Stratton Oakmont was a brokerage firm founded in 1989 by Jordan Belfort and Danny Porush. It became known for its aggressive sales tactics and involvement in pump-and-dump schemes, where stocks were artificially inflated before being sold off at a profit. The firm operated in the 1990s and was notorious for its high-pressure sales environment. In 1996, Stratton Oakmont was investigated by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for securities fraud. The firm was eventually shut down in 1999, leading to criminal charges against its founders. The story of Stratton Oakmont was later popularized in the film The Wolf of Wall Street.