A Simple Plan:
Mike Asimos: A True American Story of Con Artist
Michael Asimos, who made headlines when he was sentenced to eight years in jail after pleading guilty to fraud, money laundering, and other offenses, is a true story of the American dream gone bad. The story was heavily covered by MSNBC and Fox News, featured on the cover of Newsweek, and was covered by media outlets all over the world. From his humble beginnings as a college football player at West Point to his rise as one of Wall Street’s most successful traders, Asimos’ life had all the elements of a rags-to-riches tale.
A West Point alumnus with years of Wall Street con expertise, Michael w Asimos is the author of The Real Life Con Game. Asimos was born in Charleston, South Carolina. He studied at West Point Military Academy and graduated in 1978 with a degree in mechanical engineering. After graduating from West Point, he became an officer in the US Army. Despite this, he was forced to quit the service due to major back injuries sustained during the Gulf War. Asimos went on to become a successful Wall Street businessman, but he quickly realized that he was spending more time fantasizing than really making money.
It took him just two years to make $8 million dollars – almost half of which came from other financial institutions that were duped into funding the scams he had perpetrated against them. With the success of these cons behind him, Michael con man began helping others build their own careers in the con business. Michael Asimos had a good childhood. But when the 2008 financial crisis hit Wall Street, what should have been his defining moment turned out to be a disaster. Michael Mike Asimos, a successful Wall Street broker, became an FBI informant, assisting investigators in uncovering a massive securities fraud scheme. He was nonetheless given a five-year prison term for his part in the conspiracy after years of hiding his identity.
After serving time in prison, he was released and quickly began scamming again. But this time, the FBI had him under surveillance. He was arrested and convicted of mail fraud for a second time. Since then, he hasn’t participated in any additional frauds. The problem is that it doesn’t appear like any of his pals would welcome him back either. They appear to believe that he is no longer credible in their eyes. I’m not sure what Mike Asimos will do next or whether there will finally be a redemption tale in this, but there’s no doubt that this is a difficult position. It’s said that he’ll play another con game in the future and try his luck again. However, as things are, Michael Asimos is just a bad con artist.