This month's Vanity Fair magazine
profiles the ultimate entrepreneur gone-wild (allegedly), Broadcom
co-founder Henry Nicholas, who was charged in June with securities
fraud and drug trafficking. The story paints a lurid picture of a man
who made more than $1 billion after helping to launch Broadcom, a
successful microchip maker that supplies iPhones and other products
with its technologies.
Nicholas is on the list of Forbes 400 list of Richest Americans.
Vanity Fair digs up evidence that Nicholas had an adult playground
built beneath his $30 million Laguna Hills, Calif., home, allegedly so
that he could entertain friends, do cocaine and ecstasy, and employ
prostitutes. Nicholas resigned from Broadcom in 2003 amid employee
lawsuits and now faces federal charges stemming from allegations that
Broadcom allegedly back-dated stock options for certain employees
without telling stockholders. One of two federal indictments thrown at
him accuses the billionaire of spiking the drinks of fellow executives.
Nicholas has pleaded not guilty to all federal charges and will likely
face trial next year.
What It Means to Be an Entrepreneur Now