By AUSTIN FENNER and ANDY SOLTIS
June 10, 2008
A Manhattan doctor who pulled a "mini-Astor" - scamming his 92-year-old mother out of more than a half-million dollars to bankroll a luxurious lifestyle - took a plea deal yesterday that will keep him out of jail.
Dr. Robin Motz, an internist at Columbia-Presbyterian Hospital, agreed to a deal giving him five years' probation and requiring 150 hours of community service.
When Motz was indicted in January, Manhattan District Attorney Robert Morgenthau said, "This is a mini-Astor case," alluding to the alleged looting of the late Brooke Astor's fortune.
Prosecutors said Motz, 68, used his power of attorney to take control of his ailing mother's investment accounts in 2004, saying it was to help her pay bills.
Minnie Motz, a retired librarian, amassed a nearly $1 million portfolio by playing the stock market.
Investigators said Motz, who lives on the Upper East Side, moved his mother's money into his own investment account and used it to pay off his expenses.
His scheme unraveled due to a freak accident.
In May 2005, a retaining wall along Riverside Drive suddenly collapsed, and Minnie Motz, who lives in a co-op affected by the damage, was assessed to cover repairs.
But she discovered she had no money in her accounts and was threatened with eviction.
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