In a last-ditch effort to save a sputtering fraud suit against her two-timing hubby, Carnegie Deli heiress Marian Levine sprung a fresh round of allegations Thursday against the soon-to-be ex — claiming he swiped over $4 million from their joint account before moving to sunny Florida.
Former deli manager Sandy Levine “resigned suddenly from his position in December 2012,” a lawyer for deli owner Marian Levine told a Manhattan judge Thursday.
“He cleaned out 50 percent of all their bank accounts — $4.4 million and left,” lawyer Richard Little said in court.
Sandy Levine’s attorney said the case has more holes in it than Swiss cheese.
Defense lawyer Gerard Riso said Marian has “no factual support for tremendously serious allegations” that her estranged hubby stole bonds, laundered money and forged checks. The suit contains no dollar figures or dates to back up the theft claims, he maintained.
“What did he steal when, and how much, and how do you know it was Mr. Levine?” Riso asked in court.
Riso added that it was a stretch of the imagination to believe Sandy stole millions from the deli for 13 years, as alleged in the suit, yet Marian didn’t notice the missing money until she discovered he was cheating on her with a waitress.
“There has to be a plausible reason why Marian was deceived,” Riso said.
Marian’s attorney countered that his client “entrusted” Sandy with the business.
“The demand for detail here is almost absurd,” Little said.
Riso acknowledged that Sandy took the $4.4 million, but said it was a gift to him by Marian’s late father, deli founder Milton Parker.
Justice Eileen Rakower said she would issue a written decision about whether to keep or dismiss the suit at a later date.
Parker started the famed midtown deli, a favorite eatery for stars like Jack Nicholson and Taylor Swift, in 1937. Carnegie is known for its overstuffed sandwiches piled high with a pound of meat and all the fixings.
The pastrami princess is entangled in four court battles with her estranged hubby — their divorce, a housing court action to oust the waitress from a cheap rental apartment above the deli, and two similar civil fraud cases.
Marian, who took notes during the almost two-hour proceeding, left court with a five-person legal team joking, “I really wouldn’t wish this on anyone — except one person.”