Undocumented Immigrant woman says uncle kept her $2 million scratch-off prize

A Santa Rosa woman says she won $2 million on a California scratcher in 2024, asked her uncle to claim it because of her immigration status, and never saw the money.

Ruby Reyes, an undocumented immigrant mother, told N+ and Univision 14 that she bought the jackpot winning Instant Prize Crossword ticket at MD Liquor & Food in Santa Rosa. Afraid that claiming it herself would expose her to deportation, she says she turned to her uncle, Jose Reyes Ayala, to collect it on her behalf.

Ayala claimed the $2 million in December 2024 and is listed as the winner on the California Lottery's website. Reyes alleges her uncle kept the money and threatened to report her to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) if she pursued it. She has now filed legal proceedings seeking to establish that she is the true owner of the ticket, and has said she is doing it for her children despite the risk her status could surface in court.

The allegations are hers, made in interviews and in the legal filing, and Ayala has not responded publicly to them.

California does not require a claimant to be a U.S. citizen or a state resident. Identification is required, and incomplete documentation can mean the state and federal government withhold a larger share, but the prize itself can be claimed. A winner in her position could also have taken time before coming forward, since the first steps after a big win include getting legal advice before anyone signs anything. Handing the ticket to someone else transfers control of it, and as the claiming rules in each state show, an unsigned ticket belongs to whoever presents it.

Sources

Gambling News: Undocumented mother blackmailed by uncle to hand over $2M lottery ticket

New York Post: Undocumented immigrant claims uncle stole $2M California lottery win