Brooke Astor’s Son Receives Prison Term for Elder Financial Fraud
On Monday, Anthony Marshall, the 85-year-old son of philanthropist Brooke Astor, was sentenced to one to three years in prison for financially defrauding his mentally frail mother. Astor was 105 when she died in 2007. She had Alzheimer’s. Marshall was her only child.
Marshall was convicted of 14 (out of 16) counts for stealing tens of millions of dollars from his mother. Convictions included first-degree larceny and scheming to defraud.
Prosecutors argued that the former ambassador got his mother to change her will and took artwork from her. Meantime, Marshall’s defense team argued that their client had the legal authority to use his mother’s money to give himself presents. They said she was lucid when she revised her will and assigned her estate to him.
It is important to remember that elder financial fraud is also a form of elder abuse. Possible perpetrators of elder financial fraud can include family members, caregivers, friends, business associates, brokers, and investment advisers. Stealing is not just a crime, but it can rob an elderly person, who may no longer be able to work or live alone without assistance, of the resources to retire comfortably and obtain needed nursing attention or private care.
Physical disabilities, illnesses, old age, and impaired mental faculties make elderly people easy targets for elder financial abuse and fraud. Unexplained bank account withdrawals, sudden changes to a will, lots of time spent with a new “best friend,” unusual account activity, and unpaid bills are some possible signs of elder financial abuse.
Our Chicago, Illinois elder abuse lawyers represent clients in Cook County, Will County, Lake County, and DuPage County that are the victims of elder financial fraud, nursing home violence, nursing home neglect, and nursing home abuse.
Brooke Astor's 85-year-old son sentenced to 1-3 years in prison for plundering her fortune, Chicago Tribune, December 21, 2009
Breaking: Astor Trial Concludes; Anthony Marshall Convicted Of Theft, WSJ, October 8, 2009
Related Web Resources:
Financial Abuse, National Committee for the Prevention of Elder Abuse
Elder Abuse and Neglect, Helpguide.org
