HBO is already off to a great start this year with new seasons of some of its hit shows. But there's one series that may be flying under the radar. McMillions sounds like the kind of plot a Coen brothers movie might have. The facts we discover over the course of a six-part documentary series prove crazier than even something even they would make up.
McMillions is a series with twists and turns that make it an easy binge-watch. We won't give away all the secrets, but here are some of the things we learned that shocked us the most. Some spoilers lie ahead!
10 FBI Agents Can Be Funny
When you think of FBI agents, you generally don't think of people that are overflowing with personality. Documentarians James Lee Hernandez and Brian David Lazarte managed to find at least one FBI agent whose personality can more than compensate for some of his fellow agents' lack thereof.
Special Agent Doug Matthews is still an active agent for the FBI and played a big role during the McDonald's crime ring investigation. For the vast majority of his time onscreen, he has an infectious laugh that makes almost everything he says hilarious. We would gladly just watch a documentary about this guy alone.
9 9/11 Made The Story Fizzle Out In The Press
With a case as crazy as this, it may seem even crazier that it closed almost two decades ago. How is it possible that it is not more widely known?
Well, around the same time as the case began making headlines in September 2001, 9/11 also struck. In any normal news cycle, this kind of story could have had the potential to stay in the cycle for a while. But when a national tragedy strikes, most everything else becomes background noise.
8 The Longest Prison Sentence Was Just Over Three Years
Despite the criminal ring amassing tens of millions of dollars and defrauding McDonald's, the longest sentence was just 37 months, given to the ringleader "Uncle Jerry" Jacobson. Although government prosecutor Mark Deveraux pushed for a longer sentence, he wasn't able to get Jacobson for longer than that.
Deveraux explains in the documentary that with the crimes being white-collar in nature, perpetrators rarely spend a great deal of time behind bars. For all the damage caused to the "winners'" lives and other businesses that were innocently involved with the Monopoly promotional game, it is a little disappointing to know that "Uncle Jerry" is walking free today.
7 The Case Was Federally Prosecuted Because USPS Was Used
While the FBI was the agency that worked to bring the McDonald's crime ring to justice, it may seem a bit odd that federal prosecutors were also the ones that pressed charges against "Uncle Jerry" and the "winners" of the $1,000,000 prizes. Wouldn't it seem more natural for McDonald's to press charges against "Uncle Jerry" and the "winners" in a smaller court?
Well, due to the use of the United States Postal Service by some of those involved in distributing the game pieces in the criminal ring, federal prosecutor Mark Deveraux was able to go after "Uncle Jerry" and his co-conspirators. Word to the wise: don't use USPS while committing white-collar crimes.
6 McDonald's And Simon Marketing
With McDonald's having done the Monopoly promotional game for nearly three decades now, it may be natural to assume that they have played a big role in the marketing of the game. As we discovered in McMillions, McDonald's left a lot of the legwork to Simon Marketing, Inc.
Simon Marketing got so much of its business from McDonald's Monopoly game that when they came under fire for the criminal ring's activities, Simon Marketing had to shutter its doors not long after in 2001. Turns out that even the most seemingly harmless crimes can have major consequences.
5 FBI Accidentally Leaked Classified Info To The Press
The FBI and other federal agencies are notoriously cagey when it comes to giving information to the press about open cases. You can only imagine what it must have felt like to be working as a journalist and receive classified information about this case through a fax machine.
As Special Agent Matthews points out in the series, for the FBI to make arrests, they need to have all the proper intel to do so and an unnamed individual pressed the button on their fax machine thinking it would be sent to the FBI office stationed in Greenville. In fact, that speed dial was actually set to the Greenville News. The FBI and the paper were able to come to an agreement to not print the information.
4 Some "Winners" Were Losers Before They Got Arrested
Initially, hearing that the "winners" of the $1,000,000 prize obtained their pieces illegally and most of us never stood a chance feels pretty disheartening. But as we watched the stories of some the "winners" play out, it became clear we actually dodged a bullet here.
Gloria Jacobson was one of the "winners" who got a $1,000,000 prize piece from Jerry Columbo (not to be confused with "Uncle Jerry"), but the money was not distributed all at once. It was to be distributed in annual installments with Jerry Columbo taking his share and, naturally, taxes taking their toll. Jacobson had to remortgage her house in order to obtain the piece, sending her monthly mortgage payment through the roof. So much for "winning."
3 Some People Truly Have No Shame
After everything was said and done and criminal sentences were given, you might think that all of those involved with the criminal ring would have had remorse for their actions. At least one of them, AJ Glomb, had no shame whatsoever.
AJ Glomb was one of the distributors of the game pieces and even after being sentenced to a year in prison, along with hefty fines, Glomb has no regrets. When asked on camera if he would do it all again if he had the chance, Glomb replied confidently, "Tomorrow." Whoa. Talk about no remorse.
2 Undercover Operations
In order to figure out who was an illegitimate winner, the FBI decided they would do some undercover ops. They wouldn't be able to just find what they needed by befriending the "winners", though. They needed something bigger.
Naturally, Special Agent Matthews suggested putting together a fake production company working for McDonald's that would purportedly put the "winners" in the limelight. The idea gained traction and the fake production company, Shamrock Productions, was born. Matthews was able to interview several of the unwitting "winners", causing them to lie and eventually get arrested by the FBI.
1 One "Winner" Nearly Got Arrested For Premeditated Murder
As the FBI got deeper and deeper into the case, they began tapping some of the illegitimate winners' phones. In one instance, one of the illegitimate winners, Dwight Baker, had his sister-in-law, Brenda, run away with a $500,000 game piece. A chase to the airport ensued with Dwight and his wife going to the airport to stop her.
Under duress, Dwight made comments over the phone that caused concern for the FBI and almost made them send field agents stationed at the airport to stop Dwight, fearing Brenda's life might be at risk. Once Dwight and his wife caught up to Brenda, they eventually resolved the matter peacefully. Dwight would later pay for his crimes, but he was very lucky the FBI didn't lock him up for this incident.
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