The former head of the investment firm Stratton Oakmont describes the rise and fall of his financial empire, his life of glamour and excess, and the scandal that destroyed his empire, sent him to prison, and sparked his drug abuse.

"In the days and weeks after the 2016 presidential election, Matthew Chavez showed up in the subway with stacks of brightly colored sticky notes. "Express yourself," he told passersby. The response was electric. Calling himself "Levee"--one who supports the city's emotional tide--Chavez turned an underground maze into a communal art space known as Subway Therapy. News and social media feeds around the world filled with images of this ever-changing,...