Leona Helmsley's Will

Mrs. Helmsley was known for her sharp tongue, impatience with humanity, and her television film, The Queen of Mean. She became a household name when she was featured in glossy advertisments for the Helmsley Hotles. In 1989, she became a symbol of unbridged arrogance and belief in entitlement after being convicted of $ 1.2 million dollars in federal income tax envasion, which sent her to prision. After passing, at age 87 in late August, Helmsley left $ 12 million dollars to her dog, trouble. In her will she specified in a two-page "mission statement" that $ 5 billion to $ 8 billion be used for the care of welfare of dogs. The statement is an expression of her wishes that is not legally binding, said William Joesphson. The mission statement is the only clear expression of Mrs. Helmsley’s charitable intentions, and will make the document difficult for her trustees, as well as the probate court and state charity regulators, to ignore.