The motive for his murder was a mystery, as there were many people who had problems with him, including those from the U.S. Justice Department, several multi-billion dollar corporations/conglomerates, and his own wife.
He arranged a refinancing plan, to create a reserve fund and pay for renovations to the building, but also siphoned money into his own account, forged statements, and eventually embezzled $3.9 million.
He entered into a civil settlement in October 2003, and was confident that the matter had been resolved and the board would not go public; however, a grand jury in Manhattan charged Mr. Kissel with grand larceny and other crimes in connection with the $4.7 million that he admitted owing the co-op because of money he took during the seven years he was treasurer.
[4] Another item in his car collection was one of the original four 1984 Pontiac Trans Am automobiles used in the TV series "Knight Rider".
In order to pay off some of the estimated $30 million debt owed to various creditors (including the Internal Revenue Service), many pieces of his collections were sold off.
He was acquitted of the murder charge, as the jury found too many parts of the prosecution's story were left unproven.
[9][10] Instead, Carlos Trujillo entered a guilty plea to the attempted murder charge and received a six-year prison sentence, followed by deportation to his home country, Colombia.