The Knight's Tale

At Lavish gatherings from Monaco to the Middle East, Anthony Ritossa built a lucrative business convening the titans who control the "Family offices" of the überwealthy. But the self-styled knight of the realm and purported Nobel Prize nominee turned out to be a Wall Street washout, a deadbeat dad, and a dangerous con man

- By Adam Ciralsky. Ilustrations by Mark Smith

It was a warm june evening in Monaco. Outside, yachts were plying the azure sea. Inside, flashbulbs were popping. Anthony Ritossa was in his element.

Charming and cherubic, Ritossa was glad-handing in front of a step-andrepeat backdrop at the Fairmont Monte Carlo. His perma-tan, sun-kissed hair, and tailored suit suggested a man of refined wealth and taste. An outsider might easily have mistaken the scene for a movie premiere in nearby Cannes. But that would have undersold the pomp and pomposity of the moment.

Sir Anthony, as he likes to be called, was holding court, welcoming guests to his 19th Ritossa Family Office Investment Summit—a confab of royals, sheiks, and ultra-high-net-worth individuals that he bills as the most highly acclaimed gathering of global wealth of all time.” By his count, people representing over 4.5 trillion in investor wealth” have shown up at his conferences in Dubai, Miami, Monaco, and Riyadh, events where startups and entrepreneurs come to pitch the rich, and have walked away, in Ritossa’s estimate, with more than 2.8 billion in new funding.”

The gathering this past summer was held Under the High Patronage of His Serene Highness Prince Albert II of Monaco.” Though the prince was not on hand, his endorsement loomed large. His name topped the invitations. His foundation’s logo was splashed across a banner along the red carpet.