“I would have done the same thing if it was my kid. I would have spent every dime if I thought I could get him out.” The Marshall Project with a long look at a con artist’s elaborate scheme to rip off families who were trying to get their kids out of prison. The King of Dreams: “A Texas con artist made millions promising prisoners’ families the thing they wanted most: To bring their children home.”

+ “After John Looker announced he had brain cancer, he became a star fund-raiser and the heart of Pelotonia, a charity event in Ohio that raises millions of dollars. But something wasn’t right.” NYT: He Was the Face of a Bike-a-thon to Fight Cancer. He Was Also a Fake. (Unlike the story above, this scam wasn’t even about money…)