The story actually began more than a decade ago, when the women started selling their coupons online. I'd recommend this film for unwinding on a Friday night after a long week. You can't make this stuff up - and the filmmakers didn't have to. The three real-life Coupon Queens carried out their counterfeit operation in Phoenix, Arizona where they lived. Details of the true story at the heart of Queenpinswere first revealed in July 2012. Ame shielded her eyes from the sunlight, "It's just that it's been a while since I've been on duty at daytime.". Bell has extensive experience in Broadway, television, and film, leading successful TV series like Veronica Mars and The Good Place. They were just two normal women, who felt taken advantage of by major corporations, and genuinely wanted to help other women and families who were struggling. Marilyn Johnson, 54, Robin Ramirez, 40, and Amiko Fountain, 42, were taken into custody, and in a press conference, police said a search warrant served resulted in the seizing of $40 million worth of coupons and $2 million worth of assets from the womens homes, including $240,000 in vehicles, 22 guns, and a 40-foot speedboat. And they get a monthly reminder every time they make their latest restitution payment. The Coupon Queens cheated as many as 40 major manufacturers (Business Insider). Written and directed byAron GaudetandGita Pullapilly, Queenpins is about two housewives who created a $40 million coupon scam. She was most likely added to the script for comedic reasons in order to frame Connie and JoJo as being in over their heads and desperately needing outside help. In Queenpins, its Ken Miller who pleads with the FBI to get involved, but in the end, he ends up working with Vince Vaughns postal inspector character, with the reasoning being that the crime was technically committed via snail mail. And it seems like the makers of the movie share this sentiment. Produced by Music by Siddhartha Khosla . SIGN UP FOR OUR FREE DAILY NEWSLETTER, FIRST TAKE, July 2012, police in Phoenix, Arizona arrested three women, Queenpins Trailer: Kristen Bell and Kirby Howell-Baptiste Are the Robin Hood of Coupons (Video), Netflixs The Sandman TV Series Casts Kirby Howell-Baptiste as Death. The coupons were sold on a site called Savvy Shopper Site, to which interested parties had to be referred or invited directly to use. His filmography contains works such as Face/Off, The Astronaut's Wife, and The Hangover Part II, and he will next be appearing inThe Ogilvy Fortune. You know what, I bet if a better actor were playing Ken Miller, thered probably be a little fine tooth combing involved with the world of loss prevention. You don't always get your way. The two women in the movie, Connie Kaminski (Kristen Bell) and JoJo Johnson (Kirby Howell-Baptiste), are not directly based on any of the real-life women.Kristen Bell's character's background of being a former Olympic race walker who turns to couponing after having no luck getting pregnant (and spending tens of thousands on in vitro treatments) is fictional, as is Kirby Howell-Baptiste's character's unsuccessful efforts to make it as a vlogger. Here . As far as the real women involved, stars Kristen Bell and Kirby Howell-Baptiste admit that they never actually met or spoke to the actual minds behind the crime to learn what sparked it. In researching the Queenpins true story, we learned that Procter & Gamble did an audit of their third-party coupon processors. The ringleader, Robin Ramirez, started selling bogus coupons as far back as 2007, and was eventually joined by accomplices Marilyn Johnson and Amiko Fountain. 110 minutes Cast Kristen Bell Kirby Howell-Baptiste as JoJo Paul Walter Hauser Vince Vaughn Joel McHale Bebe Rexha as Tempe Tina Dayo Okeniyi Nick Cassavetes Michael Masini Paul Rust Eduardo Franco Marc Evan Jackson Lidia Porto Greta Oglesby Jack McBrayer Annie Mumolo Director Aron Gaudet Bell will next be lending her voice to the animated show Do, Re & Mi, as well as appearing in the miniseries The Woman in the House. Now, with their story back in the spotlight, theres no escaping it, even nearly ten years later. We dont want people to think its funny. Unilever also claimed losses, pointing to five particular coupons that had been founded in Ramirezs home, though a judge ruled that they couldn't prove that the three women were responsible for selling them. This happened after various companies that had been impacted by the bogus coupons hired private investigators to uncover the origins of the coupons. Much the same can be said for Paul Walter Houser, who plays Ken Miller, the loss prevention officer that uncovers and eventually busts Connie and Jojos scam. the three womens 2012 arrests for coupon fraud, the major motion picture they inspired is set to open in theaters this Friday, were ordered to pay nearly $1.3 million in restitution to Procter & Gamble, REVIEW: Queenpins Takes Coupon Counterfeiting to Extremes, The Cast and Crew of Queenpins Take a Crash Course in Coupons, Coupon Industry Gets Ready For Its Closeup, In Queenpins, A Q&A With the Creators of Queenpins, the Counterfeit Coupon Caper. She has also worked on soundtracks for movies like Abominable and, most recently, He's All That. Required fields are marked *. This film wasn't deep, and at times it stretched credibility, but it was fun and engaging. They may also expose themselves to additional risk by providing their names, home addresses, and financial information to organized crime rings." She suggestsmaking fake identities and multiple accounts to store their earnings. Thats money in the bank.'. Greg Garcia, a cashier at her local A&G Family Marts store, explains to her that companies habitually respond to complaint letters by sending coupons for free items. They were charged with counterfeiting, forgery, operating an illegal enterprise, money laundering, and other violations. It appeared the women were making so much money, they werent even sure how to spend it all. The Phoenix Police Department conducted undercover operations in which they purchased the counterfeit coupons. Carly Stern For Dailymail.com, Dax Shepard wishes wife Kristen Bell a happy 41st birthday: 'Here's wishing you another 100 years in the saddle', Conwoman, 60, accused of posing as gem expert to swap diamonds worth 4.2m for pebbles was caught on CCTV outside Mayfair jeweller Boodles the day before heist, court hears. (67) 6.3 1 h 50 min 2021 X-Ray R. A suburban homemaker and her best friend turn a hobby into a multi-million-dollar counterfeit coupon caper. The last 20 minutes lose sight of whatever point they are trying to make beyond the fun of seeing people get away with breaking the rules. A quarter of the U.S. will fall inside an extreme heat belt. And in terms of the crime itself, Queenpins stayed pretty loyal. The trailer for Queenpinsincludes audio of Bell and Howell-Baptistes characters calling out systemic inequality and likening themselves to Robin Hood. And I think it comes from loneliness and feeling isolated and kind of under-utilized or under-appreciated. The site's name was inspired by the legit coupon magazine Savvy Shopper, which is in no way related. You could only place an order if you had a referral from a current customer, and you had to pay for your order with a Green Dot Moneypak (prepaid debit card). Follow and/or unfollow him on Twitter. After complaining about cereal gone stale, the pair receives dozens of freebies, inspiring them to hatch an illegal coupon club scheme. The details were first revealed after a Tuesday morning raid in July 2012 by the Phoenix Arizona Police Department. Eventually, they brought in Phoenix police, who conducted aneight-week investigation. No, not at all, Bell told TheWrap. Credit: Courtesy STX Films. In the movie, the women are fictionalized as Connie (Bell) and Jojo (Howell-Baptiste), who end up living much the same way. Kirby Howell-Baptiste co-stars as JoJo Johnson, an aspiring YouTube vlogger and Connie's partner in crime. It is also revealed that Connie, after numerous unsuccessful attempts to conceive following her miscarriage, is finally pregnant through in vitro fertilization. They also come into possession of guns, cars and boats in an effort to clean the money theyve made from selling coupons. The bare-bones blueprint for the story is accurate; a small group of women make millions selling counterfeit coupons. Dejected and frustrated suburban housewife Connie Kaminski (ne Stevens), a three-time gold-medal-winning former Olympic racewalker, has followed the conventional life path set for her by society ever since she was young. And I just want to play the humanity of the guy while adding some comedic elements to him.. A look at what really happened with the characters of Andrew Dominiks 2007 Western epic. Slapstick . On the other side we have faceless and barely acknowledged corporations (always a convenient bad guy) and an LPO (loss prevention officer, a fancy title for private security). Savvy Shopper Site had a few other suspicious requirements. The comedy Queenpins is inspired by the largest coupon scam in U.S. history. The duo bond on their mission, with Simon sympathizing with Ken's unwavering devotion. Because they arent exactly hardened criminals, they think that the money theyve made through their shell company has to be laundered, so they bought all these high priced items with the intent to just immediately resell them. Law-enforcement authorities, manufacturers, and retailers advise against purchasing coupons. He also focused more on the character aspect of his part, rather than talking to anyone actually involved in loss prevention. [3] In July 2020, it was announced Paul Walter Hauser and Vince Vaughn had joined the cast of the film. The movie takes a more lighthearted angle on the real story, having to combine ortweak some of the people involved in order towork better as a film. Police in Phoenix, Arizona, announced the arrest of three women after they confiscated more than $25 million worth of fake coupons in a raid. For her first film since Frozen II (the 10th highest-grossing movie of all-time . A real disc jockey inspired Robin Williams classic character. Afterwards, the duo begins their own website and small business "Savvy Super Saver", which helps them sell numerous coupons and generate profit. Lets break it down. We just wanted to create our own characters.. Thats why they say Robin Hood, thats why they say the fat cats on Wall Street deserve it, thats why they say these corporations are evil. Not because they believe any of that, but so they dont feel guilty about their own actions. His message to coupon wrongdoers is, yes, you got a good deal. None of the characters are based on the real individuals involved, Gaudet told Coupons in the News. And where does that curmudgeonly frame come from? And in terms of the crime itself, Queenpins stayed pretty loyal. In the movie, Kristen Bell and Kirby Howell-Baptiste play Connie and Jojo, a pair of best friends from Phoenix who love extreme couponing. They contact the hacker who stole JoJos identity, Tempe Tina, and are taken to her secret location, where she instructs the pair on how to conceal their operation and secure their money, suggesting they use JoJos cosmetics brand Back 2 Black to disguise their coupon business. The story of the three womens 2012 arrests for coupon fraud is back in the news, as the major motion picture they inspired is set to open in theaters this Friday. Some movies are based on true stories, some movies are inspired by true stories. On the case to bust them: a supermarket's. Whatever Happened to the Real-Life Queenpins? They enjoy their newfound wealth, only to have their criminal enterprise crumble when they are investigated, raided, and arrested. Rare $300 sign-up bonus card hits market Ad The Ascent. Included in the seizures were $25,000,000 worth of fake coupons, 22 assault weapons, and 21 vehicles including a 40 foot boat. "You are spending money we don't have," her husband says, looking at what was once supposed to be a nursery, now converted into what looks like a grocery warehouse. Summary: Amelia Watson, a senior but loose cannon, problem child detective of City PD, has to prevent a war. The real Queenpins' mugshots are displayed below. Click here to get in touch, or for information about advertising on the site. The cast, with Kristen Bell and Paul Walter Hauser, is outstanding The Arizona women, Robin Ramirez, Marilyn Johnson and Amiko Fountain, pleaded guilty, Ramirez to. Queenpins' true story is based on the couponing scam designed by three Arizona women: Robin Ramirez, Marilyn Johnson, and Amiko "Amy" Fountain. In July 2012, police in Phoenix, Arizona arrested three women in a coupon scam that cost manufacturers roughly $40 million. In addition, the scenes involving the gun sale include short appearances by co-director Aron Gaudet's brother Nick as a barista, as well as actor and director Nick Cassavetes as the leader of the group buying the guns. The other queenpin is Connie's neighbor and close friend JoJo (Howell-Baptiste), who was a victim of identity theft that ruined her credit and her ability to apply for jobs. Connie initially comes up with the couponing scheme, eventuallyteaming up with her friend to help her pull off the biggest coupon scam in U.S. history. Talk about extreme couponing! The real-life Queenpins: How three Arizona women were busted with $25 MILLION in counterfeit coupons they were selling online - and inspired a new movie starring Kristen Bell Queenpins tells a comedic story of two down-on-their-luck Phoenix women who discover their path to prosperity by concocting a $40 million counterfeit coupon scheme that all comes crashing down when they get caught. After gathering sufficient evidence, Simon and Ken finally get agents to arrest the pair. And where does that curmudgeonly frame come from? Some customers became aware of the bust after they tried to use the coupons and they didn't work. It stars Kristen Bell, Kirby Howell-Baptiste, Paul Walter Hauser, Bebe Rexha, and Vince Vaughn. You cant make this stuff up and the filmmakers didnt have to. They also come into possession of guns, cars and boats in an effort to clean the money theyve made from selling coupons. These are free-item coupons," Phoenix Police Sgt. 'We used undercover and covert operations to make purchases and to identify the three suspects,' Holmes said. Kristen Bell as Connie Kaminski and Kirby Howell-Baptiste as JoJo Johnson in QUEENPINS. In a later scene, another postal service worker says they stole 40 million in counterfeit coupons. She was sentenced to two years in prison, followed by seven years probation. Her ancestry is Polish (mother) and German, English, Irish, and Scottish (father). Judge Rosa Mroz of Maricopa County Superior Court ordered all three to payProcter & Gamble $1,288,682 in reimbursement. A bright spot is Bebe Rexha as a dark web expert who helps Connie and Jojo launder their money. Lets break it down. Counterfeit Coupon Ringleader Pleads Guilty - Coupons in the News, Woman spends $600 on SavvyShopperSite.com fake coupons - Jill Cataldo. [5] In October 2020, Bebe Rexha joined the cast of the film. Neither of them responded to requests for comment about their case, and how or whether they have managed to move on from it. The counterfeiting scheme was previously featured in the. Though the pair face forty-years-to-life, the companies that they victimized clandestinely press the courts for leniency to avoid bad press, resulting in ten days imprisonment plus one year of probation for JoJo and eleven months incarceration (parole eligible in eight) for Connie. Queenpins tells a comedic story of two down-on-their-luck Phoenix women who discover their path to prosperity by concocting a $40 million counterfeit coupon scheme that all comes crashing down when they get caught. They were just two normal women, who felt taken advantage of by major corporations, and genuinely wanted to help other women and families who were struggling. In the movie, the women are fictionalized as Connie (Bell) and Jojo (Howell-Baptiste), who end up living much the same way. Indeed, the movie is inspired by a true story, but just how closely does the film follow the events and people its based on? Postal Inspector lead the investigation into their activities, encountering multiple humorous setbacks along the way. "We knew, based on our research on past films, the more we dig into the real lives, it becomes much more serious, much more dramatic," Pullapilly told the, Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile. Vince Vaughn's other moviesincludemany big-budget action films and comedies such as The Lost World: Jurassic Park, Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story, and Wedding Crashers. The women guaranteed a one-hundred-percent return rate if a store rejected one of their coupons. We are no longer accepting comments on this article. Now that theyve done their time and are working to pay off their debt, the women appear to be trying to put the incident behind them. They also come into possession of guns, cars and boats in an effort to. The Coupon Information Corporation got wind of the scheme, and brought it to the attention of investigators, which is how it eventually landed on the desk of Phoenix Police Sergeant David Lake. Paul Walter Hauseras Ken Miller -Paul Walter Hauser plays Loss Prevention Officer Ken Miller, whoserather unexciting job takes a turn when he discovers the fake coupon scheme. HBOs Rain Dogs Finds Humor, Despair in the Working-Class Mum at its Center, Berlinale Highlights, Part Three: Hummingbirds, Concrete Valley, Afire, The Oneness of All Things: On Sofia Alaouis Animalia, New York International Childrens Film Festival Opens Window to the World. ', 'These people aren't buying a few coupons from this site,' Officer James Holmes added. Queenpins, directed and written by Aron Gaudet and Gita Pullapilly, adapts a real-life story and presents it most humorously and entertainingly. [4] In September 2020, Kirby Howell-Baptiste joined the cast of the film, replacing Jones, with Ben Stiller joining as an executive producer under his Red Hour Productions banner, with STX Entertainment set to distribute. What is the Japanese language plot outline for Queenpins (2021)? But the coupons were high-quality counterfeits. Some of the coupon enthusiasts featured on the TLC show Extreme Couponing routinely purchased coupons from clipping services.In response to the Arizona coupon counterfeiting ring that inspired the Queenpins movie, the CIC's Bud Miller stated, "Coupon buyers expose themselves to the possibility of becoming involved with counterfeits, stolen property, or other criminal activities. The coupons were sold on a site called Savvy Shopper Site, to which interested parties had to be referred or invited directly to use. It might have been more interesting to have lead police officer on the case a woman, as it was in the actual arrest. This installment focuses on the true story behind the crime comedy Queenpins. David Lake of the Phoenix Police Department. While the characters in Queenpins are fictional, the crime they came up with is the real deal. Aron and I were immediately drawn to the story and had to understand it more, Pullapilly said. Because they arent exactly hardened criminals, they think that the money theyve made through their shell company has to be laundered, so they bought all these high priced items with the intent to just immediately resell them. Much the same can be said for Paul Walter Houser, who plays Ken Miller, the loss prevention officer that uncovers and eventually busts Connie and Jojos scam. "[11] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 45 out of 100, based on 20 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". Watching "Queenpins" is like eating grocery store birthday cake. A reality television series about this trend had an episode on the Arizona coupon case. I try to work with police chiefs, at the state and local level, to come up with ways of explaining how important protecting our business infrastructure is, he said. On the case to bust them: a supermarkets loss-prevention officer and a US postal inspector, played by Paul Walter HauserandVince Vaughn, respectively. [7], Principal photography began in October 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic. In the movie, Kristen Bell and Kirby Howell-Baptiste play Connie and Jojo, a pair of best friends from Phoenix who love extreme couponing. Others nabbed coupons for free pet food, diapers, and household goods from as many as 40 major manufacturers, including PepsiCo and Hershey. As the Time article notes, couponing became popular not only in the wake of reality television shows like TLCs Extreme Couponing but also due to the economic reality in the wake of the Great Recession. That is the basic premise of Queenpins, a comedy reuniting The Good Place co-stars Kristen Bell and Kirby Howell-Baptiste as the two leads. No Offense, But These 2 Big Retailers Aren't The Cheapest Ad MoneyWise. A pair of housewives create a $40 million coupon scam. Queenpinsdebuted in theaters on September 10, 2021. And the women wont be getting any windfall from Queenpins. They don't call it robbery; they prefer "removing" or "separating.". You know what, I bet if a better actor were playing Ken Miller, thered probably be a little fine tooth combing involved with the world of loss prevention. I went to the detectives and I said, we have what appears to be a large multimillion-dollar, maybe hundreds of millions of dollars, theft affecting over 240 victims, the now-retired Lake told Coupons in the News. But all were ordered to pay nearly $1.3 million in restitution to Procter & Gamble, just one of the many manufacturers whose coupons they counterfeited and sold. David Lake, who led the Phoenix Police Departments investigation, told KPHO at the time. They also come into possession of guns, cars and boats in an effort to clean the money theyve made from selling coupons. The leader, Ramirez, pleaded guilty to fraud, counterfeiting, and illegal control of an enterprise. Joel McHaleas Rick Kaminski- McHale plays Connie's husband who is worried about their growing amount of debt. July 2012, police in Phoenix, Arizona arrested three women, Tom Sizemore, star of 'Saving Private Ryan,' 'Heat,' dies at 61 after brain aneurysm, Josh Hartnett is done talking about his break from Hollywood but ready to make fun of actors: 'We're the worst', Michael B. Jordan admits muscle gain for 'Creed' has been harder as he's gotten older, Billy Bush suggests Amy Robach and T.J. Holmes start their own show after ABC exit: 'They've got something that works', How to watch every Oscars 2023 Best Picture nominee. That includes the details about the women and the two men chasing after them. She also was ordered to pay restitution of up to $5 million. A judge sentenced Ramirez to twenty-four months in prison and seven years probation. After multiple, very expensive fertility treatment failures, she and her IRS auditor husband (Joel McHale, given nothing to do) are estranged and deeply in debt. Aron Gaudet and Gita Pullapilly's Queenpins concerns two Arizona suburbanites, Connie (Kristen Bell) and JoJo (Kirby . He can next be seen in the movie Delia's Gone. They also come into possession of guns, cars and boats in an effort to. Two women create a $40 million coupon scam. All three women were arrested and charged with forgery, fraud and counterfeiting. And it does seem like Queenpinswill take a comedic look at the inequality underpinning the counterfeit coupon market. The cruelty-free sacred oil that will anoint Charles as King: Monarch breaks Coronation Day tradition with 'I have nothing to say to you': Father of Mallory Beach - who was killed in a boat crash while Alex Murdaugh's Alex Murdaugh is seen with his prison buzz cut as he starts two life sentences without parole for killing his Family 'mortified' after being thrown out of Mother Goose panto for bringing their baby with them, after venue Is this Britain's most despicable man? Its that simple. (music by) Cinematography by Andrew Wehde . The amount covered all of P&G's losses, for the fake coupons as well as extra manpower needed to deal with the issue. But Lake determinedly led his team in pursuing the case. 'We were ordering hundreds of dollars in coupons every month,' one anonymous user toldKentuckys WPSD. Kristen Bell, her The Good Place co-star Kirby Howell-Baptiste, and singer Bebe Rexha are set to star in an upcoming comedy calledQueenpins, in which they play a trio of women who make bank in a coupon counterfeiting scam but the massive real-life fraud that inspired the film was no laughing matter. Of course, the trailer also shows them later living in luxury and boarding private jets. $100,000 x 40 is 4 million not 40 million. Ame hissed, "Getting partnered with someone like me. McHaleis perhaps best known for his role inCommunity, and will next be starring in the series Black Box. The counterfeiting scheme was previously featured in theCBS TV docu-series Pink Collar Crimes in 2018. This is based on the true story of three women: Robin Ramirez, Marilyn Johnson, and Amiko "Amy" Fountain. At the time of her arrest, investigators discovered Ramirez had four online accounts and 12 bank accounts. But thats just Connie and Jojo. Tellingly, the changes to the details of the real law enforcement and private investigators make them less sympathetic. Being clever with coupons makes her feel like she is making a financial contribution. she says. Jack McBrayerasAgent Park - McBrayer has extensive experience in comedy. Johnson helped package and ship the coupons to customers, and Fountain placed hologram stickers on some of them to make them look more legitimate. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Coupons in the News features daily news stories and information about coupons, grocery shopping and saving money.
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