Anthony Marshall, 83, the only child of the late socialite and philanthropist Brooke Astor, pleaded innocent on Tuesday to charges that he robbed his mother’s $198-million estate and falsified business reports; he posted $100,000 bond and surrendered his passport before leaving court.

Brooke Astor’s son and one of her former employees have been indicted by a grand jury on criminal charges regarding the management of her financial affairs and the handling of her will, the Manhattan district attorney said in a news conference Tuesday.

Marshall was indicted on 16 counts, including grand larceny, criminal possession of stolen property, conspiracy and falsifying business reports. He surrendered to authorities Tuesday morning.

Astor’s former lawyer, Francis X. Morrissey Jr., was indicted on six counts, including forgery, conspiracy and possession of a forged instrument. Morrissey is expected to appear in court later in the week, prosecutors said. The indictment alleges Astor's signature was forged on a modified will that transferred money from some of her favorite charities into Marshall's control, reports Reuters.

“Marshall and Morrissey took advantage of Mrs. Astor’s diminished mental capacity in a scheme to defraud her and others out of millions of dollars,” said the district attorney, Robert M. Morgenthau, as quoted by the New York Times.

“Marshall abused his power of attorney and convinced Mrs. Astor to sell property by falsely telling her that she was running out of money. He is charged with stealing money from her as well as stealing valuable art work from her Park Avenue apartment.”

The two men are accused of convincing Astor to change her will, leaving her estate to Marshall instead of leaving money to charity, as she had long wished.

Marshall is also accused of selling one of his mother’s favorite paintings, “Up the Avenue from Thirty-Fourth Street, May 1917” by Childe Hassam, in March 2002 through a private gallery. The painting was sold for $10 million and Mr. Marshall took a $2 million commission, according to the Times.

He is likewise accused of stealing more than $600,000 of his mother’s money for expenses associated with an estate in Maine called Cove End, which in turn he is accused of having persuaded his mother to give it to him in May 2003. He is also charged with stealing an additional $52,000 from his mother to pay the wages of a yacht captain.

Astor passed away in August at the age of 105. She had been in failing health for some years and these were also marred by a controversial dispute within the family, as grandson Philip Marshall, Anthony Marshall’s son, accused his father of neglecting her and keeping her in miserable conditions. Annette de la Renta, wife of fashion designer Oscar de la Renta and a close friend of Astor’s, was subsequently named guardian.

Astor had married into one of America’s wealthiest families; she and Vincent Astor, son of millionaire businessman John Jacob Astor, were married for five years before he died of a heart attack. Astor became heir to a tremendous fortune and devoted herself to philanthropic activities. She inherited some $60 million, which reportedly multiplied into hundreds of millions, allowing her to donate some $195 million to libraries, museums and charitable groups, reports the Times.

Anthony Marshall was her only child, born during her first marriage. Her union with Vincent Astor was the third and last.

“Tony Marshall faithfully and effectively managed his mother's affairs for more than 25 years, increasing the value of her investments from $19 million to $82 million,” Marshall's lawyer, Kenneth E. Warner, said in a written statement. “Brooke Astor loved Tony, her only child, and whatever he received was in accordance with her wishes.”

Marshall had previously denied his son’s accusations of maltreatment towards Astor.

Marshall, a Tony Award-winning Broadway producer, pleaded not guilty to the charges Tuesday in New York State Supreme Court, posted $100,000 in bail and surrendered his passport before leaving with his wife, Charlene.