$2.04 Billion Jackpot Winner Comes Forward in California

SACRAMENTO, CA — The record-setting winner of the $2.04 billion Powerball jackpot has come forward to collect his haul, ending months of suspense about California’s mystery overnight billionaire, state lottery officials announced Tuesday.

The person who purchased the winning ticket in the Nov. 7 drawing at Joe's Service Center on Woodbury Road in Altadena is Edwin Castro.

The jackpot is the largest ever in the nation’s history. No other details have been immediately released about Castro, who declined to appear at a Sacramento news conference with state lottery officials, although he did provide a prepared statement.

"As much as I am shocked and ecstatic to have won the Powerball drawing, the real winner is the California public school system," Castro said.

"The mission of the California Lottery, which is to provide supplemental funding for California public education — both public schools and colleges — makes this a huge win for the state. As someone who received the rewards of being educated in the California public education system, it’s gratifying to hear that, as a result of my win, the California school system greatly benefits as well."

The sale of lottery products associated with the jackpot sequence Castro won raised a record-breaking $156.3 million for public education in California, lottery officials said Tuesday at a press conference in Sacramento. The state lottery also in the most recent fiscal year raised a preliminary calculation of $2 billion for public schools, a first for the lottery, according to officials.

The single winning ticket earned a prize of $1.9 billion, according to the California Lottery. The holder of the winning ticket had the option of taking the money in payments or in a lump sum. Castro selected the lump sum of $997.6 million.

The winning ticket matched all six numbers — 10, 33, 41, 47, 56, and Powerball number 10.

As is typical for jackpot winners, Castro waited months before collecting the prize. In California, the names of winners are public record.

Joseph Chahayed, the owner of Joe's Service Center, who earned a $1 million bonus as the retailer who sold the jackpot-winning ticket, immediately addressed the community.

"I would like to thank all the community (who) support me," he told reporters at the time. "And I would ... I encourage you to buy a ticket from this station. ... You're going to be a winner too."

He said he was grateful that the community and schools will benefit from the lottery funds. He said he planned to share his $1 million bonus payment with his family.

"I will share it with the family ... with my kids, my grandchildren," he said. "I have 11 grandchildren, and I have to share with them."

His son, Danny, said his father deserves the bonus.

"There's no one else who deserves it more than this man," he said. "He's worked hard his whole life. He deserves every bit of it."

Chahayed's other son, Joe Jr., thanked the residents who have supported the business for 20 years.

"We want to just thank all of our community members who always come and are dedicated to this station," he said. "They truly believe in luck and they truly believe that some things are just deserved to be. Hopefully one of the winners is from our community. And congratulations and thank you to the lottery system for creating a program where the schools are going to benefit. A lot of people are going to benefit from this, so great program. Appreciate it so much."

The local win marks the first time the California Lottery has doled out a jackpot topping $1 billion to a single winner.

The odds of matching all five numbers and the Powerball number is 1 in 292.2 million, according to the Multi-State Lottery Association, which conducts the game.

The Powerball game is played in 45 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

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City News Service and Patch Staffers Paige Austin and Renee Schiavone contributed to this report.