When we're with Connie and JoJo, the tone of "Queenpins" is upbeat and sit-com-y, with Dolly Parton on the soundtrack telling us everything is going to be all right. The real Queenpins' mugshots are displayed below. Rare $300 sign-up bonus card hits market Ad The Ascent. Queenpins' cast of characters also includes familiar faces like Bebe Rexha, Vince Vaughn, and Joel McHale in supporting roles. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Coupons in the News features daily news stories and information about coupons, grocery shopping and saving money. She also was ordered to pay restitution of up to $5 million. They also come into possession of guns, cars and boats in an effort to. While it might seem outrageous and is played for laughs in the movie, in July 2012, a SWAT team really did raid the Phoenix residences of the three women who played a part in the counterfeit coupon operation. 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. The movie, which premieres September 10, offers a comical take on the true story ofRobin Ramirez, Amiko Fountain, and Marilyn Johnson of Phoenix, Arizona, who were arrested in 2012 for their years-long counterfeitingracket and ordered to pay P&G millions in restitution. In addition to the $40 million in counterfeit coupons that they confiscated, police seized $2 million in assets from the three women, including four homes, 22 guns, a 40-foot speed boat, and 21 vehicles. We dont want people to think they can do this, he said. Here . Written and directed byAron GaudetandGita Pullapilly, Queenpins is about two housewives who created a $40 million coupon scam. Nell Minow is the Contributing Editor at RogerEbert.com. The comedy Queenpins is inspired by the largest coupon scam in U.S. history. Bud Miller, Executive Director of the Coupon Information Center, told money-saving columnist Jill Cataldo at the time, "These customers should expect contact in the future." There's a reason Bell is making quips about crime. They were charged with counterfeiting, forgery, operating an illegal enterprise, money laundering, and other violations. I just decided I really wanted to play the curmudgeon nature of the character. It isvery pleasurable in the moment but likely to leave you feeling empty and a little queasy. Of course, the trailer also shows them later living in luxury and boarding private jets. 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). Fountain and Johnson were both sentenced to three years probation after pleading guilty to a single count of counterfeiting. Queenpins Writers Balance Comedic Tone with Real-Life Drama in Coupon Caper By: Shanee Edwards Kirby Howell-Baptiste as JoJo Johnson and Kristen Bell as Connie Kaminski in QUEENPINS. The other queenpin is Connie's neighbor and close friend JoJo (Howell-Baptiste), who was a victim of identity theft that ruined her credit and her ability to apply for jobs. After multiple, very expensive fertility treatment failures, she and her IRS auditor husband (Joel McHale, given nothing to do) are estranged and deeply in debt. They were a part of a fast-rising category referred to as "pink collar criminals," "nice" suburban women who commit non-violent crimes, mostly fraud or embezzling from businesses or from community organizations like the PTA. Queenpins. Judge Daniel Martin sentenced her to 24 months, as well as seven years probation. 'We gotta steal these coupons and sell them to families who really need them. 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). Those are intriguing issues but themovie is less interested in exploring them than it is giving the queenpins makeovers and silly plot detours involving a militia and extended scatological humor. The leader, Ramirez, pleaded guilty to fraud, counterfeiting, and illegal control of an enterprise. Thats the type of money they had, Sgt. "I'm saving money!" 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. And in terms of the crime itself, Queenpins stayed pretty loyal. Herreal-life counterpart isRobin Ramirez, who police considered the ringleader of the criminal operation. In the movie, the women are fictionalized as Connie (Bell) and Jojo (Howell-Baptiste), who end up living much the same way. Fountain and Johnson both still live and work in the Phoenix area, in professions that have nothing to do with coupons. At the time of her arrest, investigators discovered Ramirez had four online accounts and 12 bank accounts. Her next acting roleisfor the movie Confess, Fletch. In the movie, the women are fictionalized as Connie (Bell) and Jojo (Howell-Baptiste), who end up living much the same way. After he retired from the force, he took what he had learned from this case and others like it to found the Center on Shadow Economics, which works to mitigate the economic impact of black market crimes like counterfeit couponing. When Phoenix police seized the counterfeit coupons and the women's assets, they discovered computer records that listed all of the customers who had purchased coupons from the women. According to Coupons in the News, Ramierz started selling counterfeit coupons as early as 2007, and was eventually joined by the other two women. .aspect-ratio-box { height: 0; overflow: hidden; padding-top: calc(720 / 1280 * 100%); background: #f9f9f9; position: relative; margin-bottom:30px; } .aspect-ratio-box-inside { position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; }, Read original story Queenpins': Heres the Real Story Behind Kristen Bells Crime Comedy At TheWrap, July 2012, police in Phoenix, Arizona arrested three women, Queenpins': Heres the Real Story Behind Kristen Bells Crime Comedy, Tom Sizemore, star of 'Saving Private Ryan,' 'Heat,' dies at 61 after brain aneurysm, Josh Hartnett is done talking about his break from Hollywood but ready to make fun of actors: 'We're the worst', Michael B. Jordan admits muscle gain for 'Creed' has been harder as he's gotten older, Billy Bush suggests Amy Robach and T.J. Holmes start their own show after ABC exit: 'They've got something that works', How to watch every Oscars 2023 Best Picture nominee. The cast, with Kristen Bell and Paul Walter Hauser, is outstanding The Arizona women, Robin Ramirez, Marilyn Johnson and Amiko Fountain, pleaded guilty, Ramirez to. Queenpins is a quirky crime comedy inspired by a trio of women who made millions of dollars in an elaborate coupon scam. But during Proctor & Gamble'sroutine audits ofthird-party coupon processors, the discovered fakes in circulation and hired private investigators to do some more digging. The opulence and the money was the equivalent of drug cartel-type of stuff. "These aren't 50-cent-off coupons. The fake coupon game isnt a joke. They encounter married employees Alejandro and Rosa Diaz, who agree to send them the unused coupons. He also doesn't work closely with the FBI. Paul Walter Hauseras Ken Miller -Paul Walter Hauser plays Loss Prevention Officer Ken Miller, whoserather unexciting job takes a turn when he discovers the fake coupon scheme. However, Ken Miller, a hapless loss prevention officer for the A&G Family Marts stores in the Southwestern United States, learns about the coupons and the losses several companies are taking, and pressures his superiors before ultimately deciding to handle the case himself. 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. We are no longer accepting comments on this article. Autumn Cejer is a Movie/TV Features Writer for Screen Rant. 'Sometimes I would come out with three carts of groceries.'. A look at the counterculture movement that became the religious right. Being clever with coupons makes her feel like she is making a financial contribution. What is the Japanese language plot outline for Queenpins (2021)? Hauser previouslyworked with Howell-Baptiste in Cruella and also appeared in I, Tonya. And in terms of the crime itself, Queenpins stayed pretty loyal. "[11] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 45 out of 100, based on 20 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". Ame hissed, "Getting partnered with someone like me. I was very excited when I saw on the front page of the script that was based on a true story. It appeared the women were making so much money, they werent even sure how to spend it all. The story actually began more than a decade ago, when the women started selling their coupons online. 'We used undercover and covert operations to make purchases and to identify the three suspects,' Holmes said. 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 July 2012, police in Phoenix, Arizona arrested three women in a coupon scam that cost manufacturers roughly $40 million. "[Ringleader Robin Ramirez] would bring in these coupons from overseas in large quantities, quantities we never could imagine and she would sell them on her website for about 50 percent of face value," said Sgt. Just to make him more sympathetic, in addition to the $2 an hour, he has a pregnant wife who also works at the factory. 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. By "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. These companies included Hershey, Procter & Gamble, and the Coupon Information Corporation. According to Sgt. But lets be honest: its hard to feel too sorry for the corporations in this instance. I have never purchased coupons from a clipping service or an auction site." And I think it comes from loneliness and feeling isolated and kind of under-utilized or under-appreciated. 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. Users had to be 'invited' to join the site, and fans raved about the impossibly good deals, like a coupon for a free pizza worth $7 that would cost shoppers just $1. Their script is so nuanced and the words are chosen so perfectly. Her term of probation was recently extended for another five years, after she fell more than $4,000 behind in her restitution payments. Illegal couponing doesn't seem like ahigh-levelcrime, but the two women manage to grow rich off their scheme. 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.
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