The Big Conn Trailer: Tracking Down A Criminal With An On-The-Nose Name
The stories of people who have successfully pulled off scams are so hot right now. They always were, but there seems to be a whole lot of them lately: "WeCrashed," about the WeWork drama, "The Tinder Swindler," about the guy who used a dating app to scam women, and "Inventing Anna," about fake socialite scammer Anna Delvey are just the latest. And that list is about to expand: on April 21, 2022, Apple TV+ released a trailer for a new true crime docuseries called "The Big Conn." This one is a four-part documentary series about the real-life attorney Eric C. Conn, his unbelievable life, and his shocking scams. Yes, his last name is Conn. Was it fate?
This guy defrauded the government and taxpayers in the largest Social Security fraud case in the U.S., costing the country over half a billion dollars. Yikes! I have no idea how I missed this story, but I do love a good comeuppance. Not only are we getting the documentary series, but there will also be an Apple TV+ Original companion podcast released on the same day. That will have extra interviews and a look behind-the-scenes. I love this idea because sometimes the story behind the making of a documentary is more interesting than the documentary itself.
'One of the biggest scams in American history'
This guy had three investigations set on him at the same time. He was sort of a local celebrity in Appalachia where he worked, with posters of himself all over town. He did all sorts of stunts, including opening a Halloween-themed brothel, according to one person interviewed. He even walked across the border through Mexico to Guatemala with a dog named Curley. It all sounds funny, until you remember how much he hurt people who lived in a poor part of the country. There were people who spoke out against him getting threats and having their tires slashed, while this guy walked away with their cash. Though I wasn't aware of this story before (and I didn't look it up to keep myself from being spoiled), I have a great need to see him brought to justice.
The series was created by James Lee Hernandez and Brian Lazarte. It is produced by FunMeter who produced "McMillion$." It is executive produced by Hernandez, Lazarte and Peter King, with Matt Kaye and Shannon Pence as co-executive producers.
"The Big Conn" premiered at the SXSW festival in Austin, Texas. You can watch it (and listen to the podcast) when it premieres on May 6, 2022.