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Mel B Has Squandered Her $50M Spice Girls Fortune

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Mel B bruises-Stephen Belafonte-RW
Mel B Has Squandered Her $50M Spice Girls Fortune, court is told as her estranged husband demands she sells $8 million Los Angeles home

  • The former Spice Girl arrived at Los Angeles Superior Court on Friday morning for the next round of her divorce from Stephen Belafonte
  • Brown, 42, and Belafonte, 42, split in March amid claims of domestic violence and sordid sexual practices
  • Belafonte is demanding tens of thousands of dollars a month in maintenance and spousal support
  • But his lawyer told the court they led ‘extravagant’ lifestyle and said: ‘She wiped out all her Spice Girls money.’

Former Spice Girls star Mel B has wiped out her multi-million fortune after leading an ‘extravagant’ lifestyle, a court was told during a bitter divorce battle.

The singer, 42, attended court in Los Angeles on Friday for the first time to face Stephen Belafonte, who she says subjected her to years of physical and mental abuse.

The pair both have outstanding tax debts after making ‘improvident’ lifestyle choices, Los Angeles Superior Court was told.

She was revealed to be making between $194,000 and $198,000 a month.

Belafonte, who claims his income is zero, is asking for backdated wages of $118,000, $2,728 in perks, $71,581 in spousal support and $200,000 to pay for his ongoing legal costs.

His lawyer, Grace Jamra, asked Judge Lawrence Riff to order the sale of the couple’s Los Angeles home if necessary. It is currently on the market for $8 million.

She said said: ‘Their lifestyle was extravagant and affluent.

‘She wiped out all her Spice Girls money, approximately [$]50 million if not more.’

In exclusive DailyMail.com pictures the former Spice Girl looked confident as she strode into the downtown LA court building in black pants, a white shirt, lace tie and a pair of trendy black shades.

Flanked by her legal reps, the pop star stayed quiet as she entered the building.

The former couple, who were married for 10 years, are battling over money and custody of their child.

Mel B, whose real name is Melanie Brown, sat clutching a tissue at the far side of the court to the suited Belafonte and they were separated by four lawyers.

Jacalyn Davis, representing Brown, spoke of their tax problems, saying they were ‘sustained through improvident lifestyle choices’.

‘They never had money at the end of the year to pay their taxes,’ she added.

‘All their community income was being spent and then some.

‘In this marriage that would be Miss Brown’s income from the Spice Girls.

‘Prickly things happen when the IRS (Internal Revenue Service) doesn’t get paid.’

Mel B-court

On Friday, Judge Riff told the former couple he was ‘sorry they engaged in such a rancorous fight’ as he concluded the spousal support hearing.

He postponed his decision on whether Belafonte will be granted a total of $118,000 in spousal support – backdated to March – until Wednesday.

Judge Riff’s decision to postpone came at the end of a bad-tempered hearing that lasted over two and a half hours – split into two sessions.

Neither Brown nor Belafonte spoke during the lengthy hearing, and both refused to comment afterwards.

Attorney Larry Bakman, who is acting for Brown in a parallel domestic violence case against Belafonte told DailyMail.com that he cannot comment until Judge Riff has made his order regarding spousal support.

He said: ‘No – I will comment when we get the order. I have no idea [of the result]. No idea at all which way the chips are going fall.’

Lawyers for both parties will return to LA’s Stanley Mosk courthouse on Wednesday to collect an order detailing the judge’s decision.

Brown previously won a temporary restraining order after arguing her husband is abusive and has links to the porn industry.

Her lawyers claimed he was a danger to their child as a ‘convicted domestic violence offender’ with an ‘extensive criminal history’.

Ms Jamra argued the allegations were part of ‘an ongoing smear campaign’.

But Judge Riff ruled Belafonte, 42, could only see five-year-old Madison twice a week at a supervised center.

Brown, now a judge on America’s Got Talent, married the film producer in Las Vegas in June 2007.

She filed for divorce on March 20, citing ‘irreconcilable differences’.

Mel, 42, earlier obtained a temporary restraining order against Belafonte accusing him of mental and physical abuse, taking millions of dollars from her and forcing her into threesome sex, in explosive court papers.

The TV presenter also described how she was once so desperate she took an overdose.

And she also accuses her husband, also 42, of having an affair with their nanny Lorraine Gilles which resulted in the woman becoming pregnant.

She said in the filing earlier this year: ‘I have tried to leave the Respondent many times. Every time I tried, the Respondent threatened me with violence and threatened to destroy my life in every way.’

Belafonte has denied the claims and said that he has been set up and made to look like a ‘bad guy.’

Belafonte, a producer, has claimed to be homeless, in debt and without income following the break-up of the marriage.

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Stephen Belafonte leaving court

According to TMZ, Mel B has refused to meet his request for $4,300 a month to cover food and groceries as well a $2,000-a-month clothing allowance.

She says that since he is staying with friends, he doesn’t need to be given $11,000 to pay for housing each month, and she declined to pay $750 a month for his cell phone bill.

Brown, a singer and judge on America’s Got Talent, filed for divorce from Belafonte, the father of her youngest child, in March after 10 years of marriage.

She successfully obtained a restraining order against him after alleging abuse.

The film producer was kicked out of his family house following the break-up. He claims that prior to the breakup, he and Mel had lived a comfortable life and money was never an obstacle.

Belafonte claimed in court docs that his ex makes ‘$220,000 and $250,000 a month’ after making $1.587 million from her America’s Got Talent contract.

Additionally he claims she makes $300,000 a year from her contract with nutrition company Jenny Craig.

While he was granted access to Madison, Stephen lost his battle to regain contact with Mel’s daughter Angel, who was born three months before the pair’s wedding in 2007. She is the daughter of Eddie Murphy, but carries Belafonte’s name.

Mel B-Stephen Belafonte-family

Mel B & Stephen Belafonte during happier times. [L-R] Angel Iris Murphy Brown, Mel’s daughter with Eddie Murphy, Mel B, Stephen Belafonte, Madison Brown Belafonte, Mel & Stephen’s daughter, Phoenix Chi Gulzar, Mel’s daughter with first daughter with first husband Jimmy Gulzar.

Following the hearing in late April, Mel’s lawyer Larry Bakman immediately opposed giving Belafonte visitation rights, as he branded him a ‘convicted domestic violence offender’ with an ‘extensive criminal history’.

He went on to claim that Stephen had been ‘involved in adult pornography’ and the ‘importation of women from other countries’ to work in the industry as well as ‘possible money laundering’.

Mel filed for divorce on March 20 and said in court papers that she was the victim of ‘multiple physical beatings’ at the hands of her husband.

She also claimed he threatened to ‘destroy’ her career by releasing sex tapes of her. Lawyers for Belafonte have branded the allegations ‘outrageous and unfounded’, and ‘nothing more than a smear campaign’

Brown also secured a five-year restraining order against the couple’s former nanny Gilles.

Via: Daily Mail

Mel B-Stephen Belafonte-timeline