Mr. Diamond

This book traces the movements of Dennis Levine, who, at 33 masterminded the biggest insider trading ring ever assembled on Wall Street, where he made a total profit of $11.6 million until the US authorities were tipped to the ring's existence and eventually managed to pinpoint Levine. How had a kid from a poor district of New York, with a second-rate education and no connections, managed to work his way into the inner circles of investment banking, pull together a network that reached deep into the top law firms, banks and brokerage houses and contrive a scheme that was so well covered it went undetected for five years? The author gained his information from working initially with a contact who was himself one of the principal players in uncovering the ringleader and whose connections and reputation helped Frantz gain access everywhere. Frantz was eventually able to contact the key participants on both sides. The author covered the Levine case for the "Chicago Tribune" and received the Peter Lisagor Award for Best Financial Reporting.