For those who watched Martin Scorsese & Leonardo DiCaprio‘s Wolf Of Wall Street, you would probably know that the movie was based on Jordan Belfort‘s memoir. Hidden behind the character and a reason DiCaprio might have been so invested in the film might have been because of another man by the name of Dana Giacchetto.
Dana and Leonardo actually used to be friends and party together back in the ’90s, as he had the job of investment banker to the stars. He was put on the map after a deal with Sub Pop Records, who broke Nirvana, Soundgarden and plenty of Seattle grunge bands. He also managed accounts for Smashing Pumpkins, Alanis Morissette, Phish and partied with stars like Kate Moss, Toby Maguire, Q-Tip, Winona Ryder and plenty more. His bashes were considered legendary and parallel to what you saw in that movie. Sex, drugs and power were involved in every facet of his life and his friend’s lives. It was actually what they lived for.
Giacchetto’s life went downhill when he was arrested and convicted in 2000 for fraud under the Investment Advisers Act. According to the Securities and Exchange Commission, he absolved lost investments with capital from other clients (a form of kiting) to cover assets. He lost around $9 million in cash from clients over the years and was sentenced to a maximum of 57 months in prison.
Now that he’s out of jail, he is here to tell his story through VICE and clear up any misconceptions that the media may have presented when he was arrested. Most of his old friends have abandoned him, but he is still pushing through the storm aligning himself with a music app that he says will change the industry and a luxury food company that will lobster in cans.
It should be noted that Dana gave VICE a hard time with every interview.
OS REWIND: The Visual Effects on “The Wolf Of Wall Street”
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