In 2011, Dankner sold the Israeli agrochemicals manufacturer Makhteshim Agan to China National Agrochemical Corporation, a subsidiary of China National Chemical Corporation (ChemChina). Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described the deal as “a big achievement for the economy of Israel.” That year he was ranked eleventh in Forbes Magazine’s list of wealthy Israelis.

After some bad business deals made by Dankner, including investment in failed Las Vegas hotel and residential project, collapsed Maariv newspaper deal, IDB, which was a public company at the time sustained millions of dollars losses. Dankner tried to save the control of the company and hired Itay Strum, broker Adi Sheleg and some others to buy and sell IDB stock, causing inflation of prices during a public offering in February 2012. The intention was to raise capital for the company. Itay Sturm received eight million shekels from Nochi Dankner in order to buy and sell. Strum and his colleagues bought stock at higher prices, while they knew it was worth much less in order to manipulate traders to buy IDB stock at inflated prices. This raises the stock’s price beyond its real one, which is illegal stock manipulation by law. [citation to law needed]

Dankner was convicted in July 2016. On 6 December 2016, he was sentenced to two years in prison, as well as 800000 NIS fine. In addition, Dankner received a suspended sentence of an additional year. Prosecutors had asked for a three- to five-year prison sentence. Judge Khabub’s formula of sentencing was: “deemed it appropriate to punish the accused within the lower levels of the appropriate punishment due to the personalities of the accused, their extraordinary philanthropic work and the damages and losses they inflicted on themselves by getting embroiled in this scheme.”

Dankner appealed the conviction to the Israeli Supreme Court. On 29 August 2018, the Supreme Court rejected his appeal and increased his sentence to three years in prison. It also doubled Itay Strum’s sentence to two years in prison. The Supreme Court ruled that he would begin serving his sentence on 2 October 2018. On 2 October, he arrived at Maasiyahu Prison to begin serving his sentence. He was granted early release in February 2020.