150 The Pitfalls of Mega Wealth. Multimillionaire and Author John Lefebvre on the Fall from Grace that Ended Him in Jail, and Why He's Now Addicted to Giving His Money Away

Love it or hate it, we all need money. 💰 It’s often said that money is the root of all evil, but is it? What happens when you have a ton, then lose it? How does money change us, for better and for worse? This week’s guest, convict and multimillionaire… author and musician… proponent of spreading the wealth and a self-proclaimed charity junkie… and all around fascinating man John Lefebvre is here to tell us how money started our great for him, then ended him in jail. John founded online money transfer site NETeller.com and in 2003 it went public on the London Stock Exchange for $2 billion. In 2007 he was arrested by the Department of Justice and faced three 20-year sentences. He ended up pleading guilty to conspiracy to promote online gambling and spent 45 days in the same Manhattan jail facility where El Chapo currently is, and where Jeffrey Epstein was also housed. Since his release, John has given over $50 million dollars to charity and is a vocal proponent of "the rewards of generosity." We do deep dive about all the success he saw in business; what it was like living at the top of the top; and what it was like to come crashing down. In this episode we discuss: + His rise and fall in the online world + What serving time in jail was like + The good and the bad of mega-wealth + What capitalism gets right and gets wrong + How money changed him + The philosophy he lives by to stay grounded For more on John, check out his website here, follow him on IG here, and grab a copy of his book here. Follow me on IG here, and check out the WGT blog here. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/wegottatalkwithsonni/support