Billion Dollar Hollywood Heist

Billion Dollar Hollywood Heist
Author: Houston Curtis
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Total Pages: 216
Release: 2020-03-24
Genre: True Crime
ISBN: 1510762175

Download Billion Dollar Hollywood Heist Book in PDF, Epub and Kindle

“Right out of the gate, the entire game was designed to empty the pockets of those rich, celeb-loving LA suckers.”—Houston Curtis Leonardo DiCaprio. Alex Rodriguez. Tobey Maguire. Ben Affleck. Matt Damon. John Cassavetes. What do these people have in common? Not just fame and fortune; all these men are also alumni of the ultra-exclusive, high-stakes poker ring that inspired Aaron Sorkin’s Oscar-nominated film, Molly’s Game. But Houston Curtis, the card shark who co-founded the game with Tobey Maguire, knows that Sorkin’s is the whitewashed version. In Billion Dollar Hollywood Heist, Curtis goes all-in, revealing the true story behind the game. From its origins with Maguire to staking DiCaprio’s first game, installing Molly Bloom, avoiding the hookers and blow down the hall, and weathering the FBI investigation that left Curtis with a lien on his house, this is the no-holds-barred account of the world’s most exclusive Texas Hold ’Em game from the man who started it—with all the names and salacious details that Molly’s Game left out. With the insider appeal of Rounders, more A-listers than Ocean’s 11, and the excitement of The Sting, Billion Dollar Hollywood Heist is the untold, insider’s story that makes Molly’s Game look tame.

Billion Dollar Whale

Billion Dollar Whale
Author: Bradley Hope
Publisher: Hachette Books
Total Pages: 395
Release: 2018-09-18
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 0316436488

Download Billion Dollar Whale Book in PDF, Epub and Kindle

Named a Best Book of 2018 by the Financial Times and Fortune, this "thrilling" (Bill Gates) New York Times bestseller exposes how a "modern Gatsby" swindled over $5 billion with the aid of Goldman Sachs in "the heist of the century" (Axios). Now a #1 international bestseller, Billion Dollar Whale is "an epic tale of white-collar crime on a global scale" (Publishers Weekly), revealing how a young social climber from Malaysia pulled off one of the biggest heists in history. In 2009, a chubby, mild-mannered graduate of the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School of Business named Jho Low set in motion a fraud of unprecedented gall and magnitude--one that would come to symbolize the next great threat to the global financial system. Over a decade, Low, with the aid of Goldman Sachs and others, siphoned billions of dollars from an investment fund--right under the nose of global financial industry watchdogs. Low used the money to finance elections, purchase luxury real estate, throw champagne-drenched parties, and even to finance Hollywood films like The Wolf of Wall Street. By early 2019, with his yacht and private jet reportedly seized by authorities and facing criminal charges in Malaysia and in the United States, Low had become an international fugitive, even as the U.S. Department of Justice continued its investigation. Billion Dollar Whale has joined the ranks of Liar's Poker, Den of Thieves, and Bad Blood as a classic harrowing parable of hubris and greed in the financial world.

Molly's Game

Molly's Game
Author: Molly Bloom
Publisher: William Collins
Total Pages: 272
Release: 2017-10-05
Genre:
ISBN: 9780008278366

Download Molly's Game Book in PDF, Epub and Kindle

A SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER NOW A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE WRITTEN AND DIRECTED BY AARON SORKIN, AND STARRING JESSICA CHASTAIN, IDRIS ELBA, KEVIN COSTNER AND MICHAEL CERA The true story of the 26-year-old woman behind the most exclusive, high-stakes underground poker game in the world When Molly Bloom was a little girl in a small Colorado town, she dreamed of a life without rules and limits, a life where she didn't have to measure up to anyone or anything - where she could become whatever she wanted. She ultimately got more than she ever could have bargained for. In Molly's Game, she takes you through her adventures running an exclusive private poker game catering to Hollywood royalty like Leonardo DiCaprio and Ben Affleck, athletes, billionaires, politicians and financial titans. With rich detail, Molly describes a world of glamour, privilege and secrecy in which she made millions, lived the high life and fearlessly took on the Russian and Italian mobs - until she met theone adversary she could not outsmart: the UnitedStates government.

Flawless: Inside the Largest Diamond Heist in History

Flawless: Inside the Largest Diamond Heist in History
Author: Scott Andrew Selby
Publisher: Sterling Publishing
Total Pages: 397
Release: 2010
Genre: True Crime
ISBN:

Download Flawless: Inside the Largest Diamond Heist in History Book in PDF, Epub and Kindle

"Tells the story with the gripping pace of a true-crime 'Ocean's Eleven.'" The New York Post • "Like a diamond, this true-life caper is clear, colorful, and brilliant." Publishers Weekly ★Starred Review★ The Antwerp Diamond Center was one of the most secure buildings in the world. With hundreds of millions of dollars' worth of diamonds stored in its subterranean vault, it had to be. Located in the heart of Belgium's ultra-secure Antwerp Diamond District, it benefited from two police stations, armed patrols, extensive video surveillance, and vehicle barriers securing an area where 80 percent of the world's diamonds traded hands. But on February 15, 2003, a band of skilled Italian thieves — fronted by the charming Leonardo Notarbartolo, who spent over two years clandestinely casing the building — subverted every one of the Diamond Center's defenses and made off with a record amount of loot. Experts estimate they got away with nearly half a billion dollars in diamonds, cash and other valuables. They'd pulled off the biggest heist in history--everybody loves diamonds and they now had more than any thief before them. The robbers did it with stealth and smarts; no one was hurt or even threatened during what was quickly labeled the largest diamond heist in history. The bandits — members of a group of professional thieves known as "The School of Turin" — used cunning in lieu of violence, successfully evading security cameras, thwarting an array of electronic sensors, and penetrating a vault protected by a double-locked foot-thick steel door. Even when the police zeroed in on who committed the crime, how it was done remained a mystery, like something out of a heist movie or TV show. Flawless is a fast-paced global scavenger hunt uncovering the truth behind the daring Valentine's Day weekend heist. Tracking clues, sources, and documents throughout Europe — from seedy cafés in Turin, Italy to sleek diamond offices in Antwerp, Belgium — authors Scott Selby and Greg Campbell retrace Notarbartolo's careful discovery of the building's security flaws. They recreate the heist and its aftermath — detailing how the thieves brilliantly neutralized each element of the security protecting the Diamond Center's vault while inviting the readers into the secretive world of diamonds and diamond dealing. The result is a thrilling ride through the better-than-fiction heist of the century. "Fans of caper books and movies will be in seventh heaven." Booklist ★Starred Review★

Molly’s Game: The Riveting Book that Inspired the Aaron Sorkin Film

Molly’s Game: The Riveting Book that Inspired the Aaron Sorkin Film
Author: Molly Bloom
Publisher: HarperCollins UK
Total Pages: 272
Release: 2017-10-03
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 0008274436

Download Molly’s Game: The Riveting Book that Inspired the Aaron Sorkin Film Book in PDF, Epub and Kindle

A SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER NOW A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE WRITTEN AND DIRECTED BY AARON SORKIN, AND STARRING JESSICA CHASTAIN, IDRIS ELBA, KEVIN COSTNER AND MICHAEL CERA The true story of the 26-year-old woman behind the most exclusive, high-stakes underground poker game in the world

Pink Panthers

Pink Panthers
Author: Dijana Sajic
Publisher: Independently Published
Total Pages: 490
Release: 2020-06-09
Genre:
ISBN:

Download Pink Panthers Book in PDF, Epub and Kindle

SYNOPSISIn "The Greatest Thieves in the World", the author Neboysha Saikovski mixes urban drama with a crime thriller in this global action-adventure novel about diamond robberies. The result is an adventurous book in which the personalities of the main characters and global criminal syndicates are thoroughly analyzed, the action is shown in abundance through all the chapters, and the scenes of diamond robberies are especially spectacular.After the thieving team of the Pink Panthers successfully carried out three large diamond robberies in Antwerp, London, and Tokyo, they are recruiting an elegant logistics expert and a top make-up artist to prepare for the robbery at the Diamond Biennale in Paris. After successfully completing the job in Paris, they carry out two more spectacular robberies together, at the Amsterdam airport and in Saint Tropez, after which discord and attrition occur within the gang over the division of the loot. If there is no reconciliation, the rest of the gang is forced to forgather and train a new crew for another robbery, this time in Dubai.A WORD TO THE READERDiamond. A symbol of strength, durability, value, success, happiness, and love.Imagine the world you know as one side of the street, where diamonds on display in expensive urban neighborhoods of the world's metropolises evoke a desire for wealth, fame, and, above all, a desire for power.Young people from the former Yugoslavia, as well as the heroes of this book, did not have the opportunity to enjoy their youth like their peers, to play basketball or football in the playground in their neighborhood. They did not have the opportunity to meet that glamorous side of the street where diamonds shine. The god of war seduced some of them into his ranks, to shed the blood of those they called brothers until yesterday, while others sought salvation in that dazzling world until they met again while creating the world's most powerful gang of diamond robbers.You, holding this book in your hand, you likely walk down that street where everything is beautiful, happy, and great. If you have the courage, dare take the step together with our heroes. Cross the street and meet the dark world behind all that glitter and glow. Find out how diamonds are made and come to that array of glittering shops and the blood, sweat, and tears that they represent in reality.From the hot sands of Africa where greedy corporations exploit human and mineral resources in collaboration with corrupt politicians, through shining modern Europe all the way to Dubai, embark on an action-adventure with our heroes, the Pink Panthers, and personally experience the world's most famous diamond robberies.If you want to know what it's like to be a Pink Panther, read this book. As well as if you are interested in how the flows of money and the destiny of diamond robbers intertwine with the interests and activities of drug cartels and human trafficking, the white-collar crime of banking and corporate magnates, and diplomatic-political machinations.One thing is guaranteed.For those of you who read this book, the world will never look the same again.AUTHOR'S NOTEThis novel is the first part of a trilogy that deals with the socio-historical context of emergence, rise, and (temporary) fall of the famous and powerful international robber group, Pink Panthers, created in the whirlwind of war during the disintegration of the former Yugoslavia. In close-up are the Pink Panthers characters, their principles, a system of work and organizational structure, tactical patterns of action and logistical processes, described through the example of adventures in preparing and carrying out robberies in Antwerp, London, Tokyo, Paris, Amsterdam, St. Tropez and Dubai. The background story shows the entire process of the diamond business, from relentless exploitation of rich deposits of poor third-world countries to the intertwining of the diamond business with other criminal cartels.

COVID-19

COVID-19
Author: Dylan Howard
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Total Pages: 206
Release: 2020-10-05
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 1510765344

Download COVID-19 Book in PDF, Epub and Kindle

In the final days of 2019, a new and deadly virus was quietly spreading through the city of Wuhan, China. Within six months it would kill half a million people worldwide, infect a further 10 million, and change the way all of us live, work and play forever. Now, for the first time, the real story of the greatest global crisis of the age can be told. Reporters Dylan Howard and Dominic Utton, collaborating from New York and London—infection hotspots in what would become two of the worst-hit nations on Earth—have together mapped the rise, spread and impact of the virus . . . and uncovered some explosive revelations. COVID-19: The Greatest Cover-Up in History—From Wuhan to the White House delivers the unfettered truth about what is undoubtedly the biggest political scandal of our time. It shows in unprecedented detail how governments in China, the UK, and the US not only failed to protect their citizens from the threat of the disease, but actively conspired to put their own political and economic ideologies above the lives of ordinary people. From early attempts by Beijing to silence any reports of the new virus to the inability of the WHO to act decisively; from warnings received and ignored by President Trump to decisions taken by the UK government that directly led to the loss of tens of thousands of lives; from whispers of military experiments to outlandish 5G conspiracy theories, Howard and Utton separate fact from fiction, science from hysteria, and expose a trail of dead bodies, wilful mismanagement, incompetence, arrogance, deliberate cover-ups, and outrageous lies that raise serious questions about who is really responsible for the hundreds of thousands killed by COVID-19. Through vigorous investigations, dedicated reporting, and exclusive first-person sourcing, COVID-19 unearths a more complex understanding of the rise, spread, and consequences of the first six months of the pandemic than has yet been seen, and exposes shocking revelations about the roles and motivations of the American and British governments in the crisis. The true story of COVID-19 is not just that of a silent killer that suddenly invaded the world . . . it’s the scandal of a global tragedy that could have—and should have—been prevented. The real number of deaths and infections from the virus will never be known. The figures have not only been underreported in China, but by supposedly transparent governments in the West for reasons less connected with public safety and more to do with their own mendacity, incompetence, and corruption. Written with the urgency and tension of a thriller novel but grounded in rigorously factual reporting, COVID-19 is the essential read on the most horrifying scandal of our age.

The Lazarus Heist

The Lazarus Heist
Author: Geoff White
Publisher: National Geographic Books
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2022-09-27
Genre: True Crime
ISBN: 024155425X

Download The Lazarus Heist Book in PDF, Epub and Kindle

BASED ON THE NO 1 HIT PODCAST 'The Lazarus Heist' 'You'll never see North Korea the same way again' Oliver Bullough, author of Moneyland 'One of the most incredible cyber-espionage stories I've ever heard, told by one of the UK's best tech journalists' Jamie Bartlett, author of The Missing Crypto Queen 'Pacy and eye-popping, this book shows us what happens when the world of Barbara Demick's Nothing to Envy meets the world of Misha Glenny's McMafia' - Tom Burgis, author of Kleptopia Meet the Lazarus Group, a shadowy cabal of hackers accused of working on behalf of the North Korean state. It's claimed that they form one of the most dangerous criminal enterprises on the planet, having stolen more than $1bn in an international crime spree. Their targets allegedly include central banks, Hollywood film studios and even the British National Health Service. North Korea denies the allegations, saying the accusations are American attempts to tarnish its image. In this staggering, global investigation, award-winning journalist Geoff White examines how the hackers have harnessed cutting-edge technology to launch a decade-long campaign of brazen and merciless raids on its richer, more powerful adversaries. It's not just money they're after. The Lazarus Group's tactics have been used to threaten democracies, gag North Korea's critics and destabilize global peace. From the bustling streets of Dhaka, to the glamorous studios of Hollywood, to the glittering casinos of Macau and the secretive dynastic court of Pyongyang, this shocking story uncovers the secret world of the Lazarus Group, their victims and the people who have tried - and ultimately, so far failed - to stop them. 'Madly intriguing' Guardian 'Cyber warfare and criminal hacking has never been more pertinent. This a must read to understand the threats currently facing all of us globally' Annie Machon, author of Spies, Lies and Whistleblowers

The $11 Billion Year

The $11 Billion Year
Author: Anne Thompson
Publisher: Harper Collins
Total Pages: 290
Release: 2014-03-18
Genre: Performing Arts
ISBN: 0062218034

Download The $11 Billion Year Book in PDF, Epub and Kindle

"This chronicle of 2012 is a slice of what happened during a watershed year for the Hollywood movie industry. It's not the whole story, but it's a mosaic of what went on, and why, and of where things are heading." What changed in one Hollywood year to produce a record-breaking box office after two years of decline? How can the Sundance Festival influence a film's fate, as it did for Beasts of the Southern Wild and Searching for Sugar Man, which both went all the way to the Oscars? Why did John Carter misfire and The Hunger Games succeed? How did maneuvers at festivals such as South by Southwest (SXSW), Cannes, Telluride, Toronto, and New York and at conventions such as CinemaCon and Comic-Con benefit Amour, Django Unchained, Moonrise Kingdom, Silver Linings Playbook, Les Misérables, The Life of Pi, The Avengers, Lincoln, and Argo? What jeopardized Zero Dark Thirty's launch? What role does gender bias still play in the industry? What are the ten things that changed the 2012 Oscar race? When it comes to film, Anne Thompson, a seasoned reporter and critic, addresses these questions and more on her respected daily blog, Thompson on Hollywood. Each year, she observes the Hollywood machine at work: the indies at Sundance, the exhibitors' jockeying at CinemaCon, the international scene at Cannes, the summer tentpoles, the fall's "smart" films and festivals, the family-friendly and big films of the holiday season, and the glamour of the Oscars®. Inspired by William Goldman's classic book The Season, which examined the overall Broadway scene through a production-by-production analysis of one theatrical season, Thompson had long wanted to apply a similar lens to the movie business. When she chose 2012 as "the year" to track, she knew that box-office and DVD sales were declining, production costs were soaring, and the digital revolution was making big waves, but she had no idea that events would converge to bring radical structural movement, record-setting box-office revenues, and what she calls "sublime moviemaking." Though impossible to mention all 670-plus films released in 2012, Thompson includes many in this book, while focusing on the nine Best Picture nominees and the personalities and powers behind them. Reflecting on the year, Thompson concludes, "The best movies get made because filmmakers, financiers, champions, and a great many gifted creative people stubbornly ignore the obstacles. The question going forward is how adaptive these people are, and how flexible is the industry itself?"

Black Edge

Black Edge
Author: Sheelah Kolhatkar
Publisher:
Total Pages: 370
Release: 2017
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 0812995805

Download Black Edge Book in PDF, Epub and Kindle

"The rise over the last two decades of a powerful new class of billionaire financiers marks a singular shift in the American economic and political landscape. Their vast reserves of concentrated wealth have allowed a small group of big winners to write their own rules of capitalism and public policy. How did we get here? ... Kolhatkar shows how Steve Cohen became one of the richest and most influential figures in finance--and what happened when the Justice Department put him in its crosshairs"--Amazon.com.