The son of millionaire philanthropist Brooke Astor was found guilty Thursday of defrauding his late mother while she suffered from dementia in New York's biggest society trial in years.
Anthony Marshall, 85, was found guilty of stealing and conspiring to steal millions of dollars from Astor when the New York heiress and charity doyenne was ailing before her death.
The jury returned the verdict on the 12th day of deliberations, following a marathon trial that featured testimony from a who's who of US society figures.
The bluebood scion of one of America's most famous and wealthiest families listened impassively as the verdicts finding him guilty of grand larceny, conspiracy and other serious crimes were read out to a packed courtroom.
Outside the courtroom, emotions flowed over. Tears brimmed in Marshall's eyes as he pushed through a mob of journalists, leaning on a cane and gripping the hand of his wife, Charlene. "I love my husband," she cried.
Defense lawyers said they would appeal.
Marshall faces mandatory prison time of up to 25 years, prosecutors said, although sentencing was to be announced only on December 8. Until then, he remains free on bail.
Marshall was accused of exploiting his mother's increasingly severe Alzheimer's condition to get her to change her will, securing for himself and his wife 60 million dollars intended for charities.
During the trial, Frederick Hafetz, lead lawyer for Marshall, denied the prosecution's allegations that Astor was tricked in 2004, while suffering from dementia, into switching her will to benefit her son.
Hafetz said his client, a former ambassador and US Marines officer, was "a loving and loyal son."
Marshall had never hidden that he understood his mother was suffering from Alzheimer's but that the condition did not make her incapable of looking after her affairs, according to Hafetz.
Astor, who had married into a clan of business tycoons, was famous for her old-school elegance, luxurious lifestyle and donations amounting to some 200 million dollars to New York institutions.
Born Roberta Brooke Russell on March 30, 1902, Astor was honored with the Presidential Medal of Freedom for her civic works. "Money is like manure, it should be spread around," she was quoted as having said.
Her vast wealth came courtesy of third husband Vincent Astor, whom she married in 1953 and whose great-great-grandfather John Jacob Astor had made a fortune in fur trading and New York real estate. He died five years later, bequeathing his fortune to his widow.
She died in 2007, aged 105, leaving an estate of more than 130 million dollars, in addition to a 60-million-dollar trust.
Prosecutor Elizabeth Loewy said Marshall and his alleged accomplice, 66-year-old attorney Francis Morrissey, "literally pulled Mrs Astor out of the arms of her nurse... and dragged her behind closed doors so she could change her will."
Copyright 2009 AFP Global Edition
