Powerball Winner Edwin Castro Went Off the Grid After $2.04B Jackpot, Treated Pals to Lavish Fiji Getaway
Powerball winner Edwin Castro celebrated the fruits of his victories with his closest pals, scrubbing his online presence and treating his pals to a luxury getaway in Fiji after hitting the life-changing $2.04 billion jackpot.
"I noticed he did disappear for a couple of months from his social media after he won, which is smart," a source close to the 31-year-old Los Angeles resident shared, RadarOnline.com has discovered.
"He's very grounded in what he does," a source close to Castro told The New York Post. "Whatever he spends, he knows that he's gonna make a profit on it."
Castro was all smiles while posing with a large fish he caught during his secret trip after drawing numbers for the largest U.S. jackpot of all time last November.
The former high school linebacker was partying with his squad on the exclusive Cloud 9 floating bar off the coast, raising their hands for a swimsuit-clad group photo. In another snap, he drank from a coconut while rejoicing in his lottery win.
Those close to Castro said he took home a lump sum of $997.6 million before his identity was revealed in February. Upon his return from the island, sources said that he swiftly hired bodyguards for himself and his family, who at that time still resided in a three-bedroom home.
Castro recruited his younger brother Jesse, who is a banker, to help manage his assets after the historic win.
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The Powerball victor has since splurged on an extravagant $25 million mansion in the Hollywood Hills, a $47 million Bel Air estate, and a vintage $250,000 Porsche convertible. He also treated his parents to a $4 million home in Altadena.
Insiders said that Castro was spammed with tons of random messages after going back on the grid with his social media account. And that's not all: Castro was hit with a lawsuit by a man who claimed to be the rightful owner of the winning ticket.
Joe's Service Center, a Mobil gas station at Woodbury Road and Fair Oaks Avenue, famously sold it.
The plaintiff, who is suing Castro and his former landlord, Urachi "Reggie" Romero, said the latter allegedly "stole" the ticket and wouldn't return it before the ticket somehow wound up in Castro's possession.
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RadarOnline.com exclusively learned he was dropped by his legal team after Castro demanded the lawsuit be tossed with his lawyer saying there is video proof of him buying the winning ticket.
California Lottery officials, meanwhile, said they are sure Castro is the rightful winner.