Just because you’re in federal prison doesn’t mean you can’t still do real estate deals. John Thomas found a way. One potential partner was a fellow inmate. That partner, a farmer from South Dakota, had been sentenced to nine years for running a multi-million dollar Ponzi scheme. Thomas also convinced a Chicago investor he had been converted in prison to a Bible-fearing man.

In Chapter 4, "Born-Again Dealmaker" -- Crain's Alby Gallun brings John Thomas' story into the present. All of which is messy, to say the least.