LEONA HELMSLEY: The Queen of Probate & Property? Practical Drafting Tips from Her Majesty's Will.

Conclusion On the probate side, Leona Helmsley merits the title Queen of Probate & Property because her will presents and addresses an astounding array of issues. Leona, however, appointed five trustees for the mausoleum maintenance trust, so presumably there will be one or more individuals who will monitor compliance. Along the way, she married real estate mogul Harry Helmsley in 1972, was convicted of federal tax fraud and spent 18 months in prison before being released on January 26, 1994, and inherited her husband Harry's fortune upon his death in 1997 under a will he signed the day before Leona was released from prison. See, e.g., Ransdell Pierson, The Queen of Mean: The Unauthorized Biography of Leona Helmsley (1989); Richard Hammer, Helmsleys: The Rise and Fall of Harry and Leona Helmsley (1990). [Extracted from the article]