Types of Cons

The Big Talkers – Cons built on goods that don’t exist

Barry Minkow
Crazy Eddie
Anthony "Tino" DeAngelis
Great Diamond Hoax
Billie Sol Estes
John Law
Charles Ponzi
Rastogi Brothers
Bernard L. Madoff
Equity Funding
James P. Lewis, Jr
Gerald Payne
Walter Tellier

The Gamblers – Cons based on a shaky premise that require fraud to keep running

Ivar Kreuger
Bernard Cornfeld
Nick Leeson
South Sea Bubble

The Dealmakers – Cons based on insider trading or backroom deals

Eli Black
Ivan Boesky

The Creative Accountants – Cons built on inflated numbers, cooking the books

Phillip Bennett
Lowell Birrell
Bernie Ebbers
Enron
Sanjay Kumar
HBO & Co.
Richard Scrushy

The Thieves

Jim Bakker
Tom Billman
Conrad Black
Ramon Baez Figueroa
Martin Frankel
Charles Keating
Dennis Kozlowski
John Rigas
Richard Whitney

The Ship Sinkers – Cons that brought down an institution, bank, or company

Anthony "Tino" DeAngelis
Bernard L. Madoff
Bernie Ebbers
Equity Funding
Ramon Baez Figueroa
Nick Leeson
John Rigas

The Fugitives – Trial delayed when they skipped the country

Crazy Eddie
Tom Billman
Lowell Birrell
Martin Frankel

The Holy Rollers – Cons based in religion

Jim Bakker
James P. Lewis, Jr
Gerald Payne

The Repentants – Looking to atone after prison

Barry Minkow