Frank Abagnale
The Art of the Steal by
The world--famous former con artist and bestselling author ofCatch Me if You Cannow reveals the mind--boggling tricks of the scam trade--with advice that has made him one of America's most sought--after fraud--prevention experts. "I had as much knowledge as any man alive concerning the mechanics of forgery, check swindling, counterfeiting, and other similar crimes. Ever since I'd been released from prison, I'd often felt that if I directed this knowledge into the right channels, I could help people a great deal. Every time I went to the store and wrote a check, I would see two or three mistakes made on the part of the clerk or cashier, mistakes that a flimflam artist would take advantage of. . . . In a certain sense, I'm still a con artist. I'm just putting down a positive con these days, as opposed to the negative con I used in the past. I've merely redirected the talents I've always possessed. I've applied the same relentless attention to working on stopping fraud that I once applied to perpetuating fraud." InCatch Me if You Can,Frank W. Abagnale recounted his youthful career as a master imposter and forger. InThe Art of the Steal, Abagnale tells the remarkable story of how he parlayed his knowledge of cons and scams into a successful career as a consultant on preventing financial foul play--while showing you how to identify and outsmart perpetrators of fraud. Technology may have made it easier to track down criminals, but cyberspace has spawned a skyrocketing number of ways to commit crime--much of it untraceable. Businesses are estimated to lose an unprecedented $400 billion a year from fraud of one sort or another. If we were able to do away with fraud for just two years, we'd erase the national debt and pay Social Security for the next one hundred years. However, Abagnale has discovered that punishment for committing fraud, much less recovery of stolen funds, seldom happens: Once you're a victim, you won't get your money back. Prevention is the best form of protection. Drawn from his twenty-five years of experience as an ingenious con artist (whose check scams alone mounted to more than $2 million in stolen funds), Abagnale'sThe Art of the Stealprovides eye-opening stories of true scams, with tips on how they can be prevented. Abagnale takes you deep inside the world and mind of the con artist, showing you just how he pulled off his scams and what you can do to avoid becoming the next victim. You'll hear the stories of notorious swindles, like the mustard squirter trick and the "rock in the box" ploy, and meet the criminals like the famous Vickers Gang who perpetrated them. You'll find out why crooks wash checks and iron credit cards and why a thief brings glue with him to the ATM. And finally, you'll learn how to recognize a bogus check or a counterfeit bill, and why you shouldn't write your grocery list on a deposit slip. A revealing look inside the predatory criminal mind from a former master of the con,The Art of the Stealis the ultimate defense against even the craftiest crook.
Eddie Antar
Jim Bakker
I Was Wrong by
The loss of Jim Bakker's empire, his money, his home, and his reputation in the two years leading up to his imprisonment in 1989 was only the beginning. In prison, he was to lose even more - his freedom, his sanity, his dignity, his confidence in his faith, and eventually even his wife. Inmate 07407-058, one-time confidant to presidents, had hit bottom. Jim Bakker was wrong about many things. Exactly what they were and how he came to confess them will surprise and inspire you. This is his story.
Rita Crundwell
Draining Dixon by
Comprising articles from the Chicago Tribune's in-depth coverage of the Rita Crundwell scandal, Draining Dixon is the true-life account of the Dixon, Illinois, comptroller who embezzled over $50 million from municipal coffers during a twenty-year career in local government. From 1983 to April 2012, Crundwell kept an eye over virtually every dollar that passed through the small town of Dixon's accounts, while also running one of the most successful horse farms in America. When the story broke that this municipal employee was the subject of an investigation, almost no one was aware of the entire shocking truth. This book follows the chronological history of Rita Crundwell's career as the Dixon, Illinois, comptroller, while also exploring her personal life as one of the best-known Quarter Horse breeders in the country. Crundwell's horses won 52 world championships and she was named the leading owner by the American Quarter Horse Association for eight consecutive years prior to her arrest. This story is one of the most bizarre and surprising tales of white-collar crime and governmental corruption in United States history, and now readers can read the entire story exactly as it unfolded.
Dennis Kozlowski
Taking down the Lion by
As the widely-admired CEO of Tyco International, Dennis Kozlowski grew a little-known New Hampshire conglomerate into a global giant. In a stunning series of events, Kozlowski suddenly lost his job along with his favored public status when he was indicted by legendary Manhattan DA Robert Morgenthau—it was an inglorious end to an otherwise brilliant career. Kozlowski was the face of corporate excess in the turbulent post-Enron environment; he was pictured under headlines that read "Oink Oink," and publicly castigated for his extravagant lifestyle. "Deal-a-Day Dennis" was transformed into the "poster child for corporate greed." Kozlowski was ultimately convicted of grand larceny and other crimes that, in sum, found the former CEO guilty of wrongfully taking $100 million from Tyco. Taking Down the Lion shines a bright light on former CEO Dennis Kozlowski and the Tyco corporate scandal—it is the definitive telling of a largely misunderstood episode in U.S. business history. In an unfiltered view of corporate America, Catherine Neal pulls back the curtain to reveal a world of big business, ambition, money, and an epidemic of questionable ethics that infected not only business dealings but extended to attorneys, journalists, politicians, and the criminal justice system. When the ugly truth is told, it's clear the "good guys" were not all good and the "bad guys" not all bad. And there were absolutely no heroes.
Bernard Madoff
Bernard Madoff and His Accomplices by
This is the first detailed study of how Bernard L. Madoff and his accomplices perpetrated a Ponzi scheme of epic proportions--what has been referred to as the "con of the century." * Presents the first study of Bernard L. Madoff Investment Securities, the organization where the fraud began, was centered, and flourished by duping investors for at least a decade * Documents how investors who depend on and trust investment professionals can lose money, especially given that some investment companies do not always act in their clients' best interests and that Wall Street regulators are often ineffective * Takes readers backstage to see the intricate details of the "theatre production" of a con game--the playacting, performances, pretending, utilization of props, and false representations that are required to achieve a "standing ovation" (i.e., the total fleecing of the marks)
Barry Minkow
Mark Whitacre
Mark Whitacre Against All Odds by
In this touching story about the highest-level executive to turn whistleblower of all time, Mark Whitacre tells all. Enormously revealing and moving, this biography shares with its readers how, via faith in God and the patient love of his wife Ginger, Mark is today an inspiring spiritual force for good in the world. Written with finesse and passion, Mark Whitacre Against All Odds reveals the family's perspective, especially how Ginger kept Mark alive. Through her, his story begins where most other incarcerated men's ends in prison. It details how Whitacre got down on his knees in a filthy cell and begged God for guidance; how, from that moment on, he removed fears or doubts in his existence. Liberated after nearly a decade in prison, Whitacre's essential message is simple live by the Golden Rule, always tell the truth, look for the good in everyone, and know that spiritual wealth is far more important than material wealth. Author Stevin Hoover invites everyone to learn why Whitacre is called a national hero by the FBI and a spiritual inspiration by Paul A. Willis who wrote the Foreword. Discover how Whitacre is now dedicated to living in accordance with spiritual principles that apply to everyone's life. Well-written, candid, and sincere, Mark Whitacre Against All Odds is one of the best of the world's tell-alls as genial, eccentric, and unique as Whitacre's life. Read this book and discover how Mark Whitacre has triumphed against all odds. Says the author "People say there is nothing certain in life except death and taxes. Well, you can add one more thing to that. The only other thing that is as certain in life as death and taxes is that Ginger and Mark Whitacre will never get divorced. It is an impossibility because their love is unshakable."
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