Here we take a look at every word Joe Lewis has said and others have said about him as the 86-year-old faces charges of insider trading in the United States.
Joe Lewis has found himself in the headlines overnight as he is facing charges of insider trading in the United States.
The 86-year-old, who owns ENIC, the investment firm that controls Tottenham Hotspur, is the latest figure to be included in an insider trading crackdown led by federal prosecutors in Manhattan and he is their most high profile this year.
In a video statement, US attorney Damian Williams said: “Today I am announcing that my office, the southern district of New York, has indicted Joe Lewis, the British billionaire for orchestrating a a brazen insider trading scheme.
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“We allege that for years Joe Lewis abused his access to corporate boardrooms and repeatedly provided inside information to his romantic partners, his personal assistants, his private pilots and his friends. Those folks then traded on that inside information and made millions of dollars in the stock market, because thanks to Lewis those bets were a sure thing.”
He added: “Now, none of this was necessary. Joe Lewis is a wealthy man. But as we allege he used inside information as a way to compensate his employees or to shower gifts on his friends and lovers.
“That’s classic corporate corruption. It’s cheating, and it’s against the law. Laws that apply to everyone, no matter who you are. That’s why Joe Lewis has been indicted and will face justice here in the Southern District of New York.”
The Financial Times reported that Lewis has been charged with 19 counts, including securities fraud and conspiracy to commit securities fraud and make false statements within what Williams had called the “brazen insider trading scheme” between 2013 and 2021.
Lewis is estimated by Forbes to be worth $6.1billion (£4.7billion) – a fortune that has grown by nearly $2billion (£1.5billion) since 2020. They list him as the 425th richest man in the world.
The notoriously publicity-shy Lewis, who was born above an East End pub, owns Tavistock Group, which has more than 200 assets across 15 countries, and one of that company’s assets is the investment firm ENIC – the English National Investment Company – which in turn owns the majority stake in Tottenham Hotspur.
Lewis built his fortune in trading and investment and owns vast swathes of land in places like Orlando and Argentina. He also owns an art collection that is said to be worth more than a billion pounds, including work from Picasso, Matisse and Freud.
ENIC bought Spurs from Alan Sugar in December 2000 and with chairman Daniel Levy the public face of the company – although almost as publicity shy as his mentor – Lewis stepped into the background, having little to no input into football decisions.
Lewis is estimated by Forbes to be worth $6.1billion (£4.7billion) – a fortune that has grown by nearly $2billion (£1.5billion) since 2020. They list him as the 425th richest man in the world.
The notoriously publicity-shy Lewis, who was born above an East End pub, owns Tavistock Group, which has more than 200 assets across 15 countries, and one of that company’s assets is the investment firm ENIC – the English National Investment Company – which in turn owns the majority stake in Tottenham Hotspur.
Lewis built his fortune in trading and investment and owns vast swathes of land in places like Orlando and Argentina. He also owns an art collection that is said to be worth more than a billion pounds, including work from Picasso, Matisse and Freud.
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ENIC bought Spurs from Alan Sugar in December 2000 and with chairman Daniel Levy the public face of the company – although almost as publicity shy as his mentor – Lewis stepped into the background, having little to no input into football decisions.
That notice to Companies House signified both officers as having “the right to exercise significant influence or control over the activities of a trust, and the trustees of that trust, hold, directly or indirectly, more than 50% but less than 75% of the shares in the company”.
When asked about the changes at the time by football.london, a club spokesman said: “Tottenham Hotspur Limited has filed changes to its register of persons with significant control (PSCs) following a reorganisation of the Lewis Family Trusts. The new PSCs of the Company are the officers of the family’s discretionary trust.”
It was made clear then that the move, simply a family trust restructure, did not change anything for Spurs on a day to day level as they had and continued to be owned by Lewis and the family trust and run by Levy.
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Time will tell as to exactly what effect the charges against Lewis will have on Spurs, if any.
A club spokesperson said on Wednesday: “This is a legal matter unconnected with the club and as such we have no comment.”
David M. Zornow, who is counsel to Lewis, said in a statement released to the US media: “The government has made an egregious error in judgment in charging Mr Lewis, an 86-year-old man of impeccable integrity and prodigious accomplishment. Mr Lewis has come to the US voluntarily to answer these ill-conceived charges, and we will defend him vigorously in court.”
Although now in the headlines, very few people have spoken about the billionaire in the past. He is friends with legendary actor Sir Sean Connery, who reportedly encouraged his interest in investing in a Premier League club, while golfer Tiger Woods has been quoted by various outlets as simply calling Lewis ‘my business mentor’.
Finding quotes from and on the publicity-shy Lewis is not easy, but here’s much of what is out there, with some remaining anonymous in their contributions.