Does Lynn Tilton Defraud Investors?
Bloomberg Businessweek|July 20 - July 26 2015
Lynn Tilton fights to save struggling companies. So why has the SEC accused her of fraud?
Sheelah Kolhatkar, photograph by Simone Lueck
Does Lynn Tilton Defraud Investors?

Lynn Tilton was rushing to get dressed at her home in Paradise Valley, Ariz., when she got a tip that the Securities and Exchange Commission was about to charge her with fraud. Taking in the news, she froze for a moment, then grabbed her laptop. It happened to be March 16, the 35th anniversary of her father’s death, a devastating event that occurred when Tilton was 19. She took the timing as an omen.

For more than five years, Tilton had known that the SEC was investigating her and her company, Patriarch Partners, a private equity firm based in New York. Months earlier, settlement negotiations had broken down. In typical SEC fashion, the agency hadn’t communicated its intentions afterward. Now that Tilton knew they planned to proceed against her, she decided to go to war.

Two weeks later, when the SEC formally announced its administrative action accusing her of defrauding investors in three funds that Patriarch operates, she was ready with a pretaped television interview denying the charges. Two days after that, on April 1, she filed a counter suit in federal court. “So that’s why, if you remember it, it goes from ‘Lynn Tilton Sued’ to ‘Lynn Tilton Fights Back’ to ‘Lynn Tilton Sues the SEC,’ ” she says, beaming. “That was not at all by accident.”

This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM BLOOMBERG BUSINESSWEEKView all
Instagram's Founders Say It's Time for a New Social App
Bloomberg Businessweek US

Instagram's Founders Say It's Time for a New Social App

The rise of AI and the fall of Twitter could create opportunities for upstarts

time-read
4 mins  |
March 13, 2023
Running in Circles
Bloomberg Businessweek US

Running in Circles

A subscription running shoe program aims to fight footwear waste

time-read
3 mins  |
March 20 - 27, 2023
What I Learned Working at a Hawaiien Mega-Resort
Bloomberg Businessweek US

What I Learned Working at a Hawaiien Mega-Resort

Nine wild secrets from the staff at Turtle Bay, who have to manage everyone from haughty honeymooners to go-go-dancing golfers.

time-read
10 mins  |
March 20 - 27, 2023
How Noma Will Blossom In Kyoto
Bloomberg Businessweek US

How Noma Will Blossom In Kyoto

The best restaurant in the world just began its second pop-up in Japan. Here's what's cooking

time-read
3 mins  |
March 20 - 27, 2023
The Last-Mover Problem
Bloomberg Businessweek US

The Last-Mover Problem

A startup called Sennder is trying to bring an extremely tech-resistant industry into the age of apps

time-read
10+ mins  |
March 20 - 27, 2023
Tick Tock, TikTok
Bloomberg Businessweek US

Tick Tock, TikTok

The US thinks the Chinese-owned social media app is a major national security risk. TikTok is running out of ways to avoid a ban

time-read
10+ mins  |
March 20 - 27, 2023
Cleaner Clothing Dye, Made From Bacteria
Bloomberg Businessweek US

Cleaner Clothing Dye, Made From Bacteria

A UK company produces colors with less water than conventional methods and no toxic chemicals

time-read
3 mins  |
March 20 - 27, 2023
Pumping Heat in Hamburg
Bloomberg Businessweek US

Pumping Heat in Hamburg

The German port city plans to store hot water underground and bring it up to heat homes in the winter

time-read
3 mins  |
March 20 - 27, 2023
Sustainability: Calamari's Climate Edge
Bloomberg Businessweek US

Sustainability: Calamari's Climate Edge

Squid's ability to flourish in warmer waters makes it fitting for a diet for the changing environment

time-read
4 mins  |
March 20 - 27, 2023
New Money, New Problems
Bloomberg Businessweek US

New Money, New Problems

In Naples, an influx of wealthy is displacing out-of-towners lower-income workers

time-read
4 mins  |
March 20 - 27, 2023