In Case You Somehow Forgot About Rob Lowe's S-E-X Tape from 1988
Welcome to the inaugural issue of American Excess.
My first American Excess video series (at bottom; paid subscribers only) is dedicated to Rob Lowe’s sex tape. Because of course it is. This is one of three parts, the second and third of which you’ll get in the next two weeks.
If you haven’t yet become a paid subscriber (which, big mistake/huge), the top two sections below are for you (FOR NOW) about two of my favorite things: Talented Mr. Ripley-esque con artists and Diana Vreeland’s old column, “Why Don’t You?”
For my paid subscribers (thank you so much for supporting my work!), you can expect 10-22 minutes of highly-researched-and-obsessed-over video every week.
♡ Thank you, from the bottom of my cold, dead heart, for being here. ♡
Zach Horwitz, 37
Claim to Fame: Oh, just orchestrating the largest Ponzi scheme in Hollywood history.
Who He Pretended to Be: A would-be NFL player/burgeoning movie star/Howard Schultz-backed foreign film distributor.
Who He Actually Was: A shlub with a LinkedIn account and a handful of fake contracts pasted into Word documents, which he then used to defraud his investors (mostly friends and family) out of at least $650 million. …But he did play intramural football in college, so there’s that.
How He Spent the Money: Apparently most of the money went to perpetuating the scheme, but he also spent it on private jet charters, yacht trips, a $6 million Los Angeles mansion, $605,000 in luxury cars, $174,000 on party planners, and $54,600 for a luxury watch subscription service.
Happily Ever After: Sentenced to 20 years in prison, and ordered to pay some 230 million bucks in restitution to his victims.
To Learn More: Read “Master of Make-Believe” in The New Yorker, and watch the documentary “Bad Actor,” which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival last month, whenever/wherever it’s ultimately released to the general public. (And let me know if you find out when/where!)
Allen Todd May, 59
Claim to Fame: Escaping federal prison in the midst of a 20 year sentence, spending five years on the run, and getting caught by a photo that ran in the Palm Beach society pages.
Who He Pretended to Be: An oil magnate from the great state of Texas.
Who He Actually Was: A lifelong con artist with a history of fraud and deception, ultimately undone by his love of flaunting his ill-gotten wealth.
How He Spent the Money: Pounds of caviar, charity auctions, limo rentals, parties, dozens of pairs of Prada shoes, Rolexes and luxury cars for his employees, and a penthouse apartment on South Ocean Boulevard in Palm Beach (near Bernie Madoff’s former home, no less).
Happily Ever After: After an anonymous tipster spotted May in the local paper, U.S. marshals staked out his penthouse and arrested him. He’ll go back on trial this fall for mail fraud, wire fraud, and escaping custody.
To Learn More: Read “The Fake Oilman” in The New Yorker.
Iteb “Swagg Man” Zaibet, 37
Claim to Fame: Hard to pick just one. Evading his international arrest warrant for years? Getting the Louis Vuitton logo tattooed on his head?
Who He Pretended to Be: A globe-trotting, jet-setting rap superstar sponsored by Louis Vuitton and Versace, with three gold singles on the U.S. charts. A self-described self-made man “who had millions of views, who had millions of streams, who had hundreds of concerts, who had hundreds of partnerships, who created a clothing brand, which created a language specific to itself.”
Who He Actually Was: A downwardly-mobile rapper (his highest-charting song was #189 on the French Billboards) who routinely approached fans online with “investment opportunities” before disappearing with the money. To the tune of $10 million. Unsurprisingly, neither Vuitton nor Versace has ever heard of him.
How He Spent the Money: A rented Cessna Citation, hundreds of thousands of dollars’ worth of diamond jewelry, and seemingly every item Louis Vuitton has ever stamped a logo on.
Happily Ever After: Last February, after Tunisian courts found him guilty of 20 counts of fraud and sentenced him to 20 years in prison, Swagg Man publicly renounced his Tunisian citizenship. He’s still on the run, and thought to be in Mexico.
To Learn More: Read “The Fast Times and High Crimes of a Hip-Hop Grifter” in Rolling Stone.
David Bunevacz, 55
Claim to Fame: Bilking friends and family out of ~$35 million worth of “investments” in a bogus CBD vape business, which he then used to finance his lavish lifestyle.
Who He Pretended to Be: A high-powered entrepreneur and former Olympic decathlete.
Who He Actually Was: A career fraudster who was once run out of the Philippines for a fraudulent plastic surgery center.
How He Spent the Money: Luxury cars, horses, taking his wife on shopping sprees, a $200,000+ Sweet Sixteen party, an $18,000-a-month Calabasas mansion once owned by Kylie Jenner, and a gambling addiction that landed him $8 million in debt.
Happily Ever After: In November of 2022, he was convicted on federal wire fraud charges and sentenced to 17.5 years in prison.
To Learn More: Read “The Decathlete-Turned-Grifter Who Conned L.A.” in Rolling Stone.
This is the part where I start talking about Rob Lowe’s gigantic penis and then…