Police have named the man who died at Auckland's Hotel Grand Chancellor this morning as 58-year-old Mark Lawrence Ivil.
The Tauranga man, who had been accused of fleecing more than $4.2 million from a number of people in a property scam carried out over a 24-year period, was expected to appear in the Auckland District Court today.
However, he was found in a "bad way" in a room, following the toxic fume scare at the hotel earlier this morning.
Several attempts by ambulance staff to revive him were unsuccessful and he was pronounced dead.
Police say Mr Ivil's death was not being treated as suspicious but are not releasing any more details in relation to his death.
According to the Bay of Plenty Times, he appeared in the Tauranga District Court in late July, where he faced 39 charges laid by the Serious Fraud Office.
The charges were detailed as 21 charges of obtaining by deception, 14 charges of obtaining by false pretences, plus two charges each of using a forged document and obstructing an investigation.
Ivil was accused of surviving off the cash and direct credit payments dishonestly obtained from people throughout 1990 to 2014.
He had been due to enter a plea, but the case was transferred to the Auckland District Court.
A police spokeswoman said a scene examination for a "sudden death" was being carried out at the hotel.
Fire Service assistant area commander David Woon said the toxic smell was confined to a bathroom on the third floor of the Hobson St hotel where the man was found.
He said the fumes were caused by a gas similar to that found in Rotorua.
Mr Woon said the toxic gas did not originate from a leak in the building but that it was the result of combining a number of chemicals.
He believed one was an acid and the other a sulphur, but he could not confirm exactly what chemicals they were.
"We've got those chemicals and those containers and we are disposing of them," he said.
Mr Woon was confident the fumes had been reduced to a safe level and that there was no further risk to the public.
"If members of the public did smell any gas, that's just the residue."
The Fire Service was called to the hotel on Hobson St about 11.10am.
Firefighters removed a man from the hotel room where the smell was coming from.
St John said the man was being decontaminated by the Fire Service to prepare him for transportation to hospital, but died at the scene.
Ambulance officers assessed a further 10 patients at the scene who did not need to be transported to hospital.
Men in white suits were seen going in and out of the ambulance parked out front.
Police closed two lanes of Hobson St and advised motorists to stay away from the area this morning.
Staff gathered outside the hotel said they were not told what had happened, but were just told to evacuate.
They were told by St John staff that if they showed any signs of feeling unwell they should contact a medical professional.
Mr Ivil's death has been referred to the coroner.
