20. The Great Insider Trading Scam
Year: 1986
Approx. Amount: $200+ Million*
Company / Person Involved: Ivan Boesky
Over the course of his trading career, Ivan Boesky built a small fortune of a little over $200 million. The only problem is he earned his fortune by banking on corporate takeovers that, thanks to associates of his, he knew were going to happen. That is, of course, insider training.
The Great Insider Trading Scam ©Michael Brennan / Gettyimages.com
In 1986, Ivan Boesky officially became the first trader on Wall Street to get done for insider trading, but, as seen through some of the other culprits on this list, he surely would not be the last. By agreeing to cooperate with the authorities, Boesky got away with spending just 2 years in jail. All it took was for him to become an informant and pay a fine of $100 million.