Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 27:22 — 50.1MB)
David Brooks had it all. He’d taken a small company on the verge of bankruptcy and turned it into one of the world’s largest manufacturers of bulletproof vests. Those vests were used by U.S. soldiers in the War on Terror, so Brooks was hailed as an American hero, and he made a fortune in the process. There were luxury cars, shopping sprees, vacations on a private jet…Brooks even threw a $10 million party for his daughter, with live performances by Aerosmith and Fifty Cent.
But while Brooks’ daughter was singing a duet with Steven Tyler, the SEC was conducting an investigation. There were problems with the company’s accounting for inventory, and when the auditors pointed out these issues, Brooks threatened to kill them. Oh yeah, we’ll get to that.
But inventory was just the tip of the iceberg. The SEC said Brooks used investors’ money to pay for millions in personal expenses, including prostitutes for employees and pornographic videos for his son. Yes, for my younger listeners, there was a time where you had to pay to watch porn. The government brought criminal charges, but Brooks maintained his innocence. This case was going to trial.
