When the Czech government decided to sell shares in state-owned companies to the public, Kozeny had just come from the United States with a Harvard education and only $2,000, according to the Columbia Spectator.

At one time considered the richest man in the Czech Republic, Kozeny reportedly made around $200 million in the early 1990s when the Czech government decided to sell shares in state-owned companies to the public. Under this plan, Czech citizens could purchase vouchers that could, in turn, be traded in for shares in these companies. Kozeny persuaded around 800,000 Czechs to invest their vouchers in his “Harvard” funds, by promising a 10-fold return on their investment.

But Kozeny then disappeared—with Czech citizens’ money—reappearing in the Bahamas, earning the infamous nickname of “Pirate of Prague,” according to the Columbia Spectator.

“The transition of the Eastern European economy has obviously been bumpy, with some suspicious activities being very profitable for individuals,” said Richard Caves, professor emeritus in economics, who said he had not heard of Kozeny or his indictment. “There wasn’t a framework of law, either formal or informal, that would reliably deter people” in those former communist Eastern European countries.

Viktor Kozeny is a household name in the Czech Republic. “Ask any Czech today who Viktor Kozeny is and the answer would probably not be suitable for children,” Dita Asiedu said on Radio Prague in July. “There is no doubt that there is nothing many Czechs would like more than to see Mr. Kozeny behind bars, forever.”

International students at Harvard from the Czech Republic are familiar with his name and story.

“Everybody knows him. He’s probably the greatest robber after 1989,” Michal Dousa ’06 said. “It’s actually ridiculous that people found out about him only now.”

Dousa conceded that the Harvard name probably was a factor in Kozeny’s success.

“They trusted him even more than if he said that he studied at this small university in west Czech Republic,” he said of Czech citizens.

Indeed, Kozeny has linked himself time and again to the Harvard name.

Around a year after Kozeny graduated from Harvard, he founded an investment company called Harvard Capital and Consulting (HC&C), which provided investment opportunities and financial consulting in the former Czechoslovakia. In 1992, Kozeny told The New York Times that he used the Harvard name for his company because he has a B.A. in economics from Harvard. The Harvard tag aided the company’s ability to channel millions of dollars into the Czechoslovakian economy as it was privatizing its financial market, according to the newspaper.

Harvard released a statement around that time disavowing any connection to the company and declaring that the University never authorized the use of the Harvard name.

Vice President and General Counsel Daniel Steiner ’54 told The Crimson in 1992 that businesses that advertise under the Harvard name without permission not only take advantage of the University’s reputation but also pose a possible threat to consumers.

“What bothers us is that apparently people are being misled, as the name of Harvard has been used in [HC&C] advertising,” Steiner told The Crimson in 1992. Harvard officially registered the Harvard name as a trademark in 1990.

Kozeny’s lawyer, Brafman, said “[Kozeny] is very proud of his degree from Harvard University.”

“And once these cases are hopefully absolved in Mr. Kozeny’s favor, Harvard will have ample reason to be proud of him as well,” Brafman added.

There is a file on Kozeny at the Office of General Counsel, according to Diane Lopez, a University attorney. But the individual most knowledgeable about the matter was unavailable for comment yesterday.

Even today, Kozeny is still at least nominally tied to the University.

Dousa said that when he applied as an international student to Harvard two years ago, he saw Viktor Kozeny’s name on the list of interviewers based in various parts of the world. A department administrator at the admissions office confirmed that Kozeny is listed as a Harvard interviewer in the database. It is unclear, though, whether Kozeny conducted any interviews with prospective applicants.