Britain's 'Bernie Madoff': He ain't heavy, he's my cousin
Everyone I'll mention here, other than me, is British. I, along with my younger brother, was born here.
So here we go:
My grandmother, Hannah (Levene) Altman, had a son named David, who became my father.
They, along with my grandfather, came to California from England in the early 1950s.One of my grandmother's brothers, at this point we're not sure which one, had a son named Arnold. He'd be my father's first cousin. They stayed in England.
Arnold and his wife had a son named Martin, who eventually became father to Nicholas.
That'd be Nicholas Levene. I am told that Levene -- that picture's him -- would be my "second cousin once removed."
Here in America, my dad met my mom, who also was English. They married and raised two children.
Anyway, my family here has had little connection to the relatives on my father's side in England since then. I never knew anything about Nicholas Levene until the last few days.
Levene's been the rage in the British newspapers during the last week. He is in a heap of trouble in England, and now Israel, too. Apparently he's become the British 'Bernie Madoff.'
According to newspaper reports, Levene -- who had the nickname "Beano" because of his love of a comic strip by that name -- lived an extravagant lifestyle and disappeared amid claims he owes clients more than $333 million. (That figure has risen from $116 million the other day.) The claim is he invested huge sums for tycoons and well, it's all gone.
He apparently checked himself into a hospital while suffering from stress.
Today, there's a report that an Israeli basketball player who invested nearly $20 million with Levene has committed suicide.
Levene also was a vice chairman of a British soccer team. He's resigned.
It's all pretty strange to read all of this and know there is a family connection. (It's also interesting that anyone with my genes got rich.)
Here's a few stories about my second cousin once removed.
Beano, the top city financier, disappears
Serious Fraud Office launches investigation
London Times story.
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About the Blogger
Larry Altman has covered crime in the South Bay since 1990. He's seen it all - the missing model who turned up dead in the desert, the wives found dead in trunks, the high-school coaches who get a little too close to their players. He drives his young colleagues nuts with his "I remember when" stories. He welcomes your tips and observations about the present, and you can mix in a little Lakers basketball talk if you like.
E-mail Larry at larry.altman@dailybreeze.com.
Twitter updates from Larry Altman
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About the Blogger
Denise Nix knew as young as grade school, when she spent every summer working on the camp newspaper, that she wanted to be a journalist. Denise has spent most of the last 12 years of her career in the courtroom. She joined the Daily Breeze in 2001, where she tracks and reports on hundreds of cases at every level of the justice system. And she's never, ever, seen a judge use a gavel.
E-mail Denise at denise.nix@dailybreeze.com.
Twitter updates from Denise Nix
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You just can't stop talking about yourself, can you?
Wow, Larry.
Don't loan your cousin any money if he makes a courtesy call.
Don't worry. I've worked in the news biz for 22 years. No money.
It's a reporter's blog, not the newspaper or Web site. I get paid to write stuff like that. (although not enough.)
I give you permission to stop reading it. (And you posted your comment within 15 minutes of me publishing the blog item. Something must draw you in.)