Bennett had taken over as CEO of Refco in 1998 after a two year stint as its chief financial officer, and he set out to build the firm into the leading independent futures trader through a string of acquisitions in the U.S. and abroad.

FORBES: The Vultures Are Circling

Along with a string of promises to buy a house in Lampedusa, build a golf course and plant trees (he has not yet done any of these), he did promise to send large ships to remove migrants to the mainland.

BBC: Italy's Lampedusa left in crisis after Arab Spring