CATCHING
THE WOLF OF WALL STREET
By Jordan Belfort.
Published by Hachette.
Readers were left reeling
at the outrageous fortunes, bad behaviour, drug taking, money making and sexual
infidelity in 'The Wolf of Wall Street'. Now Jordan Belfort goes to jail…
In
the 1990s, Jordan Belfort became one of the most infamous names in American finance:
a brilliant, conniving stock-chopper. But things reached crazy, unsustainable
heights and Jordan was arrested and taken away in handcuffs. But that was not
the end of the madness. 'Catching the Wolf of Wall Street' tells of what happened
next. After getting out of jail on $10 million bail, Jordan had to choose whether
to plead guilty and act as a government witness or fight the charges and see his
wife be charged as well. He cooperated.
The back story:
"I
went to down to Wall Street with $100 in my pocket and through a series of wild
coincidences and leaps of logic I ended up building one of the largest brokerages
in America - namely, Stratton Oakmont. But Stratton quickly spiraled out of control,
as did I. The firm became the reincarnation of Sodom and Gomorrah. I became addicted
to drugs and hookers and lived a life of unbridled hedonism.
I
broke many laws along the way, including smuggling money to Switzerland, and was
ultimately indicted - serving twenty-two months in jail and becoming a cooperating
witness for the federal government. Along the way, I married twice, divorced twice,
got engaged once, broke it off, and fathered two children.
This
book took me seven months to write and no research was required as it is my life
story. However, I did teach myself to write during my time in jail, using Tom
Wolfe's book, 'Bonfire of the Vanities', as a textbook." - Jordan Belfort,
July 2007
Jordan Belfort was born in Queens, New York, the son of accountants
and `his mother wanted him to be a doctor`. He hustled ices to put himself through
college showing early entrepreneurial flair. His first business sent him bankrupt
at 24 so he went down to Wall St with $100 in his pocket and through a series
of wild coincidences and leaps of logic ended up building one of the largest brokerages
in America - the now infamous Stratton Oakmont. Ultimately indicted by the federal
government, Belfort served twenty-two months in prison, spent one month in rehab,
and is currently living in Los Angeles, California.
'Catching
the Wolf of Wall Street' is available now (RRP $35).
