Alberto Vilar

Who is Alberto Vilar?

Alberto Vilar, a.k.a., Albert Vilar, is an American investor and philanthropist from West Orange, New Jersey, particularly known as a patron of opera.

Vilar became known globally as a generous donor to opera companies, performing arts organizations, and educational institutions in several parts of the world. Norman Lebrecht states that, as of August 2002, the total of his "actual plus pledged" contributions stood at $250 million. By 2000 Vilar was claiming to be "the largest supporter of classical music, opera, and ballet in the world".

However, in light of his failure to honor many of his pledges and the decline in internet-related investments which ultimately brought about the collapse of his investment firm, Amerindo Investment Advisors, he was tried and convicted in November 2008 on charges of money laundering, investment advisor fraud, securities fraud, mail and wire fraud, and was sentenced in February 2010 to nine years in prison. The prosecution charged that some of the money stolen from his clients was used to meet his public philanthropic commitments. Vilar denied the main charge of conspiracy to commit fraud and launched an appeal in September 2011.