Man Who Claims Powerball Ticket Worth Billions Was Stolen From Him to be Arraigned for Filing False Police Report

A man is scheduled to be arraigned after claiming in a police report that a winning powerball ticket worth $2 billion was stolen from him.

Jose Rivera Campos (aka Jose Campos Rivera) was charged with filing a false crime report, according to City of Pasadena authorities.

Campos is scheduled to be arraigned on December 1 in Department N in the Pasadena Courthouse.

Campos claims that he not Altadena resident Edwin G. Castro purchased the winning lottery ticket at an Altadena gas station. 

State officials have denied Jose Rivera’s claim in his Alhambra Superior Court lawsuit against the California State Lottery Commission that he is the lottery winner, and maintain that Castro, also a defendant in a lawsuit filed by Rivera, is the proper winner as announced on Feb. 14.

Rivera claims he bought the victorious ticket at Joe’s Service Center on Fair Oaks Avenue in Altadena the day before the Nov. 8 drawing, but that it was stolen by someone identified only as “Reggie,” a co-defendant in the suit, on the same day. 

In subsequent court papers, Rivera’s lawyers claimed “Reggie” was Urachi F. Romero.

Deputies at the Altadena sheriff’s station told Rivera that the Pasadena Police Department has jurisdiction over the case.

Rivera went to Pasadena police in February with his attorney. At that time, officers told the lawyer that they had relied on the Lottery Commission investigation findings that Castro won the prize.

Not dissuaded, Rivera returned to the Pasadena Police Dept. in April and was told the case was “pending,” the updated suit states.

Rivera claims he has asked Romero numerous times to return the ticket, but he refused, telling the plaintiff among other things that the two could split the winnings if he found the ticket, according to the suit.

Romero later showed his neighbors “rolls of money,” which he told them were “compliments of Castro,” the updated suit states.

But in his court papers, Edwin G. Castro’s attorney says there are no concrete details in Rivera’s lawsuit explaining how the declared winner allegedly obtained the winning Powerball ticket from Romero or anyone named “Reggie.”