“華爾街之狼”欠錢不還,絕對沒有電影里那般光鮮
可能有人已經(jīng)想不起貝爾福特是哪位,他之前在紐約長島開了一家專炒低價股的公司,叫Stratton Oakmont。2013年,萊昂納多·迪卡普里奧根據(jù)他的自傳出演電影,片中將他的所作所為美化了一番。電影票房約1億美元,后來貝爾福特借此開啟事業(yè)第二春,當(dāng)上了勵志演說家。 2003年獲刑后,貝爾福特被判處償還并支付罰金共計1.104億美元,政府表示他仍欠9700萬美元。檢察官投訴后于5月初舉辦了聽證會,紐約布魯克林的美國地區(qū)法官安·唐納利明確表示,貝爾福特應(yīng)履行繳納欠款的義務(wù)。 “看起來貝爾福特有些閑錢。”唐納利表示,她還補充說檢察官有權(quán)對貝爾福特的收入提出問題。 “如果打擾到他繁忙的日程就不好意思了,”法官表示?!八糜H自來一趟,我們才能把事情弄清楚?!? 貝爾福特的律師正與檢察官糾纏法律上的技術(shù)細節(jié),爭論對象是他的收入是否應(yīng)用于還債。 檢方在法庭文件中表示,2007年到2009年間貝爾福特向受害人支付了約70萬美元,但2010年一文未付;檢方還稱,他還支付了1280萬美元,主要通過判決時放棄部分財產(chǎn)。貝爾福特和代理律師莎倫·科恩·萊文對政府列出的數(shù)字和他要償還的債務(wù)提出異議。 如果希望看到貝爾福特在法庭上閃亮出場,可能要失望了,另外提一下,這次傳喚的法庭正是當(dāng)年他接受審判的地方。他缺席是因為要去立陶宛做一場勵志演講。 科恩·萊文宣稱貝爾福特“很缺錢”。她表示,爭議收入之一是一家創(chuàng)業(yè)公司的股份,可能“毫無價值”,也可能“價值巨大”。她表示相關(guān)股份不應(yīng)強制執(zhí)行償還債務(wù)。 付款 2008年4月貝爾福特獲釋出獄。他的罪名是詐騙1513位投資者,涉案金額超過2億美元,因此服刑四年。法庭還要求他出獄后將收入的50%用于償還受害人。 2007年4月政府律師聽說貝爾福特的回憶錄即將出版,立刻對出版商Bantam Books、華納兄弟電影公司,以及迪卡普里奧創(chuàng)辦的電影制作公司Appian Way申請了禁止令。最后貝爾福特同意用電影收入的50%還錢,但最近關(guān)于他勵志演講和其他業(yè)務(wù)的收入又引發(fā)爭議。 檢察官表示2013年到2015年間貝爾福特演講至少收入900萬美元,但都私藏起來。檢方稱他還通過建筑設(shè)計業(yè)務(wù)獲得了一些收入。 2014年,貝爾福特在一次全球巡回演講中表示,希望通過不斷講述“個人救贖”賺到“1億美元以上”,然后就能補償受害者。 “如果能把所有債還清,我就會感覺好很多?!碑?dāng)時他說。“我的目標(biāo)是盡我所能還錢,這也是持續(xù)成功的一種形式?!保ㄘ敻恢形木W(wǎng)) 譯者:Charlie 審稿:夏林 |
For those who’ve forgotten, Belfort operated a penny-stock boiler room on New York’s Long Island called Stratton Oakmont Inc. His brash behavior was glorified on screen by Leonardo DiCaprio in the movie based on Belfort’s memoir. The 2013 film made about $100 million and helped start Belfort’s second career as a motivational speaker. At his sentencing in 2003, Belfort was ordered to pay $110.4 million in restitution and other penalties, but the government says he still owes about $97 million. At a hearing in earlier May after prosecutors complained, U.S. District Judge Ann Donnelly in Brooklyn, New York, said Belfort must meet his obligations. “It seems like he has some spare change lying around,” Donnelly said, adding that Belfort should be questioned by prosecutors about his income. “Sorry to interrupt his busy schedule,” she said. “He’s going to have to come here so we can get a grip on what’s going on.” Belfort’s lawyers and prosecutors are tussling over legal technicalities concerning whether income he’s received is subject to garnishment. Prosecutors say in court papers that Belfort paid about $700,000 to victims between 2007 to 2009, and nothing in 2010; he has also paid $12.8 million, mainly from property he relinquished at sentencing, they say. Belfort and his lawyer, Sharon Cohen Levin, dispute the government’s numbers and what he must pay. Anyone who hoped Belfort would make a cameo appearance — at the same courthouse where he was sentenced –was disappointed. He was scheduled to be in Lithuania giving a motivational speech. Cohen Levin argued that Belfort is “cash-strapped.” One of the payments in dispute, ownership units in a startup, may be of “no value” or “may be of extraordinary value,” she said. She argued the shares weren’t subject to the restitution order. Paying Up Belfort was released from prison in April 2008. He was convicted of defrauding 1,513 investors out of more than $200 million and sentenced to four years behind bars. He was also ordered to pay 50 percent of his gross income to victims after he was freed. When government lawyers learned of the deal to publish Belfort’s memoir in April 2007, they filed restraining orders against Bantam Books, Warner Brothers and Appian Way, a film production company founded by DiCaprio. Belfort eventually agreed to pay 50 percent of his earnings from the movie to the U.S., but another dispute recently erupted over Belfort’s income as a motivational speaker and other dealings. Prosecutors say Belfort earned at least $9 million in speaking engagements between 2013 and 2015 but pocketed it all. He has also collected other income from a building-design business, they claim. In 2014, during a global speaking tour, Belfort said he hoped to earn “north of $100 million” by giving speeches about his “redemption,” which would allow him to repay victims. “Once everyone is paid back, believe me I will feel a lot better,” he said at the time. “My goal is to give more than I get, that’s a sustainable form of success.” |