Bush traveled to Thailand after the tsunami that struck in late 2004, Burkle flew with them on Air Force Two. It was purchased on February 5, 1999, for $15.3 million and the current tax assessment is $34 million. But to those who know Burkle, its just also another step in his risky, decades-long tango with the gossip press. I loved it.. He tried complaining about it directly to Murdoch, his fellow billionaire, but been rebuffed. A board member of the Getty Trust and other museums, he's a major collector of everything from old Masters to post-Impressionist works. For the vast majority of our marriage -- the last 20 of our 28-year marriage -- my husband and I lived among the most lavish of American lifestyles, Janet Burkle stated in a September 2003 divorce filing. Mr. Burkle, a kingmaker in California political circles and a confidant of a former governor, Gray Davis, has also been a loyal supporter of Mr. Clinton and former Vice President Al Gore, who both now have business relationships with him. Yahoo He has earned his fortune from his company and various investments. Burkle characterized this as a shakedown attempt. She also engaged a preeminent forensic accounting firm, and hired a private investigative firm to conduct an asset search on her behalf. She said her father phoned his security director in front of her, and told her Janet Burkle was with her boyfriend at this very moment.. Joe moved to San Diego from Oklahoma during World War II and took a job at a Safeway . You will be notified in advance of any changes in rate or terms. When a Post gossip writer, Jared Paul Stern, said he could help improve the former supermarket tycoon's coverage, Burkle set up a meeting and secretly videotaped Stern -- with federal law enforcement officials reportedly monitoring the process -- apparently trying to extort $220,000 in return for favorable publicity. With that, Mr. Burkle apparently decided to spring into action, drawing on personal resources he has tapped into throughout a career that began as a bagboy at a grocery store his father managed in Claremont, Calif. Mr. Burkle began speculating in the stock market while still a teenager, completed high school early, and dropped out of dental school to return to the grocery store business. He has also gathered a flock of powerful friends from Hollywood, Wall Street and Washington that numbers former President Bill Clinton in its ranks. Philanthropy. In the meantime Burkle, just like his competitors, can cover the light bills with an asset fee of 1.5% to 2% per year while waiting for the big payoffs that generate the 20% carry. One of Burkle's closest pals is former President Bill Clinton, who heads a group of high-flying politicians with whom he is close. Burkle also reportedly sought a pardon from Clinton in 2000 for a close friend, former junk bond king Michael Milken. The claims have generally focused on his alleged womanizing and his supposed hypocrisy in claiming he hates publicity. Burkle is co-owner of the NHL team, the Pittsburgh Penguins, along with Mario Lemieux. The documents include explicit allegations by Burkles daughter about his conduct toward his ex-wife. Every item on this page was chosen by a Town & Country editor. [48][49], In 2019, Burkle sold a 50% stake in the Sydell Group to MGM Resorts International. . Before he began his business career, he had worked as a store manager, at Stater Bros. [113] In 2018, Follieri, who was deported back to Italy in 2012 after serving .mw-parser-output .frac{white-space:nowrap}.mw-parser-output .frac .num,.mw-parser-output .frac .den{font-size:80%;line-height:0;vertical-align:super}.mw-parser-output .frac .den{vertical-align:sub}.mw-parser-output .sr-only{border:0;clip:rect(0,0,0,0);height:1px;margin:-1px;overflow:hidden;padding:0;position:absolute;width:1px}4+12 years in prison for the scandal, stated that he and Burkle were once again on good terms and that Burkle was among the group of investors helping him acquire 50 percent in the Foggia Calcio soccer club in Southern Italy. [1][10], Burkle was promoted to store manager at Stater Bros. and later became a vice president at Petrolane, Inc., Stater's parent company. "He remembers where he came from.". Burkle is rarely seen wearing anything other than blue jeans and black shirts, and, according to friends, can put greater effort into avoiding publicity than courting it. [47], In 2014, Burkle acquired Soho House, a chain of hotels and private members clubs. "Corporate governance is not just for the boardrooms," Mr. Burkle said in a statement a public relations adviser issued yesterday. Andrew Burkle, son of billionaire entrepreneur Ronald Burkle was found dead inside his home in Beverly Hills on January 6, as reported by People.He was 26 years old, according to the Associated . Janet Burkle claimed she was defrauded when she signed a 1997 post-marital agreement limiting her divorce settlement to roughly $40 million. Burkle, who owns the Penguins with Mario Lemieux, has been sued by two companiesM.A. Ronald Wayne Burkle (born November 12, 1952) is an American businessman. He failed and was fired in 1986. On January 6, 2020, 27-year-old Andrew Burkle (the son of Pittsburgh Penguins co-owner Ron Burkle) was found dead in . For Jared Paul Stern, who at the time was second banana at the Posts influential Page Six column, the ancillary business was fashion design. They also provide an analysis of Burkles financial investments as of 1997, when the couple signed a post-marital agreement, and Janet Burkles account of their household spending and property holdings, as well as a window into his familys upscale habits. Instead, on June 8, 2021, the NWSL announced San Diego as the location for an expansion team owned by Burkle, which began play as San Diego Wave FC in the 2022 NWSL season. I just do what I like doing -- that's it.". In wooing Tribune Co., Burkle could have a far tougher time earning such high returns. It was common for me to spend $15,000 at one time at Barneys, and my average monthly expense for clothing was at least $10,000 (a conservative estimate), she said. In May, Ms. Burkle retained Barry T. Harlan, a certified family law specialist with more than 30 years of legal experience, and in June 1997 she filed a . He's also co-owner of the Pittsburgh Penguins. He had a highly publicized falling-out with Michael Ovitz, the former Hollywood power broker, several years ago, and came under the news media microscope in late 2000 for soliciting Mr. Clinton about a possible pardon for Michael Milken, the former junk-bond king and convicted felon. He is also a part owner of the Pittsburgh Penguins hockey team and a major investor in rap mogul Sean Combs' Sean John clothing company. And in the afternoon, Im unemployed. The former leader of the free world also is believed to get a slice of Yucaipas profits when the international fund (the last of the four) is finished liquidating five years from now or later. He invested lavishly in the Democrats when the Republicans controlled Congress. Harvey Weinstein gave some reporters book deals through the publishing arm of Miramax; other studio heads offered writers script development deals, and one top editor simply accepted bags of cash. [79][80], Burkle's honors and awards include the Los Angeles County, California Boy Scouts Jimmy Stewart "Good Turn" Award,[81] the AIDS Project Los Angeles Commitment to Life Award,[82] and the Los Angeles Urban League Whitney M. Young Award. Public asset : 41,406,344 USD. Burkle started buying Wild Oats stock in February 2005. In 2000 Burkle decided to launch a few private equity funds aimed at big no-auction deals (he has been the sole bidder in 75% of his transactions), and he brandished a well-honed talent for mixing business and politics. From one of the ranchs highest points, Mr. Gleason points at a huge piece of flat grassland dotted with large trees. (It was unusual to hear from a billionaire personally, and he shared this habit with only one other peer: Donald J. She purchased business suits, gowns, cocktail dresses and garden party outfits. [38], In January 2012, Burkle invested in Artist Group International, a concert-booking firm whose clients include Billy Joel, Metallica, and Rod Stewart. Ron Burkle, a businessman who reportedly owns a private jet nicknamed "Air F-k One" and the "f-k jet," donated $100,000 to McAuliffe's campaign late last year and then another . Earlier today, Ron Burkle informed the League that based on issues with the project related to COVID-19, he has decided to not move forward with the acquisition of an MLS expansion team in Sacramento. Specs 2,502 square feet, 5 bedrooms, 4.5 bathrooms. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate. Lemieux said: "We are shocked and deeply saddened to learn of Andrew Burkle's passing and offer our deepest condolences to Ron and his family. In April 1997, Ms. Burkle hired a personal attorney who assisted her in interviewing and obtaining family law counsel. [8] Following "months" of negotiations, the two were not able to agree on a final payment for Clinton's advisory services, estimated at up to $20 million, and Clinton "walked away" from the potential payout. Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer, Gov. It was extensively covered in the Los Angeles Business Journal before the records were sealed. Tribune Co. By 1997 Janet Burkle had moved back in with him at Greenacres and they had signed a settlement granting her $30 million if they ended up parting ways. The Pinnacle List, www.thepinnaclelist.com/pics/supermarket-billionaire-ron-burkle-lavish-mediterranean-trophy-estate-la-jolla-california/. After a restoration, billionaire supermarket mogul Ron Burkle is listing Bob Hope's longtime Los Angeles home for $29 million.. [1] They had three children together. Ronald Burkle. Its nearly 100 degrees and bone dry on a June day at Neverland Ranch. Those are before fees. You may cancel your subscription at anytime by calling By Observer Staff 04/13/06 12:50am. And then he got very serious about investing, parlaying a few lucky bets on regional grocery chains into a controlling stake in giant Pathmark, management of four private equity funds with $4 billion from investors, stakes in some 35 companies and a personal fortune that FORBES pegs at $2.5 billion. Ron Burkle's Yucaipa Cos is also in the mix as an existing partner of Paradigm in some of its U.K. and European music holdings. It has mentioned Burkle 22 times in five years, often unflatteringly. Burkle poses with Princess Beatrice and her mother, Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York, at the 2017 launch of The Ned, a hotel in London. [14][18], Burkle is part owner of the Pittsburgh Penguins of the National Hockey League, although his stake in the team is unknown. Its preposterous! he protests. Burkle, in a divorce filing, said he was particularly concerned about security because of the 1973 kidnapping of the 15-year-old daughter of the owner of Stater Bros. supermarkets, where Burkle got his start in business. (if applicable) for The Wall Street Journal. She has a bachelors degree in the history of science from Harvard University. In reality, its roughly 2,700 acres, said Tim Gleason, Mr. Burkles on-staff design curator. He bought black polo shirts (which were all Burkle ever seemed to wear) cheaply over the internet from China, added a pirate logo, and voila: the label Skull & Bones was born. Also in Epstein's address book are supermarket mogul Ron Burkle, Chelsea Clinton, former Secretaries of State Henry Kissinger and John Kerry, and media titan Rupert Murdoch, New York magazine noted. To ferret out new steals and deals, he counts on rainmaker Clinton. Also failed to win a professional football franchise to replace the Rams. [103], In December 2013, Burkle purchased an Olympic gold medal won by Jesse Owens at the 1936 Berlin Games for $1.4 million[104] and owns William Faulkner's Nobel Prize for Literature. [13], During the 1992 Los Angeles riots, Burkle refused to close his inner-city stores, a move for which he received praise. After enduring what he has said was a string of inaccurate items, published over the last year, Burkle said he had had enough. President Clinton is unique, he brands us to people who matter. Burkle views the 2,700-acre property in Los Olivos, near Santa Barbara, as a land banking opportunity, his spokesperson said on Thursday in an email. That seemed to change about a year ago, however, the associate said, when Mr. Burkle came under the glare of the Page Six column. Gawker editors jeered and posted the letter for all to see; a day later apologized, acidly. Larry got down on one knee. So he took matters into his own hand, launching a sting operation, complete with hidden cameras, hoping to catch Stern accepting cash. He is used to exerting control over all the people that he comes into contact with, Janet says in court papers. The self-made billionaires ex-wife accuses him of cheating her out of a fortune and having her and her (ex-con) boyfriend followed. Nice. The documents include a sworn declaration by the Burkles adult daughter that her father had told her that his security staff had pictures and videos of Janet Burkle and her boyfriend having sex. More scorn for Burkle: In the mid-1990s he had contributed money to the campaigns of Governor Gray Davis, San Franciscos former mayor Willie Brown (his former lawyer) and State Treasurer Philip Angelides, and later Brown and Angelides joined the Calpers board. Pittsburgh Penguins co-owner Ron Burkle's abandoned attempt to bring the 30th MLS franchise to Sacramento has instead brought him legal troubles. [105][106], Burkle owns the Mediterranean-styled mansion overlooking the bluffs of Black's Beach on a nearly six-acre plot in the La Jolla Farms neighborhood of San Diego, California. But it turns out that Burkles stores, too, sustained damageupward of $30 million, with a few stores that were burned to the ground, the Orange County Business Journal reported at the time. "It is with the heaviest of hearts and . The case involves an exclusive residential community known as the Yellowstone Club that Blixseth developed. Follieri is just making this stuff up. "But he never acted like he was one of those billionaires you read about. 633 on Forbes' list of "The Richest People on The Planet 2014. [1] Joseph worked seven days a week, managing a Stater Bros. grocery store in Pomona and investing his savings in apartment buildings. [75], In 2004, Burkle helped finance the launch of Al Gore's Current TV,[76] which was sold in January 2013 to Qatar-based cable news channel Al Jazeera. In 2002, he told the FBI he had been contacted by the disgraced Hollywood private investigator, Anthony Pellicano, who had a reputation for starting the fires he charged clients to put out, with an offer to disappear a problem for $250,000. At 3:30 p.m. that day the board called Burkle back in, rejected his offer as too lowand fired him. In the mid-1990s Ron Burkle the billionaire currently being sued over a botched Major League Soccer dealwas approached by an upstart investor named Bill Browder, who was trying to raise . Before joining the board, she was a general assignment reporter for the Los Angeles Times California section. He added, "It is also important in the newsrooms. Bruce Bennett/Getty Images At around 7:26 p.m. on Monday, police received a call about an "unconscious male," a spokesman for the Beverly . That gave him ready access to James Cantalupo, who was McDonalds chief until he died suddenly in 2004. Hearst Magazine Media, Inc. All Rights Reserved. I wake up every morning and only think about good things.. The two men would become close friends, albeit in the Presidents memoir, published in 2004, Burkle is cited only twice in 969 pages: He is one of 57 people named in the twelfth paragraph of 4 pages of acknowledgments; and their first meeting shows up on page 409. California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, John F. Kennedy Center for Performing Arts, "Yucaipa Returns to Market with $1.65 Billion Target", "Company Information: The Yucaipa Companies LLC", "Matt Damon, Ben Affleck to Co-Host Cory Booker Fundraiser", "Protecting Hillary: Bill Clinton Severs Business Ties With Billionaire Buddy Burkle", "Burkle Gets Bill Clinton's Ear, No Respect From Ovitz", "LA 500: Ron Burkle | Los Angeles Business Journal", "What Ron Burkle's success, star power mean for Sacramento's Major League Soccer bid", "Ron Burkle opens up on Penguins ownership, Mario Lemieux and the future", "Trump sticks to hockey in honoring Cup champion Penguins", "NHL Lockout 2012: Progress Will Be Made When Players and Owners Meet on Tuesday", "Pittsburgh Penguins' Ron Burkle seen as possible bridge builder in NHL talks", Archive: Pittsburgh Penguins' Ron Burkle seen as possible bridge builder in NHL talks, "Mets Fans Beware, Private Equity-Owned Teams Lose on the Field", "Sacramento Republic's MLS hopes get boost as Ron Burkle agrees to take over team", "Ron Burkle pulls out as MLS expansion team owner in Sacramento", "San Diego confirmed as 2022 NWSL expansion market; Ellis to serve as team president", "San Diego To Be Home to NWSL Expansion Team, Led by Jill Ellis as President", "Ashton Kutcher's Sound Ventures Looks to Raise New Fund | Los Angeles Business Journal", "SoundCloud Receives Investment from Ashton Kutcher's A-Grade", "How Ashton Kutcher built a Silicon Valley investing career", "Guy Oseary, Ashton Kutcher's Tech Fund A-Grade Valued at $150 Million", "How I Made It: Billionaire's right-hand man Chris Hollod on becoming a big fish in a big pond", "Ron Burkle's Yucaipa Buys Music Booking Power Artist Group International", "Mogul Ron Burkle partnering in new branded entertainment company", "Paradigm, Yucaipa Expand European Reach by Pacting With London-Based X-Ray Touring", "Billionaire Ron Burkle takes stake in Independent Talent", "Report: Ron Burkle's Yucaipa Companies Makes A 'Substantial' Investment In Danny Wimmer Presents", "Burkle sells 51% stake in Golden State Foods", "Soho House Raises $100 Million To Expand Its Members' Club Around The World", "MGM Getting Into Boutique Hotel Business With New Acquisition", "Burkle Ronald W ownership in COLD / Americold Realty Trust - 13F, 13D, 13G Filings - Fintel.io", "Barnes & Noble Battle Royale: Burkle vs. Riggio", "Fleming Reaches Agreement to Become Only Food Supplier for Kmart Stores", "A&P in talks to buy Pathmark for about $653 million", "Company News; Cyrk Merger Is Being Explored By Major Shareholder", "P. Diddy Bulking Up: L.A. Investor Injects Millions Into Sean John", "PRIMEDIA ENTHUSIAST TITLES SOLD FOR $1.2 BILLION", "Burkle's Yucaipa Funds Targets Barnes & Noble; Asks OK To Boost Stake To 37%, Matching Riggios", "Barnes & Noble Won't Let Burkle Raise Stakes", "Relativity back in business with debt backed by Ron Burkle", "Haute 100 Los Angeles Update: Ronald Burkle Offers Amalgamated Bank a Chance for Growth", "Clinton's back in Beverly Hills tonight", "McAuliffe headed to Aspen, L.A. for PAC fundraisers", "Elton John fetes crowd at Ron Burkle's estate in support of Prop. , which owns the Chicago Tribune and the Los Angeles Times. But the reporter was too smart to take the proffered gym bag full of greenbacks, and the ensuing scandal coverage (my own rival tabloid was only too happy run it on the front page for weeks) was as messy as it was inconclusive. When Clinton and former President George H.W. By then his portfolio had swelled to $5 million or so, and he spent five years investing in stocks and running his familys rental properties. The question is how to maximize it and find new methods of distribution. He probably does not have in mind getting the Teamsters to buy a bulk subscription. Burkle never told his daughter any such thing. As of February 2023, Ron Burkle's net worth is estimated to be roughly $2 Billion. Click Here. Mario Lemieux and Ron Burkle ride down the Boulevard of the Allies during the Penguins' 2016 victory parade. Then there's Ron Burkle. The documents had previously been public for a time but were not widely reported on before being sealed. Burkle, 53, resides at Green Acres, one of the grandest, most storied super-mansions in Beverly Hills and one of Southern California's best-known party houses. Why do so many people have so much scorn for Ronald Burkle? He made at least one deal with the assistance of junk bond financier Michael Milken. (Haley Nelson/Post-Gazette) Ron Burkle, the tactician. [99][100], Burkle is a fan of historic architecture. The division of the Burkles fortune (Ronald Burkles worth has recently been estimated at more than $2 billion) had also been fiercely contested until this week. "[2], Burkle is a prominent Democratic activist and fundraiser. Senator Hillary Clinton (D-NY) expressed concern that such investments could be used by foreign governments as "instruments of foreign policy. (Gore receives a portion of the profits and is believed to own a minority stake). In 2011, he purchased[101] the partially restored Ennis House, a Los Angeles landmark designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. ". His father worked as a grocer. Burkle eventually became a close friend and affiliate of Milken and with his help assembled a California supermarket empire. The property formerly known as Neverland Ranch, home to the late Michael Jackson, has been purchased by Pittsburgh Penguins co-owner Ron Burkle, Burkle's spokesman confirmed to CNN Saturday. Burkle, in the papers, called the accounts exaggerated, saying that the aircraft, for example, belonged to his company and was not used for personal trips. On the way, he's tried to keep under the radareven if he does . The daughters declaration was made in support of Janet Burkles 2003 application for a court restraining order, which was denied. . Relativity Media is a next-generation studio engaged in multiple aspects of entertainment, including full-scale film and television production and distribution, the co-financing of major studio . Hes invaluable, Burkle says of his idol. Burkle is a Billionaire Investor and Part-Owner of the Pittsburgh Penguins. Billionaire Son Found Dead In His Apartment. You'd never suspect he's a billionaire.". The mainstream business press beats up on him, essentially for buying access and influence among politicians and leaders of the pension funds that invest with him (FORBES included). The lawsuit was filed by sports stadium construction company . In April he raised $1 million hosting a dinner for Hillary Clinton, a likely contender for the White House in 2008; shortly before the election Nancy Pelosi, the next speaker of the house, dropped by his office in Hollywood to say hello. Burkle has been the chairman of the board for Alliance Entertainment, Dominick's, Fred Meyer, Ralphs, and Food4Less. By the time Whole Foods Market, a natural-foods grocer, agreed to pay $565 million for Wild Oats, Burkle was the largest shareholder of Wild Oats. Awards", "Los Angeles County Federation of Labor Man of the Year", "We Can Actually Solve the Problem of Childhood Hunger, Says Participant's Jim Berk", "Judd Apatow Honored by The Rape Foundation", "Jennifer Garner Honored at Rape Foundation Brunch", Frank Lloyd Wrights Ennis House Sells for $18 Million, Setting New Record, "Bob Hope's Toluca Lake Estate Finally Sellsto Billionaire Ron Burkle", "Penguins co-owner Burkle pays 1.4 million for Jesse Owens' gold medal", "Jesse Owens Medal Sold to Billionaire Burkle for $1.5 Million", "Next Makeover for a New No. The effort failed. Two years later he broke both legs in a poolside accident and had to take time off from his job and leave high school to recuperate. "[110][111], In April 2006, Burkle accused New York Post columnist Jared Paul Stern of attempting to extort money from him in exchange for stopping the publication of stories in Page Six, the paper's gossip column, about his private life. Burkle was co-owner of the Pittsburgh Penguins, and the team was invited to a celebration at the White House following their Stnaley Cup victory. He would prefer that people see in him a classic American success story. They would raise three children; today the youngest, a son, is 14. News that the liberal, California . Last year as he eyed buying control of troubled Pathmark, a publicly held but faltering supermarket chain in the Northeast, his ally Joseph Hansen at the grocery workers union arranged for Burkle to meet with Pathmark union reps. He also couldnt resist inserting himself into the corresponding milieu on the West Coast. Among the disclosures were that he reportedly had a private investigator follow and harass his ex-wife and her personal-trainer boyfriend -- allegations Burkle has denied -- and that he won a lawsuit filed by his 30-year-old daughter, Carrie, who claimed he owed her money taken from an investment fund. He has also gained some notoriety because of the litigation in his messy divorce from his former wife, Janet. (Actually, his people went around saying that, too, but why be catty about it?) Ronald Wayne Burkle (born November 12, 1952) is an American businessman. He has been the target of two dreaded media figures: The infamous Hollywood sleaze-digger and private eye Anthony Pellicano, whom Burkle feared was investigating him; and a freelancer for the New York Post who (says Burkle) tried to extort $100,000 from him to keep Burkle out of the tabloids dreaded gossip column, Page Six. In 1998, he launched The Ronald W. Burkle Foundation, which "seeks to . "It doesn't do me any good for people to know about me or know what I'm doing because if you're low key, I think you can get a lot more done," Mr. Burkle, now 53, told an interviewer for Talk magazine several years ago. Burkle prefers an inside track, and his good reputation among union officials helps him get it. While acknowledging he is a successful investor and businessman, Burkle said his wifes portrayal of him could hurt his relationship with leaders of organized labor. I don't understand all this stuff you hear now. In June 2004 California passed a law allowing divorce records to be sealed at the request of either spouse. They settled, but the legal storm was only just beginning. Burkle, in the court records, said he had a partnership with Clinton and the California Public Employees Retirement System, which invests in labor-friendly companies. Burkles tie to Clinton also put him next to former Vice President Al Gore. At the time, his public image was of a supremely eligible, billionaire bachelor. Ronald Wayne Burkle, 54, the California-born son of a grocery store manager, worked for his dad as a box boy, dropped out of college and put in 15 years at his dads store and the company that owned it. Sold Dominick's to Safeway for $1.2 billion. The Greenacres estate -- once owned by silent-film star Harold Lloyd -- had a dining room that sat 20. The property spans almost as far as the eye can see. "He's probably the best employer we ever dealt with," said Ricardo Icaza, president of the Los Angeles local of the United Food and Commercial Workers union, who negotiated a number of labor contracts with Burkle when the billionaire owned supermarket chains like Ralphs and Food 4 Less. A state appeals judge declared the law unconstitutional in May of this year, and Burkles file was unsealed once again. Los Angeles billionaire investor Ronald Burkle is the buyer of the Bob and Dolores Hope estate that recently sold in Palm Springs for $13 million, according to real estate sources not authorized . The 2,700-acre Los Olivos, Calif., estate might be his most famous, but the billionaire . In the realm of scandals, too, Burkle, who made his billions from California supermarket chains, now appears to be in a league of his own. In 1986 he formed Yucaipa Cos., naming it after the California town where he was living at the time, and began buying and selling small grocery store chains. But, Quintero said, he won the support of the group that had offered financing for the attempted buyout, including Warren Buffet's Berkshire Hathaway, and other financiers in the company's circle. Burkle also has hosted a fundraising cocktail party for Eliot Spitzer, scourge of Wall Street and the newly elected Democratic governor of New York. In the next 17 years Burkle would do 16 deals, totaling almost $15 billion (11 involved grocery chains). A bitter battle ensued, and Burkle won every round. Nonetheless, Burkle enjoys the wealth he has accumulated as one of California's most successful entrepreneurs, particularly as a single man often seen in the company of celebrities, models like Gisele Bundchen and other attractive young women. The unofficial "mayor," Mike McLusky (Renner), a power broker between cops and criminals, feverishly tried to keep the peace last season as factions inside and out of . And Stern, who has been suspended by the Post but was recently the guest editor for Gawker, a gossipy Web site, and Page Six have continued to attack Burkle with undisguised glee. Burkle put $3,000 into American Silver and another metals company because he enjoyed coin collecting; that grew to $30,000.
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