Hall of Shame: The Worst of the Worst Modeling Scam Artists
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| 2 | Jerome Ashfield | Founder and leader of the worst child modeling scam in world history: National Talent Associates. Sued three times by the FTC. Finally banned from the modeling industry altogether in 1999. Ran his scam for 33 years: 1966-1999. Responsible for scamming over 100,000 Americans. |
| 3 | Blake Yoon | Founder and leader of BAM aka Booking Actors and Models aka Millennium Models aka ExpressCast.com, one of the biggest photo mills in U.S. history, based in Hollywood, California, but travels all over. Started company after leaving prison. |
| 4 | Robert Ecksmith | Founder and leader of On Track Modeling aka Alpha Model Group, the national photo mill scheme. About six different photo mill scams came out of OTM, all shut down by the government. |
| 5 | Chad Johnson | Founder and leader of Xtra Model Management, the national photo mill scam. Shut down by the Georgia AGO, banned from Georgia. Founder and leader of Face National Models and Talent, based in Charlotte, NC, the national photo mill scam, which scammed about 25,000 Americans, many of them losing $1,000 each. Shut down by the North Carolina Attorney General, banned from the modeling industry in NC. |
| 6 | Alfred Bagwell & Larry Bagwell | Founders and leaders of Kids.com LLC, the child modeling agency scam. Scam over 4,000 kids and parents each year. Gross over $3,000,000 per year, exploiting children and their parents using mail fraud. |
| 7 | George Bing Tonks aka David L. duPont | Founder and leader of Dupont Model Management aka Moda Modeling Management aka Model Managers Association of America, a national photo mill scam. Scammed thousands of Americans, 2,000 people in the Philadelphia area alone. Pleaded guilty to mail fraud and money laundering, and was sentenced to 37 months in prison. Ordered to pay $525,640 in restitution. |
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| 10 | Rick Hronik | Leader of Model Select International, based in Charlotte, NC, a photo mill scam. Sued by NC Attorney General. Fled to Iowa. Started same scam there, another photo mill, Belle Reve Agency, then Ashly Lauren Agency. Sued by IA Attorney General for deceptive and unfair trade. |
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Crimes of Persuasionon