THE winner of the largest U.S. lottery jackpot in history has had two years of pain after being plagued by bad luck.

Edwin Castro – who won the record-breaking $2.04 billion Powerball prize – believed that “God guided him to win.”

The winner of the largest U.S. lottery jackpot in history, Edwin CastroCredit: News Enterprises Inc

Edwin Castro’s cousins, Byron and Jean-Pierre Castro, hide their faces with visors when they arrived at the Newport Beach courthouse last AugustCredit: Toby Canham for The U.S. Sun

Jose Rivera, pictured above last August, was furious after he left court and refused to believe his case was overCredit: The U.S. Sun. Katy Forrester

Castro has been besieged by a string of problems since he became an overnight billionaire.

He has been the subject of a lawsuit over the huge sum of money; his cousins were allegedly involved in a white-collar crime scandal; and one of his mansions burned down during the devastating Los Angeles infernos.

Castro’s troubles kicked off moments after California lottery bosses announced his huge win in February 2023.

The officials said that Castro – who was hoping to remain out of the spotlight – had won the record-breaking $2.04 billion Powerball prize in November 2022.

The winning ticket was sold at Joe’s Service Center in Altadena, an unincorporated community in the foothills northeast of Los Angeles.

SHOCKED

Castro said he was “shocked and ecstatic” and chose to accept the jackpot in a lump sum payment of $997.6 million.

The car fanatic set about splurging on luxurious vehicles to enjoy his tremendous wealth.

An anonymous source told the New York Post in 2023 that he believed divine guidance had led him to the biggest jackpot in lottery history.

“God gave him [the win] because He knew [Castro] would be a good steward with it and use it to help others,” the source added.

But, just several months after he was revealed as the winner, all hell broke loose.

He was sued by a man who claimed the ticket was stolen from him before the winning numbers were drawn.

Los Angeles gardener Jose Rivera filed his bizarre claim and went through multiple lawyers before eventually representing himself.

Rivera alleged that he regularly picked the same numbers and bought the winning ticket.

There were more than 40 consecutive drawings before Castro’s numbers were called: 10, 33, 41, 47 and 56, plus the red Powerball was 10.

However, California Lottery officials always insisted that Castro was the legitimate winner and that they had a rigorous vetting procedure in place.

NO PROOF

Rivera failed to show any proof that he regularly picked the same numbers that resulted in the jackpot win and often made wild accusations.

He also told The U.S. Sun he signed the back of the lottery ticket before we published exclusive images of Castro’s unsigned slip last year.

He alleged that his former landlord, Urachi “Reggie” Romero, stole his lottery ticket before it ended up in Castro’s hands.

Romero was also a defendant in the civil case but failed to respond or hire a lawyer.

He told The U.S. Sun he believed Rivera did choose the winning numbers but had no idea what happened to his ticket and did not know Castro.

And last August, his case was rejected.

Judge William Crowfoot dismissed the lawsuit, upholding an earlier tentative ruling that Rivera “notably does not allege that Castro was ever in possession of the ticket purchased by [the] Plaintiff.”

“Instead, [Rivera] alleges that Romero ‘asserted stories of how the ‘lost’ winning ticket found its way to [the Defendant].

“Therefore, there does not appear to be a controversy between Defendant and Plaintiff regarding the ownership of Plaintiff’s ticket.

“Furthermore, no ‘actual controversy’ exists between Defendant and Plaintiff as to the lottery winnings because a bettor’s right to a share of the winnings ‘accrues solely from possession of a winning ticket, not from the mere purchase of a ticket.'”

FAMILY STRIFE

Also last year, two of Castro’s cousins were photographed wearing dramatic face shields to court, where they pleaded not guilty amid a car theft scandal.

Jean Pierre Castro and his brother Byron Castro Jr. were accused of stealing classic cars and pocketing hundreds of thousands of dollars.

The Orange County District Attorney’s Office decided to bring criminal charges against the pair.

CAR FIRM

The Castro brothers were running a classic car business in Laguna Beach, California, called Alphamotive Motors LLC.

In light of the charges against the Castro brothers, a representative for the multi-millionaire confirmed he did not go into business with the pair.

In a statement to The U.S. Sun, his attorney Michael G. Freedman also said, “Edwin Castro was completely surprised to learn of the allegations against Jean Pierre and Byron Castro.

“He had absolutely no involvement with the transactions and issues that led to the criminal charges, and he is re-evaluating his relationship with them.”

A felony complaint obtained by The U.S. Sun shows Jean Castro has been charged with 24 counts in total after an investigation by the Laguna Beach Police Department.

The charges include four counts of grand theft, three of grand theft auto, eight counts of enhanced aggravated white-collar crime over $100,000 and under $500,000, and seven counts of enhanced property damage over $200,000.

Byron, who was in business with his brother, is listed as a co-defendant on one charge of procuring or offering false or forged documents to be filed, registered, or recorded.

The U.S. Sun has reached out to both Jean and Byron Castro, along with a lawyer dealing with one of their civil complaints, but did not hear back.

While Byron, 38, is only charged with one count, both brothers are defendants in at least two separate civil lawsuits filed by two of the three alleged victims named in the criminal charges.

Multiple calls to both brothers by The U.S. Sun have gone unanswered and they have not formally responded to either lawsuit.

They both have rap sheets featuring driving offenses and have had tax liens filed against them over the years.

It’s an unfortunate situation for Castro, who is said to be close to his family and has tried to keep his circle tight since his mammoth win.

Edwin Castro’s Malibu home was destroyed in January’s 𝓀𝒾𝓁𝓁er firesCredit: The US Sun

Smoldering car parts from a burnt car left in Castro’s garageCredit: The US SunHOUSE RAZED

Aside from family troubles and the dismissed lawsuit, Castro has had problems closer to home – literally.

In the wake of last month’s devastating blazes that ravaged Los Angeles County, it was revealed that a Malibu property he purchased in 2023 for $3.8 million was gutted in the fires that 𝓀𝒾𝓁𝓁ed 29 people since January.

Footage obtained by The U.S. Sun showed waves lapping the beach where the lot remains.

All that can be seen is what looks like the foundations and what appears to be planks of wood.

Castro’s Malibu home was the third property he bought months after hitting the big time.

He is also the owner of a home in Altadena – some 25 miles from Los Angeles.

New state maps designate more than 2.3 million acres of local land in California as facing “high” or “very high” danger of wildfires, reported the Associated Press on Tuesday.

Edwin Castro’s greasy $1.7 bn Powerball ticketCredit: Edwin Castro

California lottery officials said Edwin Castro won the record-breaking $2.04 billion Powerball prizeCredit: Edwin Castro