Seasons & episodes

The heads of Wall Street's biggest investment banks were summoned to an evening meeting by the US Treasury Secretary, Hank Paulson, to discuss the plight of another - Lehman Brothers. After six months' turmoil in the world's financial markets, Lehman Brothers was on life support and the government was about to pull the plug. Lehman CEO, Dick Fuld, recently sidelined in a boardroom coup, spends the weekend desperately trying to resuscitate his beloved company through a merger with Bank of America or UK-based Barclays. But without the financial support of Paulson and Lehman's fiercest competitors, Fuld's empire - and with it, the stability of the world economy - teeters on the verge of extinction

American Greed’s Mob Money reveals the inner workings of the mob through the eyes of New Jersey’s DeCavalcante family. They were once seen as second-class mobsters living in the shadows of the bigger New York City families. But that changed in the late 1990’s when the feds busted all five New York families for racketeering. For the DeCavalcantes, the timing couldn’t have been better. Discover how the family matures, becomes success and eventually bows to its weakness and crumbles to its knees. Organized crime activities bring in a worldwide annual income of between $50 and $90 billion…that’s more money than any major legitimate national industry. From loan-sharking and labor racketeering to illegal gambling and murder for hire to its recent invasion into Wall Street - it’s all part of the life and death business of organized crime. The way the mob does business isn’t all that different than any other big corporation. There’s a corporate structure with investments and returns. Mob bosses take their business as serious as any CEO with one major exception - the way organized crime deals with the competition--making them some of the most violent criminals around. Nothing and no one stands in their way.

He was the mastermind of the biggest Ponzi scheme in American History. He stole millions…maybe billions of dollars from unsuspecting clients. Lives were shattered and fortunes ruined. After confessing to his crimes, Bernie Madoff received the maximum sentence: 150 years in prison.

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.

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.

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.

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.