Every once in a while, a streaming service comes out with a riveting true-crime documentary that puts the spotlight on a sensational or over-the-top crime; Apple TV+’s The Big Conn is no exception with its amusing story of Eric C Conn, a fancy Kentucky lawyer who enjoys a lavish lifestyle as he is in the middle of one of America’s largest government frauds.
From eccentric convicted zookeeper Joe Exotic to the fraudsters running the billion-dollar clothing business LuLaRoe, some recent crime documentary shows would go down the alley of fans of The Big Conn which similarly deals with a larger-than-life personality. Using live recorded footage, personal interviews, and archival videos, these documentaries provide equal amounts of information and entertainment.
Tiger King (2020-2021) – Stream On Netflix
Zookeeper Joe Exotic and animal conservationist Carole Baskins have had their constant fights, although both of their animal-centric endeavors were rooted in a history of crime. With its colorful characters and atmospheric tension, there is a lot going on in Tiger King, especially when the documentary attempts to uncover the truth behind Joe’s tumultuous past of fraud and homicide and Carole’s hand in the death of her husband.
With such investigative elements, Tiger King‘s story and amusing characters also reveal the chaos and subsequent worthlessness of immense wealth and power. Much like Eric C Conn’s story, both Joe and Carole pursued power and riches only to fall from grace later.
Have You Seen This Man (2022) – Stream On Hulu
On the surface, John Ruffo was a simple computer salesman. However, as the FBI discovered in 1997, Ruffo had actually committed a bank fraud worth more than 300 million dollars. When asked to serve his sentence, Ruffo pulled off such a trick that he disappeared for 24 years. The three-part TV show on Hulu documents the FBI and US Marshals’ tireless search to find the criminal and his whereabouts in this timespan.
Usually, documentaries on conmen show the prelude to the con along with the aftermath that mostly involves the criminal getting arrested. Have You Seen This Man is quite unconventional in this case with a focus on the disappearance instead of just the con.
Generation Hustle (2021-) – Stream On HBO Max
In this ever-changing world of young entrepreneurship, many new changemakers are going to extreme lengths to not just show off their creativity but also use their cunning in scamming investors. From the likes of German heiress Anna Delvey to math whiz Syed Arbab, the ten episodes of Generation Hustle focus on such entrepreneurs-cum-scammers.
While shows like The Big Conn usually focus on aged scammers, Generation Hustle tends to have a more modern look with young minds of the tech and entrepreneurial world.
American Greed (2007-) – Stream On Peacock
With over 15 seasons, American Greed is the quintessential show when it comes to getting a crash course in the country’s white-collar crime. From mainstream cases of financial fraud to under-the-radar instances, what is considered as one of the best true crime shows, is bound to impress fans of the true-crime genre, especially if they are into financial crimes.
Another interesting aspect of the show is that it doesn’t only focus on the wealthy criminals but also the impact all this Wall Street drama has on the lives of average citizens.
Bad Boy Billionaires: India (2020) – Stream On Netflix
Money laundering. Illegal diamond trade. Poor investors being driven to pyramid schemes. The business tycoons of India in this series have been up to some nasty business indeed. While there is no shortage of shows on the wrongdoings of American billionaires, Bad Boy Billionaires is a good break from the usual drama with its focus lying on their Indian counterparts, including an airline’s founder, a media magnate, and a diamond trader.
Their illegal activities and the ways they tried to evade the law make for interesting real-life drama, making it a perfect watch for people who are getting into foreign series on Netflix.
Guilty Rich (2017)- Stream On Discovery+
Apart from not paying taxes or laundering money, some wealthy criminals can even be involved in more violent offenses. Guilty Rich is centered upon such scandalous rich miscreants with an insider’s glimpse at their crimes that range from murder to extortion.
Guilty Rich proves that sometimes the uber-rich conmen can succumb to the vices of power to such an extent that there’s no going back. Sometimes, the crimes of the “guilty rich” can be way more than just conning people for millions of dollars. In this context, the Discovery+ show can be seen as a more extreme continuation of series like The Big Conn.
Deadly Rich (2018) – Stream On Fubo
In the same vein as other true crime shows that made viewers nope out like Guilty Rich and American Greed, Deadly Rich takes a look at the various ways the one percent have resorted to in order to escape the law. Like the aforementioned examples, the cases involved can include even extremities like murder.
However, what sets Deadly Rich from its peers is the fact that each episode is told from a first-person perspective. This narrative can be from the point of view of a law enforcer or even a family member of the accused. In this way, the show captures the feelings of those who are directly involved in such cases apart from just the central criminal figure.
The Puppet Master: Hunting The Ultimate Conman (2022) – Stream On Netflix
Robert Hendy-Freegard was more than an ordinary conman. Instead of just scamming people through financial fraud, he posed as a British spy to blackmail families and steal their assets. When compared to other conmen featured in such true crime documentaries, The Puppet Master‘s main character is far more evil and vicious in his quest for wealth and power.
The pseudo-MI5 agent’s exploits show how conmen can resort to emotional manipulation to get what they desire. What’s even more disturbing is the documentary’s focus on the members of the families that Hendy-Freegard in this process. All in all, it is a harrowing series that relies on realism more than sensationalism.
Dirty Money (2020) – Stream On Netflix
One of the many Netflix documentaries on financial crime, Dirty Money merges both perspectives of the perpetrators and the victims. Also involved are the unwilling witnesses who are affiliated with institutions like Wells Fargo and Donald Trump’s business empire. Through significant first-hand accounts, it is revealed the corrupt means through which the rich get richer.
Docuseries such as Dirty Money are important as they show how the privileged acquire more influence at the cost of everyday society. The crimes might not be particularly violent or scandalous but they are still destructive for innocent civilians. For instance, one episode deals with how a car company saves money by skipping emission tests while another deals with the illegal mining and labor exploitation that goes behind the import of gold in the United States.
LuLa Rich (2021) – Stream On Prime Video
In 2012, DeAnne Brady and Mark Stidham started a fashion company called LuLaRoe to sell products for women through social media. However, over the years, it turned out that the duo was running a pyramid scheme disguised as a multi-million dollar business empire.
Apart from showcasing the behind-the-scenes workings of the company from multiple perspectives, LuLaRich also serves as a cautionary tale of how business tycoons can fool the laity and con their way to success.
