NJ millionaire’s teen sex abuse victim asks court to freeze his assets in lawsuit – Asbury Park Press

BEDMINSTER – The young woman who was sexually abused by township millionaire Stephen Bradley Mell has asked the Superior Court to freeze his assets as she pursues a civil lawsuit against him.

Mell used to live on a 50-acre estate in an exclusive corner of Bedminster that had a six-bedroom house, a swimming pool and a helipad. A licensed pilot, the millionaire owned airplanes and helicopters, in addition to luxury cars, including an Audi, BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Ferrari. He also had a 25-foot boat named “Get Nauti.”

He is now living in the maximum-security U.S. penitentiary in Allenwood, Pennsylvania, after he was sentenced in June to seven years in federal prison after pleading guilty to charges of engaging in interstate travel to engage in illicit sexual conduct and receiving child pornography.

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The now 18-year-old filed the lawsuit against Mell on Oct. 2 in state Superior Court in Essex County. The 27-page lawsuit is a detailed narrative of how the relationship between a middle-aged millionaire and a teen girl began, continued in New Jersey and other states, and then came to an end.

In papers filed in Superior Court, the victim, identified by her initials, is seeking the return of all moneys Mell received from his investment banking firm upon his departure, as well as the appointment of a fiscal agent to insure that no other assets would be transferred or hidden.

“Brad Mell is a convicted sex offender and now has the temerity to try to hide his assets from the young woman that he abused,” said the victim’s attorney, Bruce H. Nagel of Nagel Rice in Roseland. “We are seeking to have him return what he received and make sure that he does not hide any other assets.”

In a brief supporting the freeze on Mell’s assets, Nagel said that “all along, Mell has been untruthful and dishonest about the full extent of his massive wealth while transferring assets.”

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Saying that Mell made omissions to a federal official during his criminal pretrial interview, Nagel said “Mell’s pattern of conduct is evasive, fraudulent and must be stopped.”

Nagel also argues in the brief that “Mell has already taken steps to dissipate and/or transfer assets to avoid his liability.”

“If there ever was a case where an injunction was required to prevent continued fraudulent conveyances, this is the case,” Nagel wrote in his brief.

According to court papers, after his criminal investigation began, Mell retired from GCM, an asset and wealth management company in which he had a partnership interest. The papers say that Mell will continue to receive a percentage of the firm’s net profits until 2023. He also received a payout from his capital account balance.

Mell also retired from GCP, another company in which he was partner. He also will receive a share of the firm’s net profits until 2023 and received a payout of his capital account balance.

Earlier:NJ millionaire Stephen Mell sentenced to 3 years in prison for sex with minor

Nagel alleges that Mell deliberately withheld information about the income from those companies when he was interviewed by federal officials after his arrest.

Mell’s home on Black River Road was sold in April for $4 million. He bought the house in 2006 for $1.5 million.

“Mell’s past omissions about his personal income and assets show a long pattern of abuse,” Nagel wrote in his brief.

Known by many as Brad, Mell was an active community member, serving on the board of the Far Hills Day School and volunteering in numerous charities, including the New Jersey Conservation Foundation. He belonged to the exclusive Somerset Hills Country Club in Bernardsville, the Essex Hunt Club in Peapack-Gladstone and the Mill Reef Club in Antigua.

The sexual encounters with the teenage girl took place from June 2017 to Nov. 17, 2017. The encounters were at his houses in Bedminster and Nantucket; his office in Summit; airports in Morristown and Allentown, Pennsylvania; three hotels in New Jersey and one hotel in New York City.

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When they met the first time at the Trump Soho Hotel in New York City, Mell instructed the girl to stand away from him while in the lobby, and always, when they were in public together.

One time, when he was flying with her from New Jersey to Cape Cod, they had sex in the cabin of his plane while it was on autopilot.

Superior Court Judge Robert Gardner has not yet scheduled a date to hear arguments on the victim’s motion.

Staff Writer Mike Deak: 908-243-6607; mdeak@mycentraljersey.com

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