How was the McDonald’s Monopoly game completely rigged for over a decade? Find out in this video! Subscribe to Pablito's Way below: http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCk2zuJeRutyMZSdoh0sltLA?sub_confirmation=1 New to Pablito's Way? Start here!💯 https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLC9umoxByMRJQoW_PzGK-n84iLQgbQyN2 Check out some more of our favorite videos below: Animals Who Are Evil GENIUSES!🐬 https://youtu.be/4YaXltTVx7g The Untold Truth About the Escape From Alcatraz⛏️ https://youtu.be/dHMFEj3Lvyc Rappers Who Went Broke with Dumb Decisions💸 https://youtu.be/mQ0qYI-xbKg Follow me on Instagram! https://www.instagram.com/_pablitos_way/ Grand Plans The McDonald’s Monopoly game was one of the most successful marketing campaigns in fast-food history. attached million-dollar prizes to boxes of french fries. While most of us won small prizes such as an apple pie or a small drink, some people made a fortune. Jerome Jacobson Jerome P. Jacobson was an ex-cop who joined Dittler Brothers Printing as security personnel in 1981. A life-threatening disease called Guillain-Barré cost him his policing career, but Jerome was determined to stay within the field however he could. “Protection” Mechanism But McDonald's wasn't making the tickets themselves, nor was the promotion their idea in the first place. McDonald's Monopoly was the brainchild of Simon Marketing, and Jerome was in charge of guarding and transporting the high-value tickets. Canadian Rules It was a computer program's job to pick where the winning tickets would be sent randomly. One day, the computer chose a McDonald's in Canada to receive the Million-dollar ticket. “Random” The year was 1989. Jacobson was taking multiple flights all over the country, transporting winning tickets wherever he went. The auditor followed him like a shadow, and everything was going as it should. Game Piece Laundromat Jacobson was a mastermind. He knew that he couldn't redeem the prizes himself as it would be evidence of his crime. He started small. He made generous offerings to family and friends at the beginning of his scam. Not Gambling But Jacobson wasn't the only person ripping off the McDonald's Monopoly tickets. An employee at a Wisconsin McDonald's stole 3000 tickets right off the spool. At the time, you could walk into McDonald's and ask for a ticket. Monopoly Mafia Jerome's operation was still small. He dealt with family and friends and did well to keep his scam under wraps. But, in true Monopoly-style, greed got the better of him. Jacobson met mobster Gennaro Colombo while waiting for a plane in Atlanta. Reckless Spending By 1998, Jacobson had turned America into his personal board game. He and his wife Linda moved into a beautiful brick home in Georgia, and he used $65,000 thousand dollars to buy himself a classic Oldsmobile. Anonymous Tip In 2000, the FBI received an anonymous tip that outlined the McDonald's Monopoly game fraud. The tip claimed that one of the million-dollar winners was illegitimate. The winner in question was Robin's father, William Fisher. Operation Final Answer The FBI began their investigation by tapping Jacobson's phone. Additionally, they followed him to meetings and set up monitored buys to gather evidence. They were slowly closing in on Uncle Jerry. Go Directly to Jail Arrests started coming left and right in the Summer of 2001. The FBI arrested anybody associated with the Monopoly scam. Most importantly, they raided Jacobson's home just before dawn. A media frenzy ensued, but Jacobson had one last trick up his sleeve. Aftermath In the end, 50 people total were convicted of mail fraud and money laundering. The underbosses like Couturier and Glomb got a year and one day in prison. Jacobson eventually pled guilty and was sentenced to 37 months in jail.