Loading...
A dissection of the dark side of the American Dream, a survey of how far some people go to become rich, no matter the cost to themselves and those around them. Real-life cases are reviewed and involve such criminal activity as credit card scams, identity theft, counterfeiting and Ponzi schemes.
2007
Case 1: Hook, Line and Sucker Barry Hunt—a successful con artist who left a coast-to-coast trail of deception, deceit and empty bank accounts. A profile of Hunt’s crime and the investors who bought his story. Case 2: Maxfield Parish Art Heist A daring heist. Under the cover of darkness, a hole is expertly cut in the roof. An alarm goes haywire. Two paintings by famed American Artist Maxfield Parrish disappear into the night.
Case 1: The Imposter: Dr. Barnes For twenty years he was an imposter doctor! Dr. Gerald Barnes has a thriving practice specializing in "executive" medical exams. His salary is six-figures and life is good. But there's a problem: he's not the real Dr. Gerald Barnes. Case 2: Interstate Bank Mart Bandit He leaves no clues behind, only a trail of broken dreams and empty bank accounts. Forty-three robberies in 20 months. The M.O. is always the same. Police say it's the work of one man: "The Interstate Bank Mart Bandit!".
Case 1: Art Heist: Fine Arts Express A museum quality art collection worth more than $4 million dollars is stolen! Two men, who in a twist of fate, end up working at Fine Arts Express, together hatch a plan to steal the art… museum quality pieces by Picasso, Matisse, and Rothko. Case 2: Medical Scams: Dr. Martinez It sounds like a nightmare—long needles repeatedly jabbed to a patient’s back. But for Dr. Jorge Martinez, it's routine business. Expensive, painful and unnecessary shots are all part of a multi-million dollar billing scheme.
Case 1: Meth Identity Thieves It's a new crime wave rippling across the west; thieves are committing identity theft to fund their meth drug addictions. Victims are robbed. But the thief takes more than money, the victim's identity is stolen, too. Case 2: The Wheaton Bandit Wheaton, Illinois - considered a nice place to raise a family. But a shadow hangs over this affluent Chicago suburb. A serial bank robber is armed and ready for a fight.
Case 1: Religious Prey: Baptist Foundation of Arizona The Baptist Foundation of Arizona is a non-profit fundraiser dedicated to the church. Investors believe their money will be secure but millions are lost! “American Greed" unravels the elaborate Ponzi scheme which left a religious community betrayed and baffled. Case 2: Medical Scams: Dr. Mikos The story of a murderous Chicago doctor who bilked Medicare! He’s a caring doctor with a sterling bedside manner. His practice is lucrative. But beneath the charm lies a con artist; a doctor playing the system and making off with more than a million.
Case 1: Religious Prey: Greater Ministries International A story of religious fraud; a $500 million dollar pyramid scheme. Church founder Gerald Payne has a plan for the faithful to gift the church and double their money. American Greed profiles one of the most lucrative pyramid schemes in history. Case 2: It takes a Thief A thief leads a double life.
2008
Financier Martin Frankel, a con-man who vanished with $200 million dollars! A story of money laundering, prostitution, bizarre sex and drug abuse.
When Greed and Giving Collide A major charity scam...John Bennett's "Foundation for New Era Philanthropy" stole millions of dollars from unsuspecting patrons. A story of deception, theft and "American Greed." Confessions of a Con Man Eric Stein, mastermind of one of the largest Ponzi schemes in Nevada history, cost his victims nearly $34 million dollars.
Unsolved: $300 Million Art Heist A dark night. A clever plan. $300 million in art is stolen from a Boston museum. Paintings by Rembrandt, Vermeer and Manuet disappear into the night! Preying on Faith He's a man of faith and his name is Abraham Kennard. But this pastor preys on his flock. Trusting Christians from small, struggling churches who are hoping to better their communities hand over their savings to this pastor. But instead, as many as 1600 churches nationwide are swindled out of $10 million.
Stealing $$$ From Scientologists A religious man leads a deceptive life and scams investors out of more than $600 million! The rise and fall of Scientologist minister Reed Slatkin is a story of "American Greed." The Art of Fraud Enter the mysterious world of art fraud. An elaborate sting operation exposes Dr. Vilas Likhite, a doctor stripped of his medical license who begins a new career as a con man selling fake art treasures!
Patients are at risk. A respected pharmacist is on the take. Robert Courtney mixes a prescription of greed; diluting life-saving drugs and the hopes of cancer patients.
Inside the WorldCom Scam Inside the WorldCom Scam - Bernard Ebbers, CEO of WorldCom, rises from rags to riches. But the "telecom cowboy" becomes the poster child for everything that went wrong on Wall Street in the 1990s. WorldCom's eventual downfall shakes the financial community and the lives of thousands of investors. - American Greed investigates one of the most notorious cases of corporate fraud in US history. DHS: Department of Hollywood Scams It reads like a Hollywood script: Joseph Medawar is a hotshot television producer. He creates a new action packed adventure series based on real-life national security cases. Investors fund the project. But there's no show.... only a scam to rob investors out of millions of dollars!
A conman. Some say an "evil genius." The once- chairman of Cybernet, a wildly successful global technology company, stands accused of stealing millions in an elaborate fraud. American Greed profiles one of the biggest scams of the 21st century!
Dennis Kozlowski, once described as "The Most Aggressive CEO in America," now sits behind bars. A poster boy of excess, the former CEO of Tyco stole millions from his company, using the money for a lavish party, a gilded shower curtain and expensive art. American Greed goes behind prison walls for a rare glimpse into Kozlowski's personal life and one of the biggest cases of white collar theft in U.S. history
It's called the "Miracle Car Club." Starting with members of their own church and then branching out, two young men take investors for a ride to the tune of more than $21 million. American Greed profiles one of the largest car scams in U.S. history! It was known as the Miracle Cars scam. Conned in the Caribbean It sounds too good to be true. An offshore bank promises astronomical returns to investors...100% guaranteed. But, the bank is a sham and investors lose more than $170 million!
Robbing Hollywood's A-List Dana Giacchetto advises Hollywood's hottest stars... and finds his own fame and fortune. But, his star-power fades when nearly $10 million goes missing! Soaking The Rich at Auction He's an art collector, the former chairman of Sotheby's and a convicted felon. Alfred Taubman takes us inside the price-fixing scandal at Christie's and Sotheby's.
Stacy Keach
Self - Narrator (voice)
2009
An attractive, sinfully dishonest Tampa mortgage broker meets a single mom looking for love. Together they team up and make millions in the real estate market. In a tell-all exclusive interview, Matt Cox and Rebecca Hauck explain how lust and greed are a hot combination for fraud.
2010
An enigmatic hedge fund manager desperate to succeed... and the scam that bilked investors out of $300 million! Sam Israel lived through the most decadent era in human history. His hunger for fame and fortune... his greed, ultimately leads to a bridge and a suicide note. This is the strange story of a con artist who fell for the ultimate con himself!
2011
Stephen Trantel is a husband, a father…and a bank robber. He was once a broker making hundreds of thousands of dollars in the Manhattan trading pits. Unemployed, Trantel embarks on a new career…. one of crime. His life - and the lives of those who love him - are changed forever.
2012
Kenneth Ira Starr is a money manager. He courts celebrity clients…Sylvester Stallone, Uma Thurman and Wesley Snipes. But Starr doesn’t stop there. He steals $30 million to buy his way onto Hollywood’s A-list and live a life of luxury … all in the name of love. American Greed has the story of the money manager, the stripper and a multi-million dollar ponzi scheme.
2015
A coin collector and his brother start mail order coin businesses. They go bankrupt in 2008. After they're jailed, one plots murder of the judge and prosecutor.
2016
Disgraced former mayor exploits the tragedy of Hurricane Katrina to pocket bribes and live large.
2018
Businessman Martin Shkreli raises the price of a life-saving drug 5,000 percent, but it's his shady accounting and Internet trolling that lands the "Pharma Bro" in hot water.
2022
Joel Greenberg is a privileged millennial from a rich Florida family who one day decides to run for Seminole County Tax Collector and wins; once in office, he embarks on a breathtaking series of crimes, ranging from fraud to sex trafficking.
Lou Pearlman... the legendary manager of boy bands like *NSYNC and The Backstreet Boys... the king of an entertainment empire that crumbles. Pearlman lives a glamorous life of fame, fancy cars... and crime. He's the mastermind who scams $500 million from investors!
Richard Scrushy is the Superstar CEO of HealthSouth, a huge provider of outpatient rehab services. But, the billionaire falls from grace after federal prosecutors accuse him of masterminding a $2.7 billion dollar fraud!
Multi-millionaire businessmen and brothers Andrew and Robert Kissel have it all...beautiful families, mansions, country clubs, and fast cars. They appear to live charmed lives. But, the Kissel brothers’ good fortune runs out and ends in murder. Who would want them dead?
A respected doctor. Trusting patients. Dr. Michael Rosin runs a thriving dermatology practice specializing in a highly effective procedure for skin cancer. But, Dr. Rosin’s surgery isn’t just a cancer treatment... it’s a goldmine.
A shocking scheme to use strippers to solicit information from Wall Street bankers. Another plan to steal secrets and cash in on stock that's about to soar. Two young traders, David Pajcin and Eugene Plotkin, are the masterminds behind a complex Wall Street con. Al Parish. An economics professor. A trusted financial advisor. A genius. But the self-proclaimed "Economan" is the suspected mastermind behind an $80 million investment scam.
The Mustang Ranch. It's the famous brothel where sex is always for sale. Joe Conforte is the pioneering pimp who makes millions peddling sex at the Nevada Ranch. He’s creates a brothel empire and defies the law. But his thirst for power and influence ultimately bring him down.
A disgraced dentist carves out a gruesome new business. From a secret room in a Brooklyn funeral home he runs a multi-million dollar business... cutting up corpses and stripping the bodies for parts. Michael Mastromarino's is a modern day body snatcher!
A story of deception. They appear to be two “grannies” helping men who are down on their luck - offering food, shelter and clothing. But Helen Golay and her friend Olga Rutterschmidt are ruthless con artists. Their tragic web of deceit is about to unravel. This is the true tale of women who murder for money. The story of The Black Widows…only on American Greed!
Raffaello Follieri is young, handsome and at the top of his game. He makes millions with a successful real estate business. He hobnobs with world leaders. And, he’s found love with a Hollywood A-Lister, Anne Hathaway. But Follieri is about to see his American dream fall apart... when his fraud is exposed.
Anthony Elgindy. He's young, self-assured... and loaded. He claims to be a crusader, fighting fraud on Wall Street. But, this so-called good guy is running an insider trading scam... and his partner is a crooked FBI agent. American Greed profiles "The Mad Max of Wall Street!"
Marcus Schrenker makes millions. He’s a Wall Street money manager and a stunt pilot. But clients say he’s a con man who had the country wondering for days whether he was dead or alive. American Greed profiles a multi-million dollar story of deception!
Sholam Weiss is a bold and brazen dealmaker. He’s a consultant to con men and the brains behind one of the largest insurance scams in history. But Weiss doesn’t hide in the shadows. He’s attracted to music, gambling and women. Are these the fatal attractions that will do him in? American Greed profiles a multi-million dollar con!
One man’s bold scheme to get rich quick. Albert Talton puts a modern twist on one of the nation’s oldest crimes – making counterfeit money. American Greed profiles a multi-million dollar con!
A pharmaceutical company ignores FDA safety guidelines and patients pay the price. A would-be marketing mogul relies on investor trust and faith. Jeanetta Standefor convinces clients their cash is rescuing homeowners from foreclosure. But, while investors think they’re helping neighbors stay in their homes, Standefor is helping herself to millions! American Greed profiles a Flipping Frenzy Scam!
Steven Warshak is persuasive. He makes millions by selling a product to enhance the sex lives of men. Enzyte appears to be the herbal answer to Viagra. But, Warshak takes advantage of his buyers. He’s racking up illegal credit card charges on thousands of customers! He’s a hedge fund superstar. Investment Manager Kirk Wright takes on tough clients…and steals their money. He recruits NFL football players and they invest. But, when he’s tackled for a multi-million dollar loss, will Wright’s game go into sudden death?
Fen-Phen, the miracle weight loss drug of the 90’s, turns out to have a serious side effect. When the story breaks, ambulance chasing lawyers rush in. They exploit the tragedy and pilfer their clients’ money. How much they steal will shock you!
In Grand Rapids, Michigan, Dr. Robert Stokes runs a thriving dermatology practice. He’s making millions. But Dr. Stokes has a dark secret. He’s stealing patient’s money. He reuses medical supplies and endangers patients. Darlene Wooten and Charlene Corley are twin sisters. They’re making a fortune in defense contracts. But behind the scenes, things are not as they seem. American Greed profiles a multi-million dollar fraud against the government!
Max Butler is "Iceman." He oversaw an underground Internet crime spree. Mysterious thugs steal information and access your financial life story. Billions are at stake. American Greed profiles a high-stakes cybercrime.
His pitch is irresistible. Troy Titus promises to make you rich. The self-proclaimed real estate guru travels the seminar circuit. Thousands attend his lectures, buy his DVDs and invest with the man who portrays himself as a moneymaking magician. It’s true to an extent … Titus makes money disappear in a multi-million dollar Ponzi scheme!
He’s a philanthropist, diplomat and international man of mystery. Dr. Henry Jones promises to get investors in on a secret gold deal. But Dr. Jones is leading a double life --- a life unknown even to his partners in crime. American Greed profiles the golden allure of an elusive conman and a multi-million dollar Ponzi scheme!
A mysterious ring of social outcasts. Albert Gonzalez leads a gang with an insatiable appetite for sex, drugs…and your encrypted information. They steal credit card numbers and make a fortune by selling them on the black market. But the multi-million dollar scam has deadly consequences. American Greed profiles the story of Albert Gonzalez... the most cunning cyber crook in American history!
He’s a trusted advisor. A philanthropist. Bob McLean runs a successful investment firm and donates millions to his favorite causes. But McLean has a dark, devastating secret. American Greed profiles a story of phony philanthropy!
Scott Rothstein is a Ft. Lauderdale attorney making millions. He’s the life of the party, a guy who wants the world to love him. But Rothstein is secretly a criminal mastermind. American Greed reveals the story behind the largest Ponzi scheme in Florida history!
They’re called The Bling Ring. A fast crowd of celebrity wannabes. This gang of teenagers rob celebrity homes and steal millions in jewelry, clothing and artwork. How far will they go to be like their favorite Hollywood stars? Danny Pang is a high-rolling financier with a devil-may-care attitude. He makes millions betting on when people will die. But Pang has a shady past, a gambling habit and a murdered wife. Soon, this gambler’s house of cards will collapse.
Albert Vilar funds symphonies and operas around the world. But it’s curtains for Vilar when he scams the mother of a Hollywood star. William “Boots” Del Biaggio III is a hockey team owner skating on thin ice. His insatiable desire to be a sports mogul causes him to commit a multimillion-dollar fraud!
A slaughterhouse employs hundreds of workers in a small Iowa town. But there are whispers of threats, extortion and shocking child labor abuses. Sholom Rubashkin runs the family business. Is he a dutiful son or a corporate crook?
A tough guy from Chicago’s South Side finds his way off the streets and into a life of crime. Art Williams Jr. prints millions in fake dollars. American Greed profiles the case of the counterfeiting craftsman.
Larry Salander is one of the biggest names in New York’s art world. But collectors see red when he swipes more than $100 million from their pockets. American Greed profiles art collectors who lost a fortune in priceless art. Stefan Wilson says his investment fund is a sure-fire winner. Investors even mortgage their homes to join his fund. But business with Wilson comes at a very high price. American Greed profiles a story of deception!
Marc Dreier is a high-powered lawyer with celebrity clients. But Dreier is a conman and steals more than $700 million from hedge funds. American Greed profiles a story of deception and fraud!
Arthur Nadel conjures a $330 million hedge fund. In the blink of an eye, he disappears and leaves clients without their life savings. American Greed profiles a multi-million dollar Ponzi scheme!
Dr. Mark Weinberger – a self-proclaimed “nose doctor” – has it all and isn’t afraid to flaunt it. But inside The Weinberger Sinus Clinic, all is not what it seems. American Greed profiles a multi-million dollar tale of deception!
Carlos Perez-Olivo is a successful lawyer with a silver tongue and solid gold taste. But when he’s disbarred for fleecing desperate clients, he finds another way to make money…and proves how greed really is a deadly sin. American Greed profiles the story of murder for money.
Nevin Shapiro is the conman at the center of a college football scandal. He kicked off the controversy with stunning stories of gifts to players and allegations of broken NCAA rules. Who is this man who jeopardized the future of the University of Miami’s football team and how did he steal the millions that made it all possible? American Greed profiles a case of major league fraud!
Kevin Cohen is an attorney who says he can make dreams come true for couples wanting children. He promises babies … for a hefty price. But unknown to his trusting clients, Cohen is exploiting their hopes and dreams. American Greed profiles a cruel con artist.
A Minneapolis businessman buys big companies and makes himself rich in the process
It’s one of the biggest cases of insider trading in history. Raj Rajaratnam had it all…a wildly successful hedge fund, billions in the bank and the respect of Wall Street. But behind closed doors, Rajaratnam was gaming the system to the tune of $75 million-dollars! American Greed takes you inside a trading scandal.
A televised art auction appears to showcase masterpieces. It’s billed as your chance to own a Rembrandt, Chagall or Dali. A rare Picasso sells for $500. Too good to be true? American Greed takes you inside a picture perfect art scam.
A sting operation brings down a Denver businessman; a charismatic con man uses the promise of huge returns to put $30 million in his own pocket.
The collapse of Erpenbeck wreaks financial havoc for area home buyers, subcontractors and banks with three company employees pleading guilty to bank fraud.
Nicholas Cosmo pleads guilty to federal mail fraud and wire fraud in 2009 for his involvement in a Ponzi scheme that resulted in losses of more than $195 million.
Michael Lock was a man driven by ambition. He was a Milwaukee crime boss with a business model that took him from cocaine dealing to bank fraud … and Lock had a surefire way to beat the competition.
Van Thu Tran and her crime ring steal millions by cheating casinos.
Shawn Merriman was a bishop in the Mormon Church, a family man and the head of a thriving investment business pulling in millions. But unknown to investors, Merriman was living a lie and ripping off his neighbors, friends…even his own mother. American Greed takes you inside a multi-million dollar con!
In the city of brotherly love, car wrecks piled up and auto insurance policies were treated like ATM machines. American Greed takes you inside a Philadelphia car insurance fraud ring where everybody got a piece of the action.
Lee Farkas was a mortgage mogul, a millionaire and chairman of Taylor, Bean & Whitaker. But unknown to his clients, Farkas made his fortune by peddling fake mortgages and looting his company. American Greed takes you inside a multi-billion dollar scam!
Solomon Dwek was a real estate mogul, philanthropist … and an expert flimflammer. He was the mastermind behind a multi-million dollar real estate scam and bank fraud. But when Dwek’s luck runs out, he becomes an informant in the biggest case of corruption and greed in New Jersey history.
Sir Allen Stanford was once one of the richest men in America. He lived and loved the high life - cruising around the world on private jets and helicopters and bouncing between multiple mansions. He even bought his own island for $63 million. But it was all based on lies. His company, The Stanford Financial Group, made its name selling what’s usually a safe bet for investors – certificates of deposits. He claimed the CDs came from his offshore bank on the island of Antigua, and because of that, the company offered return rates higher than those in the U.S. When the lies grew too big and his money supply dried out – he was convicted of running an international $7 billion Ponzi scheme, and is serving a 110-year sentence in federal prison. He left a trail of some 20,000 burned investors, many of whom now live in financial ruin.
Jason Derek Brown looks like a wealthy mellow surfer dude, but he's allegedly a stone-cold killer who shoots a security guard five times in the head to steal $56,000 in cash. Authorities say Brown robs an armored car guard to fuel his corrupt playboy lifestyle. This serial con artist leads the FBI on a heart-pumping chase over several western states, and lands on the FBI's Most Wanted list.
When fraudster Paul Kruse propositions his assistant's teenage daughter, the angry mom gets him behind bars
"Nurse” Tracy Lynn Garner gives illegal silicone injections to enhance clients’ curves. When one patient dies, she’s charged with murder.
A wealthy timber baron is rolled by a phony psychic for $15 million while her daughter pretends to be in love with him.
Beautiful women with looks that kill are controlled by Russian gangsters to seduce amorous men in nightclubs out of their money and jewelry. It's a super expensive hangover.
In Brooklyn, a mother and son score $50 million in the Bay Medical Clinic scam that kicks back big bucks to patients; and a new studio called Gigapix collects millions from would-be movie producers but it's all a fraud.
Criminals featured on the show are apprehended by law enforcement with the help of vigilant viewers.
Doug Cassity sells fake prearranged funeral contracts, amounting to $500 million, with the help of sexy saleswomen.
A 28-year-old hacker named Daniel Rigmaiden allegedly steals millions of dollars from the U.S. government; a wise-guy wannabe in witness protection creates a mortgage fraud scam.
A famous Texas fruitcake bakery's accountant conducts a check writing scam; a self-proclaimed financial wiz rips off investors while he funds a professional race team with money stolen from his church.
U.S. law enforcement teams up with Jamaican authorities to stop criminals using call centers in Jamaica to flood the U.S. with lies about lottery millions won by unsuspecting victims.
A neighborhood ice cream parlor in West Roxbury, Mass., lands the Palladino family in a major case of fraud.
The Broadway premiere of "Rebecca" implodes thanks to New York stockbroker Mark Hotton, who allegedly swindles millions of dollars from investors.
A fraudster in California promises to build a medical glove factory in the U.S. and steals millions of dollars from investors.
A 28-year-old hacker named Daniel Rigmaiden allegedly steals millions of dollars from the U.S. government; a wise-guy wannabe in witness protection creates a mortgage fraud scam.
Darren Berg of Seattle scams several investors, procuring himself two yachts, a private jet and a lakeside mansion; New York socialite Dina Wein Reis executes a grey market selling scam.
A Michigan doctor treats cancer-free patients with poisonous chemotherapy while taking millions in payment; two Chicago-area bank robbers repel 17 stories to escape the Metropolitan Correctional Center.
A once $100 million publishing fortune creates tension between mother and son when he's accused of squandering millions on sex, diamonds, and fraud.
Federal agents seek to unmask the anonymous mastermind of the world's largest online and underground drug bazaar, despite potential corruption in their own ranks.
A multimillion-dollar yacht, 80 sports cars, a Playboy centerfold girlfriend. Tim Durham is the picture of success as a fix -it-and-flip-it business king. But he’s actually running a $200 million fraud from the comfort of his 12,000 square-foot home.
(1) Con man Rodney Hailey runs a fake green energy business and collects millions by scamming major corporations. A fleet of luxury cars that litters the front of his home draws suspicion and leads authorities to the dirty money he makes on clean fuel. (2) Cat burglar Blane Nordahl targets the homes of wealthy individuals across the East Coast, showing an exclusive interest in hallmarked antique silver.
Rich husband, beautiful wife, perfect life. Pamela Phillips and Gary Triano are Tucson's golden couple. But their life unravels in a fury of greed and hate. When Gary ends up dead, all eyes are on Phillips. Could she kill for money?
No investment idea is too exotic for visionary entrepreneur James “The Cash King” Duncan. He sets his sights on strip clubs, real estate, Iraqi currency, diamonds, and even mind control technology.
Sixteen-year-old Barry Minkow starts ZZZZ Best Carpet Cleaners and quickly realizes there's more cash in fraud.
Claudio Osorio casts himself as a brilliant international business tycoon to scam big money and big names. This crook steals more than $40 million from investors and the US government through a bogus company and schemes to build homes for the poor.
Stockbroker Jordan Belfort runs a sex, drugs and rock 'n’ roll brokerage firm. He pleads guilty to fraud and does jail time. After his release, Belfort gets a Hollywood makeover, but do his victims get justice?
(1) The infomercial pitchman who claimed he was broke and could not pay a $37.6 million fine imposed by the Federal Trade Commission is chronicled. (2) An examination of Remington Financial Group's advanced-fee scam that defrauded investors in small businesses.
Case 1: “Ferrari” Mike Banuelos steals musical artists’ money and their dreams. His Ferrari lifestyle drives them in the fast lane, but his promotional acumen leaves his investors to crash and burn. Case 2: Former IRS Agent Steven Martinez may seem like a normal accountant, but when he’s caught in a $12 million fraud, he diverts taxpayer money to the ultimate crime…. Murder.
Counterfeit wine dealer Rudy Kurniawan dominates the fine wine scene, making millions selling his cheap basement blends through elite auction houses.
A US military contractor loots his company of $190 million and goes on a wild spending spree.
(1) Indiana personal injury lawyer William Conour helps himself to desperate clients’ settlement money, pocketing millions. (2) Phony oil tycoon Gary Milby guarantees gushers of money to investors from his Kentucky oil wells.
Mutual Benefits buys life insurance policies from aids patients, the chronically ill, and seniors and fraudulently resells them as low risk investments to clients. When medical advances help patients live longer, Mutual Benefits collects new investor money to pay returns. 30,000 people get caught in the $1.25 billion ponzi scheme.
A private security contractor is a James Bond wannabe who spins lies to desperate clients.
Ross Mandell’s company Sky Capital has hundreds of employees and investors and he’s living like a king. It’s a huge coup for Mandell who was once known as the Bad Boy of Wall Street, had addiction issues, and run-ins with regulators. Turns out, however, that Mandell is up to his old tricks – and the $140 million raised for Sky Capital goes down the drain in a spiral of greed.
Two doctors illegally prescribe opioids while destroying lives and pocketing millions.
When a sexy Florida former escort plots to take her husband's money and his life, her lover tips off the police and her deadly plan gets caught on tape.
Polka band leader Jan Lewan rips off his adoring fans with false promises of sizable investment returns.
Idaho Guardsman Darryl Wright claims he suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder from his service in Iraq, but his story is an elaborate scam that allows him to live large without working and to steal resources from veterans who truly need help.
Superstar disability lawyer Eric C. Conn offers guaranteed client wins by cheating, scoring a massive Social Security fraud, then vanishes.
A thieving shopaholic son murders his family to cash in on the family's wealth; a Chicago health facility owner uses an inflated billing scheme in a $20 million rip off.
Vitaly Borker scores $18 million selling designer knock-off eyewear as genuine from his website in Brooklyn, N.Y.; when customers complain, they are threatened with violence, even murder.
Carlos Wanzeler and James Merrill promise enormous returns on a "work from home" plot selling phone service, and entice nearly one million people in a $1.7 billion Internet scam.
Kenny Chatman runs a string of corrupt drug rehab facilities, stealing millions by keeping insured addicts hooked on drugs.
A crooked New York police officer cashes in as a high-tech burglary crew terrorizes homeowners and business owners.
A wannabe art dealer sells fake works by American masters of Abstract Expressionism in an $80 million scam, fooling rich collectors and pocketing millions
In sunny Laguna Beach, social climber Elizabeth Mulder finances her plastic surgery, Arabian horses, and ocean view real estate worth millions by swindling her best friends.
Daylon Pierce is a ladies' man who claims to be a licensed stockbroker, wooing unsuspecting women through Internet dating sites. But when they hand over millions of dollars to this "investment expert," he robs them blind, parties his way through their money and breaks their hearts.
Self-proclaimed teen millionaire Ephren Taylor preaches his "safe" investments at church seminars and on the internet, fleecing victims out of millions and pumping cash into flashy living and his wife's hip-hop career.
An Iowa man rigs a $16.5 million lottery jackpot, triggering the biggest lottery scam in American history; notorious New York City landlord Steven Croman finds a new home in jail.
Carlos Rafael makes millions as the owner of one of the largest commercial fishing businesses on the East Coast but his big mouth gets him hooked in an undercover IRS sting with agents posing as Russian mobsters.
Fraudster John Rogers builds one of the most impressive photo archives in the world until his partner rats him out; while Larry Bates preaches about salvation through precious metals, his clients wind up investing in "fool's gold."
Florida teenagers cash in on the opioid crisis, then they expand their operation, jeopardizing their lives of sex, drugs and money.
Bars, strip clubs and nightlife venues shell out millions to an insurance company founded by a former bouncer; however, federal agents say the company isn't what it appears to be, and they make stunning discoveries, including a $25,000 sniper rifle.
Theranos, now back in the news with the blockbuster trial of founder and former CEO Elizabeth Holmes. Former employees, whistleblowers and even a family friend-turned-foe provide new insights into the company’s leadership and the mysterious long-term relationship between Holmes and her top deputy, Sunny Balwani.
Inside the rise and near-collapse of WeWork, the startup co-founded by its former CEO, Adam Neumann, who mesmerizes venture capitalists with grandiose promises, even though WeWork turns out to be a traditional real estate leasing business.
Two new Boeing 737 Max jets fall out of the sky five months apart, killing 346 people; investigators home in on a software program known as MCAS; some critics say the real culprit is a corporate culture that values shareholders over passengers.
Jho Low is accused of being one of the biggest thieves the world has ever seen; authorities say he’s the mastermind of an international scheme to steal over $4 billion from the government of Malaysia.
The story of a suburban Eagle Scout turned Dark Web drug lord; Aaron Shamo launches a new type of American drug ring, recruiting other Utah millennials to help him manufacture deadly counterfeit opioids and sell them online.
CEO Jacob Kingston appears to be a rising star in Utah’s fledgling biofuel industry, until a member of a secretive polygamist group called The Order reveals that Kingston is committing a 1.1 billion dollar fraud.
Serial entrepreneur Trevor Milton founds the electric vehicle company Nikola, which suggests it will be the next Tesla, but for long-haul trucks.
While an estimated $100 billion in COVID relief funds is stolen, this seasoned family of fraudsters easily grabs millions of dollars Americans desperately need to buy themselves mansions, jewelry and gold.
In February 2022, the Justice Department announced charges against Heather Rhiannon Morgan and her husband Ilya Lichtenstein for their alleged roles in the conspiracy to launder $4.5 billion in stolen Bitcoin cryptocurrency. Heather Morgan was as also known as 'Razzlekhan', a fledgling rap artist.
Purported entrepreneur Antonio Mariot Wilson changes his name, pitch, and act to play a series of roles, and the inveterate huckster fleeces unsuspecting investors for decades, including television star Jenifer Lewis. In this installment, Jenifer Lewis opens up about her relationship with Antonio Wilson and how it went from a storybook romance to a nightmare. In the end, Antonio Mariot Wilson, aka 'Brice Carrington' and 'Dr. Tony Mariot', age 58, was sentenced in March 2021 to 8 years in federal prison for deceiving women he met online and elsewhere into investing ...
This installment discusses Garrison Courtney, who infiltrated Washington DC's intelligence circles. In doing so, he collected $4.5 million dollars with his tall tales of running a top-secret national security operation for the CIA, the Central Intelligence Agency. Now age 44, when Courtney's lies unraveled after four years of fraud, he was apprehended and was sentenced in October 2020 in federal court in Alexandria, VA to seven years in prison.
Chris Epps charms his way from prison guard to the top post of Mississippi Department of Corrections Commissioner. Once in office, he siphons off millions in bribes and kickbacks.
In sunny San Diego, entrepreneur and real estate developer Gina Champion-Cain lures in investors with a glamorous image and promises of sky-high returns on short-term liquor license loans.
Zachary Horwitz has dreams of making it big in Hollywood; while his onscreen career never quite flourishes, Horwitz acts his way into raising more than $600 million for an investment opportunity that is completely bogus.
American Greed Murdaugh Saga, Part 1: Alex Murdaugh, a well-respected lawyer from a prominent family is accused of stealing millions of dollars from the suffering clients who turn to him for his legal knowledge, compassion and help. This brazen act of fraud results in the decline of a dynasty. This installment discusses details about the deaths and multiple legal cases surrounding South Carolina lawyer Alex Murdaugh, who was accused of killing his wife and son in June 2021. The sprawling investigation into the prominent and powerful Murdaugh family uncovers years of unchecked power and privilege that has allegedly resulted in years of fraud, conspiracy, corruption and murder.
American Greed Murdaugh Saga, Part 2: Alex Murdaugh, a well-respected lawyer from a prominent family is accused of stealing millions of dollars from the suffering clients who turn to him for his legal knowledge, compassion and help. This brazen act of fraud results in the decline of a dynasty. This installment discusses details about the deaths and multiple legal cases surrounding South Carolina lawyer Alex Murdaugh, who was accused of killing his wife and son in June 2021. The sprawling investigation into the prominent and powerful Murdaugh family uncovers years of unchecked power and privilege that has allegedly resulted in years of fraud, conspiracy, corruption and murder.
Lobsang Dargey escapes from Tibet, makes his way to the United States, marries into a sports superstar's family, and builds a real estate empire. But his success is built on lies.
When an epidemic of teenage nicotine addiction breaks out across the country, some people ask whether Juul's founders are intent on saving lives or targeting the next generation.
Convicted fraudster and identity thief Tracii Show Hutsona is once again up on federal charges after a high-profile client discovers more than $1 million missing from her bank accounts.
Marlon and LaShonda Moore are accused of exploiting vulnerable people during the pandemic and convincing thousands of their fans to invest in their illegal scheme; regulators claim the Moore's "blessed" themselves to the tune of millions of dollars.
With his long white beard, ponytail and ubiquitous advertising, a former police officer who is now an attorney, James Morris Balagia of Manor, Texas, is also known as the 'D.W.I. Dude'. He is well-known in Texas as a flamboyant defense lawyer who can get 'drunk driving' defendants out of a jam. His advertising slogan was, 'Busted? Call the Dude!'. However, he pocketed money that he told drug dealers would be used to bribe officials, prosecutors said. In the end, when Jamie Balagia, now age 65, got convicted for his crimes in May 2021, he was sentenced to 15 years in prison.
Covers a film financier company's $68M scheme, involving bank fraud, wire fraud, and spanning eight (8) years.
Personal injury attorney Tom Girardi posits himself as a champion for the little guy, but jilted clients cry foul when they discover him cheating them out of millions of dollars in settlement money as Girardi's wife flaunts her wealth on reality television. Girardi was the subject of 205 attorney ethics complaints between 1982 and June 2022 when he was disbarred in California.
Streaming data provided by JustWatch
2019
College admissions coach Rick Singer accepts money from parents to have their kids admitted to elite colleges.
Disgraced Fyre Festival founder Billy McFarland uses fraud to launch his brand and a luxury music festival in the Bahamas.
From luxury properties to an ostrich coat, the hard charging political insider uses his influence to fuel a multimillion-dollar mortgage and tax fraud.
Leaders of a polygamous religious sect demand “Perfect Obedience” from followers, luring them into welfare fraud.
Three Miami salesmen with gold fever import billions of dollars’ worth of the precious metal from South America.
Trash-talking reality star Scott Menaged ("Property Wars") buys up hundreds of foreclosures in Phoenix, then his money lender discovers that Menaged is a fraud, and the consequences are deadly.
An outlandish con artist poses as a Saudi royal to cheat investors out of millions, promising them access to Arabian oil stock.
Entrepreneur Keisha Williams is really a high-rolling shopaholic with a taste for strip clubs and exotic travel; she takes investors for millions of dollars with a can't miss bid to secure a medical money-making technology that never materializes.
Payday loan scam mastermind, Scott Tucker, swindles millions of cash-strapped borrowers with his convenient online loan business and uses the profits to fuel his race car team dreams.
Healing turns harmful when pharmacist Barry Cadden chooses profits over safety while running a drug compounding center where mold and bacteria thrive.
Carissa Carpenter is an aspiring movie mogul who plans to construct a major movie studio in Northern California. But the feds say that investors end up bankrolling her big-budget lifestyle.
From penthouse apartments to a $10 million stadium luxury box, financial advisor Dawn Bennett orchestrates a $20-million-scheme and conjures spells to silence investigators.
Mike The Situation Sorrentino flaunts washboard abs and a party boy image, but when it comes to paying his taxes, he’d rather play than pay.
An artsy German heiress Anna Delvey makes a splash in Downtown New York's social scene, but she's really a Russian-born con artist who's trying to swindle $23 million from banks while dodging unpaid bills.
Well-heeled financial advisor Peggy Ann Fulford builds a cache of all-star clients and a personal fortune by convincing A-list players like Dennis Rodman that she’s in their corner.
When a judge in Texas is shot four times, a tip leads investigators to Chimene Onyeri, an aspiring Houston rap artist facing prison after his crooked plots are exposed.
2013
Michael Vorce spends lavishly on clothes and cars and leaves thousand-dollar tips at bars.
Randy Treadwell, the son of a preacher, leaves the righteous path - claiming he's a financial wizard, but all he does is take investor money for himself and his crew. He uses his Southern charm to bilk believers out of nearly $65 million. He calls his scams legitimate sounding names like "Learn Waterhouse" and "The Wealth Builders Club" in which Treadwell promises huge returns for short-term investments. But when clients can't withdraw their money, complaints to law enforcement pile up.
Perry Griggs ran an investment fraud claiming to sell coffee futures, when all he did was keep investor money. He was convicted of securities fraud and sentenced to eight years in federal prison.
A trio of Texas con men scores $100 million, telling investors there's big money in the "life settlement" insurance biz. When the fraudsters fail to pay returns and keep the money for themselves, it all comes crashing down.
With a 30 year career in real estate, many thought broker Doug Vaughan was a man to be trusted. His charisma helped make him a fortune in New Mexico real estate. But it was all lies.
The Sandhogs Local 147, a New York City construction union, whose workers build tunnels and underground passageways, entrusts Melissa King for overseeing union benefits to ensure their retirements. Instead, King uses the workers funds to cut herself checks to the tune of $42 million.
In Chicago, Jack Walsh and Charles Martin appear to be getting very rich running a foreign currency trading brokerage. But is the money really coming from savvy trades? In 2007, a routine audit reveals some "irregularities" in One World's accounting.
San Francisco entrepreneur Samuel "Mouli" Cohen starts an internet music company and fraudulently takes in $31 million from celebrities, investors, and a charity dedicated to help the poor. He claims they will make a fortune when his company is sold to Microsoft. But there is no deal.
Trevor Cook appears to be a local boy made good in Minneapolis, where he runs an investment fund called the Oxford Group. Along with three cohorts, Cook solicits an amazing $190 million dollars from 700 U.S. investors, many of whom heard his message through a talk radio star.
Philip Barry runs his scam from Bay Ridge, a solid working-class neighborhood where families go back generations. Through local connections, Barry pulls more than 800 investors into a $40 million scheme offering "guaranteed returns" on investments.
A New Age evangelist becomes a greedy, groovy, guru telling Florida investors that positive thinking can lead to positive returns in her auto financing business. But this false prophet is returning nothing but false profits in her $113 million scam. She draws in some 2000 victims but when the F.B.I. finds out about Cladek's scam, this greedster doesn't have a prayer. And, civilization is on the verge of collapse, Ronnie Gene Wilson tells his followers, and the only path to a secure future is paved with investment in precious metals. But for a guy who predicts the imminent demise of the dollar, this South Carolinian certainly seems greedy for greenbacks. He takes in $93 million. Over time, investors realize that Wilson isn't investing their money in metal, but using it to build a luxurious doomsday bunker complete with an organic farm.
A Florida man hits it big when he takes home almost $13 million in a Florida lottery jackpot. Instead of living large, Abraham Shakespeare gives away most of his money to people in his community. So when Dee Dee Moore offers to help manage his winnings, it's a welcome relief for Shakespeare. But what seems like a helping hand turns out to be a hand helping herself and Shakespeare ends up paying a deadly price.
In the San Francisco Bay Area, Michael McCant is a former bank robber who says he's gone "legit," and is now making millions by promoting up-and-coming rap musicians. But these millions are coming from investors like Bernice Tingle who have given McCant their entire nest eggs. Mark Anderson owns a fine wine storage business in Sausalito, California. But when clients discover their wine is missing, they accuse Anderson of theft. Anderson tries to conceal his crime with gasoline and a blowtorch, destroying more than $200 million dollars' worth of wine, and bringing scores of family-owned wineries to the brink of ruin.
2014
A wife finds out her insurance agent husband Joe Caronna has been stealing money from their friends by selling bogus annuities.
2017
Sexy femme fatale Nanette Johnston Packard has a way of getting men to do what she wants. She even places a personal ad looking for rich men saying, "If you take care of me, I’ll take care of you."
2021
Michael Avenatti makes a splash as the litigator representing porn star Stormy Daniels in her dispute with Donald Trump...but it’s soon revealed that he has legal troubles of his own brewing.
Middle-aged commercial real estate investor Ed Okun is in love with a boat show model almost half his age. He showers her with jewels, cars, even a helicopter. To fund his hormone-induced multimillion dollar spending spree, Okun steals client money to live large and impress his new bride.
(1) A small-town comptroller steals $53 million to fund a horse-breeding empire. (2) A crooked real estate developer lures victims to his phony residential oasis.
(1) Feds investigate financial advisor J.D. Salinas and discover a $39 million scam. (2) A Chicago-area rapper convinces a local businessman that he's got a new gig that doesn't exist.
(1) A man threatens investment professionals to make him rich. (2) Two judges get rich off a secret deal to build juvenile detention centers.
A former Detroit mayor and his friends extort city contractors, abuse public funds and turn the mayor's office into their own cash-making machine.
A man attempts to commit suicide and confesses to an extraordinary fraud that he perpetrated for the past two decades at a leading commodity futures brokerage.
(1) Two brothers ripped off millions from homeowners in a remodeling scheme. (2) A serial scam artist tricks Florida retirees into fake New York real estate investments.
(1) Three friends go to New York to realize their dreams, which quickly turn criminal. (2) A money trail from drug traffickers leads to a suburban dad and firefighter.
An independent film spins out of control when a filmmaker's silent partner and spiritual guru helps himself to investor funds.
Brothers Darain and Cory Atkinson start a business selling vehicle service contracts, but the warranties prove worthless and the brothers pocket millions.
A man concocts a $50 million phony international real estate scheme spending millions on his own lavish lifestyle.
(1) Rivertown Financial, a home's equity and owners becoming homeless. (2) A financial planner reaps millions from client accounts, including the 401k of workers at a camp for seriously ill children.
A former Army intelligence officer known as "Mr. X" stole millions through a fake veterans' charity and eluded authorities by using an array of false identities.
Miami party boys turned arms dealers bid on government contracts worth millions to fight the war on terror.
Police Lt. Joe Gliniewicz’s shooting death in the woods in Fox Lake, IL, sparks a massive manhunt to find his killers.
Flashy former cop John Bravata is a corrupt real estate dealer who uses his company to steal $50 million from middle-class investors.
A sex trafficking ring, comprised of violent pimps who exploit women, enlists a Chicago dentist to launder their money; a plot to steal a valuable comic book collection ends in murder.
A famous Texas fruitcake bakery's accountant conducts a check writing scam; a self-proclaimed financial wiz rips off investors while he funds a professional race team with money stolen from his church.
Con man/motivational speaker Gary Shawkey needs cash for his wild scams and he’s not afraid to murder to get it. A doctor overprescribes deadly combinations of medication to make a buck from drug addicts, and continues as she hears of her own patients dying.
A former champion basketball player’s schemes land him in prison and his mother kicked out of her home.
A successful businesswoman is targeted by a serial grifter who poisons her for money.
Cancer charities that raise millions but gives only three percent to patients and families; a family brings in millions shoplifting in a nationwide crime spree caught on camera.
A CEO knowingly ships peanut products tainted with salmonella, killing nine and sickening thousands.
A man convinces people that he is a movie producer and money management professional while collecting millions to promote his own image.
A man schemes to strike it rich in the North Dakota oil fields and he lets no one get in his way.
Former football star Art Schlichter cons friends and acquaintances to feed his gambling addiction
Musician Donald "Ski" Johnson uses his Jazz for Life foundation to make empty promises that leaves generous donors feeling scammed when his bogus trips to the Grammy Awards turn into red carpet nightmares.
A man steals millions from rich wine clients, and spends the money on fast cars and faster hookups, until he himself falls prey to a scheme.
Scammers blow up a house for insurance money, but end up engulfing dozens of homes in flames and killing a young couple.
Sports memorabilia titan Bill Mastro rigs his auctions to scam both those who buy from him and consign to him.
A school supply vendor steals millions from Detroit public schools by enlisting shady school officials; heartless crooks use photos of real military men to lure women into sending them love and money.
A man burns through $52 million from a trust he was hired to protect, buying helicopters, fighter jets, rocket launchers, and a fleet of WWII bombers to feed his fantasy of running "black ops" for the CIA.
Keith Raniere is a god-like figure in his mysterious organization NXIVM. Using his powers of persuasion along with classic multilevel marketing techniques, he amasses thousands of followers.
A delusional, debt-ridden, and allegedly drug-dabbling spine surgeon maims and even kills patients in one botched surgery after another. It falls to two colleagues to step in where others won’t.
As the opioid epidemic destroys the lives of millions of Americans, billionaire drug mogul John Kapoor looks to cash in. His company, Insys, has its own brand of potentially deadly fentanyl.
When all four members of the McStay family seemingly vanish into thin air, a yearslong quest for answers begins; a biker in the Mojave Desert finds the family members' bodies in shallow graves; a close friend of the family falls under suspicion.
Crowdfunded charities are supposed to raise funds for good causes, but some are actually scams.
Tells the story of the twins who helped land El Chapo in custody.Tells the story of the twins who helped land El Chapo in custody.