1 00:00:03,500 --> 00:00:05,920 In this episode of American Greed. 2 00:00:06,540 --> 00:00:10,880 On an exclusive island, word spreads about a new arrival. 3 00:00:11,740 --> 00:00:15,120 Oh, there's like your highness or his highness. 4 00:00:15,760 --> 00:00:19,780 A Saudi prince has blessed Miami with his presence. 5 00:00:20,300 --> 00:00:24,220 He talked the part, he dressed the part, he drove the part. 6 00:00:24,840 --> 00:00:28,440 With a massive oil IPO looming. 7 00:00:29,210 --> 00:00:34,710 His Highness brings in more than $8 million by promising investors a share 8 00:00:34,710 --> 00:00:40,350 his unfathomable wealth. The idea that there was a Saudi prince in Miami, it 9 00:00:40,350 --> 00:00:42,330 whet the appetite of very many people. 10 00:00:43,650 --> 00:00:49,470 But despite the bling he shows off on Instagram... You know what it is? 11 00:00:50,130 --> 00:00:51,530 You know what it is? 12 00:00:53,350 --> 00:00:58,360 It turns out that this Saudi prince is just a... King of cons. 13 00:00:59,880 --> 00:01:02,960 He looked like an overweight Hispanic guy from South America. 14 00:01:03,400 --> 00:01:05,440 It just looked preposterous. 15 00:01:06,560 --> 00:01:10,000 Preposterous. So who is this royal scammer? 16 00:01:10,620 --> 00:01:13,980 And how does he pull off his princely scheme? 17 00:01:14,240 --> 00:01:19,680 There could be any number of reasons why people find him to be credible. But 18 00:01:19,680 --> 00:01:20,539 they do. 19 00:01:20,540 --> 00:01:23,520 And they do it again and again. It's really quite a job. 20 00:01:39,660 --> 00:01:45,140 Just off the causeway connecting downtown Miami to Miami Beach, there's a 21 00:01:45,140 --> 00:01:47,320 driveway few have ever seen. 22 00:01:47,860 --> 00:01:53,840 Here, cars board a ferry that crosses a narrow channel to an ultra -exclusive 23 00:01:53,840 --> 00:01:55,940 enclave called Fisher Island. 24 00:01:56,540 --> 00:01:58,460 Forget 90210. 25 00:01:59,000 --> 00:02:04,080 Fisher Island has an average salary of $669 ,000 a year. 26 00:02:05,739 --> 00:02:09,380 Making 33109 America's richest zip code. 27 00:02:09,919 --> 00:02:16,460 You've got Tom Cruise, Oprah Winfrey, you name it, they've got residents 28 00:02:17,400 --> 00:02:21,620 And you have to take a ferry to get there. And they leave on the half hour, 29 00:02:21,620 --> 00:02:24,940 there's a sense of exclusivity. 30 00:02:27,850 --> 00:02:34,450 In March 2017, a man in his late 40s takes the keys to his new penthouse home 31 00:02:34,450 --> 00:02:35,450 the island. 32 00:02:35,670 --> 00:02:40,770 When he does, he signs the papers as Khalid bin Sultan Al Saud. 33 00:02:41,550 --> 00:02:45,930 He shares a last name with members of Saudi Arabia's ruling family. 34 00:02:46,170 --> 00:02:49,890 And to those who catch a glimpse, he looks the part. 35 00:02:50,970 --> 00:02:52,750 He's got the, you know... 36 00:02:53,080 --> 00:02:57,240 Rolexes, he's got the elaborate jewelry, the Cartier bracelet. 37 00:02:57,660 --> 00:03:03,660 He had all the high -end luxury vehicles, Bentleys, Ferraris, Rolls 38 00:03:05,020 --> 00:03:10,580 When he hits the streets, the prince is accompanied by a bodyguard with a badge 39 00:03:10,580 --> 00:03:13,600 that reads Diplomatic Security Service. 40 00:03:13,880 --> 00:03:17,000 And his cars are adorned with diplomatic plates. 41 00:03:20,040 --> 00:03:25,280 Among those the prince meets in Miami is Hall of Fame sportscaster Leslie 42 00:03:25,280 --> 00:03:31,440 Bisser. He would dress in the flowing linen, always looked like the latest. He 43 00:03:31,440 --> 00:03:36,640 wore the latest Gucci fur slippers, which I had to go home and Google. I 44 00:03:36,660 --> 00:03:38,460 I'd never seen anything like that. 45 00:03:39,220 --> 00:03:44,600 And, of course, he had that ridiculous necklace for Foxy, which was diamond 46 00:03:44,600 --> 00:03:47,700 -encrusted like, you know, Elizabeth Taylor used to wear. 47 00:03:48,680 --> 00:03:53,700 Though Visser has spent her life around the good and the great, the prince 48 00:03:53,700 --> 00:03:59,760 impresses her with various stories about his royal upbringing and deep pockets. 49 00:04:00,260 --> 00:04:05,680 I remember once my husband Bob asked him which one of the king's wives was his 50 00:04:05,680 --> 00:04:08,080 mother, and he said, oh, the good one. 51 00:04:09,840 --> 00:04:15,140 And he just didn't doubt him. You know, he talked the part, he dressed the part, 52 00:04:15,340 --> 00:04:16,920 he drove the part. 53 00:04:17,680 --> 00:04:20,300 So we said, wow, that's really interesting. 54 00:04:22,260 --> 00:04:27,040 Soon, Fisher Island's residents are whispering about the enclave's newest 55 00:04:27,040 --> 00:04:28,040 arrival. 56 00:04:28,460 --> 00:04:31,840 Oh, there's like your highness or his highness. 57 00:04:32,060 --> 00:04:36,440 People from Fisher Island didn't know how to respond, you know, and so he'd 58 00:04:36,440 --> 00:04:39,330 one of... People in this group are like, well, you know, you can just bow a 59 00:04:39,330 --> 00:04:43,610 little bit. And, you know, he is a prince after all. And people are like, 60 00:04:43,770 --> 00:04:45,810 I guess I will do that. 61 00:04:47,870 --> 00:04:51,850 The prince isn't just making his presence known to his neighbors. 62 00:04:52,750 --> 00:04:57,490 His Instagram is an ostentatious catalog of his royal wealth. 63 00:04:58,630 --> 00:05:04,090 You know what it is? We shut the pools down so that a boss can slam in private. 64 00:05:04,670 --> 00:05:05,910 Yeah, you know what it is? 65 00:05:06,990 --> 00:05:07,990 Presidential suite. 66 00:05:08,670 --> 00:05:10,930 Tell him, Toxie, what a new bathroom looks like. 67 00:05:12,150 --> 00:05:13,830 $300 ,000 bathroom. 68 00:05:14,970 --> 00:05:20,330 For anyone considering doing business with him, it's ready proof that he's a 69 00:05:20,330 --> 00:05:22,790 who knows how to make big money. 70 00:05:23,430 --> 00:05:26,190 Like at first glance, if you were looking at it, you would just think, oh, 71 00:05:26,190 --> 00:05:29,910 is another one of these just, I call them peacocks, you know, who's just 72 00:05:29,910 --> 00:05:31,210 off his life on Instagram. 73 00:05:31,510 --> 00:05:34,050 You know, the beautiful life, you know, the sweet life. 74 00:05:35,080 --> 00:05:41,320 But the great thing about the Instagram account is he loves his dog. And he has 75 00:05:41,320 --> 00:05:43,260 this dog named Foxy. 76 00:05:43,880 --> 00:05:47,640 And he treats Foxy like a queen. 77 00:05:48,040 --> 00:05:49,720 Show them your new bed, Foxy. 78 00:05:50,260 --> 00:05:52,900 57 Cadillac. Nice display. 79 00:05:53,660 --> 00:05:55,660 Says spoiled. 80 00:05:57,380 --> 00:06:01,440 But Foxy isn't the only royal pictured here. 81 00:06:02,160 --> 00:06:08,000 There are also photos of Saudi Arabia's ruling family with captions like fam and 82 00:06:08,000 --> 00:06:14,900 uncle. If this man, Prince Al -Waleed bin Talal, truly is the prince's uncle, 83 00:06:15,100 --> 00:06:17,020 he's not a bad relative to have. 84 00:06:18,460 --> 00:06:24,740 According to a 2001 CNBC report, Al -Waleed has an Airbus A340, 85 00:06:24,980 --> 00:06:27,100 a Boeing 767, 86 00:06:28,060 --> 00:06:31,820 and a 283 -foot yacht once owned by Donald Trump. 87 00:06:33,300 --> 00:06:35,700 Then there's his house. 88 00:06:36,220 --> 00:06:42,640 Quaint it isn't. Its 317 rooms include 18 sitting rooms, 15 89 00:06:42,640 --> 00:06:49,480 dining rooms, 10 bedrooms, 16 pantries, and one dozen elevators. The 90 00:06:49,480 --> 00:06:53,820 garage is big, too. It has to be to accommodate the prince's hundreds of 91 00:06:54,460 --> 00:06:55,740 There's the obligatory rolls. 92 00:06:55,980 --> 00:06:57,760 And, of course, the Batmobile. 93 00:06:59,360 --> 00:07:04,340 With a combined wealth in the trillions, there are two things most Americans 94 00:07:04,340 --> 00:07:06,160 know about the Saudi royal family. 95 00:07:06,840 --> 00:07:09,920 One, they're rich beyond imagination. 96 00:07:10,400 --> 00:07:13,960 And two, their money comes from oil. 97 00:07:14,420 --> 00:07:19,860 For decades, the kingdom's wealth has been intertwined with the Saudi Arabian 98 00:07:19,860 --> 00:07:22,300 Oil Company, or Aramco. 99 00:07:23,160 --> 00:07:27,880 We have no official evaluation of what the company's worth because it's 100 00:07:27,880 --> 00:07:31,540 privately held, but it's estimated to be in the trillions. 101 00:07:31,820 --> 00:07:37,920 We've talked about their IPO. In 2016, word begins to spread that Aramco is 102 00:07:37,920 --> 00:07:38,920 going public. 103 00:07:39,760 --> 00:07:44,080 Plus, we'll bring you an update on the timing for the world's largest ever IPO, 104 00:07:44,420 --> 00:07:46,380 Saudi Aramco, a giant. 105 00:07:46,660 --> 00:07:49,720 They knew comments out this morning from the Saudi crown prince. He says the 106 00:07:49,720 --> 00:07:53,700 Aramco IPO will still take place next year. And the valuation of the company 107 00:07:53,700 --> 00:07:55,380 could top $2 trillion. 108 00:07:57,100 --> 00:08:01,480 It was definitely all over the news. And people were trying to get in on the 109 00:08:01,480 --> 00:08:05,460 preferred stock. People were trying to angle to get as much stock as they 110 00:08:06,849 --> 00:08:11,290 Following the announcement, the new arrival on Fisher Island begins offering 111 00:08:11,290 --> 00:08:14,130 investors a way to share in the wealth. 112 00:08:14,550 --> 00:08:18,570 He's claiming that he owns a percentage of Saudi Aramco. 113 00:08:18,810 --> 00:08:25,550 And he tells people, I'm going to sell you a percentage of my ownership in 114 00:08:25,550 --> 00:08:32,350 Aramco. And then when it goes public, you're going to make five times 115 00:08:32,350 --> 00:08:33,350 the amount of your money. 116 00:08:34,570 --> 00:08:39,150 With such a potential upside, there are plenty of people willing to hear out 117 00:08:39,150 --> 00:08:40,830 Miami's Saudi prince. 118 00:08:41,350 --> 00:08:47,390 There's no shortage of U .S., British, foreign investors and business folks 119 00:08:47,390 --> 00:08:50,170 want to do business with the royal family. 120 00:08:50,470 --> 00:08:54,990 Who doesn't want to at least hear what a person has to say that has all these 121 00:08:54,990 --> 00:08:59,170 things at their disposal and is selling a good deal to me. 122 00:09:00,950 --> 00:09:02,550 Next on American Greed. 123 00:09:04,010 --> 00:09:09,750 The prince's multimillion -dollar scheme starts not in a Saudi oil field, but in 124 00:09:09,750 --> 00:09:11,050 small -town Michigan. 125 00:09:12,270 --> 00:09:15,250 He claimed that Dom DeLuise was his father. 126 00:09:15,710 --> 00:09:19,850 And so the lies just got bigger and bigger and bigger as he grew up. 127 00:09:35,560 --> 00:09:41,460 Whether it's on the hot streets of Miami or somewhere else altogether, 128 00:09:41,840 --> 00:09:46,880 it's hard to forget a first encounter with the man who calls himself Prince 129 00:09:46,880 --> 00:09:48,940 Khalid bin Al Saud. 130 00:09:50,720 --> 00:09:54,920 I met him when I was sitting in a bar there in Eaton Rapids. 131 00:09:55,440 --> 00:09:59,600 Eaton Rapids is a very small town, and it's rural country. 132 00:10:00,340 --> 00:10:04,100 Here he walks in wearing a very long... 133 00:10:04,650 --> 00:10:11,150 white fur coat and he has a haircut that's kind of like a bowl over his head 134 00:10:11,150 --> 00:10:17,990 and he's got a lot of bling on and he's got long acrylic nails and he's 135 00:10:17,990 --> 00:10:24,470 quite flamboyant and everybody in that place just stopped and looked like oh my 136 00:10:24,470 --> 00:10:30,090 god what do we have here and what they have is not a saudi prince 137 00:10:31,470 --> 00:10:34,950 It's a Colombian orphan named Anthony Gignac. 138 00:10:38,130 --> 00:10:43,410 Lisa Whitehead was once partners with Gignac's adoptive mother, a Michigan 139 00:10:43,410 --> 00:10:46,330 who's now deceased, named Nancy. 140 00:10:47,690 --> 00:10:53,670 In 1977, Nancy and her then -husband adopted Anthony and his brother from 141 00:10:53,670 --> 00:10:54,670 Bogota, Colombia. 142 00:10:57,580 --> 00:11:01,860 They brought them to live in a nice middle -class home in Plymouth Township, 143 00:11:01,960 --> 00:11:02,960 Michigan. 144 00:11:03,040 --> 00:11:08,380 Gignac will later say his pre -adoption days in Bogota were filled with 145 00:11:08,380 --> 00:11:13,880 hardship. And Whitehead says Nancy tells stories about Anthony and his brother 146 00:11:13,880 --> 00:11:15,360 that backed this up. 147 00:11:15,620 --> 00:11:20,900 I remember her saying that they would eat and they would stuff food in their 148 00:11:20,900 --> 00:11:25,480 mouth, like a chipmunk, and because they... 149 00:11:25,980 --> 00:11:28,800 had gotten used to not knowing when they were going to get their next food. 150 00:11:29,300 --> 00:11:34,540 So they could see things like that that were kind of reminders that they had had 151 00:11:34,540 --> 00:11:36,700 it pretty rough up until that point. 152 00:11:38,680 --> 00:11:43,940 Having come from nothing, Gignac begins at an early age to claim he's really 153 00:11:43,940 --> 00:11:44,940 quite something. 154 00:11:45,700 --> 00:11:51,200 In first grade, he tells a teacher his family owns the fabulous Grand Mackinac 155 00:11:51,200 --> 00:11:52,580 Hotel in northern Michigan. 156 00:11:53,520 --> 00:11:57,400 The next year, he claims to be the son of actor Dom DeLuise. 157 00:11:58,780 --> 00:12:04,580 A mental health professional, Whitehead says Gignac was obsessed with wealth. 158 00:12:06,040 --> 00:12:11,620 I think that he's a perfect example of what happens when you have early 159 00:12:11,620 --> 00:12:12,680 childhood trauma. 160 00:12:13,800 --> 00:12:20,180 He could figure out from his early life in Colombia that if you have... 161 00:12:20,760 --> 00:12:24,580 Money, you have power, and if you have money and power, then you have safety 162 00:12:24,580 --> 00:12:31,080 respect. And I think that he will do what he needs to do in order to get it. 163 00:12:33,020 --> 00:12:38,560 In the 1970s and 80s, few people in the world better represented the nexus of 164 00:12:38,560 --> 00:12:42,840 wealth and power than a businessman named Adnan Khashoggi. 165 00:12:43,560 --> 00:12:47,660 While Khashoggi got his start in California, the real basis for his 166 00:12:47,660 --> 00:12:48,660 in Saudi Arabia. 167 00:12:49,900 --> 00:12:54,900 Serving as the president of the Triad Holding Company, Khashoggi became a mega 168 00:12:54,900 --> 00:12:58,500 -rich Saudi arms dealer and a deal -maker. 169 00:12:59,140 --> 00:13:03,180 Khashoggi, who has no diplomatic status, does not have to go through customs. 170 00:13:03,780 --> 00:13:05,440 His wealth is his free pass. 171 00:13:07,240 --> 00:13:10,660 Officials of the Sudan were waiting to meet him, as someone is waiting to meet 172 00:13:10,660 --> 00:13:11,740 him everywhere he goes. 173 00:13:12,160 --> 00:13:16,720 After all, Triad means a whole lot of money, and people with a whole lot of 174 00:13:16,720 --> 00:13:18,100 money get a whole lot of respect. 175 00:13:19,700 --> 00:13:24,740 Khashoggi is a real -life walking, talking episode of Lifestyles of the 176 00:13:24,740 --> 00:13:25,740 Famous. 177 00:13:26,760 --> 00:13:32,540 And in Michigan, a boy who once lived on the streets of Columbia seems to take 178 00:13:32,540 --> 00:13:33,540 notice. 179 00:13:33,980 --> 00:13:39,120 In early 1988, police receive a report that Gignac has been cruising around 180 00:13:39,120 --> 00:13:44,260 Detroit in a limo, living it up on a stolen credit card belonging to his 181 00:13:44,260 --> 00:13:45,260 friend's father. 182 00:13:46,240 --> 00:13:51,420 At the same time, Ann Arbor police also learned Gignac's been pretending to be 183 00:13:51,420 --> 00:13:56,020 someone he's not, a Saudi prince with a familiar name. 184 00:13:57,180 --> 00:14:02,360 He used the name Adnan Khashoggi, so it was obvious he was reading and paying 185 00:14:02,360 --> 00:14:06,000 attention to what was going on and thought he could live that lifestyle. 186 00:14:06,000 --> 00:14:07,340 why he chose the name, is what he said. 187 00:14:08,560 --> 00:14:13,440 According to police reports, Gignac scams a stay at a University of Michigan 188 00:14:13,440 --> 00:14:17,060 fraternity house, claiming to be Prince Khashoggi. 189 00:14:17,550 --> 00:14:19,190 Sole heir to the Saudi throne. 190 00:14:20,330 --> 00:14:24,810 People liked this idea. They wanted to entertain the Saudi prince. It was 191 00:14:24,810 --> 00:14:28,170 something that they felt like they could get something out of it. 192 00:14:29,090 --> 00:14:31,810 The scheme worked, at first. 193 00:14:32,830 --> 00:14:38,530 But soon, records say, Western Union calls a fraternity member asking if he 194 00:14:38,530 --> 00:14:43,510 authorized a charge of $125 to someone named Anthony Gignac. 195 00:14:44,210 --> 00:14:46,330 He says he did not. 196 00:14:48,080 --> 00:14:53,600 Then, reports say, the prince begins enjoying himself a little too much, and 197 00:14:53,600 --> 00:14:54,920 questions arise. 198 00:14:55,620 --> 00:14:59,360 He was a Saudi and a devout Arab Muslim. 199 00:14:59,880 --> 00:15:02,820 Why was he drinking? Why was he partying like this? 200 00:15:03,180 --> 00:15:09,080 And they weren't, maybe as he's letting loose, but then again, is he really? So 201 00:15:09,080 --> 00:15:11,360 that kind of made him even more suspicious. 202 00:15:12,480 --> 00:15:18,980 Eventually, Gignac is arrested, and Judge Kirk Tabby, then a prosecutor, 203 00:15:18,980 --> 00:15:23,520 to the budding criminal and notices a glint in his eye. 204 00:15:23,920 --> 00:15:28,500 He was very fascinated that he was able to do this so easily. 205 00:15:28,740 --> 00:15:35,620 It was as if he had found a way to survive or a way to live that was so 206 00:15:35,620 --> 00:15:39,820 to him, and he knew that he could get things. 207 00:15:40,350 --> 00:15:44,210 and flash it and show people, I can be wealthy, I'm good at this. 208 00:15:44,710 --> 00:15:48,910 He thought flaunting money and showing all of that was the way to go for him. 209 00:15:50,290 --> 00:15:52,430 And he's not about to stop. 210 00:15:53,630 --> 00:15:57,910 He kind of devoted his whole life, since his teen years, to just pretending to 211 00:15:57,910 --> 00:15:58,910 be somebody else. 212 00:15:59,830 --> 00:16:04,670 Why? Your guess is as good as mine. Why does anybody pretend to be somebody 213 00:16:04,670 --> 00:16:05,710 other than who they are? 214 00:16:05,970 --> 00:16:08,010 I guess to run away from who they are. 215 00:16:09,580 --> 00:16:15,080 After being released on bond in his Ann Arbor case, Gignac flees to California. 216 00:16:16,940 --> 00:16:21,960 There, he begins running a series of royal scams that will come to define his 217 00:16:21,960 --> 00:16:22,960 life. 218 00:16:23,140 --> 00:16:29,500 Over the years, he poses as a variety of Saudi princes to get what he wants, but 219 00:16:29,500 --> 00:16:34,880 settles on the name Prince Khalid bin al -Saud, using it in a series of 220 00:16:34,880 --> 00:16:36,380 escalating frauds. 221 00:16:37,240 --> 00:16:40,580 Really, his MO was to go into these hotels, these fine hotels. 222 00:16:41,480 --> 00:16:43,100 He would tell them he was a prince. 223 00:16:43,580 --> 00:16:48,580 He would run up astronomical charge, staying in the best rooms that they had. 224 00:16:49,400 --> 00:16:51,000 He's ordering limos. 225 00:16:51,580 --> 00:16:54,120 He's shopping at the finest places around. 226 00:16:54,740 --> 00:16:59,660 But whatever credit card he gave them was either tapped out already on its 227 00:16:59,660 --> 00:17:03,900 credit limit or it was a fraudulent credit card. 228 00:17:04,500 --> 00:17:05,619 And then eventually... 229 00:17:06,160 --> 00:17:07,160 The cops are called. 230 00:17:07,660 --> 00:17:11,579 That really was his game for a good 20 years. 231 00:17:13,720 --> 00:17:18,760 Dubbed the Prince of Fraud by the L .A. Times, Gignac develops a loud 232 00:17:18,760 --> 00:17:21,599 confrontational style that seems to work. 233 00:17:22,079 --> 00:17:26,119 Nobody would really believe that if you were faking this, you would come in and 234 00:17:26,119 --> 00:17:29,900 draw that much attention to yourself and scream and yell. 235 00:17:30,180 --> 00:17:31,680 He was very audacious. 236 00:17:32,190 --> 00:17:36,730 He was very bold and he was very aggressive. Because it's so bold and 237 00:17:36,730 --> 00:17:39,990 what you normally would expect a con man to do, it's probably why it worked. 238 00:17:41,530 --> 00:17:46,550 Gignac's con is good enough to overcome some pretty obvious shortcomings. 239 00:17:46,750 --> 00:17:50,730 He looked like an overweight Hispanic guy from South America or Latin America. 240 00:17:50,990 --> 00:17:53,150 It just looked preposterous. 241 00:17:54,170 --> 00:17:57,190 Preposterous, because nobody looks like this in the Saudi kingdom. 242 00:17:57,530 --> 00:17:59,790 I mean, was he swarthy? Was he darker skin? 243 00:18:00,070 --> 00:18:05,030 Yes. But did he have that appearance, you know, of being from Saudi Arabia? 244 00:18:05,550 --> 00:18:06,590 Absolutely not. 245 00:18:07,750 --> 00:18:12,690 So why then do so many people fall for Gignac's princely con? 246 00:18:13,850 --> 00:18:18,770 Perhaps there's an incentive to believe him if someone believes they're going to 247 00:18:18,770 --> 00:18:19,770 get something out of it. 248 00:18:20,030 --> 00:18:25,270 Or a fascination with royalty. There could be any number of reasons why 249 00:18:25,270 --> 00:18:28,180 people... find him to be credible, but they do. 250 00:18:28,460 --> 00:18:31,520 And they do it again and again. It's really quite astounding. 251 00:18:34,420 --> 00:18:40,660 Next on American Greed, an exclusive tape shows Anthony Gignac spending a 252 00:18:40,660 --> 00:18:42,200 -million dollar lie. 253 00:18:43,040 --> 00:18:45,040 When I get out, you know, I'm going to buy another Ferrari. 254 00:18:45,300 --> 00:18:46,179 Yeah, you are. 255 00:18:46,180 --> 00:18:48,160 And you're going to go into another Neiman Marcus. No. 256 00:18:48,440 --> 00:18:49,379 Yes, you are. 257 00:18:49,380 --> 00:18:50,880 You might go to the back. 258 00:19:03,500 --> 00:19:09,920 In December 2002, Anthony Gignac is fresh out of jail from a princely scheme 259 00:19:09,920 --> 00:19:13,520 Florida when he decides to go shopping. 260 00:19:15,140 --> 00:19:20,980 Once again posing as Prince Khalid bin Al Saud, he takes a trip to a mall 261 00:19:20,980 --> 00:19:22,200 outside Troy, Michigan. 262 00:19:22,920 --> 00:19:28,300 Here, he visits a Saks Fifth Avenue and a Neiman Marcus where he is caught on a 263 00:19:28,300 --> 00:19:29,660 store security camera. 264 00:19:31,250 --> 00:19:37,190 Gignac will later admit he charges more than $13 ,000 to an account at Neiman 265 00:19:37,190 --> 00:19:41,710 Marcus belonging to a real Saudi prince named Khalid. 266 00:19:42,810 --> 00:19:46,970 That was something I was never able to figure out, how he was able to acquire 267 00:19:46,970 --> 00:19:50,550 the number, whether it was force of personality. The reports in our case 268 00:19:50,550 --> 00:19:54,750 indicated that he had a passport of some sort identifying himself as Khalid bin 269 00:19:54,750 --> 00:19:58,230 Al Thad. I never saw the passport. It was never recovered by the police. 270 00:19:58,840 --> 00:20:02,080 So it was a little bit mystifying for me how he was able to do it. 271 00:20:04,420 --> 00:20:09,220 Eventually, Neiman Marcus' employees become suspicious and decide to call 272 00:20:09,220 --> 00:20:10,220 corporate headquarters. 273 00:20:11,540 --> 00:20:15,860 The chief fraud investigator basically said, you know, that's Anthony Gignac. 274 00:20:15,860 --> 00:20:19,140 knew immediately that it was Gignac and what the scam was. And he was on a 275 00:20:19,140 --> 00:20:22,340 minute call to police, get this guy arrested. He's Anthony Gignac. It's not 276 00:20:22,340 --> 00:20:23,340 prince. 277 00:20:25,230 --> 00:20:32,230 On January 3rd, 2003, Gignac returns to the mall and is fitted for handcuffs. 278 00:20:33,270 --> 00:20:38,570 A few months later, he sits in an interrogation room across from Jerry 279 00:20:38,690 --> 00:20:41,210 then a prosecutor in Oakland County, Michigan. 280 00:20:42,350 --> 00:20:48,450 In this exclusive video, the so -called prince claims that this is no scam. 281 00:20:49,190 --> 00:20:51,990 He says he actually knows the Saudis. 282 00:20:52,360 --> 00:20:55,080 And what he's done, he's done with their approval. 283 00:21:06,920 --> 00:21:12,000 Gignac boldly says the relationship began after he had a homosexual 284 00:21:12,000 --> 00:21:14,080 with the real Saudi prince. 285 00:21:14,520 --> 00:21:19,760 He claims the family has been supporting him ever since to buy his silence. 286 00:21:20,320 --> 00:21:23,060 They found out that I was having a homosexual affair with them, they cut 287 00:21:23,060 --> 00:21:24,200 heads off. Yeah, well. 288 00:21:25,120 --> 00:21:26,800 Or storm or throw them off a building. 289 00:21:27,080 --> 00:21:31,500 No, it depends on if there's some... No, the Sharia says... 290 00:21:31,500 --> 00:21:36,780 Means 291 00:21:36,780 --> 00:21:42,700 if you see me in the practice of homosexuality, throw them from the 292 00:21:42,700 --> 00:21:45,900 building or the highest wall or have a wall fall upon them. 293 00:21:48,150 --> 00:21:53,050 Gignac claims the Saudis created a hush money trust fund worth millions for him 294 00:21:53,050 --> 00:21:58,730 and says there are other perks too, including the ability to run up charges 295 00:21:58,730 --> 00:22:00,090 certain luxury store. 296 00:22:05,570 --> 00:22:06,130 Why 297 00:22:06,130 --> 00:22:13,090 did he 298 00:22:13,090 --> 00:22:15,710 have to tell you you can do this if you have this trust fund with all this 299 00:22:15,710 --> 00:22:16,710 money? 300 00:22:17,370 --> 00:22:22,410 Gignac has official -looking legal documents attesting to the existence of 301 00:22:22,410 --> 00:22:27,330 trust fund. But federal prosecutors will later say he uses papers like these to 302 00:22:27,330 --> 00:22:28,330 further his fraud. 303 00:22:29,030 --> 00:22:32,810 And Gleason isn't buying the former orphan's story. 304 00:22:33,590 --> 00:22:37,730 I've also dealt with the princes and the royal family's lawyers in Washington. 305 00:22:38,390 --> 00:22:42,030 I know that there is no trust fund. I know that there's been no negotiations. 306 00:22:43,200 --> 00:22:49,260 During their chat, Gleason and Gignac begin to discuss next steps and what a 307 00:22:49,260 --> 00:22:50,680 trial might look like. 308 00:22:51,240 --> 00:22:55,240 Realistically, you're going to try and portray me that I'm a huge con man and 309 00:22:55,240 --> 00:22:57,020 that you want to use all my criminal history. 310 00:22:57,440 --> 00:22:58,860 But you are a huge con man. 311 00:22:59,600 --> 00:23:06,260 You are a huge con man. You are a huge con man. You're doing well, okay? 312 00:23:06,380 --> 00:23:09,500 I know it's a Gleason, but let me say, I want a deal. 313 00:23:11,240 --> 00:23:12,240 He gets one. 314 00:23:13,040 --> 00:23:18,420 In May 2004, Gignac pleads guilty to six counts of using the real Prince's 315 00:23:18,420 --> 00:23:20,920 Neiman Marcus account without his permission. 316 00:23:22,440 --> 00:23:28,720 A judge sentences him to spend between 34 months and 15 years in state prison. 317 00:23:29,080 --> 00:23:31,600 But his troubles are just beginning. 318 00:23:32,660 --> 00:23:37,920 Back when he was first arrested in Troy, court records say Gignac made some very 319 00:23:37,920 --> 00:23:42,140 bold statements about his status as a prince living in America. 320 00:23:42,880 --> 00:23:47,960 He claimed that he had diplomatic immunity and he was immune from 321 00:23:48,580 --> 00:23:54,360 As a result of that claim, the Troy Police Department contacted federal 322 00:23:54,360 --> 00:23:58,840 authorities and the State Department sent this agent to go and investigate. 323 00:24:00,580 --> 00:24:05,820 According to a memo provided to American Greed, A State Department Diplomatic 324 00:24:05,820 --> 00:24:11,120 Security Service agent interviews Gignac and hears the same story about his 325 00:24:11,120 --> 00:24:14,980 alleged royal love affair and so -called trust fund. 326 00:24:16,940 --> 00:24:22,260 When the feds begin an investigation, an assistant to the Saudi ambassador tells 327 00:24:22,260 --> 00:24:28,140 them that Gignac was not a member of the royal family nor associated in any way 328 00:24:28,140 --> 00:24:29,680 with the Saudi royal family. 329 00:24:31,050 --> 00:24:35,130 I believe that what turned out to be true is that his name was Anthony 330 00:24:37,230 --> 00:24:42,230 After serving 20 months on the state charges from the Troy incident, Gignac 331 00:24:42,230 --> 00:24:46,530 pleads guilty in federal court to a count of impersonating a foreign 332 00:24:46,530 --> 00:24:52,030 and another count of attempted bank fraud related to a scheme he tried while 333 00:24:52,030 --> 00:24:53,030 locked up. 334 00:24:53,310 --> 00:24:58,230 But this is not the last time authorities will hear from Prince 335 00:25:00,399 --> 00:25:01,800 Next on American Greed. 336 00:25:03,020 --> 00:25:08,500 After a lifetime of schemes, Anthony Gignac launches his most ambitious 337 00:25:08,500 --> 00:25:14,180 yet. All you got to do is give me X amount of money and I'll triple it for 338 00:25:14,180 --> 00:25:17,040 in no time. And that's the game. That's the end game there. 339 00:25:31,080 --> 00:25:35,840 After serving state and federal time on charges related to the incident at the 340 00:25:35,840 --> 00:25:39,740 mall in Troy, Michigan, Anthony Gignac is a free man. 341 00:25:40,420 --> 00:25:46,240 According to the government, shortly after his release in March 2015, his 342 00:25:46,240 --> 00:25:48,660 highness gets right back to business. 343 00:25:49,260 --> 00:25:53,700 And he's no longer content with the minor scores of his past. 344 00:25:54,440 --> 00:25:58,740 He's running all these petty scams, $10 ,000, $15 ,000, $20 ,000. 345 00:25:59,610 --> 00:26:03,070 And when he gets to Miami, he takes a giant jump. 346 00:26:03,710 --> 00:26:07,150 Now we're talking millions and millions and millions of dollars. 347 00:26:07,470 --> 00:26:14,370 This was the end -all, be -all, to go after this as aggressively and as quick 348 00:26:14,370 --> 00:26:18,750 he could to defraud as many people and innocent victims as possible. 349 00:26:20,110 --> 00:26:25,510 As he gets his operation going, Gignac seems to have learned an important 350 00:26:25,510 --> 00:26:27,810 from his past royal schemes. 351 00:26:28,840 --> 00:26:34,020 Anthony Gignac was smart enough to realize that if he was too accessible, 352 00:26:34,020 --> 00:26:35,480 couldn't possibly be a Saudi prince. 353 00:26:35,800 --> 00:26:41,020 And how he protects that is by limiting his interaction with his victims. 354 00:26:41,720 --> 00:26:45,520 Some people never even physically met him, but they talked to him on the phone 355 00:26:45,520 --> 00:26:46,740 or texted with him. 356 00:26:47,760 --> 00:26:52,800 Obviously, it seems to lend credence to his image that I'm someone important, I 357 00:26:52,800 --> 00:26:55,520 have people to do things for me, but it's also just so that he doesn't get 358 00:26:55,520 --> 00:26:57,100 called out on things that he doesn't know anything about. 359 00:26:58,540 --> 00:27:04,060 If he is going to hang in the shadows, Gignac needs others to help him make 360 00:27:04,060 --> 00:27:06,120 connections and talk up the prince. 361 00:27:07,280 --> 00:27:13,140 Soon after his release in 2015, he uses LinkedIn to connect with an Englishman 362 00:27:13,140 --> 00:27:17,360 living in North Carolina named Carl Martin Williamson. 363 00:27:18,280 --> 00:27:24,340 It's kind of unclear on who contacted who first, but somewhere along there, 364 00:27:24,500 --> 00:27:27,640 they eventually figure out together. 365 00:27:28,520 --> 00:27:30,340 that they're going to do this con. 366 00:27:32,580 --> 00:27:38,040 In late 2015, Williamson travels to London, where he meets with a well 367 00:27:38,040 --> 00:27:39,640 -established investment banker. 368 00:27:40,620 --> 00:27:45,800 Williamson says he's working for a Saudi prince and claims they're looking for a 369 00:27:45,800 --> 00:27:47,900 project in which His Highness can invest. 370 00:27:48,660 --> 00:27:52,700 After being shown bank documents and a Saudi family tree, 371 00:27:53,470 --> 00:27:58,490 The English banker says she agrees to help the prince find projects seeking 372 00:27:58,490 --> 00:28:02,550 capital. It is the most incredible part of the story because if he doesn't con 373 00:28:02,550 --> 00:28:09,310 this UK investment banker, then he 374 00:28:09,310 --> 00:28:11,230 doesn't get anything else from this point on. 375 00:28:12,290 --> 00:28:17,230 Anthony Gignac now really starts to see that he can make as much money as he 376 00:28:17,230 --> 00:28:18,230 possibly wants. 377 00:28:19,760 --> 00:28:24,860 The banker in England is never charged with any wrongdoing and says she was 378 00:28:24,860 --> 00:28:29,720 duped. Along with Williamson, she brings in business people from around the 379 00:28:29,720 --> 00:28:35,600 world who are led to believe the prince is going to invest his fortune in their 380 00:28:35,600 --> 00:28:36,600 projects. 381 00:28:37,020 --> 00:28:41,040 And Mr. Gignac would read the Wall Street Journal every single day when he 382 00:28:41,040 --> 00:28:41,819 in prison. 383 00:28:41,820 --> 00:28:46,020 So he was familiar with business practices. He knew what buttons to push 384 00:28:46,020 --> 00:28:47,980 successful businessmen and women. 385 00:28:48,570 --> 00:28:52,710 And he was able to sell that image in persona after 20 or 30 years of 386 00:28:52,710 --> 00:28:53,810 people throughout the world. 387 00:28:55,590 --> 00:29:00,170 Though they think they found an angel investor, the prince's money for their 388 00:29:00,170 --> 00:29:01,690 project never comes through. 389 00:29:02,270 --> 00:29:07,010 He does, however, offer to let them in on something even more lucrative. 390 00:29:07,390 --> 00:29:11,250 Because of our relationship, because I trust you now with this, you know, back 391 00:29:11,250 --> 00:29:14,510 and forth that may or may not work out, I'm willing to cut you in on this other 392 00:29:14,510 --> 00:29:16,730 thing. All you got to do is give me. 393 00:29:17,400 --> 00:29:21,580 X amount of money, and I'll triple it for you in no time. And that's the game. 394 00:29:21,700 --> 00:29:22,700 That's the end game there. 395 00:29:23,800 --> 00:29:30,620 At first, Gignac pitches investment in a fuel trading platform promising 14 .5 396 00:29:30,620 --> 00:29:31,620 % returns. 397 00:29:32,980 --> 00:29:37,900 Then there's his scheme offering pre -IPO shares of Saudi Aramco. 398 00:29:38,860 --> 00:29:43,740 The idea that you could buy a good portion of that company, which is valued 399 00:29:43,740 --> 00:29:45,320 $2 trillion at a discounted rate. 400 00:29:46,070 --> 00:29:49,890 An outstanding return of investment is something that lured a lot of people to 401 00:29:49,890 --> 00:29:50,890 Mr. Gignac. 402 00:29:52,270 --> 00:29:58,210 If it seems too good to be true, Gignac has plenty of answers and even forms of 403 00:29:58,210 --> 00:30:03,310 proof. He did have documents, and it was more than just throwaway documents that 404 00:30:03,310 --> 00:30:04,870 you can just get on the street, right? 405 00:30:05,610 --> 00:30:08,530 He knew the names of... 406 00:30:08,780 --> 00:30:12,480 attorneys and firms, and he knew what he needed to put on these documents to 407 00:30:12,480 --> 00:30:15,040 give them credibility, and he would just fabricate them completely. 408 00:30:17,220 --> 00:30:23,700 By 2017, Gignac is living on Fisher Island, having fully assumed the role 409 00:30:23,700 --> 00:30:25,720 been playing all his adult life. 410 00:30:26,420 --> 00:30:29,000 He would wear Saudi clothing. 411 00:30:29,700 --> 00:30:31,960 He would wear a thobe, which is white. 412 00:30:32,800 --> 00:30:37,540 cloth that goes from the neck down to the feet. He would also wear the 413 00:30:37,540 --> 00:30:41,780 headdress, which is a smog or a keffiyeh. There's different variations 414 00:30:43,260 --> 00:30:47,100 He's got diplomatic license plate and he's driving openly, right? Like he's 415 00:30:47,100 --> 00:30:50,660 just hiding it like only when it's parked, like he is leaving the island 416 00:30:50,660 --> 00:30:51,639 these tags on. 417 00:30:51,640 --> 00:30:57,660 He was just so out in the open with his scheme, with his fraud, that people are 418 00:30:57,660 --> 00:30:58,660 like, this has to be real. 419 00:31:00,210 --> 00:31:05,630 Gignac plays the part of a prince to a tea, down to the way he treats his lowly 420 00:31:05,630 --> 00:31:06,630 servants. 421 00:31:07,390 --> 00:31:12,930 He wasn't a benevolent monarch, for lack of a better term, right? Like, he was 422 00:31:12,930 --> 00:31:18,330 rude to everyone he was with. He was kind of very short, almost insulting of 423 00:31:18,330 --> 00:31:22,190 people that were in his own circle. And because to him, that's what he thought 424 00:31:22,190 --> 00:31:23,190 he should do. 425 00:31:24,090 --> 00:31:28,950 But the ultimate prop in his scheme is his condo on Fisher Island. 426 00:31:30,160 --> 00:31:34,640 After hiding behind the curtain for months, he shows the place off to his 427 00:31:34,640 --> 00:31:40,120 investors and on occasion lets visitors catch a glimpse of his incredible 428 00:31:40,120 --> 00:31:46,940 wealth. Anthony Gigna clearly saw this as an address that he could use to 429 00:31:46,940 --> 00:31:52,780 give the impression that he was of this world, that he moved in this world, and 430 00:31:52,780 --> 00:31:54,260 he did a pretty good job of it. 431 00:31:55,230 --> 00:31:59,790 He's got the DSS security agents with their badges. He's got the fleet of 432 00:31:59,830 --> 00:32:04,870 He's got the lush penthouse overlooking the water on the exclusive island in 433 00:32:04,870 --> 00:32:09,030 Miami. It's the sultan outside the door. 434 00:32:09,770 --> 00:32:14,290 He kind of has everything you would expect. So why wouldn't this be true? 435 00:32:15,730 --> 00:32:20,190 With his scheme firmly established, Gignac hooks in more than 20 victims, 436 00:32:20,450 --> 00:32:22,810 getting them to invest over $8 million. 437 00:32:24,040 --> 00:32:27,840 But none of it goes to Aramco or anything else he's promised. 438 00:32:28,340 --> 00:32:33,320 He was paying some initial investors back from investors later on. 439 00:32:33,620 --> 00:32:37,860 But through all of it, he was using the money to live this life. 440 00:32:40,380 --> 00:32:45,540 Next on American Greed, Anthony Gignac makes his biggest bet yet. 441 00:32:45,980 --> 00:32:47,940 His honor has been hurt. 442 00:32:48,940 --> 00:32:53,940 But you guys can make it up to him. You have to go and apologize, and you need 443 00:32:53,940 --> 00:32:57,480 to get him a gift, and the gift has to be at least $50 ,000. 444 00:33:05,640 --> 00:33:10,960 In Miami Beach, nothing shouts classic luxury like the Fountain Blue. 445 00:33:12,060 --> 00:33:14,600 For decades, it was the It Hotel. 446 00:33:15,060 --> 00:33:16,160 And then... 447 00:33:16,560 --> 00:33:18,880 It got long in the tooth like a lot of Miami Beach. 448 00:33:19,740 --> 00:33:24,760 According to former federal prosecutor Trinity Jordan, after spending hundreds 449 00:33:24,760 --> 00:33:29,680 of millions of dollars on renovations, the hotel's owners go looking for an 450 00:33:29,680 --> 00:33:31,060 infusion of capital. 451 00:33:31,420 --> 00:33:35,240 It was just kind of whispered amongst the investment community that they were 452 00:33:35,240 --> 00:33:39,700 looking for someone to purchase 20 to 30 percent ownership in the Fountain Blue. 453 00:33:39,880 --> 00:33:43,020 And so that kind of made its way to. 454 00:33:43,920 --> 00:33:49,880 Anthony Gignac, investment banker in the UK, she heard about the opportunity, 455 00:33:50,180 --> 00:33:55,920 told Anthony Gignac, and he instructed her then to make contact with the 456 00:33:55,920 --> 00:33:58,580 Fountain Blue Hotel and let her get in on that. 457 00:34:00,620 --> 00:34:06,320 Leading the negotiation on the hotel side is Jeffrey Sofer, a billionaire 458 00:34:06,320 --> 00:34:09,900 estate developer once married to supermodel Elle McPherson. 459 00:34:10,580 --> 00:34:12,100 Before long... 460 00:34:12,320 --> 00:34:16,639 The prince has Sofer believing he's ready to make a major investment. 461 00:34:17,199 --> 00:34:24,199 He makes an offer of $400 million to purchase 30 % of the Fountain Blue 462 00:34:24,199 --> 00:34:27,300 Hotel, which they immediately accept. 463 00:34:28,440 --> 00:34:34,139 To sell the lie, His Highness brings a hotel representative to Fisher Island, 464 00:34:34,340 --> 00:34:40,420 showing off his garage full of exotic cars and a document that proves... 465 00:34:41,000 --> 00:34:45,179 He has the means to complete the deal. He's got this letter from the Bank of 466 00:34:45,179 --> 00:34:49,739 Dubai that he's got $600 million in some sort of sovereign fund, readily 467 00:34:49,739 --> 00:34:53,000 available to invest in a property like the hotel. 468 00:34:54,480 --> 00:35:00,320 At one point, however, the hotel team begins to ask questions about who 469 00:35:00,320 --> 00:35:01,600 really dealing with. 470 00:35:02,100 --> 00:35:05,720 And when Gignac gets word, he doesn't back down. 471 00:35:05,960 --> 00:35:07,420 He doubles down. 472 00:35:08,790 --> 00:35:13,670 Pretending his honor has been insulted, he sends his London investment banker to 473 00:35:13,670 --> 00:35:15,470 talk to hotel representatives. 474 00:35:16,110 --> 00:35:20,350 It's been represented to Stouffer during this period that the Saudi prince 475 00:35:20,350 --> 00:35:24,130 doesn't appreciate the skepticism, that there's been some doubts about his 476 00:35:24,130 --> 00:35:29,230 credibility and about who he is, and he'd really appreciate a gift. Then the 477 00:35:29,230 --> 00:35:31,010 gift has to be at least $50 ,000. 478 00:35:32,270 --> 00:35:35,010 So they go and buy him a Cartier bracelet. 479 00:35:35,640 --> 00:35:38,340 for $50 ,000 and present it to him and apologize. 480 00:35:39,400 --> 00:35:41,060 And so now the deal's back on. 481 00:35:42,460 --> 00:35:46,320 Of course, the prince doesn't have the money to buy a hotel. 482 00:35:46,880 --> 00:35:51,380 So while the deal might be back on, it never goes anywhere. 483 00:35:52,080 --> 00:35:56,580 He had no intention of actually putting any money into it because he was always 484 00:35:56,580 --> 00:36:00,940 in the business of doing the opposite, trying to get people to give him money 485 00:36:00,940 --> 00:36:03,700 invest in things that really were complete. 486 00:36:05,120 --> 00:36:10,440 He was always trying to get people to invest in his business opportunities, 487 00:36:10,440 --> 00:36:12,600 business deals. That was always his M .O. 488 00:36:13,920 --> 00:36:19,080 If that's what he intends with Sofer, he never gets the chance to set the hook. 489 00:36:19,540 --> 00:36:22,960 His newest mark is starting to get wise. 490 00:36:23,480 --> 00:36:28,000 And one of the things that sort of stands out is his eating habits. 491 00:36:28,810 --> 00:36:32,770 He's supposed to be, you know, a Saudi prince. He's supposed to be, you know, a 492 00:36:32,770 --> 00:36:35,190 believer in Islam, a Muslim faith. 493 00:36:35,710 --> 00:36:39,690 And he's wolfing down all this bacon and pork product. 494 00:36:40,470 --> 00:36:45,950 There were so many things that they're like, is he really a good Muslim? Is he 495 00:36:45,950 --> 00:36:48,850 really a good member of the Saudi royal family? 496 00:36:50,250 --> 00:36:55,850 As questions arise, a professional security firm is hired to look into the 497 00:36:55,850 --> 00:36:59,820 prince. And it doesn't take them long to reach a conclusion. 498 00:37:00,300 --> 00:37:04,020 This guy is not the prince. This guy is Anthony Gignac. 499 00:37:04,440 --> 00:37:07,740 And he just got out of federal prison about three years ago. 500 00:37:09,000 --> 00:37:13,940 To Sofer's credit, he did figure it out where others hadn't. It didn't cost him 501 00:37:13,940 --> 00:37:15,660 anything more than just a Cartier bracelet. 502 00:37:17,600 --> 00:37:22,000 After making their discovery, the P .I. brings what he's learned to the feds. 503 00:37:24,430 --> 00:37:28,170 Investigators from the State Department's Diplomatic Security Service 504 00:37:28,170 --> 00:37:33,550 digging. And it becomes apparent that Gignac has once again been committing 505 00:37:33,550 --> 00:37:36,770 federal crime of impersonating a diplomat. 506 00:37:37,310 --> 00:37:41,090 But they wonder, how is he doing it in such style? 507 00:37:41,830 --> 00:37:46,070 We knew who we had, but as far as what questions we had is, what's the end 508 00:37:46,230 --> 00:37:47,230 What is he trying to do? 509 00:37:47,350 --> 00:37:50,530 And then when we started to peel the layers back a little bit, we saw this 510 00:37:50,530 --> 00:37:52,410 significant financial piece. 511 00:37:53,290 --> 00:37:55,110 Didn't get any less crazy along the way. 512 00:37:57,610 --> 00:38:04,610 Next on American Greed, from prince to pauper, the weight of the prince's con 513 00:38:04,610 --> 00:38:05,650 becomes evident. 514 00:38:06,470 --> 00:38:10,010 Mr. Gignac preyed on individuals from all walks of life. 515 00:38:10,350 --> 00:38:11,470 Everybody was prey. 516 00:38:12,030 --> 00:38:13,410 Everybody was fair game. 517 00:38:28,040 --> 00:38:34,300 Unaware he's the target of a federal investigation, in the fall of 2017, 518 00:38:34,300 --> 00:38:39,320 Gignac takes an overseas business trip using someone else's passport. 519 00:38:40,260 --> 00:38:45,520 Once he sets foot back on American soil, a team of agents from the Diplomatic 520 00:38:45,520 --> 00:38:51,580 Security Service moves in on his Fisher Island home, and Agent Azaz Tareen is 521 00:38:51,580 --> 00:38:54,580 waiting for him at JFK Airports in New York. 522 00:38:55,000 --> 00:38:56,280 Right off the bat. 523 00:38:56,840 --> 00:39:02,700 He's just spouting all these conspiracy theories, playing the prince thing. I'm 524 00:39:02,700 --> 00:39:07,680 like, you know, I'm from Saudi Arabia. And then where's my dog? Like, what are 525 00:39:07,680 --> 00:39:11,080 you doing with my dog? Where's Foxy? So I put him on speaker. 526 00:39:11,280 --> 00:39:16,800 I had an agent with his dog, Foxy. I was like, is Foxy okay? 527 00:39:17,560 --> 00:39:22,400 Yes, Foxy's okay. And immediately just waterworks, uncontrollably crying, 528 00:39:22,660 --> 00:39:24,000 shaking, freaking out. 529 00:39:25,070 --> 00:39:29,870 Once agents seize Gignac's belongings and begin to discover business 530 00:39:30,350 --> 00:39:32,430 the case quickly shifts. 531 00:39:32,810 --> 00:39:37,330 It was a no -brainer that we were going to transition from an aggravated 532 00:39:37,330 --> 00:39:41,870 identity theft case and passport fraud impersonation of a diplomat to a larger 533 00:39:41,870 --> 00:39:46,350 financial investigation that involved money and bank accounts and assets 534 00:39:46,350 --> 00:39:47,350 throughout the world. 535 00:39:48,300 --> 00:39:51,800 I mean, we followed the money. That's what part of the core of the 536 00:39:51,800 --> 00:39:54,100 was. We were following them. Where is this money coming from? How is he 537 00:39:54,100 --> 00:39:55,340 affording all this stuff? 538 00:39:56,040 --> 00:40:00,620 And it was pretty easy to figure out that it wasn't coming from legitimate 539 00:40:00,620 --> 00:40:01,620 means. 540 00:40:02,240 --> 00:40:06,840 As their investigation unfolds, agents uncover Gignac's multimillion -dollar 541 00:40:06,840 --> 00:40:11,000 investment scheme and realize how far -reaching it is. 542 00:40:11,320 --> 00:40:14,660 Mr. Gignac preyed on individuals from all walks of life. 543 00:40:15,060 --> 00:40:16,140 Everybody was prey. 544 00:40:16,970 --> 00:40:18,070 Everybody was fair game. 545 00:40:19,190 --> 00:40:23,970 He's not just scamming billionaires and large companies, but he's also scamming, 546 00:40:23,970 --> 00:40:26,210 you know, salt of the earth people that are not billionaires. 547 00:40:27,190 --> 00:40:32,070 A few weeks after Gignac's arrest, the feds get word about his alleged co 548 00:40:32,070 --> 00:40:37,490 -conspirator, Carl Williamson, the man he met on LinkedIn who helped introduce 549 00:40:37,490 --> 00:40:39,090 him to investors worldwide. 550 00:40:40,050 --> 00:40:41,690 He left a suicide note. 551 00:40:42,390 --> 00:40:45,750 He didn't admit his role. He admitted that he was going to go to prison. 552 00:40:46,680 --> 00:40:50,560 And he told his family that if he had to go to prison and be away from them, 553 00:40:50,580 --> 00:40:53,380 that he'd rather just, you know, not be around. 554 00:40:55,240 --> 00:40:59,960 Following Williamson's death, prosecutors dismissed charges against 555 00:41:00,360 --> 00:41:02,160 Then in March 2019, 556 00:41:02,900 --> 00:41:08,260 Anthony Gignac pleads guilty to impersonating a foreign diplomat, 557 00:41:08,260 --> 00:41:13,480 identity theft, wire fraud, and conspiracy to commit wire fraud. 558 00:41:15,180 --> 00:41:19,920 Two months later, he is sentenced to more than 18 years in federal prison. 559 00:41:21,180 --> 00:41:25,500 Gignac did not respond to American Greed's requests for comment. 560 00:41:27,860 --> 00:41:32,540 Despite the craziness of his story, those who've come face to face with 561 00:41:32,540 --> 00:41:37,760 Gignac say his criminality and greed are nothing to be scoffed at. 562 00:41:38,280 --> 00:41:43,260 For a while I thought, well, the poor thing, he must be really mentally ill. 563 00:41:43,950 --> 00:41:48,970 But when he was deemed competent to stand trial, that meant he knew what he 564 00:41:48,970 --> 00:41:49,970 doing. 565 00:41:50,850 --> 00:41:51,930 He's a con man. 566 00:41:52,710 --> 00:41:59,570 Period. For every one truth he tells, it's backed up by multiple lies. 567 00:42:00,410 --> 00:42:02,770 This isn't a celebrity fraudster. 568 00:42:03,790 --> 00:42:04,790 He's a predator. 569 00:42:05,030 --> 00:42:08,870 He is preying on people in any way that he possibly can. 570 00:42:09,870 --> 00:42:11,730 It wouldn't shock me if he was in prison. 571 00:42:12,220 --> 00:42:13,540 telling people he was a prince right now.