Con Artists

What's the fastest way to keep up with your favorite athlete? Twitter, of course. Early Sunday morning, Lance Armstrong sent out a message on the popular service detailing a startling revelation. "Whoa!! They just came to my room and said our truck was broken into and someone stole my time trial bike," wrote Armstrong, who's competing in the Tour of California this week.

After Jose Hernandez's family fell behind on payments for the family home in Pacoima, he was approached by a man outside their church who said that for $300 he could help them modify their loan and avoid foreclosure. Hernandez paid the man -- but got nothing in return.

Make no mistake: "I Love You Phillip Morris" is no "Brokeback Mountain." Sure, both are high-profile films that tell the story of two men sincerely in love. "Brokeback Mountain" came from Oscar-winner Ang Lee, well known for his finely etched studies of repressed human beings.

In retrospect, Drew Gordon says, he should have been more wary of the well-dressed man at the Beverly Hills BMW dealership with a deep voice, suave ways and a business offer that seemed too good to be true. But he appeared to be both well-to-do and well-connected, buying a pair of pricey luxury cars on the spot and introducing himself as Alfredo Trujillo Fox, the brother of former Mexican President Vicente Fox, Gordon recalled. "I have a perfect business for you," Gordon said Trujillo told him.

When Gerald McAfee was hired as comptroller of a small hospital in Downey two decades ago, he quickly convinced his new boss to let him move $1.6 million of the hospital's money from low-risk, low-yield CDs into a more aggressive bond fund, authorities said. Four months after that authorization, hospital officials were shocked to learn that the account McAfee set up contained just $11, according to court documents. And McAfee, who was supposedly dealing with a family emergency in Illinois, was nowhere to be found.

Bad economic times can be boom times for scammers. "What we have historically seen is that the predators go after people when they're desperate," said Frank Dorman, spokesman for the Federal Trade Commission. "It's when people can't pay their bills and they don't know where to turn." The agency and other investigative bureaus have put out warnings about money scams often aimed at folks who suddenly find themselves in economic turmoil.

Re "Justices slash Exxon Valdez verdict," June 26 Although the pathetic decision by the U.S. Supreme Court in the Exxon Valdez case will confirm for many that the system works for the establishment and punishes the innocent, perhaps there is a potentially good outcome. That is the point it makes for not adding one square foot of the Alaska National Wildlife Refuge or any other potential "baronetcy" for oil exploration. Like all good con artists, the oil companies promise anything to get the rights to drill at the beginning, but once the exploration area is exhausted, the residents of the areas are left to clean up the mess.

MOST Hollywood actresses won't tackle their "Raging Bull" moment until they've established their actual comely credentials somewhere on record. Minnie Driver is not most actresses. Thirteen years ago, she launched her film career as the chubby, awkward girl least likely to snare the cute boy in "Circle of Friends," garnering stellar reviews. In 1998, she received a supporting actress Oscar nomination for "Good Will Hunting" along with Matt Damon as sometime boyfriend.

Sure, they made a poker movie, but do they watch poker movies? -- The cast of "The Grand" tells us their favorites. -- Zak Penn: " 'House of Games' is ostensibly a movie about a con and con artists, but its accuracy and insights into the psychology of poker are just beneath the surface. You can tell that [David] Mamet knows the game and is informed by the spirit of it. For pure poker, 'Rounders' is the choice." Phil Gordon: "Gotta be 'Rounders.' Although one of the thrills of this semi-fame, or whatever you call it, is being asked to do a commentary track for the DVD release of 'The Cincinnati Kid.' " Richard Kind: "There are actually two movies.