“The Queen of Mean” was a chain-smoking hotelier and real estate tycoon with a reputation for tyrannical behaviour. She took the view that “only the little people pay taxes” but was investigated and convicted of federal income tax evasion in 1989. Sentenced to 16 years, she served just 19 months in prison and 2 months under house arrest. Worth some $8 billion, Helmsley left her Maltese dog, Trouble, $12 million in trust.
Two stories to keep beside you
A mean mansion
Former residence of Leona Helmsley comes to the market Leona Helmsley didn’t do “little”. She lived by the belief that “only the little people pay taxes” and housed herself in a vast mansion on a 40-acre plot in Connecticut. Helmsley died at the house in 2007 and it is now once again for sale
Leslie Wexner (AKA “Les” Wexner)
Worth some £5 billion, Leslie Wexner has been described as “very shy” and “certainly not the showing off type of American”.
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