UPDATE: $2b Powerball lottery fraud: SCAM!

Joe Winner (wror.com, Nov. 9th, 2022); Pfc. Sandoval, Seth Auberon (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

It is claimed that this is live on Nov. 8? But the date shown is Nov. 7, and she says "goodnight" not good morning, everyone. Watch what happens in the video: Powerball 20221107

• UPDATE (Feb. 14, 2023, Valentine's Day): Scam! Mystery thickens rather than resolves. Fast Eddie Castro (aka Edwin Castro) declared winner, but another guy (plaintiff Jose Rivera) says "Reggie" stole his ticket, and he's suing Castro for the money and to be declared the winner. It would seem an open-and-shut case: JUST CHECK THE STORE VIDEO of who bought it, but that was confiscated by officials, according to Joe Chahayed who sold the ticket and had officials take over his store to see and/or take away the videotape. No one knows who Edwin Castro is, and Channel 5 located a local by that name, but the family at that address said it wasn't the same guy. Fishy. This stinks. Now it goes to court. And get a load of the phony sounding statement letter submitted by "Castro." Either he hired lawyers and a PR firm to write it, or lottery officials composed it. Has there ever been anything more phony sounding? Please!
• UPDATE (Feb. 23, 2023): Scam a damn damn! THEFT: Man (Jose Rivera) claims winning $2 billion Powerball ticket sold in Altadena, California, was stolen from him two days before drawing, so he sues jackpot winner and lottery (ktla.com)
• California Lottery stands behind $2 billion Powerball winner despite claim ticket was stolen (Daily Breeze)
• $2.04B (that's 2 billion and 40 million dollar) Powerball winner sued by man who claims his winning ticket was stolen (TMZ)

[Due to suspicious clues] The internet is focused on Powerball conspiracy theories

The draw was not delayed but faked.

WASHINGTON, DC - The estimated Powerball jackpot for the November 7th, 2022, drawing has increased to $1.9 billion [and will top off at 2.04 billion, or two-billion and forty-million dollars], with an estimated lump sum payment of $929.1 million.

It was a strange series of events, and now Powerball conspiracy theories are taking over. This morning, the winning numbers 10-33-41-47-56 and the Powerball was 10. According to USA Today, “the winning ticket was sold at a service center in Altadena in Los Angeles County.”

That jackpot is for a record-breaking $2.04 billion dollars. But here’s where the conspiracy seems to get started.

The California Lottery announced a delay. Specifically, at 11:00 pm it was announced that there was a “technical problem.” [Claims of a security protocol to follow by 48 participating states, and we were told that all we knew was that it was not a California problem, which was a lie.]

• DEAD GIVEAWAY: In our previous coverage, Joe of Joe's Convenience Store where the winning ticket was allegedly purchased, makes a big deal of saying that he was contacted by the Lottery before he had opened. He opens at 6:00 am. The drawing was allegedly taking place at that time (Eastern Time). Yet, he was already being informed that he would get a million and the news media would be arriving. There were news helicopters overhead that morning. We could hear them; that's how close we are to this scandal. The local rock station (kroq.com) morning show (Klein Ally Show) called Joe and spoke to him a day or two later. They asked him how it felt to win. He said he wasn't the winner. DJ Klein said, yeah, not the billion but you won a million. Joe said, no I didn't. They handed me a big piece of cardboard, took possession of the videotape (either by confiscating it or doing something to it against his will and without his knowing or having given permission), took a picture of him with the big cardboard check, and left, leaving him no money or explanation or future plan to get him a million actual dollars. That big handwritten cardboard check was dated Nov. 7, not 8th which is when the Lottery folks would have us believe it was written, which is when the drawing was, which is when Joe was identified and contacted. Fishy, fishy, fishy. all these innocent mistakes, along with the drawing hostess allegedly misspeaking and saying "Goodnight" rather than good morning during the allegedly live drawing, which we are told did not take place until 8:57 am on Nov. 8. Johnny Ice (Heidi & Frank Show, 955klos.com) is on the case on Friday in a segment called 20 in 20, which covers 20 news stories in 20 minutes.

The Fix Is Still In (Brian Tuohy)

The drawing would be delayed. After the drawing finally goes down this morning [Nov. 8 at 8:57 am] a winner is not named [that is to say, it is announced that there is no winner], and the jackpot goes up. But wait, it doesn’t. A winner IS announced in California.

Someone in Florida also won some money for getting 5 numbers but not the Powerball number. They did the Power Play thing, so they got 2 million. The main Powerball conspiracy theories seem to be focused on the idea that it was California that announced that extra time was needed.

Then it was California that had a big winner. But I will dispel one theory about a deal with the state getting the tax revenue. California is one of 15 states that doesn’t tax lottery winnings. So that conspiracy theory has been disproven.

Actually, all of these ideas — like most conspiracy theories — are pretty far-fetched. But they are entertaining.

The Back and Forth

What Triggered People.

One person on Twitter complained, “California is the reason there was a delay with the drawing due to “security concerns” and “technical difficulties” and now someone in California won the #Powerball.”

One commenter pointed out “Pay attention to the Powerball. On the last draw, they cut out the full video of the red powerball coming down the tube. If you look closely, all the numbers inside the pool stops, but when they zoom in, the numbers inside the pool still rolls.”

I’m not sold on that, but many commenters also pointed out that the drawing was NOR shown live. Hmmmmm. Source: The Internet Is Focused On Powerball Conspiracy Theories (wror.com)