The ex-wife of Edwin Castro’s lottery rival insists he “wouldn’t lie” and believes he lost the winning $2.04 billion ticket and regularly picked the same numbers.
Jose Rivera, 49, is suing the Powerball winner for allegedly cashing his ticket after the November 2022 drawing.
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Lottery officials have backed Castro as the rightful winner and claim to have surveillance footage of ticket sales, but Rivera refuses to back down.
He has pleaded not guilty to filing a false police report about the alleged robbery and is awaiting a trial date as his civil case has dragged on for more than a year.
US Sun spoke exclusively to Rivera’s ex-wife following their split, shortly after tickets went on sale, and she fully supports her ex’s mission for “justice.”
The woman, who wishes to remain anonymous, has two children with Rivera and was with him for more than 25 years before their separation.
“When this whole passing thing happened, we weren’t separated yet,” she revealed.
“We were having problems, but he still came home from time to time.
“So that day he bought the ticket he left my house. It was raining that day, I remember.
I hope everything goes well for him and he gets justice.
Rivera’s ex-wife
“And he told me that he had bought a ticket, but he never showed it to me or anything. Because that day he didn’t come back, he stayed at the place where he was staying.
“But he told me he had specific numbers because they were all based on his sisters, his brothers, his cousins and his father.”
Asked if she remembers seeing other tickets with the winning numbers, she insisted: “I remember. I saw the numbers.”
But she admits she doesn’t believe her ex has any of the old tickets as proof that he regularly picked the winning numbers, as he has moved house several times.
His family also recently told The US Sun that he is currently couch surfing and being supported by his four siblings after his parents died in recent years.
Asked if she remembers José looking for the ticket, his wife said: “Yes. He kept calling me, calling me, that he needed [visit] the house he was there. But he wouldn’t be all over the house or anything. So, like I told him, ‘I don’t have the ticket here’.”
Rivera spent a difficult few years dealing with the pain and breakdown of his marriage, and his wife says the fine process took a big toll on her mental health.
Did José Rivera buy the winning ticket?
Katy Forrester, from the US Sun, has been following the curious case of Edwin Castro and José Rivera for more than a year. She feels there will be no quick end to the case in 2024.
“The Castro case has become one of the most fascinating human interest stories I have covered in recent years. People love reading about big lottery winners, and we’re talking about the largest sum of money ever won in America.
“Castro’s life changed overnight and he spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on everything from luxurious homes to vintage sports cars.
“But not everything has been positive for the former car mechanic, and I know the process is taking a heavy toll on him as he doesn’t want anyone to think he’s not the rightful winner.
“Many love to support an underdog, and I’ve heard from several readers who are supporting Jose Rivera in his fight against the Powerball winner.
“But it is a very big struggle as he has been unable to provide any evidence so far that he regularly chose the same draw numbers; 10-33-41-47-56, and the Powerball number; 10.
“Do I think he intentionally wasted the police’s time? No. I think Rivera believes 100 percent that he selected the winning numbers.
“The California Lottery has come under a lot of scrutiny over the years for paying out large sums of money despite claiming to have rigorous checks.
“They supported Castro from the beginning,
“I believe Castro sees the process as just an inconvenience and not something to seriously worry about. I don’t think he will agree to a settlement at any point, he may face increasing legal fees and will want to clear his name.
“If the case goes to trial, it will be very interesting to see whether the video of the sale is finally shown and whether it will be enough to prove that Castro hit the jackpot.”
“He’s struggling,” she said. “I saw it because I’ve seen it a few times. I see he is not the same.”
But she maintains he’s still a good father, adding: “We have two boys, I’m not going to deny he’s a good father.”
Asked about how she feels about Castro, his wife said: “He knows [that he’s not the winner]. He knows.
She added: “I really hope everything works out, you know, for the best.
“I wish he [Rivera] the best, honestly. I have nothing against him. I hope everything goes well for him and he gets justice.”
Rivera will appear in court on July 8 for his criminal case in Pasadena, and on July 25 for his civil hearing in Alhambra.
US Sun has reached out to Castro’s representative for comment.
The jackpot star is now being represented in court by veteran attorney Michael Freedman of The Freedman Firm.
He has been listed in Forbes, and La Business Journal described him as “one of the best criminal defense and trial lawyers of his generation.”
Castro’s previous attorney, and Rivera, were said to have privately viewed California Lottery surveillance footage taken from Joe’s Service Center in Altadana, where the ticket was purchased.
But Rivera doesn’t believe the footage is genuine, claiming the timestamps don’t match the time the winning ticket was purchased.
Despite numerous requests from The US Sun, lottery officials refuse to release the video publicly while the case progresses.
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This story originally appeared on The-sun.com read the full story
