The story of Ruby Reyes will have lottery officials worried.
The woman, who is also a mother and currently residing in the United States as an undocumented immigrant, claims she has been coerced by her uncle to hand over a $2-million lottery ticket lest the man report her to the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)
Uncle Takes Advantage of Undocumented Niece in Lottery Fraud Case
The incident allegedly happened two years ago, when Reyes won the seven-figure prize playing a $10 Instant Prize Crossword. The woman spoke to the publication N+ Univision 14 and told how she purchased the ticket at MD Liquor & Food in Santa Rosa in 2024, and the events that followed.
Because of her undocumented status, the woman turned to her uncle, asking him to claim the prize for her, which he did. However, what Reyes did not envision was that her uncle would retain the proceeds for himself and refuse to hand them over, even threatening to expose her to ICE.
California has no restriction on who may claim a lottery prize, however. Claimants need not be either residents of the United States or California in order to collect winnings from a ticket, although certain identification is required.
The prize may still be paid out if some documentation is missing, although the state and federal government may withhold a greater percentage of the winnings.
However, Reyes has not given up on the dream of securing her $2-million prize money, and has opened legal proceedings against her uncle, seeking to establish that she is the true owner of the ticket.
The uncle, one Jose Reyes Ayala, who did claim $2 million from the $10 Instant Prize Crossword game in December 2024, has been officially listed as a winner on the California Lottery’s website.
Deportation Risk Real, But Mother Determined to Get What Is Best for Her Children
Reyes has said that she was speaking the truth and that she only had her children’s future in her mind and their best interests.
Since coming into office, the administration of President Donald Trump has waged an unprecedented large-scale deportation campaign targeting people in the streets of major cities and states indiscriminately, with many long-time community members deported on short notice.
The government has refused to comply with court orders to release certain arrested individuals, and the risk of deportation has increased palpably in US society.
Regardless, Reyes has said that she cannot sit quietly and let this wrong go unanswered, despite the threat of being deported in the end, with ICE agents known to wait for potential undocumented immigrants at courthouses.