Astor’s son sentenced for exploitation

NEW YORK – The 85-year-old son of philanthropist Brooke Astor was sentenced Monday to as many as three years in prison for exploiting her mental frailty to plunder her millions, but the legal saga surrounding the society doyenne’s fortune will persist with planned appeals.

State Supreme Court Justice A. Kirke Bartley sentenced Anthony Marshall to one to three years in prison – the minimum term his conviction required – for looting his mother’s fortune. She gave away nearly $200 million before she died at age 105 in 2007.

Marshall will remain free for at least the next month as his defense lawyers try to persuade an appeals court to let him stay free on bail indefinitely while his planned appeal plays out.

The judge noted Marshall’s World War II service, but he said the law left him no choice but to impose a prison term.

Bartley gave Marshall until Jan. 19 to provide medical information to prison officials and otherwise prepare for life behind bars.