A Manhattan judge has ordered an investigation into allegations of a Brooke Astor-like situation involving legendary “Lion of Wall Street” Jack Dreyfus.
Justice Marilyn Shafer has already jettisoned the former Wall Street powerhouse’s caretaker Mary Beth Whitehead Gould, the surrogate mom in the infamous “Baby M” case of the 1980s.
A court evaluator also is looking into the ailing, 95-year-old multimillionaire’s finances and medical history.
The accusations range from Dreyfus’ costly furniture’s disappearing from his Upper East Side penthouse to his own son’s being barred from entering his bedroom to faithful, longtime servants’ being replaced by Whitehead Gould’s relatives.
The judge made the dramatic moves after an emergency plea from Dreyfus’ girlfriend of 42 years, Laima Drobavicius, 63.
“It is with the greatest sorrow and reluctance that I bring on this proceeding, but I feel it is necessary to protect the man I love,” she said in a court filing.
The ex-model said that Dreyfus’ health-care proxy was executed “under dubious circumstances” and that the Dreyfus Fund founder had been cut off from family and friends, including her, by Whitehead Gould.
Whitehead Gould gained notoriety in the late 1980s as the surrogate mom who fled with the child she had given birth to for a New Jersey couple. The case made international headlines, and police later returned the girl, dubbed “Baby M,” to the couple.
Drobavicius’ court filing says Whitehead Gould was hired to manage Dreyfus’ affairs by her husband of 21 years, Dean Gould, and another man, Arnold Friedman. Both are accountants who do part-time work as directors at the Dreyfus Charitable Foundation.
Dreyfus resigned from the Dreyfus Fund in 1970 with an estimated $100 million fortune.
Drobavicius said that Dreyfus’ health has been declining over the last decade and that he has required round-the-clock care since breaking his shoulder in a 2001 fall.
It was on April 18, the former dancer says, that she “noticed that a rug and sofa were missing from the living room” of Dreyfus’ duplex penthouse apartment in the East 70s.
A few days later, she saw that “nearly all of the living-room furniture, including many expensive pieces and household furnishings, had been removed” and replaced with “ill-fitting and lesser-quality furniture and rugs.”
She said Dean Gould and Friedman told her they had “assumed oversight of the household due to Jack’s weakening condition” and had hired Whitehead Gould “to manage the entire Dreyfus household.”
Whitehead Gould and her hubby began to “isolate” him by firing staffers he “adored,” the filing says.
A favorite nurse was canned in May, the longtime cook was replaced, the gardening service was let go, and Whitehead Gould allegedly hired her daughter and other relatives for those duties.
Dreyfus’ driver of 21 years was also fired and replaced by one of Whitehead Gould’s relatives, the filing says.
Late last year, Whitehead Gould barred Dreyfus’ ailing, 66-year-old son from going into his father’s bedroom and set a 15-minute limit on visits from his nieces and nephews, the filing says.
In court filings, the lawyer for Gould and Friedman, Peter Kelly, said his clients had a power of attorney and hadn’t done anything wrong.
“Mr. Dreyfus is receiving proper care and handling of his financial affairs,” Kelly said.
It’s unclear when the power of attorney and health-care proxy, which named foundation head Barry Smith Dreyfus’ agent, were signed. A foundation lawyer did not return a phone call.
The judge appointed lawyer Brent English as a court evaluator to go through all of Dreyfus’ financial and medical records and wills last month.
After the lawyer filed an interim report, Shafer appointed another, Sam Leibowitz, to be Dreyfus’ temporary guardian.
English and Leibowitz declined comment. Drobavicius’ lawyer, Raoul Felder, also declined comment. The Goulds and the lawyer for Gould and Friedman did not return calls.