POWERBALL billionaire Edwin Castro has beefed up security at his $3.8 million Malibu estate with drone surveillance.
Castro32, was photographed on Monday leaving his Malibu mansion while driving a black and white Porsche 911.
7
7
7
7
O Power ball The winner’s strong security team hovered nearby, loading several bags of equipment into a black SUV.
Castro’s private security team has been on high alert since April after a home near his $25 million Hollywood Hills bachelor pad was burgled.
The late-night break-in occurred after three suspects broke several glass windows of a mansion in an upscale neighborhood before entering the home, according to the local CW affiliate. KTLA.
It is unclear whether the suspects have been arrested.
Read more at The US Sun
Meanwhile, Castro’s security team inspected his Malibu Beach neighborhood, flying drones along the roads for any activity.
Castro is still involved in a legal dispute over his $2 billion Powerball lottery ticket.
LEGAL FIGHT
Rival José Rivera, who sued Castro in February 2023, claiming to be the rightful owner of the precious note, continued his dogged fight in court despite being accused of filing a false police report.
Pasadena police investigated Rivera’s claims about Powerball passing and determined that he wasted department time and resources on frivolous reports.
Rivera, 49, pleaded not guilty to filing a false police report.
Despite facing criminal charges in a separate matter, Rivera refused to drop his case against Castro.
Several lawyers dropped out of the case or were fired by Rivera after clashing with the plaintiff in court.
Rivera is now represented by John Michael Flanagan, whose past clients include Michael Jacksonpersonal physician, Conrad Murry.
Meanwhile, Castro hired veteran lawyer Michael Freedman from The Freedman Firm.
Freedman’s most recent clients include former Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani’s interpreter Ippei Mizuhara.
The famous lawyer also represented disgraced comedian Bill Cosby, who was accused of sexually assaulting a teenage girl at the Playboy Mansion in 1975.
Freedman still plays the shamed movie mogul HarveyWeinstein in his California case after his New York conviction was overturned.
A hearing on Rivera’s lawsuit is scheduled for next month.
Edwin Castro Powerball Winning Timeline
When and why Castro was prosecuted
On November 7, 2022, Castro purchased a winning Powerball ticket at Joe’s Service Center in Altadena, California.
The grand prize was $2.04 billion at the time – the largest in US history.
On February 14, 2023, the California Lottery announced Castro’s win, and he took home a one-time payment of $997.6 million.
Castro’s identity was disclosed, but little information was known about the former mechanic.
In May 2023, Jose Rivera, a California gardener, filed a lawsuit claiming he was the rightful owner of the golden ticket.
Rivera claimed that its former owner Urachi F. Romero stole the ticket before it ended up in Castro’s hands.
Since filing the lawsuit, Rivera has been accused of filing a false police report and was ordered to undergo a psychiatric evaluation by a judge.
However, Rivera pleaded not guilty to the charge, passed the evaluation and continues to defend his story.
‘I BELIEVE HIM’
As Rivera’s case continues to drag through the Los Angeles court system, her family has come to her defense and believes her story.
Rivera maintained his claims that he actually purchased the winning ticket, but its former owner, Urachi F. Romero, stole it and gave it to Castro.
Romero, who was named as a co-conspirator in the lawsuit, supported Rivera in his legal fight.
He claims his former tenant showed him the ticket with the winning numbers before the draw was announced in November 2022.
Romero insisted that Rivera was the real winner and somehow lost the ticket.
US Sun spoke exclusively with Rivera’s family, who said the gardener should continue his fight against Castro.
Rivera’s sister, who asked not to be identified, told The US Sun in early June: “If he has the energy, go for it.
“I… don’t have the energy. But I believe he’s the real winner. He makes sense.”
“As he said, [the ticket] Was stolen. I believe him because he is my brother and speaks the truth.
“But let’s see what happens. I don’t get too involved in his business. I’m very reserved.
“I just listen to him. I’m his big sister and when he needs help, I’m here for him. He talks to me about it.”
He told me that he had bought the ticket.
Ex-wife of José Rivera
Rivera’s ex-wife, who preferred to remain anonymous, also believes her ex-lover’s story: “When this whole thing happened with his passing, we weren’t separated yet.
“We were having problems, but he still came home every now and then.”
The woman, who has two children with Rivera after more than 25 years together, added: “So that day he bought the ticket, he left my house.
“It was raining that day, I remember. And he told me that he had bought a ticket, but he never showed it to me or anything.
“Because that day he didn’t come back, he stayed where he was staying.
“But he told me he had specific numbers because they were all based on his sister, his brothers, his cousins and his father.”
When asked if she remembered Rivera looking for the ticket, the woman confirmed: “Yes. He kept calling me, calling me, that he needed [visit] the house he was there.
“But he wouldn’t be all over the house or anything like that. So, as I told him, ‘I don’t have the ticket here.’
“I really hope everything turns out, you know, for the best.”
7
7
This story originally appeared on The-sun.com read the full story
