Sure, dating an investment banker seems nice. He's rich! He dresses well! So what if he's married? He takes you out on his boat! And then he follows you to London, breaks into your apartment, steals candlesticks, pretends to be an Israeli secret agent, and puts a tracking device in your bag.

Just take the cautionary tale of J.P. Morgan analyst David Gray, 28, who fell in love with Daniela Rausnitz, 25, when the two worked together at the investment bank. They had an affair, and Gray considered leaving his wife—their Times wedding announcement is here, if you're in a particularly voyeuristic mood—but Gray's "behavior became stifling," Rausnitz transferred to the London office, and the relationship ended.

At least, it ended for Rausnitz; for Gray, the only thing that ended was his connection to an agreed-upon reality. Like every other industrious borderline sociopath in the finance industry, Gray went to work: he flew out to London. Four times. And broke into her apartment. And that's not all! A partial list of the crazy shit Gray pulled:

  • "At one stage he sent her 176 text messages and 23 emails over just 16 hours"
  • "He even used his key to enter her Onslow Gardens home and take two candlesticks that belonged to his grandmother"
  • "Miss Rausnitz accused him of trying to change his flights so they were on the same aircraft"
  • "His victim told police he planted a tracking device in her phone and hacked her email"
  • "When officers confronted him at a Park Lane Hotel where she was hiding with her family he told them he was an agent for the Israeli secret service"
  • "He collapsed in front of her at Heathrow Airport-–something she accused him of faking and which he said was brought on by stress"
  • "He also admitted claiming falsely that his sister had died and that he was seriously ill in a Paris hospital after an accident."
  • "Even on the eve of his trial Gray was accused of breaching his bail by turning up at the same Notting Hill restaurant as his former lover."

Rausnitz now has the British equivalent of a restraining order against Gray, and he'll be punished if he "contacts Miss Rausnitz by any means and then visits Britain"—meaning that if he stalked her in the U.S., British courts would be empowered to arrest him upon his return to the U.K.

And what can we learn from all this? That men (and, probably, women) who work in an industry that encourages long hours, intense competition, and amoral practices don't make for good significant others.

[Daily Mail]