He took sand from the sea: how the greed of a US billionaire ended

Billionaire Mark Attanasio, owner of the Milwaukee Brewers baseball team, illegally removed sand from a public beach in Malibu to repair his estate. The California Coastal Commission approved a settlement requiring Attanasio's company to restore the shoreline and transfer property worth about $2 million to public use.

American billionaire Mark Attanasio, owner of the Milwaukee Brewers baseball team, found himself at the center of a scandal over the illegal use of sand from a public beach in Malibu to repair his estate. The conflict began about two years ago when Attanasio's neighbor, billionaire James Kohlberg, filed a lawsuit alleging that construction equipment was working in the coastal zone and removing sand, gravel, and stones from public land. Although Attanasio had permits to repair a retaining wall, they prohibited the use of heavy machinery in the tidal zone and the extraction of sand. The California Coastal Commission conducted an investigation and found that the construction company illegally used an excavator in a vulnerable ecosystem. On September 10, the commission unanimously approved a settlement. Attanasio's company is required to restore the damaged shoreline, transfer property worth about $2 million in eastern Malibu to public use, and dismantle a private staircase and stone wall that restricted access to the coast.