The American Greed episode “Conn’s Job” features Kentucky attorney Eric Christopher Conn. He was known as a shameless self-promoter who won a lot and never lost his disability law cases. He featured himself in local TV commercials as “Mr. Social Security.” He’s the mastermind behind the largest Social Security fraud in U.S. history ($550 million disappeared). In April 2016 he was charged with conspiracy to commit mail fraud and wire fraud and pleaded guilty in March 2017. While awaiting his sentencing, in June 2017, Conn cut off his monitoring ankle and became a fugitive. The FBI tracked him down and arrested him in December 2017.
Conn told the media he fled because he feared being sexually assaulted while in jail. On the lam, he drove to New Mexico. In order to cross the US/Mexico border without identification, he says he used a puppy to help him get past security. “The little guy was not exactly Rin Tin Tin, but I thought almost everyone loves puppies,” Conn told the Lexington Herald-Leader. American Greed airs Mondays at 10pm on CNBC.
