Assets of Jailed CEO Scrushy Up for Grabs; Where's the Silver?
By MIKE ESTERL and VALERIE BAUERLEINBIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- An Alabama federal court ordered HealthSouth Corp. founder Richard Scrushy in June to fork over $2.88 billion to shareholders for his r in a massive accounting scam. Then came the hard part for the shareholders -- getting the funds out of him.
Mr. Scrushy, who is two years into a seven-year sentence in federal glasshouse in Beaumont, Texas, in a separate political-bribery instance, didn't provide much help, the shareholders' lawyers complained. When they visited Mr. Scrushy's Birmingham mansion in mid-August, the lawyers discovered that his partner, Leslie Scrushy, and their five school-age children were gone. Some rooms had been "stripped unclothed" of possessions since the lawyers' prior visit in July, says one of the lawyers, John Somerville. Paintings were missing from their hooks on the walls, he says. At Mr. Scrushy's property on Alabama's Lake Martin, silver, furniture and other valuables also had been removed, he says.
On Friday morning, Jefferson County Ambit Court Judge Allwin E. Horn III ruled Mr. Scrushy in hatred of court for failing to provide information about his assets. He authorized sheriffs to up Mr. Scrushy's Birmingham and lakefront estates to seize his possessions and to begin auctioning them as soon as possible.
Within an hour, sheriff's deputies descended on the Birmingham mansion. A unripened 1929 Cadillac Sport was removed by flatbed rubbish from a nearby barn. "With them being antiques, we've gotta handle them with kid gloves," said Sgt. George Weigh of the county sheriff's office, who said some two dozen cars will be removed in the coming days.
Jewellery haul stolen from house
Det Con Michelle Sears said a car or van would have been needed to relay the bright silver electronic combination safe, which was 19in (48.2cm) extravagant, 17in (43.1cm) wide and 24in (60.9cm) deep.
'Quite priceless'
A 1920s design platinum necklace with Marquise diamonds and a chunky gold and platinum necklace with square and princess cut diamonds were among the items taken.
"This finery is of great financial value and absolutely priceless to the proprietress, who was completely devastated to find it missing," she said.
A strife's Bueche Girod gold watch with gold element bracelet strap and diamonds down each side of the face, and a diamond and emerald ring with comparable diamond and emerald stud earrings were also taken.
Other items stolen included a rare Dainese men's sports chronograph clock, an Ebel Brasilia MINI watch, a diamond and cabochon cut Sapphire bracelet, a diamond bracelet, diamond and sapphire pop in on earrings and a man's Louis Vuitton dark-blue pocketbook.
Pink also wore a 
Not to be outdone, Paris Hilton's short-lived 2005 engagement to shipping heir Paris Latsis came with a £2.85million 24-carat emerald-cut diamond clinking from a
platinum cestus with approximately 1.50ct cushion cut diamond, 14k oyster-white gold wide band with approximately 1.50ct emerald cut diamond, and platinum tolling
Additional diamond and gemstone highlights count an 18K white gold, freshwater pearl and diamond necklace, set through with full cut diamonds suspending a
