Related:Free Guy Cast, Characters & All Cameos Guide. Despite the absurdity of the synopsis, believe it or not,Queenpins is based on a true story. Ramirez, the ringleader, was the only one sentenced to prison time two years while her counterparts got probation. Vince Vaughn's other moviesincludemany big-budget action films and comedies such as The Lost World: Jurassic Park, Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story, and Wedding Crashers. These are free item coupons,' Police Sgt. They were just two normal women, who felt taken advantage of by major corporations, and genuinely wanted to help other women and families who were struggling. Counterfeit Coupon Ringleader Pleads Guilty - Coupons in the News, Woman spends $600 on SavvyShopperSite.com fake coupons - Jill Cataldo. It all sounded so unbelievable and over the top, and we knew the story had the makings for a great comedy., So while the women may not be thrilled to see their pasts dredged up and played for laughs on the big screen, Lake is hopeful that moviegoers wont come away with the wrong idea about creating or using counterfeit coupons. Now that theyve done their time and are working to pay off their debt, the women appear to be trying to put the incident behind them. 'We used undercover and covert operations to make purchases and to identify the three suspects,' Holmes said. Much the same can be said for Paul Walter Houser, who plays Ken Miller, the loss prevention officer that uncovers and eventually busts Connie and Jojos scam. So even though the events of nearly a decade ago seem like old news to the rest of us, its something the culprits continue to live with. Queenpins has arrived in theaters and on Paramount+, telling the story of the countrys largest counterfeit coupon scam. [8], In June 2021, Showtime and Paramount+ acquired U.S. pay TV and streaming rights to the film for about $20 million. Netherlands ($200,244), United Arab Emirates ($123,281), Hungary ($88,609), Croatia ($41,810), Lithuania ($18,354), Iceland ($11,774), South Africa ($5,900) and Portugal ($5,501). Carly Stern For Dailymail.com I just decided I really wanted to play the curmudgeon nature of the character. She was sentenced to two years in prison, with credit for 287 days served, and seven years of supervised probation. Because at Coupons In The News, we believe an educated consumer is the best couponer! Related:Worth Cast & Character Guide: What The Real People Look Like. Singer-songwriter Bebe Rexha makes her feature film debut in the Queenpins movie. Next:Q-Force Cast & Character Guide: Where You Know The Actors From. None of the characters are based on the real individuals involved, Gaudet told Coupons in the News. I'd call it a buddy film on a couple of levels: The main characters, Connie and Jo, and then the sub-characters, Simon and Ken. [9], Other box office grosses include Russia ($326,012), Ukraine ($221,109), The opulence and the money was the equivalent of drug cartel-type of stuff. Now, with their story back in the spotlight, theres no escaping it, even nearly ten years later. For her first film since Frozen II (the 10th highest-grossing movie of all-time . The story actually began more than a decade ago, when the women started selling their coupons online. For the most part, yes. Previously, she worked as a singer and songwriter, penning hitslike Eminem and Rihanna's "The Monster" and collaborating with bands such as Florida Georgia Line. The opulence and the money was the equivalent of drug cartel-type of stuff. And I just want to play the humanity of the guy while adding some comedic elements to him.. And after reading the script and falling massively in love with it, because it was such a grounded comedy, I did some research about these women. Capitalism always knows how to win. She was sentenced to two years in prison, with credit for 287 days served, and seven years of supervised probation. One local law enforcement official at the time told the news: The opulence and the money was the equivalent of drug cartel-type of stuff. The character mainly functions to forward the plot and as the other half of the "buddy-cop" duo with Ken Miller (Paul Walter Hauser). And it seems like the makers of the movie share this sentiment. You don't always get your way. No, not at all, Bell told TheWrap. David Lake, who led the Phoenix Police Departments investigation, told KPHO at the time. Whatever Happened to the Real-Life Queenpins? In February of 2013,Ramirez pleaded guilty to counterfeiting, fraud, and illegal control of an enterprise, though a forgery charge was dropped. But thats just Connie and Jojo. Credit: Courtesy STX Films "They're also some of the best writers I've ever worked with. But Lake determinedly led his team in pursuing the case. Then-forty-year-old Robin Ramirez led the group, which included Marilyn Johnson, then-fifty-four, and Amiko Amy Fountain, then-forty-two. No. But the coupons were high-quality counterfeits. But I I sort of didnt approach it from an occupational standpoint, Houser told TheWrap. 'We gotta steal these coupons and sell them to families who really need them. "[11] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 45 out of 100, based on 20 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". Couponing goes criminal in the new trailer for Queenpins. 17:23 EST 23 Jul 2021 Missing Pittsburgh street preacher known as 'The Sparrow' who vanished 30 YEARS ago is found ALIVE and living in 'It's a vindication of what I've been through': Georgia Harrison tells of her 'relief' as shamed reality star ex Two Insulate Britain protesters are jailed for contempt of court after they defied a judge's orders not to refer Isabel Oakeshott receives 'menacing' message from Matt Hancock, Insane moment river of rocks falls onto Malibu Canyon in CA, Mom who lost both sons to fentanyl blasts laughing Biden, Pavement where disabled woman gestured at cyclist before fatal crash, Pro-Ukrainian drone lands on Russian spy planes exposing location, 'Buster is next!' Real Stories is an ongoing column about the true stories behind movies and TV shows. Like a coupon high, the fun of this movie does not last. The filmmakers are not trying to hurt anybody, or glorify the crime, theyre just trying to make a funny story. But, he cautioned, we cant say that it doesnt matter that a person is only selling coupons when we look at the amount of economic damage that does., Counterfeiters like the three Phoenix women, and the many customers who bought coupons from them, are fully aware that what theyre doing is wrong, Lake believes. Bebe Rexha is the tech genius, Tempe Tina. Authorities later estimated that the coupon ring cost corporations hundreds of millions of dollars in profit. The amount covered all of P&G's losses, for the fake coupons as well as extra manpower needed to deal with the issue. He has been commended by the FBI for supporting them in numerous efforts to fight "complex coupon fraud schemes." Autumn has a Master of Arts in English from Northern Michigan University, where she also taught superhero-themed composition courses. Carly Stern For Dailymail.com, Dax Shepard wishes wife Kristen Bell a happy 41st birthday: 'Here's wishing you another 100 years in the saddle', Conwoman, 60, accused of posing as gem expert to swap diamonds worth 4.2m for pebbles was caught on CCTV outside Mayfair jeweller Boodles the day before heist, court hears. Johnson helped package and ship the coupons to customers, and Fountain placed hologram stickers on some of them to make them look more legitimate. She has previously appeared with Bell on Bad Moms, buther claim to fame has been in screenwriting. Ben Stiller serves as an executive producer under his Red Hour Productions banner. Yes. Judge Daniel Martin sentenced her to 24 months, as well as seven years probation. Instead we have LPOKen Miller (Paul Walter Hauser), a dedicated but comically awkward stickler for the rules, who is eventuallyjoined by an investigator from the USPS (Vince Vaughn, nailing just the right mix of exhausted irritation and integrity). 'Sometimes I would come out with three carts of groceries.'. They enjoy their newfound wealth, only to have their criminal enterprise crumble when they are investigated, raided, and arrested. We're all looking for a loophole to find our joy and happiness in life." Lets break it down. According to KTAR News, a Phoenix radio station, the group focused on manufacturers coupons, which typically offer a free item or significant discount. Follow and/or unfollow him on Twitter. But during Proctor & Gamble'sroutine audits ofthird-party coupon processors, the discovered fakes in circulation and hired private investigators to do some more digging. In 2012, investigators found millions of dollars worth in forged coupons. Judge Rosa Mroz of Maricopa County Superior Court ordered all three to payProcter & Gamble $1,288,682 in reimbursement. Because they arent exactly hardened criminals, they think that the money theyve made through their shell company has to be laundered, so they bought all these high priced items with the intent to just immediately resell them. The trailer for Queenpinsincludes audio of Bell and Howell-Baptistes characters calling out systemic inequality and likening themselves to Robin Hood. A charge for forgery was dropped. ', 'These people aren't buying a few coupons from this site,' Officer James Holmes added. Upon realizing that they could get a coupon for a free item sent to them just by complaining to the manufacturer, they come up with a plan to smuggle and steal cases of those coupons, to then sell to people. A look at the counterculture movement that became the religious right. The women sold their counterfeit coupons on various online sites, including eBay and their own website, SavvyShopperSite.com. And thats why they make excuses, he said. They don't call it robbery; they prefer "removing" or "separating.". A trailer released this month shows how a suburban housewife (Bell) and her coupon vlogger friend (Howell-Baptiste) come up with a scheme to sell fake coupons online, earning them millions of dollars while contributing to costly losses for brands like Proctor & Gamble andUnilever. Thats the type of money they had, Sgt. Your email address will not be published. Before playing Agent Park, he was inTalladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby,Wreck-It Ralph, Bob's Burgers, and many others. Queenpins (2021) Rated R for language throughout. According to Coupons in the News, Ramierz started selling counterfeit coupons as early as 2007, and was eventually joined by the other two women. Bell plays Connie, whose life is smaller and sadder than she expected, following her early success as a gold-medal-winning Olympic athlete (but in a low-profile event, race-walking). Queenpins Cast And Character Guide: Where You Know The Actors From, Worth Cast & Character Guide: What The Real People Look Like, Free Guy Cast, Characters & All Cameos Guide, Q-Force Cast & Character Guide: Where You Know The Actors From. Nick CassavetesasCaptain Pain - Cassavetes plays Captain Pain in Queenpins. It stars Kristen Bell, Kirby Howell-Baptiste, Paul Walter Hauser, Bebe Rexha, and Vince Vaughn. Will DiGravio is a Brooklyn-based critic, researcher, and video essayist, who has been a contributor at Film School Rejects since 2018. Some customers became aware of the bust after they tried to use the coupons and they didn't work. The filmmakers, Aron Gaudet and Gita Pullapilly, chose not to interview the real Queenpins for the movie. As one law enforcement official put it, these were not the fifty-cents-off coupons one might find in their mailbox. They may also expose themselves to additional risk by providing their names, home addresses, and financial information to organized crime rings." And after reading the script and falling massively in love with it, because it was such a grounded comedy, I did some research about these women. The duo then interview a group of postal workers, who remember JoJo, especially because Earl is always watching her videos. "I am not spending money!" Her next acting roleisfor the movie Confess, Fletch. In the movie, Kristen Bell and Kirby Howell-Baptiste play Connie and Jojo, a pair of best friends from Phoenix who love extreme couponing. Marilyn Johnson, 54, Robin Ramirez, 40, and Amiko Fountain, 42, were taken into custody, and in a press conference, police said a search warrant served resulted in the seizing of $40 million worth of coupons and $2 million worth of assets from the womens homes, including $240,000 in vehicles, 22 guns, and a 40-foot speedboat. Queenpinsdebuted in theaters on September 10, 2021. Summary: Amelia Watson, a senior but loose cannon, problem child detective of City PD, has to prevent a war. In the movie, the women are fictionalized as Connie (Bell) and Jojo (Howell-Baptiste), who end up living much the same way. You Are Reading :Queenpins Cast And Character Guide Where You Know The Actors From. Yes. The real-life Queenpins thought that the similar name would make their scheme appear more legitimate. In July 2012, police in Phoenix, Arizona arrested three women in a coupon scam that cost manufacturers roughly $40 million. She is also known for her appearances in Killing Eve and Cruella. Lets break it down. The crime comedy is based on a counterfeit coupon empire that shocked law enforcement. The Coupon Queens cheated as many as 40 major manufacturers (Business Insider). In the movie, the women are fictionalized as Connie (Bell) and Jojo (Howell-Baptiste), who end up living much the same way. It is also revealed that Connie, after numerous unsuccessful attempts to conceive following her miscarriage, is finally pregnant through in vitro fertilization. Ramirez, Fountain and Johnson were charged and convicted for running their very own $40 million counterfeit coupon scheme, for which theyre still paying the price and may well be for the rest of their lives. Ramirez pleaded guilty to illegal control of an enterprise, counterfeiting and fraud. [6] In December 2020, Dayo Okeniyi, Joel McHale, Nick Cassavetes, Michael Masini, Paul Rust, Eduardo Franco, Marc Evan Jackson, Lidia Porto, Greta Oglesby, Jack McBrayer and Annie Mumolo joined the cast of the film. The coupons were sold on a site called Savvy Shopper Site, to which interested parties had to be referred or invited directly to use. 'We were ordering hundreds of dollars in coupons every month,' one anonymous user toldKentuckys WPSD. Unilever also claimed losses, pointing to five particular coupons that had been founded in Ramirezs home, though a judge ruled that they couldn't prove that the three women were responsible for selling them. Un par de amas de casa crean una estafa de cupones de 40 millones de dlares. A Loss Prevention Officer and U.S. In July 2012, police in Phoenix, Arizona arrested three women in a coupon scam that cost manufacturers roughly $40 million. She also was ordered to pay restitution of up to $5 million. The women guaranteed a one-hundred-percent return rate if a store rejected one of their coupons. Your email address will not be published. At $300 a month, even if she stays current in her payments, it will take more than 120 years to pay off her share of the restitution order. In the movie, the women are fictionalized as Connie (Bell) and Jojo (Howell-Baptiste), who end up living much the same way. At the time of her arrest, investigators discovered Ramirez had four online accounts and 12 bank accounts. Murdaugh is heckled as he leaves court, Ken Bruce finishes his 30-year tenure as host of BBC Radio 2, Ukrainian soldier takes out five tanks with Javelin missiles, Family of a 10-month-old baby filmed vaping open up, Missing hiker buried under snow forces arm out to wave to helicopter, Hershey's Canada releases HER for SHE bars featuring a trans activist, Moment teenager crashes into back of lorry after 100mph police race. Fountain and Johnson were both sentenced to three years probation after pleading guilty to a single count of counterfeiting. In addition, the scenes involving the gun sale include short appearances by co-director Aron Gaudet's brother Nick as a barista, as well as actor and director Nick Cassavetes as the leader of the group buying the guns. Goodbye coupons, hello high prices. I went to the detectives and I said, we have what appears to be a large multimillion-dollar, maybe hundreds of millions of dollars, theft affecting over 240 victims, the now-retired Lake told Coupons in the News. Okeniyi appeared in The Hunger Games and Run Sweetheart Run, and his next role is in Greek Freak. The leader, Ramirez, pleaded guilty to fraud, counterfeiting, and illegal control of an enterprise. They were just two normal women, who felt taken advantage of by major corporations, and genuinely wanted to help other women and families who were struggling. We are no longer accepting comments on this article. "I'm saving money!" Being clever with coupons makes her feel like she is making a financial contribution. And where does that curmudgeonly frame come from? Ame shielded her eyes from the sunlight, "It's just that it's been a while since I've been on duty at daytime.". It's unclear if their real-life counterparts,Ramirez, Fountain, and Johnson, had such charitable aspirations when they started their illicitenterprise. You know what, I bet if a better actor were playing Ken Miller, thered probably be a little fine tooth combing involved with the world of loss prevention. Bell will next be lending her voice to the animated show Do, Re & Mi, as well as appearing in the miniseries The Woman in the House. He also focused more on the character aspect of his part, rather than talking to anyone actually involved in loss prevention. The counterfeiting scheme was previously featured in the. Kiara frowned, watching the usually stoic Ame toss and turn in the driver's seat. And I think it comes from loneliness and feeling isolated and kind of under-utilized or under-appreciated. The acting was solid, though the relatively unknown Paul Walter Hauser stole the movie. Meanwhile, Ken is partnered with U.S. postal inspector Simon Kilmurry. Bud played an instrumental role in taking down the three women who inspired the Queenpins movie.Unlike Bud Miller, Hauser's character doesn't work for the Coupon Information Corporation (a not-for-profit association of consumer product manufacturers dedicated to fighting coupon misredemption and fraud). Connie initially comes up with the couponing scheme, eventuallyteaming up with her friend to help her pull off the biggest coupon scam in U.S. history. And they get a monthly reminder every time they make their latest restitution payment. The real Queenpins' mugshots are displayed below. Watch Queenpins: Bebe Rexha On The Experience She's Had So Far Acting In Her First Film Photos 17 Top cast Edit Kristen Bell Connie Kirby JoJo (as Kirby Howell-Baptiste) Paul Walter Hauser Ken Bebe Rexha Tempe Tina Lidia Porto Mrs. Flores Joel McHale Rick Greta Oglesby Mama Josie Eduardo Franco Greg (Cashier) Ben Sidell Man in Line Nneoma Sampson "We're talking about anywhere from $400 to $600 million in loss," said Officer James Holmes of the Phoenix Police Department. The vehicles included a custom Corvette that was worth over $150,000. Many of the details of the real story have been changed, including the names, but also backstories to make the characters more sympathetic. And in terms of the crime itself, Queenpins stayed pretty loyal. Though the pair face forty-years-to-life, the companies that they victimized clandestinely press the courts for leniency to avoid bad press, resulting in ten days imprisonment plus one year of probation for JoJo and eleven months incarceration (parole eligible in eight) for Connie. From writer-directors Aron Gaudet and Gita Pullapilly, the film stars Kristen Bell, Kirby Howell-Ba. Though most of their fraudulent earnings have been confiscated, the pair have hundreds of thousands of dollars from their illegal activities stashed away, and JoJo starts a relationship with Earl and relocates to Montenegro, a non-extradition country, where the pair can immediately restart the scam upon Connie's release. According to Sgt. In July of 2012, police raided Ramirez's home andseized more than $25 million worth of fake coupons. Connie, JoJo, Simon (Vince Vaughn) and Ken (Paul Walter Hauser) arewhat Aron and I feelwhat we're all often feeling in this life: undervalued and discounted. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Their unbelievable success eventually catches the attention of law enforcement. On a message board, one fan raved about paying $7 for a mega pack of Pampers, with no max value meaning a shopper could get more than $50 worth of product free. In the movie, Kristen Bell and Kirby Howell-Baptiste play Connie and Jojo, a pair of best friends from Phoenix who love extreme couponing. Just to make him more sympathetic, in addition to the $2 an hour, he has a pregnant wife who also works at the factory. [Resumes eating snacks and looking out the window], Watch Queenpins: Gita Pullapilly & Aron Gaudet On Why Kristen Bell And Kirby Howell-Baptiste Were Right For Their Roles, Watch Queenpins: Kristen Bell On How She Became Involved In The Film, Watch Queenpins: Paul Walter Hauser On What Drew Him To The Film, Watch Queenpins: Kirby Howell-Baptiste On How She Became Involved In The Film, Watch Queenpins: Bebe Rexha On The Experience She's Had So Far Acting In Her First Film. Thats the type of money they had, Sgt. "You've got yourself an eighteen-karat run of bad luck, kid.". Queenpins' true story is based on the couponing scam designed by three Arizona women: Robin Ramirez, Marilyn Johnson, and Amiko "Amy" Fountain. In Queenpins, its Ken Miller who pleads with the FBI to get involved, but in the end, he ends up working with Vince Vaughns postal inspector character, with the reasoning being that the crime was technically committed via snail mail. His character represents the law enforcementin charge of tracking down the women responsible. Ramirez pleaded guilty to counterfeiting, fraud, and illegal control of an enterprise. Howell-Baptiste previously worked with Bell on Veronica Mars and The Good Place. Released in the United States on September 10, 2021 by STXfilms, the film received mixed reviews from critics and was a box office bomb, grossing only $1.2 million against a $20 million production budget. FREE FIRE TOP 3 GAME REAL CHARACTER para SAMSUNG A3,A5,A6 A7,J2,J5,J7,S5,S6 S7,S9,A10,A20 A30,A50 We dont want people to think its funny. On the other side we have faceless and barely acknowledged corporations (always a convenient bad guy) and an LPO (loss prevention officer, a fancy title for private security). And where does that curmudgeonly frame come from? I try to work with police chiefs, at the state and local level, to come up with ways of explaining how important protecting our business infrastructure is, he said. He also doesn't work closely with the FBI. In real life, the Phoenix Police Department led the investigation with the assistance of the FBI. "We knew, based on our research on past films, the more we dig into the real lives, it becomes much more serious, much more dramatic," Pullapilly told the, Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile. Her sacrifices have never been appreciated and she has been overlooked by her husband Rick, an IRS senior audit specialist, her loved ones and the rest of society. She lives with her mother and is trying to be an entrepreneur with a series of YouTube videos featuring tips on saving. The film is based on the true story of three Arizona women arrested in 2012 for a $40 million fraud involving coupons. Procter & Gamble $1,288,682 in reimbursement. In real life, the FBI did get involved, along with the non-profit Coupon Information Center. Kristen Bell and Kirby Howell-Baptiste star in this based-on-a-true-story film about a pair of women whose coupon-counterfeiting operation turned into more than they bargained for. And after reading the script and falling massively in love with it, because it was such a grounded comedy, I did some research about these women. Neither of them responded to requests for comment about their case, and how or whether they have managed to move on from it. Mugshots of the real women behind Queenpins are displayed below. This happened after various companies that had been impacted by the bogus coupons hired private investigators to uncover the origins of the coupons. They also seized more than $2 million in other assets, including 22 guns, cash, 21 vehicles, and a speed boat. And why Bell and co-star Paul Walter Houser didnt talk to the real people behind the characters they play. They interview people from grocery stores that the ladies frequent, almost all of whom recognize Connie due to her constantly irritating coupon usage, even successfully linking her to the "Savvy Super Saver" website as she uses its slogan while shopping. And I think it comes from loneliness and feeling isolated and kind of under-utilized or under-appreciated. The true story behind Queenpins reveals that the women bought them in bulk overseas and then posted them for sale on sites like eBay and their own website, SavvyShopperSite.com, which is now defunct. Authorities eventually traced Ramirezs activity back to 2007. Bell has extensive experience in Broadway, television, and film, leading successful TV series like Veronica Mars and The Good Place. $100,000 x 40 is 4 million not 40 million. Not only does Arizona state law forbid convicted criminals from profiting by selling their story, but writer-directors Aron Gaudet and Gita Pullapilly have emphasized that their story is an entirely fictional version of the real thing. In the wake of the bust, all three women pleaded guilty. He also focused more on the character aspect of his part, rather than talking to anyone actually involved in loss prevention. The fake coupon game isnt a joke. (music by) Cinematography by Andrew Wehde . David Lake, who was in charge of the coupon investigation at the Phoenix Police Department, "The opulence and the money was the equivalent of drug cartel-type stuff." Once there, buyers would have access to an array of high-dollar coupons. 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