Criminals & Outlaws Codexery

Jordan Belfort

Former stockbroker convicted of fraud; author of The Wolf of Wall Street.

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Jordan Belfort is an American former stockbroker who pleaded guilty to fraud and related crimes in 1999.[1] He served 22 months in prison after becoming an FBI informant and wearing a wire against his associates.[1] Belfort's memoir was adapted into Martin Scorsese's 2013 film starring Leonardo DiCaprio.[1]

Key facts and history

On his first day, the dean said "The golden age of dentistry is over," and Belfort chose not to attend the graduate program.[2][3] A family friend helped him get a job as a trainee stockbroker at L.F. Rothschild, but he was laid off after the Black Monday crash of 1987.[2][4] He was sentenced to four years in prison in 2003 and served 22 months at Taft Correctional Institution.[5] After finishing high school, Belfort completed a biology degree at American University and then enrolled at the University of Maryland School of Dentistry.[6]

Following his decision not to attend dental school, Belfort worked as a door-to-door salesman of meat and seafood on Long Island; this venture ultimately collapsed, leading him to declare bankruptcy at age 25.[7] Belfort established Stratton Oakmont, a firm that operated as a boiler room by marketing penny stocks and using pump-and-dump schemes to defraud investors.[8] The court mandated that Belfort repay $110.4 million that he had obtained through fraudulent stock sales.[5] Belfort fulfilled his court-ordered restitution requirement in April 2026, concluding a payment period that had lasted over twenty years.[9]

What the cited sources add

The Independent reported that Belfort's first day at dental school ended his nascent career when the dean warned students about seeking money.[2] The same source noted that Belfort's training at L.F. Rothschild ended when the Dow crashed over 500 points on Black Monday 1987.[2] Belfort told the Standard he voted for Trump due to belief in "the policy of less government"[10] FOXBusiness reported that in 2023 Belfort released "The Wolf of Investing" which he claims is his ultimate strategy for making money.[11][12]

Belfort argued on FOXBusiness that short-term investing is a "dead end game".[11]

References

  1. Wikipedia, "Jordan Belfort" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Wall Street Crime and Punishment: Jordan Belfort, the Boiler Room Wolf", December 15, 2023; "Wolf of Wall Street back on the prowl: Jordan Belfort", The Australian, 2009-09-25; "Jordan Belfort: The real Wolf of Wall Street and the men who brought him down", The Independent, 12 January 2014 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  2. Kumar, "Jordan Belfort: The real Wolf of Wall Street", The Independent, December 20, 2013. facts only, no text reused. independent.co.uk
  3. Wikipedia, "Jordan Belfort" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Kumar, "Jordan Belfort: The real Wolf of Wall Street", The Independent, December 20, 2013; "Jordan Belfort - The Wolf of Wall Street", YouTube, July 5, 2010 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  4. Wikipedia, "Jordan Belfort" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Straney, "Securities Fraud: Detection, Prevention, and Control", Wiley, 2010, p. 133; Kumar, "Jordan Belfort: The real Wolf of Wall Street", The Independent, December 20, 2013; Haglund, "How Accurate Is The Wolf of Wall Street?", Slate, December 31, 2013; Nocera, "Sex and Drugs and I.P.O.'s", The New York Times, December 19, 2013 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  5. Wikipedia, "Jordan Belfort" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Meet Jordan Belfort, the Real Wolf of Wall Street -- New York Magazine - Nymag", November 22, 2013; Harrigan, "Stratton Oakmont's Belfort Sentenced", Newsday, July 19, 2003, p. A21; Leonard, "Jordan Belfort: Confessions of the Wolf of Wall Street", The Daily Telegraph, February 25, 2008; Newby, "The pump-and-dump schemes behind 'The Wolf of Wall Street'", July 13, 2014; "Jordan Belfort — Interview from Sunday Profile", Australian Broadcasting Corporation, August 20, 2009; Gray, "The Wolf of Wall Street Can't Sleep", New York, Decem en.wikipedia.org
  6. Wikipedia, "Jordan Belfort" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Gray, "Meet Jordan Belfort, the Real Wolf of Wall Street", Vulture, December 30, 2013; Solomon, "Meet The Real 'Wolf Of Wall Street' In Forbes' Original Takedown Of Jordan Belfort", Forbes, December 28, 2013; "Jordan Belfort Biography", Wolf of Wall Street Info (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  7. Wikipedia, "Jordan Belfort" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Solomon, "Meet The Real 'Wolf Of Wall Street' In Forbes' Original Takedown Of Jordan Belfort", Forbes, December 28, 2013; Solomon, "Meet The Real 'Wolf Of Wall Street' In Forbes' Original Takedown Of Jordan Belfort", Forbes, December 28, 2013; Solomon, "Meet The Real 'Wolf Of Wall Street' In Forbes' Original Takedown Of Jordan Belfort", Forbes, December 28, 2013 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  8. Wikipedia, "Jordan Belfort" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Haglund, "How Accurate Is The Wolf of Wall Street?", Slate, December 31, 2013; Gasparino, "'Wolf of Wall Street' Gets $1M Pay Day for Movie Rights", Fox Business, March 12, 2013; Leonard, "Jordan Belfort: Confessions of the Wolf of Wall Street", The Daily Telegraph, February 25, 2008; Wells, "Who's Jordan Belfort? I'll Tell You Exactly Who He Is", CNBC, October 3, 2007 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  9. Wikipedia, "Jordan Belfort" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "'Wolf of Wall Street' Jordan Belfort Finally Free From Court-Ordered Restitution", Yahoo Entertainment, 2026-07-13 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  10. Jarvis, "'Wolf of Wall Street': Trump weakened by gift of 'p****** people off'", Evening Standard, 2019-04-28. facts only, no text reused. standard.co.uk
  11. Coggins, "The Wolf of Wall Street unveils the 'ultimate strategy' for the average investor", FOXBusiness, 2023-11-02. facts only, no text reused. foxbusiness.com
  12. Wikipedia, "Jordan Belfort" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Coggins, "The Wolf of Wall Street unveils the 'ultimate strategy' for the average investor", FOXBusiness, 2023-11-02 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org

Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Jordan Belfort (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.

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Sources

Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.

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