$2.04 billion Powerball winner Edwin Castro: California wildfire destroys his Malibu home

$2.04 billion Powerball winner Edwin Castro publicly claimed his lottery prize on Feb. 14, 2023, on Valentine’s Day.In Florida, it's public record to know the names and identity of Powerball, Mega Millions jackpot winners unless the winnings are claimed via a trust.Over the years, some billion-dollar Powerball and Mega Millions winners have opted to remain anonymous because their state lottery allows it.Edwin Castro, the sole winner of the $2.04 billion Powerball lottery, lost one of his multimillion-dollar home to the California wildfires.After his record-setting win in November 2022, Castro purchased a beachfront home in Malibu for $3.8 million − one of three properties the Altadena, California, man owns. Satellite images of the Palisades wildfire show Castro's Malibu home was completely destroyed, according to news reports from the L.A. Times, CNN, TMZ and the New York Post.Here's what we know about Edwin Castro, winner of the largest lottery jackpot in U.S. history, his homes in California, and the wildfires.Who is Edwin Castro? Who won $2.04 billion Powerball drawing?Edwin Castro of Altadena, California, sole winner of the $2.04 billion Powerball drawing on Nov. 7, 2022, opted for the lump sum, which was just shy of $1 billion, according to the California Lottery. Castro bought the ticket that matched all five numbers plus the Powerball from Joe's Service Center in Altadena, California.Declining to appear on camera, Castro claimed his prize on Feb. 14, 2023 − Valentine's Day − and received a check from the California Lottery for $997.6 million during a press conference. In California, it is public record to know who won a Powerball, Mega Millions or California Lottery jackpot and where the winning ticket was sold. Rules vary in other states, such as Florida, where it is public record to know who won a lottery jackpot, though winners in that state can claim their grand prize through a trust or LLC.After taxes, Castro likely walked away with $628.5 million, USA TODAY reported.What did $2.04 billion Powerball lottery winner, Edwin Castro of California, do with his prize money?After his epic $2.04 billion Powerball lottery win, Edwin Castro splurged − for himself and his parents. After November 2022, news reports show Castro bought two multimillion-dollar homes in his home state of California weeks after he publicly claimed his prize from the California Lottery.On March 1, 2023, Castro bought a $25.5 million estate in Hollywood Hills, California. According to USA TODAY, the 13,500-square-foot mansion, sometimes referred to as "Palazzo di Vista," sits on a 0.58-acre lot and features five bedrooms, seven bathrooms, game room, wine cellar, movie theater, bar, spa and fitness studio. The main room is on the third floor and has its own balcony. Other amenities include a garage big enough to park seven cars. Most of the house, which sports an outdoor infinity pool and fireplace, is made up of glass walls.Then, on March 9, 2023, according to the New York Post, Castro purchased a second home in Altadena, a $4 million mansion with views of the San Gabriel Mountains. Features of the 1953 Japanese-style home include a pool, movie theater, five bedrooms and four bathrooms, the New York Post reported. Castro was reportedly living in a one-bedroom home when he won the Powerball. The New York Post said Castro also bought a vintage white Porsche for $250,000.Malibu home of $2.04 billion Powerball lottery winner Edwin Castro destroyed by Palisades wildfire. Did Edwin Castro lose his homes to California wildfires?According to the L.A. Times, Castro purchased a $3.85 million beachfront home in Malibu, California, in September 2023. It's a two-bedroom home with ocean views just off the Pacific Coast Highway. The L.A. Times said in a Jan. 13, 2025, story that "Castro purchased the home using an LLC whose listed business managers in public records were the same two men as those listed for LLCs used to buy the other two properties."Terry Fahn with Sitrick and Co., a California firm claiming to represent Castro, told the USA TODAY Network in October 2024 that Castro owns the home in Hollywood Hills and the home in Altadena. A check on California property tax records does not list Castro as the owner of any of the houses that were tied to his name, but property tax records cite privacy restriction.The Malibu home was one of the many casualties from the Palisades, California, wildfire that has burned almost 24,000 acres since it started Jan. 7, 2025.A Jan. 15, 2025, check on CAL FIRE, the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, shows more than 12,300 structures were destroyed and about 41,000 acres burned so far this month by the California wildfires. The CAL FIRE site provides containment updates, incident maps, maps searchable by address, and satellite imagery.The CAL FIRE, the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection shows Castro's homes in California were under evacuation orders from the Palisades and Eaton wildfires. However, the Hollywood Hills and Altadena homes did not sustain damage as of Jan. 15, 2025.Fahn also said Castro does not do news interviews.Sangalang is a lead digital producer for USA TODAY Network-Florida. Follow her on Twitter or Instagram at @byjensangalang. Support local journalism. Consider subscribing to a Florida newspaper.