A Los Angeles man embroiled in the legal brouhaha over who owns the historic $2.4 billion Powerball prize shed light on the growing controversy in an interview with The Post.
Urachi “Reggie” Romero claims his former tenant, Jose Rivera, showed him the winning ticket before the drawing and even explained why he chose each number.
Rivera has sued the official Powerball winner, Edwin Castro, and Romero, claiming they stole the valuable ticket from him.
Romero, 47, said Rivera showed him the Powerball ticket on Nov. 7, the night he says he purchased it from Joe’s Service Center in Altadena, Calif.
The winning numbers were 10, 33, 41, 47, 56 and red Powerball 10.
He remembered questioning Rivera on why he chose the number 10 twice.
“I saw Jose Rivera with that ticket … he showed it to me,” Romero said.
“I asked him why he picked two 10s. He said it was the date his parents both died. He picked 47 because that’s how old he is. He also said his dad always wanted a 1956 Chevy truck, so he picked 56. He had a reason why he chose every number and he told me this before (the drawing).”
Romero claimed he has been receiving threats since Rivera filed a lawsuit naming him as the person who “stole” the valuable ducat for the largest lottery jackpot in US history, which was then cashed by Castro.
He insisted he didn’t steal anything and he has no ties to Castro, who bought the winning November lottery ticket.
“I could be grimey or sheisty, but in reality, Jose Rivera did show me that ticket before he knew it was the winning ticket,” Romero said.
“But I don’t know how he lost that ticket.”
“I hope my name will be cleared because it is weird that I’m in the middle of all this money, but I still have nothing. How can I steal that ticket worth billions and not have a dollar?”
A mason by trade, Romero said he rented out a room to Rivera late last year because he was struggling to make ends meet.
Rivera, a landscaper, even helped the family out and planted new sod in the front yard of the home.
But things turned sour after Rivera realized his ticket was the apparent winner, and couldn’t find it, Romero said.
After the winning numbers were announced, Rivera frantically searched his room and even demanded to search other rooms in the home.
“I let him look through my things because I had nothing to hide,” Romero said.
He even took a video of Rivera in his room.
In the video viewed by The Post, Rivera is seen meticulously going through dresser drawers and flipping through the pages of a Bible and other books in Romero’s room.
Here's everything to know about the $2B Powerball jackpot lawsuit
Edwin Castro claimed a winning $2 billion Powerball ticket in February and opted for a one-time lump-sum payment of $997.6 million.
With his money, Castro purchased a $25.5 million Hollywood Hills mansion in March that’s stacked with amenities, including seven bedrooms and an infinity pool.
On April 25, however, process servers brought court papers to Castro’s home, in a suit claiming the winning ticket was stolen.
Jose Rivera claims he purchased the winning ticket on Nov. 7, 2022, the day before the drawing.
Rivera is suing Castro and his former landlord Urachi “Reggie” Romero, who he claims stole his ticket and told him it was a “loser.”
Romero has denied stealing the ticket but supported Rivera’s claim that he was the rightful ticket holder.
California Lottery officials said they are confident Castro is the rightful winner.
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Rivera’s attorney, Estela Richeda, told The Post Romero “took the ticket” from a table, but wouldn’t comment further on how the men knew each other or Castro.
In the lawsuit, Rivera claims Romero “stole” the ticket and “refused” to return it.
The ticket could have been taken by a friend who was over the night before the drawing and took Rivera’s work pants the next morning, Romero claimed.
The friend was the one who has a connection to the Castro family, said Romero.
“But (Rivera) is also a gardener who works at many places,” Romero said.
“It could’ve just fallen out of his pocket, but I don’t know how it got to Castro.”
Romero said shortly after Rivera filed the February lawsuit, their friendship broke down and the gardener moved out. He said he’s seen Rivera around town, but hasn’t spoken to him.
“He’s claiming I took it and then sold it to Castro, but why would I do that,” Romero chuckled.
“How dumb would that be when I can cash it myself?
“People keep coming up to me and saying, ‘I know you got money, I know you ‘came up!’ I tell them, ‘What do you mean I came up? I ain’t came up on sh-t.'”
Castro — who took a lump sum payout of $997.6 million— also fired back at Rivera’s claims, saying Castro’s attorneys said Rivera failed to make the connection between him and his co-defendant.
“There are no facts as to how Edwin Castro came into possession of the winning Powerball ticket from ‘Reggie.’”
California Lottery officials said they are confident the rightful winner took the prize.
Castro has since been seen driving around Los Angeles in a vintage Porsche and living it up in his other big purchase— a 13,578-square-foot mansion in the Hollywood Hills worth $25.5 million amongst neighbors like Dakota Johnson, Ariana Grande and Jimmy Kimmel.
The 30-year old also bought a second lavish home worth a mere $4 million.
Back in his modest Pasadena home, Romero said he would just like his name cleared and out of the lawsuit.
He also maintains he never tried to blackmail or threaten his former housemate.
“I never touched that ticket, but I’m also thinking how the f–k would someone even lose that,” Romero shook his head in disbelief.
“He got a blessing and he lost it.”
“But on top of that, now I’m in the middle of this $2 billion lawsuit when I actually opened my door to him, gave him a place to stay. How could I have sold the ticket when I don’t even have a dollar?”
