Special Report: The Lou Pearlman Case: Unraveling a transcontinental fraud

Pearlman gets prison, but what of the money?

Lou Pearlman, 54, managed an Orlando entertainment empire that included the Backstreet Boys, *NSYNC and other boy bands. He also ran a huge investment fraud. Pearlman fled the country in January 2007 as his empire and investment scheme collapsed. He was captured in Bali in June 2007 and brought back to Orlando, where he pleaded guilty in March to stealing $300-million from banks and investors. Judge G. Kendall Sharp sentenced him to 25 years in federal prison in June. A restitution hearing in the case is scheduled for Wednesday, July 16.

[Phelan M. Ebenhack | Special to the Times]

Former music mogul Louis Pearlman, center, is taken into the Federal Courthouse building in Orlando on July 11, 2007. He was sentenced May 21.

Lou Pearlman's scam

Remorse lacking from Lou Pearlman in court
He admits his guilt, but offers no apologies for his scam. (March 7, 2008)
New charges filed, Pearlman to plead guilty
The former boy band producer faces up to 25 years in prison as fraud charges expand (March 4, 2008).
Lou Pearlman one year later
It will take years for the myriad legal and financial twists and turns to be sorted out (December 23, 2007).
In jail and on the phone, Lou reverses the charges
Officially, he isn't talking. But in friendly chats, he says he has been set up (October 21, 2007).
Pearlman agents tricked many
Eight continued to hold Florida insurance licenses despite roles in dubious deals (August 12, 2007).
Lou Pearlman arrested in Indonesia
The music producer is accused of defrauding investors out of millions (June 15, 2007).
Last Taste of Freedom: Pearlman's arrest
After breakfast in the coffee shop of a top resort, Pearlman finds himself under arrest (Published June 16, 2007).
Schemes taught the rest of us too
The lessons from the financial meltdown of music producer Lou Pearlman's Orlando empire apply to far more investors than the 1,800 or so who were ensnared by his investment schemes (March 18, 2007).
A scheme unravels
Lou Pearlman relished the limelight, promoting *NSync and his other boy bands. But for dependable cash flow, he relied on retirees who trusted him with their life savings (February 6, 2007).
Regulators call Pearlman savings plan a fraud
The savings program that boy band promoter Lou Pearlman sold to more than 1,000 investors was a massive fraud, Florida regulators said (February 3, 2007).
Original Times story: High pitches to high yields
Investors tell of how they got caught up in Lou Pearlman's web.

Who is Lou Pearlman?

In humble Queens, Lou was king
Mitchell Gardens would never be mistaken for a palace, but inside the Pearlman family's tiny third-floor apartment, little Lou was king (October 21, 2007).
Unmasking Lou Pearlman
The promoter who loved the limelight has retreated to the shadows. Left in the dark are the investors (June 3, 2007).
A scheme unravels
Lou Pearlman relished the limelight, promoting *NSync and his other boy bands. But for dependable cash flow, he relied on retirees who trusted him with their life savings (February 6, 2007).