Edwin Castro’s lotto rival Jose Rivera erupts in court as he fires attorney as judge wants mental health evaluation
EDWIN Castro’s lotto rival Jose Rivera – who accused him of cashing in his ticket – fired his attorney in a court showdown on Tuesday as his case was suspended amid a psychiatric evaluation.
Rivera, 43, has been charged with filing a false police report after allegedly wasting time and resources but is still adamant he’s the legitimate winner of the historic $2 billion jackpot.
He showed up at the Pasadena courthouse on Tuesday looking almost unrecognizable in a smart caramel-colored shirt over a checked shirt, smart gray trousers, and brown shoes.
Exclusive images obtained by The U.S. Sun show he had his hair cut ahead of his court hearing and he carried a briefcase containing court papers.
But despite looking ready for his pre-trial hearing, it didn’t go as planned, after he argued with his attorney and sensationally fired him before threatening to walk out.
Rivera, a gardener who has pleaded not guilty to the false report charge, previously admitted he couldn’t afford a lawyer and had already dropped one public defender before his arraignment.
He spent more than an hour talking to his attorney before heading into court, where he appeared before Judge Donna Hollingsworth.
Rivera’s attorney suddenly announced his client wanted to fire him and Judge Hollingsworth began explaining the court process to Rivera, who appeared frustrated.
COMPETENCY HEARING
At one point, he raged, “Just take me into custody.”
As he continued to talk over the judge, she suddenly announced, “Hold on, I need to clear the courtroom as I need to speak with you.”
Friends supporting Rivera, along with the media, were asked to leave so she could talk to him and his attorney in private.
After they were brought back in, Hollingsworth declared the case was being suspended and moved to a competency hearing on March 5 at another courthouse.
Rivera appeared upset and spoke over her, saying, “No, no, no, your honor, can I be given time?
“If I don’t have an attorney from here for a month and a half?”
She replied, “No, I’m ordering you to another courthouse.”
He interrupted her again and asked, “If I hire another attorney can I take him to the other courthouse?”
But Hollingsworth clarified, “At this time, the criminal proceedings are suspended. I’m ordering you to a mental health courthouse for an examination and that is going to be on March 5.”
‘NO JUSTICE’
She said it would take place at the Hollywood Division and they would give him directions on how to get there, as he shook his head and continued, “No, no, no.”
He appeared dejected and told a friend repeatedly, “There’s no justice,” before almost walking out of the courtroom, but he was told to sit down and wait for further instructions.
As he continued to complain to a friend, Hollingsworth warned, “You need to be quiet please.”
When he finally left court, he looked downcast as he was photographed holding an umbrella and refused to speak on camera.
He did, however, tell The U.S. Sun that he met with his public defender twice and has “so much evidence,” adding that he’s “frustrated and tired” and just wants the situation to be over.
“I’m not lying about it,” he added, as he appeared defeated.
Despite the court showdown on Tuesday, Rivera is still suing Castro in civil court, with the next hearing set for March 1 in Alhambra.
The California Lottery has always stood by Castro and has security footage of the ticket purchase at Joe’s Service Center in Altadena, which has been viewed by Castro’s team.
STILL SUING
Rivera claims he purchased the ticket in Altadena and accused his former landlord, Urachi “Reggie” Romero, of stealing it.
Romero told the New York Post he believed Rivera had selected the right numbers but had no idea what happened to his ticket and had not benefited from the win.
Castro’s former lawyer, David De Paoli, said his client had never met either of the men and believed the case in civil court would “go the way of the dinosaur.”
“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,” De Paoli said.
“At some point, it is going to become clear that Edwin G. Castro is the legitimate owner of the ticket.”
Meanwhile, Castro was spotted on a night out at celeb hotspot Sushi Park on Saturday night with a mystery woman in exclusive photos obtained by The U.S. Sun.
He was seen vaping and taking the woman for a spin in his $90,000 Porsche.
Castro has hired a new lawyer and PR guru as he builds a “sophisticated team” of experts to deal with becoming a high-profile individual amid media attention.