$2 Billion Powerball Winner Buys $26 Million L.A. Mansion Amid Lawsuit Over Winnings
The winner of last year's record $2.04 billion Power ball lottery prize has made his first big purchase: a mansion in the Hollywood Hills, according to several publications.
Edwin Castro, who was identified as the winner last month, dropped a whopping $25.5 million — or about 2.56% of his winnings — to purchase the home, the Los Angeles Times reports.
The home was sold on March 1, according to Zillow.
The three-story home, which was built last year by Roman James Design and originally listed for about $30 million, boasts five bedrooms and seven bathrooms in more than 13,000 sq. ft. of living space.
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According to a listing description from luxury real estate firm The Agency, the home is "sited privately behind a set of gates above the famed Chateau Marmont" and features "a vast array of luxe amenities and exquisite finishes." Some of those highlights include a gaming room, wine cellar, movie theater, fitness studio, sauna and steam shower room.
The home has an open concept great room that features a fireplace, dining area and kitchen, which leads out to the pool deck and overlooks Los Angeles from Downtown to Century City.
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It was announced on Nov. 8 that "one lucky ticket sold at Joe's Service Center in Altadena" correctly matched all six numbers to win the massive Powerball jackpot.
It took several months for someone to come forward and claim the prize, but on Feb. 14, lottery officials in California held a press conference announcing that Castro had won the jackpot, which came out to $997.6 million after taxes. Castro told lottery officials that he had wanted to "remain private" at the time.
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One week later, another man filed a lawsuit claiming to be the rightful winner of the Powerball jackpot instead of Castro.
In the complaint, which PEOPLE reviewed at the time, Jose Rivera claimed to have purchased the ticket from Joe's Service Center in Altadena on Nov. 7, one day before the winning numbers were revealed, but alleges that the tickets had been stolen by an individual referred to as "Reggie" in the documents.
The complaint lists California, the state's lottery commission, Castro, and "Reggie" — a fictitious name, per the document, which Rivera used as he does not know the individual's real name — as defendants.
However, the California lottery officials maintained that Castro was the correct winner in a statement to PEOPLE.
"When it comes to the vetting process for big winners, California Lottery has the utmost confidence in its process for doing so," said California Lottery spokesperson Carolyn Becker. "California Lottery remains confident that Edwin Castro is the rightful winner of the $2.04 billion prize stemming from the Powerball drawing in November of 2022."
The legal action is ongoing, according to ABC News.
