He hit the jackpot in controversy.
The Los Angeles landlord at the center of a lawsuit challenging Edwin Castro’s historic $2.4 billion Powerball win has been jailed on gun charges.
Urachi “Reggie” Romero, 47, is accused by his former tenant, Jose Rivera, of stealing the winning tickets from him before giving them to Castro in a February lawsuit.
He was later arrested in July in a separate incident and charged with both felon in possession of a firearm and unlawful possession of a controlled substance while armed, The US Sun reported, citing city court records.
Romero pleaded not guilty to both charges, but was convicted and sentenced to 56 days in the Los Angeles County jail and two years of probation, the outlet reported.
Reggie Romero was arrested in July and sentenced to 56 days in jail. Marjorie Hernandez/NY Post
Two months before his arrest, Romero supported Rivera’s claim that Castro was not the rightful winner – but was stressed about being involved in the suit.
“I hope my name will be cleared because it is strange that I am 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?” he told The Post.
Romero admitted that Rivera showed him the winning ticket, but denied the former tenant’s claims that he “stole” the ticket and “refused” to return it to him before allegedly giving it to Castro.
Powerball winner Edwin Castro claimed a lump sum in February.Diggzy/Jesal / SplashNews.com
“I could be dirty or embarrassed, but the truth is, Jose Rivera showed me the ticket before he knew it was the winning ticket,” Romero recalled, noting that Rivera also explained to him why he picked the numbers that turned out to be the lottery jackpot. largest in US history.
“But I don’t know how he lost the ticket.” the mason insisted, adding that it was most likely a friend who had spent the night before painting and taken Rivera’s work pants the next day.
“I let him see my stuff because I have nothing to hide,” Romero said of Rivera’s frantic search after he realized the ticket was missing, which was also caught on video.
Romero was convicted of possession of a firearm.Marjorie Hernandez/NY Post
An attorney for Rivera told The Post in May that Romero took the ticket off the table — but did not explain how the two men knew each other or Castro.
“It may have fallen out of his pocket, but I don’t know how it got to Castro,” Romero shrugged.
Castro, for his part, responded to Rivera’s allegations in May, stating that the plaintiff’s attorney failed to establish a clear connection between himself and Reggie.
Romero’s video captures Rivera (above) looking for tickets in his room. Courtesy of Reggie Romero
Castro happily accepted a $997.6 million lump sum payment in February after months of failing to come forward and claim tickets.
He’s spent $250,000 on a vintage Porsche and $76 million on real estate — including a $4 million pad in his native Altadena, not far from the gas station where he bought lottery tickets.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
