Vesco from Wall Street to Castro's Cuba

The Rise, Fall, and Exile of the King of White Collar Crime

By: Arthur Herzog III

Narrated by: Brian Allard

Length: 12 hrs and 26 mins

Publisher's summary

Today's high-flying, high-rolling conglomarateurs and corporate raiders are a tame lot compared to their immediate predecessors. The most notorious of these is Robert Vesco, the Kingfish himself, who in 1973 fled the United States accused of looting $250 million from Investors Overseas Services. Now, in this riveting account, noted author Arthur Herzog tells the astounding story of this high school dropout from Detroit, who parlayed cunning, ambition, a brilliant mind, and above all, other people's gullibility and money into a vast financial empire. Vesco's was a different kind of white collar crime. Indeed, there are many today who think he is not a criminal at all, just a victim of the SEC ("See Everything Crooked"). Working narrowly within the system, Vesco joined together smaller companies to form ever larger ones; then, driving up the price of stocks, he attracted investors by the thousands worldwide. When, at last, the dream fell apart, he got out before being thrown in jail. What followed was a desperate escape and an equally desperate chase by the FBI, CIA, and SEC to the Bahamas, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and finally Havana, Cuba, where Vesco now lives under the protection of Fidel Castro.

©1989 Arthur Herzog III (P)2014 Leslie Mandel Enterprises, Inc

Robert Vesco: fugitive from the FBI, CIA, DEA, SEC

What did you love best about Vesco from Wall Street to Castro's Cuba?

That despite attempts at extradiction, the Presidents of the Bahamas, Costa Rica, Nicaragua moved Robert Vesco from country to country. Watching him dance around the swimming pool, in the rain at the Riveria Hotel, in Cuba.

What other book might you compare Vesco from Wall Street to Castro's Cuba to and why?

None, as NO ONE ELSE was like the man Robert Vesco

Which character – as performed by Brian Allard – was your favorite?

All of them

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Every page, but personally when Robert Vesco had the paper manuscript, and MY CAMERA, and Arthur Herzog and I sat in the hotel hoping they would be returned. They were.

Any additional comments?

This book is on option until February 15, 2015. If it is not renewed, it might be available.

A story told as a play brings history to life

It is good to know your history and this book is a must for anyone interested in banking anf finance. I have read and bought a lot but this audio book does right to the story and its characters. Narration makes an otherwise boring list financial games very listenable.