Fraudster Frank Sharp’s Old Mansion Sold Asking $16 Million

A mansion once owned by the real estate player behind one of Texas’ biggest political scandals recently sold after asking double the price of its last trade.

Steel magnate Daniel Benditz sold 2307 River Oaks Boulevard on Thursday to a trust managed by wealth manager James Kull, Harris County records show.

The home was listed for $16 million at the time, or about $1,400 per square foot, earning it a spot among the most-expensive listings in Texas in June, according to the Houston Association of Realtors.

The sale price isn’t available, but based on the property’s last ask, the seller turned a tidy profit.

Benditz bought the 11,200-square-foot River Oaks home with a $3.5 million loan a decade ago, when it was asking $7.9 million, according to Zillow and county records.

Built in 1952, the manicured mansion presents a traditional European look with an ornate front drive, a balustraded, stone-and-stucco exterior and a pool with a wall fountain. The six-bedroom, 10-bathroom home sits on a 0.8-acre lot. Amenities include a guest suite, a wine room, and a gym and health area that includes a steam room.

Until 1984, the home belonged to real estate developer Frank Sharp, responsible for the Oak Forest neighborhood, billed in 1948 as one of the country’s largest single-family developments, and for Sharpstown, the city’s first master-planned subdivision.

Sharp was found guilty of a stock fraud scheme that brought down several prominent Texas politicians in the 1970s.

Houston’s top listings and sales are often in the River Oaks Country Club Estate subdivision, a golf course-anchored development established in the 1920s.

A mile away, 3630 Willowick Road was the most expensive sale in the state last year. River Oaks was one of just two neighborhoods represented in the top 11 Houston listings of 2024, sharing the prestige with the Memorial area.