CHICAGO (Reuters) – Former Chicago Board of Trade Chairman Patrick Arbor is accused of fleeing the United States to avoid paying millions of dollars to his ex-wife, the Chicago Sun-Times reported on Saturday.
A judge in Cook County, Illinois, which includes Chicago, issued a bench warrant on Tuesday that calls for Arbor to be jailed until he pays $288,983 to his ex-wife Antoinette Vigilante, according to the Sun-Times.
Arbor, who turns 77 on Friday, has repeatedly ignored judge’s orders in his divorce case, the newspaper said. He has been ordered to pay Vigilante, 56, more than $18 million and is thought to have moved to Italy or Switzerland, according to the report.
“I can’t talk about it,” Arbor told Reuters on Saturday when reached on his cellphone.
Asked where he was, Arbor said: “I’m in Europe. I’m an Italian citizen.”
Arbor was chairman of the Chicago Board of Trade, now owned by CME Group Inc , from 1993 to 1999.
A Cook County judge issued an arrest warrant for him on April 10 for contempt of court and set his bail at $24,887, according to the Cook County Sheriff’s Office website.
County court records show that Vigilante filed for a divorce from Arbor last year and that a final judgment was entered on Tuesday. Vigilante could not be reached for comment.
(Reporting by Tom Polansek; Editing by James Dalgleish)
