Her term of probation was recently extended for another five years, after she fell more than $4,000 behind in her restitution payments. Bud Miller, who was the Executive Director of the Coupon Information Corporation (CIC), told money-saving columnist Jill Cataldo, "Initial contact was made by a SWAT team removing the front door of a residence by force. Ben Stiller serves as an executive producer under his Red Hour Productions banner. The comedy Queenpins features a talented cast coming together to tell a crazy true story. Queenpins is playing in theaters with plans to stream on Paramount+ in the near future. Whatever Happened to the Real-Life Queenpins? The pair are currently starring as crooked coupon buddies in the crime comedy "Queenpins," written and directed by husband-and-wife duo Aron. A pair of housewives create a $40 million coupon scam. According to KTAR News, a Phoenix radio station, the group focused on manufacturers coupons, which typically offer a free item or significant discount. Counterfeit Coupon Ringleader Pleads Guilty - Coupons in the News, Woman spends $600 on SavvyShopperSite.com fake coupons - Jill Cataldo. In the wake of the bust, all three women pleaded guilty. For her first film since Frozen II (the 10th highest-grossing movie of all-time . I just decided I really wanted to play the curmudgeon nature of the character. she says. In the movie, the women are fictionalized as Connie (Bell) and Jojo (Howell-Baptiste), who end up living much the same way. Authorities later estimated that the coupon ring cost corporations hundreds of millions of dollars in profit. The CIC and some of its members were on location in a mobile command unit watching the bust." No. On the case to bust them: a supermarkets loss-prevention officer and a US postal inspector, played by Paul Walter HauserandVince Vaughn, respectively. They included coupons for anything from Hershey bars to dog food to diapers. And I think it comes from loneliness and feeling isolated and kind of under-utilized or under-appreciated. The coupons were sold on a site called Savvy Shopper Site, to which interested parties had to be referred or invited directly to use. This is much more inspired So we dont really know anything about the real players and we kind of didnt want to. The filmmakers, Aron Gaudet and Gita Pullapilly, chose not to interview the real Queenpins for the movie. The Coupon Information Corporation got wind of the scheme, and brought it to the attention of investigators, which is how it eventually landed on the desk of Phoenix Police Sergeant David Lake. Fountain and Johnson both still live and work in the Phoenix area, in professions that have nothing to do with coupons. (edited by) Casting By Ben Harris Allison Jones Production Design by Jennifer Klide Art Direction by Adri Siriwatt Costume Design by Julie Carnahan Makeup Department Production Management Mike Upton . Murdaugh is heckled as he leaves court, Ken Bruce finishes his 30-year tenure as host of BBC Radio 2, Ukrainian soldier takes out five tanks with Javelin missiles, Family of a 10-month-old baby filmed vaping open up, Missing hiker buried under snow forces arm out to wave to helicopter, Hershey's Canada releases HER for SHE bars featuring a trans activist, Moment teenager crashes into back of lorry after 100mph police race. Carly Stern For Dailymail.com
'They're buying bunches, and they're redeeming them in bunches.'. The character mainly functions to forward the plot and as the other half of the "buddy-cop" duo with Ken Miller (Paul Walter Hauser). The trailer for Queenpinsincludes audio of Bell and Howell-Baptistes characters calling out systemic inequality and likening themselves to Robin Hood. I'd recommend this film for unwinding on a Friday night after a long week. Marilyn Johnson, 54, Robin Ramirez, 40, and Amiko Fountain, 42, were taken into custody, and in a press conference, police said a search warrant served resulted in the seizing of $40 million worth of coupons and $2 million worth of assets from the womens homes, including $240,000 in vehicles, 22 guns, and a 40-foot speedboat. Vaughn is also currently appearing in the series Curb Your Enthusiasm. While the characters in the 2021 movieQueenpins call out systemic inequality and the downfalls of capitalism, it's unlikely that their real-life counterparts shared these same sentiments. The scheme came crashing down after forty businesses, including major companies like Proctor & Gamble, Hershey, and PepsiCo, filed fraud complaints. In July of 2012, police raided Ramirez's home andseized more than $25 million worth of fake coupons. Those are intriguing issues but themovie is less interested in exploring them than it is giving the queenpins makeovers and silly plot detours involving a militia and extended scatological humor. Ramirez pleaded guilty to illegal control of an enterprise, counterfeiting and fraud. She also was ordered to pay restitution of up to $5 million. But thats just Connie and Jojo. It was then that they learned of the fakes that were in circulation. Eventually, they brought in Phoenix police, who conducted aneight-week investigation. They don't call it robbery; they prefer "removing" or "separating.". No, not at all, Bell told TheWrap. They were ringleader Robin Ramirez (46 at the time of her arrest), Marilyn Johnson (62), and Amiko "Amy" Fountain (42). Ramirez pleaded guilty to counterfeiting, fraud, and illegal control of an enterprise. I try to work with police chiefs, at the state and local level, to come up with ways of explaining how important protecting our business infrastructure is, he said. In real life, the FBI did get involved, along with the non-profit Coupon Information Center. These are free-item coupons," Phoenix Police Sgt. Here's the cast and character guide and the real-life counterparts. In this film we have one of the world's most adorable people, Kristen Bell, with her delightful "The Good Place" co-star Kirby Howell-Baptiste as the two women who almost make a multi-million dollar crime seem cute. As one law enforcement official put it, these were not the fifty-cents-off coupons one might find in their mailbox. The FBI has crooks who commit moremanly crimes to track down. Kiara frowned, watching the usually stoic Ame toss and turn in the driver's seat. Jack McBrayerasAgent Park - McBrayer has extensive experience in comedy. The trail led to the Arizona coupon ring located in Phoenix. The filmmakers are not trying to hurt anybody, or glorify the crime, theyre just trying to make a funny story. But, he cautioned, we cant say that it doesnt matter that a person is only selling coupons when we look at the amount of economic damage that does., Counterfeiters like the three Phoenix women, and the many customers who bought coupons from them, are fully aware that what theyre doing is wrong, Lake believes. But during Proctor & Gamble'sroutine audits ofthird-party coupon processors, the discovered fakes in circulation and hired private investigators to do some more digging. It might have been more interesting to have lead police officer on the case a woman, as it was in the actual arrest. Queenpins' true story is based on the couponing scam designed by three Arizona women: Robin Ramirez, Marilyn Johnson, and Amiko "Amy" Fountain. So will Robin Ramirez, Amiko Fountain and Marilyn Johnson be going to see Queenpins this weekend? They contact the hacker who stole JoJos identity, Tempe Tina, and are taken to her secret location, where she instructs the pair on how to conceal their operation and secure their money, suggesting they use JoJos cosmetics brand Back 2 Black to disguise their coupon business. Having had enough of his lack of support, she declares that she wants a divorce. The Phoenix Police Department conducted undercover operations in which they purchased the counterfeit coupons. I was very excited when I saw on the front page of the script that was based on a true story. Written and directed byAron GaudetandGita Pullapilly, Queenpins is about two housewives who created a $40 million coupon scam. -TIME, Copyright 2023 HistoryvsHollywood.com, CTF Media. She is also known for her appearances in Killing Eve and Cruella. David Lake, who led the Phoenix Police Departments investigation, told KPHOat the time. 'Sometimes I would come out with three carts of groceries.'. Capitalism always knows how to win. The opulence and the money was the equivalent of drug cartel-type of stuff. According to Coupons in the News, Ramierz started selling counterfeit coupons as early as 2007, and was eventually joined by the other two women. In the movie, Kristen Bell and Kirby Howell-Baptiste play Connie and Jojo, a pair of best friends from Phoenix who love extreme couponing. A bright spot is Bebe Rexha as a dark web expert who helps Connie and Jojo launder their money. The three real-life Coupon Queens carried out their counterfeit operation in Phoenix, Arizona where they lived. And the women wont be getting any windfall from Queenpins. Their script is so nuanced and the words are chosen so perfectly. In addition, the scenes involving the gun sale include short appearances by co-director Aron Gaudet's brother Nick as a barista, as well as actor and director Nick Cassavetes as the leader of the group buying the guns. The leader, Ramirez, pleaded guilty to fraud, counterfeiting, and illegal control of an enterprise. Summary: Amelia Watson, a senior but loose cannon, problem child detective of City PD, has to prevent a war. The Queenpins true story reveals that there were three women involved in the real-life scheme, not two like in the movie. Much the same can be said for Paul Walter Houser, who plays Ken Miller, the loss prevention officer that uncovers and eventually busts Connie and Jojos scam. Un par de amas de casa crean una estafa de cupones de 40 millones de dlares. Watch Queenpins: Bebe Rexha On The Experience She's Had So Far Acting In Her First Film Photos 17 Top cast Edit Kristen Bell Connie Kirby JoJo (as Kirby Howell-Baptiste) Paul Walter Hauser Ken Bebe Rexha Tempe Tina Lidia Porto Mrs. Flores Joel McHale Rick Greta Oglesby Mama Josie Eduardo Franco Greg (Cashier) Ben Sidell Man in Line Nneoma Sampson I have never purchased coupons from a clipping service or an auction site." Yes. For the most part, yes. It's not a seamless fit. -TIME. Bud played an instrumental role in taking down the three women who inspired the Queenpins movie.Unlike Bud Miller, Hauser's character doesn't work for the Coupon Information Corporation (a not-for-profit association of consumer product manufacturers dedicated to fighting coupon misredemption and fraud). Some of the coupon enthusiasts featured on the TLC show Extreme Couponing routinely purchased coupons from clipping services.In response to the Arizona coupon counterfeiting ring that inspired the Queenpins movie, the CIC's Bud Miller stated, "Coupon buyers expose themselves to the possibility of becoming involved with counterfeits, stolen property, or other criminal activities. If you can get an unlimited number of those, think how this grows. Kristen Bell and Kirby Howell-Baptiste star in this based-on-a-true-story film about a pair of women whose coupon-counterfeiting operation turned into more than they bargained for. Yes. [6] In December 2020, Dayo Okeniyi, Joel McHale, Nick Cassavetes, Michael Masini, Paul Rust, Eduardo Franco, Marc Evan Jackson, Lidia Porto, Greta Oglesby, Jack McBrayer and Annie Mumolo joined the cast of the film. It's unclear if their real-life counterparts,Ramirez, Fountain, and Johnson, had such charitable aspirations when they started their illicitenterprise. So even though the events of nearly a decade ago seem like old news to the rest of us, its something the culprits continue to live with. 17:42 EST 23 Jul 2021. The acting was solid, though the relatively unknown Paul Walter Hauser stole the movie. They may also expose themselves to additional risk by providing their names, home addresses, and financial information to organized crime rings." One local law enforcement official at the time told the news: The opulence and the money was the equivalent of drug cartel-type of stuff. Ramirez pleaded guilty to illegal control of an enterprise, counterfeiting and fraud. It is also revealed that Connie, after numerous unsuccessful attempts to conceive following her miscarriage, is finally pregnant through in vitro fertilization. As far as the real women involved, stars Kristen Bell and Kirby Howell-Baptiste admit that they never actually met or spoke to the actual minds behind the crime to learn what sparked it. The film's largely painful humor is informed by the mistaken belief that the main characters' criminal enterprise is inherently quirky. In the movie, the women are fictionalized as Connie (Bell) and Jojo (Howell-Baptiste), who end up living much the same way.
Had the system been better then, Lake said, we could have arrested probably another 50 people at least, who were buying hundreds of these coupons at a time and saying, I know theyre fake, but they work great.. You know what, I bet if a better actor were playing Ken Miller, thered probably be a little fine tooth combing involved with the world of loss prevention. Dave Lake told CBS5 later. They were also ordered to pay Proctor & Gamble more than $1.2 million. The only real-life individual you could say was better off after the case than before, is the man who cracked the case. Dayo OkeniyiasEarl - Okeniyi plays Earl, who just happens to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, which results in a hilarious interrogation scene with Ken and Simon. In the movie, the women are fictionalized as Connie (Bell) and Jojo (Howell-Baptiste), who end up living much the same way. Annie MumoloasCrystal - Mumolo appears in the minor role of Crystal. Coupon enthusiast Jill Cataldo warns, "Even though many places sell coupons online, you should never buy them. Police in Phoenix, Arizona, announced the arrest of three women after they confiscated more than $25 million worth of fake coupons in a raid. Queenpins. Autumn Cejer is a Movie/TV Features Writer for Screen Rant. July 2012, police in Phoenix, Arizona arrested three women, Tom Sizemore, star of 'Saving Private Ryan,' 'Heat,' dies at 61 after brain aneurysm, Josh Hartnett is done talking about his break from Hollywood but ready to make fun of actors: 'We're the worst', Michael B. Jordan admits muscle gain for 'Creed' has been harder as he's gotten older, Billy Bush suggests Amy Robach and T.J. Holmes start their own show after ABC exit: 'They've got something that works', How to watch every Oscars 2023 Best Picture nominee.
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