The Million Dollar Scandal
It was a heist like no other.
An accountant, who found a way to make millions for himself by swindling a well-known fast-food restaurant in the most unusual way.
It was a simple game of Monopoly that turned into a multimillion-dollar scandal and it wasn’t long before everything he had built up would come crumbling down in spectacular fashion.
The McDonald’s Monopoly Game
When popular fast food restaurant, McDonald’s, started promoting a new game, everyone flocked to try and get their hands on the prizes up for grabs.
It was simple, buy any of the qualifying meal items to obtain the Monopoly game pieces.
Although they were basically just stickers that you would peel off, people couldn’t get enough of the game.
Coming Back For More
This was exactly the kind of marketing and promotion campaign that Mcdonald’s was hoping for.
The more stickers you can get your hands on, the more chances you have of winning a great prize.
It was a win-win for everyone involved. People became obsessed with collecting stickers to see if they had a chance at winning.
The Prizes
Of course, prizes vary from country to country but in the USA, you can look forward to getting your share of a whole range of giveaways.
The easiest prizes to win came in the form of free meals.
You could redeem the stickers for anything from Big Tasty with Bacon sandwiches, Chicken Legend, fries, and drinks. But it was the other bigger prizes that made people want to get more stickers.
Criticism
The promotion was not without its critics though.
While the game made many people excited to keep buying meals in order to find the lucky stickers, Mcdonald’s was later chastised for urging consumers to buy more.
It was said that it promoted bad eating habits and was a danger to public health. But this did not deter people and they continued to flock to Mcdonald’s for their chance to win.
Rare Pieces
You could also get your hands on the rare stickers which included the sort after prizes that everybody wanted.
The prizes included two tickets to the Superbowl, plane tickets, and vacations to beaches and resorts.
But the most wanted prizes of all were the cash prizes and this was where one man would go above and beyond to get his share.
The Accountant
Marcus Nemec had big dreams for himself. He always dreamed of hitting the big time and it didn’t matter to him how he would go about getting there.
Marc, as he was known to his friends, always walked the straight and narrow. He had to, he needed to be a good role model to his kids.
But one day, he decided to walk a different path, and it was lined with gold.
The Job Application
Marc was down on his luck and looking for a job.
He began scouting around and eventually came across a job application ad in his local newspaper.
It was for an accounting job at his local McDonald’s. Marc applied immediately, the hours were suitable for him and his family. It was the usual 9 to 5 and it was just what he was looking for.
To New Beginnings
He waited a few days and just when he thought they wouldn’t get back to him, he received the much-anticipated reply.
He got the job and was scheduled to start the following Monday.
Marc couldn’t wait, the job was ideal, it paid more and he was just looking forward to getting home at a decent hour.
A Great First Day
The first day was smooth sailing for Marc.
He met everyone and they all seemed nice enough. He couldn’t ask for a better place to work at. He even got an occasional free lunch.
As he sat having his lunch at one of the tables, he saw the staff putting up promotional posters about a new Monopoly game they were launching.
His Interest Was Piqued
It looked simple enough, the more meals you bought, the greater your chance of winning some cool prizes.
Marc saw that there were many great prizes up for grabs and he told himself that he too would give it a shot.
He wouldn’t mind a vacation with his wife. Or a cash prize, he would think of so many things he could do with a cash prize.
Let The Games Begin
As soon as the competition started, the McDonald’s branch he worked at was full every day.
People came morning, noon, and night to get their hands on the promotional goods.
Since everyone else was getting in on the fun, Marc decided to try his hand at the game as well. This was where Marc’s ultimate downfall would begin.
Obsessed
Marc played every day at lunchtime.
He was obsessed with finding the best prizes, even though it was just a free hamburger and chips.
He traded stickers and game pieces with the other workers and they often playfully accused Marc of not “playing fair”. But Marc couldn’t care less, his ultimate goal was to get one of the cash prizes and he knew just how to do it.
The First Piece
As soon as he saw how simple everything was, he concocted a plan.
He knew this was something he could pull off without telling many people.
It all began when Marc decided to steal his first piece. He wanted to “see if he could do it”. Soon enough, he would be passing around these pieces to a select few people who were in on his elaborate scheme.
Can’t Be Stopped
Marc’s habit became uncontrollable and he was soon stealing more than he could manage, eventually reeling in more people to help him pull off the heist.
Soon he was stealing and handing out winning pieces to numerous family members.
But it wasn’t only him and his family that were benefitting from the winnings, Marc roped in a few other unsavory characters.
The Bigger the Prize
The prizes kept getting bigger and better and Marc was getting more daring with his plan.
He was determined to get one of the biggest cash prizes for himself.
He had his eye on the million-dollar prize and he knew just how to make it happen. He was ready to take the risk and do whatever it took to get his hands on the winning piece.
The Plan
Marc came up with an elaborate plan to steal the winning pieces.
He would sneak into the McDonald’s offices after hours and remove the winning game pieces from the safe.
He recruited a few accomplices who helped him execute the plan. They would meet after work and discuss their next move. Marc was convinced that his plan would work and that he would finally be able to get rich.
The First Win
Marc’s plan worked and he was able to get his hands on a winning game piece for the first time.
He was ecstatic and knew that he could not claim the prize himself as it would raise suspicion.
He decided to sell the winning piece to a friend and they split the prize money. Marc was now hooked and wanted more. He was willing to take bigger risks to get bigger prizes.
The Scheme Unfolds
Marc soon roped in his brother-in-law, a friend from high school, and even his own wife to help him execute his plan.
He would steal the winning pieces and hand them out to his accomplices who would then claim the prizes on his behalf.
He made sure to stay under the radar and not claim any prizes himself.
The Big Scam
Marc and his accomplices were on a mission to make as much money as they could from the Monopoly game.
They created fake names, fake addresses, and even set up fake email accounts to make it look like they were different people.
They would then claim the prizes using the fake information they had created and split the winnings among themselves. It was a well-planned operation that lasted for years and netted them thousands of dollars
The Underworld
He had mobsters, nightclub owners, psychics, convicts, and all other people you might associate with the underworld busy with dealings in secret.
Marc couldn’t believe his luck when he made his first million dollars.
He vowed to continue because he wasn’t hurting anyone and everything was still going according to plan. At least, that’s what he thought.
The Scheme Unfolds
As Marc’s scheme continued to grow, he started selling the winning game pieces to various people for a portion of the prize money.
It wasn’t long before he was making thousands of dollars every week.
Marc had gotten so good at stealing the pieces that he had soon amassed millions of dollars in cash and prizes from McDonald’s. But he knew that he couldn’t do it forever and eventually he would be caught.
The Investigation Begins
One day, an anonymous tipster called McDonald’s and reported suspicious activity surrounding the Monopoly game.
The tipster alluded to an “inside job” and the company hired an investigator to look into the matter.
Marc became nervous when he saw a man coming in every day and sitting at the same table. He knew he was being watched.
Feeling The Heat
He quickly informed all his partners that he would be lying low for a few weeks until he could figure out whether this guy was a cop.
As he took his lunch, he watched the guy intently.
He seemed to just be enjoying a meal every day and playing the occasional game, but Marc was still suspicious.
The Plan Goes Wrong
Everything was going smoothly until one of Marc’s accomplices was caught by the FBI.
It turns out that the entire McDonald’s Monopoly game was rigged from the start.
The winning game pieces were being stolen from the printing plant and sold to a group of criminals who then claimed the prizes.
The Cover Up
As news of the scandal broke out, Marc and his crew scrambled to cover their tracks.
They burned all evidence and laid low, hoping that the authorities wouldn’t connect them to the scheme.
However, the FBI was hot on their heels, and it wasn’t long before they were able to piece together the entire operation.
Arrested
Agents arrested Marc and his team, and they were charged with a litany of federal crimes, including conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud, and money laundering.
Despite his best efforts to outsmart the system, Marc found himself facing a lengthy prison sentence.
All his careful planning and meticulous attention to detail had been for nothing.
The FBI Investigation
The FBI launched a full-scale investigation into the scam, and Marc’s name came up during the investigation.
He was interrogated by the FBI, and eventually, he confessed to his role in the scheme.
He was offered a deal to cooperate with the FBI in exchange for a lighter sentence. But that was not all they found.
The Discovery
As things began to heat up even more, the restaurant where Marc worked was eventually raided.
It was brought to light by the undercover agent and the McDonald’s branch manager that Marc was hiding all the pieces he had stolen from the restaurant in a vent in the men’s bathroom.
There was now no doubt of the huge role he played in the heist.
The Aftermath
The story of the McDonald’s Monopoly game scam became national news, and Marc’s name was plastered all over the media.
He lost his job and his reputation was ruined. He was left with nothing but regret. Marc spent his time in prison reflecting on his actions and trying to make amends. He became a model prisoner and earned an early release for good behavior.
In order to protect the privacy of those depicted, some names, locations, and identifying characteristics have been changed and are products of the author’s imagination. Any resemblances to actual events or places or persons, living or dead, are entirely coincidental.