CENTRAL ISLIP, N.Y. – The founder of America's leading supplier of body armor to the U.S. military has been sentenced to 17 years in prison for a $185 million stock swindle.
Prosecutors say David H. Brooks of Westbury, N.Y., used the DHB Industries Inc. treasury for personal luxuries, including a $100,000 diamond-encrusted belt buckle. He also threw lavish parties for his children with entertainers like Tom Petty, Aerosmith and the Eagles.
He and another company official were convicted of inflating the value of the inventory to help meet profit margin projections.
There were no allegations that the company cheated the government or that there was anything wrong with DHB products. Brooks resigned from DHB in July 2006.
The company now operates in Pompano Beach, Fla., as Point Blank Solutions Inc.
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