Hedge fund scammer tells NY judge he tried to kill himself - USATODAY.com

Former hedge fund manager Samuel Israel III is escorted by federal law enforcement officials out of the U.S. District Court in Springfield, Mass., on Wednesday. By Larry Neumeister, Associated Press Writer NEW YORK — A hedge fund cheat who faked his own death to dodge a 20-year prison sentence told a judge in federal court in Manhattan on Thursday that he tried to overdose on drugs before he surrendered in Massachusetts. The judge told Samuel Israel III, who scammed nearly half a billion dollars from investors, that he must forfeit his $500,000 bail, and she ordered him to jail immediately. EARLIER: Wanted fund chief rides scooter to police HQ, turns himself in TIMELINE: From Israel's sentence in April to his surrender Wednesday Flanked by two lawyers, the 48-year old co-founder of Bayou Group hedge fund was dressed in a blue... [read full story]