Merrill Lynch CEO Spent $1,220,000 On Office Renovation As Company Prepared To Burn

How did Merrill Lynch’s former CEO spend $1.22 million redecorating his office? The Daily Beast counts the ways.

This morning in a Daily Beast/CNBC exclusive, Charlie Gasparino obtained documents about $1.22 million of company money that former Merrill Lynch CEO John Thain spent on his office, just as the financial crisis was hitting the firm. Thain announced his resignation this morning, less than a month after his brokerage firm was taken over by Bank of America. Does he get to take his goodies with him?



Below, The Daily Beast presents Thain’s top 16 outrages.

1) $2,700 for six wall sconces.
2) $5,000 for a mirror in his private dining room.
3) $11,000 for fabric for a "Roman Shade.”
4) $13,000 for a chandelier in the private dining room.
5) $15,000 for a sofa.
6) $16,000 for a "custom coffee table.”
7) $18,000 for a “George IV Desk.”
8) $25,000 for a "mahogany pedestal table.”
9) $28,000 for four pairs of curtains.
10) $35,000 for something called a "commode on legs.”
11) $37,000 for six chairs in his private dining room.
12) $68,000 for a "19th Century Credenza" in his office.
13) $87,000 for a pair of guest chairs.
14) $87,000 for an area rug in Thain's conference room and another area rug for $44,000.
15) $230,000 to his driver for one year’s work.
16) $800,000 to hire celebrity designer Michael Smith, who is currently redesigning the White House for the Obama family for just $100,000.



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