A state judge in Manhattan, Bonnie Wittner, ordered the warrant today for Ross, 73, who was indicted for grand larceny and attempted grand larceny in 2008 with his lawyer, Stuart Jackson, 81. Both pleaded not guilty, and a trial is set for June 7.
Ross, of Aventura, Florida, is the father of Allison Blitzer, David Blitzer’s wife. He and Jackson threatened to ruin David Blitzer’s life unless he paid them as much as $11 million, according to Manhattan prosecutors.
Ross was in a Florida hospital and the warrant shouldn’t have been issued, according to his lawyer Matthew D. Myers.
“Mr. Ross is hospitalized,” Myers said in an interview after Wittner ordered the bench warrant. “He has some serious heart issues and other medical issues that have to be addressed.”
Jackson, who was in court today, and his lawyer, Nicholas G. Kaizer, declined to comment.
Ross demanded that his son-in-law give him large sums of money or he would harass him over the telephone and make accusations against him to his supervisors at Blackstone, law enforcement and the media, according to evidence presented to a grand jury, Wittner wrote in a pretrial decision last April.
‘Threats Escalated’
“These threats escalated to a point where Ross, through his attorney, defendant Jackson, told Blitzer’s attorney, Roger Stavis, that for $5.5 million, Ross would not try to visit his daughter or grandchildren and would stop harassing Blitzer and contacting his business,” the judge wrote.
Jackson mentioned “settlement numbers” of $5.5 million to $11 million to Stavis, according to court papers filed by Jackson’s attorneys, Levitt & Kaizer. Stavis declined to comment.
An agreement was ultimately obtained for Blitzer to pay $250,000 to $400,000 to Ross to cease the contact, Wittner said. At an Aug. 21, 2008, meeting in New York, Blitzer paid Jackson and Ross $50,000 as a down payment.
The meeting was a recorded “sting,” according to Jackson’s court papers.
Ross claims his interactions were a valid business transaction, the judge said. Jackson claims he was acting as legal counsel for an agreement for Ross to give up visitation rights to his grandchildren.
7-Year Separation
Ross told prosecutors in a 2008 interview that he had not seen his daughter Allison since her wedding in 2001.
Christine Anderson, a spokeswoman for Blackstone, declined to comment.
New York-based Blackstone, founded by Chairman Stephen A. Schwarzman, is a global investment and advisory firm with 15 offices worldwide, according to its Web site.
Blitzer, based in London, is a senior managing director in the private-equity group, the Web site says.
The cases are People v. Ross, 08-062712, and People v. Jackson, 08-062713, New York State Supreme Court, New York County (Manhattan).
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