Plea-Bargain Home

Former Merrill Lynch & Co. executive Daniel Gordon, who has faced civil and criminal charges in recent years, is putting his Connecticut mansion up for auction. The three-story, 6,776-square-foot Old Lyme estate goes on the block Tuesday, according to Carl Carter of J.P. King Auction Co., which is handling the sale.

Mr. Gordon, 28 years old, ran Merrill's global energy markets division before pleading guilty last December to criminal charges including the embezzlement of $43 million from Merrill by creating a phony insurance company. He has yet to be sentenced. (Mr. Gordon also settled Securities and Exchange Commission civil charges related to transactions with Enron Corp., without admitting or denying wrongdoing.)

Mr. Gordon's lawyer, Alan Levine, declined to comment. The five-bedroom, seven-bath estate, surrounded by 21 acres, has views of Long Island Sound and the Connecticut River. A guest cottage, heated pool, spa and tennis court also are on the grounds, according to the listing. Mr. Gordon bought the home in 2002 for $3.56 million, public records show. He chose to auction the home to avoid "a prolonged marketing period" that typically comes with the sale of high-end homes, Mr. Carter says.

Elk, Deer and 5-Star Suites

The former co-owner of the Florida Marlins, Harris "Whit" Hudson, is putting 60,000 acres of his Colorado property on the auction block. The six neighboring ranches in Rio Blanco County in northern Colorado will go to the highest bidder, each in a separate auction on Thursday, according to William Bone, of National Auction Group, which is handling the sale. The land will be sold in an absolute auction, which means it will be sold regardless of price, according to Mr. Hudson. The centerpiece: Buffalo Horn Ranch, a 40,000-acre sportsman's hunting lodge with 13 five-star suites set along Colorado's White River.

Visitors pay upward of $10,000 a week to stay on the property, which has a working cattle ranch, bird hunting, fly-fishing streams and more than 12,000 elk and deer. Mr. Hudson is the vice chairman of Republic Services Inc., one of the largest solid-waste management companies. He purchased the properties over several years beginning in 1994 and began developing the land for hunting and fishing in 1998. Estimates on what the properties will fetch vary, but a much smaller parcel of land in the same county sold in September for $16 million to golfer Greg Norman. That property was owned by Wall Street financier Henry Kravis.

Newport's News

A Newport, R.I., estate sold for $10.3 million last month, making it the highest price paid for a single-family residence in the city's history. The deed lists Avalon Properties Inc. as the sellers and Atlantic Properties Revocable as the buyers. Neither firm returned calls for comment. The 8,300-square-foot Spanish-style villa once was owned by Candace and James Van Alen, Newport socialites and the founders of the International Tennis Hall of Fame. It sits on 45 acres along Ocean Avenue, a stretch of Newport lined with historic properties. The home has nine bedrooms, seven bathrooms and panoramic views of the Atlantic Ocean. The mansion went on the market four years ago at $12 million, according to Jay Serzan, who brokered the sale for Gustave J.S. White Real Estate. Hammersmith Farm, the former summerhouse of President Kennedy and the childhood home of Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy, had been the most expensive residence sold in Newport. It sold for $8.25 million in 1999.

Home View/ Wish List

Name/Title: Grace Won, lawyer, Farella, Braun & Martel in San Francisco
Looking for: Three-bedroom, two-bath house in city's Jordan Park, Presidio Heights or Pacific Heights areas.
Started Looking: April; broker is Steven Mavromihalis of Pacific Union GMAC Real Estate Services
Price Range: $1.75 million to $3 million
Deal Killer: Backyard is a must
How It's Going: While Ms. Won and her husband, Richard Holden, a Google Inc. product manager, haven't found a house they're "dying to live in," she says they're not in a hurry. The couple has been looking to move since they had a baby girl; they'd like her to grow up with a backyard in a family-oriented area. "There seems to be a small baby boom here," she says, "and everybody's looking for the same kind of house."

Email your comments to rjeditor@dowjones.com.