Powerball Winner Child Support Case: Pedro Quezada, $338 Million Winner Owes $29,000 In Child Support

The New Jersey resident who won the $338 million Powerball jackpot owes about $29,000 in back child support, the Associated Press reports.

The 45-year-old Pedro Quezada who won the Powerball lottery last weekend is wanted on charges of unpaid child support, according to the Passaic County Sheriff’s Office.

An arrest warrant was issued for Quezada in 2009 says the Sheriff’s Office. He has five children ages 5-23. It is not certain which children the payments are for.

Quezada’s son, Casiano, said that his father is working with an attorney to resolve the matter.

The usual result of a child support warrant is a payment, installment plan or arrest, says William Maer, the spokesperson for the Sheriff’s Office. He had no specific comment on the Quezada case because the investigation is current and ongoing.

The discovery of Quezada’s child support problem could have come from a standard New Jersey screening process for lottery winners. Every person who wins more than $600 in New Jersey Lottery is checked for outstanding taxes, liens, child support payments and similar matters, according to lottery spokeswoman Judith Drucker. Whatever amount the winner owes is deducted from the winner’s final payment.

Quezada opted for lump-sum cash jackpot payment, which will amount to $152 million, computed after taxes.