To say, yeah, i want to be part of that. Narrator but theres no hollywood happy ending for carpenters investors. She told people that she put hundreds of millions of dollars of her own money into the project, and that was not the case. I didnt steal their money. They made an investment. Frey what can you say, you know . Some days youve just got to go tip your hat to her ability to swindle. Narrator abundant fields of sunflowers and tomato crops surround the sleepy town of dixon, california. But in 2013, the Small Community 20 miles west of sacramento is in the whitehot spotlight. The biggest movie studio in the world is going to be built in the middle of its fertile farmland. This was cast as a 2. 8 billion movie studio project. There was nothing small about it. Narrator according to the projects supervisor, carissa carpenter, the movie studio will be the envy of the film industry. She was going to build it bigger and better than anybody else in california. Stanton she had this team of investors, who were all these hollywood moguls who were gonna come in and build this thing in dixon. Narrator carpenter says the new studio will provide thousands of highpaying jobs to this community of just under 20,000 residents. The city manager and the mayor at the time were all in. They thought this was the greatest thing that was ever gonna happen to dixon, and they were gonna be the ones who brought it home. There were opportunities for Small Businesses in town to ramp up their business due to filmmakers being in town and visiting restaurants or, you know, other stores. They talked about how great it was gonna be to have movie stars in town, tom cruise coming through, robert de niro. Narrator at a Dixon City Council meeting in march 2013, carpenter triumphantly announces that her company, morning view llc, has successfully secured the land necessary to officially begin the project. Carpenter good evening, ladies and gentlemen. We did it. We got 300 acres. It is time for morning view to move forward. Its taken us 14 years, and technically 16 1 2 to get here, and 33 individuals, and everybodys put every ounce of blood, sweat, and tears into this company. But carissa carpenters grand statement isnt exactly the triumph it appears to be. According to federal authorities, her presentation is just the latest chapter in a decadeslong con. Pickles ms. Carpenters penchant for theatrics made her almost a oneofakind fraudster, at least during my career as a prosecutor. I dont think theres any question she was a con artist. Narrator dixon is just the most recent target of her scam. Since the late 1990s, carpenter has seduced residents in more than half a dozen communities with the lure of hollywood and making herself rich in the process. She had this unbelievable ability to tap into peoples dreams. She would offer all kinds of stories about potential financiers. One of them was supposed to someone that was related to the habsburg family. You know, she had told us, i think, on several occasions that she was a child star of some kind. Narrator its true that carpenter has some kind of ties to hollywood, but separating fact from fiction is a tricky proposition. Carissa carpenter is a very complicated woman. We trailed her for years, and i still dont think i have her figured out. Narrator in the mid1990s, Michael Reinero is a Northern California entrepreneur and aspiring actor. By chance, he meets carissa carpenter on a casting call. I first met carissa sort of on a dare from my wife to go out and be an actor. There was a casting call that she saw in the paper, seeking actors for upcoming film projects. So i went, and thats when i met carissa. Narrator at the time, carissa carpenter runs a casting agency. He says she helps him land some bit parts in films and television series. She got me in a tv movie with cheryl ladd called tangled web. She got me in the Cameron Crowe film almost famous. She put me in a movie with John Travolta and Edward Oneill called lucky numbers. Narrator carpenter tells clients she has an extensive hollywood background. She claimed that she was the youngest child actress for the William Morris agency and that at some point shed had an accident and so she had to switch from acting to being an agent. Narrator in the 1990s, reinero says carpenters agency is wellknown in Northern California and works with a number of respectable hollywood studios. Carissa carpenter lives in an exclusive gated community in the sacramento suburb of granite bay. Reinero says hes blown away when he visits the home. The home that she bought here in los lagos was probably a 4 million home. She had some cred. Narrator kimberly west is a neighbor of carissas in granite bay. They strike up a friendship, initially built on their husbands uncommon first name. When i heard her husbands name, everett, which is unusual, i was, like, everett . My husbands names everett and so thats how we met. Narrator carissa carpenter lands her neighbors walkon roles in a few movies and tv shows. Dr. Quinn, medicine woman. In fact, someone came up one time and said, are you jane seymour . [ laughing ] im, like, no. Shes in that tent over there. Narrator around this time, carpenter tells her friends that she wants to take her career to the next level. She has a dream of building her own movie studio in Northern California. Shes pretty dynamic. Shed come across like, you know, were gonna have the sound stages, and were gonna have its gonna be, you know, like a universal studio along with the sound stages. Narrator kimberly says her husband, Everett Parsons, is especially intrigued by the proposal. He came from texas, so he really loved cowboy movies. He just got really excited about the whole thing. More than i did. Narrator Everett Parsons is newly retired. After a career working for the Department Store montgomery ward, he recently took a buyout from the company. Kimberly says carissa carpenter takes a special interest in her husband when she learns of his financial situation. I know she was really pushing it when everett got his buyout, and she started enticing him to get more involved. Narrator Michael Reinero says carissa carpenter also pitches him on the movie studio. So, her pitch to me was well, first it was very secret. You know, cant let this out. We have the opportunity here to bring hollywood to Northern California and do so on a grand scale. Narrator the dream isnt that farfetched. Los angeles may be the center of the worlds film industry, but in the 1990s, hollywood begins to make inroads north of the border. Reinero vancouver, obviously, was a location that was highly desired. It was actually a relatively short plane flight. You could tell that there was a Tipping Point happening. Narrator carissa carpenter has a grand plan to keep the movie business in the golden state. And she said she had done a study in 1994 where they showed the lack of space in hollywood, in los angeles, and the wait lists of people sometimes, productions were waiting, you know, two, three, four years to have a sound stage to create their film. Narrator carpenter says, with the right plan, they could make millions. Reinero so she made a pitch to me, and thats when i wrote my first check for 50,000. I said i wanted in, and so i got in. She gave me my stock, and that was that. Narrator Michael Reinero and Everett Parsons help form a board of directors for carissas new project declaration studios. Reinero says the project has approximately 20 initial investors. Carpenter claims many are bigname hollywood players who prefer to remain anonymous. She had said that george lucas was involved in some way. He was going to bring his clout into the project. She was very, very vague about all of that. Narrator he says carissa carpenter is also willing to put her money where her mouth is. She had said she had put in close to 4 million at that point in time. Narrator next on american greed. The declaration Studios Group is ready to put their plans into action. But unforeseen circumstances derail the project. Anytime she was backed into a corner, she would say that she was having openheart surgery. It was hard to keep track of what all the Health Problems were. Now, theres skyrizi. Things are getting clearer yeah i feel free to bare my skin, yeah thats all me. Nothing and me go hand in hand nothing on my skin thats my new plan. Nothing is everything. Woman keep your skin clearer with skyrizi. With skyrizi, 3 out of 4 people achieved 90 clearer skin at 4 months. Of those, nearly 9 out of 10 sustained it through 1 year. And skyrizi is 4 doses a year, after 2 starter doses. I see nothing in a different way and its my moment so i just gotta say nothing is everything. Skyrizi may increase your risk of infections and lower your ability to fight them. Before treatment, your doctor should check you for infections and tuberculosis. Tell your doctor if you have an infection or symptoms, such as fevers, sweats, chills, muscle aches, or coughs or if you plan to or recently received a vaccine. Nothing is everything. Woman now is the time to ask your dermatologist about skyrizi. Art class. Its abstract expressionism. When you start with a better hot dog from oscar mayer, you can do no wrong. Its all for the love of hot dogs. You can do no wrong. Youre choosing whento get connected to xfinity mobile, to the most Reliable Network nationwide, now with 5g included. Discover how to save up to 400 a year with shared data starting at 15 a month, or get the lowest price for one line of unlimited. Come into your local xfinity store to make the most of your mobile experience. You can shop the latest phones, bring your own device, or trade in for extra savings. Thats simple, easy, awesome. Visit your local xfinity store today to ask, shop, discover the latest on xfinity mobile. Narrator carissa carpenter has her executive team in place and, by 1999, is in search of the perfect location for her dream movie project declaration studios. She, i think, really believed that she was going to do something amazing. Narrator carpenter is the projects chief executive officer. Carissa, in stature she only stands maybe slightly north of 5 feet tall. So shes not super tall. Shes a bundle of energy. She comes off very intelligent, very dynamic. She liked being in the limelight. Narrator the group sets it sights on vacant land just east of sacramento. Reinero there was a property in El Dorado Hills that was exactly what she wanted a huge tract of land out there, and she was very, very excited about it. Narrator the land is hilly and rugged, but is wideopen and could provide the perfect spot for the studio. And she had one of the Biggest Developers in town helping her to look over the land. He told me that he had heard george lucas had flown in twice on his helicopter to look the property over. Narrator over the next year, the group takes steps to secure the land rights. Michael reinero says he puts in another 50,000 to help the venture move forward. Reinero so when the additional 50,000 came in and i had a chance to get more shares and increase my ownership, of course, im in. I see everything thats happening. This is gonna close quickly. I could feel it. Narrator Everett Parsons puts in a couple hundredthousand dollars of his own. Now, i knew money was really tight, cause hed given most of it to her. As he called it, you know, investing in that project. Narrator but the project is spending a lot of money. Reinero she had attorneys involved. She had accountants involved. She had architects involved. She always paid top dollar for the advice that she was getting. Narrator carissa carpenters personal expenses are also extensive expenses such as stays at the finest hotels, designer clothing, even horses. If you are giving an investment, thats for capital to use in the business, right, not for the owner of that business to, you know, live in luxury hotels. We had advised her, look, take a salary. Spend it however you like. But when you ask for reimbursement from the company for something that might not quite be a business expense, thats not quite how you do it, because that can be questioned. Narrator she also likes to travel. Pickles she traveled a lot to europe. She would often use that as an excuse or a lure for investors, telling them that she had financiers in europe who were gonna fund the project. But really, she was just using investor money to fund her lifestyle. Narrator kimberly west says that she and her husband, Everett Parsons, accompany carissa on one trip to london. West we had a beautiful dinner with the lloyds of london. They bought out some highend 400 bottles of wine. I said, well, we paid for that, anyways. But we had this lovely dinner by the london bridge. Narrator carissa carpenter eventually divorces her husband, ditches granite bay, and sets her sights on southern california. When she was negotiating one of the deals, she was staying at the Beverly Hilton at that time. She was taking meetings and meeting with investors and people, and so she said she had to be down there. Narrator Everett Parsons declines an oncamera interview with american greed, but tells us on the phone that he personally pays for her weekslong stay at the Beverly Hilton. He even gives carissa his wifes car. West i mean, he gave her my mercedes. I mean, hed be paying next thing i know, hes paying her phone bills and the rent and all kinds of crazy things. Narrator carpenter also claims to have extensive medical bills. She had every ailment imaginable, from her heart to cancer to things ive never heard of. She told us on several occasions shed had a hysterectomy, and i think you only get to have one of those. Narrator in an exclusive interview with american greed, carpenter insists her medical issues are legitimate. My medical issues are consistent and have been since 1991. Ive had 51 major events since 1991. So i have worked through and continue to work regardless even if i was in the hospital. Narrator she also disputes the accusation that she misused investor funds. No, thats not true. Let me explain. I sold and loaned on a portion of my percentage of stock. Now, when youre doing a private placement memorandum, you can borrow money or loan on money on your personal stock. Narrator in late 2000, the declaration Studios Group receives unexpected bad news the El Dorado Hills site allegedly has environmental problems. El dorado hills we hit asbestos and serpentine rock. That killed us. We couldnt go any farther. So we backed out of the land. It was at that point where costs started rising. So, to get that abated, you know, the cost of the project was starting to increase. Narrator but the group is in luck. Next on american greed. Carissa carpenter quickly lines up a new location. Reinero she had the land together. She had the people together. She thought that the financiers would come in, say, this is perfect, and wed be off to the races. Why . ahhhh incoming ahhhahh im saved water tastes like, water. So we fixed it. Mio. Water tastes like, youre having one more bite no one more bite kraft. For the win win. Its black friday now. This weekend only. Save on tvs. Electronics. Kitchen appliances and more. Friday through sunday only. With new deals every week. Its black friday, now. At target. brad more renters find their place than any other site. As helped by digitally upgrading every one of our employees. Physically. Now, everybody at apartments. Com can, and does, give one hundred and ten percent. [rapid typing and clicking] apartmentsdotcom. The most popular place to find a place. Narrator after an initial setback, carissa carpenter has a new location for her dream studio, just north of sacramento, in Sutter County. She even gets a fullpage spread in the local newspaper. Reinero and ill never forget the picture. It was on the front page the Sacramento Bee, and it showed her in the middle of the sutter property with an umbrella, and it said dreamer on it. She was so happy with that article. She described this disneylandlike village she was going to build with a studio on this farmland. Narrator carpenter tells the paper that the project has major backers. She said that she could get the white house on the phone to clear any hurdles. She could get george bush on the phone. Narrator but the excitement is shortlived. Just like the El Dorado Hills project, there seems to be a problem. Carissa tells her board she needs more money to see the project through. Reinero we were in contract to buy the property. And she put an amount down when she signed the contract, and then six months later, 150,000 was due as good faith to continue the transaction. Narrator Michael Reinero contributes another 50,000 to keep the dream alive. Other Board Members put up the remaining money. If we hadnt have done that, we would have lost the sutter property. So we were kind of. We were forced into doing it, in my perspective. Narrator reinero says he drops a total of 150,000 into declaration studios. Everett parsons tells american greed he invests over 400,000. West he just ran out of money. We had no more money to give her. He ran out of money. He kept going until it was gone. Narrator despite their investments, the declaration studios project in Sutter County falls apart when the board says carissa carpenter fails to close the deal. Reinero when we lost that last deal, then things got really. Things got real. Her board of directors got wind of the fact that she was spending money extravagantly, and they confronted her on it. And we all resigned on the same day. The whole board left on the same day. And then she disappeared. The people in the planning people in Sutter County said, yeah, you know, she was going through the permit process and then vanished. Narrator late in 2001, carissa surprisingly resurfaces almost 3,000 miles away in South Carolina. But her dream has changed slightly. She tells a new group of potential investors that she wants to build an Animation Studio that will rival the walt disney corporation. Stanton she went to South Carolina. She managed to meet with the governor of South Carolina to discuss building a movie studio there. She met with all the movers and shakers there. Narrator carpenter is a special guest at dinner parties and is given a helicopter tour across the state to scout locations for her studio. And they wined and dined her there because there was this california woman whos gonna build a movie studio in South Carolina. It was gonna be great. Narrator but the South Carolina project falls apart when local Officials Say carissa carpenter fails to make down payments and misses deadlines. The heat was really turned up on her because the people that she was dealing with in South Carolina were not like me, where, eh, i made a bad decision, time to move on. They felt that they were wronged. They felt that they were misled. And then that project fizzled. She just disappeared. Narrator next on american greed. Carissa carpenters scheme has unexpected consequences. Anyway, i just, uh. I just cant take it anymore. I was shocked. I was devastated. S spread a little love my way spread a little somethin to remember philadelphia cream cheese, made with fresh milk and real cream. Makes your recipes their holiday favorites. The holidays are made with philly. Has a million little sips of sunshine. Its 100 of your daily vitamin c and 100 delicious. Making every moment in the morning brighter. Tropicana sip your sunshine. har betsy twelquarter mile of tinsel. Lights. Making every moment in the morning brighter. harold and real snow all the way from switzerland. betsy hmmhm. Gonna be tough to top. betsy well played. vo add some thrill to your wish list. At the season of audi sales event. Get exceptional offers now. Why . ahhhh incoming ahhhahh im saved water tastes like, water. So we fixed it. Mio. Water tastes like, water. Narrator after the failures of the el dorado and Sutter County projects, the financial situation in the parsons home is tense. I was getting pretty upset, financially trying to hold the fort myself. So i was i was getting pretty upset with him. Like, what a waste. You know, he worked so hard his whole life. Narrator but what happens next is even more unexpected. One afternoon in 2002, kimberly west is stunned when her husband fails to pick her up from work. I didnt know where he was. My daughter came and got me. She took me home, and we just chatted for a long time. And im, like, where is he . Narrator she eventually sees theres a message on her answering machine. [ machine beeps ] parsons hi, babe, its me. Im sorry were not talking in person. And anyway, i just, um. I just cant take it anymore. Ive, um. Im going to texas. I was so. [ clicks tongue ] mm. I couldnt believe it. I was, like, in shock. Narrator kimberly says her husband leaves due to his financial setbacks. Everett parsons tells fbi investigators that his investments with carpenter cost him his marriage. West i was devastated. First thing that went through my mind, i said. [ groans ] besides him being my husband, i thought, i just lost my best friend. Narrator the couple eventually divorce. As for carissa carpenter, by 2004, shes set her sights on a new location, south of sacramento. Stanton she was purporting to build a 3. 49billion city, essentially. It was gonna have a movie studio, it was gonna have golf courses. It was gonna have hotels. Narrator the River Islands Development is an actual, massive planned Community Just outside of stockton. Stanton there was only one problem with that deal, is that she had no connection to the river islands project whatsoever. Narrator Susan Dellosso is the president of the River Islands Development. She says the executive team doinitially take meetings with carissa carpenter in 2004. And thats when she approached us about putting a movie studio in the business park, which would have brought lots of jobs and lots of fame, and so we were definitely eager to talk to her. Well, everyone in my team, including my lawyers, had tons of meetings with these people. Narrator but the proposed deal falls through when carpenters actions once again fail to match her rhetoric. Dellosso she would always miss dates by, you know, being in the hospital, or she had a strange disease that was rare. And when things would come up that she would have to provide some financing or come up with some of the cash that we had agreed to, just never happened. Narrator however, carissa carpenter is determined to see her dream through. Over the next few years, federal Authorities Say she hijacks the developments business plan. Ms. Carpenter was really adept at taking real work that was being done by Real Companies and purloining it and making it part of her scheme. Well, this is really interesting. So, over the y narrator carpenters brochures make it seem like the river islands project is her vision. She tells people that she drops 123 million of her own money into the development. Shes absolutely making false statements about how much money shes obtained, and whats included in these documents is completely fraudulent about any ownership. Narrator to fund her latest project, federal Authorities Say she looks outside of california. Over the next six years, she finds a trove of willing investors in utah. Pickles its my understanding that she had a connection with utah brokers, and they were looking for an investment for their clients, and ms. Carpenter happily supplied them with tales of this development and even offered stock in her makebelieve company. Narrator eric frey is one of the utah investors. He says he first encounters carpenter during a pitch meeting in a hotel around 2006. So, we go down there, and shes there, of course. And, you know, its all about her and her childhood and how she was the only blueeyed blonde in all of japan, so they just ate her up. Narrator frey says shes persuasive. She claimed she was gonna own the utility districts and get us you know, every time a toilet flushed, wed get paid. Every time a light turned on, you know, we were gonna make money off of that. Narrator frey says he takes out a Home Equity Loan and invests 125,000. Authorities say carpenter raises over 1 million from the utah Investment Group. One of the big spending sprees was right after you know, there were diamonds. There were fancy dogs. There was one boyfriend she had, and she promised him that once the company got going, he was gonna get a maserati. Narrator a few investors actually make the trip to california to see their investment in person. I had a gentleman from utah who showed up at our front door, and he basically walked in and said, hey, im an owner. Im an owner. Show me the land. And so i chatted with him and said, what do you mean youre an owner . We dont have any outside investors in our project. But he was a little dismayed when he left my office. Narrator the utah Investment Group says they try to confront carpenter, but she spins numerous excuses and eventually vanishes. The river islands executives say they send carpenter numerous ceaseanddesist letters, and even contact the fbi. So, i had some contact with the fbi, and i told them about what carissa was doing. Narrator next on american greed. A little digging into carissas past uncovers a lot of dirt. We found a series of liens, a vet bill that hadnt been paid. She just didnt pay her bills. Narrator carissa carpenter didnt just lie to investors she lied to fbi agents. To learn more, go to americangreed. Cnbc. Com. Want inside information from the show . Join the greed social network. Follow us on instagram and like us on american greeds facebook page. Well be right back. The 1966 etype roadster. My father spent 3 years restoring this car. It is his love. It is his passion it is his fault he didnt lock the garage. Dont even think about it uhhh. Hi, dad been there, done that. With liftmaster® powered by myq®, know whats happening in your garage from anywhere. Chickachickahh chuckles kids. Has a million little sips of sunshine. Its 100 of your daily vitamin c and 100 delicious. Making every moment in the morning brighter. Tropicana sip your sunshine. Making every moment in the morning brighter. S spread a little love my way spread a little somethin to remember philadelphia cream cheese, made with fresh milk and real cream. Makes your recipes their holiday favorites. The holidays are made with philly. Its black friday now. This weekend only. Save on tvs. Electronics. Kitchen appliances and more. Friday through sunday only. With new deals every week. Its black friday, now. At target. That came from me. Really. My first idea was in one quarter of an hour, your savings will tower. Over you. Figuratively speaking. But thats not catchy, is it . Thats not going to swim about in your brain. So i thought, what about. 15 minutes. 15 percent. Serendipity. 15 minutes could save you 15 or more on car insurance. Serendipity. Narrator after the river islands debacle, carpenter resurfaces in the east bay vallejo, california in 2010. She pitches her movie studio for mare island, a former naval base thats been vacant for over a decade. Stanton vallejo was a town with severe financial problems. Theyd been in bankruptcy. And so she came to town and said, im gonna build this project. Narrator once again, carpenter lines up legitimate Development Teams and architects for her dream project. So, a lot of times, what would happen with these companies is they would do some preliminary work with the hope that someday, if the project actually came to fruition, they would get a large payout at the end. What ms. Carpenter would do was make it appear that they were substantially involved. Narrator the feds say carpenter once again misses crucial deadlines. Pickles no one would be willing to move forward, because they had reached a point where, simply, they needed to see the money. It was time to put up or shut up. And so ms. Carpenter would then move off to another location, telling her investors that something had happened, but she had found, you know, the next golden location. Narrator in 2013, that golden location is dixon, the farming Community Just west of sacramento. And it really hit with a bang because people always. I think a lot of dixonites have big hopes of development coming to dixon, like a major industry or Something Like that. Narrator bil paul is a local author who has written a book about carissa carpenters grand plans for dixon. Carissa carpenter knew how to push buttons to get people to react here in the city. There were promises of jobs for a lot of local people. Stanton she had real, solid members of her team. Her lawyer was a former legislator here, the head of the state republican party. These were real players. Narrator carissa tells officials that she needs 300 acres in dixon before her plans can move forward. They spent a lot of time trying to convince landowners to sell, or initially, to sign letters of intent. Narrator american greed reaches out to several dixon city officials about their interactions with carpenter, but they decline comment. We uncovered no evidence that ms. Carpenter ever took any real steps to purchase the property. In fact, those involved said it became really obvious that this was not a legitimate or serious effort to buy land, despite what she was telling the city council and others. Narrator during this time, Sacramento Bee journalist Marjie Lundstrom says she receives an anonymous tip from a dixon city official. I remember when i got the original tip saying something isnt right here. 2. 8 billion studio in this small town down the road. At the time, that was six times the price of the new arena that was going in in sacramento for the sacramento kings. I mean, it just, on its face, didnt make sense. Narrator over the next several months, Marjie Lundstrom and sam stanton, a husbandandwife reporting team, dig into carissa carpenters background. Stanton the more we looked, the more odd it seemed. I found a court file in los angeles involving the sale of a 18. 5 million Beverly Hills mansion to her, in which, you know, she never paid for the mansion. And so, once i read those documents i thought, okay, theres something here. Narrator according to their investigation, carpenter is a serial grifter. Lundstrom a default car loan. An eviction notice. File after file after file with her not paying her bills. A picture was starting to develop. Narrator the reporters identify at least 19 tax liens and dozens of civil actions against carpenter over the past 20 years. She owes over 50,000 to a dentist in Beverly Hills. And everywhere i looked, there was another case against her involving furniture she hadnt paid for or cosmetic surgeries she hadnt paid for or bounced checks. And at some point, we thought, well, we need to get to her and ask her about this, because at the time, she was telling dixon that she was gonna build this massive, multibilliondollar studio. Narrator in the spring of 2013, sam stanton lands an interview with carissa carpenter. Stanton so i drove to los angeles to interview her. And i thought, well, ill be going to her movie studio, or somewhere in hollywood, presumably. And instead, we met at a tgi fridays in simi valley. Narrator stanton says carpenter thinks the interview is another puff piece on her latest venture. But the interview quickly turns serious. Stanton i spent quite a bit of time asking her about the plans and the project and her investors, and after about an hour, i switched gears and said, you know, tell me about these bills you dont pay and these checks that bounce and these court cases against you and. And im honest and honorable, and im a good woman. And everybody thats been with this program and this project from day one has stayed with me. Narrator stanton asks carpenter about the 50,000 she owes to the Beverly Hills dentist. I dont know who that is. Stanton theres a case pending against you now. Beverly hills cosmetic dentistry. Oh, dr. [bleep]. Right. Um. My teeth all broke from falling and cracked open all my teeth in my mouth, and he didnt finish the work, and i had four abscesses that went into an infection that went into my heart. I have not been able to get that finished. And when i get well, ill pay him. Narrator stanton says carissa carpenter has an excuse for everything. Yeah, her identity had been stolen, she was working with the secret service, she was working with interpol. There was always an excuse. Narrator carpenter says the river islands fiasco was just a misunderstanding. We were in the process of trying to finance it, and everything went sideways when the Real Estate Market cratered. We lost our financing, which is why we didnt end up closing. Narrator in 2013, the reporters story about carissa carpenter and her shady past is featured on the front page the Sacramento Bee. In dixon, the piece hits hard. The Sacramento Bee articles came like a bombshell. Narrator many residents dont want to believe what the reporters find. They blame the newspaper for trying to sabotage the proposed movie studio and dixons chance at millions. Paul the reporting was very accurate. It was very detailed, very indepth. But even so, there were some in the community who said, oh, it was a hit job, you know. Theyre out to get her. Narrator next on american greed. Carissa carpenter does whatever it takes to stay out of prison. Pickles she claimed, for example, that she needed money to join an order of knights that would provide her a title of baroness. And if she could just get this cloak and become lady carissa, as she referred to herself, she would be immune from prosecution. Now, theres skyrizi. Things are getting clearer yeah i feel free to bare my skin, yeah thats all me. Nothing and me go hand in hand nothing on my skin thats my new plan. Nothing is everything. Woman keep your skin clearer with skyrizi. With skyrizi, 3 out of 4 people achieved 90 clearer skin at 4 months. Of those, nearly 9 out of 10 sustained it through 1 year. And skyrizi is 4 doses a year, after 2 starter doses. I see nothing in a different way and its my moment so i just gotta say nothing is everything. Skyrizi may increase your risk of infections and lower your ability to fight them. Before treatment, your doctor should check you for infections and tuberculosis. 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Narrator after the publication of the sacramento bexpose, federal authorities begin an investigation of carissa carpenter. What was revealed is, shes just a charlatan who really had no substance, but was all about selling a dream and getting lots of peoples money to fund her outofcontrol lifestyle. And that appears to have been her entire career. We interviewed witnesses back to the 80s. So it seems to have been quite a longrunning scheme. Narrator in 2014, federal prosecutors in sacramento hit carissa carpenter with a 32count indictment, charging her with mail fraud, wire fraud, and making a false statement to a government agent. She was lying on documents and then sending those documents either in emails to folks in other states to perpetuate the scheme. Narrator the government officially says carpenter pockets over 3. 5 million. Kutz that was official. Thats the official kind of number. Theres certainly a chance that it could be more. Narrator federal Authorities Say that carpenter spends investor money on herself, rather than the development of any movie studio, and that she never actually invests any of her own money into the projects. She would live a very luxurious lifestyle, and it was essentially this was her only business and only source of income. Pickles we identified numerous instances of investor money being used to pay off or down credit cards. She lived, kind of, always on the edge with respect to her finances, living a life she couldnt afford but for the fact that she was able to take investor money. Narrator federal investigators contact george lucas. The hollywood legend submits a declaration to the court saying hes never even met carpenter. Pickles we were able to obtain a declaration from mr. Lucas, who attested that he was not involved in ms. Carpenters project at all, had no intention of being involved. Narrator after her indictment, carpenter begins making regular court appearances, but many devolve into spectacles. Pickles ms. Carpenter, at least in my opinion, attempted to faint three times at three different proceedings. One time, an ambulance came and went up to the 14th floor of the courthouse, whatever it was, put her on a stretcher, took her down to the first floor, put her in an ambulance. Narrator one time, she tries to dodge prosecution by becoming a member of the knights templar, the ancient and mysterious religious order. She had somehow became convinced that she could escape prosecution by becoming a baroness. To become a baroness, she had to purchase a cloak and if she could just get this cloak and become lady carissa, as she referred to herself, she would be immune from prosecution. Narrator after years of delays, in july of 2018, carpenter pleads guilty to two counts of mail fraud and one count of lying to a government agent. The rest of the charges against her are dropped. Shes sentenced to 6 1 2 years in prison. The feds say her scam lasts approximately 17 years and involves dozens of victims. Stanton the day of her sentencing, i couldnt believe it they were talking about the different victims, and they were reading off names we had never heard of. Its unbelievable, the amount of people. Narrator carpenter is incarcerated at a Federal Medical Center in texas. American greed reaches out to her in prison. She tells us that she never intentionally set out to deceive investors. I didnt steal their money. They made an investment. Could i have made better decisions . Yes. Was i responsible at the end . Because as the ceo and chairman, i am responsible. Narrator given the chance, carpenter says she would have conducted business differently. I wouldnt have trusted a lot of people. I probably would have stopped after the first city. I think the company grew and it grew. And the larger we got, the greedier people got and the more stars in the eyes. Narrator carpenter says her health is failing in prison. But if she survives, she says she has one goal. I wish i was able to make good on my promises. If i stay alive, i will, and i will do everything i can with every penny ive got to make things right. I dont know how, but im gonna try. Narrator many victims say they doubt that will happen. And the reviews are in on this hollywood flop. The only restitution investors believe theyll ever receive is the sight of carissa carpenter behind bars. I feel like she got what she deserved at this point. I still have a lot of unanswered questions. But it is really gratifying that right now she is in prison and theres, to our knowledge, nobody else turning over 150,000 to her for a movie studio that may or may not be built. So there was just a lot of pain associated with it. She caused a lot of pain, and knowing shes in jail and in prison, i mean, yeah, i dont wish that upon anyone, but at the same time, shame on her. Captions by vitac theyre young, rich, americaand running wild. Ition, we were just having fun. Here, you want some pills . Heres some pills. You want to smoke some weed . Heres some weed, you know. Narrator a group of florida teens stumble into an unlikely career drug lords. Barabas they wanted them, and we had them, and they would pay whatever for them. Narrator and what they lack in experience, they make up for in creativity. We would slice the back of the teddy bear, stuff it with cash. They were clever, stupid clever, but clever. Narrator but the good times dont last long,
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