Astor’s Son Found Guilty of Fleecing Ailing Mother

(CN) - A New York jury on Thursday found Brooke Astor's son guilty in a scheme to steal millions of dollars from the late New York socialite, who suffered from Alzheimer's disease in the last days of her life.

Anthony D. Marshall was convicted of more than a dozen charges, including two first-degree grand larceny charges, and could face up to 25 years in prison.

After 12 days of deliberation, jurors found Marshall, 85, guilty of exploiting Astor's dementia and tricking her into changing her will and giving himself an unauthorized $1 million raise to manage her estate.

Co-defendant Francis X. Morrissey Jr., a lawyer who helped plan Astor's estate, was convicted of forgery charges.

Astor's estate was estimated at $180 million when she died in 2007 at age 105. She was an active philanthropist who generously supported charities and institutions such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Bronx Zoo.

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