American Greed: The Fugitives

According to the FBI: Julieanne Dimitrion and her husband, John, were indicted in February of 2009 for mortgage fraud. In April of 2009, they pled guilty to operating a fraud scheme in which they used their companies to convince distressed homeowners to relinquish their homes with the premise of improving the victims' financial position. They promised to invest the proceeds of the home sales, but instead the Dimitrions used the victims' money to fund their own lavish lifestyles. As a result, multiple families in Oahu, Hawaii, lost their homes. The Dimitrions were scheduled to be sentenced in the United States District Court in Honolulu, Hawaii, on July 6, 2010, but failed to appear at the sentencing. According to the FBI: Spiro Edward Germenis is wanted for his alleged orchestration of a "Ponzi" scheme, which led to him being charged with violating federal fraud by wire laws in 2007. Germenis established an investment management and advisory business named Oracle Evolution LLC, which was based in Great Neck, New York. He created various hedge funds and expanded his business by attracting new investors through networking groups and personal referrals. Germenis eventually lost substantial sums of money due to poor investment choices, gambling, and the use of his clients' money to fund a lavish lifestyle.

In 1998, Eric Bartoli, owner of Cyprus Funds – a Central America-based investment company - has rural communities in Northeast Ohio buzzing about a chance of lifetime. Mr. Bartoli tells investors that he has untold access to Central American trading opportunities and that the returns will be tax-free. Cyprus Funds will go on to raise $65 million from a total of 1,000 investors over the course of 4 years. The only problem: Bartoli doesn’t have inside connections. Instead of making good on the business deals, Bartoli invests less than $4 million and pockets the rest. Bartoli lives on a massive Ohio farm with his wife and two children. Behind his home sits a renovated barn with chandeliers. Next to the barn: a 16th century style pub. He also has a basketball court and putting green nearby. Bartoli seems to have it all. But in late August of 1999, the SEC comes calling. Cyprus Funds’ headquarters in Doylestown, Ohio is raided in the middle of the night. An investor meeting is held the next day at a downtown church in Doylestown. Nearly 700 people show up and learn their investments are tied up in a scam. Bartoli leaves town before authorities can get to him.

The Contractor from Hell: Contractor Craig Oliver promises his clients he will turn their average houses into "dream homes." He and wife, Jennifer, run Dominion Building and Construction in the D.C. suburbs. But Oliver's promises to transform homes are empty and once he has pocketed clients' hefty down payments, he leaves homes and lives in disarray, showing no sympathy even to a homeowner dying of cancer. Beneath the veil of a charming businessman lies a former convict who uses fraudulent business licenses to scam $2.5 million from his victims -- indulging in fancy cars, fine dining and vacations. But angry clients are on his case, including one who happens to be an FBI agent. The Check's in the Mail: Odowa Roland Okuomose seems like your average small business owner, running a currency exchange in the suburbs of Vancouver, British Columbia. But his real business isn’t local -- it’s international. Okuomose is accused of operating a lottery scam, preying on unsuspecting victims -- more than 300 of them in the U.S. He sends them congratulatory letters saying they have won a large sum. These "bait letters" include legitimate-looking checks to cover tax and delivery fees. But the checks are counterfeits and his hopeful victims are out thousands of dollars.

James "Jim" Hammes, the controller of the Lexington branch of G&J Pepsi-Cola Bottlers, Inc., allegedly diverts funds from his employer into a secret bank account he sets up. After receiving an anonymous tip, G&J summons Hammes to what he thinks is a regular management meeting at company headquarters in Cincinnati. Unknown to Hammes, this business meeting will also include the FBI. When Hammes is confronted about the missing $8 million, he demands to see a lawyer and leaves, never to be seen or heard from again. Hammes is a fugitive on the run, wanted on federal charges of wire fraud and money laundering. Meanwhile, Joseph "Joe" McCool allegedly solicits millions of dollars from the public, primarily retirees, for what he claims is a European investment program known as the Brixon Group. Touting himself as a former successful manager of a private European trust, he promises investors they can’t lose their initial investments. But, instead of guaranteed returns, investors are left with nothing but elaborate lies. After the FBI gets involved, investors are shocked to learn that Joe McCool is a convicted felon.

Phony Phone Calls - In the late 1990s, Slobodan Lunic is owner and operator of Pay Tel, a Chicago-based company that offers investors an opportunity to purchase payphones. Investors are told they will receive monthly interest payments exceeding 12% of their investment. Lunic and partner Scott Holmberg pitch this incredible opportunity to investment advisors across the country, taking in thousands of investors and collecting nearly $40 million. Heavy Metal Fraud - In 2008 Luis Ferreira is running a South Florida precious metal brokerage called Spyker Consulting. The struggling economy’s stock market losses are Ferreira’s gain, as more and more people are looking for alternative investments, like gold. Ferreira promises his clients their money is safe in the shares of metals they own. But behind the façade of a successful business is a fraudulent telemarketing scam run by a former convict preying on desperate investors.

THE "PRISON" ESCAPE: Fred Monem was considered a hero by many within the Oregon state prison system, saving the deparment of corrections millions of dollars a year feeding inmates. But according to the FBI, Monem is taking a little taste for himself... he takes millions of dollars in kickbacks and enjoys a lavish lifestyle far beyond the means of a civil servant on at $60,000-a-year salary. By the time the FBI tries to get him to face up to his alleged crimes, he’s on a plane across the country. LIVING THE AMERICAN SCHEME: The father and son team of Juan and Harold Rangel are the toast of the Latino community in East L.A., selling distressed homeowners on the idea that a foreclosure notice isn’t a curse, it’s an opportunity. Their company eventually squeezes more than $35 million out of investors' home savings and home equity. But as more than 600 investors will soon discover, the Rangels are nobody’s saviors.