Rajakumaran Rajaratnam was born on the 15th June 1957, in Colombo, Dominion of Ceylon (now Sri Lanka), and is now an American former hedge fund manager, probably best recognized for being the founder of the Galleon Group, a hedge fund company, but who was arrested for insider trading, conspiracy and securities fraud in 2009.
So, have you ever wondered how rich Raj Rajaratnam is, as of early 2018? According to authoritative sources, it has been estimated that the total size of Raj’s net worth is over $1.8 billion, accumulated through his involvement in the business industry.
Raj Rajaratnam Net Worth $1.8 Billion
Raj Rajaratnam spent one part of his childhood in his hometown, where he was raised by his parents; his father worked in the position of the head of the Singer Sewing Machine Co. He went to S. Thomas’ Preparatory School, Kollupitiya until 1971, when he migrated with his family to London, England, where he attended Dulwich College, and later enrolled in the University of Sussex to study Engineering. Upon graduation, he moved to the US and there earned his MBA degree from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania in 1983. Three years later, he became a US citizen.
Speaking about his career, Raj started it by working at Chase Manhattan Bank as a lending officer, then in 1985 he was hired as an analyst at Needham & Co, an investment banking boutique, where he quickly progressed to the position of the head of research in 1987, which marked the beginning of an increase of his net worth. Four years later, he became its President, and established a hedge fund called the Needham Emerging Growth Partnership in 1992, which he bought and renamed to the Galleon Group.
Thanks to technological advancement during the 1900s, Raj achieved enormous success with his Group, investing in technology companies. By the late 2010s, he was named the 236th richest American by Forbes magazine. However, in October of 2009, Raj was arrested along with his employees by the FBI, as he was charged with insider trading in stocks, as well as conspiracy and securities fraud. Furthermore, he was found guilty of all 14 charges, so he was sentenced to 11 years in jail, and had to pay a civil penalty of over $150 million. The company was closed and all investors pulled back their money. He is scheduled be released from jail in July of 2021.
When it comes to speak about his personal life, Raj Rajaratnam is married to Asha Pabla, with whom he has three children. He has residences in New York, Florida, Connecticut and Georgetown (DC). Prior to being arrested, Raj collaborated with various charitable organizations. He also donated money to the rehabilitation of the LTTE combatants, and helped with donations to Sri Lanka after the 2004 tsunami.
