Plot Synopsis

KING OF THE CON is a three-part docuseries that reveals how a scam artist can reinvent himself and get rich -- many times over -- by featuring one of the first interviews with Barry Minkow discussing his life and crimes. Featuring not only first-hand accounts from Minkow, but his co-conspirators, family, and victims, viewers discover from the start in just how Minkow managed to create a life based entirely on deception. A poor boy from the San Fernando Valley who was determined to build a different life from his parents, Barry Minkow had big dreams of money and success early on. At the age of 16, Minkow started a carpet cleaning company called ZZZZ Best, which rocketed him into the limelight and set him up to be one of the youngest self-made entrepreneurs in the nation. But not all was as it seemed - shortly after Minkow took the company public on the New York Stock Exchange (before he could even legally drink) he found himself in hot water when ZZZZ Best was revealed to be the front for a massive Ponzi scheme with ties to the mob. Minkow was quickly thrown from his pedestal of success into a lengthy prison sentence. Following his release in 1995, it seemed Minkow was on the right track: he became a pastor of the San Diego Community Bible Church, got married, published a best selling book on his crimes, used his criminal background to help identify other cases of potential fraud, and was even in the works on a movie about his life story. However, Minkow's new life abruptly came crumbling down when it was revealed he was back to his old ways: using his fraud detection work to insider trade while also bilking his congregation of millions of dollars. Now out of prison and attempting to rebuild his life yet again, Minkow shares his story. All three episodes of KING OF THE CON dropped on Friday, January 14, 2022 on discovery+.