Maria Bartiromo could be called as a witness in the nasty divorce of ex-Citigroup honcho Todd S. Thomson, who famously offered the Money Honey a ride on his corporate private jet, sparking rumors of an affair.
Thomson — who was Citigroup CFO for five years CEO of Citigroup’s Global Wealth Management Division until he took CNBC doyenne Bartiromo to a 2007 event in Asia on Citi’s jet and then was fired — is in the middle of a bitter divorce with his wife of 25 years, Melissa, with whom he has three children.
The Wall Street Journal reported at the time that Thomson, now founder and CEO of Manhattan-based private equity firm Headwaters Capital, bumped execs from the return flight so he might fly back alone with Bartiromo, bankrolled Citi functions and TV shows that featured her, and named the glamorous TV anchor to a board he created inside his alma mater, Wharton business school.
Thomson insisted in 2007 that his relationship with Bartiromo, who is married to Jonathan Steinberg, was “appropriate.” But Page Six can now exclusively reveal that a Connecticut court has granted his wife Melissa permission to depose Bartiromo, 46, stating that “certain facts which are in issue, or which directly assist in proving the Plaintiff’s [Melissa’s] case, are within the knowledge or power of [Bartiromo].”
However sources close to Bartiromo insist she has not yet been served with papers and has no knowledge of Thomson’s divorce.
Papers filed in Stamford, Conn., by Melissa’s lawyers claim that in April this year, Todd admitted to her “a base, immoral and disreputable act he had committed, and the sight of the Defendant [Todd] now disgusts and traumatizes the Plaintiff.” It is not believed this “act” refers to Bartiromo.
While the papers cite the reason for divorce is that their marriage had “broken down irretrievably,” the court also granted permission to depose classical violinist Eugenia Choi. Melissa is also demanding a list of any money, gifts or property he gave Canadian-Korean Choi, a Juilliard graduate who also teaches the violin to children.
Melissa is asking for receipts for meals, hotels or travel, photos of Todd and Choi together; correspondence, texts, e-mails and phone bills showing their communications from 2008 to this year. The subpoena also insists that Choi, “Produce all documents and records including but not limited to credit card receipts and cancelled checks, in any way pertaining to any nights which you and Todd S Thomson spent together …from January 1 2008 to March 5 2013.”
Melissa is also demanding the marital multi-million dollar Rowayton, CT, home in the divorce and joint custody of their minor children Ethan, 16, and Kaela, 13. They also have 20-year-old Taylor who sometimes lives at the house. She is also asking for child support and alimony.
Melissa wants Todd, who lives in a rented apartment in Manhattan, to stay away from the family home stating in the court papers, “The Defendant’s (Todd) presence causes significant stress to the Plaintiff and the minor children.
“The Defendant has treated and continues to treat the Plaintiff in a hostile and demeaning manner, which treatment causes the Plaintiff distress and anxiety.”
Lawyers for both Todd and Melissa didn’t get back to us. Choi didn’t return an e-mail for comment, and CNBC declined to comment on Behalf of Bartiromo.