A big sandbox: a billionaire is accused of stealing sand from a public beach (3 photos)

Category: Interesting photo stories, PEGI 0+

Today, 00:09

Mark Attanasio's lawyer says his client complied with all permits he received to repair a damaged section of sea wall on his beachfront property. However, his neighbor thinks otherwise.

Mark Attanasio, the billionaire owner of the Milwaukee Brewers football team, owns a beachfront home in Malibu, California. His neighbor, James Colberg, has accused him of stealing sand from Broad Beach, a violation of the California Coastal Zone Act.

"This case alleges a private property owner using a public beach as his personal sandbox, and a public natural resource (i.e., the sand from Broad Beach) being used for the private use of an adjacent homeowner," the lawsuit states.

The lawsuit, filed in Los Angeles County on Aug. 8, alleges that Attanasio's contractor has been removing sand for the past several weeks while Kohlberg filmed the activity. According to the Los Angeles Times, the billionaire was in compliance with all permits he had obtained to repair a damaged section of sea wall on his Malibu beach property.

"2XMD (Attanasio's company) is in the process of making fully permitted emergency repairs to the site to protect it from the ocean's forces. It has obtained all necessary permits from the City of Malibu and Los Angeles County for the repairs, and has carefully vetted all contractors and subcontractors involved in the project," said the businessman's attorney, Kenneth Ehrlich.

The lawsuit alleges that Attanasio's company, 2XMD, used mechanized equipment in an intertidal zone protected by the California Coastal Zone Act. The unauthorized construction involves dredging and removing sand from the intertidal zone and sometimes the ocean using excavators, exposing ocean water and marine life to potentially hazardous bio-products.

The lawsuit also claims the activity is "obscene and offensive to the senses."

According to the publication, Attanasio bought his Broad Beach home for $23 million in 2007. A decade later, he purchased the adjacent lot for $6.6 million.