SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. (KTXL) — A luxury yacht seen on the television sitcom “Modern Family” is being auctioned off by the U.S. Marshals Service.
The 85-foot yacht named the “Sierra Rose” is a triple-level cabin yacht docked at the Tahoe Keys Marina in South Lake Tahoe, California.
The “Sierra Rose” was built by Fred Finney of Coeur D’Alene, Idaho in 2005, and it includes three bedrooms, 3 ½ bathrooms and a helicopter pad with hydraulic and motorized handrails and LED deck lights, according to Apple Auctioneering Co., the auctioning site for the yacht.
Photos on the auctioning site show that the yacht also features a kitchen and a fireplace inside with a fire pit on the deck.
The “Sierra Rose” was featured on the “Modern Family” episode “Lake Life,” which was the first episode of season nine. The episode aired on Sept. 27, 2017, according to IMDb.com.
The yacht was used by the show’s characters — the Prichett and Dunphy families — during a family vacation.
According to court documents, U.S. Marshals seized the yacht in July 2020, and it’s being auctioned as a result of a federal civil lawsuit when a judge ruled that the owners had a balance of $350,000, plus interest and late charges, totaling $848,062, as of June 1, 2021.
The owners also have an accrued interest rate of $136.11 per day.
When the $4 million vessel was constructed in 2005, it was billed as the largest non-commercial yacht on Lake Tahoe, according to the Tahoe Daily Tribune. The yacht previously sold for $3.25 million at an auction in August 2008, the Daily Tribune reported.
The online auction began on Tuesday and continues through June 14.
How the bidding process works
To bid for the multi-million dollar yacht, a $10,000 pre-bid deposit is required and will be applied to the purchase price. All unsuccessful bidders will have their $10,000 pre-bid deposit refunded within five to seven business days.
For the highest bidder, if full payment is received by 9 a.m PDT on June 17, the $10,000 deposit becomes non-refundable.
What company is auctioning off the yacht?
According to its website, Apple Auctioneering Co. specializes in the liquidation of seized assets for government agencies, services 75 districts for the U.S. Marshals and all 50 states for the U.S. Department of the Treasury, and the country’s southern border for the U.S. Customs and Border Patrol.
The company currently has more than 13,000 federally seized vehicles in custody.
Since 2010, the company has conducted over 1,600 government auctions and has sold more than 45,000 seized vehicles. According to its website, Apple Auctioneering Co. has brought over $230 million of funding back into federal forfeiture programs nationwide.
