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The Hustle (2013)
Starring Christian Bale, Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence, Amy Adams, Jeremy Rennerbased on the FBI's Abscam operation carried out in the late 1970s and early 1980s
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You set a crook to catch a crook. We put the big honey pot out there and all the flies came to us.
-Mel Weinberg, 60 Minutes, April 12, 1981Questioning the Story:
Why did the filmmakers include the disclaimer,
"This is a work of fiction," in the closing credits of the movie?
While the majority of the movie characters can be linked to real people, the filmmakers chose to change their names and open the film with a title card that informs us,
"Some of this actually happened."
As we began our research into the American Hustle true story, it quickly became clear that characters had been altered (mostly to be more comedic) and the truth had been exaggerated for the film.
A more serious story of political corruption has been re-imagined into a comedy where history replays itself as farce.
In addition, most of the characters were significantly older in real life than they are portrayed to be onscreen, short of Bradley Cooper's FBI Agent Richie DiMaso and Irving Rosenfeld's mistress Sydney Prosser (Amy Adams).
The real Irving Rosenfeld, Mel Weinberg, was in his mid-fifties at the time of the film's events and his wife (portrayed by the much younger Jennifer Lawrence in the film) was approaching her late forties.
Christian Bale's American Hustle character shares obvious similarities with his real-life counterpart, Mel Weinberg, pictured smoking a cigar during a 60 Minutes interview.
How long had Melvin Weinberg been living a life of crime prior to his capture?
As indicated in the American Hustle movie, prior to his capture by the FBI, Weinberg had been living a life of delinquency ever since he was a boy growing up in the Bronx.
It was then that he stole gold stars from his teacher's desk in order to show his mother what an excellent student he was.
That was only a small indication of what lied ahead.
When his father's window-glass business was on the rocks, a helpful Weinberg drove around town in a Cadillac, shooting out windows with his slingshot.
His father's business surged.
His delinquency as a juvenile eventually evolved into large scale swindles as an adult.
Why did confessed con man Mel Weinberg agree to help the FBI?
Las Vegas singer Wayne Newton was just one of Mel Weinberg's numerous victims.
Amy Adams's Sydney Prosser character was inspired by Weinberg's real-life English-born mistress Evelyn Knight.
"Some of this actually happened."
As we began our research into the American Hustle true story, it quickly became clear that characters had been altered (mostly to be more comedic) and the truth had been exaggerated for the film.
A more serious story of political corruption has been re-imagined into a comedy where history replays itself as farce.
In addition, most of the characters were significantly older in real life than they are portrayed to be onscreen, short of Bradley Cooper's FBI Agent Richie DiMaso and Irving Rosenfeld's mistress Sydney Prosser (Amy Adams).
The real Irving Rosenfeld, Mel Weinberg, was in his mid-fifties at the time of the film's events and his wife (portrayed by the much younger Jennifer Lawrence in the film) was approaching her late forties.
Christian Bale's American Hustle character shares obvious similarities with his real-life counterpart, Mel Weinberg, pictured smoking a cigar during a 60 Minutes interview.
How long had Melvin Weinberg been living a life of crime prior to his capture?
As indicated in the American Hustle movie, prior to his capture by the FBI, Weinberg had been living a life of delinquency ever since he was a boy growing up in the Bronx.
It was then that he stole gold stars from his teacher's desk in order to show his mother what an excellent student he was.
That was only a small indication of what lied ahead.
When his father's window-glass business was on the rocks, a helpful Weinberg drove around town in a Cadillac, shooting out windows with his slingshot.
His father's business surged.
His delinquency as a juvenile eventually evolved into large scale swindles as an adult.
Why did confessed con man Mel Weinberg agree to help the FBI?
Mel Weinberg, had been running get-rich-quick schemes that mainly included insurance fraud and various other investment scams.
His swindling days ended when the FBI nabbed him for operating a bogus international banking and investment firm, London Investors, out of a furnished leased office in Melville, Long Island.
Las Vegas singer Wayne Newton was just one of Mel Weinberg's numerous victims.
Weinberg had been targeting desperate businessmen who had been denied loans from conventional banks.
Weinberg charged them an advance fee for "appraisal and processing", telling them that the loan would be secured from a supposed offshore bank.
When the loan never came through, he simply kept the advance fee and told his victims that the offshore bank had rejected their loan application.
Most never even realized that they had been scammed.
Among the most notable of his victims was Las Vegas legend Wayne Newton, who Weinberg, along with his mistress Evelyn Knight and accomplice Patrick Francis, bilked out of $800, offering to secure the singer a million dollar loan in return.
Weinberg's luck ran out in 1977 when a real-estate man from Pittsburgh reported him to the FBI.
Arrested along with his mistress Evelyn Knight and conspirator Patrick Francis, he was indicted by a federal grand jury for mail fraud, wire fraud and conspiracy.
Unlike what is seen in the movie, the real FBI agent behind Bradley Cooper's character Richie DiMaso, whose actual name is Antonio Amoroso, was not on hand for Mel and Evelyn's arrest.
Amoroso didn't meet con man Mel Weinberg until after Weinberg agreed to a deal to help the FBI.
Knowing that prison was Weinberg's only option, FBI agent John GOOD, who was in charge of the Abscam operation, makes a deal with Weinberg in hopes that he can lead the FBI to more white collar prey.
Like what is shown in the movie, Weinberg agrees to work on FOUR cases in order to keep himself and his mistress out of jail.
Once those cases were completed, Weinberg agrees to continue to work for the FBI, leading them to uncover the political corruption that the Abscam operation became known for.
Was Melvin Weinberg paid for helping the FBI?
Yes.
With regard to the American Hustle true story, not only did Melvin Weinberg avoid a three-year prison sentence, he was paid $150,000 of taxpayers' money for helping to stage and execute the Abscam operation.
This was also due to the fact that after he helped the FBI with the four cases he agreed to as part of his deal to avoid jail time, they offered to pay him to stay on and help them with Abscam.
"A lot of that is expenses if you look at it," says Weinberg.
When asked by interviewer Mike Wallace if he stayed with the FBI out of fear, patriotism, or simply as another way to make a buck, Weinberg replied,
"Strictly for the money."
With regard to the American Hustle true story, not only did Melvin Weinberg avoid a three-year prison sentence, he was paid $150,000 of taxpayers' money for helping to stage and execute the Abscam operation.
This was also due to the fact that after he helped the FBI with the four cases he agreed to as part of his deal to avoid jail time, they offered to pay him to stay on and help them with Abscam.
"A lot of that is expenses if you look at it," says Weinberg.
When asked by interviewer Mike Wallace if he stayed with the FBI out of fear, patriotism, or simply as another way to make a buck, Weinberg replied,
"Strictly for the money."
Amy Adams's Sydney Prosser character was inspired by Weinberg's real-life English-born mistress Evelyn Knight.
Did Mel Weinberg, really have a mistress who helped him pull off cons?
Yes. Sydney Prosser, portrayed by Amy Adams (pictured left) in the Hustle movie, was indeed inspired by a real-life individual.
As noted in Robert W. Greene's book The Sting Man, Weinberg had a longtime English-born mistress named Evelyn Knight, who had arrived in the U.S. in 1970 and had helped him pull off cons before he was arrested and started working with the FBI.
Weinberg often passed her off as Lady Evelyn, one of the world's richest women.
It should be noted that Evelyn was in fact born in England, which differs from Adams's movie character, a former stripper from New Mexico who pretends to pass herself off as a Brit named Lady Edith.
Though Evelyn did cross paths with Mayor Errichetti one night while she was out to dinner with Weinberg, she NEVER becomes involved in the Abscam operation like she does in the movie, nor does she develop a flirtatious relationship with an FBI agent, as she does with Bradley Cooper's character.
In 1979, when Weinberg and his wife Marie moves to Florida at the height of Abscam, he made sure to purchase a condominium not far from his mistress Evelyn, whom he had already set up in a condo shortly after their arrest.
To explain the second residence, he told his wife that he was helping a trucking official from England.
Just over a month after his estranged wife's suicide on January 28, 1982, Weinberg married Evelyn, who was nineteen years his junior (The New York Times).
The former partners in crime later divorce.
As noted in Robert W. Greene's book The Sting Man, Weinberg had a longtime English-born mistress named Evelyn Knight, who had arrived in the U.S. in 1970 and had helped him pull off cons before he was arrested and started working with the FBI.
Weinberg often passed her off as Lady Evelyn, one of the world's richest women.
It should be noted that Evelyn was in fact born in England, which differs from Adams's movie character, a former stripper from New Mexico who pretends to pass herself off as a Brit named Lady Edith.
Though Evelyn did cross paths with Mayor Errichetti one night while she was out to dinner with Weinberg, she NEVER becomes involved in the Abscam operation like she does in the movie, nor does she develop a flirtatious relationship with an FBI agent, as she does with Bradley Cooper's character.
In 1979, when Weinberg and his wife Marie moves to Florida at the height of Abscam, he made sure to purchase a condominium not far from his mistress Evelyn, whom he had already set up in a condo shortly after their arrest.
To explain the second residence, he told his wife that he was helping a trucking official from England.
Just over a month after his estranged wife's suicide on January 28, 1982, Weinberg married Evelyn, who was nineteen years his junior (The New York Times).
The former partners in crime later divorce.
How did Weinberg and his mistress first meet?
According to Robert Greene's book The Sting Man, Mel Weinberg met his British-born mistress, Evelyn Knight (portrayed by Amy Adams in the American Hustle movie), at a New York cocktail party sponsored by the British government.
After a relationship developed, she takes him to England to meet her parents.
After a relationship developed, she takes him to England to meet her parents.
Why was the FBI operation called "Abscam"?
As we probed the American Hustle true story, we quickly learned that the FBI sting operation that was nicknamed Abscam is a contraction of Abdul Scam, which refers to the phony company set up by the FBI, Abdul Enterprises.
How long did the Abscam operation last?
The FBI Abscam operation lasted approximately two years, beginning in July 1978 and ending in 1980.
What was the purpose of the FBI's Abscam operation?
Originally, the goal of Abscam, an FBI operation run out of the Hauppauge, Long Island office, was to target underworld figures who were trafficking stolen art (as seen in the film).
The success of that investigation introduced agents to criminals dealing in fake stocks and bonds.
From there, the FBI's criminal contacts led them to politicians who were willing to accept bribes.
It was at this point that Abscam became a political corruption investigation.
Irving Rosenfeld (Christian Bale) and FBI agent Richie DiMaso (Bradley Cooper) accompany their phony sheik (Michael Peña). In real-life, undercover FBI agents did in fact pretend to represent a rich Arab sheik.
The FBI used the fake company it had set up, "Abdul Enterprises", to lure public officials who were suspected of corruption into taking bribes.
Under-cover agents pose as representatives of an oil-rich Arab sheik, and they arrive at meetings with suitcases full of cash in an attempt to bribe congressmen and other public officials into granting the sheik asylum in the U.S. and getting their "business" an Atlantic City casino license, among other things.
What role did Weinberg play in the Abscam operation?
Is Bradley Cooper's character, Richie DiMaso, based on a real person?
Bradley Cooper's character's real-life counterpart, FBI agent Anthony Amoroso (left), shakes hands with Rep. Frank Thompson (D-N.J.) after Thompson accepts bribe money.
Actor Bradley Cooper's American Hustle movie character, Richie DiMaso, most closely resembles real-life FBI agent Antonio Amoroso, especially with regard to his role in supervising Weinberg and being the key under-cover man in the FBI's Abscam operation.
Like DiMaso in the movie, Amoroso operates on the edge, often going to great lengths and spending outlandish sums of money in order to catch his targets.
Amoroso obtains a 65-foot yacht that has been seized by U.S. customs during a drug bust and uses it to hold lavish parties with the politicians he was targeting.
Amoroso has a virtually unlimited amount of spending money and often stays at luxurious hotels, ate at expensive restaurants and drove equally impressive cars.
He acts as the "money-man" at the meetings and living extravagantly is his way of keeping up appearances and not blowing his cover.
The reported total cost of the Abscam operation is $600,000.
"Amoroso has the toughest job," says Weinberg.
"He has to make the decision to give the corrupt politicians the money or not to give them it.
Now, if he gave them the money and he did wrong, it was his neck.
If he didn't give them the money and he did wrong, it was his neck.
And he was under a lot of pressure.
Did Weinberg really own a legit dry-cleaning business like his counterpart, Irving Rosenfeld (Christian Bale), in the movie?
Did Weinberg really have a heart problem?
Is Jeremy Renner's character, Mayor Carmine Polito, based on a real person?
Actor Jeremy Renner (left) as Mayor Carmine Polito in the movie and his real-life counterpart, Mayor Angelo Errichetti (right), in the 1973.
Yes. Camden, New Jersey Mayor Carmine Polito (Jeremy Renner) in the movie is based on real-life Camden, New Jersey Mayor Angelo Errichetti, who is taken into custody by the FBI on December 1, 1978, after accepting a bribe in exchange for promising to attempt to obtain "Abdul Enterprises", the FBI's phoney company, a casino license for Atlantic City.
Errichetti accepts an immediate payment of $25,000 that is part of an agreed total bribe payment of $400,000.
"I can only blame myself for the tremendous ego I developed," says Errichetti, "the kind of ego that gets a politician into trouble."
The FBI's investigation into Mayor Angelo Errichetti, who also serves in the New Jersey senate, shifts the focus of its Abscam operation toward a major political corruption investigation, using the mayor as a gate-way to bigger fish that led the FBI straight up D.C.'s political food chain.
Did Weinberg really develop a friendship with his target, Mayor Angelo Errichetti?
The real Mayor Angelo Errichetti (right) poses for a photo with the FBI's fake Arab sheik.
Mel Weinberg's wife Marie is found dead after an apparent suicide by hanging.
Read The Sting Man book. Learn more about Mel Weinberg, Abscam and the true story behind American Hustle.
The success of that investigation introduced agents to criminals dealing in fake stocks and bonds.
From there, the FBI's criminal contacts led them to politicians who were willing to accept bribes.
It was at this point that Abscam became a political corruption investigation.
Irving Rosenfeld (Christian Bale) and FBI agent Richie DiMaso (Bradley Cooper) accompany their phony sheik (Michael Peña). In real-life, undercover FBI agents did in fact pretend to represent a rich Arab sheik.
The FBI used the fake company it had set up, "Abdul Enterprises", to lure public officials who were suspected of corruption into taking bribes.
Under-cover agents pose as representatives of an oil-rich Arab sheik, and they arrive at meetings with suitcases full of cash in an attempt to bribe congressmen and other public officials into granting the sheik asylum in the U.S. and getting their "business" an Atlantic City casino license, among other things.
What role did Weinberg play in the Abscam operation?
Like Christian Bale's character in the American Hustle movie, Weinberg was instrumental in staging the Abscam operation.
He assisted the FBI in selecting potential targets and contacted a variety of individuals to tell them that his principals (in this case the concocted Arab sheik) were looking to invest large sums of money in exchange for various political favours.
He assisted the FBI in selecting potential targets and contacted a variety of individuals to tell them that his principals (in this case the concocted Arab sheik) were looking to invest large sums of money in exchange for various political favours.
Is Bradley Cooper's character, Richie DiMaso, based on a real person?
Bradley Cooper's character's real-life counterpart, FBI agent Anthony Amoroso (left), shakes hands with Rep. Frank Thompson (D-N.J.) after Thompson accepts bribe money.
Actor Bradley Cooper's American Hustle movie character, Richie DiMaso, most closely resembles real-life FBI agent Antonio Amoroso, especially with regard to his role in supervising Weinberg and being the key under-cover man in the FBI's Abscam operation.
Like DiMaso in the movie, Amoroso operates on the edge, often going to great lengths and spending outlandish sums of money in order to catch his targets.
Amoroso obtains a 65-foot yacht that has been seized by U.S. customs during a drug bust and uses it to hold lavish parties with the politicians he was targeting.
Amoroso has a virtually unlimited amount of spending money and often stays at luxurious hotels, ate at expensive restaurants and drove equally impressive cars.
He acts as the "money-man" at the meetings and living extravagantly is his way of keeping up appearances and not blowing his cover.
The reported total cost of the Abscam operation is $600,000.
"Amoroso has the toughest job," says Weinberg.
"He has to make the decision to give the corrupt politicians the money or not to give them it.
Now, if he gave them the money and he did wrong, it was his neck.
If he didn't give them the money and he did wrong, it was his neck.
And he was under a lot of pressure.
Did Weinberg really own a legit dry-cleaning business like his counterpart, Irving Rosenfeld (Christian Bale), in the movie?
Yes.
At one point, Weinberg owned a total of twenty-six dry-cleaning stores in Queens, operating under the name "Ditmars Cleaners".
At one point, Weinberg owned a total of twenty-six dry-cleaning stores in Queens, operating under the name "Ditmars Cleaners".
Did Weinberg really have a heart problem?
Yes. The Sting Man book mentions Weinberg having a spasm of pain in his chest, after which he goes to see a doctor.
The book also mentions him carrying high blood pressure and heart pills as part of his everyday accoutrements.
The book also mentions him carrying high blood pressure and heart pills as part of his everyday accoutrements.
Is Jeremy Renner's character, Mayor Carmine Polito, based on a real person?
Actor Jeremy Renner (left) as Mayor Carmine Polito in the movie and his real-life counterpart, Mayor Angelo Errichetti (right), in the 1973.
Yes. Camden, New Jersey Mayor Carmine Polito (Jeremy Renner) in the movie is based on real-life Camden, New Jersey Mayor Angelo Errichetti, who is taken into custody by the FBI on December 1, 1978, after accepting a bribe in exchange for promising to attempt to obtain "Abdul Enterprises", the FBI's phoney company, a casino license for Atlantic City.
Errichetti accepts an immediate payment of $25,000 that is part of an agreed total bribe payment of $400,000.
"I can only blame myself for the tremendous ego I developed," says Errichetti, "the kind of ego that gets a politician into trouble."
The FBI's investigation into Mayor Angelo Errichetti, who also serves in the New Jersey senate, shifts the focus of its Abscam operation toward a major political corruption investigation, using the mayor as a gate-way to bigger fish that led the FBI straight up D.C.'s political food chain.
Did Weinberg really develop a friendship with his target, Mayor Angelo Errichetti?
The real Mayor Angelo Errichetti (right) poses for a photo with the FBI's fake Arab sheik.
Yes.
The Hustle true story reveals that Weinberg and his target, Mayor Angelo Errichetti, did develop a friendship of sorts, comparable on some levels to what is seen between Christian Bale and Jeremy Renner's characters in the movie.
On one occasion, Mel even took Mayor Errichetti home to meet his mother Helen (The Sting Man).
Weinberg alludes to his kinship with Errichetti in a 60 Minutes television interview.
"I like him," says Weinberg.
"If I had met Errichetti five, six years ago, we would be some partners."
"I mean he was something else."
"He is terrific."
"He is a likable guy."
"I mean out of all the people that we deal with, he is the most likable one."
"You know where he was coming from."
"He won't beat around the bush."
Did Weinberg really con the FBI to help get the mayor a reduced sentence?
No.
Although Weinberg was sorry to see Mayor Angelo Errichetti get busted, the film's twist ending is pure fiction.
Weinberg never hustles the FBI in order to gain leverage so that he could get the mayor a reduced sentence.
Although Weinberg was sorry to see Mayor Angelo Errichetti get busted, the film's twist ending is pure fiction.
Weinberg never hustles the FBI in order to gain leverage so that he could get the mayor a reduced sentence.
Did Weinberg's wife really confront his mistress?
Yes, although it didn't happen quite like it does in the film, nor did it happen in a ladies' room.
In the film, we see Irving Rosenfeld's wife Rosalyn (Jennifer Lawrence) confront his mistress Sydney Prosser (Amy Adams) in a heated blow-up that nearly becomes a catfight.
In real life, Weinberg's wife Cynthia Marie grows suspicious, and she goes to the condo that he told her he had been providing for a trucking official from England named Sir Robert Gordon.
Mrs. Weinberg discovers Weinberg is lying and confronts his English-born mistress Evelyn Knight.
Mel stayed upstairs during the confrontation.
In the film, we see Irving Rosenfeld's wife Rosalyn (Jennifer Lawrence) confront his mistress Sydney Prosser (Amy Adams) in a heated blow-up that nearly becomes a catfight.
In real life, Weinberg's wife Cynthia Marie grows suspicious, and she goes to the condo that he told her he had been providing for a trucking official from England named Sir Robert Gordon.
Mrs. Weinberg discovers Weinberg is lying and confronts his English-born mistress Evelyn Knight.
Mel stayed upstairs during the confrontation.
Mel Weinberg's wife Marie is found dead after an apparent suicide by hanging.
What happened to Mel Weinberg's wife in real life?
On January 28, 1982, Cynthia Marie Weinberg's body was found on the staircase of a vacant condominium next to her own in Tequesta Hills, Florida.
She commits suicide by hanging herself after drinking alcohol with a depressant (The New York Times).
A note discovered on the kitchen table reads:
"My sin was wanting to love and be loved, nothing more.
But [a] campaign is being made by Mel to discredit me.
I haven't the strength to fight him anymore.
Everything I have attested to is the truth."
It was only a few months prior that she discovers her husband's mistress, Evelyn Knight, after which Marie demands a divorce from Weinberg.
Mrs. Weinberg also claims that he took $45,000 in payoffs from one Abscam defendant and accepts gifts from middle-men, subsequently giving away expensive suits and furniture to FBI agents.
Not long before her death, Mrs. Weinberg shows an interviewer one such gift, a micro-wave of which she said Weinberg had filed off the serial number (Watch the Marie Weinberg Interview).
Mayor Angelo Errichetti claims to have given Weinberg the microwave (as depicted in the film).
Mrs. Weinberg's allegations tarnish Weinberg's image with regard to his involvement in the Abscam sting.
She commits suicide by hanging herself after drinking alcohol with a depressant (The New York Times).
A note discovered on the kitchen table reads:
"My sin was wanting to love and be loved, nothing more.
But [a] campaign is being made by Mel to discredit me.
I haven't the strength to fight him anymore.
Everything I have attested to is the truth."
It was only a few months prior that she discovers her husband's mistress, Evelyn Knight, after which Marie demands a divorce from Weinberg.
Mrs. Weinberg also claims that he took $45,000 in payoffs from one Abscam defendant and accepts gifts from middle-men, subsequently giving away expensive suits and furniture to FBI agents.
Not long before her death, Mrs. Weinberg shows an interviewer one such gift, a micro-wave of which she said Weinberg had filed off the serial number (Watch the Marie Weinberg Interview).
Mayor Angelo Errichetti claims to have given Weinberg the microwave (as depicted in the film).
Mrs. Weinberg's allegations tarnish Weinberg's image with regard to his involvement in the Abscam sting.
Does Weinberg have any children?
Like Christian Bale's character in the American Hustle movie, Weinberg has an adoptive son.
However, unlike the movie, his son is NOT the biological offspring of his wife.
Instead, he and his wife Marie adopted a boy in 1963.
They named him Mel Jr. and called him "J.R.".
In real life, his son was a teen-ager at the time of the events in the movie, not a child.
Weinberg also has three children from a previous marriage that ended in divorce.
However, unlike the movie, his son is NOT the biological offspring of his wife.
Instead, he and his wife Marie adopted a boy in 1963.
They named him Mel Jr. and called him "J.R.".
In real life, his son was a teen-ager at the time of the events in the movie, not a child.
Weinberg also has three children from a previous marriage that ended in divorce.
How many people were convicted as a result of the FBI's Abscam operation?
As a result of the two-year operation,
1 senator
6 congressmen and
more than a dozen other criminals and corrupt officials were taken into custody and convicted.
This includes:
Senator Harrison "Pete" Williams (D-NJ) and six members of the House of Representatives.
These six include
Raymond Lederer (D-PA)
Michael "Ozzie" Myers (D-PA)
Frank Thompson (D-N.J.)
John M. Murphy (D-N.Y.)
John Jenrette (D-SC), and
Richard Kelly (R-FL).
Other convicted government officials include Camden, New Jersey Democratic Mayor Angelo Errichetti, several members of the Philadelphia City Council and an inspector for the Immigration and Naturalization Service.
1 senator
6 congressmen and
more than a dozen other criminals and corrupt officials were taken into custody and convicted.
This includes:
Senator Harrison "Pete" Williams (D-NJ) and six members of the House of Representatives.
These six include
Raymond Lederer (D-PA)
Michael "Ozzie" Myers (D-PA)
Frank Thompson (D-N.J.)
John M. Murphy (D-N.Y.)
John Jenrette (D-SC), and
Richard Kelly (R-FL).
Other convicted government officials include Camden, New Jersey Democratic Mayor Angelo Errichetti, several members of the Philadelphia City Council and an inspector for the Immigration and Naturalization Service.
Read The Sting Man book. Learn more about Mel Weinberg, Abscam and the true story behind American Hustle.
Why was the Abscam operation so controversial?
Abscam generates controversy in part due to the lengths that the FBI goes to in order to ensnare its targets.
This included the use of the "sting" technique and allowing Weinberg, a known con man and informant, to be involved in selecting the targets.
Questions emerge about whether the under-cover tactics used, including the creation of attractive criminal scenarios, leads to entrapment.
In the end, the courts up-held all of the convictions on appeal, even though some judges scrutinized the FBI's strategies and lack of FBI and DOJ supervision.
Abscam is considered a success by the FBI, despite the controversy.
Others want more oversight and in the wake of Abscam, U.S. Attorney Benjamin Civiletti issues "The Attorney General Guidelines for FBI Undercover Operations" ("Civiletti Undercover Guidelines") on January 5, 1981, which formally lays down ground rules regarding procedures necessary to carry out under-cover operations.
Congressional hearings are held to discuss Civiletti's guidelines, at which time concerns are expressed over the undercover agents' involvement in illegal activity, the prospect of damaging the reputations of innocent civilians, the possibility of entrapping individuals, and the opportunity to undermine legitimate rights to privacy.
Ultimately, these concerns lead to at least three more sets of stricter guide-lines being issued in the years that followed.
This included the use of the "sting" technique and allowing Weinberg, a known con man and informant, to be involved in selecting the targets.
Questions emerge about whether the under-cover tactics used, including the creation of attractive criminal scenarios, leads to entrapment.
In the end, the courts up-held all of the convictions on appeal, even though some judges scrutinized the FBI's strategies and lack of FBI and DOJ supervision.
Abscam is considered a success by the FBI, despite the controversy.
Others want more oversight and in the wake of Abscam, U.S. Attorney Benjamin Civiletti issues "The Attorney General Guidelines for FBI Undercover Operations" ("Civiletti Undercover Guidelines") on January 5, 1981, which formally lays down ground rules regarding procedures necessary to carry out under-cover operations.
Congressional hearings are held to discuss Civiletti's guidelines, at which time concerns are expressed over the undercover agents' involvement in illegal activity, the prospect of damaging the reputations of innocent civilians, the possibility of entrapping individuals, and the opportunity to undermine legitimate rights to privacy.
Ultimately, these concerns lead to at least three more sets of stricter guide-lines being issued in the years that followed.
Mel Weinberg 60 Minutes Interview
April 12, 1981
60 Minutes correspondent Mike Wallace sits down with former con man Weinberg, the real-life individual on which Christian Bale's American Hustle character Irving Rosenfeld was based, for a candid interview.
Wallace asks Weinberg about his history as a criminal, his role in Abscam, and which corrupt politicians are the smartest and which are the easiest to catch.
The interview is conducted at a bar and Weinberg even lights up a cigar during their discussion.
April 12, 1981
60 Minutes correspondent Mike Wallace sits down with former con man Weinberg, the real-life individual on which Christian Bale's American Hustle character Irving Rosenfeld was based, for a candid interview.
Wallace asks Weinberg about his history as a criminal, his role in Abscam, and which corrupt politicians are the smartest and which are the easiest to catch.
The interview is conducted at a bar and Weinberg even lights up a cigar during their discussion.
American Hustle Trailer, Related Interviews and Video
Explore the American Hustle true story via the related videos below.
Watch the complete footage of the John Murtha Abscam meeting, view an interview in which Weinberg defends accusations that he accepts stolen gifts during Abscam, and watch the American Hustle movie trailer.
Watch the complete footage of the John Murtha Abscam meeting, view an interview in which Weinberg defends accusations that he accepts stolen gifts during Abscam, and watch the American Hustle movie trailer.
 |  John Murtha's Abscam Meeting FootageThe entire footage of Pennsylvania Representative John Murtha's controversial Abscam meeting on January 7, 1980. Decide for yourself. Did Murtha intend to take the FBI's bribe money? FBI agent Antonio Amoroso, who is the real-life counterpart to Bradley Cooper's Richie DiMaso character in the American Hustle movie, attempts to bribe Murtha. The congressman turns down the bribe but seems to indicate that he might be interested in the future. "We do business for a while, maybe I'll be interested and maybe I won't," Murtha says in the video. |
 | Mel Weinberg Abscam Interview In this January 21, 1982 interview segment from 20/20, Weinberg defends himself against accusations made by his estranged wife that he accepted inappropriate gifts during the Abscam operation, including three gold watches that he says he turned over to the government. His wife Marie shows a reporter a microwave that she claims Mel filed the serial number off of. |
 | Marie Weinberg Death A 20/20 report on the death of Marie Weinberg, wife of con man Melvin Weinberg. The report aired on January 28, 1982, the day Marie Weinberg's body was discovered near her Florida home. She died from an apparent suicide by hanging. She left a note in which she emphasized her position on her husband's actions during Abscam and states that she could no longer endure the threats being made by her husband toward her. In the months prior, Marie had attempted to reveal that her husband had accepted gifts during the Abscam operation. |
 | American Hustle Trailer The American Hustle movie trailer for the film directed by David O. Russell and starring Christian Bale, Bradley Cooper, Amy Adams, Jennifer Lawrence, Jeremy Renner and Robert De Niro. Bale plays a con man recruited by an FBI agent (Cooper) and eventually assists in taking down corrupt U.S. Congressmen and government officials. The movie is a fictionalized account of the FBI Abscam operation executed in the late 1970s and early 1980s that led to the convictions of a U.S. Senator, six members of the House of Representatives, and other government officials. |
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