Heir today, gone tomorrow.
The 87-year-old son of Brooke Astor and his greedy wife, Charlene — dubbed “Miss Piggy” by an Astor nurse — are walking away from their five-year battle over the legendary philanthropist’s $200 million estate with a relatively paltry $3.9 million.
New York City charities, on the other hand, will be $100 million richer under terms of the settlement announced yesterday by the state attorney general.
Anthony Marshall, who in 2009 was convicted of ripping off his mom, once stood to collect about $100 million from her estate. Instead, he’ll get $14 million — but has more than $10 million in judgments against him for legal fees.
“That does not leave much left over,” said Marshall’s son, Philip, who blames Charlene, 66, for his dad’s greedy grab.
“I think, sadly, it all starts with her, and at the end of the day, she gets next to nothing,” Philip said.
It was Philip’s complaints about his dad’s treatment of his grandmother that led to an investigation into how Anthony was handling her affairs.
“I knew that Charlene had taken control of my father’s life,” Philip said.
Charlene Marshall — who does still get the 367-diamond snowflake necklace and two fur coats Astor left her — declined comment.
Her husband and a shady lawyer, Francis X. Morrissey, were convicted of trying to swindle $60 million from Astor, widely recognized as the first lady of New York society. She died in 2007 at 105.
Both are free on bail pending an appeal that will be heard next month.
The will — and Marshall’s claim to a bigger chunk of Astor’s estate — had been challenged by the Metropolitan Museum of Art and other nonprofits named in the document.
“Mr. Marshall is pleased that a settlement has been reached,” said his lawyer, Ken Warner.
The deal was hammered out with the help of the Attorney General’s Office, which regulates state charities.
“Brooke Astor was at the center of New York philanthropy for nearly half a century,” said AG Eric Schneiderman.
Marshall also forfeits $12.3 million he was due from the estate to the Manhattan DA, who will pass the money back to the estate.
The deal establishes a $30 million fund to improve education in New York City, which Schools Chancellor Dennis Walcott praised as “extremely exciting.”
“What an exceptionally generous final act from such an exceptional and generous New Yorker,” said Mayor Bloomberg.
It also frees about $15 million each for the Met and the New York Public Library, and gives Prospect and Central parks more than $3 million. City playgrounds will get about $1.5 million. Roughly 30 percent of the estate will go to taxes and expenses.
The deal leaves in place Astor’s bequest to the Marine Corps University Foundation for an endowed chair in the memory of her father, who was a commandant, “and in honor of the decedent’s son, Anthony Marshall, who also served with distinction in the Marine Corps, and whom [Astor] also wished to honor by this gift.”
Additional reporting by David Seifman