Brooke Astor’s grandson speaks out on elder abuse

There are no visible scars and bruises on victims of financial exploitation. In most cases, victims are exploited by people they know.

TANYA GOODMAN | FLORIDA CATHOLIC ORLANDO BUREAU EDITOR

Posted: 10.22.09

ORLANDO | On Oct. 8, a Manhattan jury found Anthony Marshall, son of beloved New York philanthropist Brooke Astor, and Astor’s estate-planning attorney Francis Morrissey guilty of multiple counts in looting her estate.

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According to newspaper accounts, Philip Marshall, Astor’s grandson and Anthony Marshall’s son, released this statement after the verdict: “I hope this brings some consolation and closure for the many people, including my grandmother’s loyal staff, caregivers and friends, who helped when she was so vulnerable and so manipulated. I sincerely hope these sad circumstances contribute to the recognition of elder abuse and exploitation as a growing national problem.”

Such situations are not limited to New York socialites. Right here in central Florida because of the difficult economic times, financially motivated abuse of the elderly is on the rise, said Linda Manning, a licensed clinical social worker and parishioner of St. Margaret Mary in Winter Park. Manning said Philip Marshall did the right thing by turning in his father.

“The best thing is to report it,” said Manning, who is now in private practice and used to manage family issues for St. Augustine Parish in Casselberry. “You can give the report anonymously,” she said, emphasizing the confidentiality of the process. “They will never disclose your information.”

Anonymity was an unlikely option, though, for Philip Marshall, whose allegations set the Astor estate case in motion. He accused his father of forcing Astor to live in squalor.

According to the New York Daily News, Assistant District Attorney Elizabeth Loewy said, Marshall “stole from his mother while she suffered from Alzheimer’s disease … making her life worse while enriching his own.”

Information on Morrissey’s status was barred from being introduced at trial. His law license had been suspended for taking advantage of elderly clients. Morrissey now faces up to seven years in prison for forging Astor’s signature on one of her doctored wills.

Marshall, Astor’s son from her first marriage, was convicted of looting his mother’s $185 million estate. The 85-year-old Marshall faces up to 25 years in prison. Sentencing is scheduled for Dec. 8.

Astor was the widow of Vincent Astor, great-great-grandson of John Jacob Astor, America’s first multimillionaire. She died two years ago at 105. In her prime, Forbes magazine stated, she gave away $200 million to institutions and causes. She received many awards for her philanthropy, including the Presidential Citizens Medal in 1988 and the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1998.

There are no visible scars and bruises on victims of financial exploitation. In most cases, victims are exploited by people they know. The elderly are robbed of $2.6 billion every year through financial exploitation according to a March 2009 report by MetLife Mature Market Institute, Virginia Tech and the National Committee for the Prevention of Elder Abuse.

According to The New York Times, Joy Solomon, a former prosecutor said about the verdict in the Astor looting estate trial, this is “a win for those of us in the criminal justice world trying to support prosecutions of these cases.”

Manning of St. Margaret Mary said Catholics through their ministries can play a special role in bringing such cases to light and otherwise protecting the elderly in their communities.

“Do outreach and minister to the sick. Go visit – support caregivers,” she said. “We have a duty as the body of Christ, to take care of the body of Christ.”

Manning said she tried to bring Communion and pray with an elderly woman one day and the woman’s daughter would not let them be alone.

She visited another time and found the woman alone in bed with a glass of water by her bedside. “Ants were crawling all over the glass and the woman couldn’t get out of bed,” Manning said. “They (daughter and family) were dependent on her for their well-being. They needed her Social Security check.”

To reach the abuse hot line, call 1-800-962-2873, TDD call 1-800-955-8770. Manning’s Web site is www.counselingfl.com.

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