to his girlfriend, private pilots, family, and friends as part of a "brazen" multi-year scheme that was said to have earned his inner circle millions.British billionaire Joe Lewis arrives at a US federal courthouse to be sentenced on insider trading charges in New York on ThursdayLewis arrived at a New York court on Thursday night, wearing an eyepatch over his right eye and a pair of dark sunglasses, and was shielded from the media by security.
Judge Clarke praised Lewis for tackling the charges “head on” and not fighting extradition to the US. Earlier, prosecutor Jason Richman told the court that Lewis' behaviour was "calculated and offensive", as Lewis’ lawyer David Zornow said the billionaire was “frail" and needed to return to the UK for an operation on his eye.FormerTottenham Hotspur owner
They said that on at least four occasions, he tipped off his girlfriend, personal pilots, employees and friends, enabling them to heavily profit from the secrets.This insider trading was "not the result of aberrant, one-time conduct, but rather, a troubling pattern of misconduct over the course of several years," they wrote.
Lewis began managing a super-club called The Talk of the Town - where the likes of Frank Sinatra performed - in the 1960s, and granted girl group The Nolans their first live show. He became a billionaire overnight - and the financial magic trick worked again years later with a big short against the Mexican peso.