In 1920, Italian immigrant Charles Ponzi defrauded investors in the Boston area and across the nation of what would today be a quarter of a billion dollars, going from penniless to the high life in no time and giving the classic “Ponzi scheme” its name, Apple TV+ said Thursday. It plans to tell the story of Ponzi’s mercurial rise and devastating fall in Easy Money: The Charles Ponzi Story, an eight-episode docudrama set to premiere on Apple Podcasts June 23.
And to listen, you can hook up your Apple TV+ account to Apple Podcasts to gain full access to the series. I’m betting it’s worth the investment of your time (but keep your money safe).
Apple Original Podcast Easy Money: The Charles Ponzi Story premieres June 23
The new podcast features Sebastian Maniscalco voicing the role of Ponzi, with former Los Angeles Times investigative journalist Maya Lau hosting the show, the streamer said. Ponzi made such a splash with his massively lucrative fraud that “Ponzi schemes” later became a staple in the con artist playbook. Though not the first person to pay older investors with newer investors’ funds with no mechanism for actual profit overall, Ponzi inspired grifts over the decades up to an including Bernard Madoff‘s massive investment fraud.
Here’s how Apple describes the Apple Original Podcast:
“Easy Money: The Charles Ponzi Story, an Apple Original Podcast tells the unbelievable story of Charles Ponzi — an Italian immigrant who, in 1920, defrauded the modern-day equivalent of a quarter of a billion dollars. Hosted by journalist Maya Lau, the eight-episode docudrama blends immersive storytelling with investigative reporting, exploring the outrageous rise and spectacular downfall of the man behind one of the most iconic scams ever, who became one of the most infamous con artists in history and reshaped the world of finance. Award-winning comedian, actor and podcast host Sebastian Maniscalco (The Irishman, About My Father, Bookie, It Ain’t Right Tour) voices Ponzi on the podcast.”
And for his part, Maniscalco seems over the moon about his role and the show.
“Charles Ponzi was a larger-than-life character — he wasn’t just a con artist; he was the con artist. Stepping into his shoes and bringing this unbelievable story to life has been a wild ride,” said Maniscalco. “Easy Money: The Charles Ponzi Story is a fascinating look at the man who wrote the playbook for modern scams — a masterclass in charm, deception and the price of believing in something too good to be true.”
How to listen to the podcast
So Apple TV+ subscribers can connect their subscription on Apple Podcasts. That way they can access all eight episodes of Easy Money: The Charles Ponzi Story on June 23 via Apple Podcasts. Nonsubscribers can access the first two episodes of the eight-episode podcast, with remaining episodes releasing weekly until the finale on August 4.
At Will Media and executive producers Will Malnati and Maniscalco produce the series. It marks the second collaboration between Apple TV+ and At Will Media, following Adweek’s Pop Culture Podcast of the Year Wild Things: Siegfried & Roy, a multipart podcast about the legendary magicians.
The podcast joins a growing offering of Apple TV+ Apple Original Podcasts now streaming on Apple Podcasts. They include the duPont-Columbia Award-winning The Line, the Webby Award-nominated Hooked and more, as well as official companion podcasts for Apple TV+ series Foundation, For All Mankind and docuseries The Big Conn.
Source: Apple TV+
