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Books : Under Investigation: The Inside Story of the Florida Attorney General's Investigation of Wilhelmina Scouting Network, the Largest Model and Talent Scam in AmericaIn association with Amazon.comby: Les Henderson  List Price: $29.95 Amazon.com's Price: $22.76 You Save: $7.19 (24%)Prices subject to change. Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
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Binding: PaperbackDewey Decimal Number: 364 EAN: 9780968713334 ISBN: 0968713335 Label: Coyote Ridge Publishing Manufacturer: Coyote Ridge Publishing Number Of Items: 1 Number Of Pages: 512 Publication Date: September 12, 2006 Publisher: Coyote Ridge Publishing Release Date: September 13, 2006 Studio: Coyote Ridge Publishing Sales Rank: 188455 Related Items:
Editorial Review: Product Description: THE WORLD’S LARGEST talent and model scouting company, led by celebrity boy-band promoter Lou Pearlman, recruited over 150,000 members across America from 2000 to 2003. Based in Orlando, Florida, this enterprise operated under many names: Studio 58 Models; WHY Models; eFashionShow.com; emodel.com; Options Talent; Trans Continental Talent; Wilhelmina Scouting Network; and Web Style Network. It charged upfront fees ranging from $395 to $995 to put an aspiring model’s picture on their website, a service purportedly used by 1000 modeling agencies seeking new talent. “You could be discovered,” their army of talent scouts pitched. “Become a model!” “You have the look!” Extremely controversial, subject to many local news reports, it also received national attention in Jane, Newsweek, and on Dateline NBC. More than 2000 complaints were filed with the Florida Attorney General’s Office, many with signed and notarized affidavits from consumers who felt they had been scammed. An investigation, led by Assistant Attorney General Jacqueline Dowd, was opened in July 2002. Everyone expected Attorney General Charlie Crist to act. But he didn’t. Why not? Using previously secret documents obtained through public records requests, Under Investigation takes you inside the Florida Attorney General’s Office to see how the two-year investigation unfolded, and then was ultimately shut down under suspicious circumstances. Average Rating:
 Rating:  - Definitive book on talent scamsSo much information and so many details! An absolutely incredible primer for those interested in understanding how the criminal mind works, and how the government in Florida doesn't work. If every actor and showbiz parent could take the time to read this book, the scams would be non-existent. It's a long read, but a great investment of your time! Rating:  - SourcesIf you are going to use quotes from my work, you should cite your sources. The quotes you used were not given to you; they were used in The Wave Magazine, the publication I worked for at the time that originally printed that article. Sandy Brundage Rating: - A scam revealed, but a "journalist" shows his biases as wellWHAT A DISAPPOINTMENT. I'm a fan of TRUE investigate journalism: Dateline, 20/20, Primetime, and local reporters who do the research. First, when I lived in Tampa in 2001, my (ex) girlfriend was scouted by these guys, paid $495 and got a whopping 2 jobs (earning about $150 total). So I'm more than familiar with these scammers and was eager to read a great book detailing their nightmarish existence. I've also taken journalism classes, so I was expecting not just a well ... Read More Rating: - Justice DeniedIn the late 1990s I stumbled across the web pages of the Wilhelmina Scouting Network. I could not believe that the world renowned modeling agency would cheapen their brand on such a low-grade idea brand. It turns out I was right. They never had. I did not realize that until I read Les Henderson's expose Under Investigation. It is the tale of the largest modeling scam in America and secret political corruption at the Florida Attorney General's Office. It is the story ... Read More Rating: - Encyclopedic and yet the tip of the iceburgMr. Henderson was definitely on to something huge here, and provides tons of evidence to show that fraud was taking place with the tacit blessing of then Attorney General and now Governor Charlie Crist. Henderson probably wasn't even aware that the wheels were already in motion to uncover the largest Ponzi scheme and bank fraud case the US has every seen. Recently boy-band Svengali Lou Pearlman (featured prominently in this book) was taken into Federal custody and has been indicted for ... Read More Browse for similar items by category:
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