Ross Mandell, ex-trader in fraud case, peddles his reality TV show

NEW YORK -- A former Wall Street trader accused with associates of swindling more than $140 million from investors is angling for his own reality television show, eager to prove his innocence in the court of public opinion.

Ross Mandell, former head of Sky Capital Holdings, was indicted in July 2009 on charges that he and five others defrauded investors in a scheme that U.S. prosecutors say pressured people to buy stock from what they called a "transatlantic boiler room" with operations in London and New York.

Released on $5 million bail, Mandell faces as much as 25 years in prison if found guilty.

Mandell, 53, has not secured a television deal for his show but insists that he has received "serious interest" from TV networks. Eager to prove that he has a hot story and a cast of intriguing characters -- including his wife and his mixed martial arts buddies -- Mandell has begun filming.

"This is not about money for me," Mandell said in explaining his rationale for the show, tentatively titled "Facing Life." "This is about facing the public, clearing my name and the legacy of my wife and children," he said.

He said he also wants to humanize himself. "People think that I'm a beast, that I'm an animal," he told Reuters. "I'm not. . . . I'm a loving human being, I'm a sober man, I'm God-fearing and a member of Alcoholics Anonymous."

If he gets a TV show, Mandell would be among a growing number of people who have sought redemption on prime-time TV after getting into legal trouble.

After his impeachment, former Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich appeared on NBC's "Celebrity Apprentice." NFL football star Michael Vick, convicted of animal cruelty, was on the BET network with "The Michael Vick Project" to try to reveal his softer side -- including scenes of him volunteering at an animal shelter.

Mandell, who lives in Boca Raton, Fla., says he was set up by the U.S. government because of his work helping bring U.S. companies to the London Stock Exchange.

"I took the business from them. That's why I'm being targeted now," Mandell said.

And, like the boxer he is in his spare time, Mandell refuses to go down without a fight. "I'd rather die on my feet than live on my knees," he said.

-- Reuters