Jack W. Pearce
Former Home of "Iron" Mike Tyson - "The Champ"
3737 State Route 534, Southington, OH 44470
The main gate to the 1980′s playground mansion of the famed "Iron" Mike Tyson who then was looking like he would go down as the greatest boxer of all time. Only recently have boxing aficionados been saying that he may in fact be the greatest. Mike, of course, hasn't lived here sere since 1999, but the elaborate wrought iron still bears his name.
"Iron Mike" didn't build the mansion as many believe -- he actually bought it at sheriff's sale. The home itself was built by the infamous Trumbull County Commissioner Ted Vannelli who, it was discovered, was helping himself to county funds to pay for the lush home on the nearly 60 acre parcel of land in Southington, Ohio.
When authorities finally caught up with Vannelli and tossed him in jail, his mortgage was foreclosed and Tyson was able to buy the mansion for $300K at the sheriff's auction. Tyson stayed here when training for fights at Don King’s facility in nearby Orwell.
Tyson, by the way, was not responsible for abandoning the property to foreclosure, again as is most people believe. After serving 6 years in jail (1989 to 1995) he actually returned to live in the mansion, but in 1999 sold it to a shady character by the name of Paul Monea for the sum of $1.3 million.
In the hands of Monea, the mansion was to become part of even bigger scandal. Monea was arrested by undercover FBI agents in a "sting" operation in 2006 when he tried sell the mansion along with the mysterious 43-carat yellow “Golden Eye” diamond that came into his possession under dubious circumstances. In any event, Monea was forced to hand over both the diamond and the mansion.
The exquisite Golden Eye was auctioned off in September 2011 and purchased by a Bazetta Township businessman and gold trader by the name of Gerre Hentosh.
Businessman Ron Hemelgarn bought the mansion, again in a sheriff's auction, in October of 2010 for $600,000 and $360,604.66 in back taxes and to my knowledge is still the legal owner of the mansion in spite of several attempts to sale.
Former Home of "Iron" Mike Tyson - "The Champ"
3737 State Route 534, Southington, OH 44470
The main gate to the 1980′s playground mansion of the famed "Iron" Mike Tyson who then was looking like he would go down as the greatest boxer of all time. Only recently have boxing aficionados been saying that he may in fact be the greatest. Mike, of course, hasn't lived here sere since 1999, but the elaborate wrought iron still bears his name.
"Iron Mike" didn't build the mansion as many believe -- he actually bought it at sheriff's sale. The home itself was built by the infamous Trumbull County Commissioner Ted Vannelli who, it was discovered, was helping himself to county funds to pay for the lush home on the nearly 60 acre parcel of land in Southington, Ohio.
When authorities finally caught up with Vannelli and tossed him in jail, his mortgage was foreclosed and Tyson was able to buy the mansion for $300K at the sheriff's auction. Tyson stayed here when training for fights at Don King’s facility in nearby Orwell.
Tyson, by the way, was not responsible for abandoning the property to foreclosure, again as is most people believe. After serving 6 years in jail (1989 to 1995) he actually returned to live in the mansion, but in 1999 sold it to a shady character by the name of Paul Monea for the sum of $1.3 million.
In the hands of Monea, the mansion was to become part of even bigger scandal. Monea was arrested by undercover FBI agents in a "sting" operation in 2006 when he tried sell the mansion along with the mysterious 43-carat yellow “Golden Eye” diamond that came into his possession under dubious circumstances. In any event, Monea was forced to hand over both the diamond and the mansion.
The exquisite Golden Eye was auctioned off in September 2011 and purchased by a Bazetta Township businessman and gold trader by the name of Gerre Hentosh.
Businessman Ron Hemelgarn bought the mansion, again in a sheriff's auction, in October of 2010 for $600,000 and $360,604.66 in back taxes and to my knowledge is still the legal owner of the mansion in spite of several attempts to sale.