David P. Barash argues that our addiction to economic growth is a Madoff/Ponzi scheme.
posted by mareli on Sep 1, 2009 - 75 comments

If the Government is running a larger than usual Ponzi scheme, then developing your own abilities to launder money cannot be far behind. So, how would I go about laundering money?
posted by wallstreet1929 on Jan 17, 2009 - 29 comments

Wall Street legend Bernard Madoff arrested over '$50 billion Ponzi scheme'. His company's website has a court announcement on the front page, but you can still find the old promises inside.
posted by 445supermag on Dec 12, 2008 - 85 comments

"As no rational agent would be willing to take part in the last round in a finite economy, it is difficult to design Ponzi schemes that are certain to explode. This paper argues that if agents correctly believe in the possibility of a partial bailout when a gigantic Ponzi scheme collapses, and they recognize that a bailout is tantamount to a redistribution of wealth from non-participants to participants, it may be rational for agents to participate, even if they know that it is the last round. We model a political economy where an unscrupulous profit-maximizing promoter can design gigantic Ponzi schemes to cynically exploit this "too big to fail" doctrine." [more inside]
posted by Rafaelloello on Sep 23, 2008 - 57 comments

Would you trust this man with your life's savings? Successful entrepeneur and president of Trans Continental Airlines cum boy band svengali, Lou Pearlman was the guiding hand behind N'Sync, the Backstreet Boys, and O-Town. Now, however, he's on the lam, wanted by the FBI for swindling old folks out of $317 million. Pearlman was last seen in Berlin on February 1st; as he sat in a crowded theater watching his latest creation, the German boy band US5, win an international pop award, FBI investigators were already combing through his Florida home and offices.
posted by billysumday on Apr 17, 2007 - 43 comments

Herbalife to be bought for $685M. Does anyone else find this disturbing given the information revealed in this previous thread?
posted by bkdelong on Apr 11, 2002 - 17 comments

Earthlink founding investor Reed Slatkin to plead guilty of defrauding over 800 people out of $254 million in a Ponzi scheme. Several of the victims were members of the Church of Scientology, where he was a minister. Oh, and he filed for bankruptcy too so there's no chance for reparations... I don't know how to feel!
posted by kfury on Mar 27, 2002 - 10 comments