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1
00:00:08,717 --> 00:00:10,511
[Scott Johnson]
So it's gonna be, um...
2
00:00:10,511 --> 00:00:12,304
maybe like an hour and a half,
two hour drive?
3
00:00:12,304 --> 00:00:14,890
- [man] Yeah.
- And you have his name and everything?
4
00:00:14,890 --> 00:00:16,099
Yeah.
5
00:00:19,561 --> 00:00:20,687
[man, in Indonesian]
Have you seen this person, ma'am?
6
00:00:20,687 --> 00:00:22,564
- Does he look familiar to you?
- No.
7
00:00:23,023 --> 00:00:24,441
[Johnson] Does he look familiar to you?
8
00:00:24,441 --> 00:00:25,359
[in Indonesian] No.
9
00:00:26,026 --> 00:00:27,069
[man, in Indonesian]
Excuse me, sir.
10
00:00:27,069 --> 00:00:29,821
Do you have his address?
11
00:00:29,821 --> 00:00:30,739
[man 2, in Indonesian] Mangga?
12
00:00:30,739 --> 00:00:32,783
Mangga, Block B2, Number 10.
13
00:00:37,871 --> 00:00:38,705
[man, in Indonesian]
Excuse me, ma'am, I wanna ask...
14
00:00:38,705 --> 00:00:40,832
do you know where Mangga Street,
Block B2, Number 10 is?
15
00:00:40,832 --> 00:00:42,501
[in Indonesian]
Here is B2, Number 10.
16
00:00:42,501 --> 00:00:46,213
[man, in Indonesian] Do you know
how we should contact him?
17
00:00:47,005 --> 00:00:49,216
[in Indonesian] Mr. Gandhi.
He likes to visit him.
18
00:00:49,967 --> 00:00:52,094
- [man] Can you take us there?
- [man 3] Sure.
19
00:00:52,928 --> 00:00:55,013
[Johnson] Okay, so we'll follow you.
20
00:00:55,973 --> 00:00:58,225
[chatter in Indonesian]
21
00:01:01,144 --> 00:01:01,979
[Johnson] Yeah.
22
00:01:06,984 --> 00:01:08,902
[Johnson] We're... we're journalists...
23
00:01:08,902 --> 00:01:12,364
and, uh, we wanted to speak with you.
24
00:01:12,364 --> 00:01:14,575
[in Indonesian]
How did you find me?
25
00:01:18,036 --> 00:01:20,747
{\an8}[Mary Louise Kelly]
It's a story
that sounds like a Hollywood movie.
26
00:01:20,747 --> 00:01:23,375
{\an8}
Creative professionals
in the entertainment industry.
27
00:01:23,375 --> 00:01:25,544
{\an8}
They had been lured to Indonesia
28
00:01:25,544 --> 00:01:28,630
{\an8}
on the promise of work
from major Hollywood figures.
29
00:01:28,630 --> 00:01:32,009
["Oxytocin" by Billie Eilish playing]
30
00:01:32,676 --> 00:01:35,804
{\an8}[Kelly]
Once there, they are tricked
out of thousands of dollars.
31
00:01:35,804 --> 00:01:38,682
{\an8}
The promised work never materializes.
32
00:01:38,682 --> 00:01:41,768
{\an8}
At the center of this deception
is a mysterious figure
33
00:01:41,768 --> 00:01:44,813
{\an8}
known as "the Con Queen of Hollywood."
34
00:01:49,276 --> 00:01:53,071
Scott Johnson of The Hollywood Reporter
first reported on the scheme.
35
00:01:53,071 --> 00:01:56,909
[Johnson] This is somebody who is
exceptionally skilled at voice work.
36
00:01:56,909 --> 00:01:58,160
[over phone]
37
00:02:04,291 --> 00:02:10,130
[Johnson] There was this desire to enter
into relationships with the victims.
38
00:02:10,130 --> 00:02:11,965
And sometimes it got sexual.
39
00:02:20,098 --> 00:02:21,850
[Johnson] So, what would drive somebody
40
00:02:21,850 --> 00:02:26,188
to create these really elaborate fantasies
41
00:02:26,188 --> 00:02:28,065
{\an8}for other people to fall into?
42
00:02:28,065 --> 00:02:30,943
{\an8}Because it wasn't really about the money.
43
00:02:30,943 --> 00:02:32,861
{\an8}It was about something else.
44
00:02:33,278 --> 00:02:34,696
[song continues]
45
00:02:47,334 --> 00:02:51,380
{\an8}[Johnson] People said they were convinced
that it was two people
46
00:02:51,380 --> 00:02:52,840
{\an8}or this woman
47
00:02:52,840 --> 00:02:54,341
{\an8}and that the Con Queen
48
00:02:54,341 --> 00:02:57,052
{\an8}had a long criminal record
as an impersonator.
49
00:02:58,095 --> 00:03:01,306
I later started to realize
just how big this actually was.
50
00:03:01,306 --> 00:03:04,643
There were hundreds of victims
from all around the world,
51
00:03:04,643 --> 00:03:07,688
{\an8}which meant
there was a clear financial toll.
52
00:03:07,688 --> 00:03:13,110
{\an8}But I think the more lasting damage
was psychological and emotional.
53
00:03:29,668 --> 00:03:31,295
[song ends]
54
00:03:39,761 --> 00:03:43,223
[Johnson] My beat at
The Hollywood Reporter was to cover crime
55
00:03:43,223 --> 00:03:46,852
and the seedy underbelly of Hollywood.
56
00:03:47,895 --> 00:03:50,272
We got a tip that a grift was underway.
57
00:03:50,272 --> 00:03:52,399
All these working professionals,
58
00:03:52,399 --> 00:03:55,527
{\an8}many of whom had ties
to the entertainment industry,
59
00:03:55,527 --> 00:03:58,655
had been contacted by these
prominent Hollywood executives
60
00:03:58,655 --> 00:04:01,658
for work on these high profile projects.
61
00:04:01,658 --> 00:04:03,452
But the projects didn't exist,
62
00:04:03,452 --> 00:04:07,247
and the executives' identities
had been stolen.
63
00:04:07,247 --> 00:04:09,082
The whole thing was a lie.
64
00:04:10,042 --> 00:04:13,212
These women are incredibly
powerful and influential,
65
00:04:13,212 --> 00:04:17,798
so placing them at the center of the scam
gave it credibility and legitimacy.
66
00:04:18,509 --> 00:04:21,970
And there was a huge range of victims.
67
00:04:21,970 --> 00:04:25,974
There were actors,
photographers, filmmakers,
68
00:04:25,974 --> 00:04:29,269
screenwriters, make-up artists,
69
00:04:29,269 --> 00:04:31,772
literally hundreds
and hundreds of victims.
70
00:04:33,023 --> 00:04:35,234
It was a truly global crime spree.
71
00:04:36,443 --> 00:04:41,949
And the victims were vulnerable
because they were freelancers.
72
00:04:41,949 --> 00:04:45,285
People who went from job to job,
looking for new opportunities.
73
00:04:45,285 --> 00:04:47,579
You know, they're gonna
put a photo on Instagram.
74
00:04:47,579 --> 00:04:52,709
They're gonna put their work
on their website, or IMDb.
75
00:04:53,252 --> 00:04:56,547
All of this information
is there for anybody.
76
00:04:56,547 --> 00:04:59,675
So the scammer used that to great effect.
77
00:05:01,802 --> 00:05:05,430
But I think the more impressive feat
was the impersonator's ability
78
00:05:05,430 --> 00:05:10,143
to craft these manipulative
and deceitful fantasies,
79
00:05:10,143 --> 00:05:14,231
whose sole purpose
was psychological devastation.
80
00:05:15,107 --> 00:05:17,442
And it's what got me
really interested in the story
81
00:05:17,442 --> 00:05:21,864
because I realized that the story
was not what I thought it was.
82
00:05:21,864 --> 00:05:24,533
The money wasn't the primary motivation.
83
00:05:24,533 --> 00:05:27,411
The primary motivation is this desire
84
00:05:27,411 --> 00:05:31,290
to get inside the minds
and the dreams of people,
85
00:05:31,290 --> 00:05:33,834
and to pervert them.
86
00:05:34,334 --> 00:05:36,962
To twist them, and to destroy them.
87
00:05:44,720 --> 00:05:48,348
[John Taylor] Doug Liman reached out
to me on August 30th, 2020.
88
00:05:51,476 --> 00:05:55,022
{\an8}When I saw the email, I don't think
I had heard of Doug Liman before
89
00:05:55,022 --> 00:05:57,983
{\an8}but I Googled him and realized
Doug was a huge director
90
00:05:57,983 --> 00:06:00,110
{\an8}who had done some of my favorite movies.
91
00:06:00,819 --> 00:06:02,779
Swingers and
American Made.
92
00:06:03,864 --> 00:06:05,490
And he said he had a movie coming up
93
00:06:05,490 --> 00:06:08,410
that was gonna be filmed
in outer space with Tom Cruise.
94
00:06:10,579 --> 00:06:12,289
And one of the producers
that I'd worked with
95
00:06:12,289 --> 00:06:14,875
had recommended me
and said I was a good actor.
96
00:06:15,792 --> 00:06:20,255
Because they were looking for
sort of an undiscovered talent for a role.
97
00:06:21,632 --> 00:06:23,675
Doug said,
"I'd love to get you on the phone
98
00:06:23,675 --> 00:06:25,969
with the chairman of Universal,
Donna Langley."
99
00:06:25,969 --> 00:06:30,682
When Donna called me, she said,
"This is gonna involve a table read
100
00:06:30,682 --> 00:06:34,811
and I'm gonna be there, and Tom Cruise
himself is gonna be there as well.
101
00:06:34,811 --> 00:06:37,856
You're kind of a nobody
but I think you can get there,
102
00:06:37,856 --> 00:06:40,067
and this is gonna be your big shot."
103
00:06:40,067 --> 00:06:44,780
And I thought the whole thing was
surreal and exciting and weird.
104
00:06:59,711 --> 00:07:04,633
[Zory Shahanska] Henry and I got an email
from Wendi Murdoch to work on a project.
105
00:07:06,218 --> 00:07:08,178
[press clamoring]
106
00:07:08,178 --> 00:07:11,098
[Shahanska] And I was familiar
with the name, Wendi Murdoch.
107
00:07:11,098 --> 00:07:15,227
{\an8}That she was an ex-wife to Rupert Murdoch.
108
00:07:16,353 --> 00:07:18,939
She was involved in the art world.
109
00:07:18,939 --> 00:07:20,649
{\an8}She had spoken to
110
00:07:20,649 --> 00:07:24,945
{\an8}the head person of Condé Nast,
and they had recommended us.
111
00:07:24,945 --> 00:07:28,198
And we had just finished
working with them on a project.
112
00:07:28,782 --> 00:07:30,075
{\an8}This is how the industry works.
113
00:07:30,075 --> 00:07:33,954
{\an8}Like, people give you recommendations and
sometimes that's how you get your break.
114
00:07:34,705 --> 00:07:37,457
[Shahanska] So we scheduled a call
with the assistant,
115
00:07:37,457 --> 00:07:41,503
we get in touch with him first,
then Wendi picks up, she said
116
00:07:41,503 --> 00:07:46,300
the work would end up being displayed
during the Winter Olympics.
117
00:07:46,300 --> 00:07:48,677
[Wu] She needed some photographers
to help her document
118
00:07:48,677 --> 00:07:51,763
the spread of Chinese communities
outside of China,
119
00:07:51,763 --> 00:07:54,308
specifically, in Southeast Asia.
120
00:07:55,017 --> 00:07:58,478
And as photographers,
we travel all over the world.
121
00:07:59,062 --> 00:08:02,232
So the puzzle pieces kind of fit together.
122
00:08:17,581 --> 00:08:21,084
[Will Strathmann] In 2017, I got an email
from Amy Pascal.
123
00:08:21,084 --> 00:08:25,589
{\an8}And I remember thinking to myself,
"That name sounds familiar."
124
00:08:26,423 --> 00:08:30,636
"Hello Will, I have your details
from Joe Kudla at Vuori Clothing
125
00:08:30,636 --> 00:08:33,347
and was intrigued by some of your work
that he showed me a while back."
126
00:08:34,264 --> 00:08:37,601
And at that point,
I did look up the name,
127
00:08:37,601 --> 00:08:40,812
saw who it was,
and I'm here wondering
128
00:08:40,812 --> 00:08:43,232
why I'm getting an email
from this Hollywood producer.
129
00:08:43,232 --> 00:08:44,525
[press clamoring]
130
00:08:44,525 --> 00:08:45,859
[photographer] Amy, one more time!
131
00:08:45,859 --> 00:08:49,112
[Strathmann] But I've worked
as a freelance photographer and filmmaker
132
00:08:49,112 --> 00:08:51,573
for the majority
of my professional career.
133
00:08:51,573 --> 00:08:54,159
Sometimes I would have a job
come out of nowhere.
134
00:08:56,078 --> 00:08:58,914
And then I get a phone call from her,
135
00:08:58,914 --> 00:09:01,375
and she starts explaining the concept
136
00:09:01,375 --> 00:09:05,796
for this TV show
that she wants to pitch to Netflix,
137
00:09:05,796 --> 00:09:09,466
based off a children's storybook called
Sidewalk Flowers.
138
00:09:10,926 --> 00:09:14,847
{\an8}It's basically this little girl
in this mundane, black and white city,
139
00:09:14,847 --> 00:09:19,476
{\an8}and she finds these little flowers
in the cracks of the sidewalk,
140
00:09:19,476 --> 00:09:21,728
and that brings color to the world.
141
00:09:22,604 --> 00:09:25,899
She wants to create a show
about traveling through the world,
142
00:09:25,899 --> 00:09:28,151
finding these little instances,
143
00:09:28,151 --> 00:09:31,113
kind of in the cracks
of culture that are meaningful
144
00:09:31,113 --> 00:09:33,907
and have this beautiful weight to them.
145
00:09:34,658 --> 00:09:37,661
She said she wanted to send me
on a week-long trial trip
146
00:09:37,661 --> 00:09:43,375
to Indonesia to find these
storylines that will accumulate
147
00:09:43,375 --> 00:09:45,502
into me presenting
essentially a storyboard
148
00:09:45,502 --> 00:09:48,839
for the pilot of this TV show.
149
00:09:49,840 --> 00:09:54,469
I remember after that phone call,
I definitely had thoughts of, "Why me?"
150
00:09:54,469 --> 00:09:57,514
But also, "You have to take risks."
151
00:09:57,514 --> 00:10:00,934
And this was such
an incredible opportunity
152
00:10:00,934 --> 00:10:03,270
for where I was at that point in my life.
153
00:10:10,068 --> 00:10:13,906
[Johnson] I spoke to a couple
of the producers in Hollywood
154
00:10:13,906 --> 00:10:17,367
who were sort of baffled
about why their names
155
00:10:17,367 --> 00:10:20,370
were being used in connection
with these fictitious projects.
156
00:10:21,205 --> 00:10:25,209
And we found out that one of the producers
who'd been impersonated,
157
00:10:25,209 --> 00:10:31,048
Amy Pascal, had hired a detective
agency called K-2 Intelligence.
158
00:10:32,174 --> 00:10:35,052
[Nicole Kotsianas] As private
investigators, we do investigations
159
00:10:35,052 --> 00:10:38,055
tailored to high-net-worth individuals.
160
00:10:39,389 --> 00:10:42,643
And I got a call from a lawyer who said,
161
00:10:42,643 --> 00:10:45,020
"One of our clients is being impersonated.
162
00:10:45,020 --> 00:10:46,980
{\an8}Someone's calling around town
163
00:10:46,980 --> 00:10:49,775
{\an8}and having really
strange conversations with people.
164
00:10:49,775 --> 00:10:52,277
Not really sure what it's about.
Can you look into it?"
165
00:10:52,277 --> 00:10:55,447
And it became this thing
where people in Hollywood
166
00:10:55,447 --> 00:10:57,199
would talk to each other.
167
00:10:58,534 --> 00:11:02,162
We learned about other people
that were being impersonated.
168
00:11:02,162 --> 00:11:07,292
And within Hollywood,
it probably was 50 different individuals
169
00:11:07,292 --> 00:11:10,963
who found themselves
impersonated along the way.
170
00:11:11,964 --> 00:11:17,010
My first impression was
that this was potentially a prank.
171
00:11:17,010 --> 00:11:20,305
There wasn't an obvious
financial component initially,
172
00:11:20,305 --> 00:11:22,683
so it was really hard to understand
what we were dealing with
173
00:11:22,683 --> 00:11:25,310
and what the motivations were.
174
00:11:25,727 --> 00:11:30,440
I think that's, in a way,
what makes it such a good scam.
175
00:11:30,440 --> 00:11:35,028
Is that the scamminess of it
isn't immediately evident,
176
00:11:35,028 --> 00:11:38,073
because you just don't think anybody
177
00:11:38,073 --> 00:11:40,325
who would go to this much effort
178
00:11:40,325 --> 00:11:42,119
could possibly be scamming you.
179
00:11:42,744 --> 00:11:45,747
{\an8}And I think that the key
is that once the impersonator
180
00:11:45,747 --> 00:11:48,625
{\an8}succeeded in selling the story,
181
00:11:48,625 --> 00:11:51,170
it was almost like the hooks were in,
182
00:11:51,170 --> 00:11:56,008
and the victim became, like a toy,
a plaything for the scammer.
183
00:12:04,975 --> 00:12:09,354
[Taylor] I was by far the least
well-known person in contention,
184
00:12:09,354 --> 00:12:12,733
{\an8}which is why Doug needed to spend
so much time grooming me.
185
00:12:12,733 --> 00:12:16,278
{\an8}And that's when he started laying out
in more detail what the plan was.
186
00:12:16,278 --> 00:12:19,615
He sent me a schedule, and then he said,
187
00:12:19,615 --> 00:12:23,368
"You'll be doing physical therapy
on these days, and martial arts,
188
00:12:23,368 --> 00:12:26,747
and we're gonna take care of all that
except for the martial arts.
189
00:12:26,747 --> 00:12:29,541
And I've got these experts
in the Philippines.
190
00:12:29,541 --> 00:12:32,586
They're gonna make some videos for you
and I want you to pay them.
191
00:12:32,586 --> 00:12:35,547
These guys are the number one guys
in the world for this."
192
00:12:35,547 --> 00:12:38,008
I hadn't heard of this type
of martial arts.
193
00:12:38,842 --> 00:12:40,052
{\an8}So I researched it.
194
00:12:42,596 --> 00:12:45,849
That first payment
was only 800 dollars or so,
195
00:12:45,849 --> 00:12:47,476
which didn't seem like a huge deal.
196
00:12:47,476 --> 00:12:50,229
I'd been paying money
for acting classes on my own,
197
00:12:50,229 --> 00:12:53,315
and paying a few thousand dollars
to get martial arts training
198
00:12:53,315 --> 00:12:56,401
seemed like something I was happy to do,
even if I didn't get the role.
199
00:12:57,569 --> 00:13:01,281
Doug sent me an invoice
that looked legitimate.
200
00:13:01,281 --> 00:13:04,201
I went over to Western Union,
went ahead and sent money.
201
00:13:05,494 --> 00:13:07,996
And then they had some
celebrity trainer in New York,
202
00:13:07,996 --> 00:13:09,748
and I got an email from them.
203
00:13:12,167 --> 00:13:14,419
Had a questionnaire with, like,
50 questions on it.
204
00:13:15,003 --> 00:13:17,005
Kind of related to, like,
physical fitness.
205
00:13:18,090 --> 00:13:20,634
And then a lot of questions
that were just really bizarre.
206
00:13:21,468 --> 00:13:25,389
But the bizarreness of the questions
almost made it more realistic.
207
00:13:25,389 --> 00:13:27,558
"Oh, this is what celebrities do."
208
00:13:27,558 --> 00:13:29,726
Like, a new age workout program.
209
00:13:30,853 --> 00:13:32,729
Also, it was a weird time in the world,
210
00:13:32,729 --> 00:13:36,066
because 2020 was in the middle of Covid.
211
00:13:38,861 --> 00:13:42,072
I was bored and this was
such a weird, exciting thing
212
00:13:42,072 --> 00:13:44,449
that was going on in my life.
213
00:13:44,449 --> 00:13:47,661
This just served
as a really welcome distraction.
214
00:13:52,791 --> 00:13:55,210
[Strathmann] So after
that very first email from Amy,
215
00:13:55,210 --> 00:13:58,088
six days later,
I'm on a flight to Jakarta.
216
00:13:58,088 --> 00:14:00,799
{\an8}She sent me the day rate
that she was gonna pay me,
217
00:14:00,799 --> 00:14:05,012
{\an8}which at that time, was much more
than I was making on other jobs.
218
00:14:05,012 --> 00:14:08,390
And then Amy told me that I would
have to pay for the transportation,
219
00:14:08,390 --> 00:14:10,809
for travel cost, for interpreters,
220
00:14:10,809 --> 00:14:13,854
and had to get receipts
so I could get reimbursed.
221
00:14:13,854 --> 00:14:16,773
I do projects all the time
that I'm reimbursed for travel expenses.
222
00:14:16,773 --> 00:14:18,692
It happens on every other production.
223
00:14:43,592 --> 00:14:47,596
I don't know really why I recorded
these phone calls with Amy,
224
00:14:47,596 --> 00:14:51,433
but I remember starting to feel
a little bit overwhelmed.
225
00:14:51,433 --> 00:14:53,936
It felt like she was giving me
so much information
226
00:14:53,936 --> 00:14:55,145
and I need to start documenting this.
227
00:14:58,649 --> 00:15:01,777
So I get to Jakarta, I walked outside
228
00:15:01,777 --> 00:15:05,489
and there was my driver holding
a sign saying, "Mister Strathmann."
229
00:15:07,157 --> 00:15:11,537
And so I get to this hotel
and I give the driver the first fee.
230
00:15:13,580 --> 00:15:16,041
[Shahanska] The day
we were supposed to leave,
231
00:15:16,041 --> 00:15:21,129
Aaron reached out and he just
threw this, kind of, last minute thing
232
00:15:21,129 --> 00:15:25,300
that, um, we will have to pay a fee
upon arrival
233
00:15:25,300 --> 00:15:28,470
to the local logistics company.
234
00:15:28,971 --> 00:15:32,224
{\an8}"It's gonna be about 1,200 dollars,
is that okay?"
235
00:15:32,224 --> 00:15:34,268
He was like,
"Don't worry, we're gonna reimburse you."
236
00:15:34,268 --> 00:15:36,937
So, we're like, "Okay, that sounds fair."
237
00:15:42,860 --> 00:15:46,989
We got into this rhythm where Doug was
asking me the same stuff over and over.
238
00:15:47,614 --> 00:15:49,825
"Do you really feel like
you're ready for the role?
239
00:15:49,825 --> 00:15:52,953
I'm personally invested in you.
Do you have what it takes?"
240
00:15:52,953 --> 00:15:55,956
"Yes, Doug, I want this role.
And I'll do whatever you want."
241
00:15:56,790 --> 00:15:59,626
There were times when I was talking
to Doug five times a day.
242
00:15:59,626 --> 00:16:02,129
It was like, every few hours.
243
00:16:02,129 --> 00:16:04,298
Then he would give me these assignments.
244
00:16:05,799 --> 00:16:08,343
He said, "I'm gonna
send you tons of movies,
245
00:16:08,343 --> 00:16:12,723
and I want you to send me a character
analysis essay after each movie."
246
00:16:21,899 --> 00:16:24,484
And I was watching, like
247
00:16:24,484 --> 00:16:28,864
three or four or five movies a day,
which I've never done before.
248
00:16:29,573 --> 00:16:31,033
[gunfire]
249
00:16:35,579 --> 00:16:38,957
Like, waking up at 7:00 a.m.
and watching movies all day.
250
00:16:40,792 --> 00:16:43,420
He'd call me and say,
"Well, are you done yet or what?"
251
00:16:43,420 --> 00:16:45,464
And I'm like,
"Doug, it's been three hours.
252
00:16:46,715 --> 00:16:49,176
You want me to fast forward
the movie or what?"
253
00:16:50,219 --> 00:16:53,680
But at the same time, it felt like
I was already getting a lot of value,
254
00:16:53,680 --> 00:16:57,184
because Doug himself was getting
me ready for this huge opportunity.
255
00:17:03,607 --> 00:17:06,734
Each day I would wake up
at five or six in the morning.
256
00:17:06,734 --> 00:17:08,069
[phone chiming]
257
00:17:08,737 --> 00:17:10,781
Going down, meeting my driver.
258
00:17:10,781 --> 00:17:14,785
And Jakarta has some of the worst traffic
in the entire world.
259
00:17:14,785 --> 00:17:15,786
[horns honking]
260
00:17:15,786 --> 00:17:19,623
I was sitting in a car in traffic
for literally four to eight hours a day.
261
00:17:21,500 --> 00:17:26,213
Going to these locations,
shooting these photos for this storyboard.
262
00:17:27,548 --> 00:17:29,341
[camera shutter clicking]
263
00:17:35,514 --> 00:17:38,100
Driving back, trying to catch dinner,
264
00:17:38,100 --> 00:17:42,437
and then having these phone calls
with Amy till two in the morning.
265
00:17:42,437 --> 00:17:44,857
I kind of had to be at the whim
of her schedule.
266
00:17:44,857 --> 00:17:46,900
She would just keep calling
until I picked up.
267
00:17:49,570 --> 00:17:53,240
It really felt like she was pushing me
to do my best work.
268
00:18:04,042 --> 00:18:05,502
And it was exhausting.
269
00:18:18,015 --> 00:18:22,269
[Shahanska] We flew over to Jakarta,
and the driver,
270
00:18:22,269 --> 00:18:27,566
he handed us the invoice,
and we gave him the money.
271
00:18:27,566 --> 00:18:31,111
He drove straight to a gas station.
He talked to a guy.
272
00:18:31,111 --> 00:18:35,407
And it seemed like he handed him
the envelope where we put the money.
273
00:18:35,407 --> 00:18:38,035
I just thought, "This is strange."
274
00:18:38,035 --> 00:18:39,620
We arrived at the hotel.
275
00:18:39,620 --> 00:18:42,873
And there was a reservation,
it was paid for.
276
00:18:42,873 --> 00:18:45,876
And we took a picture
of the license plate.
277
00:18:45,876 --> 00:18:50,297
And then, Henry said,
"I'm gonna take a picture of the driver."
278
00:18:50,297 --> 00:18:52,132
The driver, like, "Yeah, of course."
279
00:18:53,800 --> 00:18:58,805
And on the schedule, it was
a really intense three back-to-back days.
280
00:19:00,557 --> 00:19:03,060
So, we went straight to bed.
281
00:19:05,312 --> 00:19:10,609
The next morning, we got a call
from Aaron, the assistant, and Wendi.
282
00:19:10,609 --> 00:19:14,029
They said that there was a big problem.
283
00:19:14,029 --> 00:19:19,993
The driver had complained
we were taking pictures of him
284
00:19:19,993 --> 00:19:23,622
and that was somehow racist.
285
00:19:23,622 --> 00:19:27,417
We said,
"This is obviously a miscommunication."
286
00:19:27,417 --> 00:19:30,671
So she said, "Just apologize to him
and be really nice to him.
287
00:19:30,671 --> 00:19:36,009
Oh, by the way, the second payment,
you're gonna have to pay that today."
288
00:19:36,009 --> 00:19:38,846
When he came to pick us up
he didn't seem upset at all.
289
00:19:39,763 --> 00:19:42,641
But we apologized,
gave him another, like, thousand dollars.
290
00:19:43,183 --> 00:19:46,353
Then he dropped us off in Chinatown.
291
00:19:46,353 --> 00:19:49,106
[Shahanska]
We thought if they're asking for fees,
292
00:19:49,106 --> 00:19:52,651
there will be someone walking
around with us, talking to locals,
293
00:19:52,651 --> 00:19:56,071
making sure that we have permission.
294
00:19:56,071 --> 00:19:57,614
But he drove off.
295
00:19:57,614 --> 00:20:00,450
And we were like,
"Okay, this is just weird, you know?"
296
00:20:00,450 --> 00:20:04,121
Like, it just all didn't make any sense.
297
00:20:05,622 --> 00:20:08,333
At that point, we had the suspicion
298
00:20:08,333 --> 00:20:11,587
that there is more
to this whole situation.
299
00:20:11,587 --> 00:20:14,798
I kept asking Henry,
"What do you think this could be?"
300
00:20:14,798 --> 00:20:19,011
And then we just couldn't really
come up with a plausible answer.
301
00:20:24,391 --> 00:20:27,436
Doug was saying stuff like,
"Oh, I'm just fighting for you.
302
00:20:27,436 --> 00:20:30,522
I believe in you, but you're making it
pretty tough with Donna.
303
00:20:30,522 --> 00:20:34,401
She's just really thinking that another
actor is gonna be better than you.
304
00:20:34,401 --> 00:20:37,321
But I'm doing everything I can
to keep you in her mind."
305
00:20:38,071 --> 00:20:41,450
And maybe once every few days,
Donna would call me directly.
306
00:21:02,179 --> 00:21:05,766
[Taylor] She definitely commented
on my willingness to train.
307
00:21:05,766 --> 00:21:08,435
Like, "Based on your pictures,
you seem skinny."
308
00:21:08,435 --> 00:21:10,687
And she noticed my posture was bad,
309
00:21:10,687 --> 00:21:15,108
so I needed to send more money
to add posture exercises to the video.
310
00:21:22,741 --> 00:21:25,786
{\an8}[Strathmann] So I get back to Denver,
I sent in my invoices.
311
00:21:28,539 --> 00:21:31,542
She sent me bank letterhead
312
00:21:31,542 --> 00:21:33,836
that are signed off
and stamped by her banks,
313
00:21:33,836 --> 00:21:36,088
with the amounts for my invoices.
314
00:21:36,088 --> 00:21:38,215
The money's out there, it's in the works.
315
00:21:38,215 --> 00:21:42,511
So then two days after I've gotten back,
I'm just getting over the jet lag,
316
00:21:42,511 --> 00:21:46,807
and I get an email from Amy
saying that she needs me
317
00:21:46,807 --> 00:21:51,854
to go back to Jakarta immediately,
potentially, the next day.
318
00:22:46,491 --> 00:22:48,869
I kind of almost convinced myself, like,
319
00:22:48,869 --> 00:22:52,581
"Of course, it makes sense.
How could it not? That's just what it is."
320
00:22:53,749 --> 00:22:54,750
And so I go back.
321
00:23:01,423 --> 00:23:03,425
So, on this trip,
she upped my day rate
322
00:23:03,425 --> 00:23:05,969
'cause now like double what I was
supposed to get for the first time.
323
00:23:06,845 --> 00:23:08,722
In my head, I'm making good money.
324
00:23:09,515 --> 00:23:15,103
And so, the point of that trip was
to go to this region called Yogyakarta.
325
00:23:15,103 --> 00:23:16,980
[camera shutter clicking]
326
00:23:17,606 --> 00:23:20,400
And she's also telling me
that we may have this opportunity
327
00:23:20,400 --> 00:23:23,153
{\an8}to go to these two locations in Bali
328
00:23:23,153 --> 00:23:27,157
{\an8}that one of the other producers thinks
is really important for this storyboard.
329
00:23:27,157 --> 00:23:29,409
{\an8}But there's a volcano in Bali.
330
00:23:29,409 --> 00:23:31,787
{\an8}Now to that volcano eruption in Bali.
331
00:23:31,787 --> 00:23:35,374
{\an8}One hundred thousand people there
have been told to leave.
332
00:23:35,374 --> 00:23:38,210
{\an8}[Strathmann] And so,
don't get to go to Bali.
333
00:23:39,545 --> 00:23:44,091
But I fly to LA,
where I'm gonna meet with Amy.
334
00:23:45,092 --> 00:23:47,719
And we're gonna work
on the storyboard together,
335
00:23:47,719 --> 00:23:52,850
and then go to Netflix
and present it to them directly.
336
00:24:01,942 --> 00:24:05,612
Because we were already pretty
suspicious that something is off,
337
00:24:05,612 --> 00:24:07,614
and we said,
"Oh, maybe we should, like,
338
00:24:07,614 --> 00:24:11,493
do a recording just to have
this person's voice."
339
00:24:47,279 --> 00:24:48,322
[Wu] He called us back.
340
00:24:48,322 --> 00:24:50,574
He started shouting
and just going ballistic.
341
00:24:50,574 --> 00:24:53,452
And he accused us of recording him.
342
00:24:53,452 --> 00:24:55,621
Which really blew our mind,
343
00:24:55,621 --> 00:24:58,540
because there was only
a couple options here.
344
00:24:58,540 --> 00:25:02,878
Hidden camera in the room,
or some kind of like recording device.
345
00:25:02,878 --> 00:25:06,131
[Shahanska] And so we were like,
"Okay, this is a scam."
346
00:25:06,131 --> 00:25:09,259
I started feeling like a knot
in my stomach.
347
00:25:09,259 --> 00:25:12,387
When we're out shooting,
they have access to our room,
348
00:25:12,387 --> 00:25:15,349
maybe they're putting drugs
in our suitcases.
349
00:25:15,349 --> 00:25:17,976
- [Wu] So we left for the airport.
- [elevator dings]
350
00:25:17,976 --> 00:25:20,187
And we thought,
"Everyone here is in on it."
351
00:25:20,187 --> 00:25:21,480
We didn't know who to trust.
352
00:25:22,022 --> 00:25:24,733
And the whole way there
I was just paranoid.
353
00:25:30,781 --> 00:25:33,951
[Shahanska] We were relieved
when we passed the customs.
354
00:25:34,993 --> 00:25:40,749
But only around 2,200 dollars
went to the scammer.
355
00:25:40,749 --> 00:25:45,963
Everything else went
to the airline companies.
356
00:25:45,963 --> 00:25:49,216
And that's exactly why
throughout the whole scam,
357
00:25:49,216 --> 00:25:51,635
we were just wondering
what's the endgame,
358
00:25:51,635 --> 00:25:55,222
because 2,200 dollars did not seem, uh...
359
00:25:55,222 --> 00:25:57,432
you know, didn't match the effort.
360
00:25:57,432 --> 00:26:01,812
Why go after us, you know?
What's the real reward here?
361
00:26:14,908 --> 00:26:16,743
[Taylor] Doug called me
and Doug was like,
362
00:26:16,743 --> 00:26:19,496
"I tapped my network.
I found a great gym for you.
363
00:26:19,496 --> 00:26:21,790
This gym is on the property
of Barbara Ellison,
364
00:26:21,790 --> 00:26:23,417
who used to be married to Larry Ellison."
365
00:26:25,627 --> 00:26:28,088
And of course I Googled that
and that checked out.
366
00:26:29,798 --> 00:26:33,051
Doug's like, "She has property with
an amazing gym. You're gonna love it.
367
00:26:33,051 --> 00:26:36,054
I just need to make sure
that you're gonna follow the protocols.
368
00:26:36,054 --> 00:26:38,098
Chris Pratt actually works out at the gym.
369
00:26:38,098 --> 00:26:40,434
I need you to not interact
with Chris Pratt.
370
00:26:40,434 --> 00:26:43,103
I need you to go in,
work out, and get out."
371
00:26:43,103 --> 00:26:46,190
And he said, "Barbara Ellison
is gonna call you later tonight,
372
00:26:46,190 --> 00:26:48,901
because as far as she's concerned,
you're a total stranger."
373
00:26:52,988 --> 00:26:56,325
At midnight, she called
and she started off sounding like
374
00:26:56,325 --> 00:26:59,286
a nice grandmother type of person,
and kind of saying,
375
00:26:59,286 --> 00:27:03,874
"I would be excited to offer you my gym
if you're a nice person.
376
00:27:03,874 --> 00:27:07,002
Are you a nice person?"
"Yes, yes, Barbara, I'm a nice person."
377
00:27:08,337 --> 00:27:11,423
Then she's like, "Could you...
378
00:27:11,423 --> 00:27:13,342
Could you give
a little kiss or something?"
379
00:27:13,342 --> 00:27:18,305
And I was like,
"Yeah, you know. It's great to meet you."
380
00:27:18,305 --> 00:27:21,850
And she's like,
"No, no, no. I need a real kiss."
381
00:27:21,850 --> 00:27:23,644
"Okay."
382
00:27:23,644 --> 00:27:27,981
I was almost playing along ironically,
like, I wasn't getting into it.
383
00:27:27,981 --> 00:27:31,902
I was just in literally,
the most matter of fact way possible,
384
00:27:31,902 --> 00:27:34,446
sort of humoring her, and she's like,
385
00:27:34,446 --> 00:27:37,824
"Oh, come on.
You can do better than that.
386
00:27:37,824 --> 00:27:39,660
Can you lick me?"
387
00:27:39,660 --> 00:27:42,663
And she treated
the whole thing like phone sex
388
00:27:42,663 --> 00:27:45,749
and basically had an orgasm
on the phone,
389
00:27:45,749 --> 00:27:50,671
which I had the unfortunate experience
of having to listen to.
390
00:27:52,506 --> 00:27:55,259
The whole call was probably 40 seconds,
391
00:27:55,259 --> 00:27:58,303
but was probably
the most disturbing phone call
392
00:27:58,303 --> 00:28:00,138
I've ever gotten in my life.
393
00:28:01,306 --> 00:28:02,850
And you hear about all the bad things
394
00:28:02,850 --> 00:28:06,186
that have gone on with powerful people
in Hollywood, you know,
395
00:28:06,186 --> 00:28:09,189
sexual attacks and obviously,
it's not okay, but you think,
396
00:28:09,189 --> 00:28:13,151
"Some of these people, I guess,
in this industry are like that."
397
00:28:14,278 --> 00:28:16,905
And then Doug called me
in the morning and said,
398
00:28:16,905 --> 00:28:19,324
"Unfortunately, the gym isn't gonna work.
399
00:28:19,324 --> 00:28:21,660
Chris Pratt, he's been extra sensitive
with all the people
400
00:28:21,660 --> 00:28:25,998
being in his workout space, recently,
and he's not okay with this arrangement."
401
00:28:31,336 --> 00:28:33,714
[Strathmann] After that second trip
to Indonesia,
402
00:28:33,714 --> 00:28:38,010
I got into LA to meet up
with Amy Pascal in person.
403
00:28:38,969 --> 00:28:42,014
I'm staying in my hotel there,
and I get this call from Amy.
404
00:28:43,599 --> 00:28:46,810
She tells me that we can't meet up.
405
00:28:46,810 --> 00:28:49,271
And at this point,
it was a couple weeks
406
00:28:49,271 --> 00:28:53,317
after the first stories
of Harvey Weinstein broke.
407
00:28:53,317 --> 00:28:55,527
She says that she had just
spoken with her lawyer
408
00:28:55,527 --> 00:28:59,698
and the optics
of this senior level producer
409
00:28:59,698 --> 00:29:03,160
meeting with this young photographer,
one on one,
410
00:29:03,160 --> 00:29:07,956
at a hotel in LA doesn't quite feel right.
411
00:29:10,292 --> 00:29:12,586
And it doesn't. Like, that's true.
412
00:29:13,462 --> 00:29:15,130
Then she relayed in that conversation
413
00:29:15,130 --> 00:29:16,924
how good of a job I've done
up to that point.
414
00:29:16,924 --> 00:29:22,638
But the producers and Netflix
still want these two locations in Bali
415
00:29:22,638 --> 00:29:26,308
to kinda capstone the storyboard
in this project.
416
00:29:26,308 --> 00:29:29,645
And I'm, like,
"What are you talking about?
417
00:29:29,645 --> 00:29:30,938
There's a volcano erupting."
418
00:29:32,189 --> 00:29:34,107
And she's like,
"No, it's out of my control.
419
00:29:34,107 --> 00:29:38,195
You need to do this
or this opportunity is gonna go away."
420
00:29:51,291 --> 00:29:55,671
And so, I'm on another flight
back to Jakarta for the third time.
421
00:30:02,553 --> 00:30:06,223
The whole time I was just waiting
for my phone to ring
422
00:30:06,223 --> 00:30:08,100
to do whatever I needed.
423
00:30:09,434 --> 00:30:13,480
And then, Doug said, "Donna's gonna
call you later tonight, you know,
424
00:30:13,480 --> 00:30:16,441
she just wants to make sure
that you can act out a scene."
425
00:30:16,441 --> 00:30:19,820
She obviously
is a huge player in Hollywood.
426
00:30:20,821 --> 00:30:22,906
So I was a little bit nervous.
427
00:30:24,616 --> 00:30:27,953
And this call was different.
It was a Skype call
428
00:30:27,953 --> 00:30:30,080
and she did not have her camera on,
429
00:30:30,080 --> 00:30:32,875
but wanted me to have my camera on.
430
00:30:32,875 --> 00:30:34,877
And she was like,
"I want you to pretend like
431
00:30:34,877 --> 00:30:38,881
you see a beautiful girl at a ball
and tell her that she's beautiful
432
00:30:38,881 --> 00:30:40,424
and then, you kiss her."
433
00:30:40,424 --> 00:30:44,178
And something like that is
incredibly awkward to act out alone,
434
00:30:44,178 --> 00:30:46,889
but I did my best
and I have my camera going
435
00:30:46,889 --> 00:30:49,641
and walked up to it and pretend
to whisper,
436
00:30:49,641 --> 00:30:52,936
"You're beautiful and I'd love
to go upstairs with you,"
437
00:30:52,936 --> 00:30:55,564
and pretend to kiss the camera,
kind of thing.
438
00:30:55,564 --> 00:30:58,025
She was kinda saying,
"This is so awkward.
439
00:30:58,025 --> 00:30:59,902
I don't think you believe it,"
or whatever.
440
00:30:59,902 --> 00:31:02,821
And she was right, I mean,
it was incredibly awkward,
441
00:31:02,821 --> 00:31:04,907
and I didn't believe it,
and it was uncomfortable,
442
00:31:04,907 --> 00:31:06,992
and I didn't wanna do it.
443
00:31:06,992 --> 00:31:09,203
And she wanted me
to do the same scene,
444
00:31:09,203 --> 00:31:11,538
but mentioned I should take my shirt off
445
00:31:11,538 --> 00:31:14,416
to get more comfortable
and not be so uptight.
446
00:31:14,416 --> 00:31:17,085
Whatever, I took my shirt off
and reenacted the scene.
447
00:31:18,837 --> 00:31:23,133
And she's like, "Ah, this is so crazy,"
and, "You're so awkward."
448
00:31:23,133 --> 00:31:26,178
And I was like,
"Yeah, I mean, this is really awkward."
449
00:31:26,929 --> 00:31:29,515
She was like, "I think
you should go meditate for an hour
450
00:31:29,515 --> 00:31:31,600
and then we're gonna try again."
451
00:31:32,309 --> 00:31:35,896
And so I did that.
Then she asked me to take my pants off.
452
00:31:35,896 --> 00:31:39,149
And I think I did it
because I was like,
453
00:31:39,149 --> 00:31:41,652
"Well, first of all,
I'm wearing underwear.
454
00:31:41,652 --> 00:31:43,737
And second of all,
the thing's kinda cropped.
455
00:31:43,737 --> 00:31:45,739
You can't really see, like,
below my waist anyway,
456
00:31:45,739 --> 00:31:47,699
so what difference does it make?"
457
00:31:48,367 --> 00:31:51,245
And then she was like,
"Touch yourself."
458
00:31:52,704 --> 00:31:53,789
And then I snapped.
459
00:31:53,789 --> 00:31:58,710
I was like, "No. This is ridiculous.
This is not okay, what you're doing."
460
00:31:59,586 --> 00:32:01,129
That's probably the strongest combination
461
00:32:01,129 --> 00:32:03,507
of anger and feeling upset
that I've ever felt,
462
00:32:03,507 --> 00:32:07,010
and to the point
where I was literally shaking.
463
00:32:08,804 --> 00:32:11,640
All of a sudden, it felt more like
I was really being used
464
00:32:11,640 --> 00:32:15,143
and kinda taken for granted
and just completely disrespected.
465
00:32:16,228 --> 00:32:19,314
She was backpedaling and telling me
to put my clothes on,
466
00:32:19,314 --> 00:32:22,192
and to calm down,
and I think I was kinda yelling,
467
00:32:22,192 --> 00:32:26,280
"No, I'm not gonna calm down.
This is not acceptable.
468
00:32:26,280 --> 00:32:29,283
I don't know what you're doing to me,
but it's not okay
469
00:32:29,283 --> 00:32:31,326
and it's completely manipulative."
470
00:32:34,913 --> 00:32:36,999
And then Doug called saying, like,
471
00:32:36,999 --> 00:32:39,710
"This is horrible, like,
this should never have happened.
472
00:32:39,710 --> 00:32:42,254
You're a good guy.
You're like a son to me."
473
00:32:42,254 --> 00:32:45,424
And he's like, "Going forward,
you never have to talk to Donna again."
474
00:32:46,133 --> 00:32:47,968
He seemed very genuine.
475
00:32:47,968 --> 00:32:50,596
And Doug hadn't done
any of the sexual stuff, right?
476
00:32:50,596 --> 00:32:53,724
So he had sort of maintained
being the nice person,
477
00:32:53,724 --> 00:32:56,059
at least between him
and Donna and Barbara.
478
00:32:56,059 --> 00:32:58,854
And so, I sort of, accepted his apology.
479
00:32:59,771 --> 00:33:02,274
And then he gave me a movie to watch.
I was like, "That's fine."
480
00:33:03,066 --> 00:33:06,236
And then he called me
at the end of the movie, and he was like,
481
00:33:06,236 --> 00:33:07,738
"I just need one thing.
482
00:33:07,738 --> 00:33:10,365
I need you to run
to Western Union real quick.
483
00:33:10,365 --> 00:33:12,868
We need 700 bucks
for the martial arts guys."
484
00:33:13,702 --> 00:33:16,413
And just the fact that he had asked that,
after what I'd been through,
485
00:33:16,413 --> 00:33:17,915
that was the end.
486
00:33:20,667 --> 00:33:24,296
At that point, I think I was
80 percent sure that it was a scam,
487
00:33:24,296 --> 00:33:27,341
but I wasn't sure if, like,
the Barbara part was a scam
488
00:33:27,341 --> 00:33:29,718
or Donna was a scam, or Doug.
489
00:33:30,636 --> 00:33:32,971
It took a while to totally figure out
490
00:33:32,971 --> 00:33:36,350
that the whole thing was a fabrication
across three characters.
491
00:33:36,892 --> 00:33:39,311
I just thought
this is a really horrible person
492
00:33:39,311 --> 00:33:41,396
who uses people for sport.
493
00:33:41,396 --> 00:33:45,943
And I felt really embarrassed
about losing 5,000 dollars.
494
00:33:45,943 --> 00:33:48,320
But had they not tried
the sexual stuff
495
00:33:48,320 --> 00:33:51,198
and taken me down that route at the end,
496
00:33:51,823 --> 00:33:53,951
they probably could have gotten
more money from me.
497
00:33:59,790 --> 00:34:01,667
[Johnson] When I started talking
to the victims,
498
00:34:01,667 --> 00:34:05,504
the story just took on a different shape.
499
00:34:06,630 --> 00:34:12,678
There was some kind
of more sadistic design in mind.
500
00:34:14,721 --> 00:34:18,350
You know, obviously, consenting adults
do all kinds of things,
501
00:34:18,350 --> 00:34:21,103
uh, for money or not for money.
502
00:34:21,103 --> 00:34:24,398
The difference here
is that these people
503
00:34:24,398 --> 00:34:30,070
believed that this was part
of the professional arrangement.
504
00:34:31,071 --> 00:34:32,906
There was a power imbalance.
505
00:34:40,289 --> 00:34:41,206
{\an8}[man chuckles softly]
506
00:34:53,302 --> 00:34:54,678
[faint kissing noise]
507
00:34:56,346 --> 00:34:57,890
[breathy]
508
00:34:57,890 --> 00:35:01,351
- [kissing noise continues]
- [impersonator moans softly]
509
00:35:03,604 --> 00:35:05,606
The Con Queen began impersonating
510
00:35:05,606 --> 00:35:09,109
all these powerful female
Hollywood executives
511
00:35:09,109 --> 00:35:12,487
right around the same time
that the Harvey Weinstein scandal
512
00:35:12,487 --> 00:35:14,531
was erupting in the press.
513
00:35:14,531 --> 00:35:16,366
Now to the latest on Harvey Weinstein.
514
00:35:16,366 --> 00:35:19,161
{\an8}Allegations by numerous women
who say the Hollywood mogul--
515
00:35:19,161 --> 00:35:23,207
{\an8}[Johnson] And I started to wonder whether
there was some sort of connection,
516
00:35:23,207 --> 00:35:26,627
because they were sort of
mirror images of each other.
517
00:35:26,627 --> 00:35:30,714
The Con Queen's scam
was impersonated powerful women,
518
00:35:30,714 --> 00:35:34,134
abusing and manipulating
unsuspecting young men.
519
00:35:34,134 --> 00:35:37,346
It seemed like the scammer
was kind of recreating it
520
00:35:37,346 --> 00:35:40,349
as a new version of a story of abuse.
521
00:35:41,975 --> 00:35:46,104
I think in the psychology of this person,
522
00:35:46,104 --> 00:35:47,564
is this desire
523
00:35:47,564 --> 00:35:53,445
to enter into relationships of a sort,
524
00:35:53,445 --> 00:35:55,489
with other people,
525
00:35:55,489 --> 00:36:01,787
and then to proceed on a path
of destruction sort of from the inside.
526
00:36:02,579 --> 00:36:08,043
So, the money
is like an added benefit.
527
00:36:09,962 --> 00:36:13,674
Because the satisfaction was had,
I think, in their suffering.
528
00:36:16,802 --> 00:36:19,555
This is now technically six times
going back and forth
529
00:36:19,555 --> 00:36:22,599
between a 12-hour time difference
in two and half weeks.
530
00:36:27,396 --> 00:36:29,857
Like, I am tiptoeing around everything.
531
00:36:29,857 --> 00:36:32,192
I'm trying to do my best job
not to fuck up,
532
00:36:32,192 --> 00:36:35,320
because this is still
a job interview for me.
533
00:36:35,320 --> 00:36:39,491
I was so exhausted and so...
just driven to finish this.
534
00:36:41,535 --> 00:36:43,745
And at that point, it's also
the money's becoming an issue.
535
00:36:43,745 --> 00:36:45,831
There's been issues
with the bank transfers.
536
00:36:47,708 --> 00:36:49,835
And Amy kept telling me like,
"Oh, they're coming.
537
00:36:50,919 --> 00:36:53,338
It's the transfer that takes
several business days.
538
00:36:53,338 --> 00:36:55,299
And sometimes it gets hung up."
539
00:36:56,717 --> 00:36:58,719
Me being on a 12-hour time difference
540
00:36:58,719 --> 00:37:01,972
and also just being so busy
during these days,
541
00:37:01,972 --> 00:37:05,976
I couldn't get in touch with my bank
to figure out what was going on.
542
00:37:06,935 --> 00:37:11,648
And throughout the project, the money,
it really ran away from me.
543
00:37:14,234 --> 00:37:17,029
Because, early on,
what I was paying on the ground
544
00:37:17,029 --> 00:37:19,489
seemed pretty reasonable,
but as the time went on,
545
00:37:19,489 --> 00:37:21,158
those fees got raised.
546
00:37:22,159 --> 00:37:24,119
I had exhausted all of my savings.
547
00:37:24,119 --> 00:37:26,830
My bank account was literally dry.
548
00:37:26,830 --> 00:37:28,707
I got a call from Amy.
549
00:37:28,707 --> 00:37:31,168
I pick up the phone and she's yelling,
550
00:37:31,168 --> 00:37:33,295
saying all these things, like,
"What are you doing?
551
00:37:33,295 --> 00:37:36,632
You need to get the money
and get on a flight tomorrow to Bali.
552
00:37:36,632 --> 00:37:39,927
You fucking this up
is ruining the entire project.
553
00:37:39,927 --> 00:37:42,179
It's making me look bad."
554
00:37:42,179 --> 00:37:43,847
And I thought that's so extreme,
555
00:37:43,847 --> 00:37:47,809
but she has all of the control,
all the power.
556
00:37:47,809 --> 00:37:49,978
I can't call the shots here.
557
00:37:50,562 --> 00:37:52,814
And I was borrowing money from my parents.
558
00:37:52,814 --> 00:37:54,024
I'd have a phone call
with my dad and be like,
559
00:37:54,024 --> 00:37:56,360
"Hey, can you put 2,000 dollars
in my bank account?"
560
00:37:57,778 --> 00:38:00,447
I finally get a flight to go to Bali.
561
00:38:01,698 --> 00:38:04,409
And at that point,
I was just so frustrated,
562
00:38:04,409 --> 00:38:06,328
because the money situation.
563
00:38:06,328 --> 00:38:07,621
I was spent.
564
00:38:07,621 --> 00:38:10,457
[thunder rumbling]
565
00:38:14,378 --> 00:38:18,757
And then around two in the morning,
I wake up to my phone buzzing.
566
00:38:18,757 --> 00:38:19,883
I don't even look at it.
567
00:38:19,883 --> 00:38:23,554
I just hit it, turn it off,
go back to sleep.
568
00:38:23,554 --> 00:38:25,097
Five minutes later,
it starts buzzing again.
569
00:38:25,097 --> 00:38:28,058
I hit it again, turn it off.
Like, even if it's Amy,
570
00:38:28,058 --> 00:38:29,685
I'm like, "Whatever."
571
00:38:30,644 --> 00:38:33,564
Third time it keeps buzzing,
I'm like, "Something's up.
572
00:38:33,564 --> 00:38:35,899
I gotta answer it.
It's gonna be Amy."
573
00:38:35,899 --> 00:38:38,610
I answer the phone and it's my dad.
574
00:38:38,610 --> 00:38:41,989
"Will, are you okay? Where are you?"
575
00:38:41,989 --> 00:38:44,074
In this tone that is just...
576
00:38:44,074 --> 00:38:48,996
I've never heard him say it
in a tone like that before.
577
00:38:48,996 --> 00:38:51,290
I'm, like, "I'm in...
I'm in my hotel room."
578
00:38:52,416 --> 00:38:54,001
Like, "Yeah, I'm safe."
Like, "What's wrong?"
579
00:38:54,001 --> 00:38:56,753
And he basically tells me, he's like,
580
00:38:56,753 --> 00:39:01,592
"The woman you've been talking to
isn't Amy Pascal.
581
00:39:02,259 --> 00:39:04,178
There's this crazy scam going on.
582
00:39:04,178 --> 00:39:06,555
Somebody's catfished her,
you're not talking to Amy."
583
00:39:07,389 --> 00:39:09,933
And my mind immediately goes to...
584
00:39:09,933 --> 00:39:12,895
"No, what are you talking about?
That can't be true."
585
00:39:12,895 --> 00:39:15,522
Like, I didn't believe
my own dad in that moment.
586
00:39:16,064 --> 00:39:18,525
And I thought that he was lying to me.
I was like, "What's wrong?
587
00:39:18,525 --> 00:39:19,902
Why are you trying
to get me to come home?"
588
00:39:19,902 --> 00:39:22,529
And I almost started getting defensive,
'cause I was like,
589
00:39:22,529 --> 00:39:25,199
"You're trying to take this--
I'm so close.
590
00:39:25,199 --> 00:39:26,575
Like, it is Amy.
591
00:39:26,575 --> 00:39:28,785
Like, just tell me
what the actual reason why
592
00:39:28,785 --> 00:39:31,246
you're trying to get me out of there."
593
00:39:31,246 --> 00:39:33,165
And he just keeps saying it,
and keeps saying it,
594
00:39:33,165 --> 00:39:37,211
and then, something in me switches,
595
00:39:37,211 --> 00:39:40,005
and like, all of these things
start coming together.
596
00:39:40,005 --> 00:39:42,216
"This didn't make that much sense."
"Oh, that's why the money--"
597
00:39:42,216 --> 00:39:44,134
"Oh, this is why this, this, and this."
598
00:39:44,134 --> 00:39:48,096
That's literally my reality
being torn apart.
599
00:39:52,726 --> 00:39:54,853
- [press clamoring]
- [photographer] Amy! Amy, one more time!
600
00:39:55,854 --> 00:39:57,272
[Strathmann] It was terrifying.
601
00:39:58,941 --> 00:40:00,734
And also, the...
602
00:40:00,734 --> 00:40:06,615
Just hearing the sense of fright
and terror in my dad's voice
603
00:40:06,615 --> 00:40:08,825
at the same time was scary.
604
00:40:08,825 --> 00:40:11,745
And I was like,
"All right, well then, like, who do I--
605
00:40:11,745 --> 00:40:13,872
How do I get out of here?
Who do I trust?"
606
00:40:19,002 --> 00:40:21,463
[cell phone ringing]
607
00:40:21,463 --> 00:40:23,924
[Kotsianas] About three weeks
into the investigation,
608
00:40:23,924 --> 00:40:28,679
I got a call from a man
who had found his way to us
609
00:40:28,679 --> 00:40:33,767
through our client's law firm, and said,
"I think my son's being scammed.
610
00:40:33,767 --> 00:40:35,352
He's currently in Indonesia.
611
00:40:35,352 --> 00:40:37,855
He thinks he's working on this project.
612
00:40:37,855 --> 00:40:40,148
And something doesn't seem right."
613
00:40:41,024 --> 00:40:42,651
So I had to tell them that,
614
00:40:42,651 --> 00:40:46,655
"Yes, in fact, they were talking
to an impersonator."
615
00:40:48,073 --> 00:40:51,410
But for me, it was
the first big break in the case.
616
00:40:51,410 --> 00:40:54,413
{\an8}And suddenly, we're in Indonesia.
617
00:40:55,747 --> 00:41:00,711
{\an8}We don't know what this is about,
or why they had been lured there.
618
00:41:04,464 --> 00:41:07,467
Is this a trafficking situation?
619
00:41:09,428 --> 00:41:13,765
If it is, this is way bigger
than what we thought.
620
00:41:14,766 --> 00:41:18,270
And so, I called the victim, and I said,
621
00:41:18,270 --> 00:41:21,899
"Right now, law enforcement
probably wouldn't do anything.
622
00:41:21,899 --> 00:41:26,403
So you need to get yourself on a plane
and get out of there as soon as possible."
623
00:41:27,946 --> 00:41:29,740
[traffic humming]
624
00:41:31,700 --> 00:41:33,202
[Strathmann]
After that phone call with Nicole,
625
00:41:33,202 --> 00:41:36,663
I got the first flight out of Jakarta
back to the States.
626
00:41:36,663 --> 00:41:39,583
I'm not gonna tell the hotel.
I'm not gonna call anybody,
627
00:41:39,583 --> 00:41:42,669
because my driver's supposed to show up
in three hours.
628
00:41:42,669 --> 00:41:45,047
How do I know that they're not in on it?
629
00:41:45,047 --> 00:41:48,967
If somebody's so crazy to come up
with this entire scheme,
630
00:41:48,967 --> 00:41:51,178
like, who's to say they're
not just gonna kidnap me
631
00:41:51,178 --> 00:41:53,096
and make me disappear?
632
00:41:53,096 --> 00:41:55,349
- [motors revving]
- [horns honking]
633
00:41:55,349 --> 00:41:59,436
And eventually we settle on, I'm gonna
pack up and I'm gonna get an Uber.
634
00:41:59,436 --> 00:42:01,522
It's a third party, and she said,
635
00:42:01,522 --> 00:42:04,900
"If you don't like the looks of the Uber,
just cancel, get another one."
636
00:42:04,900 --> 00:42:08,904
So I get in this Uber,
I get another call from Nicole,
637
00:42:08,904 --> 00:42:10,656
and I'm telling her I'm on the way
to the airport,
638
00:42:10,656 --> 00:42:12,699
but my flight doesn't leave
for two to three hours.
639
00:42:13,242 --> 00:42:18,747
And then I'm like, "How do I know
that Nicole isn't in on this?"
640
00:42:19,289 --> 00:42:24,378
I'm now telling, potentially,
these same people my entire plan.
641
00:42:24,378 --> 00:42:26,672
And I remember,
like, asking Nicole, I was like,
642
00:42:27,422 --> 00:42:29,883
"Like, can you give me a reassurance
or like, who are you?"
643
00:42:29,883 --> 00:42:31,885
And she did.
She, like, sent me her website.
644
00:42:33,470 --> 00:42:36,139
Because at that point,
I'm still like questioning everything.
645
00:42:37,182 --> 00:42:39,059
I get to the airport, so on edge
646
00:42:39,059 --> 00:42:42,354
that every single movement
or somebody behind me, you know,
647
00:42:42,354 --> 00:42:45,107
I was waiting for somebody to grab me.
648
00:42:47,568 --> 00:42:50,696
And it's 6:30 in the morning,
my phone started buzzing.
649
00:42:52,197 --> 00:42:53,323
And it was Amy.
650
00:42:54,199 --> 00:42:55,868
And then I get an email from her.
651
00:42:56,577 --> 00:42:58,829
"I've called you six times."
652
00:42:58,829 --> 00:43:01,415
And I'm like, panicking,
because she has to, like,
653
00:43:01,415 --> 00:43:04,418
be able to figure out there's only
so many flights that go out that morning.
654
00:43:05,169 --> 00:43:06,670
I was in shock.
655
00:43:06,670 --> 00:43:10,007
Like, fight or flight
just to get the fuck out of Jakarta.
656
00:43:11,008 --> 00:43:15,220
And I didn't feel physically safe
657
00:43:15,220 --> 00:43:18,557
until I was literally sitting on the plane
658
00:43:18,557 --> 00:43:20,642
and had taken off and was in the air.
659
00:43:25,731 --> 00:43:27,065
I get to Denver.
660
00:43:27,065 --> 00:43:31,862
And it took me four days
after those three weeks
661
00:43:31,862 --> 00:43:34,323
to finally sleep for, like,
six hours again.
662
00:43:34,323 --> 00:43:37,034
I could fall asleep for 20 minutes
or 30 minutes and wake up.
663
00:43:38,035 --> 00:43:39,328
I was so on edge.
664
00:43:44,625 --> 00:43:47,169
Once I got home, I remember asking Nicole,
665
00:43:47,169 --> 00:43:49,838
I was, like, "How evil is this person?
666
00:43:49,838 --> 00:43:52,799
How do I know that I'm safe?"
667
00:43:54,092 --> 00:44:00,390
And I remember Nicole
very calmly just telling me that like,
668
00:44:00,390 --> 00:44:03,727
"I can't guarantee anything,
but I think you're okay.
669
00:44:03,727 --> 00:44:07,189
And the reason why is because
whoever this is
670
00:44:07,189 --> 00:44:09,483
has already moved on."
671
00:44:09,483 --> 00:44:12,277
So it wasn't 24 hours after I had left,
672
00:44:12,277 --> 00:44:14,947
and they were already on
to the next person.
673
00:44:16,281 --> 00:44:18,033
[producer] Could you talk
a little bit, just briefly
674
00:44:18,033 --> 00:44:22,454
about how much of the money
went to costs like airlines?
675
00:44:23,997 --> 00:44:29,628
38,039 dollars was for the vendor fees
that I paid in cash,
676
00:44:29,628 --> 00:44:35,175
and then 16,413 dollars
was for flights and reimbursements.
677
00:44:43,725 --> 00:44:47,813
Our work for the first client
was done within a couple of months.
678
00:44:47,813 --> 00:44:51,692
We helped shut down
the impersonation of her,
679
00:44:51,692 --> 00:44:57,698
but I knew it wasn't gonna be over,
because I kept hearing from victims.
680
00:44:57,698 --> 00:45:03,328
You hear those stories and we said,
"Well, we have to help these people."
681
00:45:03,328 --> 00:45:06,248
For the majority of the case,
we didn't have a paying client here.
682
00:45:06,248 --> 00:45:09,543
The firm made the decision
that we can spend time on this,
683
00:45:09,543 --> 00:45:11,253
and we can put resources to this.
684
00:45:11,253 --> 00:45:13,630
You know, it's the right thing to do.
685
00:45:13,630 --> 00:45:17,843
For months, we called everyone
in law enforcement
686
00:45:17,843 --> 00:45:20,095
that we had a contact with.
687
00:45:20,095 --> 00:45:22,931
I had people at the FBI telling me,
688
00:45:22,931 --> 00:45:26,602
{\an8}"It's not clear whose jurisdiction this is
and it's not big enough.
689
00:45:26,602 --> 00:45:28,979
I'm just managing your expectation.
690
00:45:28,979 --> 00:45:34,276
This will never end up with the FBI,
they will never make an arrest.
691
00:45:34,276 --> 00:45:35,652
This is not what we do."
692
00:45:35,652 --> 00:45:37,821
So, that's why we made a decision
693
00:45:37,821 --> 00:45:41,241
that we were gonna figure out
who was doing this,
694
00:45:41,241 --> 00:45:45,329
but also, talk to as many victims
as possible all over the world,
695
00:45:45,329 --> 00:45:50,250
so that it was something that
law enforcement couldn't brush off.
696
00:45:51,168 --> 00:45:55,756
The scam was affecting the entertainment
industry from the top down,
697
00:45:55,756 --> 00:45:58,800
so it was a perfect story
for
The Hollywood Reporter.
698
00:45:59,801 --> 00:46:03,263
[Kotsianas] We were approached
by
The Hollywood Reporter
699
00:46:03,263 --> 00:46:06,642
because they already had been
hearing about this
700
00:46:06,642 --> 00:46:08,393
through their channels as well.
701
00:46:08,393 --> 00:46:11,772
And so the decision was made
to help get the story out there further,
702
00:46:11,772 --> 00:46:16,360
so that it was immediately apparent
to anyone who would read it,
703
00:46:16,360 --> 00:46:20,155
that was going through this,
that they're dealing with the same thing.
704
00:46:21,698 --> 00:46:24,535
And we decided that we were gonna
put it on the cover.
705
00:46:26,453 --> 00:46:30,374
And the headline was,
"Hunting the Con Queen of Hollywood."
706
00:46:32,835 --> 00:46:37,172
When that article hit online,
you know, it went a little bit viral.
707
00:46:37,172 --> 00:46:39,091
It was being shared all over Twitter.
708
00:46:46,223 --> 00:46:50,269
{\an8}And we managed to obtain recordings.
709
00:46:50,269 --> 00:46:52,271
{\an8}We put them both in the story.
710
00:46:52,271 --> 00:46:53,856
[with American accent]
711
00:46:56,608 --> 00:46:58,443
[with British accent]
712
00:47:04,658 --> 00:47:08,453
[Johnson] I initially thought
it might be a criminal enterprise,
713
00:47:08,453 --> 00:47:10,539
just because it was so much work,
714
00:47:10,539 --> 00:47:14,918
in the form of drafting NDAs and contracts
715
00:47:14,918 --> 00:47:19,590
and then sending multiple people
into Indonesia at the same time,
716
00:47:19,590 --> 00:47:23,385
all while trying to set up new victims.
717
00:47:23,385 --> 00:47:27,639
I mean, all of that required
a real logistical mastery.
718
00:47:28,807 --> 00:47:30,767
And then, after the article was published,
719
00:47:30,767 --> 00:47:35,689
people immediately starting getting
in touch with all kinds of theories,
720
00:47:35,689 --> 00:47:42,321
and you know, purported evidence
of that they knew who the scammer was.
721
00:47:53,582 --> 00:47:59,421
And in some cases, people would realize
that they themselves had been scammed.
722
00:47:59,880 --> 00:48:02,174
And then turned to Nicole,
723
00:48:02,174 --> 00:48:06,428
because I quoted Nicole
as the chief investigator.
724
00:48:06,428 --> 00:48:10,265
So they knew that she had
an open investigation.
725
00:48:10,265 --> 00:48:14,061
[Kotsianas] The flood gates opened
and there were a hundred people
726
00:48:14,061 --> 00:48:18,899
who had been to Indonesia in the past
five years, who found that article.
727
00:48:19,525 --> 00:48:22,027
Immediately, we went from very little
728
00:48:22,027 --> 00:48:25,072
to a whole lot of information
to sift through.
729
00:48:31,119 --> 00:48:35,958
I welcomed the calls, and for a lot
of people who had called law enforcement
730
00:48:35,958 --> 00:48:38,460
or had called the US embassy
when they were in Indonesia,
731
00:48:38,460 --> 00:48:41,755
and just been... uh, rebuffed,
732
00:48:41,755 --> 00:48:45,717
you know, I was the only person
who was taking their calls.
733
00:48:46,426 --> 00:48:49,179
And from an evidence perspective,
it also was helpful.
734
00:48:49,179 --> 00:48:52,683
Somebody stayed at this hotel.
Somebody had this driver.
735
00:48:54,560 --> 00:48:57,187
And they would say, "This was
the email I was interacting with."
736
00:48:57,855 --> 00:49:02,317
There would be a new domain
that would pop up every couple of weeks.
737
00:49:02,317 --> 00:49:04,027
And so, what we were doing
738
00:49:04,027 --> 00:49:07,239
was a little bit
like a game of Whac-A-Mole.
739
00:49:07,239 --> 00:49:08,824
We would get one shut down...
740
00:49:12,953 --> 00:49:16,164
...and then the next week,
there'd be another one.
741
00:49:18,458 --> 00:49:20,752
And they would just tweak it a little bit.
742
00:49:20,752 --> 00:49:23,630
They would change "pictures" to "films."
743
00:49:25,465 --> 00:49:28,135
So, they were acutely aware
744
00:49:28,135 --> 00:49:31,722
that somebody was
behind the scenes doing all of that.
745
00:49:33,974 --> 00:49:38,478
But we did know very quickly
that the person was in the UK.
746
00:49:38,478 --> 00:49:41,690
And we knew that from IP addresses,
747
00:49:41,690 --> 00:49:47,362
and the US cellphone numbers
that people were corresponding with,
748
00:49:47,362 --> 00:49:50,032
were routing to a UK number.
749
00:49:50,032 --> 00:49:53,035
But we didn't know
who actually was behind
750
00:49:53,035 --> 00:49:56,205
these domains and phone numbers
that were being used.
751
00:49:57,122 --> 00:49:58,790
And so it was obvious that if we were
752
00:49:58,790 --> 00:50:02,127
going to actually
get any information here,
753
00:50:02,127 --> 00:50:06,089
it would probably make sense
to file a civil lawsuit
754
00:50:06,089 --> 00:50:09,510
to be able to see behind the scenes.
755
00:50:09,510 --> 00:50:10,844
And so we did that.
756
00:50:15,265 --> 00:50:18,435
And then, we got back
the name of the person
757
00:50:18,435 --> 00:50:20,479
who had registered one of the domains
758
00:50:20,479 --> 00:50:24,816
and set up one of the phone numbers
with a real name,
759
00:50:24,816 --> 00:50:26,652
with a real address and real phone number.
760
00:50:26,652 --> 00:50:30,197
And so now we had real leads,
and we had people to start talking to.
761
00:50:41,667 --> 00:50:43,210
"Dear Mister Yim."
762
00:50:43,210 --> 00:50:46,630
"My firm serves
an outside counsel for Amy Pascal.
763
00:50:46,630 --> 00:50:48,423
We recently learned
that you have been involved
764
00:50:48,423 --> 00:50:51,385
in a campaign to impersonate Ms. Pascal.
765
00:50:52,135 --> 00:50:55,389
Your conduct undoubtedly violates
federal and state law."
766
00:50:56,390 --> 00:50:58,934
I was quite concerned
when I first received the email.
767
00:50:58,934 --> 00:51:00,644
I just gave them all the information.
768
00:51:00,644 --> 00:51:03,438
I said, "I have nothing to hide.
I can tell you everything you want."
769
00:51:04,940 --> 00:51:08,151
[Kotsianas] They said, "My friend Gavin
had asked me to do this."
770
00:51:08,151 --> 00:51:11,446
And that was the first time
I heard the name Gavin.
771
00:51:13,240 --> 00:51:16,410
Gavin seemed to panic
when I first mentioned it.
772
00:51:16,410 --> 00:51:18,328
Like he was, like,
"What? Why they doing this?"
773
00:51:18,328 --> 00:51:20,539
And then said, "Oh, no worries,
it's just a miscommunication,"
774
00:51:20,539 --> 00:51:21,790
and he'll handle it.
775
00:51:22,624 --> 00:51:26,503
And I was just like, "This is nothing
to do with me, so go sort it out."
776
00:51:28,589 --> 00:51:32,176
What happened was he asked me
to renew a domain for him.
777
00:51:33,218 --> 00:51:36,054
And he just needed a card
to make the payments,
778
00:51:36,054 --> 00:51:39,057
cause he said he doesn't usually
like to use credit cards,
779
00:51:39,057 --> 00:51:43,812
because for him it'd be easier to just
deposit cash into a cash machine,
780
00:51:43,812 --> 00:51:46,773
and then put my account number,
which was super easy to do,
781
00:51:46,773 --> 00:51:50,235
and much more convenient,
so I was happy to do it for him.
782
00:51:50,235 --> 00:51:53,780
And at no point I thought there was
something shady going on at all.
783
00:51:53,780 --> 00:51:56,909
I just thought I was helping him,
but I guess I was also very naive,
784
00:51:56,909 --> 00:52:00,579
and quite young at that time, where
I couldn't put the puzzle pieces together.
785
00:52:01,830 --> 00:52:05,959
[Kotsianas] We had found
more than one individual
786
00:52:05,959 --> 00:52:09,671
who had been directed
to sign up for the domains.
787
00:52:10,380 --> 00:52:13,133
I saw connections in their Instagrams,
788
00:52:13,133 --> 00:52:15,469
talking to each other
and tagging each other,
789
00:52:15,469 --> 00:52:19,306
related to this guy
Gavin's Instagram account,
790
00:52:19,306 --> 00:52:21,141
which was called "purebytes."
791
00:52:23,310 --> 00:52:27,314
It was a public Instagram
that was posting every single day.
792
00:52:28,982 --> 00:52:33,070
And he had 52,000 followers.
793
00:52:35,405 --> 00:52:40,661
I couldn't believe that the person who's
potentially running this scam
794
00:52:40,661 --> 00:52:43,372
is also trying to make it
as an influencer.
795
00:52:43,372 --> 00:52:45,040
Morning, Instagram folks.
796
00:52:45,040 --> 00:52:48,168
Bright and early,
because when you don't procrastinate,
797
00:52:48,168 --> 00:52:52,673
when you don't make excuses,
you go ahead and you power up.
798
00:52:52,673 --> 00:52:54,716
Level up! Don't ever give in.
799
00:52:54,716 --> 00:52:56,802
Your body should be your temple.
800
00:53:00,764 --> 00:53:05,894
[Kotsianas] The current snapshots that
we were seeing were of his life in London.
801
00:53:08,063 --> 00:53:13,610
And it was very polished
and it had beautiful photography.
802
00:53:13,610 --> 00:53:18,949
It looked like he had
a very cosmopolitan, great, life.
803
00:53:18,949 --> 00:53:20,826
He volunteered a lot of information.
804
00:53:20,826 --> 00:53:23,120
He put out a lot of information
about himself,
805
00:53:23,120 --> 00:53:26,582
and he eventually revealed,
you know, he's from Indonesia.
806
00:53:33,839 --> 00:53:39,219
[Kotsianas] And the more plausible
the theory became that he was involved.
807
00:53:40,512 --> 00:53:44,433
Some of the creative ideas
that he was presenting in his real life
808
00:53:44,433 --> 00:53:47,561
{\an8}were merging with the scam.
809
00:53:49,271 --> 00:53:52,107
{\an8}So, at that point,
I was convinced that it was him.
810
00:53:52,566 --> 00:53:57,529
But all I had was the name Gavin,
which is really common,
811
00:53:57,529 --> 00:54:02,159
and you know, Googling,
"Gavin in London but from Indonesia"
812
00:54:02,159 --> 00:54:05,078
isn't gonna get you very far.
813
00:54:06,038 --> 00:54:10,459
Eventually, by scrubbing his Instagram
814
00:54:10,459 --> 00:54:12,961
and really going through
every single comment...
815
00:54:13,837 --> 00:54:18,383
...other names emerged.
So somebody had written, "Gavin Lal."
816
00:54:19,593 --> 00:54:21,720
Somebody else called him Hargo.
817
00:54:22,763 --> 00:54:25,849
Someone else referred to him
as Gobind Tahil.
818
00:54:26,683 --> 00:54:30,187
And then, I came to understand
that he grew up
819
00:54:30,187 --> 00:54:33,065
in the Indian community in Jakarta.
820
00:54:34,983 --> 00:54:40,447
And many of their last names
ended in "ramani" or "ani."
821
00:54:40,447 --> 00:54:43,200
So I had all these roots and suffixes.
822
00:54:44,243 --> 00:54:47,246
I was trying them all
in different combinations.
823
00:54:52,584 --> 00:54:55,128
And then one day,
824
00:54:55,128 --> 00:54:59,633
I hit "Hargobind Tahilramani."
825
00:55:04,888 --> 00:55:11,895
And it was about six months between
Gavin turning into Hargobind Tahilramani.
826
00:55:13,897 --> 00:55:17,150
[Johnson] After I published the article,
I got an email from someone in Indonesia
827
00:55:17,150 --> 00:55:20,237
who said, "I know who
the scammer is, let's talk."
828
00:55:28,662 --> 00:55:30,747
[Joko Anwar] The seeds
of the Hollywood scam...
829
00:55:31,540 --> 00:55:33,625
...were planted in Indonesia.
830
00:55:34,543 --> 00:55:38,297
In 2010, there had been
a weird thing going on.
831
00:55:38,297 --> 00:55:42,092
Someone is messing around
with the film industry in Indonesia.
832
00:55:42,092 --> 00:55:44,720
I was fairly sure it was the same person.
833
00:55:45,429 --> 00:55:48,390
After I connected with Scott Johnson,
834
00:55:48,390 --> 00:55:52,895
I told him everything about-- what I knew
about Hargobind Punjabi Tahilramani.
835
00:55:52,895 --> 00:55:54,313
[laughs]
836
00:55:55,230 --> 00:56:01,653
[Johnson] He sent me a picture
that was taken from a newspaper article
837
00:56:01,653 --> 00:56:03,864
that had appeared in Indonesia.
838
00:56:03,864 --> 00:56:07,951
And he says,
"That man right there is the scammer."
839
00:56:07,951 --> 00:56:12,873
And I cross-referenced the image
with this Instagram account.
840
00:56:13,415 --> 00:56:15,459
It was the same person.
841
00:56:16,960 --> 00:56:19,463
Nicole and I were talking
to different people
842
00:56:19,463 --> 00:56:21,548
and putting different pieces
of the puzzle together,
843
00:56:21,548 --> 00:56:24,343
but in the end, we wound up
coming to the same conclusion
844
00:56:24,343 --> 00:56:26,261
within a few weeks of each other.
845
00:56:27,137 --> 00:56:29,932
And so the article was about Hargobind
846
00:56:29,932 --> 00:56:36,063
and how he served time in Jakarta
for embezzlement.
847
00:56:36,063 --> 00:56:38,690
And then while he was in prison,
848
00:56:38,690 --> 00:56:42,778
he made some bomb threats
against the US Embassy.
849
00:56:42,778 --> 00:56:47,574
For that, he was sentenced
to more time in prison
850
00:56:47,574 --> 00:56:49,701
on terrorism-related charges.
851
00:56:50,994 --> 00:56:54,081
It mentioned accents and impersonations.
852
00:56:59,962 --> 00:57:03,507
I learned that he was
also arrested for theft.
853
00:57:05,092 --> 00:57:10,055
And he had a warrant in the United States
for another bomb threat.
854
00:57:12,933 --> 00:57:17,229
He'd been on the FBI's radar
for ten years, and yet, they'd never...
855
00:57:17,229 --> 00:57:20,148
they'd never found him.
I mean, they'd never arrested him,
856
00:57:20,148 --> 00:57:22,818
and this is just prepost--
I thought it was preposterous.
857
00:57:22,818 --> 00:57:25,070
[chuckles] How is this possible?
858
00:57:28,282 --> 00:57:29,366
[impersonator]
859
00:57:35,455 --> 00:57:36,290
[sighing]
71835