Former Fox News Chairman and CEO Roger Ailes has been identified as the buyer behind the trust that paid $36 million in September for a never-lived-in house at 6 Ocean Lane in Palm Beach, public records show.
Ailes signed a "declaration of domicile" stating that he was a Florida resident and listing the Ocean Lane house as his address. The declaration was recorded Nov. 16, 2016, by the Palm Beach County Clerk's Office.
Some media outlets at the time of the sale, citing unnamed sources, reported that Ailes was behind the purchase.
In July, Ailes resigned from the conservative news network in the wake of fallout from a lawsuit filed two weeks prior by former Fox anchor Gretchen Carlson. Her suit alleged that Ailes had sexually harassed her during her time at the network, charges that he denied.
The suit was followed by similar allegations by other women, including Fox anchor Megyn Kelly, who later left the network. Ailes has denied any wrongdoing.
Ailes spent 20 years at Fox News, which he co-founded with British tabloid king Rupert Murdock, who took over his role there after Ailes’ resignation.
Media reports at the time said that Ailes left Fox News with a settlement package totaling around $40 million, about the same amount his trust paid for the Palm Beach house, which was developed on speculation.
The declaration of domicile said Ailes plans to maintain his “permanent home” in Florida and lists previous addresses in Cresskill, N.J., and Garrison, N.Y.
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