The owner of a California gas station where a $2 billion Powerball ticket was sold last November advised Edwin Castro, who was identified as the lottery’s jackpot winner, to be smart and watch his money .
“Now, he has been publicly identified, he has seen the (new) house. I tell him… be smart, watch your money; No matter how much money you have, don’t hang out with bad people,” Joe Chahayed, owner of Joe’s Service Center in Altadena, told The Sun US this week.
“Now she’s in the Hollywood Hills near Ariana Grande,” Chahed said, referring to one of two mansions that the new millionaire acquired and needed in order not to squander his fortune.
Castro is one of the defendants in the legal action filed in late February by Jose Rivera before the Superior Court of the State of California for Los Angeles County. Rivera alleges that another person, identified as Urachi F. Romero (Reggie) and also named in the lawsuit, stole her jackpot-winning ticket for the November 8 drawing.
It is unclear from the lawsuit how the ticket came into Castro’s hands.
The lawsuit summons the California State Lottery Commission to stop distributing the money until the lawsuit is resolved in court. The preliminary hearing of the case is scheduled for July 24 at the Alhambra Court.
The fact is that the prize distribution process has already begun after Castro was announced at a press conference on February 14 as the winner of the largest jackpot in the history of lottery games in the United States.
The California Lottery has insisted that its rigorous winner verification process leaves no room for fraud, as has been reported.
On this dispute, no statement has been made by the owner of the business, who in the end took a commission of $1 million dollars. None of these are indicated in the documentation.
The businessman shared the profits with his family, including his 11 grandchildren.
Edwin, 30, who lived in a simple residence near the gas station, regularly visited the establishment to buy coffee, donuts and lottery tickets.
At the moment, Hispanic moves between a mansion in the Hollywood Hills and a mansion in Altadena, which is Japanese style. According to information disclosed in specialized real estate media, he invested approximately $30 million dollars in the two properties.
Additionally, he bought a Porsche 911, “vintage” style.
“We have had a few lottery winners at our stations, but this prize is the biggest in the world. No ticket has won a higher amount.’
“All the media ask me, did you meet him (Edwin)? Did you sit with him?’ I don’t tell them,” he said.
“He hasn’t come back to the shop. I’m not going to look for him, but he’s welcome to come any time.”
