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King of Cons
By: Aaron TonkeneBook Publisher: HarperCollins
Imprint: Thomas Nelson
Format: ePub Encrypted (DRM)
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"In a LAND of MORAL IMBECILES,I knew I could be KING."
He was one of the most prominent producers of fundraising events in the country, throwing monumental charity bashes, securing millions of dollars in donations for the sick and needy. The trouble was, some of the people profiting were greedy politicians, and many of the "charity cases" were really only pampered Hollywood stars. It's a true-life spectacular that only Hollywood could produce.
Now, the story that shook the industry will finally shatter the façade of Hollywood's philanthropy and Washington's populism, once and for all exposing how empty are the real lifestyles of many of the rich and famous, and what really happens to charity money meant for the poor.
When Aaron Tonken arrived in Los Angeles in the early nineties, he had nothing, not even a high-school education. Yet within just a few years, he was a friend and business associate of the leading lights of Hollywood and the most powerful people in Washington. Tonken produced many of the biggest charitable and political functions ever seen on either coast, honoring former presidents Ford and Clinton, and raising money for the preferred charities of some of the biggest names in showbiz.
But hidden behind the glamour of these galas was a sordid tale, as Tonken became the central character in a tragicomedy featuring demanding stars and politicians grasping for big-dollar campaign donations.
In King of Cons, you'll read how Aaron Tonken:
Helped Hollywood darlings use money from their own charities Was mentored by Peter Paul-ex con, Fabio manager, and business partner of Spider-Man creator Stan Lee Got sucked into the criminal underworld of Los Angeles-the con artists, grifters, and porn kings. Was bullied by the diva behavior of Roseanne, Paula Abdul, Natalie Cole, and members of the cast of Friends Was approached for payments for appearances or performances at charity events by Cher, Sylvester Stallone, Lance Bass of *NSYNC, and the Democratic National Committee Got involved with Denise Rich, ex-wife of fugitive financier Marc Rich, the subject of a controversial last-minute pardon by President Bill ClintonFrom his bizarre days as a virtual prisoner in the decrepit mansion of Zsa Zsa Gabor to his entanglements with hustlers, con artists, and the Clintons, Aaron tracks the whole sordid story of how he squandered millions of dollars from charities in the world of celebrity politicians and politicking celebrities.
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| Title of eBook: King of Cons | |
| Release Date: 12-15-2004 | |
| Publisher: Thomas Nelson |
This eBook download is available in the following formats:
| Parent title | King of Cons |
|---|---|
| Encrypted (DRM) | Yes |
| SKU | 9781418508470 |
| File size | 4215 |
| Internet Security | n/a |
| Printing | Not allowed |
| Copying | Not allowed |
| Read aloud | No Sys requirements Download reader |
| Devices | Samsung Tablet, Apple Ipad & Iphone, Barnes & Noble Nook, Kobo eReader, Aluratek Libre, Iliad, Nokia, Blackberry, Hanlin |
| Note | ePub, short for electronic publication is one of our favorites and should be yours for a couple of reasons. ePub offers reflowable text giving you flexibility to manipulate how the content is presented. Moreover, lots of cool features are now being developed for the reader like advanced video and audio. ePub is now an industry standard, so all of the "non-propreitary" hardware manufacturers are now supporting it. |
King of Cons
Chapter One
Hail to the ChiefThe event was wonderful. I can't thank you enough. And I'm very grateful for the boost it gave Hillary's campaign. -BILL CLINTON, Handwritten Personal Letter, August 18, 2000
In a land of moral imbeciles, I knew I could be king.
That's the way I'd always figured it, anyway. Turns out I was right. Hollywood is that land, and, in order to be crowned, all you have to do is determine what its denizens desire and find a way to score it for them.
In the summer of 2000, at the age of thirty-four, I had made it to the top.
On a hot August morning, I was heading west on Sunset Boulevard, past Beverly Hills, through Bel Air and Holmby Hills, to Brentwood. It's a gorgeous drive, with the Santa Monica Mountains, cut by a seemingly endless procession of rugged, wooded canyons off to the north.
The road also passes through some of the priciest real estate on the planet. Around every bend in the road is the multimillion-dollar home of a movie star, producer, director, or businessman, each more spectacular than the one before.
I was driving my black Mercedes convertible-top down. I've never cared much about material possessions-I still lived in a cheap, one-bedroom West Hollywood apartment with no air conditioning-but I knew that in my adopted city, image was everything. If you wanted to climb the ladder of success, one of the first steps was to look the part. Which demanded a luxury automo
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