This post is part of a feature in which he wonder whatever happened to some notorious financial felons. See all 17.
Back in the 1990s, Lou Pearlman was a well-know boy band mogul and talent scout, handling such talent as the BackStreet Boys and 'NSync. But in 2006 it became clear that Pearlman had perpetrated one of the biggest and longest running Ponzi schemes in American history.
It all started with a fake travel agency and grew into a complex enterprise comprised of many entities, funded by millions from banks and investors. The state of Florida, the FBI, the IRS, and the FDIC all took part in investigations. In 2007, Pearlman's attorneys filed suit to withdraw from representing him and Pearlman's assets were seized and his companies put into bankruptcy. Pearlman fled the country but was arrested after being spotted in Indonesia. He was promptly indicted by a federal grand jury on charges of bank fraud, mail fraud, and wire fraud.
With a year like that, he easily made BloggingStocks' list of Money Losers of 2007.
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For a quick-read on the U.S. economy, check the price of gasoline
