Urachi F. Romero (“Reggie”), one of the defendants in the case for the alleged theft of the winning $2 billion Powerball ticket in California, revealed that he has received threats after he was denounced in the lawsuit.
In an interview with the New York Post, Romero supported the version that José Rivera is the true winner of the biggest prize in the history of the lottery in the United States and not Edwin Castro, who claimed the money last February.
The article also states that the Hispanic man has allegedly been threatened since Rivera named him in the lawsuit as the person who stole the ticket he supposedly bought at Joe’s Service Center in Atlatena.
The nature of the threats and the means by which they were received is unclear.
Castro, announced on February 14 as the rightful winner of the record-breaking amount by the California Lottery, is also named in the lawsuit.
The California State Lottery Commission is also listed as a defendant. Among other things, the entity is required not to disburse the prize money until the lawsuit is resolved in the Alhambra Court, in Los Angeles County. The truth is that Castro has already made several investments with the money, including two mansions, one in Altadena and another in the Hollywood Hills.
Romero recounted that he had rented a room in his home from Rivera at the end of last year when he was facing financial difficulties.
The relationship between the two was good, according to Romero, until Rivera’s ticket was allegedly stolen.
Romero assured the newspaper that he was not the one who appropriated the ticket, but that he knows that his former tenant was the owner of it.
“I saw José Rivera with that ticket…he showed it to me,” Romero said in the interview that appears on video.
The interviewee added that he even asked Rivera why he selected number 10 twice.
“I asked him why he chose 10 both times. He told me that this was the day both parents died. He chose 47 because that’s his age. He also said that his father always wanted a 1956 Chevy truck, so he selected 56. He had a reason for choosing each of the numbers and he told me that before (the draw) ”, the man explained.
The winning series of the November 8 draw was: 10, 33, 41, 47, 56, and the Powerball, 10.
Romero stated that he does not know Castro.
“But I don’t know how he lost that ticket,” he added. “I hope my name is cleared because it is very rare that I am in the middle of all this money, but I still have nothing. How do I steal a ticket that is worth billions of dollars and I don’t have one?” questioned the Hispanic.
When asked who could have taken the ticket, Romero replied that a friend of Rivera’s who was staying at the house before the draw and who took his work pants the next morning. Supposedly, this person has a connection to the Castro family.
Rivera’s lawyer told the same outlet that Romero took the ticket from a table, without giving further details.
The lawsuit alleges that after the drawing in which the numbers won the jackpot was reported, Rivera asked Romero several times to return the ticket, but he responded with excuses such as that the ticket was not a winner. , and that, if he found the ticket, they would share the prize 50/50. It is also unclear from the document how the ticket ended up in Castro’s hands.
Romero released a video in which Rivera is seen inspecting drawers and other parts of the house in search of the alleged stolen ticket.
Keep reading:
Edwin Castro and how his life has turned into legal chaos after being identified as the winner of the $2 billion Powerball in California
Judicial hearing in the case against Edwin Castro for alleged theft of the $2 billion Powerball winning ticket will be on July 24