Scott Rothstein
The U.S. lawyer, Scott Rothstein, lived a “Great Gatsby” lifestyle in the first decade of the 21st Century. Of course, lawyers are always paid well, but not usually on the scale of Rothstein’s earnings. While practicing law, Rothstein developed a scheme for selling settlement plans to investors in exchange for lump sums.
The theory was that his clients would receive quick cash at a reduction in total value, while his investors, and himself, would take the profits as the full payments rolled in. He largely worked in cases of infidelity, as the confidentiality required by defendants helped to ensure his scheme went undetected. At its peak, Rothstein’s scheme was worth $1.2 billion. He is currently 11 years into a 50-year sentence.
