THE landlord at the center of the fight over Edwin Castro’s $2 billion lottery win says it is suspicious that no evidence of him buying the ticket has been released.
Urachi “Reggie” Romero, 49, has been accused by Castro’s rival Jose Rivera of stealing the record-breaking Powerball winning ticket from him.
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Landscape gardener Rivera, 48, is suing Castro for claiming the ticket but is also facing a criminal charge for allegedly filing a false complaint when he reported it stolen.
Despite his former tenant’s accusations, Romero says he believes Rivera had the winning ticket.
But he denies having anything to do with stealing it or handing it to former mechanic Castro, whom he claims he has never met.
The California Lottery has stood by Castro as the winner, and his lawyer has seen surveillance video proving he bought the ticket at a gas station in Altadena in November 2022.
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Speaking exclusively to The U.S. Sun, Romero – a mason by trade – questioned why that footage has not been released to the public.
“All they have to do is say ‘Here’s the video,’” he said.
“They say they’re 100% that Castro is the winner so why don’t they show us that he is 100% the winner?
“They don’t want to show the footage at all. Why don’t they want to show the footage?
“That would have put it all to bed a long time ago.”
Romero complained that the lack of proof led to him getting into trouble with the law.
He was jailed last year after he was charged with possession of a firearm and unlawful possession of a controlled substance while armed.
Romero says that a gun was found in his truck and another 15 firearms were later discovered at his home.
“If this had been put to bed I wouldn’t have had to go to jail, I wouldn’t have had to carry guns because I was being threatened,” he said.
“That’s why I was carrying a gun when I was arrested.
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“This is something that went way too far that I didn’t deserve to go through.
“Why the f**k am I involved in this s**t?
“I’m happy that the motherf**ker got the winning ticket but I’m just mad that the motherf**ker lost it.”
Romero previously denied claims made by Rivera to The U.S. Sun that he had flashed $100 bills at a neighbor and bragged that it was a gift from Castro.
Romero also denied the claim that he had told one of Rivera’s cousins he was getting $200 million from Castro.
“I wish it was true, that would be nice if somebody had given me money from all this,” he said.
I’m happy that the motherf**ker got the winning ticket but I’m just mad that the motherf**ker lost it.
Urachi “Reggie
“What makes him think I would steal his ticket and go and give it to someone else when I could cash it?
“I would love to have been given $200 million by Castro.
“The sad part about Jose Rivera is that I think he is crazy or mentally ill.”
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