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Fla. jeweler Mark Levinson found dead
Levinson Jewelers founder Mark Levinson was found dead in an apparent suicide on Tuesday, authorities said. He was 60 years old.
Mark Levinson, left, died Tuesday of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. He is pictured here with his wife and business partner, Robin.
Fort Lauderdale, Fla.--Levinson Jewelers founder Mark Levinson was found dead in an apparent suicide on Tuesday, authorities said. He was 60 years old.
According to the Fort Lauderdale Police Department, he was found early in the morning on Feb. 24 in a yard next to his home. His death was ruled a suicide from a gunshot wound to the head. There was no evidence of foul play in the incident, they said, and the investigation is ongoing.
Levinson started his jewelry store of the same name in 1989 with his wife, Robin. They expanded the store several times until finally deciding that they needed a brand new store and moved to its current location on the fashionable Las Olas Boulevard in 2008.
Levinson and his wife also made the store an active part of the city’s charitable networks and philanthropic events.
The business has come to be known for its association with athletes, celebrities and models, including Lauren Tannehill, model and wife of Miami Dolphins quarterback Ryan Tannehill, who has appeared in a number of the store’s ads.
One of the store’s most well-known connections was with Scott Rothstein, the disbarred lawyer and former CEO of the now-defunct Rothstein Rosenfeldt Adler law firm. Rothstein currently is serving a 50-year prison term for a $1.2 billion Ponzi scheme.
Rothstein was said to have spent more than $11 million at the jewelry store over the years. Levinson was sued by the bankruptcy trustee to recover assets for creditors of Rothstein’s law firm, seeking $9.8 million from the jeweler.
In early 2013, a $650,000 settlement was reached and Levinson agreed to pay the amount in six installments. A final payment was made last fall.
According to the store’s Facebook page, donations can be made in Levinson’s name to The Dan Marino Foundation, which provides care and treatment for kids with autism and other developmental disabilities.
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