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‘IT’S A LIE'
Landlord of Edwin Castro’s rival denies flashing ‘$100 bill gifts’ from Powerball winner as ticket fight gets crazier
Urachi Romero explained the reason why he wouldn't still be around if he was in cahoots with Edwin Castro
THE landlord at the center of the battle over a $2 billion lottery ticket has denied claims he flashed $100 bills given to him as a gift by winner Edwin Castro.
LA landscape gardener Jose Rivera, 48, is fighting through a civil lawsuit to prove he is the legitimate owner of the November 2022 record-breaking Powerball jackpot.
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He accuses Castro, 32, of claiming the prize after it was stolen by Rivera’s then-landlord Urachi “Reggie” Romero.
Rivera has been criminally charged with filing a false complaint when he reported the ticket missing.
After appearing in court on that charge last month, Rivera told The U.S. Sun that Romero, 49, had shown off $100 bills and boasted they were a gift from former mechanic Castro.
Rivera also alleged that Romero told one of his cousin’s he was getting $200 million from Castro.
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Approached by The U.S. Sun and asked about the claims, Romero admitted he did flash money at Rivera - but insisted he never claimed it was from Castro.
Romero, a mason by trade, said, “I have money. I showed him money.
“I’ve forgotten what the conversation was but I told him I didn’t need his money, I’ve got my own money. Something like that.
“I didn’t show the neighbor money, I don’t know what neighbor he’s taking about.
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“I don’t know which cousin he is talking about when he says I told his cousin that Castro was giving me $200 million.”
California Lottery has stood by Castro as the legitimate winner.
There is said to be CCTV footage seen by Castro’s lawyer, but so far not released to the public, which proves he bought the ticket at a gas station in Altadena.
Romero has maintained that he does believe Rivera, who was living at his property at the time of the draw, had the winning ticket.
He claims Rivera showed it to him and explained why he had chosen what later turned out to be some of the winning numbers.
If I had got $200 million I wouldn’t be around, I would be somewhere f**king far away from here.
Urachi Romero
But Romero strenuously denies that he stole it or had any role in giving it to Castro.
He said, “Rivera probably could have made this case a lot easier if he had spoken to me.
“He didn’t want to speak with me. I was telling him the truth but he was being a dumbass and not paying attention to what I was telling him.
“He just continues to say I’m the one who stole his ticket but I’m not that stupid.
“I need money but to get that ticket and give it to someone else - what the f**k is wrong with you man?
“If I had got $200 million I wouldn’t be around, I would be somewhere f**king far away from here.
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“It just sucks that he is going through that and he’s put my name in it and made me look bad.”
Romero was jailed last year after he was charged with possession of a firearm and unlawful possession of a controlled substance while armed.
He claims he was carrying a gun at the time because of threats he received related to Rivera’s claims.
Romero said, “A lot of people look at me funny now, people that used to respect me, and that’s kinda f**ked up.
“The only reason I carried a gun was because of the threats I was getting.
“I wasn’t flashing the gun or anything. The night I got stopped they did a random search on my ass.”
“They found a gun in the truck and then they raided my house and found 15 more guns - you can’t be too protective.”
Romero added that while he was under arrest, cops interviewed him about Rivera’s claims.
“They gave me violations, probations and once they arrested me a detective came and talked to me about this Rivera case in custody,” he said.
“The detective was asking what’s the deal with Rivera.
“I did like a month in jail at Wayside.
“All this s**t caused a lot of issues with people thinking I have money, some people think I stole his ticket, some people wanting to come and get the ticket from me.”
The U.S. Sun reported last week that Romero believes that a friend of his known as Midget may have taken Rivera’s ticket by mistake.
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He claims that it is possible that Midget, who was visiting him shortly after being released from prison, inadvertently put on Rivera’s trousers when he went to work with him the next day.
Romero added that Midget has a cousin with a link to Castro’s family and may have somehow handed him the ticket without knowing what it was.
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