The Fort Lauderdale mansion that became the centerpiece of Ponzi schemerScott Rothstein’s self-described “rock star lifestyle” sold this week for $5.1 million.
A “quiet, private person” who does not want to be identified made the purchase, said Tim Elmes, a real estate agent wth Douglas Ellman Florida. The home originally listed for $6 million.
Rothstein’s marble-encased toilet with gold lid remains.
The six-bedroom, 7,575-square-foot manse was the site of charity events and political fundraisers when Rothstein reigned. Republican presidential candidate John McCain and former California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger were among the beneficiaries.
Rothstein had paid $6.45 million for the two-story home on Isla Bahia Drive in March 2008 and took out a $4.45 million mortgage from the builder, Rodney Sarkela, according to property records.
Federal authorities seized it and other Rothstein properties in November 2009, days after the spectacular implosion of the fraudster’s $1.4 billion Ponzi scheme, the largest investment fraud in South Florida history.
Rothstein, 49, is serving a 50-year prison sentence after pleading guilty in 2010 to five felony charges.
Victims of his Ponzi scheme won’t benefit from this sale.
Sarkela held the lien on the estate and eventually the government turned it over to him. He said he put several hundred thousand dollars back into the house, for renovations that included re-doing the landscape, lighting, televisions and electronics.
It’s unclear who ripped them from the home.