The Perfect Scam
The Perfect Scam
AARP
Archive Episode: Brooke Astor, Famous Socialite Robbed
22 minutes Posted Nov 14, 2025 at 5:01 am.
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22:06
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A prominent philanthropist and the center of New York society, Brooke Astor lived a tumultuous yet glamorous life. Left a fortune by her third husband, Vincent Astor, Brooke planned to live out her later years at her country estate. But when Brooke's son refuses to let her do so, then sells his mother's favorite painting (worth over $30 million), grandson Philip decides to step in. Philip's efforts to return his grandmother to the country home she loved would uncover one of the most prominent cases of financial elder abuse in U.S. history, with millions lost and a family torn apart.