Couple claim $528 million in Powerball jackpot

While Californians have mused for months about the mystery buyer of a Powerball ticket worth $528.8 million, the couple holding the lucky numbers was busy lining up lawyers and financial advisers to help them handle their enormous winnings.

Flanked by security, Marvin and Mae Acosta went to a state lottery office in Van Nuys on Friday to claim their share of a record $1.6 billion Powerball drawing in January, Alex Traverso, a California lottery spokesperson, disclosed on Tuesday.

In a statement, the Acostas said they are dedicating 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.

Their names are public record under state law, but Traverso requested that other personal information remain private.

Property records show a couple with the same names purchased a 5-bedroom home for $475,000 last autumn in Eastvale, a Southern California community about 10 miles from the 7-Eleven where the winning ticket was purchased.

A neighbour said the couple who lived there had two children and moved out last Thursday, a day before the prize was claimed.

Public records showed that Marvin Acosta is 39 years old and Mae Acosta is 40. Many Californians might have difficulty understanding why the couple would sit on such a mega-prize for so long.

But that kind of studied preparation is exactly what state lottery officials recommend for winners to avoid falling prey to scams or mismanagement.

“We couldn’t be happier for them and are thrilled they took the time to assemble the right team before coming in to claim,” California Lottery director Hugo Lopez said in a statement.

The Acostas will take their winnings in a cash option totalling $327.8 million before federal taxes, lottery officials said.