‘ Wolf ofWall Street’ con man in trouble with the law again
NEW YORK — A man who served prison time for conning Hollywood stars and reputedly inspired Leonardo DiCaprio’s performance in“The Wolf of Wall Street” was in federal court on Thursday facing charges that he used a friend’s credit card to buy liquor, a plane ticket and food, according to court filings.
Dana Giacchetto, 51, a former investment advisor to A- listers like DiCaprio and singer Michael Stipe of the rockband R. E. M., was charged on Thursday inManhattan federal court with two counts of fraud. He surrendered to authorities and was granted bail at $ 150,000.
Giacchetto served three years in prison in the early 2000s for fraud after being charged with swindling millions from his famous clients. His attorney Ronald Fischetti said his client “absolutely denies” the latest charges.
“He doesn’t understand why he has been charged,” Fischetti said.
According to the complaint, Giacchetto made more than $ 10,000 in unauthorized purchases using a credit card issued to Stephan Stanulis of Staten Island, a former New York City police officer who also worked as a male stripper and as a bouncer at Giachetto’s star- studded parties.
Fischetti said Stanulis assured him “he is not a victim of Dana Giacchetto.”
When reached by phone, Stanulis declined to comment. His publicist said Stanulis, who recently produced and starred in a movie about his life called “Long Shot Louie,” said he initially had not understood the charges against Giacchetto.
During the 1990s, Giacchetto collected millions of dollars from musicians, artists and actors in Hollywood, assuring them he would invest their money and keep it safe. He became good friends with DiCaprio, who spent the night of the 1998 Academy Awards at Giacchetto’s apartment, according to Emily White, the author of Giacchetto’s biography “You Will Make Money in Your Sleep”. That night, the blockbuster movie Titanic, in which DiCaprio starred, won 11 Oscars.
In 2000, Giacchetto was charged with fraud after it was revealed he had misappropriated nearly $ 20 million of his clients’ money. He pleaded guilty andw as sentenced to just under five years in prison. He was released after three. White, who now works for Thomson Reuters, was also a client. She lost $ 80,000.
“He was very enjoyable to be around until he wasn’t, because hewas lying,” White said.
White said she and other observers believed DiCaprio’s performance as the stockbroker- conman Jordan Belfort in the 2013 film “The Wolf of Wall Street” was inspired by his former friendship with Giacchetto.
According to the complaint, Giacchet to now owns a food business called Taste which makes salsa. He made purchases using Stanulis’ American Express card and had them delivered to his apartment. Among the purchases listed in the complaint were food, wine, dental work and a one- way ticket from Las Vegas to Newark.