Gontmakher Mansion
The Gontmakher Mansion is a multimillion-dollar, 13,610-square-foot (1,264 m2) brick mansion in the Bridle Trails neighborhood of Bellevue, Washington.[1][2] As of late 2005, it had been under construction for five years and was still unoccupied.[3] Its brick construction and the tall brick wall completely surrounding the property give it a fortresslike appearance (brick is a material not frequently used in the Pacific Northwest).
The City of Bellevue has been in litigation with the owners over unlawful clearcutting of trees and issuance of a short plat for the property the mansion lies on. A ruling in the court case held that the City of Bellevue is a juristic person with respect to the state anti-SLAPP law.[4]
The owner was a "crab mogul" from Ukraine who became a United States citizen and owned in Bellevue what was in the 2000s decade the largest United States importer of Russian crab and other seafood.[5][6]
References
- ^ Hal Bernton, "Russians arrest crab mogul: Bellevue businessman Arkadi Gontmakher's seafood business allows him a posh lifestyle. It has also caught the eye of Russian authorities, who accuse him of poaching.", The Seattle Times, archived from the original on 2014-10-06
- ^ King County Assessor tax record
- ^ "Bridle Trails mansion still embroiled in controversy", King County Journal, 2004-02-05, archived from the original on June 7, 2005
- ^ Court case, Municipal Research and Services Center of Washington, archived from the original on 2005-02-16, retrieved 2005-12-29
- ^ Maxim Tkachenko (December 31, 2010), U.S. crab tycoon faces new criminal charges in Russia, CNN
- ^ Will Englund (February 13, 2011), "Acquitted American crabber in Russia still caught up in criminal justice system", The Washington Post