Levinson Jewelers Fort Lauderdale

Mark Levinson of Levinson Jewelers Fort Lauderdale was found dead early this morning from a self inflicted gun shot wound.  One of the most prominent jewelers in South Florida, Levinson had ads all over and promoted his business with former Miami Dolphins quarterback Dan Marino.  He even used the gorgeous wife of current Dolphins QB Ryan Tannehill in jewelry ads.  Levinson Jewelers has a huge building in downtown Fort Lauderdale and is one of the largest jewelers in the area.  However, they were in the news a lot lately due to Mark Levinson’s connection to convicted lawyer Scott Rothstein.  At the moment it is unclear why Levinson shot himself, however speculation points to a lot of stress building up about the accusations against him.

Levinson’s body was found outside in a yard next door to his gorgeous Fort Lauderdale waterfront estate.  According to the investigation, there was a suicide note and a text message sent to his wife Robin who is a partner in the business.  The details of the note have not been released but should provide more clarity to the situation when they are.

Levinson, who was 60 at his time of death, was heavily involved in local charities and causes.   For many years his pitchman was Dan Marino.  It just goes to show you never know what’s going on behind closed doors.  There have been rumors of sketchy business deals for years, and his involvement with Rothstein only made those accusations worse.

Levinson Jewelers was Scott Rothstein’s favorite jewelry store.  Scott and his wife Kimberly were a pair of social climbers who spent more than $10 million at the store.  According to reports, the Levinson’s knew that Rothstein was spending investors money on goods for themselves when they should have been investing it for their clients.  Levinson was never charged with a crime but clearly he was under a lot of stress given his suicide.  Rothstein, meanwhile, is serving out a 50 year jail sentence.

And while Levinson was never formally charged with a crime, he was sued by a bankruptcy trustee for Rothstein’s former lawfirm.  They sought to collect millions in penalties from Levinson because Rothstein used his law to orchestrate a $1.2 billion ponzi scheme.  Then, he spent millions of those dollars at Levinson jewelers.

In 2013, the trustee and Levinson reached a settlement for $650,000.  Mark and his wife Robin were ordered to make a series of payments over last year that would then be turned over to Rothstein’s investors.

According to the Broward County Medical Examiners Office, 4:42 AM February 24th, 2015 was the time when the death of Mark Levinson was reported.  His body arrived at the morgue around 7:30 AM.  He died of a single gun shot wound to the head.  “We’ve already ruled on the death.  It was a contact gunshot wound to the head,” Mallack told the Miami Herald.  “There was a suicide note.  Everything was consistent with a suicide.”

Our thoughts and prayers are with the Levinson’s.