Anthony Marshall Plays a Face Card in Will DisputeIn further proof that the Brooke Astor will debacle is the ultimate high-low glamour contest of the year, news surfaces today of a charming little related anecdote from overseas. The Post tells us the story of Lia Opris, Brooke’s former maid, who is one of the only witnesses to the signing of two late codicils to her will (ones that favor her son, Anthony Marshall, heavily). Since the legitimacy of these codicils is contested, her testimony is very important. So important that a year ago, while she was recuperating from a car accident in her hometown in Romania, lawyers working for Marshall arranged to have someone visit her house to get her on the phone. That someone was Romanian prince Paul Philip. The ploy didn’t work, but he tried again, this time bringing his wife, Princess Lia. The tab described it as “something akin to a work-a-day crime-scene witness opening her door somewhere in the United States and finding President and Laura Bush standing there, begging a small tactical favor,” but let’s be honest: It would be more like if Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie showed up. It’s kind of a romantic story, actually. So romantic, in fact, that the Post waxed all fairy tale on our asses:
There was no word if the prince was wearing his crown at the time — or on a subsequent occasion, when he returned to her door, his wife, Princess Lia, at his side. Told that Opris was at her sister’s house, the royal pair hence proceeded thither. Again, the maid demurred.
“Thither”? “Hence”? We wonder what kind of words the Post would use if they wrote a story about us? Probably something along the lines of “fagatron” and “twatermelon.”
Battle ‘Royal’ [NYP]
today in astor-ia
Anthony Marshall Accused of Greed, Bad Taste in FriendsThe charges against Anthony Marshall and his lawyer, Francis Morrissey, were revealed today, and they ain’t pretty. The accusations include the following:
• They tricked Marshall’s mother, Brooke Astor, into thinking that she was broke and needed to sell her favorite painting so Marshall could get a $2 million commission.
• They conspired to increase Marshall’s salary (without Astor’s knowledge) from $450,000 a year to $1.4 million a year, and used much of that money to buy himself a second yacht.
• Marshall used his mother’s money to hire a captain for the yacht at $52,000 a year.
today in astor-ia
Grand Jury Indicts Astor’s SonAnthony Marshall and his lawyer and business partner, Francis Morrissey, have been indicted by a Manhattan grand jury on charges relating to suspicious handling of the will of Brooke Astor, Marshall’s late mother. Since September, jurors and prosecutors have been hearing from witnesses scrutinizing the signature on a disputed third codicil to Astor’s will, and debating the care which Marshall provided her in her final years. Marshall declined to comment to the Times or any other papers in the matter, but he is expected to turn himself over to authorities this morning. Click below to read the only in-depth interview with Marshall and his wife, Charlene, on the subject (and an explanation of Morrissey’s controversial role), in Steve Fishman’s New York story published earlier this month.
Mrs. Astor’s Baby [NYM]
Son of Astor is Said to Face Criminal Charges [NYT]
Related: Daily Intel’s complete coverage of the Astor will controversy
Update: Marshall turned himself in this morning, and it turned out the charges were fraud, forgery and grand larceny.