From 2013: A body armor mogul who threw his daughter a $10 million bat mitzvah with performances from 50 Cent, Tom Petty, and Aerosmith, was sentenced to 17 years in prison for his role in swindling $200 million from his company and its investors.
David H. Brooks, who founded DHB industries, the leading supplier of body armor to the US military, was found guilty of securities fraud and conspiracy in 2010.
During his trial, prosecutors said Brooks stole more than $6 million from DHB to purchase — in addition to the usual prostitutes, shopping sprees, exotic trips, and luxury cars — plastic surgery for his wife, a burial plot for his mother, $40,000 leather-bound invitations for his son’s bar mitzvah, and a $101,000 belt buckle encrusted with diamonds, sapphires, and rubies. Brooks also used DHB to purchase tickets to sporting events and concerts, and then made more than $300,000 scalping them.
Brooks also made millions off of falsely inflating the value of the bulletproof vests that he sold to the government, helping the company to meet profit projections.
Brooks spent most of the trial in jail, despite being initially released on bail, after the government discovered he was still hiding millions in San Marino and London (possibly $3.6 million in a safety deposit box, carried in a giveaway bag from the $10 million bat mitzvah).
