Corrupt CEO Dennis Kozlowski and His Infamous $6,000 Shower Curtain

Take a deep dive into the amazingly greedy life of the former Tyco CEO on the new episode of ‘Dirty Money.’

By Dan Bova Apr 17, 2023
Kypros | Getty Images

If you’re looking for the poster boy of corporate greed, look no further than L. Dennis Kozlowski, the former CEO of Tyco who took excess to a whole new level. He’s the subject of this week’s episode of Entrepreneur’s new podcast, Dirty Money, which you can listen to above or on any podcast platform.

Related: Subscribe to Dirty Money | Apple | Spotify | Stitcher

In 2005, Kozlowski was arrested and served six and a half years in prison for looting nearly $100 million from his company. Records revealed that he secretly loaned tens of millions of dollars of corporate funds to executives and forgave those loans to win their loyalty. (What a swell guy.)

On top of all that, without board approval, he doled out millions in bonuses and used company money to buy himself a $16.8 million apartment in New York City. He repeatedly dipped into Tyco’s til to cover his personal $80,000 American Express bill and luxury oddities, including a $17,100 traveling toilet box, a $15,000 dog umbrella stand, and a $6,000 shower curtain.

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On this episode of Dirty Money, hosts Jon Small and Dan Bova speak with Catherine S. Neal, Associate Professor of Business Ethics and Business Law at Northern Kentucky University and author of Taking Down the Lion: The Triumphant Rise and Tragic Fall of Tyco’s Dennis Kozlowski to get to the bottom of his greed (if there is a bottom.)

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About Dirty Money

Dirty Money is a new podcast series from Entrepreneur Media telling the tales of legendary scammers, con artists, and barely-legal lowlifes who stop at nothing to bilk their marks of millions. Hosted by Entrepreneur editors Dan Bova and Jon Small, the podcast takes a deep dive into the deviants behind the deeds.

If you’re looking for the poster boy of corporate greed, look no further than L. Dennis Kozlowski, the former CEO of Tyco who took excess to a whole new level. He’s the subject of this week’s episode of Entrepreneur’s new podcast, Dirty Money, which you can listen to above or on any podcast platform.

Related: Subscribe to Dirty Money | Apple | Spotify | Stitcher

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Dan Bova

VP of Special Projects at Entrepreneur.com
Entrepreneur Staff
Dan Bova is the VP of Special Projects at Entrepreneur.com and host of the How Success Happens podcast. He previously worked at Jimmy Kimmel Live, Maxim, and Spy magazine. His latest books for kids include This Day in History, Car and Driver's Trivia Zone, Road & Track Crew's Big & Fast Cars, The Big Little...

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