'Lien'ing On Fugitive Financier

A judge has levied a $1 million lien on two estates owned by missing money manager Martin Frankel.

The lien was attached at the request of David Rosse, Frankel's former bodyguard, who is suing the missing money manager for allegedly connecting him to a fraudulent charity, The Greenwich Times reported Wednesday.

The 44-year-old fugitive financier, accused of embezzling at least $215 million from insurance companies in five states, is wanted on federal wire fraud and money laundering charges.

Also missing is as much as $1.98 billion from the St. Francis of Assisi Foundation, a purported charity established in the British Virgin Islands.

Authorities say Frankel used the alias Â"David RosseÂ" to set up the charity. Rosse last week sued Frankel for more than $1 million, charging misappropriation of his name.

Superior Court Judge Frank D'Andrea Jr. signed the lien Tuesday.

Frankel has been missing since May 5, when firefighters called to his mansion found a blazing file cabinet and two fireplaces stuffed with burning documents. Left behind was a to-do list with item No. 1: Â"Launder moneyÂ" and astrological charts designed to answer such questions as Â"Will I go to prison?Â"

He is believed to have fled to Europe.

The Hartford Courant reported that Frankel may be financing his life on the run with $10 million in diamonds he bought shortly before disappearing.

The newspaper said Frankel transferred $10 million to the Beverly Hills branch of an Israeli bank, where it was deposited into the account of World Wide Diamond, an international wholesaler based in Los Angeles. The FBI is attempting to seize the $10 million from the diamond company.

Robert Wiener, who operates World Wide Diamond, declined to comment.