In August 2022, Ohio sheriff’s deputies carried out a forceful and destructive raid on rapper Afroman’s home in Adams County—though no charges were filed after finding no substantial evidence of drugs or kidnapping. In response, Afroman—real name Joseph Foreman—churned the raid footage into music tracks and videos, including “Lemon Pound Cake” and “Will You Help Me Repair My Door,” using the visuals as commentary on his experience.

Dane Cook’s half-brother, Darryl McCauley—who had also been serving as his business manager—admitted to embezzling millions from Cook’s company between 2004 and 2008, siphoning off funds into his personal accounts, including writing a $3 million check to himself

Shaurn Thomas, who spent 24 years in prison for a wrongful murder conviction before being exonerated in May 2017 and awarded a ~$4.1 million settlement, pleaded guilty in December 2024 to the January 2023 killing of Akeem Edwards over a $1,200 debt in Philadelphia

Fyre Festival was a high-profile bonanza turned fiasco: planned for April 2017 on Great Exuma Island in the Bahamas, it was marketed by Ja Rule and entrepreneur Billy McFarland as an ultra-luxury music experience with A‑list influencers, glamping domes, supermodels, and top musical acts. However, when attendees arrived, they were met with half-built tents, soggy mattresses, scant food (think cheese sandwiches), poor sanitation, no power, and canceled performances—prompting immediate chaos and public evacuation.

Richard Jewell was an American security guard who, during the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, spotted a suspicious green knapsack in Centennial Park and helped evacuate the area just before it exploded—saving numerous lives. Initially lauded as a hero, he was soon thrust into the spotlight as the FBI and media turned on him, propelled by speculative profiling, leaked information, and sensational headlines that branded him the likely bomber without any charges.

In May 2025, Ohio authorities arrested 51-year-old former divorce attorney Gregory Moore in connection with the blunt-force murder of his client, Cleveland Clinic nurse Aliza Sherman, whose fatal stabbing in 2013 shocked the community. Prosecutors allege Moore manipulated his client into meeting him at his office—then lured her into an ambush by impersonating her divorce attorney under false pretenses, intending to derail her legal proceedings.

Sandy Jenkins, a longtime accountant at Collin Street Bakery in Corsicana, Texas, orchestrated one of the most audacious embezzlement schemes in U.S. history. Between 2004 and 2013, Jenkins exploited his position to siphon nearly $17 million from the bakery by manipulating the company's accounting system. He issued fraudulent checks to pay personal expenses, then altered records to conceal the thefts. The ill-gotten funds financed an extravagant lifestyle.

In 2019, twin YouTubers Alan and Alex Stokes aka The Stokes Twins staged a fake bank robbery in Irvine, California, as part of a prank video. Dressed in black with ski masks and carrying duffel bags of cash, they called an Uber while pretending to flee a robbery. A bystander, believing a real crime was occurring, alerted police, leading to officers detaining the unsuspecting Uber driver at gunpoint. Despite a warning from authorities, the twins repeated the stunt hours later at the University of California, Irvine, prompting further emergency calls.

Malachi Love-Robinson, infamously dubbed "Dr. Love," gained national attention in 2016 when, at just 18 years old, he impersonated a physician and opened a Medical Center in West Palm Beach, Florida. Claiming to be a naturopathic doctor, he treated patients and even performed physical exams, despite lacking any medical qualifications.

In 1999, Tonda Dickerson, a waitress at a Waffle House in Grand Bay, Alabama, received a Florida lottery ticket as a tip from a regular customer, Edward Seward. To her astonishment, the ticket turned out to be a $10 million winner. Dickerson's windfall quickly became a legal quagmire. Her coworkers sued, claiming a verbal agreement to share any lottery winnings, but the Alabama Supreme Court ruled such agreements unenforceable due to the state's gambling laws. Seward also sued.