According to local media, a Russian billionaire who sold Harry and Meghan’s Montecito, California, home for £12 million has passed away in Moscow at the young age of 56.
It is believed that Sergey Grishin, also known as the “Scarface Oligarch,” passed away on Monday in a hospital in Moscow following a protracted illness.
His “circulatory problems in his brain” that caused sepsis were listed as the cause of death.
He previously requested a US passport from then-President Donald Trump after criticising President Putin’s government, saying: “I want to be safe.
“I am kind of under fire right now by the criminal world of Russia…by the top government officials of Russia, too.”
But after selling his American mansion to the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, he spent his final years in Russia.
The Chateau of Riven Rock mansion, which has a seven-acre site, a pool, a tennis court, guest quarters, and a gorgeous main house, was purchased by Grishin in 2009.
The royal couple then relocated from Los Angeles to the nearby Santa Barbara community of Montecito, which is home to celebrities like Oprah Winfrey and Ellen DeGeneres.
He earned the moniker “Scarface” because he once owned the mansion where the 1983 Al Pacino film was shot.
He sold the seven-bedroom house to the Sussexes in 2020. He was a former co-owner of RosEvroBank.
The Russian tycoon also bragged that he had defrauded $60 billion in the 1990s, bringing down the Russian banking system.
He called it “the largest bank fraud scheme ever”, orchestrating a $60 billion heist from the Russian Central Bank.
He used invisible ink on checks for one of his other con games.
Additionally, he was charged with making severe threats to women in his life.
How much Harry and Meghan knew about the previous owner of their California mansion was a subject of discussion with one ex-lover, Ekaterina Loginova.
The Russian model said: “I like Meghan and Harry – they do not deserve any such problems.
“I was just shocked they did not check the seller before the transaction.”
During their acrimonious divorce, she overheard him threatening to kill his estranged wife Anna Fedoseeva.
It follows the christening of Harry and Meghan’s daughter Lilibet in a private ceremony at their California home last week.
On March 3, about 25 people gathered to commemorate the event; PEOPLE reports that members of the Royal Family were invited but declined to attend.
According to a source, the Sussexes reportedly requested King Charles, Camilla, Prince William, and Kate to attend, but they turned down the invitation.
Instead, the duke and duchess were joined by three-year-old son Archie, Meghan’s mum Doria Ragland, Lili’s godfather Tyler Perry and between 20 and 30 close friends.
After the ceremony, they allegedly enjoyed an afternoon of dancing and eating.
