Praise for Selling America Short

“Richard Sauer’s riveting Selling America Short lifts the veil on two powerful and secretive worlds that dominate our financial markets: those of hedge funds and the Securities and Exchange Commission regulators. Accounts of the inner workings of both don’t come more informative—or more entertaining.”—Jesse Eisinger, Senior Reporter, ProPublica

“Every stock market cop should be as determined—and witty and frank—as Rick Sauer. Assigned reading for anyone investigating stock swindles, or just stocks. Finally, an inside narrative of the SEC and the scams that wrecked Wall Street.”—Bill Alpert, Senior Editor, Barron’s

“Rick Sauer’s journey through the underbelly of finance is black humor at its best. Truly hilarious and deeply frightening.”—Bethany McLean, Contributing Editor, Vanity Fair

Selling America Short: The SEC and Market Contrarians in the Age of Absurdity is the gripping chronicle of twenty years of crooked companies and financial philanderers as seen through the eyes of Richard Sauer, a veteran of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, private legal practice, and the hedge fund subculture.

Sauer began chasing financial fraud at the SEC before it exploded into an issue of national concern. Before, that is, Enron and WorldCom and other turn-of-the-century financial scandals made people wonder whether our business leaders should be seen as presumptive felons, including those paragons of capitalism who loom like stuffed predators from the covers of Fortune and BusinessWeek.

Written in a straightforward and accessible style, this book recounts Sauer’s first-person experiences with the sometimes comic, sometimes tragic flaws of the American financial system and those who attempt to control it.