Ari Ben Menashe is either a fomer Israeli spy or spins a really good yarn. Either way, that would have made for a rather interesting co-op board meeting.
Alas, we’ll never know, because the author of Profits of War: Inside the Secret U.S.-Israeli Arms Network, which chronicled his supposed involvement in the Iran-Contra scandal, has bought at 515 Park Avenue, the neighborhood’s much sniffed-at late ’90s condo development.
Mr. Ben Menashe, who currently lives in Montreal and runs an international commodity exporting firm (apparently not a euphemism), just dropped $7 million on a three-bedroom hideout. The 43-story building only has 37 units, and this one checks in at a generous 2,500 square feet. The open layout and expansive windows offer great views and are perfect for entertaining, according to the listing–but maybe not so much for international intrigue.
The sellers are the Galperine family of Atlanta.
The unit sold for $3.3 million in 2000, $14.875 million in 2002, and was most recently listed for $8 million. The listing broker, Douglas Elliman‘s Susan Kaplan, couldn’t immediately be reached for comment. Either something strange is afoot or it’s the holidays.
lkusisto@observer.com
