Jeffrey Robinson

Jeffrey Robinson (born 1945) is a native New Yorker who has lived in Europe since 1970. The international bestselling author of 23 books, Robinson is a recognized expert on organized crime, fraud and money laundering, and has been labeled, by the British Bankers' Association, “the world’s most important financial crime journalist.”

Background

Born in Long Beach, Robinson is a graduate of Temple University in Philadelphia (1967). While still at school, he wrote for television and radio, including a popular weekly children’s show and was on the writing staff of The Mike Douglas Show, a nationally televised daily talk show. He continued working in the media during his four year stint as an officer in the United States Air Force. Charged with running a press and public relations office for five generals at the height of the Vietnam War, he hosted a weekly talk show, scripted and directed several film projects, wrote short stories for national magazines and moonlighted as a disc jockey on local radio.

When his military obligation was completed at the end of 1970, he took up residence in a small village in the south of France. Using that as his base, he vagabonded around the world, writing articles and short stories for leading North American and British periodicals. His magazine credits include Playboy, McCalls, Barron's, Gourmet, True, Ambassador, Mademoiselle, Reader's Digest and TV Guide; his newspaper credits include The Washington Post, The San Francisco Examiner, The Christian Science Monitor and The International Herald Tribune (for which he was a major contributor of features during the 1970s). In Britain his feature journalism has appeared in The Times, The Sunday Times, The Sunday Telegraph, The Sunday Independent and the Mail on Sunday, among others.

He moved to the UK in 1982, with more than 600 published stories and articles to his credit, to concentrate on writing books. In 2007, he returned to New York and now divides his time between the US and the UK.

Non-fiction

Robinson is internationally known for his 1995 investigative tour de force, "The Laundrymen", in which he uncovered the true extent of global money laundering. The book reveals how hundreds of billions of dirty dollars are derived mainly from the drug trade, then reinvested throughout the world by otherwise legitimate businessmen, lawyers, accountants and bankers. Considered the definitive book on the subject, and now used in universities and law schools as a text, "Business Week" described it as " [a] n indictment of governments and banks".

A headline-maker in 14 countries around the world, Robinson scripted and hosted several television documentaries on the back of "The Laundrymen", including one for the BBC, and another for Arte in France and Germany. Both have been shown in the United States.

In 1998, he published a sequel to "The Laundrymen", titled "The Merger - How Organized Crime is Taking Over The World". In it, Robinson revealed the shocking and disturbing lengths that transnational organized criminals go in order to build multi-national corporations; explained why organized crime is the major beneficiary of globalization; and illustrated how transnational organized criminals have become the most powerful special interest group on the planet.

Five years later he published yet another book in this series: "The Sink", exposing crime, terrorism and dirty money in the offshore world.

Between 1986-1994, he published three major best-selling biographies: "Yamani - The Inside Story", described by the Wall Street Journal as the best book ever written about the oil industry; "Rainier & Grace", the only legitimate biography ever written about, and with the cooperation of, Monaco’s sovereign family; and "Bardot - Two Lives", also unique in that it was written with the cooperation of French icon, Brigitte Bardot.

His other non-fiction titles include: "The Risk Takers" (his first UK best seller) which highlighted the high-fliers of City finance, recounting their tales of money, ego and power; "The Minus Millionaires", the off-beat sequel to "The Risk Takers", in which he told stories about ‘risk takers’ who had lost fortunes; "The End of the American Century", for which Robinson gained access to secret archives in the former Soviet Union to reveal the hidden agendas of the Cold War; "The Hotel", stories gathered over five months as a fly on the wall in what is, arguably, the best hotel in the world; "The Manipulators - A Conspiracy to Make Us Buy", exposing the marketing world’s “hidden persuaders” 40 years after Vance Packard; and "Prescription Games", an insider’s view of the global pharmaceutical industry, where science and marketing are deliberately kept apart and where, all too often, profit dictates who lives and who dies.

In 2005, he wrote his first "as told to" with an old college friend, Joseph Petro. It is Petro's autobiography, "Standing Next to History - An Agent's Life Inside the Secret Service".

In 2007, Robinson co-authored Ronnie Wood's autobiography, documenting Wood's years as a rock star and member of the most famous band in the world, The Rolling Stones.

A new book is planned for 2009 on fraud, with a television series to accompany it.

Fiction

Jeffrey Robinson has also written five much-praised novels: "Pietrov and Other Games" (“A fast-paced, yet marvelously complex story” - Nelson DeMille); "The Ginger Jar" (“A gripping spy thriller” - Richard Condon); "The Margin of the Bulls" (“Disgracefully entertaining” - Daily Mail); "The Monk’s Disciples" (“A warmly funny, richly human novel crammed with great characters and wonderful digressions. It’s like going out to dinner with your most entertaining friend and ending up talking till dawn because the company’s so good” - Val McDermid); and, currently under film option, "A True and Perfect Knight" (“An audaciously plotted comedy of errors with a far-from-heroic protagonist, and a comic thriller of considerable skill. The dialogue, too, is a pleasure, with wisecracks to equal Elmore Leonard at his most mordant” - Barry Forshaw).

Radio and television

A frequent guest on TV and radio on both sides of the Atlantic -appearances over the past few years include NBC News, ABC News, CNN, Fox News, BBC Breakfast, BBC Newsnight, ITN, Channel 4 News, CBC, CNBC, Sky News, BBC World, NBC's The Today Show and Bloomberg.

He continues to write for radio and television. He has scripted and hosted various series for BBC Radio, including one on American soap operas. He also wrote a much-acclaimed BBC Radio Drama of the Week, "Rossum’s Cyber Cafe".

His British crime drama series, "Tightrope", is in pre-production with Yorkshire Television. He has recently completed the pilot episode for a new British series on financial crime called "Follow The Money." Other television scripts include "Sister Banjo" and "Notice of Claim". He is currently scripting a film version of his biography of Brigitte Bardot, simply called "Bardot"; and a made-for-television movie version of "Standing Next To History", a dramatic retelling of the special relationship between the president of the United States (Ronald Reagan) and his Secret Service agent (Joseph Petro), called "Ronnie & Joe".

Robinson is a popular after-dinner speaker in Europe and North America, and a winner of the coveted Benedictine Award, as 1990 “After-Dinner Speaker of the Year”.

He is married to Aline Benayoun. They have a son, Joshua Seth, and a daughter Celine Chelsea.

Bibliography

Non-fiction

*"The Sink - Crime, Terror And Dirty Money In The Offshore World" (2003)
*"Prescription Games - Money, Ego And Power Inside The Global Pharmaceutical Industry" (2001)
*"The Merger - The Conglomeration Of International Organized Crime" (1998)
*"The Manipulators - A Conspiracy To Make Us Buy" (1997)
*"The Hotel - Upstairs, Downstairs In A Secret World" (1996)
*"The Laundrymen" (1995)
*"Bardot - Two Lives" (1994)
*"The End of the American Century" (1992)
*"The Risk Takers - Five Years On" (1991)
*"Rainier & Grace" (1988)
*"Yamani - The Inside Story" (1987)
*"Minus Millionaires" (1986)
*"The Risk Takers - Portraits Of Money, Ego And Power" (1985)
*"Teamwork - Comedy Teams in the Movies" (1983)
*"Bette Davis - A Filmography" (1982)

**With Ronnie Wood:
*"Ronnie - The Autobiography" (Life As A Rolling Stone) (2007)
**With Joseph Petro:
*"Standing Next to History - An Agent's Life Inside the Secret Service" (2005)

Fiction

*"A True and Perfect Knight" (1999)
*"The Monk's Disciples" (1997)
*"The Margin of the Bulls" (1995)
*"The Ginger Jar" (1986)
*"Pietrov and Other Games" (1985)

creenplays, teleplays and radio plays

*"I Je t'Aime You" (2008)
*"The Confession" (2007)
*"Notice of Claim" (2005)
*"Bardot" (2005)
*"Sister Banjo" (2002)
*"Tightrope" (2002)
*"Rossum's Cyber Café" (2000)
*"Les Blanchisseurs" (1998)
*"The Laundrymen" (1997)

Journalism and short stories

More than 700 of his published articles and short stories have appeared in major periodicals. Newspaper journalism, specifically for the period 1970-1983 includes 250 feature articles, notably for The International Herald Tribune, The Christian Science Monitor, The Washington Post and the San Francisco Examiner.