SYNOPSIS:

Charles Ponzi is down to his last buck and his last chance, but he has a plan to make it big. He sets out to launch his latest endeavor, soliciting investors to back his Securities Exchange Company and offering them double their money in ninety days. After procuring a small loan from an dodgy furniture dealer named Primero, Ponzi gets down to business. He recruits a young lothario named Silva, sending him to Italy to help turn his idea into profit. On the home front, Ponzi begins rounding up his first investors. He sticks to the soft sell, using his star-bright charm and bottomless confidence to entice them. In a few weeks, he collects backing from a small cadre of associates and strangers. By the time his first investors return to collect, Ponzi realizes that he is in trouble. Silva has not returned from abroad and his plan is beginning to look like a logistical nightmare. In an attempt to buy some time, Ponzibegins using money from later investors to pay off his earlier obligations. A new twist on the age-old practice of robbing Peter to pay Paul. But this plan leads to even bigger problems. Word gets out that Ponzi is making good on his promise, setting off a chain reaction of eager investors hoping to get rich quick. The money starts to pour in. First a trickle, then a torrent. Every deposit adding toPonzi's colossal liabilities. Ponzi embarks on a spending spree, splurging on fine clothes, luxury automobiles and an enormous mansion for his wife, Rose. But he is distracted by his newfound celebrity and wealth and heedless of the forces lining up against him. Overnight fame creates unwanted attention and new enemies for the financier. His shady benefactor Primero feels entitled to share in the wealth and files a million dollar lawsuit. Ponzi's lucrative investment opportunity causes a run on local banks, prompting Simon Swig, heir to the Tremont Trust, to launch his own investigation into Ponzi's mysterious past. When Swig uncovers a devastating secret, Ponzi is forced to make a choice between a lengthy prison term and a hasty escape, leaving his loving wife behind.

THE RISE OF MR. PONZI