Avila mansion once owned by corporate raider Paul Bilzerian for sale for $6.5 million

TAMPA — One of Tampa Bay's largest mansions, a 10-bedroom castle once owned by disgraced corporate raider Paul Bilzerian, was listed for sale Tuesday at $6.5 million, sales records show.

Sprawling across more than three lakefront acres in Avila, the elite enclave in north Tampa, the gated brick mansion includes an "athletic wing" with an indoor basketball court and four fireplaces.

The mansion spans more than 22,000 square feet, with a wine room, elevator and sweeping grand staircase. A guest house alone is the size of an executive estate, with four bathrooms, a study and twin fireplaces.

In 1989, when Bilzerian's net worth was $81 million, he was sentenced to more than a year in prison for securities fraud and tax crimes tied to several failed corporate takeovers. In 1992, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission won a $62 million judgment from Bilzerian for illegal stock manipulation.

The home, built in 1992, is listed by Smith & Associates agent Dina Sierra Smith.

Agents are working with a court-appointed receiver after the home's owner, DAER Holdings, entered into default. Any sale will require court approval.

Contact Drew Harwell at (727) 893-8252 or dharwell@tampabay.com.