Anthony Marshall finally went to prison today, 3 years after being convicted for defrauding his 105-year-old mother, philanthropist Brooke Astor, who suffered from Alzheimer’s disease. Marshall, 85, attempted to vacate the ruling on procedural grounds, as well sometimes redundant factors including his health, age, military service, and public service. Even his estranged son wrote a plea for the judge to negate jail time, all to no avail.
Astor’s estate was estimated to be worth $200 million at her death, according to Reuters.com. Marshall, her only son and executor of her will, attempted to change it when she was incompetent. He successfully gave himself a one million dollar pay raise, and attempted to take hundreds of millions that were intended for charity.
Through his attorneys, Marshall has made the claim that the money was for his wife, who he feared would receive little from his disapproving mother. Astor left Charlene Marshall clothes and jewelry, and, despite the fraud, Marshall will still receive $14.1 of his intended $30 million inheritance.
Marshall is wheelchair-bound and suffers from Parkinson’s himself, writes BusinessWeek.com. Prison is mandatory in fraud convictions, and Marshall was sentenced to 1-3 years. His first stop will be the Rikers Island infirmary.