Photo: Ken Rutkowski · CC0 · Wikimedia Commons
Born in United States · Nationality American — investment banking / financial markets / insider trading / taxation
Documented profile covering 6 controversies, including “1986–1987: Extensive cooperation with investigators triggers prosecutions of other Wall Street figures” and “February 1987: Two years in prison and $362,000 fine, sentence reduced for cooperation”.
Profile No. 2199 · Updated on 12 October 2026
§ Legal statuses reflect the documented sources as of the date shown; they replace neither court decisions nor the presumption of innocence. Counts are not a rating. Methodology
1986–February 1987
After pleading guilty, Levine cooperated with authorities and provided information that helped expose a broader network of inside-information exchanges, notably involving Ivan Boesky and other Wall Street professionals.
Last verified: 14 September 2026
Case · 2 documented stages
20 February 1987
Levine was sentenced to two years in prison and fined $362,000. The judge stated that a sentence of five to ten years would have been considered without his extraordinary cooperation with investigators.
Last verified: 14 September 2026
5 June 1986
Less than a month after the SEC action, Levine pleaded guilty to one count of securities fraud, two counts of tax evasion and one count of perjury.
Last verified: 14 September 2026
1980–May 1986
Dennis Levine, an investment banker specialising in mergers and acquisitions, used confidential information obtained professionally or exchanged with other insiders over several years to speculate in shares of at least 54 issuers. The SEC assessed his illicit gains at $12.6 million.
Last verified: 14 September 2026
12–20 May 1986
The SEC revealed that Levine traded through accounts linked to Bank Leu in the Bahamas, notably under the code name "Mr. Diamond". A judge froze more than $10 million in assets while the agency also suspected other offshore accounts.
Last verified: 14 September 2026
June 1986
Levine agreed to disgorge at least $11.6 million, including more than $10 million held in the Bahamas, and accepted a permanent injunction. The SEC also barred him from association with brokers, investment advisers, investment companies and municipal securities dealers.
Last verified: 14 September 2026
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