Tim Leissner
Tim Leissner (born October 31, 1971) is a German-born investment banker and a former managing director at Goldman Sachs and chairman of the bank's Southeast Asia division. Leissner helped orchestrate the 1Malaysia Development Berhad scandal, one of the biggest financial scandals in history, in which billions of dollars were stolen. He was arrested in June 2018 in Washington, D.C.
Tim Leissner | |
|---|---|
| Born | October 31, 1971 |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation | Investment banker |
| Known for | 1MDB Fraud |
| Title | Chairman of Southeast Asia and Managing Director of Goldman Sachs |
| Spouse | Kimora Lee Simmons |
| Children | 2 |
In 2018 Leissner pled guilty to charges he personally stole $200 million from a Malaysian sovereign wealth fund 1 Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) and that he broke the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) by paying bribes to corrupt Malaysian and Emirati offices to get Goldman Sachs business.
Leissner was banned for life by the Securities and Exchange Commission and forced to pay a $43 million fine. Leissner faces up to 25 years in prison. He testified against his former deputy Roger Ng in a 2022 trial.
Leissner is portrayed in the book Billion Dollar Whale: The Man Who Fooled Wall Street, Hollywood, and the World by Tom Wright and Bradley Hope of The Wall Street Journal, which focuses on Jho Low, the purported mastermind behind the 1MDB scheme. The book was published in September 2018.