Dean Jobb.
DEAN JOBB
EMPIRE OF DECEPTION: THE INCREDIBLE STORY OF A MASTER SWINDLER WHO SEDUCED A CITY AND CAPTIVATED THE NATION (2015)
Leo Koretz was a hugely plausible and successful swindler who attracted millions of dollars into fraudulent investment schemes during Chicago’s roaring twenties. He promoted investment into fictional oil wells and timber land in Panama. He promised spectacular returns, which he did in fact pay over almost twenty years by stealing the money of new investors - until all the money ran out. He disappeared, and after a worldwide manhunt he was arrested while living a life of luxury in Nova Scotia under an assumed name. He died in prison in mysterious circumstances.
Kirkus Reviews wrote of Jobb’s biography: “The granddaddy of all con men, Leo Koretz gives Jobb the opportunity to exhibit his impressive research and storytelling skills . . . [Jobb] keeps readers on edge . . . as they wait to see if Koretz might just get away with it. A highly readable, entertaining story.”
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Dean Jobb is a Canadian writer on true crime. He was formerly an editor, reporter and columnist at the Haliface Chronicle Herald. He has won the Atlantic Journalism Award three times, and currently teaches in the Creative Non Fiction programme at the University of King’s College, Halifax, Nova Scotia.
