Powerball winner Edwin Castro's rival says he's too broke to play lottery and maintains he's the

Publish date: 2024-08-27

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The rival of billionaire Powerball jackpot winner Edwin Castro has revealed he’s now too broke to play the lottery — but maintains he’s the “true” winner.

Jose Rivera had previously said he was still playing the California state lottery but told The Sun Saturday that he doesn’t “have a dollar in my pocket.”

“I can’t do it anymore,” he said. “I was buying some tickets but I’m done with them. I don’t want to play the game now.

“And I don’t have a dollar in my pocket anyway, it’s sad. I am struggling and my family is struggling.”

Although he says it’s “not about the money now,” Rivera is still on a mission to “prove I’m the true winner” and insists that “Castro lied.”

Rivera, who has been charged with filing a false police report, came forward after Castro won the historic $2 billion prize claiming that he had been the one to purchase the ticket before it was “stolen” by his landlord and eventually ended up in Castro’s hands.

Jose Rivera is no longer playing the California State Lottery, saying Saturday that he doesn’t “have a dollar in my pocket.”
Rivera, who has been charged with filing a false police report, claimed that he had purchased the “stolen” ticket that landed Edwin Castro, above, the $2 billion jackpot. The US Sun / MEGA

CCTV footage reportedly shows that Castro bought the ticket at Joe’s Service Center, his lawyer David De Paoli said.

Despite said footage, Rivera has declared “war” on his rival and pleaded “not guilty because I’m the rightful winner.”

“Castro is the fake one, the liar, lying a– bastard,” he said in a fiery rant outside of a Pasadena court on Thursday, according to The Sun.

“I’ll see you soon in court, Castro. Liar. You’re going down, Castro.”

Rivera maintains that Castro “is the fake one, the liar, lying a– bastard,” he said in a fiery rant outside of a Pasadena court on Thursday, according to The Sun. The US Sun / MEGA

Rivera, who is no longer worker not working, told The Sun that he “can’t afford an attorney right now” because of how “expensive” it is. He is being represented by a public defender in his criminal case.

He pleaded not guilty at his arraignment.

Rivera is due back in court for his criminal case on Feb. 20. A case management hearing for his civil suit will be held on Feb. 27.

De Paoli said the civil suit has “no basis.”

“At some point, it is going to become clear that Edwin G. Castro is the legitimate owner of the ticket,” he told The Sun.

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