Kriti Mehrotra
Directed by Rebecca Chaiklin, Amazon Prime Video’s ‘Hollywood Hustler: Glitz, Glam, Scam’ is a documentary series delving deep into the tale of Zach Horwitz’s $650 million Ponzi Scheme. It incorporates not only archival footage but also exclusive interviews with those close to the matter to really underscore the way he made countless false claims to defraud people out of their hard-earned money. The fact that he was able to charm his way out of suspicions and was only apprehended by the FBI around a decade into his career is also an indication of the extent of his crimes.
Zach Horwitz’s Friends Reportedly Always Looked Up to Him
It was on December 5, 1986, in Berkeley, California, that Zachary “Zach” Joseph Horwitz was born to Susan “Sue” Horwitz and Howard Horwitz as their second child. However, because his parents sadly divorced when he was just a young boy, he was primarily raised by his mother and his elder sister in Tampa, Florida, with very limited means. They eventually relocated to Fort Wayne, Indiana, where his whole world turned upside down after his mother married wealthy manufacturing executive Robert “Bob” Kozlowski. After all, he suddenly went from living a rather ordinary life to residing in a mansion, taking luxury vacations, and having an allowance that enabled him to splurge.
In fact, according to Zach’s friends in the documentary, whether they were attending Carroll High School or enrolled at Indiana University, many of them always did what he wanted. However, they claimed that it wasn’t because they felt pressured or anything; instead, they looked up to him and wished to follow in his footsteps, impressed by how he seemed to prioritize friendships. According to their accounts, he reportedly shared his wealth with them in various ways, including gift giving, vacations such as all-expense-paid cruises, and more, all of which seemed to be no-strings-attached.
Zach Horwitz’s Entire Career Was Reportedly Based on Lies
Since Zach ended up forming a very tight-knit inner circle while attending college, there was an air of unspoken loyalty and unwavering trust among them, which reportedly lasted for years. He graduated in 2010 with his future wife, Mallory Hagedorn, by his side, following which they relocated so that he could enroll in the Doctoral Program at the Chicago School of Professional Psychology. He dropped out three months later with the idea of evolving into a businessman, and he soon established a juice bar called Fül with the help of his partner and a few friends.
According to records, Zach soon began claiming that the then-CEO of Starbucks, Howard Schultz, was very impressed by their concept and wanted to be involved too, but things didn’t pan out. Nevertheless, as Fül shut down its doors within a few months, he started insinuating that his so-called mentor, Howard, had offered him a lucrative job in his venture capital firm, Mavron. He and Mallory thus moved to Los Angeles, California, where he subsequently seemed to helm the Entrepreneur Outreach Program of the reputed business, all the while also pursuing an acting career.
It was in 2013 that Zach moved on from his “job” to co-found the 1inMM Productions Company (aka One in a Million Productions Company) with the aim of backing and starring in new projects. Gradually, though, they also claimed to acquire, distribute, and produce content for mainstream audiences through streaming platforms, for which they began to attract investors. However, it ultimately came to light that not only did Zach never know Howard or have a job with him, but his investing/production business was also largely a lie. While he did make and star in some legitimate films and also dubbed international ones for redistribution, he never had any business deals with any streaming service.
Zach Horwitz is Currently Serving Time in Federal Prison
According to Department of Justice records, Zach raised millions by promising to use the money to acquire film distribution rights, which would then be profitably licensed to online platforms. Yet, it was all a fraud. He lied to professional investors, close friends, and many more people as he instead operated 1inMM Capital as a Ponzi scheme, using the money to repay earlier investors and fund his own lavish lifestyle. His now-wife reportedly had no idea that their $6 million Beverlywood residence, luxury cars, and travels by private jets all came from defrauded money, and she had no idea about his alleged cheating either. Therefore, not long after he was arrested on April 6, 2021, she left him and took their two kids back to Indiana. Following a brief legal battle, they divorced, with her having full custody.
The Department of Justice eventually asserted that Zach’s Ponzi Scheme was arguably the biggest Ponzi Scheme in Hollywood history, as it involved over $650 million and 520 investors. In the end, on October 4, 2021, Zach pleaded guilty to a federal securities fraud charge by admitting to his fraud and stating that it did cause more than $230 million in losses to investors. As a result, on February 14, 2022, he was sentenced to 240 months, or 20 years, in federal prison, while also being ordered to pay $230,361,884 in restitution to his victims. So, today, at the age of 38, he remains incarcerated at the low-security Federal Correctional Institution-Terminal Island in Los Angeles, California, where he is expected to remain until at least March 10, 2038.
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