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Original subtitles

In this episode of American Greed, all

hail the king, the polka king.

When he came on stage, people went crazy.

He rode into the event on a horse.

It was just spectacular to see. But Jan Levon isn't content with just being a

music star.

He's got bigger plans. He had ambition, and he just...

went and built himself a little empire.

LeBron's American dream is built on the backs and bank accounts of his biggest

fans.

Jan is one of the more charming people who's a con artist. He's a very good con

artist. My dad, he was extremely pissed. And he said, if I see him, I will kill

him if I have a gun.

LeVon's story is so outrageous, it even gets Hollywood's attention.

He did so many wrong things that now he's famous for it. They didn't kiss me.

They didn't tell me I love you anymore.

They were saying, you stole my money.

It's January 2001.

The Jan Levon Orchestra is riding high.

The poker band is at the peak of its popularity.

The band plays sold -out gigs across the Midwest and Northeast, including packed

houses in Atlantic City.

The band's leader, Jan Levon, is a master showman.

He was a magnetic personality, and he gave a great show.

He was like the Polish rock star.

In

late

January, the orchestra plans a tour of Florida.

On the evening of the 25th, the eight musicians pile into their Ford minibus,

leave their Pennsylvania home base, and head south.

Let's go for it.

Six sold out.

completely big concert in Florida.

We're supposed to go for two weeks.

The band plans to drive the 1 ,100 -mile trip without stopping.

Jan Levan takes the first shift.

Around 3 a .m., he's ready for a break.

My musician, my friend, he said he wanted to take over

the driving.

So he said, okay, are you okay? He said, yeah, yeah, very good.

Levon heads to the back of the van and joins the rest of his crew.

No TV, no computers, everybody went and sleep.

Approximately three hours later, as the van crosses into South Carolina, the

unthinkable happened.

The minibus, it was torn apart.

It was devastating.

Nothing was there. Everything was in pieces.

Everything.

The band smashes into a concrete bridge column.

Two musicians are killed instantly.

Levan and the others are badly injured.

The bus was upside down.

Terrible.

That was a bad moment.

The crash is life -changing for Jan Levan.

but not just for his music career.

In the months and years after the accident, details emerged that show the

king isn't the beloved figure he appears to be.

Jan Levon presents himself as the king of polka.

We found out that he was the king of scams.

The unlikely rise and fall of Jan Levon begins in 1942.

In the small Baltic sea town of Sopot, Poland, dominated by the Soviets after

World War II, Levan says communist Poland is a dreary place to grow up.

The worst you ever can dream about. You worry for everything what you've done.

You don't trust nobody.

Living under the heavy hand of communism?

Levon is drawn to the exotic sounds coming out of his radio.

I always listen to radio free Europe. That was maintained from Washington to

Europe. And I say, wow, wow, in America, everything.

So I'm always telling my father, I'm going to go to America one day.

Levon is a natural performer.

As a young man, he's selected to join a theater group in Warsaw.

He becomes a breakout star and is chosen to perform for a Soviet broadcast in

1964.

In a stroke of fate in the early 1970s, Levon's theater group is allowed to tour

the United States and Canada.

Chicago was huge, but also New York was huge with the

Polish immigrants.

While in North America, Levon realizes he has a once -in -a -lifetime

opportunity.

In 1972, while traveling through Hamilton, Ontario, he sneaks away from

handlers and defects to Canada.

After the tour was over, I decided to leave.

Levon spends much of the next decade as a lounge singer for the Canadian hotel

chain. But in 1979, Levon's life is changed forever when he is invited to

perform at a Polish heritage festival in New Jersey.

The festival's organizers asked Levon if he could pep up his Polish folk song.

Somebody told me, why don't you put the polka beat to that?

Levon has never performed polka before.

He says the music is unique to North America and much different from his

style. They don't dance in Poland like that.

So when I came, I started switching this to podcast, and I found very exciting

audience with that.

From that day forward, the legend of the Poker King is born.

In the following years, Levan becomes a sensation on the poker

circuit. In 1980, he marries a 19 -year -old fan named Ronda.

and moves to her hometown of Hazleton, Pennsylvania.

The coal mining town has a vibrant Polish population and is centrally

Polka country.

New York, two hours. Philadelphia, two hours.

You know, everywhere, not that long distance to drive.

In 1984, Le Bon becomes a U .S. citizen and is invited to meet President Ronald

Reagan at a campaign rally.

The President of the United States.

Jen Dobre. I have the delight of being back in the great state of Pennsylvania.

I was the master ceremony for President Reagan in Doylestown, Pennsylvania.

We talked. We took pictures.

Yeah, yeah, of course.

The meeting is prophetic.

Here you have when I was singing for President George Bush.

Over the next two decades, Le Bon will meet and perform for three presidents,

foreign heads of state, celebrities, and religious leaders.

George Bush was very nice to me. And Tony Bennett.

I shared stage with Bobby Vinton.

Liberace, that was my beginning in Buffalo.

He gave me the jacket, the first jacket I had from Liberace.

Liberace's sense of style has a huge influence on Le Bon.

He would be wearing these red costumes or white costumes with sparkles on them.

He had the flair.

He used to take out his handkerchief and he would toss it out in the audience.

As Le Bon's fame grows, so do the rooms.

He headlines casinos in Las Vegas and Atlantic City.

They would have to use every one of the ballrooms to handle his event.

I mean, he rode into the event on a horse.

I did Atlantic City for 17 years, sometimes four times a year.

Donna Klemecki sees Levan's show numerous times, but she says no one is a

fan than her father, Henry.

Well, my dad was from Poland. He came here when he was 12 years old.

And my stepmom came here when she was like 35 years old. They would follow him

to go on the polka weekends and have a good time.

Clemente's father is a former Marine drill sergeant. But when it comes to Jan

Levon, she says he turns into a puppy dog.

He loved Jan. He thought the sun rose and set in that man's heart.

He would kiss his hand every time he saw him.

You know, like the Pope.

I couldn't believe it.

But Clemente's dad isn't the only smitten fan.

Levon has thousands of dedicated followers.

People from Chicago and Jersey and Pennsylvania.

There were a lot of people that followed Jan.

It was a very charismatic man, and they just loved him.

It's this devotion to him that gives Le Bon an idea.

When American Greed returns, Jan Le Bon looks to his fan base to expand his

brand.

How could you distrust a man that got an audience for the Pope?

Jan Laban has a dedicated fan base.

They love to watch him perform, and he loves the attention.

In 1988, Laban devises a plan to spend even more time with his followers and

make some extra cash in the process.

People, they actually was telling me, Jan, take us to Poland.

And that's what I did.

After three times a year, Laban begins taking fans on excursions to the old

country.

Cross Poland from the mountains to the sea, you know, and to visit my family at

the same time.

And I was a hero. I came to Poland like, you know, wow,

he made it.

The two -week tours are always packed, and it only costs fans about $2 ,000 to

tour the communist nation.

My tour was super duper.

Shrine, castle, historical city.

To me, it was one of the best tours I ever had.

Richard Labanowski is a super fan from Pine Island, New York. He goes on 10

tours with the Polka King.

We went to dance because his father was living up there and could dance.

A toast for your health, my father, too.

The champagne and the punch cake were out of this world.

The trip soon expand beyond Poland.

Hi, everybody.

Have a good time.

Hello, ladies and gentlemen.

The heart of Berlin.

We arrived to London.

We took a bus from Munich to Austria, where they made the sound of music. I

mean, the cities, the places we went, it was unbelievable.

Florida resident Donna Klemecki takes one tour. Her dad goes on three trips

his musical hero.

She says Jan Levan is the ultimate tour guide.

He was a ringleader, and he came with his own band.

Always had a good time. Always danced and everything.

He tried to treat everyone like royalty.

The people seemed to eat it up.

Le Bon's star power extends across the Atlantic.

He knows former Polish President Lech Wałęsa and even has ties to the Vatican.

Pope John Paul greeted us in a hall that he... Typically, other popes only

greeted royalty or heads of state.

For the Polka Kings fans, meeting the Holy Father is a sacred and humbling

experience.

I could have cried when I shook his hand.

It was touching.

But the tours aren't just a fun time for Levan. They provide him with a major

business opportunity.

I knew I can buy Poland for nothing.

Levan uses the trips to purchase Polish goods, hand -cut crystal, artwork, and

most importantly, precious Baltic amber.

And for shopping, huh? Yeah, that's right.

I just got the purchase, like, $30 ,000.

He buys the items dirt cheap and then resells them in the United States at a

huge markup.

He'd buy a Polish doll for 10 cents and come back and sell it for 19, 20

dollars.

Merchandise tables at his U .S. concerts are filled with the imported goods.

People know when they come, they can buy amber jewelry in gold and silver for 50

percent.

But Levon constantly needs to buy more inventory.

In the late 1980s, he devises a business plan to create an influx of cash.

Here is how the whole thing starts.

You cannot do that without the money. I have opportunity, but I didn't have the

money. Levan begins asking fans to invest in his budding business empire.

He draws up promissory notes guaranteeing 12 % returns.

He talked about Wall Street might only give you a return of 8%, but Jan Levin

can give you 12%. If the stock market crashes, you have nothing.

But you can trust Jan Levin.

It was unheard of at that time already.

You know, nobody was paying 12%. He often pitches the financial vehicles on

European tours.

He was selling these promissory notes stating that he was a

businessman.

and they were buying into his business.

He was asking for a minimum investment of $1 ,000, and he would sell you up to

$5 ,000 in a promissory note.

Fans jump at the opportunity.

The dollar amounts explode as investors are eager to get in on the action.

Jan said, once I saw what was happening with the $5 ,000, somebody says, I'll

give you $10 ,000. He says, I'll take it.

I'll give you 20, I'll take it. Give you 40, I'll take it.

One of my friends, she called her brother, and he brought 100

,000.

Levan says he uses the cash to buy nearly $5 million worth of inventory.

Hi, my name is Jan Levan, and I would like to invite you to our gift shop.

In 1991, he opens a store in Hazleton, Jan Levan Show Gifts.

A mail order business helps move more product.

For a few years, David Haupt creates Levon's catalogs. You can see here

different necklaces and, you know, pieces of amber set in the jewelry.

The glossy pages are a celebration of everything Jan Levon.

It was part of the appeal that, you know, you saw how popular Jan was.

Levon appears to be an American success story.

But there's a fatal flaw at the heart of his business plan.

Levon isn't a licensed securities dealer, and he has absolutely no

running a business.

He had none. He just tried to bolt his way through.

Prosecutors say the promissory notes that fund his empire are nothing but an

investment scheme.

Some people were paid back, unfortunately.

It just kept growing, and he kept borrowing money from others to pay the

original investors.

Many investors are urged to reinvest their so -called earnings.

They never signed money. They would just take their $10 ,000, roll it over.

They'd roll over the $1 ,200, and they would buy a new promissory note.

And when it's someone that you know, someone you trust, someone who's very

charismatic, and that will persuade you to invest.

In addition, because this is a person who knows the Pope personally, you

wouldn't think that this person would be lying to you.

Here we go. Come on. Here we are.

Next on American Greed. When you can, I will be behind you.

Levon makes headlines.

As a beauty pageant turns scandalous.

I'm thinking something's not right.

This pageant was rigged.

Thank

you

very much, ladies and gentlemen, for coming. Who are my teachers?

Throughout the 1990s, the polka king becomes the business king.

But the heart of Jan Levon's empire remains his orchestra.

In 1995, his musical perseverance pays off with a Grammy nomination.

Although he doesn't win, the

nomination raises Levon's profile.

Three years later, he garners even more attention when his wife enters the Mrs.

Pennsylvania pageant.

She worked very hard, entire year.

She lost weight. She went for every possible thing, for speech, for

for bathing. And, of course, I was the one who paid for all of these things.

Rita Rowley is a contender in that year's competition.

1998 is her third attempt at the crown.

I went into it feeling pretty good because I know I was in at least the top

for the two previous years. I just hadn't made it to the top five.

In the lead -up to the pageant, Rowley says Rhonda Levon doesn't make much of

impression. If I'm being honest, she was not very friendly at all. She kept to

herself.

We tried to talk to her a few times, and she was just kind of withdrawn.

In a pageant filled with veteran beauty queens, Rowley says the newcomer isn't

considered a serious threat.

The first runner -up is Rita Rowley.

When the standings are announced, Rowley is thrilled about her showing.

I was ecstatic. You know, I thought, wow, this is great.

But when the winner is declared, Rita says she and the other women are

Mrs. Pennsylvania, 1998.

Rhonda Laban!

Mrs. Jan Laban wins the crown.

We're always happy for whoever wins, but if I'm honest, I mean, we just couldn't

understand it. Like, we just thought it was odd.

If you ever have a chance to see all of the contestants, she was the most

beautiful, and she should win.

In a reception held after the pageant, Rowley says the judges make a startling

admission to the runners -up.

They came to us and said, there has been an error. We need to get the scorecards

back because all the judges are saying she wasn't even near the top of their

tabulation. The Levons capitalize on the title.

They had posters in their gift shop, the home of Mrs. Pennsylvania. I mean, he

really wrote that title.

For quite some time.

Over the next several months, Rowley and the other contestants publicly dispute

the results.

The story makes national headlines.

And is reported on Dateline.

I guess everything just came together at that moment.

But that's all it would be. Just a moment. Because before long, the Mrs.

Pennsylvania pageant would turn very ugly.

Pageant organizers are taken to court in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania and

charged with rigging a public contest, although they are later acquitted.

But during the trial, it's discovered that Rhonda LeVon's scores were indeed

changed. As soon as that name was announced, that's when everybody looked

each other. Rhonda was not the first choice of anybody.

There was no question that the scorecards had been altered.

And they have Rhonda down here as 1260, and then myself at 1221.

Rhonda's actual total score was 980. So if you look at all the scores, she would

have come in last place.

All eyes turn to the Poker King.

Some people very easy speculate, wow, he pay for her to win.

I don't pay nobody anything, and I didn't know nobody.

To bet the numbers would change.

God knows who did that.

Not me.

Although he's never legally charged with any wrongdoing, a dark cloud hangs over

Levon's reputation.

Rita Rowley is ultimately named the winner of the pageant.

In 2003, she wins a civil case against Rhonda Levon.

Arbiters declare that Rowley is the rightful owner of the crown and other

prizes.

She says the delayed result diminishes the honor, and memories of the pageant

still bring heartache.

That was my night.

That was something that will never be recreated. I can never have that moment

back, ever.

Next on American Greed, more trouble for the royal family as the poker king gets

knocked from his throne.

One of the people that he scammed in Pennsylvania was a priest. And that just

boggles the mind. Like, where is your shame?

In the years after the pageant debacle, the whiff of scandal tarnishes the

public image of Jan Levon.

But privately, a deeper scandal is unfolding.

Only no one knows about it but the polka king himself.

Levon appears to be a successful businessman, but he's actually way over

head.

Sweat, worry. I was sitting in my office sometimes till 5 .30, 6 o 'clock in the

morning. I was there practically all time because I was worried.

Between the music and the European tours and the merchandise, Levon can't cover

all his expenses.

His businesses did not generate the profit that he claimed.

The aggregate of the company at the end of calendar year 2000.

made a net profit of about $16 ,000.

That's not the 12 % return that he's telling his investors that he's making.

Levon desperately needs more cash to keep his businesses afloat.

He offers investors a sweet deal.

To make it more attractive, he sent them all letters, and within those letters

he said, I'm going to start paying 20%. And, of course, my dad fell for it, and

he put the money in.

In January 2001, his orchestra has a prime money -making opportunity.

They booked a six -day tour to Florida, and the shows are sold out.

Levon says he packs a quarter million dollars worth of jewelry.

Each show was made on big sell.

Of 50 % gold, amber, and here again, I believe I will make it.

The eight -man band leaves Hazleton on the evening of January 25th.

After driving all night, at 6 a .m. the following morning, tragedy strikes.

Shortly after crossing into South Carolina, police say the driver of the

falls asleep.

and crashes into a concrete bridge support.

The impact kills two members of the band.

One was 54 years old, one was 24.

He left, 54, left two young boys.

The rest of the band members are severely injured.

Levon's 16 -year -old son Daniel suffers a massive head injury and barely clings

to life.

The blood was all over and I closed his head.

And I heard, hmm, hmm, hmm.

The trailer carrying Levan's Polish merchandise is obliterated.

My trailer with all of the goods was all over the Croatian, you know.

And I tell policeman, I have to pick up the gold.

He says, you go to ambulance.

Levan says nearly all of the merchandise is lost.

The following days are tense.

Levon's son is critically injured.

Doctors aren't sure if he will recover.

I was with him in the hospital, you know, day and night, at his bed. They

thought he was going to die.

Fortunately, Daniel pulls through.

But the Polka King spends months caring for his son.

He puts his music career and other businesses on the back burner.

Levon says any money he has, including investor funds, goes to medical bills.

Yeah, everything.

Who cares in that moment?

The bills was coming in, you know.

Whatever I had, I pay everywhere.

Hospital bill was like $120 ,000.

Following the accident, many investors want to cash out their investments, but

Levan is unable to pay up.

My dad wrote a letter, and he wanted to get his money back.

And Jan said, oh, I can't do it right at this time. They wanted money back, and

I didn't have that money.

Nothing was coming in anymore.

Levan tells investors to be patient.

His Hazleton store still has millions of dollars in inventory.

Some investors stick with Levan, but others want answers.

Few people get very nasty.

You know, when you lose the money, that's the worst thing. You will get

You know what I mean? You will call all the names. No mercy for nobody.

In August 2002, two families in Delaware take their complaints to the state's

attorney general.

Catherine Damavandi and Stanley Yakowski handle the case.

We found that he sold $87 ,000 worth of investments to these

individuals. They never saw a dime.

They never saw a penny.

Everything was reinvested, reinvested, reinvested.

During the investigation, they discover that Le Bon's business practices are

highly suspect.

We saw enough to know that this man is not operating a successful business.

Next on American Greed, Jan Le Bon pays for his misdeeds with his own

blood.

I was sleeping, and then I jumped, and I said, what are you doing? And he

started cutting me on the back.

By early 2003, the Delaware Attorney General's Office has enough evidence of

Levan's criminal activities.

On March 10th, Levan is indicted on multiple felony counts, including

fraud, theft, and racketeering.

He wasn't registered as an agent. He wasn't able to sell securities in

He was dead in the water.

Beginning in 1988, investigators say Levon offered and sold more than 300

unregistered securities worth over $2 million.

At least 87 investors are from the heart of polka country, Pennsylvania and New

Jersey. He targeted the Polish community. He targeted the Catholic

And he targeted the Polka community.

There are only two victims from Delaware, but those victims are all it

build a case.

We had two little investors.

We had him cold as far as stealing money.

Delaware officials learned that LeVon was previously reprimanded for his

activities.

In 1992 and again in 2000, Pennsylvania regulators warned Lebon about selling

his promissory notes.

He was told repeatedly by the Pennsylvania Securities Division not to

unregistered securities.

Just days after the cease and desist was issued to Jan,

he thought they're selling. So he just could care less.

That tells us that he's operating with criminal intent.

The poker king doesn't dispute the findings.

Yes, of course. That time, definitely, I knew I was doing wrong.

He says he continued to sell his promissory notes to keep his businesses

When you drown, you will catch anything to come up.

I knew if that time I stopped, I won't be able to be faithful to the investors.

So I have to continue because if I won't, they will find everything wrong.

To this day, Levon argues that his crimes weren't malicious and that he had

every intention to pay back his investors.

But prosecutors say that excuse doesn't cut it. This is no small scheme and this

is no mistake.

There's nothing criminal about being a bad businessman.

There is something criminal when you're talking to an investor and you

misrepresent the product that you're selling. And what he misrepresented to

people was that he was making money.

In December 2003, Laban has his day in court.

He says his lawyers tell him he's likely to get a slap on the wrist.

Just say guilty, you're going to get a minimum.

Okay, I'm guilty, and I got maximum.

LeVon pleads guilty to six counts, including theft, racketeering, and

fraud. He's sentenced to five years in prison.

As the case makes headlines, more investors come forward.

The Attorney General's office was flooded with calls from people, from

states, saying that they had invested with Jan LeVon, and they didn't know

to do.

The feds open up their own investigation.

The U .S. attorney in Pennsylvania finds LeBron's scam is more extensive than

previously thought.

They say he steals nearly $5 million from more than 400 investors in

21 states.

Donna Klemke's dad loses $30 ,000.

He was so angry.

He would often say if I had a gun and he was in front of me, I would kill him.

That's how mad he was.

Levon pleads guilty to federal charges of mail and wire fraud and gets another

year tacked on his sentence.

In 2004, he's sent to prison in Delaware.

His fellow prisoners don't take kindly to the new arrival. Many inmates

erroneously think he's a child molester.

Some of them, they were very rough.

People, they steal from you. They scare you.

Even my inmates say, I kill you.

Levon's cellmate is a rapist and arsonist who is serving a life sentence.

Early one morning in April 2004, around 4 a .m., Levon is jolted from his bunk.

Yeah, I was sleeping.

All of a sudden, I feel something on my neck.

And it's really, whoa, blood.

The convict slashes Jan repeatedly with a smuggled disposable razor.

Then he was cutting me on the back, and I was scared to fight with him because

that can be worse.

With his blood gushing all over the cell, Levan desperately tries calling

help.

Four o 'clock in the morning, nobody hear you. The guard isn't there, and the

blood was coming, and this is how I get dizzy.

Levon miraculously survives the attack.

For the remainder of his sentence, he keeps a low profile. He spends much of

time woodworking.

That's actually me.

He also picks up an appreciation for rap music.

Everybody was rapping in that jail. I say, hmm, rapping polka, that will do.

But with revelation, contrite and tribulation, but I stay in meditation,

overcome my situation.

I've been locked behind the walls, but still I'm standing tall.

My whole life is in that song.

Next on American Greed.

A Hollywood star tackles the Polka

King's life story.

He said, I'm listening to your CDs in my car all the time.

I'm going to become you.

In 2009, Jan Laban is released from prison. He returns to Hazleton

and holds an emotional comeback concert.

Shortly after his release, a local film director debuts a documentary about

Levon's life.

For a brief moment, he's back in the spotlight.

Lots of friends came out from nowhere.

Emails, I received letters.

But there's still a lot of bad blood in Hazleton.

Levon's wife, Rhonda, divorces him, and angry investors want his head.

He owes $4 .9 million in restitution, but he's bankrupt.

His store is gone.

It was liquidated when he went to prison.

They sold my store for $162 ,000, and my store,

million and a half, very easy.

Hazleton's not, wasn't for him after all of this, you know.

I was worried something was going to happen to him there.

John Katerba is Laban's longtime videographer and friend.

In 2011, he and his girlfriend Joanne invite Laban to live with them in

The dynamic showman who once headlined in Atlantic City now sleeps in a spare

bedroom surrounded by his memories.

Sun is free, beach is free, and I living in paradise.

I love it.

While Jan enjoys life in the Sunshine State, 3 ,000 miles away in California,

unlikely plot is developing.

The documentary on Jan's life attracts the interest of Hollywood producers.

The story of the Polka King is being made into a movie.

Oh, I was thrilled to death.

Jack Black stars in the title role.

Unbelievable. I never...

that I never dream about.

Jan Levan says he and Jack Black strike up a friendship as the comedian prepares

for the role.

Can you watch us rehearse one time? You give me notes.

Yes. Don't worry, I'm going to shave the mustache.

This is just for tonight.

He said, I will call you every night at 8 o 'clock.

So every night at 8 o 'clock, he called me and we talked.

He learned from me everything from the day I born. He become like me.

The film premieres at the Sundance Film Festival and is bought by Netflix.

It's an unexpected new chapter in the life of Jan Levon.

I like it very much. 10 % Hollywood, but 90 % it is like it was.

It is funny, but it's like real.

It's this point that concerns Levon's victims.

It's not a comedy, it's a tragedy.

How can they make a comedy out of a tragedy?

It's just very sad.

Everybody, let's have a big round of applause for the Polka King and your

Levon.

Levon says he hopes the film will jumpstart his career.

He still does the occasional concert and claims he pays restitution each month.

I didn't want to take the money, steal the money.

That wasn't my intention to do that. I did to build up so everybody can be

and I can come out with a good amount as well.

He still doesn't have the honesty to fess up for what he did.

We're all proud of our heritage.

We're all so proud to be American.

to be fortunate enough to have a beautiful life here in

America. Levant says all he wants is one more shot.

I only can say I'm very, very, very sorry for the people who get hurt over

America!

America!

God bless this place.

I want to have my second chance.

Live peacefully to the end, which is coming.

He lied to these people. He took their money and they lost their life savings.

And he still can't take that in and accept responsibility for what he's done

others. That is unbelievable.

On the next American Greed, a cyber scheme fueled by drugs, money, and

Cops on the case are along for the ride.

American Greed, next.

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