This from the LA Times:
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The money came from brokerage accounts in the Century City office of Merrill Lynch & Co. and was to fund what became a cornerstone event during the week of the August 2000 Democratic National Convention in Los Angeles — an A-list Hollywood gala honoring outgoing President Clinton that raised $1 million for First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton's fledging New York Senate campaign.
Gordon was right-hand man to entrepreneur Peter Paul, who provided the money by borrowing against Merrill Lynch margin accounts secured by more than 1 million shares in Stan Lee Media Inc. Gordon was then Stan Lee Media's executive vice president in charge of operations, and Paul, officially a consultant to the company, was its co-founder.
This was New Economy money: Stan Lee Media had never turned a profit. It had value thanks to the dot-com bubble and the reputation of its namesake chairman, comic book genius Stan Lee.
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http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-stanlee20jul20,1,6847872.story?coll=la-headlines-business-manual