Finances of NY heiress, 104, at center of probe

NEW YORK (AP) — A 104-year-old heiress to a Montana copper mining fortune is at the center of a New York criminal investigation into her fortune and well-being, two people familiar with the probe told The Associated Press.

Huguette Clark is now a recluse in a hospital room, more than 20 years after leaving her lavish Fifth Avenue apartment.

The Manhattan district attorney’s office is looking into how she’s being cared for and how her finances are being handled.

Attorney Wallace Bock and accountant Irving Kamsler have been in charge of Clark’s financial affairs for years. Bock told the AP that “she’s very much alive.” Neither he nor Kamsler returned calls about the investigation.

MSNBC.com first reported the probe.

Clark also owns a Connecticut castle and a mansion in California.