In 2017, Robert De Niro played Bernie Madoff in HBO’sThe Wizard of Lies, so already it’s worth asking who will get the role of actor/con man Zachary Horwitz once his crazy Hollywood Ponzi scheme gets an inevitable Netflix film adaptation. Horwitz, who went by the stage name “Zach Avery” was just charged by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for scamming investors out of over $690 million in a story that hasGTA character written all over it.
According to SEC filings and Horwitz’ IMDb page, the 34-year-old actor professionally known as Zach Avery had starred in several low budget films such asThe White CrowandLast Moment of Claritythroughout the last five years, during which Horwitz and his company 1inMM Capital LLCconducted an elaborate scamthat consisted of selling potential investors the idea of purchasing movie distribution rights that would later be sold to media giants like Netflix and HBO. Prior to 2017, Horwitz had yet to land a named role in any movie whatsoever, with an appearance as an extra in Brad Pitt’sFurybeing the highlight of his career.
RELATED:The Best PS5/PS4 Deals on the PlayStation Store’s Spring Sale
Perhaps for that reason, Horwitz chose to take 1inMM Capital LLC in a drastically different direction in 2015 when he started offering potential investors contracts that promised to allocate the funds he received to acquire film distribution rights, especially for Latin America, a deal he sweetened up by forging fake licensing and distribution agreements with the likes of Netflix and HBO. Of course, representatives from both companies have denied any knowledge of Horwitz’s activities or having any type of relationship with him.
So how did Horwitz get away with all this for so many years? Well, he resorted to the tried and tested Ponzi scheme formula of using new investors’ money to pay off early entrants with +35% returns and build a reputation in the industry. From then on it was rinse and repeat for Horwitz, who was sitting on at least $227m of funds he raised in the last three years at the time of his arrest.
The SEC speculates Horwitz used part of the money to fund a lavish lifestyle that included purchasing the$6m GTA V style home he lived in, located at Beverlywood, Los Angeles. He is also said to have spent over $700,000 in a “celebrity interior designer,” at least $137,000 on private jets, and, of course, funding all of the movies in which he starred since embarking on the scam, the latest of which probably was his 2021 gig,The Devil Below.
Maybe the story of Zach Avery doesn’t have as much charm asLeonardo DiCaprio playing Frank AbagnaleinCatch Me If you’re able to, but it’s certainly fascinating enough for a script. The FBI and SEC continue investigating the matter and Horwitz remains in custody until he pays his $1m bail bond set by the court, which he’ll probably have no problem covering.
MORE:How ‘Fixed’ Cyberpunk 2077 is After Patch 1.2: What’s Better, What’s Unchanged
