Socialite spared jail time
SOCIALITE Tinsley Mortimer has finally put an end to her tumultuous relationship with wealthy scion Nico Fanjul — and escaped a jail sentence — by agreeing to stay away from him following a trespassing arrest earlier this year.
Mortimer, who appeared on the reality show “High Society,” was arrested outside the home of Nico, son of billionaire sugar baron Alexander, in April, crying that he was in the house with another woman. Mortimer had earlier been issued a trespassing warning last October.
At the time, the socialite claimed she was there to get her purse, and allegations surfaced that the relationship was abusive. Mortimer was hospitalized “due to a possible battery” in 2013. And in 2014, “[Mortimer] said Fanjul . . . tried to smother her with a pillow,” according to police. Later that year a neighbor told police he “witnessed Fanjul tackle [Mortimer] and push her head into the pavement.”
This week, Mortimer decided to sign a deal agreeing to not contact Nico and to stay away from his home and his powerful family, rather than facing off with him in court.
“She just didn’t want to live with this anymore,” says a source close to Mortimer. “She doesn’t want to talk to Nico now, or in 30 years, so what difference does it make? She could have gone to trial, but she didn’t want to drag people through the mud. Plus, she believes of the legal system [that] if you have money and power, you can get away with anything.”
The charges will be officially dismissed on Dec. 30, as long as she is not arrested for another crime or traffic violation, in which case she might face jail. Mortimer is in counseling, and has spoken to other domestic-violence victims. “Being arrested saved her life in so many ways,” says the source. “She can’t imagine why she let herself fall in love with someone like this.”
Nico’s mother, Nicole, has denied the abuse allegations. “All [Mortimer’s] black-and-blue stuff is what she’s done to herself or what somebody else has done to her,” Nicole told The Post in April. “This makes ‘Fatal Attraction’ look like a cartoon. She’s insane . . . She’s going up against us and she’s going down.”