Exclusive Footage of a New Documentary About Leona Helmsley, Who Partied With Trump and Was Brought Down by Guiliani
In the 1980s, self-described hotel queen Leona Helmsley was a household name in New York. She was the president of Helmsley hotels, which included the Park Lane, the St. Mortitz and the iconic Helmsley Palace-but she didn't remain behind the scenes. Helmsley starred in ads for her own properties, always decked out in grand eveningwear. In an ad for the Palace, she sports a gown and proclaims: "It's the only palace in the world where the queen stands guard."
Helmsley was also known for her extravagant parties, to which everyone from Frank Sinatra to a young Donald Trump were invited, and for persistent tabloid reports that she treated her staff badly.
In the late-'80s, Helmsley and her husband Harry were indicted on charges they'd evaded more than $4 million in income taxes, according to the New York Times. They were accused of using money designated for their hotels to buy a $1 million marble dance floor above a pool, among other lavish expenditures. A former housekeeper for the couple famously testified that Helmsley told her, "Only the little people pay taxes."
A new season of Investigation Discovery's "Barbara Walters Presents" reveals previously unreleased interviews with Helmsley, who died at age 80 in 2007, as well as Rudy Guiliani, the prosecutor who took her down and is now in the news again as a vocal supporter of president-elect Trump.
Here's an exclusive sneak peek at the episode, which airs December 13 at 8 p.m.
You Might Also Like
