that killed 29 people since January.
Footage obtained by The U.S. Sun showed waves lapping the beach where the lot remains.
All that can be seen is what looks like the foundations and what appears to be planks of wood.
Castro’s Malibu home was the third property he bought months after hitting the big time.
He is also the owner of a home in Altadena – some 25 miles from Los Angeles.
New state maps designate more than 2.3 million acres of local land in California as facing “high” or “very high” danger of wildfires, reported the Associated Press on Tuesday.
