Undocumented California Mother Says Uncle Kept Her $2M Lottery Winnings

Ruby Reyes, an undocumented immigrant and mother from the San Francisco Bay Area, claims she handed a $2 million winning lottery ticket to her uncle out of fear of deportation.

Nearly two years later, she says he still has the prize money.

Reyes told N+ Univision 14 that she bought a $10 Instant Prize Crossword scratcher at MD Liquor & Food in Santa Rosa in late 2024. The ticket had won the game’s top prize, but she was worried that claiming it personally might expose her immigration status.

She believed her uncle, who had documentation, would collect the prize on her behalf before turning over the proceeds.

She told Univision she has begun legal action and believes she has enough evidence to prove that she bought the ticket and is its true owner.

‘Nothing but the Truth’

While Reyes does not identify her uncle in the report, an official California Lottery news release shows that a man named Jose Reyes Ayala claimed a $2 million prize from a $10 Instant Prize Crossword ticket purchased at MD Liquor & Food in Santa Rosa in December 2024.

Reyes said the windfall represented a chance to improve the future of her children. She appealed to her uncle to reconsider and return the money she says belongs to her. Univision reported that it tried to reach the man but received no response.

“It was a dream I had,” she said. “I only thought about my future and that of my children. I am telling the truth, and nothing but the truth, and I have sufficient evidence to win this case.”

Can Undocumented Immigrants Win the Lottery?

Undocumented immigrants aren’t explicitly barred from winning or claiming lottery prizes in California, or elsewhere in the United States, and California Lottery rules do not require claimants to be U.S. citizens or California residents.

However, jackpot winners must provide acceptable identification and tax documentation before a prize can be paid. Federal tax withholding can also be higher for winners who do not provide a taxpayer identification number.

There are several precedent cases that mirror Reyes’ predicament. In 2011, Jose Antonio Cua-Toc, an immigrant from Guatemala, won $750,000 on a Georgia scratch-off but asked his employer, Erick Cervantes, to claim it on his behalf.

Cervantes claimed the ticket was his and said Cua-Toc had bought it with his money. A Houston County jury deliberated for about 35 minutes before finding that Cua-Toc was the rightful owner because store surveillance evidence reportedly supported his account.

Deportation Risk Real

However, particularly in the current climate, there are reasons why an undocumented winner might genuinely fear appearing publicly to claim a jackpot, even if the lottery rules permit it.

In 1985, shortly after the California Lottery began operating, Jose Caballero, a 24-year-old Mexican furniture deliveryman in San Jose, won $2 million. Lottery officials said he was entitled to the prize regardless of his status, but the publicity prompted the Immigration and Naturalization Service to investigate him.

Caballero ultimately accepted voluntary departure rather than contesting deportation proceedings and returned to Mexico, but – importantly – he kept his lottery winnings and continued receiving his annual payments.