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Jeff Bezos has recently used some of the virtually endless amounts of money at his disposal to acquire a number of properties on a private island in Miami known as “Billionaire Bunker,” and the owner of one of the mansions he scooped up is now suing the real estate company that mediated the sale for millions after missing out on the chance to squeeze the Amazon founder for all he’s worth.
Miami is littered with exclusive private communities featuring lavish mansions that house some of the richest people on the planet, but there aren’t many that boast a list of notable names as impressive as the roster of residents who reside in Indian Bay Village.
The 300-acre barrier island in Biscayne Bay is home to dozens of pricey estates owned by high-profile figures including Tom Brady, Julio Iglesias, and Jared Kushner and Ivana Trump.
In 2023, Jeff Bezos decided to get in on the action when he opted to relocate from Seattle after spending close to three decades in the city where Amazon transformed into one of the biggest companies on the planet, and the world’s second-richest person initially dropped $68 million and $79 million to purchase two adjoining properties on the man-made isle dubbed “Billionaire Bunker” before scooping up a third for $90 million earlier this year.
However, one of those sellers is now taking legal action after discovering who purchased his former home.
According to The Wall Street Journal, Leo Kryss—a Brazilian mogul who made a fortune in the electronics and banking industries—sold the aforementioned $79 million, 19,000-square foot mansion in May of 2023 a month after he listed it for $85 million.
The sale was mediated by brokers for the real estate powerhouse Douglas Elliman, and according to a lawsuit that was recently filed in a Miami circuit court, a high-ranking member of the brokerage firm called Kryss to personally assure him Bezos wasn’t the buyer before owner agreed to the sale after being told the unnamed suitor wouldn’t go any higher than the final closing price.
Of course, there was only so much the brokers (who made a $3 million commission) could do to keep Bezos’ identity under wraps once the transaction was finalized, and Kryss is suing in the hopes of getting his hands on the $6 million he seems to think he could ahve forced the billionaire to fork over if he’d know he was interested in the property.
Ir doesn’t get much more relatable than that.