Powerball winner pays child support

PATERSON, N.J. – A former bodega owner who will be pocketing $152 million in lottery winnings has coughed up $30,000 in back child support with a promise from his lawyer he will “do what’s right for his children.”

A judge on Monday gave Pedro Quezada some advice and a warning when he appeared in court in a sweatshirt and sneakers.

“There are going to be a lot of people who are going to ask you to invest in things because of your good fortune,” state Superior Court Judge Ernest Caposela told Quezada, “but investing in your children is the wisest investment you can make.”

The 44-year-old Quezada used a Spanish translator during the court hearing and told Caposela that the three children would be living with him from now on. The children’s mother didn’t attend the hearing. She lives out of state, Caposela said.

Quezada left the courthouse without commenting, but his lawyer, Paul Fernandez, said his client wanted to put the matter behind him and move on with his life.

In court Monday, Caposela said Quezada’s last child support payment was in August 2011. He was obligated to pay $141 per week to the mother of the children. That obligation will continue, Caposela said.