Co-owner of Abalone Investments
Pierre Falcone was born in Algeria in 1954. When he was aged eight, Falcone’s parents moved to France, following Algeria’s declaration of independence. In his early twenties Falcone moved to Brazil, where he started his business life as an agricultural entrepreneur. Together with his Bolivian wife, Falcone established himself as a significant socialite in the US in the 1990s.
In 2009 Falcone was convicted of various crimes relating to Angolagate, receiving a six year sentence. He had attempted to claim diplomatic immunity as he was then the Angolan ambassador to UNESCO – a position that confirmed his closeness to the Angolan political elite. Some of his convictions were overturned and his sentence was reduced on appeal in 2011. He remains active in Angola.