Gary Weiss is an American investigative journalist, columnist and author of two books that critically examine the ethics and morality of Wall Street. Investigative journalism is a branch of journalism that usually concentrates on a very specific topic, and typically requires a lot of work to yield results. ... For other uses, see Author (disambiguation). ... Elaborate marble facade of NYSE as seen from the intersection of Broad and Wall Streets For other uses, see Wall Street (disambiguation). ...

Education and early career

Weiss grew up in New York City and attended public schools, including the Bronx High School of Science. He received degrees from the City College of New York and the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University. He worked for news organizations in Connecticut and Washington, D.C., and Barron's magazine, before joining Business Week magazine in 1986.^[1] New York, New York and NYC redirect here. ... The Bronx High School of Science (commonly called Bronx Science, Bronx Sci, or just Science, and officially known as H.S. 445) is a specialized New York City public high school. ... “City College” redirects here. ... Northwestern Universitys Medill School of Journalism (often just called Medill) is one of the premier journalism, integrated marketing, and media schools in the United States. ... Northwestern University (NU) is a selective private, nonsectarian, coeducational research university with campuses located in Evanston, Illinois and downtown Chicago, Illinois. ... Official language(s) none (de facto English) Capital Hartford Largest city Bridgeport[2] Largest metro area Hartford Metro Area[3] Area  Ranked 48th in the US  - Total 5,543[4] sq mi (14,356 km²)  - Width 70 miles (113 km)  - Length 110 miles (177 km)  - % water 12. ... For other uses, see Washington, D.C. (disambiguation). ... Barrons magazine is an American weekly newspaper covering U.S. financial information, market developments, and relevant statistics. ... BusinessWeek is a business magazine published by McGraw-Hill. ...

Magazine articles

Between 1986 and 2004 Weiss wrote investigative articles for Business Week, including cover stories on the dangers of the Internet, as well as stock fraud and improprieties by brokerages large and small. His articles described widespread improper trading at the American Stock Exchange and broke the story of the bond trading scandal at Salomon Brothers in 1991. Weiss also wrote essays and articles critical of the Securities and Exchange Commission and other regulators.^[2][3] The American Stock Exchange (AMEX) is an American stock exchange situated in New York. ... This article deals with Salomon Brothers. ... The Securities and Exchange Commission, commonly referred to as the SEC, is the United States governing body which has primary responsibility for overseeing the regulation of the securities industry. ...

Weiss wrote a cover story called "The Mob on Wall Street", published in December 1996, which described how New York's organized crime families had infiltrated brokerage firms in New York and Florida. The article named the firms and crime figures involved, and described how they defrauded thousands of investors around the country.^[4] This story preceded the June 2000 arrest of 120 Mafia figures for stock fraud by almost four years.^[5] This article is about the state. ... Organized crime or criminal organizations are groups or operations run by criminals, most commonly for the purpose of generating a monetary profit. ... This article is about the U.S. State of Florida. ... This article is about the criminal society. ...

Weiss's "Mob on Wall Street" and other Business Week stories were praised by then-FBI Director Louis Freeh, in a letter published by Business Week in December 2000.^[6] Freeh wrote: "Gary Weiss has done our nation an invaluable service by reporting the manipulation of the stock market by elements of organized crime. By outlining specific stocks and stock brokerage firms that were controlled by organized crime, he opened the door for FBI investigations in Florida and in New York, and for that we owe him a tremendous debt of gratitude." The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is a federal criminal investigative, intelligence agency, and the primary investigative arm of the United States Department of Justice (DOJ). ... Louis Freeh was the fifteenth director of the FBI. He oversaw the agency for nearly 10 years during one of the most difficult periods of its history. ...

Books

Born to Steal, published in 2003, reports on a Mafia-linked stockbroker named Louis Pasciuto. The book describes how Wall Street firms were infiltrated by organized crime figures during the 1990s.^[7][8] This article is about the criminal society. ... A stock broker or stockbroker or stock brokerage is someone or a firm who performs transactions in financial instruments on a stock market as an agent of his/her/its clients who are unable or unwilling to trade for themselves. ... Organized crime or criminal organizations are groups or operations run by criminals, most commonly for the purpose of generating a monetary profit. ...

Wall Street Versus America, published in April 2006, is described as an "attack, using humor and ridicule" on the morality of Wall Street, its regulators and the financial press. The book is critical of hedge funds, mutual funds, and the Wall Street securities arbitration process, as well as the New York Stock Exchange. The book is also critical of former Securities and Exchange Commission chairmen Arthur Levitt and William H. Donaldson.^[9] The book is strongly critical of the campaign against naked short selling,^[10] because Weiss believes it threatens the ability of short sellers to deflate pump-and-dump schemes, thus providing cover to the scam artists behind such schemes.^[11] Business journalism includes coverage of companies, the workplace, personal finance, and economics, including unemployment and other economic indicators. ... The term hedge fund dates back to the first such fund founded by Alfred Winslow Jones in 1949. ... The central idea of a mutual fund is to enable investors to pool their money and place it under professional investment management. ... The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), nicknamed the Big Board, is a New York City-based stock exchange. ... Arthur Levitt Jr. ... William H. Donaldson William H. Donaldson is currently chairman of the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). ... Naked short selling, or naked shorting, is a controversial form of selling shares of securities short. ...

In the book and in articles, Weiss singled out the Bear Stearns securities firm for criticism. In a March 2006 New York Times op-ed piece, Weiss chastized the SEC for what he described as inadequate penalties imposed upon the firm for mutual fund violations.^[12] The Bear Stearns Companies, Inc. ... This article deals with U.S. mutual funds. ...

Weiss's comments on anti-naked-shorting activists has provoked some negative responses, including threats.^[13]

Recent career

Weiss is a founding member of Project Klebnikov, a global media alliance investigating the July 2004 murder of Paul Klebnikov, editor-in-chief of the Russian edition of Forbes magazine, and other subjects. Project Klebnikov was organized by investigative journalist Richard Behar, and includes such prominent journalists as Michael Isikoff and Scott Armstrong.^[14] Paul Klebnikov Paul Klebnikov (June 3, 1963 – July 9, 2004) was an American journalist of Russian descent. ... The Editor in chief is a publications primary editor. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Richard Behar is an investigative journalist who has written on the staffs of leading magazines including Forbes, Time and Fortune over a twenty-two year period from 1982-2004. ... Michael Isikoff, October 2007 Michael Isikoff (born 1952) is an investigative journalist for the United States-based magazine Newsweek. ...

In November 2006, Weiss was named "Muckraker" columnist for Forbes.com. In announcing inauguration of the column, Forbes.com editor Paul Maidment said, “Gary is among an elite group of journalists whose zest for investigative journalism has brought real change to the subjects he's covered.”^[15] Bold text McClures Magazine (cover, Jan, 1901) published many early muckraker articles. ...

Weiss has also been a contributor to The New York Times op-ed page and to Salon, writing on such topics as executive pay and public ownership of newspapers.^[16][17] He also has been critical of the treatment of World Bank president Paul Wolfowitz,^[18] opposed astroturfing,^[19] argued against Wal-Mart's new venture in India,^[20] and criticized Overstock.com CEO Patrick Byrne and his campaign against naked short selling.^{[21][22][23][24]} The New York Times is a daily newspaper published in New York City and distributed internationally. ... Salon. ... Paul Dundes Wolfowitz (born December 22, 1943) is a visiting scholar at the American Enterprise Institute, working on issues of international economic development, Africa and public-private partnerships. ... For the artificial grass, see AstroTurf. ... Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. ... Overstock. ... Patrick M. Byrne is CEO of internet retailer Overstock. ...

Books

• (2004) Born to Steal: When the Mafia Hit Wall Street. Warner Books. ISBN 0-446-61398-3. 
• (2006) Wall Street Versus America: The Rampant Greed and Dishonesty That Imperil Your Investments. Portfolio Hardcover. ISBN 1-59184-094-5. 

Other publications

• Gary Weiss' Muckraker column at Forbes.com
• Weiss, Gary (2006). The Weiss Files. Gary Weiss website. Retrieved on 2006-10-30.
• Weiss, Gary (2007). Gary-Weiss.com. Gary Weiss blog. Retrieved on 2007-05-14.

Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 303rd day of the year (304th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... May 14 is the 134th day of the year (135th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

References