Filomena Tobias is the latest Internet sensation after she was snapped giving a one-fingered salute to center Joakim Noah at the recent Bulls vs. Heat game .
Tobias was caught on camera passionately flipping the bird at Noah after he was ejected in the fourth quarter of Wednesday’s game.
It’s an arresting image, alright: Tobias’ face is contorted with an impressive level of hatred and bile as she appears to screech in Noah’s face, while a male fan vainly tries (and fails) to replicate her utter disgust .
The image quickly went viral, prompting The South Florida Sun Sentinel to get in touch with the charming lady herself. While Filomena was too busy to comment, daughter Victoria Racanati obliged:
“She’s embarrassed, but she is being a good sport. She was having fun just like any other fan. All she has to say is that people need to get a life.”
“Any other fan.” Hm. Anyway, that defiant “get a life” remark seemed to fire up Internet sleuths, who began digging up her backstory. And that’s where the Filomena Tobias story gets pretty juicy .
It turns out Tobias is the widow of hedge fund manager and CNBC contributor Seth Tobias. Seth, her fourth husband, was found dead in the swimming pool of his Florida mansion in 2007. And if that’s not curious enough, here’s what else was discovered:
>> Filomena Tobias was accused of killing her husband by her online psychic . Said psychic accused her of luring him into the pool by promising him a sexual liaison with a gay porn star, a go-go dancer nicknamed “Tiger” because of the stripes he had tattooed across his body. (Note: Tobias has never faced criminal charges over the death of Seth Tobias.)
>> She once bought a Porsche on a credit card before being forced to return it by her husband .
>> Filomena Tobias is now independently wealthy after winning a court battle with the rest of the Tobias family, who were left out of Seth Tobias’ will.
>> On one occasion, she allegedly tested her husband for cocaine as follows: “Just after sitting down, Phyllis jumped from her seat and placed her lips over Tobias’s nose and began sucking. She was searching for cocaine residue.”
>> Racanati said of her mom : “I have to say she still looks really hot.”
So there you go: Filomena Tobias, everybody. We’d dig a little deeper, but frankly we’re a little scared. Here’s a 2007 report on Seth Tobias’ death: