Pedro Quezada, a man from Wayne, New Jersey, who won the $338 million lottery jackpot, has been accused of child sexual assault. He was one of the largest Powerball winners in the history of New Jersey and now he is close to spending decades in jail if convicted of the said crime.
On Sept. 20, Camelia M. Valdes, Passaic County Prosecutor, revealed that the 49-year-old Quezada molested the victim for three years. She was just 11-years-old when the abuse started and it continued on until she was 14, USA Today reported.
It was learned that the crime was committed when the Powerball winner was still living in Passaic. Based on the reports, aside from two counts of first-degree and two counts of second-degree aggravated sexual assault indictment, Quezada is also facing charges of second-degree endangering the welfare of a child.
If proven guilty for all the crimes mentioned, he is likely to receive a 20-year prison term. After the prosecutor stated the charges, Quezada’s lawyer could not be reached for comment on this case.
Pedro Quezada made headlines in 2013 when he won the $338 million jackpot prize in the national lottery. According to CBS News , he was originally from the Dominican Republic and moved to the U.S. about 30 years ago. He made his living by running a bodega where he works for 15 hours a day.
When he won in the lottery in March 2013, he said that he was very happy because he can now help his family. He added that he knows that his life will change because of the big prize money.
“My life will change because of it — so much money, but it will not change my heart,” Quezada said in one of his interviews after being awarded the large payout. He chose to get the lump sum of $211 million that was reduced to $152 million due to taxes.
In any case, the child sexual assault case is the third time that Quezada was brought to court for trial. A month after hitting the jackpot in the Powerball, he was in court for child support payments and this was followed by a suit filed by his former live-in girlfriend, Ines Sanchez.
She sued Quezada for not sharing the prize with her but the case did not prosper as Sanchez decided to drop the charges after reaching a settlement. Quezada also agreed to pay all her legal fees for the lawsuit she filed. The ex-couple had lived together for 10 years and they have a child together.
Meanwhile, Prosecutor Valdes stated that it seems there is only one victim in the Pedro Quezada’s child sex abuse case.
[Featured Image by Passaic County Prosecutor’s Office/AP Images]