So they may be the first ones to tell you that coupon crime may make for a great Hollywood comedy but in real life, its no laughing matter. Rare $300 sign-up bonus card hits market Ad The Ascent. We dont want people to think its funny. 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. The filmmakers, Aron Gaudet and Gita Pullapilly, chose not to interview the real Queenpins for the movie. They also come into possession of guns, cars and boats in an effort to. The counterfeiting scheme was previously featured in theCBS TV docu-series Pink Collar Crimes in 2018. Joel McHaleas Rick Kaminski- McHale plays Connie's husband who is worried about their growing amount of debt. Queenpins is a quirky crime comedy inspired by a trio of women who made millions of dollars in an elaborate coupon scam. The details were first revealed after a Tuesday morning raid in July 2012 by the Phoenix Arizona Police Department. Ben Stiller serves as an executive producer under his Red Hour Productions banner. A look at the counterculture movement that became the religious right. Indeed, the movie is inspired by a true story, but just how closely does the film follow the events and people its based on? In July 2012, police in Phoenix, Arizona arrested three women in a coupon scam that cost manufacturers roughly $40 million. Singer-songwriter Bebe Rexha makes her feature film debut in the Queenpins movie. "This is to American companies who produced American products and hire American citizens" (DSA). That includes the details about the women and the two men chasing after them. The coupons were sold on a site called Savvy Shopper Site, to which interested parties had to be referred or invited directly to use. Dave Lake told CBS5 later. The other two women pleaded guilty to a single charge of counterfeiting. Bud Miller is thought to have loosely inspired Paul Walter Hauser's character in the movie, Ken Miller. Autumn has a Master of Arts in English from Northern Michigan University, where she also taught superhero-themed composition courses. 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. Savvy Shopper Site had a few other suspicious requirements. Slapstick . The crime comedy is based on a counterfeit coupon empire that shocked law enforcement. They also come into possession of guns, cars and boats in an effort to clean the money theyve made from selling coupons. They don't call it robbery; they prefer "removing" or "separating.". He can next be seen in the movie Delia's Gone. According to KTAR News, a Phoenix radio station, the group focused on manufacturers coupons, which typically offer a free item or significant discount. Here's the cast and character guide for Queenpins, along with comparisons to some of the characters' counterparts in real life. She was most likely added to the script for comedic reasons in order to frame Connie and JoJo as being in over their heads and desperately needing outside help. But lets be honest: its hard to feel too sorry for the corporations in this instance. He also focused more on the character aspect of his part, rather than talking to anyone actually involved in loss prevention. Yes, a bear actually did consumer millions of dollars worth of cocaine. Queenpins has arrived in theaters and on Paramount+, telling the story of the countrys largest counterfeit coupon scam. Two women create a $40 million coupon scam. Shecan next be seen in the indie film Silent Night and later inThe Sandman TV series. Aron Gaudet and Gita Pullapilly's Queenpins concerns two Arizona suburbanites, Connie (Kristen Bell) and JoJo (Kirby . Coupon enthusiast Jill Cataldo warns, "Even though many places sell coupons online, you should never buy them. And I just want to play the humanity of the guy while adding some comedic elements to him.. 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. They were charged with counterfeiting, forgery, operating an illegal enterprise, money laundering, and other violations. 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. In July 2012, police in Phoenix, Arizona arrested three women in a coupon scam that cost manufacturers roughly $40 million. Ramirez, the ringleader, was the only one sentenced to prison time two years while her counterparts got probation. [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. They also come into possession of guns, cars and boats in an effort to. The Coupon Queens cheated as many as 40 major manufacturers (Business Insider). Jack McBrayerasAgent Park - McBrayer has extensive experience in comedy. The Queenpins true story reveals that there were three women involved in the real-life scheme, not two like in the movie. Queenpins' true story is based on the couponing scam designed by three Arizona women: Robin Ramirez, Marilyn Johnson, and Amiko "Amy" Fountain. 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. But all were ordered to pay nearly $1.3 million in restitution to Procter & Gamble, just one of the many manufacturers whose coupons they counterfeited and sold. Queenpins tells a comedic story of two down-on-their-luck Phoenix women who discover their path to prosperity by concocting a $40 million counterfeit coupon scheme that all comes crashing down when they get caught. However, they quickly learned that with a little crime, they could actually make money off of it. Some of the coupon enthusiasts featured on the TLC show Extreme Couponing routinely purchased coupons from clipping services.In response to the Arizona coupon counterfeiting ring that inspired the Queenpins movie, the CIC's Bud Miller stated, "Coupon buyers expose themselves to the possibility of becoming involved with counterfeits, stolen property, or other criminal activities. SIGN UP FOR OUR FREE DAILY NEWSLETTER, FIRST TAKE, July 2012, police in Phoenix, Arizona arrested three women, Queenpins Trailer: Kristen Bell and Kirby Howell-Baptiste Are the Robin Hood of Coupons (Video), Netflixs The Sandman TV Series Casts Kirby Howell-Baptiste as Death. [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. 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. Dejected and frustrated suburban housewife Connie Kaminski (ne Stevens), a three-time gold-medal-winning former Olympic racewalker, has followed the conventional life path set for her by society ever since she was young. Talk about extreme couponing! 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. In the wake of the bust, all three women pleaded guilty. Instead, he becomes highly frustrated when the FBI blows off his concerns. A pair of housewives create a $40 million coupon scam. director of photography Film Editing by Kayla Emter . Thats why they say Robin Hood, thats why they say the fat cats on Wall Street deserve it, thats why they say these corporations are evil. Not because they believe any of that, but so they dont feel guilty about their own actions. His message to coupon wrongdoers is, yes, you got a good deal. They were ringleader Robin Ramirez (46 at the time of her arrest), Marilyn Johnson (62), and Amiko "Amy" Fountain (42). Perhaps the most telling sign that things weren't on the up-and-up was the fact that the site advised, "Please do not share this information with people that you don't actually know. And it does seem like Queenpinswill take a comedic look at the inequality underpinning the counterfeit coupon market. [12] Hauser's performance as fraud specialist Ken Miller received praise from critics who praised his onscreen chemistry with Vaughn while noting that the film established him as a comedic actor after his breakthrough role in 2019's Richard Jewell. 'Queenpins' Review: Suburban Scammers Two cash-strapped neighbors devise a multimillion-dollar coupon swindle in this mildly entertaining comedy. This is based on the true story of three women: Robin Ramirez, Marilyn Johnson, and Amiko "Amy" Fountain. A look at what really happened with the characters of Andrew Dominiks 2007 Western epic. Carly Stern For Dailymail.com And I think it comes from loneliness and feeling isolated and kind of under-utilized or under-appreciated. As the Time article notes, couponing became popular not only in the wake of reality television shows like TLCs Extreme Couponing but also due to the economic reality in the wake of the Great Recession. From left, Kristen Bell and Kirby Howell-Baptiste. Ken: Yeah no, even if I wanted to switch, I think it's more important that your daughter learn a valuable lesson. Kristen Anne Bell (born 1980) is an American actress and singer. Fountain and Johnson both still live and work in the Phoenix area, in professions that have nothing to do with coupons. 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. 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. Lets break it down. But its funny that its gotten so much attention, Lake said. 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. The group would have fake coupons made oversees, including reproductions of legitimate coupons and made-up ones with steep savings. 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. 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. After six months, the pair figure their money is safe to use, but because the money is dirty, they need to spend and clean it. In real life, the Phoenix Police Department led the investigation with the assistance of the FBI. Annie MumoloasCrystal - Mumolo appears in the minor role of Crystal. She was sentenced to two years in prison, with credit for 287 days served, and seven years of supervised probation. Ill go out on a limb here and predict that their once noble intentions go off the rails. Yes. But I I sort of didnt approach it from an occupational standpoint, Houser told TheWrap. You Are Reading :Queenpins Cast And Character Guide Where You Know The Actors From. The comedy Queenpins is inspired by the largest coupon scam in U.S. history. Hauser previouslyworked with Howell-Baptiste in Cruella and also appeared in I, Tonya. 'We were ordering hundreds of dollars in coupons every month,' one anonymous user toldKentuckys WPSD. Lets break it down. By 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. 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. However, he doesn't appear to have inspired Vaughn's Kilmurry. The coupons were sold on a site called Savvy Shopper Site, to which interested parties had to be referred or invited directly to use. 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. 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). As far as the real women involved, stars Kristen Bell and Kirby Howell-Baptiste admit that they never actually met or spoke to the actual minds behind the crime to learn what sparked it. 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. In the movie, the women are fictionalized as Connie (Bell) and Jojo (Howell-Baptiste), who end up living much the same way. Queenpins. The site's name was inspired by the legit coupon magazine Savvy Shopper, which is in no way related. Lets break it down. After tracing the origins of the ring to Phoenix, the FBI then teamed up with local law enforcement to bust the group. In the movie, the women are fictionalized as Connie (Bell) and Jojo (Howell-Baptiste), who end up living much the same way. 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. 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. What is the Japanese language plot outline for Queenpins (2021)? The Coupon Information Corporation got wind of the scheme, and brought it to the attention of investigators, which is how it eventually landed on the desk of Phoenix Police Sergeant David Lake. Ramirez pleaded guilty to illegal control of an enterprise, counterfeiting and fraud. Here . That would be too prestigious for Hauser's wannabe-cop Miller (Hauser borrows from his 2019 performance in Richard Jewell). They also turned to the Coupon Information Corporation. 'We used undercover and covert operations to make purchases and to identify the three suspects,' Holmes said. HBOs Rain Dogs Finds Humor, Despair in the Working-Class Mum at its Center, Berlinale Highlights, Part Three: Hummingbirds, Concrete Valley, Afire, The Oneness of All Things: On Sofia Alaouis Animalia, New York International Childrens Film Festival Opens Window to the World. 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. Queenpins is playing in theaters with plans to stream on Paramount+ in the near future. -Daily Mail. Kristen Bell and Kirby Howell-Baptiste, playing the lead roles, are as spectacular as ever. Fountain and Johnson were both sentenced to three years probation after pleading guilty to a single count of counterfeiting. 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. Had their deals been a little worse, maybe the women would have never gotten caught. In the movie, the women are fictionalized as Connie (Bell) and Jojo (Howell-Baptiste), who end up living much the same way. Queenpins (2021) Rated R for language throughout. That is the basic premise of Queenpins, a comedy reuniting The Good Place co-stars Kristen Bell and Kirby Howell-Baptiste as the two leads. No Offense, But These 2 Big Retailers Aren't The Cheapest Ad MoneyWise. Tempe Tina does not have a real-life counterpart. The film's largely painful humor is informed by the mistaken belief that the main characters' criminal enterprise is inherently quirky. 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. Indeed, the movie is inspired by a true story, but just how closely does the film follow the events and people its based on? And where does that curmudgeonly frame come from? Together, they set up a website called Savvy Super Saver, and eventually make millions of dollars in turn, costing multiple manufacturers millions of dollars. The Queenpins true story reveals that there were three women involved in the real-life scheme, not two like in the movie. On the case to bust them: a supermarket's. Rexha's character helps Connie and JoJo evade the authorities, mainly by strengthening their internet security. 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. "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. On the real Queenpins website, SavvyShopperSite.com, they sold free-product coupons, with the caveat that you must spend at least $50 on coupons per order. Greg Garcia, a cashier at her local A&G Family Marts store, explains to her that companies habitually respond to complaint letters by sending coupons for free items. Her ancestry is Polish (mother) and German, English, Irish, and Scottish (father). 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. 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 She was sentenced to two years in prison, followed by seven years probation. 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). You don't always get your way. You could only place an order if you had a referral from a current customer, and you had to pay for your order with a Green Dot Moneypak (prepaid debit card). For her first film since Frozen II (the 10th highest-grossing movie of all-time . 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. In real life, the FBI did get involved, along with the non-profit Coupon Information Center. [5] In October 2020, Bebe Rexha joined the cast of the film. 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. In the movie, the women are fictionalized as Connie (Bell) and Jojo (Howell-Baptiste), who end up living much the same way. In the movie, Kristen Bell and Kirby Howell-Baptiste play Connie and Jojo, a pair of best friends from Phoenix who love extreme couponing. Thats the type of money they had, Sgt. JoJo combines two people in real life:Amiko Fountain and Marilyn Johnson. Some movies are based on true stories, some movies are inspired by true stories. Because at Coupons In The News, we believe an educated consumer is the best couponer! Despite the absurdity of the synopsis, believe it or not,Queenpins is based on a true story. The comedy Queenpins features a talented cast coming together to tell a crazy true story. Having had enough of his lack of support, she declares that she wants a divorce. 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. When Connie discovers that a complaint letter about stale cereal earned her a coupon for a free box, it's a short road to finding a $2 an hour employee at the Mexico coupon printing plant (moved from the US to save money) who is willing to send them extras. It appeared the women were making so much money, they werent even sure how to spend it all. A quarter of the U.S. will fall inside an extreme heat belt. And thats why they make excuses, he said. 17:23 EST 23 Jul 2021 (edited by) Casting By Ben Harris Allison Jones Production Design by Jennifer Klide Art Direction by Adri Siriwatt Costume Design by Julie Carnahan Makeup Department Production Management Mike Upton . The scheme came crashing down after forty businesses, including major companies like Proctor & Gamble, Hershey, and PepsiCo, filed fraud complaints. Queenpinsdebuted in theaters on September 10, 2021. People who purchased coupons on the site could use them for an item and even get cash back if the value of the coupon exceeded the item's price. While the characters in Queenpins are fictional, the crime they came up with is the real deal. 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). Counterfeit Coupon Ringleader Pleads Guilty - Coupons in the News, Woman spends $600 on SavvyShopperSite.com fake coupons - Jill Cataldo. [10], On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 47% based on 62 reviews with an average rating of 5.40/10. In the movie, the women are fictionalized as Connie (Bell) and Jojo (Howell-Baptiste), who end up living much the same way. 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. Preferred customers could get even better deals on better coupons. Details of the true story at the heart of Queenpinswere first revealed in July 2012. It stars Kristen Bell, Kirby Howell-Baptiste, Paul Walter Hauser, Bebe Rexha, and Vince Vaughn. They also come into possession of guns, cars and boats in an effort to clean the money theyve made from selling coupons. A reality television series about this trend had an episode on the Arizona coupon case. 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. Here's the cast and character guide and the real-life counterparts. $100,000 x 40 is 4 million not 40 million. I was very excited when I saw on the front page of the script that was based on a true story. 'We gotta steal these coupons and sell them to families who really need them. Then-forty-year-old Robin Ramirez led the group, which included Marilyn Johnson, then-fifty-four, and Amiko Amy Fountain, then-forty-two. And they get a monthly reminder every time they make their latest restitution payment. "You are spending money we don't have," her husband says, looking at what was once supposed to be a nursery, now converted into what looks like a grocery warehouse. That's one reasonbeyond saving moneythe scam was so successful. And I just want to play the humanity of the guy while adding some comedic elements to him.. The coupons were sold on a site called Savvy Shopper Site, to which interested parties had to be referred or invited directly to use. David Lake, who led the Phoenix Police Departments investigation, told KPHO at the time. Dayo OkeniyiasEarl - Okeniyi plays Earl, who just happens to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, which results in a hilarious interrogation scene with Ken and Simon. And I just want to play the humanity of the guy while adding some comedic elements to him.. These are free item coupons,' Police Sgt. 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. Here's the cast and character guide and the real-life counterparts. 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.