Fall of a Banker

By Prentiss L. Quinn, III

A Wall Street banker's encounters with the fast life and crooked cops

• Language: English
• Publisher: Prentiss L. Quinn, III
• Release date: Dec 4, 2018
• ISBN: 9781386557975

Book preview

Fall of a Banker

An Investment Banker’s Encounters

With Fast Living and Crooked Cops

By

Prentiss L. Quinn, III

Fall of a Banker

First Edition

Copyright 2018

Prentiss L. Quinn, III

All characters are completely fictional.  Any resemblance to real individuals is unintentional and purely coincidental.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1 - Life of a Wall Street Banker

Chapter 2 - East Orange – the Other Side of the Tracks

Chapter 3 - Two Cops

Chapter 4 - Speeding

Chapter 5 - A Night Out

Chapter 6 - Monday Meetings

Chapter 7 - Contemplation

Chapter 8 - Deal Making

Chapter 9 - Home Again

Chapter 10 - The Weekend

Chapter 11 - Mondays are Always Hard

Chapter 12 - Dirt

Chapter 13 - Dirty Work

Chapter 14 - Analysis and Loose Ends

Chapter 15 - Failures, Successes

Chapter 16 - Fallout

Chapter 17 - Solutions

Chapter 18 - Farewells

Chapter 1 – Life of a Banker

By all appearances, Jeff was an extremely successful executive at an important Wall Street bank.  He ran the department that made high risk loans.  High risk meant big profits for the bank...and big bonuses for Jeff.  Home was a large house in the exclusive New Jersey suburb of Far Hills.  It was a sanctuary for wealthy financial executives and business tycoons.  Their immense homes sat on sprawling acreage surrounded by luxurious lawns, manicured gardens, and dense trees behind large walls with forbidding gates.  Many of the estates had intimidating guards just to make sure any undesirables stayed away.  It took many millions to enjoy this life, a life devoted to golf, horses, mingling with others fortunate enough to have attained this position in life.  The bonuses Jeff earned allowed him to enjoy this life.

When Jeff and his neighbors weren’t enjoying the pleasures Far Hills had to offer, the sophisticated culture and vibrant night life of Manhattan were a short drive away.  Beyond Manhattan, Jeff and his wealthy neighbors enjoyed luxurious vacations at glamorous destinations around the world: Caribbean resorts in the dead of winter, Europe in the spring, the Hamptons in the summer, and the occasional ski trip or hunting safari.  Something for all seasons to break the monotony.  Life was certainly good.

When there wasn’t time for an exotic getaway – Jeff never seemed to have enough time for vacations – he could bask in his success while riding one of his motorcycles or sports cars through the countryside.  And every time he passed through the massive iron gates that guarded his mansion, he basked in his achievements and possessions.  ‘Ah how life has taken me from an ordinary middle class life.  I’ve made it’ he thought each time he passed through those gates. 

It was a long way from his childhood in the western suburbs of Chicago.  Through constant studying he graduated valedictorian of his high school class.  He participated in sports as much as his studies allowed and had his share of fun as well – parties, dates, a spring break trip in his senior year, but for the most part he studied.  The hard work paid off: he was admitted to Harvard.  More hard work led to a job with Goldman Sachs after graduation and a return to Harvard for an executive MBA a few years later.  Success brought opportunities to enjoy the trappings and social scene only available to those with money.  That success and his athletic good looks caught the attention of many women.  And led eventually to three wives.  After his third divorce, he began dating a succession of former models who were fixtures on the Manhattan party scene.  He fit right in.  He really enjoyed the after-hours clubs and parties that were constants of this scene.  After years of working hard, he thought it was time to have some fun.  Even the occasional indulgences in illicit activities didn’t seem to hurt his work.  In fact, he met his current girlfriend at one of these parties when they were doing coke together.

But problems lurked beneath the surface.  Life is never perfect – even for the fabulously wealthy.  There was alimony.  Child support and private school tuition for 3 kids.  Payments and maintenance on the house in Far Hills and the house in Miami Beach he bought a couple of years ago.  That was just the beginning.  Cars, motorcycles, club memberships, clothes, and of course girlfriends all cost money.  A lot of money.  These all took their toll on Jeff and his bank account, and it seemed that only a glass – often more – of single malt scotch could ease his mind from these worries.  On this afternoon, he did not know that these worries were only minor compared to what were to come.  In fact, he was about to face an abyss that he couldn’t even see from his mansion in Far Hills.

A few nights later, Thursday to be exact, Melissa – his girlfriend for the past six months – greeted him with a scotch and passionate embrace.  Jeff had been divorced two years now.  He had dated several women.  What woman could resist a handsome, rich banker?  He met Melissa about a year ago, and they started dating shortly after.  Her friends told her he was a good catch, and he was fun to be around.  Her seductive charm and sensational looks – she had modeled a bit in her late teens and early 20s – struck him like a lightning bolt.  After several months of dating, she moved into the lonely mansion in Far Hills.  Tonight she greeted him in a typically expensive and seductive outfit: a tight skirt, low-cut blouse, and stilettos.  She had just returned from lunch and shopping with a couple of her friends.

Melissa’s upbringing was quite different from Jeff’s.  Her parents divorced when she was a young child, and she lived with her mother in the fashionable Westchester County suburb of Pound Ridge until she went to boarding school for high school.  She was always pretty, but by her teenage years, she was stunning.  With her looks and family’s pedigree, she was quickly accepted by the in-crowd at the boarding school and succumbed to their indulgences.  There was always someone with booze or drugs, and Melissa was always ready to join the party.  Through her mother’s connections, she began to do some modeling which further endeared her to the wild, in-crowd at school.  After high school, she became a full-time model posing for catalog shoots and local commercials.  That – along with money from her trust fund – gave her plenty of time and opportunity to plunge into the Manhattan social scene enjoyed by other privileged, rich 20-somethings.  Now almost 30, she continued to participate with gusto.  And with Jeff at her side, she was certainly a leading participant.

Let’s get some dinner at the country club and then see this new band at Carmine’s Melissa asked ever so sweetly.  Her sexy smile and passionate embrace certainly helped.

Are sure you want to go to Carmine’s – all the way in East Orange?  Won’t the band be there this weekend too?  Besides, I’ve got an early conference call tomorrow.

But it’s opening night.  That’s the night to be there.  And Ashley wants me to meet her and David replied Melissa with a hint of frustration.  Ashley was one of her best friends from her modeling days.  Her family had money, and David was a modestly successful lawyer.  They had been married for a few years now.  Jeff suspected that they mostly lived off of Ashley’s family’s money.  He also wondered how long that marriage would last.

I guess you didn’t ask Gloria to make any dinner.  Gloria was the housekeeper, and Jeff really didn’t expect an answer.  He continued If that’s the case, I guess we better at least start with dinner at the country club.  Carmine’s is really too much tonight, though.

Melissa was about to remind Jeff how often they went out when they first dated.  She decided the better plan was to change his mind over dinner.  Plus with Ashley at dinner, she’d have an ally in this contest.  Jeff, honey, why don’t you have another scotch while I freshen up.  Moments later she descended the winding staircase in the imposing entrance of the mansion.  Ready?  Let’s take your new toy referring to Jeff’s new red Ferrari convertible.  He had a weakness for cars and motorcycles. 

Jeff helped her slide into the passenger seat.  As he was fastening his seat belt, Melissa cooed you look so sexy in this car.  Is it warm enough to put the top down?  Melissa always knew how to stroke Jeff’s middle-aged ego.  It was unusually warm for fall in New Jersey, so he put down the top.  He was coming to the realization that Melissa would get her way tonight, and he enjoyed the flattery it would take for him to give in.  He turned toward Melissa and saw her radiant smile.  They sped off to dinner.

Chapter 2 – East Orange – the Other Side of the Tracks

Just thirty minutes away was the blue-collar town of East Orange, where the residents led a life far removed from the affluence of Far Hills.  Fifty years ago, East Orange was home to small factories and local businesses.  It was a nice place for middle-class and even upper middle income people to raise a family.  Technology and recessions had taken their toll over the years though, and now the run-down buildings and housing projects told a different story.  Families that could, moved away long ago.  Newer residents were less prosperous.  There were still many long-time residents