Convicted Palm Beach EB-5 Fraudster's Oceanfront Mansion Sells for $30 Million
The mansion was sold in bankruptcy proceedings filed by Robert Matthews, who pleaded guilty to federal charges after he was accused of defrauding EB-5 visa investors in the Palm House Hotel.
July 15, 2019 at 04:14 PM
4 minute read
An oceanfront Palm Beach mansion that belonged to embattled developer and admitted EB-5 fraudster Robert Matthews sold for over $30 million.
Pennsylvania-based lawyer and entrepreneur Vahan Gureghian, who has extensive ventures in charter schools, and his wife, Danielle Gureghian, bought the two-story, six-bedroom home about four miles north of President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate.
The 15,849-square-foot mansion constructed in 2006 on nearly an acre at 101 Casa Bendita was sold as part of Matthews' two-year bankruptcy proceeding. U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Mindy Mora In West Palm Beach approved the sale April 8, and the deed was signed July 9.
The Chapter 11 filing is one of several legal proceedings involving Matthews, who pleaded guilty in Connecticut federal court to charges related to an EB-5 visa fraud targeting investors in the Palm House Hotel.
Matthews filed for the bankruptcy protection in November 2017, which stayed a state court's final judgment ordering a foreclosure sale.
DB Private Wealth Mortgage Ltd., the first mortgagee on the mansion and an affiliate of Deutsche Bank, won the foreclosure lawsuit on the property for over $26 million.
Mora approved Matthews' reorganization plan last December, including the sale of the Palm Beach mansion at auction for the benefit of DB Wealth and to pay off its claim, which by then had increased with interest. The minimum bid amount was set at $31 million.
No one bid on the property, and the mansion then was transferred to DB Wealth's affiliate, Singer Island Tower Suite LLC, under the approved plan. Matthews was ordered to vacate the mansion purchased in 2006 for $14.95 million.
Singer Island sold it to the Gureghians for $30.275 million free and clear of liens and encumbrances.
Vahan Gureghian, whose business ventures extend to the media and telecommunications industries, is the founder of Chester, Pennsylvania-based charter school management company CSMI LLC. It runs administrative aspects of schools such as the facilities, human resources, accounting, technology, vendors, grants and front offices, according to its website.
Gureghian was partner at Stradley Ronon Stevens & Young and Obermayer Rebmann Maxwell & Hippel as well as managing partner at Clark & Ladner.
He and his wife run the philanthropic Gureghian Family Foundation.
Other assets Matthews lost during his bankruptcy are a 1999 Jaguar XJ8 and a 2011 Maserati.
Matthews was a former owner and developer of the Palm House Hotel. The salmon-colored Palm Beach building was envisioned as a 79-unit hotel-condominium with help from EB-5 investors. But federal authorities charged at least some of the $44 million of visa funding was siphoned off for personal debts, a yacht and other fraudulent uses.
Matthews in April admitted in Connecticut federal court that he defrauded the foreign investors by telling them their money would go toward the development. He also admitted inducing foreigners to invest by saying celebrities and politicians would be involved and “will be part of the club.” A civil suit filed by the investors alleged Matthews listed Celine Dion, Bill Clinton and Bill Koch as Palm House board members.
Mathews was accused of using some of the funds to buy two high-end homes in Connecticut's Washington Depot. Matthews and his wife, actress Maria “Mia” Matthews, were indicted by a Connecticut grand jury last August.
He faces up to 45 years in prison after pleading guilty to bank and wire fraud conspiracy, illegal transactions and tax evasion. She faces up to five years after pleading guilty to tax evasion.
The tax evasion counts charged the power couple tried to avoid paying federal income taxes from 2005 to 2007 by using limited liability companies and their attorney's trust account to pay for personal expenses.
The Palm House Hotel is poised for a new chapter after its purchase by London-based hotel company, London + Regional Properties, for $39.6 million.
As for the proceeds from the mansion sale, mortgagee affiliate Singer Island Tower Suite will reimburse $30,000 for the broker's marketing campaign, $15,000 for attorney fees and closing agent expenses, and $100,000 for the unpaid administrative fees and costs to the liquidating agent.
Related stories:
This content has been archived. It is available through our partners, LexisNexis® and Bloomberg Law.
To view this content, please continue to their sites.
Not a Lexis Subscriber?
Subscribe Now
Not a Bloomberg Law Subscriber?
Subscribe Now
NOT FOR REPRINT
© 2025 ALM Global, LLC, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to [email protected]. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.
You Might Like
View AllFowler White Burnett Opens Jacksonville Office Focused on Transportation Practice
3 minute readHow Much Coverage Do You Really Have? Valuation and Loss Settlement Provisions in Commercial Property Policies
10 minute readThe Importance of 'Speaking Up' Regarding Lease Renewal Deadlines for Commercial Tenants and Landlords
6 minute readMeet the Attorneys—and Little Known Law—Behind $20M Miami Dispute
Trending Stories
- 1Connecticut Movers: Major Firms in CT Announce Partner Promotions
- 2People in the News—Jan. 7, 2025—King Spry, K&L Gates
- 3Special Series Part 2: CT Constitution’s Text Does Not Authorize the Statutory Guardrails
- 4Initial Steps to Set Up a Fla. Appeal: Your Future Self (or Appellate Attorney) Will Thank You
- 5Bar Report - Jan. 6
Who Got The Work
Michael G. Bongiorno, Andrew Scott Dulberg and Elizabeth E. Driscoll from Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr have stepped in to represent Symbotic Inc., an A.I.-enabled technology platform that focuses on increasing supply chain efficiency, and other defendants in a pending shareholder derivative lawsuit. The case, filed Oct. 2 in Massachusetts District Court by the Brown Law Firm on behalf of Stephen Austen, accuses certain officers and directors of misleading investors in regard to Symbotic's potential for margin growth by failing to disclose that the company was not equipped to timely deploy its systems or manage expenses through project delays. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Nathaniel M. Gorton, is 1:24-cv-12522, Austen v. Cohen et al.
Who Got The Work
Edmund Polubinski and Marie Killmond of Davis Polk & Wardwell have entered appearances for data platform software development company MongoDB and other defendants in a pending shareholder derivative lawsuit. The action, filed Oct. 7 in New York Southern District Court by the Brown Law Firm, accuses the company's directors and/or officers of falsely expressing confidence in the company’s restructuring of its sales incentive plan and downplaying the severity of decreases in its upfront commitments. The case is 1:24-cv-07594, Roy v. Ittycheria et al.
Who Got The Work
Amy O. Bruchs and Kurt F. Ellison of Michael Best & Friedrich have entered appearances for Epic Systems Corp. in a pending employment discrimination lawsuit. The suit was filed Sept. 7 in Wisconsin Western District Court by Levine Eisberner LLC and Siri & Glimstad on behalf of a project manager who claims that he was wrongfully terminated after applying for a religious exemption to the defendant's COVID-19 vaccine mandate. The case, assigned to U.S. Magistrate Judge Anita Marie Boor, is 3:24-cv-00630, Secker, Nathan v. Epic Systems Corporation.
Who Got The Work
David X. Sullivan, Thomas J. Finn and Gregory A. Hall from McCarter & English have entered appearances for Sunrun Installation Services in a pending civil rights lawsuit. The complaint was filed Sept. 4 in Connecticut District Court by attorney Robert M. Berke on behalf of former employee George Edward Steins, who was arrested and charged with employing an unregistered home improvement salesperson. The complaint alleges that had Sunrun informed the Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection that the plaintiff's employment had ended in 2017 and that he no longer held Sunrun's home improvement contractor license, he would not have been hit with charges, which were dismissed in May 2024. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Jeffrey A. Meyer, is 3:24-cv-01423, Steins v. Sunrun, Inc. et al.
Who Got The Work
Greenberg Traurig shareholder Joshua L. Raskin has entered an appearance for boohoo.com UK Ltd. in a pending patent infringement lawsuit. The suit, filed Sept. 3 in Texas Eastern District Court by Rozier Hardt McDonough on behalf of Alto Dynamics, asserts five patents related to an online shopping platform. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Rodney Gilstrap, is 2:24-cv-00719, Alto Dynamics, LLC v. boohoo.com UK Limited.
Featured Firms
Law Offices of Gary Martin Hays & Associates, P.C.
(470) 294-1674
Law Offices of Mark E. Salomone
(857) 444-6468
Smith & Hassler
(713) 739-1250