THE MYTH OF MICHAEL MILKEN

In Witness to a Prosecution: The Myth of Michael Milken, attorney Richard V. Sandler lays out the facts of a case that captivated a nation. In 1986, Michael Milken found himself at the center of one of the most high-profile financial cases of the 20th century. As Michael Milken’s personal attorney, Richard V. Sandler has deep knowledge of Milken’s defense and provides a first-person account of the trial and its aftermath.

Milken pioneered our modern understanding of high-yield bonds and created an industry. The SEC and the US Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York used their extensive power to pursue Milken, creating a firestorm of misinformation and misunderstanding about the man, his business, and the industry writ large. Sandler’s book is an attempt to set the record straight. Based on court documents and fueled by a desire to present the truth, Witness to a Prosecution is as much a history as it is a cautionary tale for what the government can—and has—done to entrepreneurs.

“Michael Milken and this prosecution have been described in books and articles by others who had no firsthand knowledge of the events and were motivated to describe what happened in a certain way. I, too, am motivated to describe what happened, but I am motivated because I want the true story told, and I do have firsthand knowledge,” Sandler says. “I lived this matter day in and day out for over ten years. Michael was a public figure then and is still a public figure in financial and philanthropic circles. It is important for history to reflect what happened and how it happened”