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In this episode of American Greed, John
Fox makes millions selling fine wine
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and lives like a classic rock star.
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Every day John would come to work in a
different car, a different fancy car.
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Ferraris, Maseratis, multiple Mercedes.
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Fox's customers are enticed with low
prices and they ignore the financial
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hangover to come.
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Stay away, stay away.
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Fox, too, is reckless.
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He steals clients' money and spends
nearly $1 million on scores of women he
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meets online.
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I think he was definitely a sex addict.
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As Fox's $55 million wine fraud comes
crashing down, one of Fox's sugar babies
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turns a nasty trick.
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Emailing, texting, calling, pay me, pay
me, pay me.
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If you're going to play, you're usually
going to have to pay.
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In Berkeley, California, there's a
trendy coffee shop called the Artiste
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And in 2015, it's a hot spot for a 65
-year -old Casanova named John Fox.
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The baristas are agog at these scantily
clad 20 -somethings who come in to date
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a man nearly three times their age.
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I got a call from the employees of
Artist Coffee, and they had been
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John Fox come into their store for
years, usually twice a week, meeting
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different women every time.
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It's a parlor game for the baristas.
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Which high -end sports car will John Fox
pull up in today?
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His Ferrari?
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His electric blue Corvette?
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And does the stunning young woman at his
side know that Fox is married and has a
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daughter about her age?
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And it got to the point where the
employees were actually kind of
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this. And they started to
surreptitiously take pictures of Fox
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girlfriends. And I thought that was
very, very telling, just how prolific a
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dater John Fox was.
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Who is this mysterious Silver Fox?
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And where does he get his money?
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John Fox was, I believe, originally a
waiter in a restaurant and floated into
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the retail wine world on a very small
scale.
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But a rising tide lifts all boats.
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And for John Fox, who founds a tiny wine
store in 1980, the Berkeley area is a
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rising tide indeed.
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With famous chefs like Alice Waters and
her Chez Panisse, Berkeley is the
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vanguard of a food and wine renaissance.
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He was at the right place at the right
time, and there was a need for his
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services.
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Still, Fox would be just a local wine
merchant whom no one outside of Berkeley
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has ever heard of if he didn't make one
key decision.
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He goes big into something called...
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Pre -arrivals.
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With pre -arrivals, consumers pay up
front for wine that's still sitting in
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France.
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The buyers might not get delivery for
several months or even years.
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Pre -arrival is a concept that's unique,
I believe, to the wine world.
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Most products you buy, you're going to
get them upon purchase. You go on the
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Internet and buy a pair of shoes, you
expect to have that.
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End of the week, it's on back order,
maybe a few weeks, whatever.
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But with wine, I can't think of too many
other retail purchases where you're
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okay with waiting for years to get this
thing.
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Why would you do it? Well, if you think
that prices are going to go up later,
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then it's better to buy it now and
you'll get it for less money.
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And it's reasonable to think the prices
will go up.
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Wines purchased on pre -arrival usually
come from the rarest, most coveted
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vineyards on earth.
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Domaine Romani Conti, Chateau Lafitte,
Chateau Petru.
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We're talking about wines that needed to
spend not just years, but decades in
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conditions where they could very slowly
evolve and all the things that
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collectors hope will happen to good
French wine that they'll...
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Gain complexity and gain nuances. And
when you pull the cork on that bottle,
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sorts of wonderful aromas will come out.
And you'll say, wow, this was worth
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waiting for.
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And for those who delay gratification,
there's a reward.
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Fortunes can be made if the wine is well
received by influential critics.
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Robert Parker, for example, moves
markets with his 100 -point rating
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Robert Parker gives 100 points or 99
points to a wine, and the next morning,
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wine is doubled in price.
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I was flipping wine, drinking it, and,
you know, it was great. You know, it
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off the years.
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In the 90s, New Yorker George Ziccarelli
works in the film and television
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business.
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But he has a side hustle, speculating in
wine futures.
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With the year 2000 approaching,
Ziccarelli bets that wine collectors
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stock up.
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And I said, you know what?
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Somebody's going to want this stuff for
the party of the millennia and the most
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expensive wine.
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John Fox's wine shop, Premier Cru,
becomes Ziccarelli's main supplier.
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Premier Cru is known for its low prices,
always well below the competition.
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And this is how I got to know John Fox,
because I brought two cases of 1990
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Roman and Conti from him, and it was
delivered right away.
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So, I mean, his prices were cheaper than
anybody else. So, you know, wow, what a
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score I made.
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While Ziccarelli builds a cellar of
extremely rare wine, his friends laugh
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him, thinking he's lost his mind.
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And then in 1999, Ziccarelli sells his
collection through an auction at
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Sotheby's, where it's touted as the
Millennium Superlot.
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His wine gets top billing on the cover
of the auction catalog.
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Well, it was a really big thing. I mean,
first of all, you know, even...
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Very well. I don't know how I was able
to get five cases of 1990 Romani Conti.
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It's hard now. I mean, it's impossible.
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The lot sells for just over a quarter
million dollars, which at the time is a
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world record.
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It's been broken many times over since
then.
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You know, the funny thing is.
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Until everybody saw this catalog,
everybody thought I was stupid and
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Everybody at work was putting me down.
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I had the last laugh, which was great.
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I buy it to drink it.
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Paul Higgins is a wine collector in St.
Louis.
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There are other things that I can try to
invest in if I want to do that, but I
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don't buy it to trade it. I don't buy it
to...
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show it to friends at parties. I buy it
to drink it and to share it with people
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at parties.
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Higgins first orders pre -arrival wine
from Premier Cru in 2000 when a co
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-worker tells him that the 2000 vintage
in Bordeaux is shaping up to be
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historically great.
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And I said, okay, I'll try that.
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And eventually I did get the wine and I
did save some money.
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And that was how I learned about that
whole pay now, get it later world of
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His only complaint about Premier Crewe
is the time it takes to get his wine.
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Everything seemed to be ship shape.
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The wine took a while, usually longer
than you wanted.
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But if you're buying a Bordeaux, some
people think you shouldn't even touch
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bottle until it's at least 10 years old.
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So if you have to wait two or three
years for a bottle, what does that
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really?
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Higgins, like George Ziccarelli, is
happy with Premier Crewe.
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And by the early 2000s, John Fox has
made his mark around the globe.
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He counts as customers at Abayo
Ogunlesi, a private equity investor and
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member of Goldman Sachs, and Arthur
Patterson, an early investor in
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Arthur Patterson is a very private man.
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But he reportedly has one of the most
beautiful wine cellars, which he has in
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Big Sur in California.
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You can't ask for a more sophisticated
investor.
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I doubt there's any wine shop in
America, or anywhere in the world maybe,
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had such an enormous customer base
globally as Premier Crew in
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Berkeley, California.
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And what is it that makes the global
elite beat a path to John Fox's door?
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Bargains.
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Deals that belt out a siren song.
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If you want these wines and you see that
price, and you know they've been in
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business for a decade, you just grab it.
That's called an avarice.
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You'll buy it now, ask questions later.
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Paul Higgins has a different point of
view.
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He believes that while Fox's prices are
low, they are not suspiciously low.
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He figures Fox simply has a more direct
source to find wine than his competitors
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do.
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The wine world has so many touch points
of distribution from the vineyard to
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your dinner table.
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And the more people that touch that
wine, the more expensive it is. So
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relatively speaking, my experience was
that Premier Cru's prices were good.
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But they weren't ridiculously good.
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Up next, Fox's low prices are actually
very costly.
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Looked too good to be true, was too good
to be true.
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And later, wine connoisseur John Fox
follows his other passion.
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I think he was definitely a sex addict.
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I mean, you know, that's a lot of money
to spend on online dating.
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For John Fox and his premier crew wine
store in Berkeley, California, the early
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2000s are boom times.
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The market explodes as the newly rich in
Asia dive headfirst, sometimes
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literally, into fine wine.
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Part of what happened was that the whole
world's thirst for wine sort of changed
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dramatically after Hong Kong dropped a
tariff.
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after auctions sort of shot up all
around the world.
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And wine all of a sudden was seen as an
investment vehicle for a lot of people.
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Because they live all over the world,
Fox's clients who buy wine on pre
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sometimes never see their purchase.
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Many are content, believing their wine
is sitting in Berkeley, chilling at 55
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degrees Fahrenheit.
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The reason they were docile is something
very clever that John Fox did. He had
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this warehouse.
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He said, I'm going to sell you that wine
at the lowest price.
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Not sure when it's going to come in, but
when it does, it's not going to be
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ready to drink. You know that. I know
that.
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So I will put it in my warehouse under
perfect storage conditions for you.
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And unlike other storage warehouses, I
am going to store it for you at no cost
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for as long as you'd like.
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It's appreciating in value and likely
taste and whatever else.
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So it's kind of a win -win from the
customer's perspective.
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All the while, that's kind of giving Fox
his window of opportunity to perpetrate
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his scheme.
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It's a remarkably simple scheme.
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In some cases, Fox just doesn't have the
wine.
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He's busy and never gets around to
actually ordering it from France.
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He'll worry about it later.
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Que sera, sera, whatever will be, will
be.
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Only when you asked for that wine to be
shipped to you did John Fox begin to
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jump around and see if he could find it
for you.
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In other cases, Fox does, in fact, have
a client's wine in his warehouse.
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The problem is, several other clients
think it's theirs, too.
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So John Fox also sold one bottle of wine
multiple times. He did this over and
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over again. And he was very good about
it. He didn't get caught.
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Fox gets away with it because most of
his clients are in for the long haul.
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And only a small minority take delivery.
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And those who do are often satisfied.
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It was no obvious red flag initially,
other than it took them too long.
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But too long was always kind of a
debatable period of time because of the
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nature of buying wine futures to begin
with.
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It didn't scream out to me that this was
some sort of wine Ponzi scheme at the
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time.
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00:14:47,590 --> 00:14:53,369
So he had this huge juggling act going
on by selling one bottle of wine
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multiple, multiple times. But he managed
to get away with it for many, many
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years.
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Not only does he get away with it.
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John Fox prospers beyond his wildest
dreams.
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He rides an epic wave created by the
once -in -a -lifetime combination of
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fortunes in China and ideal growing
conditions. Perfect summers in southwest
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France. There was a great vintage 2009
in Bordeaux. There was possibly even a
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greater vintage 2010 in Bordeaux.
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People wanted that wine. They wanted to
lock it up. And they knew it was wine
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that was going to be many, many, many
years, decades even, before it was at
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ideal drinking point.
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And so the money just flowed in.
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And John Fox finds plenty of ways to
spend it.
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In 2011, he buys a building that once
housed a run -down art supply store,
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00:15:56,680 --> 00:15:57,820
a renowned architect,
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and transforms it into a sparkling,
state -of -the -art retail store in
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Berkeley.
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Oh, gorgeous, you know, that's why, come
on, he must be making money, you know,
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this place is beautiful.
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00:16:12,110 --> 00:16:15,850
We walked in, and the floors were made
of bamboo.
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The shelves holding the bottles of wine
were mahogany. There were French -type
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tapestries on the wall.
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The highest -priced wines were kept in a
glass -fronted storage room to the
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00:16:29,550 --> 00:16:34,149
right as you walked in. So the impact
was stunning. I mean, it was a
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00:16:34,150 --> 00:16:38,569
experience when you walked in. You were
really overwhelmed by the beauty of that
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00:16:38,570 --> 00:16:39,620
store.
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00:16:39,650 --> 00:16:45,790
And former customers say that, you know,
when John opened that store in 2011,
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things really seemed to change.
227
00:16:48,240 --> 00:16:52,799
All of a sudden, he seemed to be
catering to the very, very rich. And one
228
00:16:52,800 --> 00:16:57,659
told me that employees had been dressing
in jeans and shirts, but all of a
229
00:16:57,660 --> 00:17:01,330
sudden they were dressing in suits and
they had pseudo -British accents.
230
00:17:04,000 --> 00:17:07,460
There's a lot of pretending going on at
Premier Crew.
231
00:17:08,760 --> 00:17:11,460
Not to mention juicy secret.
232
00:17:13,839 --> 00:17:14,889
Up next.
233
00:17:15,530 --> 00:17:20,470
See how one man spends nearly $1 million
on Internet dating.
234
00:17:33,810 --> 00:17:40,049
Flush with cash because he's running a
fine wine fraud, John Fox moves into a
235
00:17:40,050 --> 00:17:43,070
.3 million mansion in Alamo, California.
236
00:17:43,830 --> 00:17:46,070
a suburb east of San Francisco.
237
00:17:47,510 --> 00:17:51,430
It's a very exclusive community, a very
beautiful community.
238
00:17:51,810 --> 00:17:56,809
He and his wife bought a house there. He
had memberships in two private golf
239
00:17:56,810 --> 00:18:02,109
courses. He paid for his daughter's
college tuition with money that he stole
240
00:18:02,110 --> 00:18:03,550
from Premier Group clients.
241
00:18:03,890 --> 00:18:07,010
And, of course, he had quite a
collection of fine cars.
242
00:18:08,200 --> 00:18:11,700
Very fancy cars, Ferraris, Maseratis,
multiple Mercedes.
243
00:18:12,180 --> 00:18:16,039
You know, he rarely kept a car for more
than a year, always trading in for a new
244
00:18:16,040 --> 00:18:19,480
souped -up muscle car or a new Italian
sports car.
245
00:18:20,900 --> 00:18:26,400
In bohemian Berkeley, where the car of
choice is more like a Toyota Prius,
246
00:18:26,580 --> 00:18:29,780
Fox's flashiness stands out.
247
00:18:32,200 --> 00:18:33,250
Melissa Smith.
248
00:18:33,720 --> 00:18:39,439
who works in sales for Premier Crew,
says Fox's employees take note and give
249
00:18:39,440 --> 00:18:41,380
their boss a thumbs down.
250
00:18:43,000 --> 00:18:49,459
He would always park halfway between the
only handicapped space
251
00:18:49,460 --> 00:18:54,699
and the spot next to it. Every single
day, backed into it. It drove me insane.
252
00:18:54,700 --> 00:18:58,139
There were several times I thought about
calling the local police department
253
00:18:58,140 --> 00:19:00,540
just to have it ticketed or towed.
254
00:19:02,570 --> 00:19:05,630
Fox lives like he has the world on a
string.
255
00:19:06,350 --> 00:19:13,149
He and his wife Gail, nearly 20 years
younger, enjoy fine meals and live la
256
00:19:13,150 --> 00:19:14,200
dolce vita.
257
00:19:14,790 --> 00:19:19,170
But for John Fox, one woman is not
nearly enough.
258
00:19:22,080 --> 00:19:26,840
confessed in his plea agreement that he
had spent $900 ,000 on online dating.
259
00:19:27,160 --> 00:19:34,159
And he dated younger women exclusively,
women in their 20s, even though he was
260
00:19:34,160 --> 00:19:38,919
in his 60s at this time. And although
this might seem strange, there's a whole
261
00:19:38,920 --> 00:19:42,720
world out there that matches up sugar
daddies with sugar babies.
262
00:19:43,000 --> 00:19:47,179
And it's usually older men who have a
lot of money who are looking to date
263
00:19:47,180 --> 00:19:48,230
younger women.
264
00:19:49,360 --> 00:19:53,980
Sometimes for sex, sometimes not for
sex, just to have them on their elbows.
265
00:19:54,820 --> 00:19:59,939
And these younger women, they are often
college students, and they sign up on
266
00:19:59,940 --> 00:20:03,419
these sites, and they have these men pay
for their apartments, they have them
267
00:20:03,420 --> 00:20:05,700
pay tuition, they have them pay rent.
268
00:20:07,680 --> 00:20:10,660
We blurred their faces to protect their
privacy.
269
00:20:11,260 --> 00:20:15,979
But these are among the many, many
images of women John Fox collected
270
00:20:15,980 --> 00:20:21,180
adventures on websites such as
SeekingArrangements .com.
271
00:20:23,020 --> 00:20:28,080
He might pay them $500 to meet them for
a cup of coffee, and if they hit it off,
272
00:20:28,200 --> 00:20:30,700
then they may enter a physical
relationship.
273
00:20:31,540 --> 00:20:38,439
He would basically pay to have these
women maintain a nice lifestyle and come
274
00:20:38,440 --> 00:20:39,760
visit him from time to time.
275
00:20:40,060 --> 00:20:45,799
And he did this for a number of years,
and he met these people, usually in
276
00:20:45,800 --> 00:20:51,559
Berkeley, because they would fly here,
and he would pay them whatever their fee
277
00:20:51,560 --> 00:20:54,760
was, and this went on for a long period
of time.
278
00:20:56,720 --> 00:21:02,299
I spoke with one woman who told me she
was one of John Fox's girlfriends, and
279
00:21:02,300 --> 00:21:07,519
John Fox spent more than $200 ,000 on
her, mostly for her living expenses and
280
00:21:07,520 --> 00:21:08,600
her tuition expenses.
281
00:21:09,290 --> 00:21:11,670
Now, she claims she never had sex with
John Fox.
282
00:21:11,671 --> 00:21:15,289
I don't know that I believe that. I'm
not sure why anyone would spend that
283
00:21:15,290 --> 00:21:18,109
money without having a little more from
the relationship.
284
00:21:18,110 --> 00:21:23,950
But John Fox dated so many women that it
began to attract attention.
285
00:21:26,550 --> 00:21:33,269
At the Artiste Cafe, his local hangout,
baristas brazenly snapped pictures of
286
00:21:33,270 --> 00:21:34,670
Fox and friends.
287
00:21:35,920 --> 00:21:40,639
Melissa Smith says that while Fox often
leaves for afternoon appointments, he
288
00:21:40,640 --> 00:21:44,420
tells employees he's getting his back
cracked.
289
00:21:46,960 --> 00:21:51,959
We had no idea, but literally as far as
we knew he was going to the chiropractor
290
00:21:51,960 --> 00:21:55,300
once or twice a day, it was a shock to
all of us.
291
00:21:57,280 --> 00:21:58,900
Next on American Greed.
292
00:21:59,920 --> 00:22:04,799
John Fox will need more than a
chiropractor to fix the mess he's made
293
00:22:04,800 --> 00:22:05,850
Crew.
294
00:22:18,360 --> 00:22:23,500
John Fox enjoys fast cars and faster
women.
295
00:22:24,260 --> 00:22:27,560
He makes his money selling the
proverbial Brooklyn Bridge.
296
00:22:28,250 --> 00:22:29,370
Fine wine style.
297
00:22:29,371 --> 00:22:32,909
There were the orders that he completely
made up.
298
00:22:32,910 --> 00:22:38,010
I have 300 bottles of this particular
Bordeaux at this particular price.
299
00:22:39,450 --> 00:22:44,209
Come buy them. And he had no contract to
buy any of that. And in his head, at
300
00:22:44,210 --> 00:22:47,889
times, he may have justified it to
himself, and he said that he thought
301
00:22:47,890 --> 00:22:50,230
able to get them or some of them if he
needed to.
302
00:22:52,390 --> 00:22:55,070
Fox is running hard to stay on the
treadmill.
303
00:22:55,840 --> 00:23:01,859
His scheme depends entirely upon new
infusions of cash from wine drinkers
304
00:23:01,860 --> 00:23:05,420
to get their hands on the latest release
from Bordeaux.
305
00:23:05,980 --> 00:23:07,340
But here's the rub.
306
00:23:07,720 --> 00:23:14,320
After two epic years in 2009 and 2010,
the vintages that follow are mediocre,
307
00:23:14,620 --> 00:23:17,140
and the critics' ratings go down.
308
00:23:18,480 --> 00:23:23,619
But despite the disappointing harvest,
the Bordeaux winemakers keep their
309
00:23:23,620 --> 00:23:24,670
high.
310
00:23:24,671 --> 00:23:25,749
Guess what?
311
00:23:25,750 --> 00:23:29,870
Americans said, nuh -uh, I'm not buying,
not buying.
312
00:23:29,871 --> 00:23:34,609
Why should I buy wines that haven't been
praised by the critics? And it's just
313
00:23:34,610 --> 00:23:35,750
getting too expensive.
314
00:23:36,450 --> 00:23:40,070
He got basically zero, zero money on
those.
315
00:23:41,670 --> 00:23:43,410
Fox is in a cash crunch.
316
00:23:45,070 --> 00:23:46,930
And the timing is terrible.
317
00:23:47,930 --> 00:23:53,270
He's just moved into that mansion and
built a beautiful new store.
318
00:23:55,080 --> 00:23:58,280
And now his scheme is becoming
untenable.
319
00:23:59,500 --> 00:24:04,300
Despite his claims, Fox doesn't have
contracts with French Chateau.
320
00:24:04,500 --> 00:24:09,820
He must buy wine at top -dollar retail
prices to satisfy his customers.
321
00:24:12,190 --> 00:24:17,009
You, as a customer, might have 40
bottles outstanding that Premier Crew
322
00:24:17,010 --> 00:24:20,729
you, and you complain enough, and he
would go and buy 10 of them at some
323
00:24:20,730 --> 00:24:23,929
expensive price and losing money on
those bottles and say, I got you these
324
00:24:23,930 --> 00:24:27,130
bottles, and we're going to get the next
30 at some point.
325
00:24:28,290 --> 00:24:30,550
Fox has always been slow to deliver.
326
00:24:31,610 --> 00:24:34,850
Now the wait times become agonizing.
327
00:24:35,890 --> 00:24:39,950
I had kept this little file of wines
that I had ordered in various years,
328
00:24:41,660 --> 00:24:45,840
One day I opened that file on my
computer and I looked at it and said,
329
00:24:46,160 --> 00:24:48,600
this vintage is nearly five years ago.
330
00:24:49,340 --> 00:24:53,380
And I thought, well, I should have that
wine by now.
331
00:24:53,740 --> 00:24:54,980
And then I called them.
332
00:24:56,680 --> 00:25:01,959
Melissa Smith is one of Fox's
salespeople, fielding an ever -growing
333
00:25:01,960 --> 00:25:04,080
calls from concerned customers.
334
00:25:04,980 --> 00:25:10,700
And at first, Smith repeats the company
line that the wine is on its way.
335
00:25:12,179 --> 00:25:16,319
We thought he was organized. That was
the impression he gave everyone, that
336
00:25:16,320 --> 00:25:20,759
he would give us a date that containers
were going to arrive, that that was
337
00:25:20,760 --> 00:25:24,070
actually valid information that he was
pulling out of somewhere.
338
00:25:25,200 --> 00:25:28,630
Initially, they were like, oh, you know,
we've got a container ship.
339
00:25:28,631 --> 00:25:33,059
Ultimately, it was like those bars that
have those signs that say free beer
340
00:25:33,060 --> 00:25:34,110
tomorrow.
341
00:25:34,111 --> 00:25:37,719
That's what ended up happening. But at
the time, they said, oh, you know, it's
342
00:25:37,720 --> 00:25:39,830
going to be on the next container ship
out.
343
00:25:41,130 --> 00:25:46,829
But Smith, who is hired toward the end
of Premier Crew's run, quickly realizes
344
00:25:46,830 --> 00:25:50,410
her faith in her new boss has been
misplaced.
345
00:25:51,930 --> 00:25:57,010
A co -worker welcomes Smith with this
anonymous note stuck to her phone.
346
00:25:57,770 --> 00:25:58,910
Get out now.
347
00:25:59,610 --> 00:26:01,770
Run away while you still have the
chance.
348
00:26:03,530 --> 00:26:07,870
And Smith realizes Fox's business
affairs are out of control.
349
00:26:08,430 --> 00:26:13,850
As suggested by this photograph, she
secretly takes of him at his desk.
350
00:26:14,510 --> 00:26:19,549
It became very clear to me early on that
he was pulling dates out of the air as
351
00:26:19,550 --> 00:26:21,660
far as when things would actually
arrive.
352
00:26:22,270 --> 00:26:27,489
It was always the next container ship.
Didn't make it on this one. I thought,
353
00:26:27,490 --> 00:26:31,949
spidey senses are starting to tingle
here, and I'm going to have to ratchet
354
00:26:31,950 --> 00:26:33,000
the pressure here.
355
00:26:33,490 --> 00:26:36,590
Higgins logs on to Wine Berserkers.
356
00:26:37,020 --> 00:26:42,539
a forum for wine collectors, and
realizes he has unwittingly joined a
357
00:26:42,540 --> 00:26:44,240
of the dispossessed.
358
00:26:44,600 --> 00:26:46,980
My eyes went, holy cow.
359
00:26:48,300 --> 00:26:50,880
I'm not the only one wondering where his
wine is.
360
00:26:52,200 --> 00:26:56,860
The Yelp reviews of John Fox's Premier
Crew are just as bad.
361
00:26:57,740 --> 00:27:04,020
And I saw these universally horrible
reviews about Premier Crew, saying...
362
00:27:04,590 --> 00:27:06,730
stay away, stay away.
363
00:27:07,130 --> 00:27:13,109
But there was one post that said, these
guys are the best wine store in the
364
00:27:13,110 --> 00:27:17,810
world. They are the best. How can
anybody say anything bad? Blah, blah,
365
00:27:17,910 --> 00:27:20,930
blah, blah. And it was signed John F.
366
00:27:21,710 --> 00:27:28,470
And I said, hmm, I wonder, would the
owner of the store post that?
367
00:27:28,550 --> 00:27:29,600
Just possibly.
368
00:27:31,660 --> 00:27:36,020
Paul Higgins takes the complaints out of
web forums to the big leagues.
369
00:27:37,260 --> 00:27:43,319
The Hagler, a consumer advocacy column
in the Sunday New York Times, takes up
370
00:27:43,320 --> 00:27:46,040
Higgins' case and investigates Premier
Cruz.
371
00:27:46,500 --> 00:27:49,180
It's just enough to break open the dam.
372
00:27:50,420 --> 00:27:57,080
Before long, John Fox is drowning in a
flood of lawsuits and irate customers.
373
00:27:57,900 --> 00:28:00,380
Every single phone call was...
374
00:28:00,920 --> 00:28:03,090
Where's my wine? Where's my refund
check?
375
00:28:03,720 --> 00:28:04,770
You lied to me.
376
00:28:05,320 --> 00:28:07,910
It was supposed to be here by now. This
check bounced.
377
00:28:08,900 --> 00:28:12,030
Put John on the phone. Put John on the
phone. Put John on the phone.
378
00:28:12,650 --> 00:28:17,669
And I called up John Fox and asked him
why all these collectors were
379
00:28:17,670 --> 00:28:19,370
about not getting their wine.
380
00:28:19,610 --> 00:28:25,689
And Fox said that they were sort of
unsophisticated Asian collectors who did
381
00:28:25,690 --> 00:28:31,709
understand the time gap between buying
wine pre -arrival and its actual arrival
382
00:28:31,710 --> 00:28:32,760
in the United States.
383
00:28:33,440 --> 00:28:38,499
It was certainly not a flattering way to
talk about customers who had spent, one
384
00:28:38,500 --> 00:28:44,739
man had spent $900 ,000 with John Fox
and Premier Crew and had filed a lawsuit
385
00:28:44,740 --> 00:28:48,919
when he didn't get any wine or any
refund. And John just dismissed them
386
00:28:48,920 --> 00:28:50,860
as this wannabe collector.
387
00:28:52,680 --> 00:28:56,599
I really started getting worried,
actually, when I was reading about all
388
00:28:56,600 --> 00:28:57,740
lawsuits coming in.
389
00:28:58,660 --> 00:29:00,000
That's how I knew, okay,
390
00:29:01,040 --> 00:29:02,420
I'm not going to get my stuff.
391
00:29:04,040 --> 00:29:05,460
Emotions are running hot.
392
00:29:06,120 --> 00:29:11,559
Smith recalls talking to a secretary for
a Chinese multimillionaire who was owed
393
00:29:11,560 --> 00:29:14,200
$200 ,000 worth of wine.
394
00:29:14,880 --> 00:29:19,780
She went from calling very stoic, very
professional, to in tears.
395
00:29:20,660 --> 00:29:26,759
We were only semi -joking that we were
afraid for her. It sounded like she was
396
00:29:26,760 --> 00:29:30,800
going to be in trouble if the wines
didn't arrive for her boss.
397
00:29:32,110 --> 00:29:36,790
And then he showed up with a brand new
Corvette or something.
398
00:29:37,690 --> 00:29:43,789
And I just thought, wow, the monthly
payment on that could cover
399
00:29:43,790 --> 00:29:47,710
a case or two of what we owed her boss.
400
00:29:49,690 --> 00:29:54,330
Other customers sometimes show up in
person demanding their wine.
401
00:29:54,331 --> 00:29:59,199
If somebody ended up coming in and
literally just taking everything off the
402
00:29:59,200 --> 00:30:02,930
shelves and walking out with it and just
said, call the cops, try to stop me.
403
00:30:03,500 --> 00:30:05,520
We didn't, we weren't going to.
404
00:30:06,120 --> 00:30:08,600
Yeah, do it. Go for it.
405
00:30:08,960 --> 00:30:10,010
Help yourself.
406
00:30:13,300 --> 00:30:16,060
Can things get any worse for John Fox?
407
00:30:17,980 --> 00:30:19,780
Yes, they can.
408
00:30:21,520 --> 00:30:23,460
John Fox is online dating.
409
00:30:24,080 --> 00:30:26,160
eventually came back to haunt him.
410
00:30:27,640 --> 00:30:31,160
Up next, sextortion in Seattle.
411
00:30:32,340 --> 00:30:38,339
20 times a day, just constantly
emailing, texting, calling, pay me, pay
412
00:30:38,340 --> 00:30:39,390
me.
413
00:30:47,100 --> 00:30:52,699
John Fox uses dating apps to summon
women as casually as most people call an
414
00:30:52,700 --> 00:30:53,750
Uber.
415
00:30:54,890 --> 00:30:58,630
and he pays the women with money he has
stolen from clients.
416
00:30:59,730 --> 00:31:04,990
But in this modern -day version of free
love, the bill has come due.
417
00:31:07,990 --> 00:31:13,229
There was a woman that he had met
online, out of state, and they had a
418
00:31:13,230 --> 00:31:19,229
relationship, shall I say, a physical
relationship, and he ended it shortly
419
00:31:19,230 --> 00:31:22,270
after it began, and this woman...
420
00:31:22,860 --> 00:31:27,139
Realized an opportunity to make some
money off this and she threatened to
421
00:31:27,140 --> 00:31:30,679
the relationship to his wife and his
daughter and all their friends and
422
00:31:30,680 --> 00:31:35,839
Her name is soul key job
423
00:31:35,840 --> 00:31:42,759
According to a criminal complaint from
Seattle where she lives yum is a
424
00:31:42,760 --> 00:31:44,440
serial extortionist
425
00:31:46,570 --> 00:31:52,369
The King County prosecutor alleges Yum
meets wealthy men through services like
426
00:31:52,370 --> 00:31:56,050
OkCupid and SeekingArrangements .com.
427
00:32:03,810 --> 00:32:08,550
Once the men meet her and have sex, the
nightmare begins.
428
00:32:10,410 --> 00:32:16,199
She would confront other people that she
did this with and tell them that They
429
00:32:16,200 --> 00:32:18,320
got her pregnant. She needed an
abortion.
430
00:32:24,580 --> 00:32:30,419
Unless they paid for the abortion and
continued giving her money, she would
431
00:32:30,420 --> 00:32:32,340
their lives. So she was very aggressive.
432
00:32:43,630 --> 00:32:50,329
One man in Seattle, according to the
prosecutor, pays Yum $24 ,000 in
433
00:32:50,330 --> 00:32:51,380
hush money.
434
00:32:53,710 --> 00:32:56,910
But that's nothing compared to John Fox.
435
00:32:57,590 --> 00:33:03,949
Yum knows that Fox's wife is unaware of
what her husband is up to, and she
436
00:33:03,950 --> 00:33:07,530
exploits that for big money over a two
-year period.
437
00:33:08,290 --> 00:33:10,350
It begins in 2014.
438
00:33:11,560 --> 00:33:13,920
Yum sends dozens of messages.
439
00:33:19,500 --> 00:33:24,140
And Fox sends thousands of dollars to
buy her silence.
440
00:33:25,380 --> 00:33:28,860
But by June 2014, he's had enough.
441
00:33:29,780 --> 00:33:34,900
You can't expect me to keep sending you
money. We are supposed to be done now.
442
00:33:35,000 --> 00:33:37,520
At least three times we've been through
this.
443
00:33:37,840 --> 00:33:40,640
I've already sent you tens of thousands
of dollars.
444
00:33:41,260 --> 00:33:42,380
I can't do it anymore.
445
00:33:43,460 --> 00:33:44,510
Sorry.
446
00:33:46,680 --> 00:33:49,660
But Yum isn't about to let him off the
hook.
447
00:33:51,080 --> 00:33:54,800
She was very good at Facebook research
and online presence.
448
00:33:55,560 --> 00:34:00,259
She dug and found a lot about his family
and used that all to manipulate more
449
00:34:00,260 --> 00:34:01,460
and more money out of him.
450
00:34:03,060 --> 00:34:06,640
Yum figures out how much Fox paid for
his house.
451
00:34:07,850 --> 00:34:14,468
And when Fox's wife posts on Facebook, I
love my everyday driver, Audi
452
00:34:14,469 --> 00:34:16,030
USA R8.
453
00:34:17,710 --> 00:34:24,269
Yum sends a screenshot of the post and
writes, If you supposedly don't have
454
00:34:24,270 --> 00:34:27,310
money, why does your wife have an R8?
455
00:34:28,850 --> 00:34:35,109
Fox continues to send payments through
2015, while Premier Crew is
456
00:34:35,110 --> 00:34:36,160
imploding.
457
00:34:37,420 --> 00:34:43,760
It's sad in many respects because, you
know, he got himself into this position.
458
00:34:43,940 --> 00:34:47,020
He didn't know that this woman was going
to do this to him.
459
00:34:47,860 --> 00:34:51,080
But if you're going to play, you're
usually going to have to pay.
460
00:34:51,500 --> 00:34:53,500
And he learned it the hard way.
461
00:34:55,679 --> 00:34:56,880
By 2016,
462
00:34:57,800 --> 00:34:59,540
Yum is merciless.
463
00:35:00,980 --> 00:35:03,820
She writes, OK, Sackett.
464
00:35:04,680 --> 00:35:06,880
You are really testing my patience.
465
00:35:07,920 --> 00:35:14,639
If I don't have my 15K and the 4K next
week, I will send you to jail, you
466
00:35:14,640 --> 00:35:16,000
stupid piece of s***.
467
00:35:17,920 --> 00:35:24,140
In some instances, 20 times a day. Just
constantly, you know, emailing, texting,
468
00:35:24,300 --> 00:35:26,500
calling, pay me, pay me, pay me.
469
00:35:27,020 --> 00:35:29,380
It was overwhelming, I think, for him at
times.
470
00:35:32,880 --> 00:35:36,880
And it's not just Fox's wife who is a
pawn in this game.
471
00:35:37,220 --> 00:35:40,960
Yum threatens to expose the affair to
his daughter.
472
00:35:41,980 --> 00:35:47,779
She was at the time going to college at
the University of Arizona and
473
00:35:47,780 --> 00:35:54,699
learned about her father's escapades
with this woman because the
474
00:35:54,700 --> 00:35:55,760
woman contacted her.
475
00:35:57,160 --> 00:36:01,160
Yum even emails the president of the
girl's sorority.
476
00:36:02,120 --> 00:36:03,500
It was a nightmare.
477
00:36:04,160 --> 00:36:05,600
And she was crazy.
478
00:36:07,040 --> 00:36:12,999
Toward the end of this two years of
torture, Yum claims she has a recording
479
00:36:13,000 --> 00:36:16,660
John Fox admitting to running a massive
wine fraud.
480
00:36:16,980 --> 00:36:22,800
She writes, What the is wrong with you?
481
00:36:23,420 --> 00:36:29,039
Make it happen. I'm selling it to a guy
in New York I've been talking to whom
482
00:36:29,040 --> 00:36:33,580
you owe a sh... Ton of wine to who wants
you in jail.
483
00:36:34,140 --> 00:36:37,580
Answer me ASAP or I proceed with them.
484
00:36:37,581 --> 00:36:42,559
Little Pacino at that point, his life
was already crashing around, so she
485
00:36:42,560 --> 00:36:44,540
really have any leverage on him anymore.
486
00:36:45,840 --> 00:36:51,480
Up next, the sly fox turns the tables on
his blackmailer.
487
00:37:05,800 --> 00:37:12,779
On January 6th, 2016, employee Melissa
Smith gets an email from John
488
00:37:12,780 --> 00:37:14,320
Fox, a premier crew.
489
00:37:14,620 --> 00:37:17,880
It's a termination letter, and it's
painfully blunt.
490
00:37:18,460 --> 00:37:20,560
I can't afford to pay you anymore.
491
00:37:21,020 --> 00:37:23,120
No revenue, no funds.
492
00:37:23,860 --> 00:37:24,910
Sorry.
493
00:37:26,160 --> 00:37:32,299
He said, yikes, can you at least pay me
for this week? And he said, no, I have
494
00:37:32,300 --> 00:37:34,400
no money the last few days.
495
00:37:35,240 --> 00:37:36,290
Sure.
496
00:37:36,620 --> 00:37:39,560
Fox and Premier Crew filed for
bankruptcy.
497
00:37:40,660 --> 00:37:42,900
The numbers are staggering.
498
00:37:43,720 --> 00:37:50,039
They claimed $7 million in assets,
basically wine, and $70 million
499
00:37:50,040 --> 00:37:56,939
in money owed to about 9 ,000 clients
around the
500
00:37:56,940 --> 00:37:58,900
world. 9 ,000!
501
00:37:59,480 --> 00:38:04,000
And every one of those customers was
stuck.
502
00:38:07,240 --> 00:38:11,400
They include people who lost hundreds of
thousands of dollars to Premier Crewe,
503
00:38:11,560 --> 00:38:14,680
but also small -time enthusiasts.
504
00:38:16,280 --> 00:38:21,019
The man that had ordered a bottle of
special champagne for his daughter's
505
00:38:21,020 --> 00:38:25,659
wedding, and he was put off and put off,
and he got the runaround from Premier
506
00:38:25,660 --> 00:38:29,439
Crewe. He never got his wine, and the
wedding went off without that wine. I
507
00:38:29,440 --> 00:38:31,920
thought, that hit home for him.
508
00:38:33,200 --> 00:38:39,979
While the FBI raids Premier Crewe,
Seizing his records, Fox meets
509
00:38:39,980 --> 00:38:43,340
with his defense attorney and waves the
white flag.
510
00:38:44,180 --> 00:38:51,139
From the get -go, he said, listen, I'm
the Bernie Madoff in the wine
511
00:38:51,140 --> 00:38:54,920
business. I know what's going to happen
to me.
512
00:38:55,220 --> 00:38:58,470
I want to come in and I want to
cooperate. I don't want to fight this.
513
00:38:59,980 --> 00:39:04,480
And he came in and pretty much right off
the bat admitted to...
514
00:39:05,000 --> 00:39:10,600
Everything that he had done, I think he
was a broken man at that point.
515
00:39:11,760 --> 00:39:15,839
He'd been basically living a lie with
everybody in his life. His family, his
516
00:39:15,840 --> 00:39:19,399
wife doesn't know about the women he met
online. His employees don't know about
517
00:39:19,400 --> 00:39:20,540
the fraud he's running.
518
00:39:20,980 --> 00:39:25,739
Everybody he interacts with every single
day, he's living a lie with. And I
519
00:39:25,740 --> 00:39:28,600
think the weight of that becomes
crushing over time.
520
00:39:29,740 --> 00:39:33,319
I really do think that it was an
unburdening of him to tell the story of
521
00:39:33,320 --> 00:39:34,329
he'd been doing for...
522
00:39:34,330 --> 00:39:38,869
More than 20 years lying to people for
that long and stealing so much money
523
00:39:38,870 --> 00:39:40,130
so many innocent victims.
524
00:39:40,131 --> 00:39:43,689
He also mentioned to us, hey, I'm being
extorted. I'm basically being
525
00:39:43,690 --> 00:39:45,250
blackmailed even as we speak.
526
00:39:45,251 --> 00:39:50,809
And, you know, of course, it's kind of
hard to hear coming from this guy who
527
00:39:50,810 --> 00:39:54,000
just built millions of dollars. You
don't have a lot of sympathy.
528
00:39:54,750 --> 00:40:01,110
But the law doesn't require sympathetic
victims, just clear evidence of a crime.
529
00:40:01,990 --> 00:40:03,150
And John Fox.
530
00:40:03,690 --> 00:40:09,709
who has paid Sol Ki -yum more than $200
,000, agrees to record his conversations
531
00:40:09,710 --> 00:40:10,760
with her.
532
00:40:11,230 --> 00:40:15,569
She said over and over again, just, you
know, these expletive -laced tirades
533
00:40:15,570 --> 00:40:19,409
about how she's going to ruin his life
and he's such a terrible person and you
534
00:40:19,410 --> 00:40:21,940
better pay me or it's all crashing down
around you.
535
00:40:23,130 --> 00:40:26,350
Yum pleads guilty to five counts of
extortion.
536
00:40:27,050 --> 00:40:32,850
She is ordered to pay $277 ,000 to be
distributed to Fox's victims.
537
00:40:34,550 --> 00:40:38,350
John Fox pleads guilty to one count of
wire fraud.
538
00:40:38,770 --> 00:40:45,389
And on December 14, 2016, John Fox is
sentenced to six and a half years in
539
00:40:45,390 --> 00:40:46,440
federal prison.
540
00:40:48,590 --> 00:40:53,869
Francis Dinkelspiel, who was there in
federal court, notes that Fox seems
541
00:40:53,870 --> 00:40:55,070
utterly alone.
542
00:40:55,071 --> 00:40:59,479
When he was in federal court, there was
no one in the courtroom there for John
543
00:40:59,480 --> 00:41:03,659
Fox. His wife didn't show up. She
actually moved back to the Philippines,
544
00:41:03,660 --> 00:41:05,400
his daughter was nowhere to be seen.
545
00:41:06,380 --> 00:41:12,759
He lost his wife, and he seems to have
lost his daughter as well. So I think
546
00:41:12,760 --> 00:41:15,720
he's paying a very high price for his
crime.
547
00:41:18,540 --> 00:41:22,800
George Ziccarelli loses $300 ,000 worth
of wine.
548
00:41:24,230 --> 00:41:27,530
Paul Higgins is stiffed out of $20 ,000.
549
00:41:29,130 --> 00:41:34,729
Ultimately, thanks in part to the
Hagler, his American Express card covers
550
00:41:34,730 --> 00:41:35,780
loss.
551
00:41:36,310 --> 00:41:40,930
But when it comes to John Fox, perhaps
the saying is true.
552
00:41:41,450 --> 00:41:43,950
Character is destiny.
553
00:41:45,650 --> 00:41:48,510
Double parking in a handicapped spot.
554
00:41:48,810 --> 00:41:51,090
I tend not to like people like that.
555
00:41:51,920 --> 00:41:56,479
And I also tend not to like people that
take millions of dollars of other
556
00:41:56,480 --> 00:42:02,359
people's money and live the high life
and then they're sorry later when they
557
00:42:02,360 --> 00:42:03,410
caught.
558
00:42:03,520 --> 00:42:10,339
Nobody likes to see an older guy lose it
all and end up in
559
00:42:10,340 --> 00:42:12,440
jail. But what he did was wrong.
560
00:42:12,840 --> 00:42:14,460
9 -1 -1, what is your emergency?
561
00:42:14,860 --> 00:42:16,360
Sounded like playing correct.
562
00:42:16,480 --> 00:42:17,860
The neighborhood explodes.
563
00:42:18,020 --> 00:42:19,070
Two people die.
564
00:42:19,520 --> 00:42:22,000
An insurance fraud goes very wrong.
565
00:42:22,480 --> 00:42:27,180
Roll the American Creed next Monday, 10
Eastern, CNBC. Get yours.
566
00:42:27,780 --> 00:42:32,300
The Profit of Marijuana Millions
premieres tomorrow at 10, CNBC.
567
00:42:32,350 --> 00:42:36,900
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