In the early 1980s, Lou Pearlman is riding high… literally. He rakes in millions of dollars from his blimp company — thanks to an insurance scam — and his private jet company is taking off, too. But Lou really starts to make the big bucks when he discovers the next big craze: boy bands. He helps turn the Backstreet Boys and N*Sync into global superstars… and ... Show More
Oct 12
Listen Now: My Mom’s Murder
Lauren Malloy was a baby when her mother, Lori, was murdered in East Providence, Rhode Island. For thirty years, no one told her. Everyone said Lori died of natural causes. Then a stranger sent Lauren a message — and the lie collapsed. Now Lauren is investigating her own mother’s ... Show More
5m 18s
Oct 12
David J. Friedland: Swimming with the Sharks | 235
David J. Friedland spent the 60s and 70s climbing the ranks of New Jersey’s Democratic political machine – greasing palms, brokering backroom deals, and making sure every spotlight in Hudson County was pointed directly at him. David wasn’t picky about his allies: the Mafia, Ponzi ... Show More
56m 39s
Nov 2024
Lou Pearlman: The Con Man of Pop | I Want It That Way | 1
Lou Pearlman rises from humble beginnings in Queens, New York to launch a successful blimp and charter plane company called Trans Continental. In the ‘90s, he cements his reputation as a risk-taking entrepreneur when he creates a pop music “boy band,” the Backstreet Boys. But Pea ... Show More
40m 50s
Jun 2020
Lou Pearlman Pt. 1: “Entertainment Mogul”
He sparked the rise of the Backstreet Boys and *NSYNC in the 1990s. But a decade earlier, wannabe-mogul, Lou Pearlman, made his start in the world of aviation. With a dream, a penny stock scheme, and a single makeshift blimp, Pearlman built an empire defrauding investors. Learn m ... Show More
39m 15s
Dec 2024
Lou Pearlman: The Con Man of Pop | Bye, Bye, Bye | 3
Following his split with the Backstreet Boys and NSYNC, Lou Pearlman finds it increasingly difficult to keep up appearances around his rapidly crumbling empire. Soon, investors begin demanding their money back, and an accountant turned whistleblower threatens to expose Pearlman’s ... Show More
38m 46s