Brooke Astor was a wealthy philanthropist and socialite prior to her death earlier this year. Her son and her lawyer are currently being indicted by a grand jury on charges they mishandled her finances and mishandled her will, according to a Manhattan district attorney at a news conference this afternoon.
The socialite lived to age 105 and is said to have left an estate valued at $132 million.
Mrs. Astor’s son, Anthony D. Marshall surrendered to authorities this morning. The lawyer is expected to do the same later this week.
Phillip Marshall, grandson of Astor and son of Anthony Marshall is the one who tipped off authorities to the criminal activities. A grand jury has been hearing testimony from witnesses since mid-September.
Marshall was indicted on seven counts of grand larceny, falsifying business records and being a party to stealing valuable artwork from Astor’s Park Avenue apartment. One of the painting was reportedly sold in 2002 for $10 million – giving Marshall a $2 million commission.