Real-life Wolf of Wall Street employee explains what it was like working inside Jordon Belfort's 'cult'
A new documentary on the real 'Wolf of Wall Street' has seen a former employee open up about exactly what it was like working for Jordan Belfort, with experiences apparently ranging from 'inspiring' to 'mayhem'.
We've all seen Leonardo DiCaprio's skin-prickling portrayal of Jordan Belfort in 2013 movie The Wolf of Wall Street, but a TV series titled The Real Wolf of Wall Street was recently released on Paramount+.
The three-part series dives deeper into Belfort's rise at the Stratton Oakmont financial firm all the way to his descent into fraud and money laundering schemes, which ultimately landed him in prison.
The documentary features never-before-seen footage, delves into internal FBI documents and even speaks to former employees at the firm, including former finance employee Donna Schlessinger, who's never told her side of the story publicly before.
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In the documentary, Schlessinger says she ended up at Stratton Oakmont after meeting Belfort through a friend and being offered a 'very attractive salary,' as quoted by People.
Former Stratton Oakmont stockbroker Dwayne Jackson previously told LADbible he made an eye-watering $30,000 in one month...
Schlessinger recalls Belfort used to give 'inspiring' daily morning meetings which 'really set the tone for the day' however, she also reflects: "I don't think anybody realizes that they're a part of a cult while they're in the cult."
Schlessinger's first day 'vividly' noticing luxury cars such as Mercedes, a Ferrari and a Tesla Rosa lined up outside, soon led to her experiencing 'men on the phone yelling, screaming, hustling and bustling' and the 'mayhem' descended even further into 'sexism, condescension' and 'the objectification of women'.
And that was just in the office, with Belfort hosting parties back at home where he lavished people with 'lobsters and champagne'.
Schlessinger reflects: "You have to understand, I had only worked in legit professional environments. So, was this typical? Was this normal? This was not."
She notes 'none' of the behavior exhibited in the firm 'would fly today' when it came to the treatment of women there.
"Women really weren't put in important positions," she adds. "All the decisions got made by men."
And for the brokers? Well, Schlessinger explains they all 'felt like they were part of something big' and felt a level of 'privilege' to be invited into Belfort's world.
She resolves: "I don’t think anyone really believed that there was something coming, looming. And even if they did know, I don’t think they really thought it would ever end."
However, something indeed was looming, Belfort later arrested for money laundering and securities fraud in September 1998, pleading guilty and ultimately sentenced to four years in prison on July 18, 2003.
The Real Wolf of Wall Street is currently streaming on Paramount+.
UNILAD has reached out to Belfort for comment.
Topics: Business, Money, True crime, Documentaries, Film and TV
Poppy Bilderbeck