- 25 - residence. Following the 1969 bankruptcy, the residences were titled in Ms. Walters' name alone. During 1981 or 1982, petitioners purchased waterfront property in Eastern Shores, an upscale section of North Miami Beach, Florida. The property cost over $500,000 and consisted of two lots. The house on the property had two stories, over 5,000 square feet, and five bedrooms. Petitioners built a tennis court on the property. As she had done previously with other homes, Ms. Walters employed domestic help whose wages were paid by Mr. Gherman from an account other than the Joan Gherman No. 1 account. Petitioners sold their former home to Shari and her husband for $210,000. Approximately $90,000 to $100,000 of the purchase price was paid by a note given to Ms. Walters. The funds Shari used to purchase that house came from one or more of the accounts in her name that Mr. Gherman controlled. None of the money in the account came from Mr. Rance, and he did not know from where it came. Ms. Walters recognized that petitioners maintained a "nice" lifestyle and that it was similar to that of many of the people with whom they socialized. She believed that the improvements in their standard of living were gradual over a number of years, commensurate with the increase in Mr. Gherman's income, and that there was no drastic change in their standard of living, inasmuchPage: Previous 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 Next
Last modified: May 25, 2011