At last, the long, ugly Astor trial has come to an (ugly) end: A jury has found Anthony Marshall, 85, guilty of plundering the nearly $200 million fortune of his Alzheimer’s-ridden mother, socialite Brooke Astor. Marshall was convicted on fourteen of the sixteen charges against him, including grand larceny, conspiracy, and fraud. His lawyer, Francis Morrissey, who allegedly aided the fraud, was also found guilty of conspiracy and forgery. Both men could be sentenced to at least 25 years in prison, but they’ll have to wait a little longer to find out what their fate is. The judge set the sentencing for Dec. 8.
According to the Post, Marshall appeared stoic and somber when the verdict was read, while his wife, Charlene, trembled slightly and Morrissey nearly cried.
“What an end,” a longtime friend of the Marshall’s told the Times. “To be 85 and have this happen is dreadful. It’s dreadful at any age.”
That was apparently all the sympathy there was for the pair in the courtroom. In his closing statements, an assistant district attorney read from the Book of Psalms: “Do not cast me away when I am old. Do not forsake me when my strength is gone.”
Jury convicts Astor’s son of conspiracy and grand larceny [NYP]
Brooke Astor’s Son Guilty in Scheme to Defraud Her [NYT]
Related: Daily Intel’s Coverage of the Astor Trial
