$1.586B Powerball win: California couple moved out of $475,000 home day before claiming prize
Picture it: The lottery ticket in your hand matches all five numbers plus the Powerball, meaning you won the $1.586 billion Powerball grand prize.
What would you do next? Shout it from the rooftop? Post a lottery ticket selfie on social media?
For one California couple, privacy was the ultimate goal.
Marvin and Mae Acosta, one of the three winners from the historic Jan. 13, 2016, Powerball drawing, life as multimillionaires began with a detailed plan.
Unfortunately, sometimes the best-laid plans have hiccups.
Here are things to know about the historic $1.586 billion Powerball jackpot, the second-highest in the history of the game, its winners and how some of that Powerball prize money was spent.
When life hands you a $2.04 billion win, you buy a $25 million Hollywood dream home and another in your hometown
Another billion-dollar lottery winner! Someone in California won $1 billion prize from Powerball. But who?
From a small town to the "Today" show to a 10-bedroom, $6.2 million home for one Powerball couple
Who won $1.586 billion Powerball jackpot on Jan. 13, 2016?
Powerball made history Jan. 11, 2016, the first time a lottery jackpot hit $1 billion. After no one matched all five numbers plus the Powerball in the (Saturday) Jan. 9, 2016, drawing for $949 million, the Monday jackpot soared to $1.4 billion. (No one won that drawing either.) Powerball made history again when three tickets matched all six numbers to win $1.586 billion in the (Wednesday) Jan. 13, 2016, drawing.
The jackpot started Nov. 4, 2015, at $40 million. It had rolled over almost 30 times from Nov. 4, 2015, to Jan. 13, 2016, before three tickets from California, Tennessee and Florida claimed the grand prize (see below). The winners were Marvin and Mae Acosta from Chino Hills, California; John and Lisa Robinson from Munford, Tennessee; and Maureen Smith and David Kaltschmidt from Melbourne Beach. The winning numbers were 4-8-19-27-34 and Powerball 10.
3 tickets won $1.586 billion Powerball. Who claimed lottery jackpot first?
John and Lisa Robinson of Munford, Tennessee, were the first to claim their share of the record $1.586 billion jackpot − and they did it on national television. On Jan. 15, 2016, two days after the drawing, the couple was interviewed on the "Today" show by Savannah Guthrie and Carson Daly, though at the time, the morning show hosts could not officially verify the Powerball win since the couple hadn't appeared in person at the Tennessee Lottery to claim their prize. The couple and their daughter, Tiffany, appeared on the morning show with their lawyer, Joe Townsend, and his daughter, Ilene, as a way to "control" the story.
The Robinsons, with their daughter, Tiffany, and rescue dog, Abby, on Jan. 15, 2016, at the Tennessee Lottery headquarters. During the press conference that day, the Robinsons asked the public for their privacy, admitting they are "common folk from a small town."
John Robinson and Lisa Robinson took the lump sum − a little more than $327 million before taxes − though they posed with a giant $528.8 million check, Tennessee Lottery officials said. They received a couple of million dollars immediately and about 10 days later, they were to receive the remainder of the prize, according to a 2016 USA TODAY story.
The Robinsons bought their winning Powerball ticket at Naifeh's Food Market, one of three lottery retailers in their hometown of 6,000 residents about 30 miles northeast of Memphis, Tennessee. The store received a $25,000 bonus.
When did the other winners from $1.586 billion Powerball jackpot claim their prize?
In 2016, FLORIDA TODAY reported Maureen Smith and David Kaltschmidt bought their winning Powerball ticket at a Publix in Melbourne Beach. The couple claimed their prize as the Nickel 95 Trust and waited until February 2016 to claim their share of the grand prize.
Six months after the drawing, Marvin and Mae Acosta of California claimed their Powerball winnings of $528.8 million.
Where did the Acostas of California buy their winning Powerball ticket?
The Acostas bought their ticket at a 7-Eleven in Chino Hills, California, a quiet community about 35 miles east of Los Angeles. After the location of the lottery retailer was revealed, people crowded the store and parking lot, posing for TV news crews and chanting the city's name in celebration of its sudden celebrity, according to a 2016 New Jersey Herald story. Store owner Balbir Atwal said he collected $1 million from the state lottery for selling the winning ticket and his lottery sales were up 80 percent at the 7-Eleven, the story states.
Why did $1.586 billion Powerball winners from California wait 6 months to claim their prize?
Marvin Acosta and Mae Acosta waited six months to claim their share of the $1.586 billion Powerball jackpot to work with lawyers and financial advisers to help them handle their grand prize money. While John and Lisa Robinson of Munford, Tennessee, appeared on the "Today" show with Savannah Guthrie and Carson Daly two days after the historic Powerball drawing to "nationally" claim their share, the Acostas did the opposite. Privacy was No. 1 for the couple from California, a state that releases lottery winner information as public record. (Tennessee and Florida also release info about lottery winners.)
When the couple did appear in person at the state lottery office, they were flanked by security, according to the California lottery. Unlike their Powerball winner counterparts, there were no photos of the Acostas released to the media, and there was no official press conference. They requested other personal information remain private.
If you win Powerball in California, can you stay anonymous?
If you win a California Lottery game, your personal information is subject to public disclosure. From the lottery's workbook: "The California Lottery is subject to public disclosure laws that allow access to certain governmental records. Your full name, the name and location of the retailer who sold you the winning ticket, the date you won and the amount of your winnings, including your gross and net installment payments, are matters of public record and are subject to disclosure. The Lottery will not disclose any other personal or identifying informationwithout your permission unlesslegally required to do so."
California Lottery's corporate communications division will handle media availability when the prize is claimed. There is no official communication from the lottery about a winner after the prize is claimed.
"We do not keep in contact with winners after we have sent out press releases about them," Greg Parashak, a California Lottery spokesman, said in an email to USA TODAY.
What did $1.586 billion Powerball winner from California do with their share?
In a statement, the Acostas said they would dedicate nearly all of the prize money to a trust and charities. "We are thankful and blessed for the rare gift that has been placed in our care," they said.
According to a 2016 story by the New Jersey Herald, property records showed a couple with the same names purchased a 5-bedroom home for $475,000 in Eastvale, a Southern California community about 10 miles from the 7-Eleven where the winning ticket was purchased. neighbor said the couple who lived there had two children and moved out a day before the ($1.586 billion Powerball) prize was claimed, the story states.
Public records showed Marvin Acosta was 39 years old and Mae Acosta was 40 at the time of the win.
Are Marvin Acosta and Mae Acosta lottery emails a scam?
Though the Acostas of California have managed to remain fairly private given their huge windfall, the couple was not immune to lottery scams.
Scam emails using Marvin Acosta and Mae Acosta's names began circulating not long after the Jan. 13, 2016, $1.586 billion Powerball win. Experts say never open these types of scam emails.
How do Powerball and Mega Millions contact lottery winners?
According to the Mega Millions website, “No representative of Mega Millions would ever call, text, or e-mail anyone about winning a prize.”
The same goes for Powerball. Powerball will never contact you via email or social media to tell you that you’ve won, unless you specifically entered an official lottery promotion or contest. Legitimate lotteries don’t call collect, so never accept a collect telephone call from someone claiming to be a lottery official.
If you’ve picked the winning lottery numbers, you can claim your winnings in person at a Florida Lottery district office or by mail.
What are the most popular types of lottery scams?
If anyone reaches out to you saying they’re a lottery official and sends you instructions to collect your winnings, it’s a scam. Here are some of the ways scammers might try to get you to collect "fake" winnings:
Phone calls
Mail
Emails
Social media
Five tips to help you protect yourself from lottery scams
Here are five tips from Mega Millions on how lottery players and non-players can avoid scammers posing as lottery officials.
If someone says you have won a lottery that you have never played, be suspicious. You can’t win a legitimate lottery if you didn’t buy a ticket.
If you are in a jurisdiction that is outside the market area of the lottery or game mentioned as the source of the “prize,” then it’s a scam. Real lotteries don’t hold international sweepstakes, contests or awards for those who live outside their market area. Mega Millions is played only in the United States. If you’re outside the U.S. and someone tells you that you have won a big prize, it is a scam.
If you are told that you need to keep your “win” confidential, be suspicious.
If you are asked to pay any kind of fee to collect your winnings, you haven’t won. Authentic lottery officials don't tell winners to pay money to collect a prize they’ve won.
If someone offers to wire winnings directly into your bank account, do not give them your bank account information. Real lottery winners must claim their prize through a lottery district office.
For more information on lottery scams, you can visit the Federal Trade Commission’s website.
Who won $1.08 billion Powerball in California on July 19, 2023?
Like Edwin Castro, there's another billion-dollar Powerball lottery winner from California.
After three months of rollovers − from April to July − Powerball again hit the billion-dollar mark July 18, 2023, when no one matched all five numbers plus the Powerball in the Monday, July 17, drawing. A single ticket purchased in California eventually won Powerball on Wednesday, July 19, for $1.08 billion. The identity of the winner(s) has not been revealed as of Aug. 19, 2023.
As of Aug. 19, the $1.08 billion Powerball jackpot winner has not come forward. The winning ticket was sold at Las Palmitas Mini Market on Wall Street, according to California Lottery officials.
How long does $1.08 billion Powerball winner have to claim the prize?
According to Powerball rules, "ticket expiration dates typically vary from 90 days to one year depending on the selling jurisdiction. The expiration date is often listed on the back of your ticket. If the expiration date is not listed, check with your lottery."
According to the California Lottery, Powerball and Mega Millions winners have one year from the date of the draw to claim their prize. The $1.08 billion Powerball winner has until July 19, 2024 − one year from the drawing date − to claim the grand prize at California Lottery headquarters.
What is the largest lottery jackpot in U.S. history? Who claimed $2.04 billion Powerball prize?
The largest lottery prize ever climbed to $2.04 billion in November. The jackpot was an estimated $1.9 billion days before the drawing, but lottery ticket sales helped it grow to more than $2 billion after updated calculations. A single ticket purchased in California won the grand prize, and the winner was revealed on Valentine's Day − Feb. 14, 2023. Edwin Castro won the largest-ever lottery jackpot, and he opted for a lump sum of $997.6 million, just shy of $1 billion, according to the California Lottery.
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.
This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Powerball winners split $1.586 billion. How California couple spent prize
