Jordan Belfort Companies Overview
Jordan Belfort is a former stockbroker and entrepreneur best known for founding Stratton Oakmont, a Long Island-based brokerage firm that became a symbol of 1990s financial fraud. He later founded multiple ventures focused on sales training, consulting, and motivational speaking, including The Wolf Group and Wolf Holdings, which operate under his brand as a business coach and author. Belfort's companies have drawn scrutiny from regulators and the public due to his criminal conviction for securities fraud and money laundering. His story has been widely covered by financial media and legal sources, including detailed reporting from Forbes and SEC filings. Today, Belfort continues to run his companies through a combination of online courses, live seminars, and corporate consulting services, leveraging his notoriety as the "Wolf of Wall Street." Forbes
Key Companies Founded by Jordan Belfort
Stratton Oakmont
Stratton Oakmont was a boiler room brokerage firm co-founded by Jordan Belfort and Danny Porush in 1989. The firm operated out of Long Island, New York, and was known for aggressive pump-and-dump stock schemes that defrauded investors out of hundreds of millions of dollars. Stratton Oakmont was shut down by regulators in the mid-1990s after investigations by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and the FBI. Belfort and Porush were convicted of multiple counts of fraud and money laundering, resulting in prison sentences and court-ordered restitution. The firm's collapse became a landmark case in U.S. financial enforcement history, frequently cited in SEC enforcement actions and legal textbooks. SEC
The Wolf Group and Wolf Holdings
The Wolf Group is a sales training and business consulting company founded by Jordan Belfort after his release from prison. The company offers online sales seminars, corporate training programs, and motivational coaching under the "Wolf of Wall Street" brand. Wolf Holdings serves as the parent entity for Belfort's various business activities, including book publishing, speaking engagements, and digital content. Belfort's current companies focus on teaching sales techniques, negotiation skills, and entrepreneurial mindset through paid courses and live events. These ventures have attracted both supporters and critics, with some questioning the ethics of profiting from a fraudulent past. Belfort has publicly stated that his current companies operate fully within legal and regulatory frameworks.
Legal and Regulatory History
Securities Fraud Conviction and Restitution
Jordan Belfort pleaded guilty to securities fraud and money laundering in 1999 as part of a plea deal with federal prosecutors. He was sentenced to 22 months in prison, later extended due to contempt of court and additional charges, and ultimately served approximately 22 months in federal custody. Belfort was ordered to pay $110.4 million in restitution to victims of his schemes, a figure that remains one of the largest financial penalties associated with a Wall Street fraud case. The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission filed civil charges against Belfort, resulting in permanent bans from serving as an officer or director of a public company. The case against Stratton Oakmont is frequently referenced in SEC enforcement guides and financial crime prevention training materials. Forbes