Marcus Eberhardt

Marcus Prinz von Anhalt (born Marcus Frank Adolf Eberhardt; 20 December 1966), more commonly known as Prinz Markus, is a German businessman, nightclub and brothel owner, whose luxurious lifestyle results in some coverage in the German yellow press.

Early life and career Prinz von Anhalt was born Marcus Frank Adolf Eberhardt on 20 December 1966, in Pforzheim, Germany, allegedly to a wealthy family. Prinz von Anhalt claims his parents owned a jewelry store, before their business was declared bankrupt and the family lost vast amounts of their wealth. At age 13, Eberhardt held many jobs, and left school at 16 to become an apprentice butcher. He started a cleaning service, which was a subsidiary for the butcher business, and was receiving a combined income of 6000 Deutsche Mark at age 16. He completed another apprenticeship to become a chef, opening several restaurants and starting an interior design business.

Eberhardt further diversified his organization by opening several table-dance bars and gentlemen's clubs in the United States. He later bought several brothels, earning the nickname "red-light king." After this investment, Eberhardt was charged with money laundering, tax fraud and human trafficking.

He is one of the largest and most visible owners of brothels in Germany, with over twenty brothels and night clubs. He has served four years in prison, for human trafficking and tax evasion. He claims to be a millionaire "in the three digit range," owning about 40 cars, real estate in Los Angeles (a mansion in Bel Air he shared with Zsa Zsa Gabor and Frédéric Prinz von Anhalt), Fort Lauderdale, Pforzheim, St. Gallen, Dubai and Monaco, and to have 12 bodyguards and 25 servants.

Imprisonment In November 2014 Marcus Prinz von Anhalt was sentenced to prison again. The judgement is not legally binding yet. While appealing the sentence, Prinz von Anhalt spent two years in detention.

The prison sentence of 4 years was based on charges of tax evasion and fraud. Von Anhalt had stated in the letter that "the district attorney is probably the dumbest district attorney in the world, that he has serious personal issues, that he squints and is poky and he merely is a cheap George Clooney wannabe."

Animal abuse Marcus Prinz von Anhalt is frequently criticized by animal rights activists, such as PETA, for animal abuse. He owns a private zoo in Dubai, where several wild animals such as tigers or white lions, are kept under poor conditions and are treated as toys.

In August 2023, von Anhalt posted a video on Instagram that showed him hitting his pet tortoise by kicking a soccer ball at it. Because of this animal abuse, the District Court Frankfurt sentenced von Anhalt to a 400,000 Euro fine and also forbade him to personally hold any pets for at least three years.