dispatch From The CW Post Studios

The outrageous antics of the 1%

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The CW

Money can’t buy you happiness, but it can certainly earn you a place among the headlines. The incredibly rich have extravagant habits, and they can afford to maintain them in a relatively discreet manner — until the New York Post hears about it.

By taking a deep dive into our infamous archives, we’ve uncovered a slew of the outrageous, crazy and out-of-this-world antics of some of the wealthiest people on the planet. Take your private jet across the country on a moment’s notice? Brawl with your future stepmom on her wedding day? Real-life examples like the ones below may have inspired some of the jaw-dropping scenes you’ll see in The CW’s new series Dynasty, tonight at 9/8c.

Don’t miss a moment of the Carrington family’s opulent lives and their often extreme behavior, but in the meantime, read on for some of the most unbelievable stories of the super-wealthy.

LADY LIBERTEASE

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Habits among the wealthy tend to be outrageous, but a recent hot trend is definitely a little overboard. What was the hottest billionaire trend of summer 2017? Parking your megayacht directly beside the Statue of Liberty! The move, albeit inconsiderate, is completely legal, according to the Coast Guard. Three über-rich individuals took advantage of that this summer, obstructing the views of tourists and residents alike trying to capture the perfect snapshot. Among those blocking the world-famous former entry point was oil chief Eugene Shvidler, who tarnished views for the better part of April and June with his 370-footer and then left, making way for Swiss-Italian heir Ernesto Bertarelli to park his slightly more modest, 318-foot barge in July. Then came the tiny, 265-foot vessel belonging to German magnate Reinhold Würth, appropriately named Vibrant Curiosity, which ruined that of many trying to get a full view of the statue.

iPIGGY BANK

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Tech CEO Carl Grimstad loved to take care of the women in his life — his wife, his beloved escort and her mother — by dipping into the company piggy bank. iPayment, the company he founded and served as the CEO for, filed a lawsuit accusing Grimstad of stealing around $500,000. Grimstad’s frivolous spending spree included payments in excess of $250,000 at an Upper East Side hotel, $70,000 for his wife’s personal expenses, $11,000 for golf-related fees, and much more. He also became infatuated with an escort he met in Vegas, and gave her, and allegedly her mother, jobs at his company. Despite making a $1 million annual salary plus a $1.2 million annual cash bonus, according to sources, he used the company’s money to maintain a “Hamptons-frequenting, New York socialite” lifestyle. His wife only learned about the alleged other women when their family was served with court papers.

RICH BITCH

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The headline may be a play on words, but it was a perfect description for Leona Helmsley’s pooch. The infamous hotel empress was known for her crass behavior and general disregard for others — unless one of those “others” was her prized Maltese, Trouble. When the original mean girl passed away in 2007, she made sure her beloved pooch got the most loot, leaving her with $12 million, ensuring Trouble a lifetime of security, dog walkers and gourmet food. Helmsley also set aside $3 million to ensure that the Helmsley Mausoleum — where she is now buried with her son and her husband — is kept in “mint” condition, with acid-washing or steam cleaning by way of trustees at least once a year. As for her human loved ones, she left zilch for two of her grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren.

DUMPED AT THE AIRPORT

Elie Hirschfeld — worth an estimated $500 million as the heir to a parking-garage fortune — allegedly faked an intestinal ailment in order to sneak away from his family and secretly empty out their Fifth Avenue apartment, his wife claimed in a damning divorce lawsuit. According to his wife, Susan, the family was on their way home from a ski vacation in Sun Valley, Idaho, when Elie left them waiting at the airport gate, claiming to have diarrhea. He then chartered a private plane, costing nearly $40,000, allowing him to arrive at the apartment before them. Elie removed everything from the couple’s home, including nearly $30 million in art, $10,000 in medieval figurines and other collectibles, and even went as far as removing their three children’s toys, beds and even schoolwork from their rooms. It’s no wonder Susan filed for divorce two months later.

ESCAPE ARTIST

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Running from your problems is one thing, but crashing your private jet to fake your own death and cover up your shady past is another. In 2009, crooked investment manager Marcus Schrenker, whose company was under investigation by the state of Indiana, took his private plane for one last spin before parachuting out after a distress call claiming his windshield had shattered and he was bleeding badly. A nice little bow adorned his attempt in the form of an apparent suicide note that a friend received via email stating, “By the time you get this, I’ll be gone. I embarrassed my family for the last time.” His plane was then found in a Florida swamp with the windshield intact and no sign of blood, or Marcus. After just two days on the run, that bow quickly came undone when he was found alive and well in Quincy, Florida, and taken into custody.

NO GOOD ‘FEED’ GOES UNPUNISHED

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Chinese billionaire Chen Guangbiao wanted to prove that not all Chinese philanthropists spend their fortune solely on luxury goods and extravagant events. So he decided to throw a luncheon for NYC homeless men and women at the Loeb Boathouse in Central Park. Guangbiao took out a full-page ad in the New York Times to advertise the event, in which he noted a free lunch and $300 cash for 1,000 less fortunate New Yorkers. But the event took a slightly different turn: Guangbiao only took 200 folks to lunch, and the $300 parting gift was instead awarded in a large lump sum to the rescue mission to avoid the possibility of the men and women spending their cut on drugs and alcohol. While his intentions were noble, the philanthropist was met with boos and hundreds of other homeless men and women trying to get inside the restaurant.

Tune in to Dynasty to see even more examples of the super-wealthy behaving poorly. Will a PR associate’s affair with her boss result in happily-ever-after … or a royal rumble? Will the boss’ ambitious daughter allow an interloper to take the job she covets, or does she have more cunning plans up her sleeve?

Don’t miss the new series Dynasty TONIGHT at 9/8c on The CW!