Crime Pays- Michael Milken

Discussion in 'Wall St. News' started by lassic, Dec 11, 2008.

  1. lassic

    lassic

    Madoff news got me a thinking, crime pays
    Milken was sentenced to ten years in prison, but was released after less than two years.
    now estimated net worth of around $2.1 billion as of 2007


    paste from wiki:

    After he was sent to prison on finance-related charges, his detractors cited him as the epitome of Wall Street greed during the 1980s, and nicknamed him the Junk Bond King. Admirers, like George Gilder in his book, Telecosm, note that "Milken was a key source of the organizational changes that have impelled economic growth over the last twenty years. Most striking was the productivity surge in capital, as Milken … and others took the vast sums trapped in old-line businesses and put them back into the markets."

    Milken was indicted on 98 counts of racketeering and securities fraud in 1989 as the result of an insider trading investigation. After a plea bargain, Milken pled guilty to six securities and reporting violations; he was not guilty of racketeering or insider trading. He was sentenced to ten years in prison, but was released after less than two years. Critics have suggested he then launched a public relations campaign to highlight his role as a financial innovator, particularly with regard to popularizing higher-risk alternative investments.


    With an estimated net worth of around $2.1 billion as of 2007, he is ranked by Forbes magazine as the 458th richest person in the world.[1]