Ep 9. Cocaine Cash Cleaner/Insider Trading Trio

In season 8 episode 9 of American Greed, titled "Cocaine Cash Cleaner/Insider Trading Trio," viewers are introduced to two different schemes involving financial fraud. The first story focuses on a Texas man named Richard Meltzer who runs a money laundering operation for drug dealers. Meltzer's job is to take in large amounts of cash earned through cocaine sales and clean it so that it appears to be legitimate income. However, Meltzer's operation goes awry when one of his employees gets arrested by the police and decides to cooperate with the authorities in exchange for a lesser sentence.

The second story centers around a trio of stock traders who work for hedge funds. The three men are tipped off by insiders about upcoming mergers and acquisitions, allowing them to profit from buying and selling stocks before the news is public knowledge. Through their scheme, the men are able to earn millions of dollars, but their illegal activity comes to light when the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) becomes suspicious of their trading patterns.

Throughout both stories, American Greed interviews individuals involved in the schemes as well as law enforcement officials and legal experts who analyze the cases. The show also uses reenactments and archival footage to help illustrate the crimes and bring them to life for viewers. Overall, "Cocaine Cash Cleaner/Insider Trading Trio" is a fascinating episode that sheds light on the lengths to which some people will go in order to make a quick buck.