Sandy Bentley — Biography
Born May 18, 1978, in Joliet, Illinois, Sandy Bentley achieved recognition, both on her own and alongside her sister Amanda, as one half of the Bentley Twins. These striking 5-foot-9-inch siblings graced the cover of Playboy in May 2000. Their association with Hugh Hefner saw them reside at the Playboy Mansion as live-in companions during 1999 and 2000. The twins also made appearances on television, featuring in an episode of Two and a Half Men on October 3, 2005, Sex and the City on September 17, 2000, and The Daily Show with Jon Stewart on April 24, 2000.
Following her time with Hefner, Sandy entered into a relationship with financier Mark Yagalla, who showered her with opulent gifts, including valuable jewelry. When Yagalla was apprehended for orchestrating a Ponzi scheme, a federal receiver was appointed to reclaim funds he had misappropriated from clients of his $40 million Asbury Capital Fund. Sandy was subsequently directed to return the presents she had received, a collection that reportedly included nearly a million dollars worth of jewels. Sandy, along with her new partner, nightclub bouncer Michael Tardio, attempted to sell some of this jewelry. Tardio arranged a meeting with a prospective buyer on the evening of September 2, 2002. Tragically, both Tardio and his associate, Christopher Monson, were discovered later that night, deceased from gunshot wounds, inside a burning Mercedes SUV parked in Studio City, California. The jewelry was never recovered. In 2003, Yagalla pleaded guilty to securities fraud and received a sentence of five years and five months at Pensacola Federal Prison. The government successfully recovered $1.3 million through an auction of his assets. The events surrounding this case were highlighted in the CBS documentary series 48 Hours Mystery in February 2011, and the Studio City City Council offered a $75,000 reward to aid in solving the crime. Notably, many individuals connected to these events were regular patrons of the Garden of Eden nightclub, where Tardio worked as a doorman.
Following her time with Hefner, Sandy entered into a relationship with financier Mark Yagalla, who showered her with opulent gifts, including valuable jewelry. When Yagalla was apprehended for orchestrating a Ponzi scheme, a federal receiver was appointed to reclaim funds he had misappropriated from clients of his $40 million Asbury Capital Fund. Sandy was subsequently directed to return the presents she had received, a collection that reportedly included nearly a million dollars worth of jewels. Sandy, along with her new partner, nightclub bouncer Michael Tardio, attempted to sell some of this jewelry. Tardio arranged a meeting with a prospective buyer on the evening of September 2, 2002. Tragically, both Tardio and his associate, Christopher Monson, were discovered later that night, deceased from gunshot wounds, inside a burning Mercedes SUV parked in Studio City, California. The jewelry was never recovered. In 2003, Yagalla pleaded guilty to securities fraud and received a sentence of five years and five months at Pensacola Federal Prison. The government successfully recovered $1.3 million through an auction of his assets. The events surrounding this case were highlighted in the CBS documentary series 48 Hours Mystery in February 2011, and the Studio City City Council offered a $75,000 reward to aid in solving the crime. Notably, many individuals connected to these events were regular patrons of the Garden of Eden nightclub, where Tardio worked as a doorman.
