Original subtitles

(OBJECTS CLATTERING)

SAM LIPMAN-STERN: All right. Uh! Let's see.

I was just sitting here, feeling like absolute...

I was just sitting here feeling like fucking shit.

I've been thinking about it

♪ (PENSIVE MUSIC PLAYING) ♪

It's weird. I don't even recognize

(SIGHS)

GROANS)

I worked at CDG for seven years

But Pat was onto it right from the very start.

Pat was like born to be a whistleblower.

hambre! Oh, hambre!

- SAM: Patrick. Tell us-- - Hey. What's up?

Tell us about the place we're about to enter into.

we're going into Civic Development Group,

and what we do is we call up people

on behalf of some bullshit organization

what would you do with the decal

if you were to get mailed one to your house?

I mail 'em out every day.

Pat, did you-- Are you high right now

SAM: Let's go. Let's go get-- Let's head in.

♪ ("OH HAIL NO" BY EL-P PLAYING) ♪

(TELEPHONE CONTINUES RINGING)

RECEIVER: Hello.

JAMES CHESTNUT: This is James Chestnut calling

- Ah! Whoo! - (TELEMARKETERS LAUGHING)

(ED HILGER YELLING)

(INDISTINCT CHATTER)

♪ (SONG CONCLUDES) ♪

- (INDISTINCT CHATTER) - ♪ (PENSIVE MUSIC PLAYING) ♪

- Hi. Mm. Mm. - (WATER BUBBLING)

SAM: I started working at CDG when I was this 14-year-old kid.

look at all that smoke!

SAM: I had just dropped out of the ninth grade.

whoa, whoa!

I didn't even wanna fucking work there.

I just wanted to hang out and paint graffiti and film me

CDG for short,

was the only place that wanted to hire someone my age.

- TELEMARKETER 1: Here's my day at work. - (TELEMARKETER 2 CHEERS)

I had, like, a mental image

of what I thought telemarketing was.

- SAM: This was not it. - TELEMARKETER: Ooh!

BILLY: They basically reinvented American telemarketing.

The whole art was the brainchild of this operation.

is because of CDG.

SAM: Civic Development Group had been around since the '90s

TOM WHITE: CDG came up with a tremendous idea.

for a lot of charitable organizations.

Let's say you've got the firemen's organization

And when that firemen's organization

000 bucks a year.

000 dollars and allow us to use your name,

and we'll take care of everything else."

SAM: They told me that my job would be

to make calls on behalf of charitable police groups.

no commission.

this is Sabrina and I'm calling

- (INDISTINCT CHATTER) - Thirty-five dollars

All they ask is that you send back the 55 dollars

(TELEMARKETER LAUGHS)

- TELEMARKETER: - MANAGER:

but most of them were state lodges

of the Fraternal Order of Police.

000 members nationwide.

(AUDIENCE APPLAUDING)

BRIAN GOETZ: The reality of it

you know?

SABRINA ROSS: This is the place

SAM:

(INDISTINCT CLAMOR)

♪ I'm trying to work here Forever at my job at CDG ♪

(INDISTINCT CHATTER)

It takes a certain kind of person

in front of that computer monitor

we would allow the guys to do whatever they needed to do

buddy?

They didn't care what you did.

you're good. You don't sell, you suck.

I'm working at this place,

BRIAN: You didn't wanna be there.

(LAUGHS)

But the thing was you were always smart.

- (INDISTINCT CHATTER) - Hello?

Sam Lipman-Stern calling on behalf of the Washington DC

163 police officers were killed

And whenever any Delaware police officer

to them and their families.

Click.

♪ (TENSE MUSIC PLAYING) ♪

you were never a part of the Fraternal Order of Police.

You were never a cop. You were calling on behalf of 'em.

SAM: The other rule is that you had to tell people

"Ten percent of something is better

unless they asked specifically.

so they only get ten percent, you keep the 90?

if I give you 100 bucks, you only give them ten dollars?"

you know?

no matter what.

"My mom just died."

John?

Was it completely totaled?

John, I don't wanna burden you

Please display it proudly to show your support.

it was just some flimsy shit.

I'm gonna send you out a new 2007 police card and decal.

Do me a favor and just slap the decal

you put the decal

on the back of the vehicle and the card inside your wallet

to show your proud continued support

When we would get asked questions of like

we were told to not say,

We're gonna give you this fucking sticker

that was how CDG got built.

the big one is 35.

The smaller silver still goes a long way for 25.

Could you reach up high and do the gold?

Or you wanna just play it safe with the silver?

Patricia.

(PATRICIA SPEAKS INDISTINCTLY OVER PHONE)

I didn't think I was doing anything bad at all.

and this is how police raised their money.

♪ (SOFT MUSIC PLAYING) ♪

SAM: I probably met Big Ed when I was like 16.

BRIAN: I don't think I'm exaggerating

that motherfucker's winning. He was nasty.

man?

a few years back. - ED: ...Magnum P.I.

SAM: It was actually Ed's idea that we start filming

"Let's just film how weird

this place is and put it on YouTube."

...if you'd like to have it sent out.

SAM: That's a live turtle?

TELEMARKETER: Twenty-dollar bronze and a 15-dollar booster.

it's nice to know... (CHUCKLES)

- SAM: What's up Sabrina? - Hi.

has to be something.

He has to have a big dick...

Don't eat it like a puppy. I don't like that shit.

there were some guys who thought they were master salesmen

and took the job really seriously.

CDG has been good to me.

It has been real good to me.

LAUGHING) - I'm... Get away from me.

um, how do you feel

- I mean... - ED: Well needed by whom?

needed-- needed by most businesses and then...

in the case of CDG, it provides a public service

ED: By doing what?

What I mean by that is very simple.

Most of the people that worked at CDG

had questionable pasts.

people in transition,

or other people just trying to earn extra money,

it was a lot of criminals

man.

probably every other cubicle. You know what I'm saying?

You don't know who's working next to you.

Dudes flip out at the drop of a hat

SABRINA: CDG is just like anything you could ever imagine

right in front of you.

"Who's going to get shot,

or robbed?" Every day was a new adventure.

Every other person was a drug dealer.

either a drug dealer that wasn't caught yet,

you can buy some coke,

you can buy some Viagra

Everything you need right there. Pussy...

ED: What the hell wrong with you?

BILLY: CDG would send their managers

and recruit directly at the halfway houses.

man.

I went to jail at 23, I come home at 30,

you know what I'm saying? I ain't have nothing at all.

no real bread, no real clothes.

"The cops need some money."

FARUQ: You had people who were committing criminal activities

but we're calling for policemen.

look to us to put money in their safes.

SAM: I agree. Totally. Cool.

That was dope. Go back to work.

- ♪ (PENSIVE MUSIC PLAYING) ♪ - (OVERLAPPING CHATTER)

BRIAN: People can talk about the negatives all day long

"These guys are scumbags," or whatever,

they don't understand camaraderie of the dudes

How did your tweezer stretch it out so much?

(LAUGHS MOCKINGLY)

Sam. - SAM: Yeah.

- (INDISTINCT CHATTER) - Video taping

Sam. - (SAM CHUCKLES)

SAM: You had to be crazy.

I wasn't in a good place when I worked at CDG.

BRIAN: We were the number one office

We went out to an awards dinner and we won everything.

everybody did this together.

- (TELEMARKETERS CHEERING) - We're the office of the year!

♪ (PENSIVE MUSIC FADES) ♪

Pat.

I'm doing good today. - SAM: Nice.

♪ (TENSE MUSIC PLAYING) ♪

BILLY: The craziest thing I ever saw at CDG

was probably just like what they let Pat get away with.

being high, doing heroin

We got-- We got Pat The Tapper right over there.

Pat. Sell those stickers.

Hello.

Hello.

this nigga like this and jump up, "Hi, I'm Pat."

I do understand, um...

what I mean? Like, he goes straight

Pat made that company a lot of money.

They used to kiss Pat's ass.

about two weeks ago,

like, 350 an hour and that's all day.

- ED: Speaking of dope. - Pat fucking Pespas.

everybody loved Pat. - ♪ (MUSIC TURNS SOFT) ♪

here I am... - SUE ORIN: What did they charge you?

I think you're minimizing it a little bit.

but that's a factory?

Come on. Get real. Whatever.

Sue, come here. - SUE: What?

Come here. Come here.

Turn.

Sue. Isn't she lovely?

SUE:

♪ (SOFT MUSIC PLAYING) ♪

Pat was very sweet. Like such an innocent soul.

I remember Pat speaking about justice

and how things were just not right.

PATRICK: If it's gonna cost money for big corporations

when Bush took office,

does he make a very remote,

You gotta love this place.

SAM: "Let's make a movie about the life

Patrick J. Pespas The Movie.

- It's my friend. - (INDISTINCT CHATTER)

that's good. It's good you act that way.

Hold on to your television sets. (CHUCKLES)

- How you doing? - PAT'S MOM: Fine. How are you?

- PATRICK: That's Sam Lipman-Stern. - SAM: Hi.

PATRICK: He's a producer and he's following me

What are you doing with him anyway?

we're pretty much--

uh, we're trying to--

what about it?

PATRICK: You wouldn't believe the people

law enforcement organizations

and it's like a big bullshit scam.

(PAT'S MOM SPEAKS INDISTINCTLY)

PAT'S MOM: For what? What are you saying on there?

but what is the purpose of this?

SAM: Nice.

"What's your opinion of telemarketing?"

uh, one more question.

I... I hear he's good at it.

He's good with the bullshit lines.

Yeah. Yeah.

♪ ("CARRY ON WAYWARD SON" BY KANSAS PLAYING OVER RADIO) ♪

dude.

dude.

get a little buzzed, make some crazy phone calls.

- SAM: All right. - Put some old ladies down

for their cigarette money. (LAUGHS)

Wanna do this right here? Or should I start driving back?

♪ (SOFT ROCK SONG PLAYING OVER RADIO) ♪

PATRICK: The Bronx. The Bronx.

SAM: The Bronx.

don't try this at home. (LAUGHS)

we gotta smash the list.

Either we get 200 dollars in an hour or we go home.

(INDISTINCT CHATTER)

Hi. Good evening. My name is Patrick J. Pespas.

I'm calling on behalf of the New Jersey State

believe it or not,

today, three brave New Jersey officers

were killed in the line of duty.

The New Jersey State

has set up a fund providing

of any New Jersey officer unfortunately killed

uh, this year, the top donation of 95

but they do have a 75-dollar gold level.

fantastic. It goes a long way to help.

Colleen, for being a supporter.

(INDISTINCT CHATTER)

(LAUGHS)

uh, if you noticed

before I sniffed that bag of her-- (HESITATES)

before I sniffed that bag, I couldn't get a sale.

(LAUGHS)

♪ (PENSIVE MUSIC PLAYING) ♪

SAM: We were all just in

- TELEMARKETER: Let her rip! - (SAM SNIFFS)

and I was in no place to judge.

I'm back here with my producer.

SAM: We're telemarketers. We're hardcore. (LAUGHS)

so I'm gonna paint this one right here.

I bugged Pat to come paint graffiti with me

It's gonna fuck up my shit." But he'd come with me anyway.

what the hell? Fuck it.

SAM: I felt like he was maybe the only person in my life

Beautiful.

Wow!

I was just like,

"Yo, there's some, like,

absolutely.

dude.

- The plot thickens. (LAUGHS) - (SAM LAUGHS)

I'm here with Mark. He's a new CDG guy here.

SAM: So how does it feel working with a bunch of ex-convicts?

nice, nice. So am I. - SAM: Nice, okay.

this says,

- (SAM LAUGHING) - (MARK LAUGHING)

man.

what's that word? Uh...

You have to be able to pronounce "benevolent."

They want people like me at CDG.

This way they could pull all the shady crap

that they figure you won't do nothing about it

because you're doing shady crap to begin with.

SAM: I never knew much about who actually ran CDG.

the Keezers and the Pasches.

All I knew was that one of them

was in some terrible Christian rock band

with some of the owners?

get wasted,

BILLY: These guys were innovators.

They put together the scripts from their garage.

like, Apple.

Amazing. Amazing.

they were calling for some Christian organization

and the initials of the Christian organization

they would tell you to tell the people,

SUE: And how many stupid people did that?

probably a lot. - SUE: Stupid!

those guys would just say whatever.

"Hey, yeah, this is Lieutenant Callahan,

calling from the local FOP 48."

they would straight up

this is gonna provide bulletproof vests

PATRICK: That really got people pissed off.

They are taking people's money and not doing what they say

not guns,

the boiler rooms,

are the crack houses of consumer fraud.

PATRICK: They were on Barbara Walters's 20/20.

uh, pretty big exposé on 'em.

charges the company denies.

How much would you say that you've given

I had to go borrow it. (LAUGHS)

If someone calls claiming to be the police

SAM: The government actually took them to court and won.

No more bulletproof vest shit. No more saying you're a cop.

the Civic Development Group did not admit to any wrongdoing,

000 dollars in fines.

PATRICK: But I'll tell you the secret about CDG.

They don't ever change.

"Where's the next little loophole we can get through?"

in Kissimmee,

but she just gave us ten bucks "for the guys."

don't ever refer to them

if you hit the lottery,

(IMITATES LAUGH)

- (SAM LAUGHS) - (CHUCKLES)

MATT PETZOLD: The goal was to sound like a cop

think about, like,

(SIGHS) It's...

It almost made me feel like a crook.

it's James Chestnut, calling on behalf

How are you this evening?

BILLY: People are intimidated 'cause they hear

it was just fear based.

it was really people giving out of either fear

"Yeah."

you know, the streets is all about.

BRIAN: (IN ENGLISH) Do you know how Spanish people react?

with all this ICE shit.

we're raising money for the police."

"Okay. Yep." Bang.

They'll find a way.

but it's the same shit every time.

They just agree to a bullshit fine

I'm still calling you for the police...

and they ain't even getting the money. (CHUCKLES)

come on people. Wake up, smell the coffee!

But it wasn't that simple.

I'm 50 years old, I am disabled.

Pat has to pay our bills.

You try to find a job with a criminal record. Ha!

or we would've ended up homeless.

and you and I are the only ones that can finally stop it."

PATRICK: (OVER CELLPHONE)

- SAM: What do you mean? - This has gotta go like this. Watch.

guys, Patrick J. Pespas. I'm here with Joe Makko.

how do you like CDG?

it's a great place to work, man.

- It's the greatest ever. - PATRICK: Is it crazy?

does it bother you

you know.

It depends on what set of books you're looking at over there.

you know.

- (PATRICK STAMMERS) - We gonna do marijuana?

- PATRICK: You wanna? - Do you do that?

♪ ("A STICK AND SLACKS" BY SHINTARO SAKAMOTO PLAYING) ♪

Charity in America. Where does it all begin?

uh, I'm walking up to my job,

America.

This company that I work for doesn't forget anything.

You gave us money on behalf of some charity

you gave 25? Now, I want 55.

you were stupid enough to give me that?

fantastic!

it's gonna tell me to ask you for at least 125.

it's gonna tell me to ask you

it all starts again.

The Maine State Federation of the Firefighters.

Good afternoon.

I'm doing great. How you doing today?

I wanna remind you these brave men and women gave

it's time to give something back to them.

to build self-esteem.

my name is Patrick J. Pespas.

I'm on behalf for the Maine State Federation

a 53-year-old Springfield firefighter

when his tanker truck overturned.

you have gold level at 35, silver level at 25.

I'm gonna send you out a new decal.

ma'am please accept this decal

in honor and support of these fallen heroes.

First we call you

then we'll call you back

in about a week for New Jersey

SUE:

cook them all up.

it's the volunteer firemen,

then it's the fire chiefs.

SAM: We were getting handed scripts

And some of them just sounded like bootleg versions

Fucking the Children's Wish Foundation.

the Children's Wish Foundation.

like, the Cancer Fund started,

"Oh, man. We calling motherfuckers

with cancer and they not even gonna get half the shit?"

Yeah! Oh... (SIGHS)

Then we called for the Cancer Fund of America--

every bullshit organization

- ♪ (SONG FADES) ♪ - (INDISTINCT CHATTER)

they had like blueprints

They were trying to franchise

♪ (SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC PLAYING) ♪

and areas that didn't have any kind of industry.

Pretty much hopeless places.

TOM: We were doing a massive amount of business

And the next closest company to us

there was just no comparison.

(INSECTS CHIRPING)

TOM: Things at CDG really started changing.

"Hey, this is the list.

bro...

MATT: Motherfucker!

PATRICK: There's so much chaos. I OD'd on the sales floor!

"Pat, Pat, wake up. Can you stand?" "Yeah."

call. Make money. Come on.

your light's getting cut off.

and tell him you haven't been here.

Either make the sales or you're going back to jail."

They stopped calling us telemarketers.

we were professional management consultants.

You didn't have to mention you were calling on behalf.

You didn't have to mention the fact

"Uh, yeah. Hi, Mrs. Smith.

I'm calling on behalf of the New Jersey State

We wanted to take it to the point

"We are the New Jersey Fraternal Order of Police."

This actually happened in Florida.

That's where they started the experiment.

It wasn't called CDG.

It was called the Florida Highway Patrol

but we knew they were testing it out

MATT: We switched from CDG

like, a new login and file number

♪ (OMINOUS MUSIC PLAYING) ♪

but the consultant model was a fucking whole other level.

It was written right there in the rebuttals.

(CONTINUES READING PROMPT)

SAM:

well, as an NJ FOP employee,

of your donation does go directly to the organization."

- (TELEPHONE RINGING) - (OVERLAPPING CHATTER)

- SAM: No way. Are you serious? - Dude...

But we didn't really understand how they were doing it.

we didn't know if CDG had found

I was young and I'd get fired

And I had been trained. I had been conditioned.

the money goes directly

♪ (TENSE MUSIC PLAYING) ♪

PATRICK: (OVER CELL PHONE)

like, the extracurricular activities

so we gotta--

SAM: I'm doing journalism.

"Sam, I saw all the videos.

You gotta take them down. You gotta take the videos down from YouTube."

(INDISTINCT CHATTER)

(TELEMARKETERS CHEERING)

SAM: "Everyone says it's you with the camera.

you know, the rumor is spreading around,

I walked into CDG and the owner told me

"Yo, don't worry about it.

I'll feed you info from the inside."

And it gave me more time to dig into anything

And then I started going down the rabbit hole.

Sandy Ward said no.

That's when the threats began on her answering machine.

The company denied they made the call.

But now the Federal Trade Commission

going back to 1998.

CDG is telling consumers that 100 percent

of their donation is going directly to the charity.

80 to 90 percent of the donation

"Hey,

"I don't even know what you're talking about."

"Well, you know, there's all these rumors

and this lawsuit,

"All right,

Who's to say it's gonna end now?

♪ (TENSE MUSIC CONCLUDES) ♪

VOICEMAIL: You have reached the voicemail box of...

♪ (OMINOUS MUSIC PLAYING) ♪

- (TELEPHONES RINGING) - (OVERLAPPING CHATTER)

(TELEMARKETERS READING PROMPTS)

but when I hear the downfall of the company...

I... I can only attribute it to greed.

- (OVERLAPPING CHATTER) - (TELEPHONE RINGING)

TELEMARKETER: Hi... (READS PROMPT)

"Hey, listen,

no. They're like, "No, the whole thing's, like, shut--

man.

REPORTER: It's being called the biggest telemarketing scam

has been permanently shut down by the Federal Trade Commission.

I was shredding stuff in the office.

All of a sudden it's like these big white vans came.

like desks.

I fucking clapped.

REPORTER 1: CDG made 189 million calls

which implied that 100 percent of donations

would go to charity.

with CDG keeping nearly all the money for themselves.

REPORTER 2: The Federal Trade Commission sued

the company agreed to pay

REPORTER 3: No jail time is expected

David Keezer and Scott Pasch,

have been banned from telemarketing for life.

two Bentleys, a Range Rover, and an Escalade,

and a quarter of a million dollars

They told me this cat had a fucking house

and had a fucking boat that would go--

to go to the other house on the other end of the lake."

And he said he had to liquidate all his artwork.

Get the fuck outta here.

♪ (OMINOUS MUSIC FADES) ♪

(CAR HORN HONKING)

SAM: What's... (CHUCKLES) What's up?

uh...

♪ (SOFT MUSIC PLAYING) ♪

- The Han Hin. - SAM: Mm. (CHUCKLES)

PATRICK: This is the turn right here.

SAM: (CHUCKLING) The old CDG.

I have that "I'm going to work" feeling

this was nothing but a cash cow.

please donate to me. I need a new Corvette."

They didn't wanna share. They wanted--

They couldn't live with 90 percent of the money.

Do you think that fine meant anything?

The owner of this company had a band and they sucked.

ANNOUNCER: This is real.

This is J-Henry.

ANNOUNCER: This special exclusive TV offer

thinking it's going to the cops

and these clowns take that money

The thing that I don't understand

is how did they get away without going to jail?

if I ripped off all that money

I guess, you know,

SAM: I think Pat and I were resigned to the fact

that there was nothing left for us to investigate

and it was time to move on with our lives.

But then I got a call from Big Ed.

- ♪ (TENSE MUSIC PLAYING) ♪ - TELEMARKETER: ...and they take.

You know why?

they need medical attention.

Yeah. Hi. Is this Mr. Lee? Mr. Lee?

SAM: He'd gotten a job at a new call center

75.

Can you do the big one this year?

Can I at least get you involved with the ten-dollar pledge?

same scripts. Same callers.

please?

ED: One leg up. (FARTING)

people saw that the recipe was there

and other companies took it and ran with it.

SAM: He told me that he could get me hired there

And it sounded pretty good.

I kind of missed CDG to be honest.

(INAUDIBLE)

"Fuck that."

forget CDG. Forget this new spot.

Let's take down the entire industry."

♪ (SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC PLAYING) ♪

SAM: Pat and Sam. We're back together.

we got more to do yet, you know. - Yeah.

but right now,

New Jersey. - Yeah.

I thought it would be cool if we could maybe interview

some people that run the organizations...

you know. - Yeah.

SAM:

JEFF:

SAM:

(SIRENS CONTINUE BLARING)

♪ (TENSE MUSIC PLAYING) ♪

♪ (TENSE MUSIC CONCLUDES) ♪