Helmsley Mansion Sells for $35M

It might not be haunted by ghosts, but Leona Helmsley’s 40-acre Greenwich estate had a few skeletons in the closet that made it a tough sell. The property—which features a 22,000-square-foot manor house, a carriage house, walk-in vault, and a koi pond—was officially sold for $35 million on Tuesday, a substantial retreat from its original asking price of $125 million. In 1989, Helmsley and her husband, Harry, were accused of illegally billing their company for more than $3 million in renovations to the estate. Although Harry was deemed too ill for trial, Leona was convicted and served two years in prison. She died in 2007 at the age of 87, and left $12 million of her fortune to her dog. The rest went into the Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust. The sale of the home will also go into the trust.