Empire of Deception - The Incredible Story of a Master Swindler Who Seduced a City and Captivated the Nation

Dean Jobb

Sinossi

“[A] comprehensively researched and enthralling account of the life, times and crimes of Leo Koretz . . . give[s] a master con artist his due” (The Washington Post).

It was a time of unregulated madness. And nowhere was it madder than in Chicago at the dawn of the Roaring Twenties. Enter a slick, smooth-talking, charismatic lawyer named Leo Koretz, who enticed hundreds of people to invest as much as $30 million—upward of $400 million today—in phantom timberland and nonexistent oil wells in Panama. This rip-roaring tale of greed, financial corruption, dirty politics, over-the-top and under-the-radar deceit, illicit sex, and a brilliant and wildly charming con man on the town, then on the lam, is not only a rich and detailed account of a man and an era; it’s a fascinating look at the methods of swindlers throughout history.

As Model Ts rumbled down Michigan Avenue, gang-war shootings announced Al Capone’s rise to underworld domination. As bedecked partygoers thronged to the Drake Hotel’s opulent banquet rooms, corrupt politicians held court in thriving speakeasies and the frenzy of stock market gambling was rampant. Leo Koretz was the Bernie Madoff of his day, and Dean Jobb shows us that the American dream of easy wealth is a timeless commodity.

“Intoxicating and impressively researched, Jobb’s immorality tale provides a sobering post-Madoff reminder that those who think everything is theirs for the taking are destined to be taken.” —The New York Times Book Review

“A captivating tale of high-flying financial chicanery in 1920s Chicago . . . A thoroughly enjoyable read.” —Gary Krist, New York Times–bestselling author of The Mirage Factory

Disponibile da: 19/05/2015.

Altri libri che potrebbero interessarti

The Rape Scandal that Puts You...

Linda Fairstein

A harrowing investigation into law enforcement’s failure to process hundreds of thousands of rape kits across America—allowing many rapists to walk free. In 2011, advocacy groups estimated that up to 250,000 rape kits sat untested in police storage across the country. These kits, some from crimes dating as far back as the mid-1990s, represent a disturbing breakdown in law enforcement that has allowed many violent criminals to remain on the streets. In some cases, rape victims are kept in the dark about the investigations into the crimes committed against them. Legal expert Linda Fairstein illustrates this injustice with the story of a Los Angeles woman whose experience, Fairstein writes, “is a tragic example of the outrageous backlog of untested rape kits that has existed nationwide for more than a decade.” In The Rape Scandal that Puts You at Risk, Fairstein lays bare these failures of law enforcement and issues a rallying cry for women everywhere to demand change. Originally published in Cosmopolitan, this essay is now available in digital format for the first time and features a new introduction by the author.

Mostra libro

Serial Killers - The Secrets of...

Matt Belster

This book consists of two titles, which are the following:
Book 1: Are all serial killers the same, or do they have different motives, methods, or origins?
In this guide, we will answer those questions in the first chapter. You will learn about the background of serial killers, their childhood, and their thirst for blood. You will see that they are as different as the colors of the rainbow. They come in all shapes and sizes.
The following chapters after that will be devoted to some extremely notorious murderers that have, sadly, walked the planet and victimized countless helpless citizens, causing them to leave this world prematurely or in unprecedented ways. It concerns these serial killers:
The Zodiac Killer
Donald Gaskins
Andrei Chikatilo
Patrick Kearney
Dennis Rader
The gruesome deaths and stories these men have left behind will be well worth the research.
Book 2: Many people try to get a grasp of what goes on in the mind of a serial killer. Today, we can at least show you a limited perspective and some solid insights in the workings of their brains. Their reasons, their background, and their murder stories will be exposed to a certain degree. The serial killers that are specifically discussed in this guide, are:
Tsutomu Miyazaki
Alexander Pichushkin
John Haigh
Paul John Knowles
If you haven’t heard of these murderers before, then now is the time. If you have, then you will probably find these facts and stories particularly interesting as well.

Mostra libro

The Bundy Secrets - Hidden Files...

Kevin Sullivan

The author of The Bundy Murders shares unprecedented access to official case files in the investigations to apprehend the infamous serial killer.   In the 1970s, as Ted Bundy spread terror across the United States, law enforcement agencies from the Pacific Northwest to the Rocky Mountains to Florida attempted to put an end to his depraved killing spree. In The Bundy Secrets, true crime author and Bundy expert Kevin M. Sullivan provides a revealing chronicle of these police investigations through the original case files, shown to the reader just as they appeared to detectives themselves.   The third volume in Sullivan’s Bundy Trilogy, this book presents a “just the facts” chronology of formerly classified documents detailing the nationwide manhunt for America’s most infamous serial killer. It also includes contemporary interviews gathered by Sullivan from dozens of sources along Bundy’s trail of terror. The Bundy Secrets is an essential collection of primary source documents for true crime students of Ted Bundy.

Mostra libro

Hell Hath No Fury - A True Story...

Bryna Taubman

Dan Broderick was one of California's most successful attorneys; his wife, Betty, a beautiful socialite. But when Betty discovered Dan's hidden life, the façade of LaJolla's golden couple was shattered. What followed was a vicious five-year battle that finally ended in a shocking double-murder.A Harvard Law School graduate, Dan manipulated the law to strip Betty of everything she loved: her home, her friends—even her children. When she frantically tried to fight back, he had her committed to a mental hospital. His new wife, Linda, even sent the once-beautiful Betty wrinkle cream ads and weight loss pamphlets.Consumed by hatred and thoughts of revenge, Betty's rage exploded on the night of November 5, 1989. Before the sun rose the next day, Dan Broderick and his gorgeous new wife were dead—their bullet-riddled bodies wrapped in the blood-soaked sheets of their bed.

Mostra libro

From the Mob to the Movies - How...

Richie Salerno

The veteran character actor recounts the epic adventure of his life from the NYC mob and prison life to making movies with Hollywood legends.   You might know him as the character Tony Darvo in the movie Midnight Run, but before he played tough guys in the movies, Richie Salerno was born into the real-world Brooklyn Mafia. Some of New York’s most notorious gangsters were his uncles, aunts, cousins, and family friends. For a time, it looked like he was heading for a life in the family business.   During a stint in prison for theft, Richie managed to turn his life around. Using the tailoring skills he learned from his father and butchering abilities he picked up from his father-in-law, he ingratiated himself with the warden and guards, and survived his 120 month sentence without a scratch.   After his release, he scored an audition for the Sidney Lumet film Serpico starring Al Pacino. That audition turned into a long career as a character actor in major Hollywood films. In From the Mob to the Movies, Richie recounts his journey from the mean streets of Brooklyn and as a child of the mob to the silver screen.

Mostra libro

Under Cover - Inside the Shady...

Garry Clement

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police is no longer fit for purpose.
		 
Reflecting on his career in the RCMP from 1973 to 2003, Garry Clement recounts his childhood in rural Ontario; his RCMP training in Regina; his drug-bust days based in British Columbia, Montreal, and Toronto; his work battling the Chinese Communist Party’s infiltration of Canada; his role in the Parliament Hill bus hijacking; his involvement in the post–9/11 Maher Arar inquiry; his impact on the RCMP’s Proceeds of Crime program and on anti–money laundering in Canada and abroad; and his reasons for leaving the RCMP. Under Cover  provides a gripping and vulnerable inside look into the corruption of politics and policing in Canada.
		 
In light of the mounting complexities of transnational organized crime, terrorism, cybercrime, and financial crime, Clement calls for a complete revamping of the culture of federal policing. We need a fundamental structural reformation of the RCMP. Garry Clement offers direct recommendations for how to approach such a task.

Mostra libro