The Big Conn: Fraude na Previdência Americana

It never ceases to amaze me when "like finds like". The lawyer and the judges and the Social Security Administration. This the perfect example of it - on steroids!

Conn, the lawyer's very appropriate name, took the "only child" myth to new lows - or highs. I can't decide which. Seems no matter what he did, he did it to the absolute EXTREME!

Same with his profession. He had big plans and, well, everything Conn did was big.

The series was too long. It could have been easily cut back. It seems to mimic his need for abundance.

My greatest disappointment was with the Social Security Administration. The fact is, they are playing with our money - and it seems they don't seem to think it's anything but Monopoly money. Why aren't they being investigated?!

Assessing blame - you'll have to do that yourself.

This dude was awesome. Like he was so easy in front of that camera and spot on funny, my bet is he is really a prize in real life... Somebody that you just need in your life! OK now to review the series.

I'll admit I have mixed emotions about Eric Conn. By the end when he not only admits defeat, but admits that he was wrong. Things changed a little for me.

I do not however have mixed emotions about the federal government, or it's Lackey crooked judges, Because here's the thing, they spent hundreds of millions of dollars tracking this guy down paying all these different agencies in all these different countries but can't seem to get the people who actually need the money their money! Nothing surprises me when it comes to anything on the federal level! It is so chocked-full of crooks and thieves Eric Conn would've fit in nicely on their level. But he's the only one who did any real time and he's the only one who admitted to doing anything wrong. All the others treated this like they do everything else and like they do all other Americans, like the could not care less, because they don't! At least Eric cared enough to get some hard-working people some actual money. A judge that tried thousands and thousand of cases was initially sentenced to a quarter of what this lawyer was when the lawyer only had 300 cases a year. Not to mention all the people Who were told about these games over the years who also did nothing! I'd have to agree if not for the two whistleblowers this would've continued on, in that little town. Just like it does in every other city and state across this country because I can tell you we have federally ranked people in all of them stealing taxpayer money!

All that said, it's an interesting story with lots of twist and turns. Might could've gotten it done in three episodes but there was definitely lots to tell. That's the only reason I docked it a couple of stars.

Ps find Mason a show to be in, I'd watch it!

Pikeville, Kentucky native son Eric Christopher Conn took the U. S. government, via the Social Security Administration Disability payment program, for an estimated $2.62 billion, of which $550,000 went directly into his pockets. Married 16 times and prone to flee rather than atone for his sins, Eric is a real piece of work, promising Appalachian Valley residents their Social Security checks (typically $900 a month) in 30 days rather than the 18 months that was the norm. And he delivered on that promise, no matter how it was achieved.

Did he get a lot of business? Oh, my, yes! Even after the whistleblowers trying to report his actions (Sarah Carver and Jennifer Griffith) were ignored for 6 years and the SSA failed to follow up on numerous reports of a corrupt judge, lawyer and doctor, who formed a triumvirate of evil, Conn got additional clients because he got results. He even got more clients when it became clear that is promises of prompt payment were valid.

Nevermind the fallout from all of this graft, which included at least 3 suicides, Congressional hearings, destitute victims who were legitimate, and prison sentences that seem far too lenient for most,

This is a great story, told in 4 parts, and one that was initially uncovered by Wall Street Journal reporter Damian Polito, covered at one point by "Sixty MInutes" and has everything to keep you interested for its four well-researched episodes.

The Big Conn is the latest docu-series on AppleTV+ and judging by the trailer, you'd be forgiven for thinking this was the next Tiger King. The story is equal parts heartbreaking and crazy, while the team in charge of this - who also produced McMillions - throw everything into this to make an aesthetically slick and bombastic documentary. Unfortunately, despite only being 4 episodes long. The first episode in particular, perfectly exemplifies the issues that ripple through this. It takes 7 and a half minutes before we even begin the story, with nothing but hype and a massive introduction to pad out the opening. We're also graced with a 40 second establishing shot before we get our first interview with a local in Kentucky. These moments are small but they add up to a bloated docu-series that I can't help but feel could have been more tightly edited to produce a much smoother 2 or 3 episode series. Just to play devil's advocate on my own point though, all four episodes are split into different chapters that tackle a slightly different part of this case that lead Conn being brought to justice. The general premise here revolves around a charismatic lawyer called Eric C. Conn. Living the high life in eastern Kentucky and becoming something of a celebrity in the community, two whistleblowers called Jennifer and Sarah, discover that Eric is actually defrauding the US government through the Social Security System. In fact, he actually managed to obtain an eye-watering sum of half a billion dollars. Conn then orders two Pepsis, returns to his car and find a money pouch he earlier obtained has gone missing. Did we need that 5 minute segment? Did I need to include this big, excruciating statement in this review to emphasize the point? No and no. The trouble is, The Big Conn does it anyway to try and make the story crazier. The irony is, these moments of incredulous developments (minus the pouch disappearing) have the opposite effect. The Big Conn is a documentary series that's a bit too big to fill the boots of other, more prolific docu-series. It's certainly a crazy story and full of twists and turns, but the masterful editing of the trailer gives the impressive that this is going to be a fast-paced, lively romp. It's not.

This is the only media piece I've seen about the fleecing of ssdi but the problem has been around for decades. My only criticism is that the story wasn't more broadly based and exposes the application process but instead concentrates on this one lawyer who exceeded his grasp in many ways. There are many lawyers across the country who are abusing the system but stay under the radar because 1) they're lawyers and no one wants to point fingers at lawyers, 2) they walk the wall with just enough ambiguity that it's difficult to say if they're actions are criminal. As mentioned, if you apply for ssdi, most cases are denied from the beginning and then you have to hire a lawyer. But who has the money to hire a lawyer if they need ssdi. Doesn't make any sense. Also, for years, in my area and probably most areas of america, local radio and local tv are funded in large part by commercial advertising by ssdi lawyers. But, how can they afford those costs except by turning ssdi into a paper mill, volume business along the same model as the lawyer in this story. So my only criticism is that this documentary doesn't expose the system as a whole but focuses mostly on the titillating parts of this character's life. I suppose real life, closer to home is not that entertaining unless it's animated, and in short bytes and includes porn stars, sex parties, bizarre characters, intrigue and all that. A boring story about billions of dollars being wasted can't stand on it's own.