The winner of the $2bn (£1.65bn) Powerball jackpot is being sued by a man who claims the winning ticket was stolen before the draw.
victory in us set record as Biggest lottery prizes in history.
After three months in a row with no one winning the jackpot, the winner bought a lottery ticket in California.
Edwin Castro was identified as the lucky ticket holder in February, three months after the November draw.
Now, though, a man named Jose Rivera claims the prize is rightfully his.
He said he bought the lottery ticket at Joe’s Service Center in Altadena, California, the day before the draw.
He claimed that a man named Urachi Romero had stolen the tickets that same day.
Mr. Rivera has filed a civil lawsuit against Mr. Romero, Mr. Castro, the California Lottery Commission and the state of California, NBC reported.
After the ticket was allegedly stolen, Mr. Rivera made “numerous pleas and demands for it to be returned,” but Mr. Romero refused, according to the complaint.
After the winning numbers were drawn, he asked for a lottery ticket again.
Mr. Romero allegedly responded by saying “this ticket is lost, or if I find this ticket, we can split the prize 50/50,” the complaint said.
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Mr Rivera reported allegedly The theft from the California Lottery and police officers, according to court documents.
After Mr. Castro declared his victory in February, Mr. Rivera filed a claim form with the California Lottery, saying his lottery ticket had been stolen.
“Prior to the announcement on February 14, 2023, Mr. Rivera has been threatened that his winning ticket will be destroyed if he does not agree to a split of the prize,” his attorney said in a letter.
The California Lottery told NBC that it does not comment on pending litigation, but expressed “maximum confidence” in the organization’s vetting process for winners.
“The California Lottery continues to believe Edwin Castro is the legitimate winner of the $2.04 billion prize for the November 2022 Powerball drawing,” spokeswoman Caroline Becker said.
Mr Castro accepted the lawsuit over a $25.5m (£20.7m) mansion he bought with lottery winnings.