Eyewitness News: $2 Billion Lottery Winner Faces Lawsuit from Man Who Claims Ticket Was Stolen

A man who alleges his $2.04 billion Powerball ticket was stolen is suing the person who claimed the jackpot, according to a report by KABC-TV.

Jose Rivera claims he bought the winning ticket at Joe’s Service Center in Altadena on Nov. 7, 2022, a day before the drawing.

He says another man, identified only as Reggie, stole the ticket and threatened to destroy it if he did not split the winnings.

According to the KABC report, Rivera says he reported this to law enforcement and the California Lottery.

The lottery announced Edwin Castro as the winner of the record-setting jackpot on Valentine’s Day. Castro chose a lump sum payout of $997.6 million.

The lottery says it sometimes checks surveillance video to verify winners but does not investigate criminal activity among players.

No one at Joe’s Service Center would comment or confirm to KABC if lottery officials checked its video from November 2022.

Eyewitness News obtained Rivera’s lawsuit documents but could not reach him or ‘Reggie’ for comment.