<P> Daniel Mark Porush (born February 1957) is an American businessman and former stock broker who ran a "pump and dump" stock fraud scheme in the 1990s . In 1999, Porush was convicted of securities fraud and money laundering at the Stratton Oakmont brokerage, for which he served 39 months in prison . The character of Donny Azoff portrayed by Jonah Hill in the 2013 film The Wolf of Wall Street was loosely based on Porush, although Porush described the portrayal as inaccurate . After prison, Porush became involved with a Florida - based medical supply company, Med - Care, which was the subject of federal investigations . </P> <P> Danny Porush, the son of a doctor, was raised in a Jewish family in Lawrence, Nassau County, New York . Porush graduated from Lawrence Woodmere Academy . He attended Dickinson College and Boston University but did not graduate . According to New York magazine, Porush then "bounced from job to job, working for, and starting up, a variety of small businesses ." </P>

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