A New York City landlord told his siblings, on his deathbed, that he hid $4.5m worth of silver bullion and gold krugerrands – but no one knew where. The confession sent a family into years of litigation and a costly treasure hunt, one still unresolved today.
New York’s DNAinfo detailed the saga – a tale of wealth and acrimony – on Wednesday.
Edward Giaimo Jr, a Manhattan lawyer and property owner, told his brother and sister that they would need a truck to move the fortune in metal he had stashed. But in 2007 he died without disclosing the location. Giaimo also left 18 properties in the city’s wealthy Upper East Side neighborhood and $48m, a fortune that has fueled years of legal proceedings.
His brother has since claimed in court filings that the krugerrands – South African gold coins – and silver bullion are buried on the family property or kept in an unknown storage facility. While it doesn’t appear the warring sides ever found the “treasure”, they are still fighting over $10m discovered in Giaimo’s house.
The $10m probably came from “skimming rents on subsidized apartments”, according to DNAinfo. About $7m was found behind a closet in the attic of a family home, and another $3m was found in an office safe.
