WEBVTT - Leo Koretz and the Bayano River Syndicate

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to Criminalia, a production of Shondaland Audio in partnership

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<v Speaker 1>with iHeartRadio.

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<v Speaker 2>If you were a financially savvy man in Chicago in

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<v Speaker 2>the early nineteen twenties, there was one investment you wanted

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<v Speaker 2>to be in on the Biano River Syndicate. It was

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<v Speaker 2>an exclusive investment and it was the topic of conversation

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<v Speaker 2>among the Chicago elite. The opportunity centered around oil rich

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<v Speaker 2>lands and Panama that were said to also be ripe

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<v Speaker 2>with other money making potential, including timber and specifically mahogany.

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<v Speaker 2>And it was a mild mannered, balding and bespectacled Chicago

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<v Speaker 2>lawyer named Leo Coretz who was the architect of the

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<v Speaker 2>deal and the guy who held the key to investing

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<v Speaker 2>in it. And we're here to talk about how Coretts

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<v Speaker 2>scammed millions of dollars from unsuspecting investors. Ah Yes, con

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<v Speaker 2>artist season. Welcome to Criminalia. I'm Maria Tremarky.

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<v Speaker 1>And I'm Holly Frye. Leopold Coretz was born in Or

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<v Speaker 1>around eighteen seventy nine into a Jewish family in what

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<v Speaker 1>is now chech Ya. The family moved to Chicago, Illinois

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<v Speaker 1>when he was just about six years old. He was

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<v Speaker 1>a good student and excelled in debate at Lakeview High School,

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<v Speaker 1>and it said that even while in school, Leo had

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<v Speaker 1>a talent for quote separating people from their money. After graduation,

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<v Speaker 1>he went to work as what was then known as

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<v Speaker 1>an office boy for a prestigious law firm. That's no

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<v Speaker 1>longer a job description, but the job's responsibilities would have

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<v Speaker 1>fallen into administrative services. Basically, he clerked. He studied law

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<v Speaker 1>at Chicago Kent College of Law and graduated in nineteen

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<v Speaker 1>oh one. After a few years in law practice and

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<v Speaker 1>reportedly practicing without technically ever being admitted to the bar,

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<v Speaker 1>Leo became bored and impatient with the routine legal work

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<v Speaker 1>that he was doing every day. It was time for

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<v Speaker 1>a change. It was time to shake things up. It

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<v Speaker 1>was time to separate people from their money.

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<v Speaker 2>Leo's life narrative is a little fuzzy here when it

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<v Speaker 2>comes to his dive into the criminal world. Some say

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<v Speaker 2>he began with fictitious claims in a con involving rice

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<v Speaker 2>farming in Arkansas. Others say he may have started by

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<v Speaker 2>selling fake mortgages to his clients. The story most agree on, though,

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<v Speaker 2>is this one, Leo was part of an investor's group

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<v Speaker 2>that had paid thousands of dollars for a piece of

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<v Speaker 2>land in Panama. It proved to be worthless the land

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<v Speaker 2>and the investment, as it turned out that the land

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<v Speaker 2>was mud and the seller didn't actually own what he

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<v Speaker 2>was selling. Leo took a lesson regarding his financial future

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<v Speaker 2>from this fiasco. The way to make a real fortune

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<v Speaker 2>was to doupe investors on phony land deals, and so

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<v Speaker 2>with that bad guy lesson learned, Leo got in.

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<v Speaker 1>The con game.

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<v Speaker 2>In nineteen seventeen, he began selling stock in his new company,

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<v Speaker 2>the BiONO River Syndicate, also known as the BiONO Trust Company,

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<v Speaker 2>which he claimed owned as many as five million acres

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<v Speaker 2>in Panama. That wait, correction, he claimed to own five

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<v Speaker 2>million acres of land that gushed with crude oil in Panama.

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<v Speaker 2>His company offered shareholders annual dividends of a whopping twenty

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<v Speaker 2>percent on oil fields that didn't exist. Some accounts suggest

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<v Speaker 2>Leo claimed his oil fields earned investors a sixty percent return,

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<v Speaker 2>which is astronomical. Over this long con he builket investors

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<v Speaker 2>out of at least two million dollars, and that number

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<v Speaker 2>is not adjusted for today's money.

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<v Speaker 1>Leo's own family members, including his mother, brothers, and in laws,

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<v Speaker 1>altogether invested one hundred and fifty thousand dollars in his

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<v Speaker 1>land deal. This was a hot ticket idea. Others, including

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<v Speaker 1>members of Chicago's elite and middle class, as well as

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<v Speaker 1>clients at his firm, practically begged him for a piece

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<v Speaker 1>of the action. The more they wanted in, the more

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<v Speaker 1>Leo discouraged potential investors. One duped client later described this

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<v Speaker 1>strategy of negative salesmanship as quote the principle that a

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<v Speaker 1>person will literally fight for something that is most difficult

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<v Speaker 1>to get, and people did. Leo is said to have

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<v Speaker 1>recalled of the situation quote, they camped at the curb

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<v Speaker 1>outside my home and at my doorstep.

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<v Speaker 2>Leo was doing well and treated himself well, very well,

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<v Speaker 2>and as his wealth grew, Leo's standard of living became

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<v Speaker 2>more luxurious, and he moved into a lakefront estate on

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<v Speaker 2>Sheridan Road in Evanstone, which is like twenty miles outside

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<v Speaker 2>of Chicago. Leo had married may Isabelle Mayer in nineteen

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<v Speaker 2>oh six, and the couple had a son, Mentor and

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<v Speaker 2>a daughter, Maury. While he kept his family in the

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<v Speaker 2>suburb Verbs. Leo also kept an apartment kind of like

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<v Speaker 2>a hush hush love nest on Chicago's North Side under

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<v Speaker 2>the alias of al Branson, where he lived for years

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<v Speaker 2>with his so called wife, Alice, who was totally not

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<v Speaker 2>at all legally his wife, but the neighbors didn't know that.

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<v Speaker 2>When it came to romancing women, Leo once said, quote,

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<v Speaker 2>I don't see why these women won't leave me alone.

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<v Speaker 2>In jest, were sure because he himself was an unscrupulous

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<v Speaker 2>seducer in the wealthy Lithario rule he'd made for himself.

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<v Speaker 2>Leo once had flowers delivered to a European divorcee he

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<v Speaker 2>had his eye on while she was traveling on an

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<v Speaker 2>ocean liner and route from London to New York City.

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<v Speaker 2>Women left their husbands to be with him, not knowing

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<v Speaker 2>he was also married.

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<v Speaker 1>Leo belonged to exclusive clubs. He had a box at

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<v Speaker 1>the Opera, solid Gold, Humidors, Diamond Studs, and he was

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<v Speaker 1>chauffeured about the city in a Rolls Royce limousine. Leo

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<v Speaker 1>would say that he had quote a bit of good luck,

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<v Speaker 1>that's all, nothing to talk about. There was a little

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<v Speaker 1>more to it than that though, as his wealth was

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<v Speaker 1>not the product of luck, it was sustained by fraud

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<v Speaker 1>because fake oil is fake and therefore cannot be bought

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<v Speaker 1>or sold. Here is how Leo was actually making his money.

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<v Speaker 1>He simply took funds from those who invested in his

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<v Speaker 1>venture and invested it in himself. A little more detail.

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<v Speaker 1>So Leo promised high returns on your investment, and that,

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<v Speaker 1>of course is a very attractive offer. Despite his pensiant

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<v Speaker 1>for what we earlier referred to as negative salesmanship, he

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<v Speaker 1>was really always looking for new investors because those new

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<v Speaker 1>marks were the key to keep this con going. Money

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<v Speaker 1>he took from new investors was used to pay dividends

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<v Speaker 1>to keep his early stockholders happy and around and around.

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<v Speaker 1>And it wouldn't be much of a scam if he

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<v Speaker 1>didn't keep the rest, right, would it. If this smells

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<v Speaker 1>like a Ponzi scheme, you're one hundred percent correct. This

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<v Speaker 1>robbing Peter to pay Paul scam at the time, though,

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<v Speaker 1>would not have been known as a Ponzi scheme. Not yet.

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<v Speaker 1>Charles Ponzi himself was just getting into the game too.

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<v Speaker 1>He launched his scam in nineteen nineteen, two years after Leo.

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<v Speaker 2>People were really excited about Leo's venture. A group of

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<v Speaker 2>Chicago business owners were so excited about the deal that

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<v Speaker 2>they threw him a lavish banquet at the Drake Hotel

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<v Speaker 2>in the Gold Coast of the city in June of

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<v Speaker 2>nineteen twenty two. In his book Empire of Deception, author

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<v Speaker 2>and professor Dean Job describes how at each place setting

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<v Speaker 2>there was a fine vellum booklet offering a satirical look

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<v Speaker 2>at the men of the hour. You really can't make

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<v Speaker 2>this up. It also included a joke referring to Charles Ponzi,

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<v Speaker 2>who actually happened to be in a lot of trouble

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<v Speaker 2>in nineteen twenty two. How funny it would be to

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<v Speaker 2>compare Leo's solid investment to Charles's defrauding scams, thought the

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<v Speaker 2>unsuspecting investors. They called Leo our Ponzi, and they quote

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<v Speaker 2>roared with laughter. The Chicago Tribune covered the event at

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<v Speaker 2>the Drake and reported quote, in the center of the

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<v Speaker 2>flower garlanded table deposed a large plaster cast replica of

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<v Speaker 2>the Panama Canal zone, symbolic of the scene of operations

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<v Speaker 2>of the Biano Bonanza. The Tribune noted that the place

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<v Speaker 2>cards also announced. The party was given for Leo by

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<v Speaker 2>quote the friends and relatives whom he has dragged from

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<v Speaker 2>the gutter. A rousing rendition of for He's a jolly

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<v Speaker 2>goodfellow was sung, and Leo was the center of thunderous applause.

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<v Speaker 2>The New York Times would later call him quote the

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<v Speaker 2>most resourceful confidence man in the United States.

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<v Speaker 1>We're going to take a break for a word from

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<v Speaker 1>our sponsor. When we return, we will talk about what

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<v Speaker 1>investors found when they visited Panama.

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<v Speaker 2>Welcome back to Criminaliat. He tried to talk them out

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<v Speaker 2>of it, but a group of Leo's investors traveled to

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<v Speaker 2>Panama to check out their venture. So let's talk about

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<v Speaker 2>how that went.

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<v Speaker 1>While most were celebrating, some investors did worry that the

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<v Speaker 1>Bayano venture was just too good to be true. A

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<v Speaker 1>small group of corporate executives, some retired, requested a trip

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<v Speaker 1>to see the Panamanian oil operations that they had invested in.

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<v Speaker 1>It's no surprise that a trip to Panama to view

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<v Speaker 1>non existent oil fields was not high on Leo's list

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<v Speaker 1>of things to do, so he stalled these investors for

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<v Speaker 1>a while, but they insisted, and then in nineteen twenty three,

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<v Speaker 1>a party set out for Panama. They were trailed by

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<v Speaker 1>a reporter from the Chicago Tribune. Leo declined to accompany them.

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<v Speaker 2>What the fact finding party found was nothing. There was

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<v Speaker 2>no evidence of Leo's company in any court records, nor

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<v Speaker 2>was there any development or infrastructure to extract and transport

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<v Speaker 2>any oil if there had been any trace of some.

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<v Speaker 2>What the group did report finding along the Bayanu River

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<v Speaker 2>were alligators and mosquitoes. The Tribune reporter observed quote residents

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<v Speaker 2>in Panama were astonished to learn that millions of dollars

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<v Speaker 2>have been subscribed for the Buyanu Trust Company, and the

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<v Speaker 2>investigators have returned feeling they have been stung. On December twelfth,

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<v Speaker 2>the party reported on their findings, and upon their return,

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<v Speaker 2>the investors, angry that they'd bought into a scam, were

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<v Speaker 2>interviewed at the State's Attorney's office in Chicago. A list

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<v Speaker 2>of indictments followed, and Leo was charged with felonies that

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<v Speaker 2>covered his peddling worthless securities to running a confidence game.

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<v Speaker 1>But Leo was not in Chicago to take the heat.

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<v Speaker 1>After sending investors off to inspect these fake operations in Panama,

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<v Speaker 1>Leo loved the scene. He announced to his friends and

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<v Speaker 1>family that he had done quite well on a recent

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<v Speaker 1>stock sale, and he planned to take a vacation in

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<v Speaker 1>New York City. He did go to New York. He

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<v Speaker 1>did not go to Panama. Ever. In fact, he didn't

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<v Speaker 1>even stay in New York long as if he were

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<v Speaker 1>on the run, one might say. From New York he

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<v Speaker 1>moved to Nova Scotia, Canada, and there he assumed the

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<v Speaker 1>alias leu keat Lou's fictional backstory was that he was

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<v Speaker 1>a retired financier turned literary critic, and a Halifax newspaper

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<v Speaker 1>introduced him to its readers as quote a writer of reputation.

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<v Speaker 2>Leo's love of literature was actually long known in Chicago.

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<v Speaker 2>He'd spent thousands of dollars building a library for himself.

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<v Speaker 2>Adolf Croach, the proprietor of a Michigan Avenue bookstore where

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<v Speaker 2>Leo often shopped, said of him, quote, mister Corretz was

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<v Speaker 2>most sensitive to fine writing. His favorite author was reportedly

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<v Speaker 2>Joseph Conrad, and he was proud of his complete collection

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<v Speaker 2>of the works of Mark Twain. He knew the epigrammatic

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<v Speaker 2>poems of the rubiyat by Omar Khyam by heart, and

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<v Speaker 2>claimed Croach purchased a rare edition of the work worth

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<v Speaker 2>thousands of dollars. British publisher, anthologist and lecturer Temple Scott

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<v Speaker 2>considered Leo to be quote one of the most interesting

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<v Speaker 2>men I have ever known.

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<v Speaker 1>While he did use an alias while living in Nova Scotia,

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<v Speaker 1>Leo didn't exactly lay low. He threw parties, and he

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<v Speaker 1>purchased the Pinehurst Lodge with yes money he had acquired

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<v Speaker 1>from his fake oil company. He had planned to make

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<v Speaker 1>what was often described as an ostentatious lodge a quote

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<v Speaker 1>sportsman's colony.

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<v Speaker 2>He was so deep in disguise that many wondered how

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<v Speaker 2>he ever got There are two versions of the story

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<v Speaker 2>of his arrest and extradition to the United States, the

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<v Speaker 2>first which is highly unlikely, but it's a good story nonetheless,

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<v Speaker 2>so here we go. It claims Leo's real identity was

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<v Speaker 2>discovered when he took a suit in for tailoring forgetting

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<v Speaker 2>his real name was sewn inside the jacket, but it's

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<v Speaker 2>much more likely the Chicago detectives who got him did

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<v Speaker 2>so in kind of an ingenious way that didn't involve tailoring.

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<v Speaker 2>Police detectives and federal agents spent probably about a year

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<v Speaker 2>running down false leads and looking into anonymous tips. But

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<v Speaker 2>it was Leo's health that exposed him. The authorities knew

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<v Speaker 2>something important about Leo. He was diabetic and he needed insulin.

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<v Speaker 2>During their investigation of his whereabouts, they contacted facilities where

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<v Speaker 2>the drug was available. That may seem like a huge

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<v Speaker 2>endeavor today, but at the time, insulin was still really new.

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<v Speaker 2>It was discovered by researchers from the universe city of

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<v Speaker 2>Toronto in Ontario, Canada, and introduced in nineteen twenty two.

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<v Speaker 2>A Montreal sanitarium, which is just an antiquated name for

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<v Speaker 2>a medical facility that treats chronic illness, responded to them

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<v Speaker 2>saying that yes, they had treated a man from Nova

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<v Speaker 2>Scotia who matched Leo's description.

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<v Speaker 1>And authorities moved in on him. But before we get

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<v Speaker 1>to Leo's arrest, we're going to take a break for

0:14:24.320 --> 0:14:27.040
<v Speaker 1>a word from our sponsors, and when we return, we'll

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<v Speaker 1>talk about his extradition to the United States and his trial.

0:14:44.960 --> 0:14:48.400
<v Speaker 2>Welcome back to Criminalia. Let's talk about how Leo was

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<v Speaker 2>discovered by his nemesis, a man named Robert.

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<v Speaker 1>Crowe on December thirteenth, nineteen twenty three, the Tribune published

0:14:57.880 --> 0:15:01.280
<v Speaker 1>a story about a raid on Leo's eye offices. Quote

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<v Speaker 1>fake oil well promotions totaling about five million dollars A

0:15:05.560 --> 0:15:10.720
<v Speaker 1>swindle of proportions unprecedented in Chicago, were disclosed yesterday when

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<v Speaker 1>State's attorney Robert E. Crowe led detectives in a raid

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<v Speaker 1>on the magnificently appointed offices of Leo Corretz, an attorney

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<v Speaker 1>who has occupied the entire third floor of the Majestic

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<v Speaker 1>building at twenty two West Monroe Street, with spacious branch

0:15:26.760 --> 0:15:30.960
<v Speaker 1>offices at the Drake Hotel. So this man, Robert Crowe,

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<v Speaker 1>you could call him Leo's nemesis, at least within the

0:15:34.120 --> 0:15:38.720
<v Speaker 1>Illinois justice system. Robert was State's attorney for Cook County

0:15:38.880 --> 0:15:42.000
<v Speaker 1>and is probably best known for convicting the thrill killers

0:15:42.280 --> 0:15:47.240
<v Speaker 1>Leopold and Lobe. Leo and Robert knew each other personally.

0:15:47.720 --> 0:15:49.960
<v Speaker 1>The two of them had started their legal careers at

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<v Speaker 1>the same time and at the same Chicago law firm.

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<v Speaker 1>Author Job later noted that quote both would prove willing

0:15:58.080 --> 0:16:00.440
<v Speaker 1>to do what had to be done to get ahead.

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<v Speaker 1>When a Biano Khon went sour, Crow launched the international

0:16:04.920 --> 0:16:06.280
<v Speaker 1>manhunt to find Leo.

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<v Speaker 2>In nineteen twenty four, the Cook County States Attorney informed

0:16:11.000 --> 0:16:14.600
<v Speaker 2>the Halifax County Sheriff that lou Keat was not who

0:16:14.600 --> 0:16:17.400
<v Speaker 2>they thought he was. He was really a criminal named

0:16:17.480 --> 0:16:20.560
<v Speaker 2>Leo Corretz who had built investors to the tune of

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<v Speaker 2>at least two million dollars in a fraudulent land deal.

0:16:24.200 --> 0:16:27.040
<v Speaker 2>Of his arrest, the caretaker of Pinehurst Lodge told the

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<v Speaker 2>reporter from the Chicago Tribune that Leo quote didn't have

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<v Speaker 2>the breeding a gentleman would have. Lou back to the name.

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<v Speaker 2>Leo was arrested in late November that year.

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<v Speaker 1>Leo's wife and in laws were shocked to hear he

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<v Speaker 1>was a criminal and had fled to Canada. We were

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<v Speaker 1>initially surprised that he would allow his family to fall

0:16:50.520 --> 0:16:53.720
<v Speaker 1>victim to his com but then what turned up in

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<v Speaker 1>research was a note in the Chicago Tribune that read

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<v Speaker 1>that he quote made a specialty for years of systematically

0:17:01.600 --> 0:17:06.240
<v Speaker 1>robbing only his relatives and close friends. Some of his

0:17:06.400 --> 0:17:09.720
<v Speaker 1>clients who'd lost money with the venture, visited his Evanstone

0:17:09.760 --> 0:17:13.879
<v Speaker 1>home in an effort to console his wife. The Tribune

0:17:13.960 --> 0:17:18.119
<v Speaker 1>covered the scene, reporting quote Jewish folk from the North Chores.

0:17:18.280 --> 0:17:22.159
<v Speaker 1>Others from Chicago, from Rogers Park to Hyde Park are

0:17:22.200 --> 0:17:26.680
<v Speaker 1>whispering a veritable Aliel Aliel, my God, my God of lamentation.

0:17:28.240 --> 0:17:32.640
<v Speaker 2>Leo waived extradition proceedings and was returned to Illinois, where

0:17:32.640 --> 0:17:36.520
<v Speaker 2>he pleaded guilty. On December third, nineteen twenty four. Leo

0:17:36.640 --> 0:17:40.760
<v Speaker 2>stood before a judge. The Chicago Tribune reported of the scene, quote,

0:17:40.840 --> 0:17:44.439
<v Speaker 2>Corretz pleaded guilty before Judge Hopkins yesterday afternoon to the

0:17:44.480 --> 0:17:48.760
<v Speaker 2>four indictments presented by State's Attorney Crow, charging him with

0:17:48.880 --> 0:17:53.800
<v Speaker 2>larceny by Bailey, larceny, operation of a confidence game, and

0:17:53.960 --> 0:17:58.200
<v Speaker 2>a general indictment charging him with the three counts. They

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<v Speaker 2>continued that two of Leo's and a sister were present

0:18:01.720 --> 0:18:05.240
<v Speaker 2>in the courtroom, but his wife was not. Regarding his

0:18:05.280 --> 0:18:08.600
<v Speaker 2>wife's absence, Leo asked the judge if he could contact her. Quote,

0:18:09.240 --> 0:18:11.399
<v Speaker 2>I don't want her to come to see me and

0:18:11.480 --> 0:18:14.920
<v Speaker 2>be subjected to unpleasant publicity, but I would like permission

0:18:14.960 --> 0:18:17.720
<v Speaker 2>to telephone her and my mother sometime tomorrow.

0:18:19.240 --> 0:18:23.440
<v Speaker 1>Leo was sentenced to ten years in prison. Leo's wife,

0:18:23.680 --> 0:18:26.920
<v Speaker 1>along with eight other relatives and two friends of her husband,

0:18:27.480 --> 0:18:31.400
<v Speaker 1>combined gave three hundred thousand dollars to authority to go

0:18:31.440 --> 0:18:36.359
<v Speaker 1>toward Leo's debts. May, according to job, became committed to

0:18:36.400 --> 0:18:40.159
<v Speaker 1>making amends to his victims. One of those victims, a

0:18:40.240 --> 0:18:43.840
<v Speaker 1>dining car steward, invested his life savings with Leo, and

0:18:43.880 --> 0:18:46.320
<v Speaker 1>then he quit his job to quote live off the

0:18:46.359 --> 0:18:50.840
<v Speaker 1>profits he was certain were headed his way. Many people

0:18:50.880 --> 0:18:54.760
<v Speaker 1>had invested their entire life savings in this scam.

0:18:55.240 --> 0:18:58.639
<v Speaker 2>Leo died in prison on January sixth, nineteen twenty five,

0:18:58.760 --> 0:19:02.720
<v Speaker 2>serving about a month of his sentence. It is assumed

0:19:02.800 --> 0:19:06.680
<v Speaker 2>Leo took his life to avoid prison time. Leo, as

0:19:06.680 --> 0:19:09.639
<v Speaker 2>we know, was diabetic. In prison, he was assigned to

0:19:09.720 --> 0:19:12.000
<v Speaker 2>light duty in the prison yards, but he was soon

0:19:12.119 --> 0:19:16.080
<v Speaker 2>overwhelmed by symptoms of his diabetes. Though he had properly

0:19:16.160 --> 0:19:19.080
<v Speaker 2>managed his condition in Nova Scotia, he had not been

0:19:19.119 --> 0:19:21.399
<v Speaker 2>treated since he had been detained for his trial and

0:19:21.520 --> 0:19:25.320
<v Speaker 2>during his incarceration. He was sent to the prison hospital

0:19:25.359 --> 0:19:29.960
<v Speaker 2>for insulin injections, but his condition worsened. And that's because

0:19:30.720 --> 0:19:34.840
<v Speaker 2>somehow Leo got his hands on a large box of chocolates,

0:19:34.880 --> 0:19:38.199
<v Speaker 2>assumed to have been delivered by an obliging girlfriend. He

0:19:38.480 --> 0:19:41.719
<v Speaker 2>ate every piece of the alleged five pound box, and

0:19:41.880 --> 0:19:45.119
<v Speaker 2>soon fell into a diabetic coma.

0:19:45.800 --> 0:19:49.000
<v Speaker 1>The night he died, a prison guard captain named Michael

0:19:49.040 --> 0:19:53.199
<v Speaker 1>Leonard sat by his side. Two of his brothers, Adolf

0:19:53.320 --> 0:19:56.159
<v Speaker 1>and Emil, who had previously been by his side, and

0:19:56.240 --> 0:20:00.760
<v Speaker 1>his nineteen year old son Mentor sat in the warden's office.

0:20:00.880 --> 0:20:04.200
<v Speaker 1>Despite her efforts, his wife arrived about an hour after

0:20:04.280 --> 0:20:07.800
<v Speaker 1>his death, commenting only that quote, I only wish I

0:20:07.840 --> 0:20:11.040
<v Speaker 1>had known sooner that he was so near death. He

0:20:11.119 --> 0:20:14.240
<v Speaker 1>was laid to rest at Waldheim Cemetery in Forest Park,

0:20:14.520 --> 0:20:18.280
<v Speaker 1>a suburb of Chicago. A rabbi shared a brief prayer

0:20:18.320 --> 0:20:20.119
<v Speaker 1>as Leo was lowered into a grave.

0:20:21.720 --> 0:20:26.040
<v Speaker 2>On January ninth, nineteen twenty five, Chicago Tribune reporter Genevieve

0:20:26.080 --> 0:20:30.600
<v Speaker 2>Forbes Herrick, who had closely covered Leo's scam, eulogized him,

0:20:30.680 --> 0:20:35.240
<v Speaker 2>writing quote, Leo Corretz, the two million dollar con man

0:20:35.280 --> 0:20:39.199
<v Speaker 2>whose lavish pageant of life had piled climax on climax

0:20:39.240 --> 0:20:43.359
<v Speaker 2>with amazing result, was buried yesterday in a funeral ceremony

0:20:43.359 --> 0:20:46.879
<v Speaker 2>that was a distinct and perhaps a significant anti climax,

0:20:47.800 --> 0:20:51.080
<v Speaker 2>an open grave at the immanual Jewish cemetery in Waldheim.

0:20:51.359 --> 0:20:54.320
<v Speaker 2>A handful of relatives standing about in the snow, waiting

0:20:54.320 --> 0:20:57.280
<v Speaker 2>for the body to come from the Juliet Penitentiary. A

0:20:57.320 --> 0:21:01.280
<v Speaker 2>gray casket in a gray hearse, Bretz's brother and son

0:21:01.560 --> 0:21:05.560
<v Speaker 2>riding with the undertaker. A bunch of pink roses splattered

0:21:05.600 --> 0:21:09.240
<v Speaker 2>with clay, A wreath tossed to one side, the widow

0:21:09.359 --> 0:21:12.639
<v Speaker 2>sobbing over the loss that came more than a year ago.

0:21:13.320 --> 0:21:16.560
<v Speaker 2>A rabbi repeating the regular service, and it was over.

0:21:17.560 --> 0:21:22.840
<v Speaker 2>No crowds, no elaborate funeral cortege, no pallbearers, no heaped

0:21:22.920 --> 0:21:27.240
<v Speaker 2>up flowers, still fewer heaped up eulogies, nothing but the

0:21:27.280 --> 0:21:37.639
<v Speaker 2>minimum for the man who always loved the maximum.

0:21:37.680 --> 0:21:39.040
<v Speaker 1>Are you ready for some scams?

0:21:39.320 --> 0:21:39.879
<v Speaker 2>I could use some.

0:21:40.680 --> 0:21:43.720
<v Speaker 1>I think you're gonna love this one. Maybe we'll see

0:21:43.720 --> 0:21:47.960
<v Speaker 1>what happens. It's a very Maria and Holly drink in

0:21:48.040 --> 0:21:51.800
<v Speaker 1>terms of like things we love. So in thinking about this,

0:21:52.680 --> 0:21:54.600
<v Speaker 1>I was trying to think of a way to bookend

0:21:54.920 --> 0:21:59.680
<v Speaker 1>Leo's life, and particularly his story as it relates to scams, which,

0:22:00.520 --> 0:22:02.720
<v Speaker 1>in my mind, the imagery that really stuck with me

0:22:02.800 --> 0:22:04.960
<v Speaker 1>was that it started with oil. Even if it was

0:22:05.000 --> 0:22:08.080
<v Speaker 1>fake and it ended with roses. So this is called

0:22:08.119 --> 0:22:14.960
<v Speaker 1>oil and Roses, nicely done, and it is very yummy

0:22:14.960 --> 0:22:18.600
<v Speaker 1>in my opinion. It's a really simple drink to put together,

0:22:19.280 --> 0:22:21.680
<v Speaker 1>and there's no trickery. It doesn't shift gears or anything

0:22:21.680 --> 0:22:25.000
<v Speaker 1>while you're drinking, and it's just very delicious. It is

0:22:25.560 --> 0:22:29.000
<v Speaker 1>three quarters of an ounce of lemon juice, three quarters

0:22:29.000 --> 0:22:31.840
<v Speaker 1>of an ounce of rose syrup, and an ounce and

0:22:31.880 --> 0:22:35.720
<v Speaker 1>a half of bourbon or your favorite whiskey, and then

0:22:35.760 --> 0:22:37.919
<v Speaker 1>you shake that, you strain it over ice, and you

0:22:37.960 --> 0:22:39.240
<v Speaker 1>top it with club soda.

0:22:39.280 --> 0:22:40.520
<v Speaker 2>What a delightful drink.

0:22:41.040 --> 0:22:45.359
<v Speaker 1>This drink is so good. However, the mocktail like knocked

0:22:45.359 --> 0:22:47.960
<v Speaker 1>my socks off because all I did was subout black tea,

0:22:48.200 --> 0:22:50.280
<v Speaker 1>which we often do for a bourbon or whiskey in

0:22:50.320 --> 0:22:54.320
<v Speaker 1>our drinks, right, and it becomes like this great sparkling,

0:22:54.520 --> 0:22:59.439
<v Speaker 1>lightly sweet tea delicious drink it all the time that

0:23:00.720 --> 0:23:03.240
<v Speaker 1>I'm gonna premix it and I'm gonna serve it at everything,

0:23:04.040 --> 0:23:05.480
<v Speaker 1>because it's so yummy.

0:23:05.880 --> 0:23:07.840
<v Speaker 2>Oil and roses. It's got a lovely name, and it's

0:23:07.840 --> 0:23:08.320
<v Speaker 2>a lovely.

0:23:08.240 --> 0:23:11.560
<v Speaker 1>Drink, doesn't it It sounds so romantic. I was trying

0:23:11.600 --> 0:23:14.240
<v Speaker 1>to think I will say the drink that got away

0:23:14.280 --> 0:23:17.240
<v Speaker 1>on this one was I kept trying to think about

0:23:17.280 --> 0:23:19.480
<v Speaker 1>a drink that would honor May, because I feel like

0:23:19.560 --> 0:23:22.480
<v Speaker 1>his wife is the unsung hero of this people.

0:23:22.600 --> 0:23:25.240
<v Speaker 2>I love that she just said that because her she

0:23:25.720 --> 0:23:28.160
<v Speaker 2>pops up from time to time in history, we don't

0:23:28.200 --> 0:23:31.200
<v Speaker 2>have a very much information about her, and she's always

0:23:31.680 --> 0:23:32.840
<v Speaker 2>there for him.

0:23:33.640 --> 0:23:37.240
<v Speaker 1>Yeah, so I want to think about May and if

0:23:37.280 --> 0:23:39.479
<v Speaker 1>we ever get more information about her, maybe she'll get

0:23:39.480 --> 0:23:42.000
<v Speaker 1>a drink of her own in the future. But as

0:23:42.000 --> 0:23:44.440
<v Speaker 1>far as I'm concerned, she can be represented by the roses.

0:23:45.080 --> 0:23:47.560
<v Speaker 1>She seems like she must have been an extraordinary woman

0:23:47.600 --> 0:23:50.280
<v Speaker 1>when she finds out that this happened, and her reaction

0:23:50.560 --> 0:23:53.240
<v Speaker 1>was we have to help all of the victims. We

0:23:53.320 --> 0:23:56.280
<v Speaker 1>will use this drink that is about Leo's life, though

0:23:56.359 --> 0:23:59.560
<v Speaker 1>to toast to May. I think the oil and roses

0:23:59.600 --> 0:24:03.160
<v Speaker 1>is really to honor her while we tell his story.

0:24:03.359 --> 0:24:04.400
<v Speaker 1>That's the scoop butt, Matt.

0:24:04.520 --> 0:24:07.320
<v Speaker 2>I think that's a good way to put it. I do.

0:24:07.600 --> 0:24:11.200
<v Speaker 1>I do. Thank you so much for spending time with us.

0:24:11.400 --> 0:24:13.800
<v Speaker 1>We hope that no one scams you out of anything,

0:24:14.320 --> 0:24:16.879
<v Speaker 1>and that you will meet us right back here again

0:24:16.920 --> 0:24:30.240
<v Speaker 1>next week for another story and some more drinks. Criminalia

0:24:30.359 --> 0:24:33.640
<v Speaker 1>is a production of Shondaland Audio in partnership with iHeartRadio.

0:24:34.080 --> 0:24:38.399
<v Speaker 1>For more podcasts from Shondaland Audio, please visit the iHeartRadio app,

0:24:38.600 --> 0:24:41.680
<v Speaker 1>Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.