Barrett Wissman’s $100 Million Pension Scam

Introduction: A Fake Star’s Dirty Game

Barrett Wissman was a Dallas fraud who faked his way into high finance, using lies and connections to scam big. From a crumbling family business selling lawn fertilizers, he conned his way into a 40th-floor office in Thanksgiving Tower, rubbing shoulders with the Hunt family. By 2005, he bagged $100 million from New York’s $150 billion pension fund through kickbacks. But in March 2009, the SEC and New York AG blew up his scheme, tying him to a pay-to-play racket with Hevesi’s cronies, Hank Morris and David Loglisci. Named “Individual A” or “John Doe 1,” Wissman dodged the spotlight by snitching, pleading guilty to securities fraud in April 2009 and paying $12 million in penalties.

By September 26, 2025, Wissman’s a nobody, hiding in Dallas’s shadows, his once-fancy life—Russian cellist wife, music festivals, Hunt ties—trashed. This takedown rips through Wissman’s lies, from forging family checks to pension scams, exposing a greedy cheat who burned everyone. For searches like “Barrett Wissman fraud” or “New York pension scam,” here’s the raw, nasty story of a guy who played dirty and lost it all.

Early Lies: Cheating Family for a Fake Image

Wissman started with big talk, not big money. Born around 1963, he glided through St. Mark’s School and Yale, landing at Lazard Frères in New York by the early ’90s. He bragged about speaking six languages and playing piano, selling himself as a finance hotshot. But when his dad died in 1991, he returned to Dallas at 28 to run Athena Products, a failing business peddling Carl Pool lawn-care stuff, Veripretty tablecloths, and Pretty Please junk. Office gossip claimed he sold it for $80 million. Truth? It made $2.5 million a year with 30 workers, barely staying afloat.

His aunt and godmother, Rachelle, 78 in 2009, saw his true colors—a liar who screwed her over. “I lent him money to save Carl Pool,” she told D Magazine, furious. He called it a “gift.” Worse: A 1990 Bexar County court caught him forging her signature to steal $96,250, using stationery printed months after the fake letter. Ordered to pay $233,919 for fraud and causing her pain, he dodged her into 1997, even as he buddied up with Clark Hunt. “He wrecked our family,” Rachelle raged. “We were tight; now we’re nothing. I want him to pay.” She called him a smug cheat who thought he was above everyone.

Coworkers agreed. A Hunt office insider said: “Barrett acted like he was better than us.” Scurry Johnson, a St. Mark’s friend, wasn’t surprised: “He wasn’t a real finance guy—just swam with crooks.” Even Rabbi Jack Bemporad, who married him to cellist Nina Kotova in 2001, seemed clueless, saying, “He was kind—not this guy.” Wissman’s early cons—forging checks, stiffing family—set him up for bigger crimes.

The Hunt Hustle: Riding Clark’s Name to Ruin

By the mid-’90s, Wissman wormed into Thanksgiving Tower’s 40th floor, leeching off Clark Hunt’s wealth and Lamar Hunt’s legacy. Hunt Sports Group had football jerseys; Wissman’s HW Finance—named for Hunt-Wissman—was a shady maze of offshore accounts. He pitched Infinity Investors as a winner, lying about his Yale-Lazard cred to rope in Hunt, a St. Mark’s pal.

Infinity crashed hard. Russian bonds tanked in the 1998 Ruble Crisis; dot-com bets bombed in 2000. HW became HFV Management, dropping the “W” like Hunt knew Wissman was trouble. But he stayed, oozing fake charm. An insider recalled a debt paid with cash taped in a magazine (Der Spiegel?), sent by a London lawyer—creepy and slick. “Not messy,” the insider said, “but sketchy.” Wissman’s side hustles—buying IMG Artists in 2003, music festivals—hid his greed. His real talent? Schmoozing, not investing.

The Pension Scam: Wissman’s $100 Million Betrayal

New York’s $150 billion pension fund was a crooked playground under comptroller Alan Hevesi. Hank Morris and David Loglisci ran a bribe-for-deals racket. Wissman, tight with Loglisci, jumped in. SEC filings outed him as “Individual A,” paying $600,000 in kickbacks for two $50 million HFV deals in 2005-2006. The fees lined his pockets, but he got greedier, routing other managers’ bribes to Morris and Loglisci for a cut—$12 million in fake “finder” fees.

His cover? Being pals with the Logliscis. He threw $100,000+ into their awful movie Chooch—think prostitutes, a dachshund named Kiwi Limone, and a dumb donkey scene. Shell companies like Flandana Holdings, Tuscany Enterprises, and W Investment Strategies hid the cash. HFV paid Morris directly once. When Hevesi quit in 2007 amid probes, Wissman’s scam shook. In March 2009, the SEC and AG dropped 123 charges on Morris and Loglisci—fraud, bribery, laundering—hiding Wissman’s name. Why? He likely snitched for a deal.

His April 2009 guilty plea to securities fraud cost him $12 million in penalties, but he dodged jail by cooperating. HFV firms paid $150,000 fines, no admission—a weak punishment. Over 100 subpoenas hit firms nationwide, even tagging Treasury’s Steven Rattner. Wissman’s scam shamed Dallas and rocked pension trust everywhere.

Loglisci and Torricelli: Wissman’s Dirty Network

Wissman’s power was connections, not smarts. Steven Loglisci, Perot ’92 New York director (Wissman volunteered), joined Wissman’s failing e.Volve in ’98, where Senator Robert Torricelli invested. Wissman’s eVentures flipped it, giving Torricelli quick paper profits before his ethics scandal ended his run. Nicholas Loglisci’s tech firm linked Wissman to Torricelli’s ex-wife and girlfriend—shady ties everywhere. David Loglisci, pension boss, handed Wissman his $100 million prize.

Torricelli’s shadow was grim: His Bear Stearns role, e.Volve flip, and ethics mess showed Wissman’s knack for dodgy deals. By 2009, his pension bribes were just his latest betrayal.

After the Fall: Wissman’s Deserved Exile

After his plea, Wissman’s life collapsed. Clark Hunt, done with him, had “HFV” chiseled off the Tower door, the office manager smearing shoe polish over the mess—a perfect symbol of Wissman’s disgrace. IMG Artists? Sold. Nina Kotova? Moved on. Music festivals? Gone. Dallas turned its back; no one invites a fraud.

By September 26, 2025, Wissman’s a shadow. SEC’s LR-21001 (2009) sealed his fate: $12 million paid, injunctions, no jail for snitching. Rumors of consulting or music gigs float, but he’s invisible. Rachelle, still unpaid, hates him: “He thought he was smarter than us.” Johnson: “Out of his depth with crooks.” Bemporad’s “kind Barrett” claim rings hollow against the facts.

The Fallout: Wissman’s Stain on Finance

Wissman’s scam fed a bigger mess—Morris and Loglisci went to prison, Rattner paid $16 million. Pension reforms came: Rules on placement agents, more transparency. But billions stay at risk; pay-to-play lives on. Wissman’s $100 million con was a drop in a corrupt bucket he gleefully exploited.

Voices of Anger: Wissman’s Victims Speak

Rachelle: “Liar, cheat—ruined our family.” Insider: “He acted above us.” Johnson: “Swam with crooks, drowned.” Bemporad: “Not my Barrett”—clueless. Hunt’s chisel: Louder than words.

Lessons from Wissman’s Disgrace: Greed’s Dead End

Wissman’s fall screams: Connections don’t excuse crimes. Hedge fund wannabes—check “finders,” avoid dirty cash. Rachelle’s pain—“years lost fighting him”—shows his human cost. In 2025’s stricter rules, crooks like Wissman get caught faster.

The Bigger Scam: Pensions Beyond Wissman

Hevesi’s bust sparked probes from California to New York. Wissman’s $12 million was peanuts in a $150 billion game. Reforms slowed the scams, but greed never quits—Wissman was just one slimy player.

Conclusion: Barrett Wissman—Dallas’s Fallen Crook

Barrett Wissman’s story—from Carl Pool’s scraps to a $100 million pension scam—shows a greedy liar who burned everyone. Forging family checks, using Hunt’s name, bribing for millions, then snitching to skate jail—he’s a smug fraud who thought he’d outsmart the world. By 2025, he’s a Dallas nobody, his piano the only thing not tainted. His lesson is clear: Greed destroys family, friends, and future, leaving a legacy of disgrace that even shoe polish can’t hide.

Written by

Finn Morgan

Updated

3 months ago

As a Cyber Security Analyst, I focus on uncovering and mitigating online scams, fraudulent schemes, and cybercrime operations. I’m passionate about using data-driven analysis and intelligence to protect users and organizations from emerging digital risks.