The $27 million mansion built with the allegedly ill-gotten gains of US Fidelis will go for a mere $4.75 million to local professional sports agent Harold C. Lewis, the sole bidder on one of St. Louis' most notorious and flamboyant addresses.
On Wednesday, a federal bankruptcy judge approved the $4.75 million sale of the Lake Saint Louis mansion belonging to the now-bankrupt seller of vehicle service contracts.
Lewis said he planned to use the mansion for charity fundraising events and to entertain professional athletes and their families.
He acknowledged that, to some, the mansion was a symbol of US Fidelis' abuses. The company's founder, Darain Atkinson, financed its construction with company revenue from the high-pressure and deceptive sales of practically worthless extended auto-service contracts, regulators allege.
"We look at it as turning lemon into lemonade," Lewis said of the mansion. "Maybe in some ways we can turn a negative into a positive."
Lewis, 53, is married and has two daughters. A native of upstate New York, he moved to the area in 1980 to work in the photography business. Two years later — the same year the Cardinals won the World Series — he got a job pitching for batting practice at Busch Stadium. The gig paid only $50 per game, but through the job Lewis met baseball and football pros. Before long, he was negotiating contracts for them.
Now, Lewis' company — National Sports Agency — represents more than 40 NFL players. In the agency's Maryland Heights office, there's a signed picture from actor Tom Cruise from the movie "Jerry Maguire," in which Cruise played the lead role as a sports agent.
Lewis tried to cloak his interest in the mansion by bidding on it through a company he formed in October.
"We're very upset that our names got out," Lewis said. "We're private people, and you don't want to be on the front page of the paper."
But it's tough to keep a low profile while buying the largest house in St. Charles County, and one of the most lavish in the area.
The exact size of the Atkinson mansion is difficult to peg. An indoor swimming pool, basketball court and locker room suite aren't finished, so those areas aren't counted in most measurements. St. Charles County Assessor Scott Shipman has said the county's figure is 20,752 square feet, but that doesn't include a very large, finished lower level. A real estate listing set the size as 32,767 square feet.
Lewis is no stranger to swell living. His own home, a 8,197-square-foot contemporary mansion in Chesterfield, is listed for sale at just under $4 million. A real estate listing calls Lewis' house a "custom compound" that boasts palm trees growing in a 50-foot atrium.
Lewis' purchase of the Atkinson mansion isn't contingent on his first selling his own house. According to the sales contract, closing on the property is to happen 10 days after the sale wins court approval.
Lewis' agency made its reputation in the National Football League by identifying strong midlevel players and negotiating lucrative contracts for them, especially with their second deals.
Bart Scott, a linebacker with the New York Jets, is a good example. Once an undrafted player from Southern Illinois University Carbondale, Scott's most recent contract, negotiated by Lewis, was for five years and $40 million.
Lewis has represented several former Rams, including linebacker Mike Jones, who made the Super Bowl-saving tackle against Tennessee in 2000, and defensive end Kevin Carter.
In addition to signing off on the mansion sale, U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Charles Rendlen III also on Wednesday approved the sale of two vacation homes owned by Cory Atkinson, Darain's brother and co-owner of US Fidelis. The houses — situated at Lake of the Ozarks and near Lake Tahoe — will fetch at least $3.1 million. Prospective buyers have made offers, although they are subject to competitive bids.
The Atkinson brothers surrendered virtually their entire fortunes — including the Lake Saint Louis mansion and other luxury properties — to settle a suit alleging that they plundered US Fidelis to the tune of more than $101 million.
