This image is the cover for the book Ultimate Ponzi

Ultimate Ponzi

This true crime exposé details the exploits of a Florida lawyer and master con artist who stole more than a billion dollars before getting caught.

In what became one of the most ruthless Ponzi schemes in United States history, Fort Lauderdale attorney Scott Rothstein stole $1.4 billion to finance his opulent lifestyle. It’s a story of corruption, murder, sex, and suicide in which no one is innocent. From Rothstein’s humble beginnings in the Bronx through his sudden rise to become one of the most powerful men in Florida, the full story is revealed in The Ultimate Ponzi.

An employment lawyer of flamboyant charm and seemingly endless wealth, Rothstein infiltrated South Florida society by posing as a philanthropist. All the while, he was using criminal kingpin methods to corrupt one prominent businessman after another. But in late 2009, South Florida learned that Rothstein was far from generous—he was a destructive con artist who plundered investor accounts to build his own fortune.

With photographs and input from community members and psychologists, The Ultimate Ponzi reveals the man behind the scam that deceived hundreds. Despite Rothstein’s lavish lifestyle, he was unable to escape judgment both from the law and from the society he used to manipulate.

Chuck Malkus

Chuck Malkus, president of Malkus Communications Group, is a nationally recognized public relations executive who specializes in crisis communications. He has contributed to publications such as the South Florida Sun Sentinel, the South Dade News Leader, and CityView Magazine and was featured as an expert discussing Scott Rothstein’s Ponzi scheme on CNBC’s American Greed. A community advocate, Malkus was inspired to write this story to shed light on the true Rothstein. An active speaker and media training consultant, Malkus lives in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, with his wife, Sandra.

Pelican Publishing Company