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Published: October 8, 2009
The New York Times
“The son of Brooke Astor, the philanthropist and long-reigning matriarch of New York society, was convicted in Manhattan on Thursday on charges that he defrauded his mother and stole tens of millions of dollars from her as she suffered from Alzheimer’s disease in the twilight of her life.” (John Eligon, NYT)

Brooke Astor’s son, Anthony Marshal was awarded Power of Attorney over some his mother’s finances, while Mrs. Astor had been suffering from Alzheimer’s disease. “But the kinds of financial requests and investments he made later mushroomed into a scandal involving accusations of elder abuse”. (John Marshall Mantel, NYT) In 2006, Marshall’s own son reported to the court that his father was enriching himself at the expense of his grandmother, not filling prescriptions, emptying her estate of valuable art work, and shortening her staff. Marshall’s son formally requested that the court take away his father’s guardianship rights and in 2007 Mrs. Astor died at the age of 105.

During a 19-week trial including over 18,000 pages of court transcripts, jurors found Mr. Marshall guilty of 14 counts of larceny and fraud, while rumors of elder abuse also shrouded the case. Mrs. Astor’s incapacity was a key issue during the 12 day deliberation period that touched upon whether or not her son, Anthony Marshall, had been deliberately manipulating his mother for years before her death. Aristocrats Annette de la Renta and David Rockefeller had participated in the guardianship petition that first accused Mr. Marshall of mistreating his mother. Henry Kissinger and Barbara Walters where also among members of New York City’s high-society who testified again Mr. Marshall for stealing millions, mostly to satisfy his acquisitive wife.

The convictions against Mr. Marshall were related to his posthumous attempts at changing her will and testament. One particular assault on Astor’s $131 million estate was a court executed order for $60 million to be awarded to him in 2004. Another important issue was the subject of a $1 million raise he gave himself for the retroactive management of his mother’s finances. Mr. Marshall faces a sentence of up to 25 years in prison but whether or not the 85 year old man will actually be incarcerated is unknown.