ECONOMY & WORK
MONEY 101
NEWS
PERSONAL FINANCE
NET WORTH
About Us Contact Us Privacy Policy Terms of Use DMCA Opt-out of personalized ads
© Copyright 2023 Market Realist. Market Realist is a registered trademark. All Rights Reserved. People may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.
MARKETREALIST.COM / NEWS

A Woman Falsely Declared Herself the $1.08 Billion Powerball Winner | “She Wanted to Be On TV”

In California, there is a vetting process that refrains people from making false claims about lottery prizes which could attract serious felony charges.
UPDATED JAN 22, 2024
Cover Image Source: YouTube | Inside Edition
Cover Image Source: YouTube | Inside Edition

Just a day after Powerball revealed that a store in California had sold a ticket worth $1.08 billion, a woman came to the store to claim that she had won the jackpot. The woman went viral on social media when a video of her claiming that she was the one who bought the winning ticket was circulated. "I’m scared right now, I’m so scared," the woman said while hugging the shoppers and eventually collapsing in front of the store.

Sarai Palacios, the granddaughter of Nabor Herrera who owns Las Palmitas Mini Market, later informed Business Insider that the woman was making false claims and the winner was yet to be revealed."She didn't win — I'm not sure why she did that. I guess she just wanted to be on TV," said Palacios. 

Pexels | Waldemar
Image Source: Waldemar/Pexels


 

In California, there is a vetting process that refrains people from making false claims about lottery prizes. This woman is not the first person to have created a false buzz around the lottery. Hence, states already have a system in place to track down where the winning ticket is going and use this information to pinpoint the winner. The winner on the other hand can fill in a claim form that could be submitted to initiate a verification process. If somebody makes a false claim, they could face serious felony charges as pointed out by Carolyn Becker, a representative for the California lottery to Nexstar.



 

It's important to note that while all states do have a vetting process that is set in place to confirm the winner, each process differs a little from the others. In major states like California, it could take weeks, sometimes seven months, to successfully confirm who the actual winner is. The process involves the winners providing proof of where they bought the ticket and other evidence that they may be asked to give. Identity verification is also conducted along with checking the security footage of the day of the purchase.



 

Edwin Castro, who won the historic $2.04 billion Powerball jackpot in November 2022 opted to take the lump sum payment of $997.6 million. The man was living his dream life until another man named José Rivera filed a lawsuit in the Los Angeles Superior Court, claiming that he was not the one who bought the winning ticket. However, the state is sticking to its decision to name Castro the winner. A spokesperson of California Lottery told TMZ that the company has the utmost confidence in its vetting process for big winners.

Image Source: Peaton Hugo/Pexels
Image Source: Peaton Hugo/Pexels

Things are not looking good for the man who has claimed that he is the real winner. He seems to have lost two lawyers in a span of a week. Riviera has also failed to provide any explanation as to why he thinks that he is the real winner and the two lawyers who he had hired to get his hands on the money have abandoned the case, as per US Sun. His attorney R. Brian Kramer left the case on July 12, 2023, and just a week later, his other attorney Estela Richeda also left the court battle.

"There is no basis in fact for the suit at all. At this point, we’re just working on service but there are huge problems with the complaint," said David De Paoli, the lawyer for Castro. "At some point, it is going to become clear that Edwin G. Castro is the legitimate owner of the ticket," said Paoli.



 

MORE ON MARKET REALIST
According to the expert, personal letters and a signature from Tolkien himself added to the value of the book.
7 hours ago
Chistina and Katie Currie won over $88,000 in cash and two exotic vacations with their stunning performance.
8 hours ago
After everyone backed out, the billionaire Shark stepped up to help the founder of Diaper Dust.
1 day ago
Sun kept repeating the incorrect phrase but couldn't identify the error in time.
1 day ago
After almost closing a deal with Mr Wonderful, the founder of 'Simply Good Jars' pivoted hard.
1 day ago
The host thought it was the "worst possible answer" to give even as the team felt it was good enough.
2 days ago
Adding to the controversy, the owner of Dr. Mudd's lapdesk asked Harrison for $100,000.
2 days ago
With just milliseconds to spare, Sarah LaPilusa pulled off an incredible Bonus Round win.
2 days ago
Ozark Trail 64 oz Water Bottles were recalled after the lids of faulty bottles forcefully ejected.
3 days ago
The player laughed and giggled her way through the puzzles to win prizes worth over $57,000.
3 days ago
Scott Riccardi placed an unbelievable wager during Final Jeopardy! to win a massive amount in a day!
3 days ago
The guest got a 200% return on investment on her sculpture that she bought from Macy's.
3 days ago
Jennings had a record-setting winning streak as a contestant before he became the host.
4 days ago
The player, Ron Wheeler, tragically got no clues after his letter picks for the final puzzle.
4 days ago
The former kids champion, Skyler Hornback knew what was coming.
4 days ago
The fans took issue with the clue being too tough and unnecessary for the contestants.
5 days ago
Cuban wanted to strike a deal with the founder of Coconut Girl and gave her an ultimatum.
5 days ago
Although the word did make a lot of difference, some fans felt that the decision was ridiculous.
5 days ago
The guest, who found the item online, didn't think it was the real deal until he heard its value.
6 days ago
The player Samantha secured the first big win of Ryan Seacrest's run on the show.
6 days ago