Several news sources say that the man who won the record $2.04 billion Power Ball jackpot last year has made his first big purchase: a mansion in the Hollywood Hills.
The Los Angeles Times says that Edwin Castro, who was named the winner last month, spent a huge $25.5 million, or about 2.56% of his winnings, to buy the house.
Zillow says that the house was sold on March 1.
The three-story home was built by Roman James Design last year and was first listed for about $30 million. It has more than 13,000 square feet of living space, five bedrooms, and seven bathrooms.
The Agency, a high-end real estate company, says that the home is “situated privately behind a set of gates above the famous Chateau Marmont” and has “a wide range of high-end amenities and exquisite finishes.” There is a game room, wine cellar, movie theater, fitness studio, sauna, and steam shower room, among other things.
The great room of the house is open and has a fireplace, dining area, and kitchen. It leads out to the pool deck and has a view of Los Angeles from Downtown to Century City.
On November 8, it was announced that “one lucky ticket sold at Joe’s Service Center in Altadena” correctly matched all six Powerball numbers to win the huge jackpot.
It took a few months for someone to come forward and claim the prize, but on February 14, California lottery officials held a press conference to announce that Castro had won the jackpot, which after taxes was worth $997.6 million. Castro told lottery officials that at the time, he had wanted to “keep things quiet.”
A week later, another man filed a lawsuit saying that he, not Castro, should have won the Powerball jackpot.
In the complaint, which PEOPLE looked at at the time, Jose Rivera said that he bought the ticket from Joe’s Service Center in Altadena on November 7, one day before the winning numbers were announced. However, he said that “Reggie” stole the tickets.
In the complaint, California, the state’s lottery commission, Castro, and “Reggie” are named as defendants. “Reggie” is a made-up name used by Rivera because he doesn’t know the real name of the person.
But in a statement to PEOPLE, officials from the California lottery said that Castro was the right winner.
“The California Lottery has the utmost confidence in the way it checks out big winners,” said Carolyn Becker, a spokesperson for the California Lottery. “The California Lottery is still sure that Edwin Castro is the rightful winner of the $2.04 billion prize from the November 2022 Powerball drawing,”
ABC News says that the lawsuit is still going on.
