Socialite's Son Faces Charges
The New York Times reports that the son of the now-deceased New York socialite Brooke Astor has been criminally charged with his administration of her finances as well as the “handling” of her Will. In addition, the solicitor who was involved in the signing of the third codicil to her Will is also facing charges.
You might remember that David Smith wrote a blog about the guardianship dispute that had arisen between Mrs. Astor's son and his own son over the management of her assets. Specifically, it was alleged that Mrs. Astor's son had been taking financial advantage of her and had not been properly attending to her physical care. Although the son had denied the allegations, he agreed to be replaced as her guardian of property and personal care.
Around the same time, concerns arose about the third codicil Mrs. Astor had made to her Will. Specifically, that codicil benefitted charitable organizations in which the son was involved. The Manhattan District Attorney convened a grand jury and began investigating, amongst other things, allegations of fraud respecting the codicil.
At this point, the exact charges facing the son have not been revealed, although the general nature of them seems obvious considering the investigation that has been ongoing. The New York Times notes that the prosecutors had been investigating whether Mrs. Astor had been subject to undue influence relating to millions of dollars of transactions that had benefitted the son. In addition, the article notes that a handwriting expert had concluded that signature on the codicil in question could not possibly be that of Mrs. Astor.
Given Mrs. Astor’s prominence in New York society as well as the salacious nature of the dispute, I’m sure we will be hearing a lot more about this in the future.
Have a great day!
Megan F. Connolly
