HBO's ‘McMillion$’ Episode 2 sees mobster Gennaro Colombo and Jerome Jacobson partner up in McDonald's scam
McDonald's launched a rather brilliant sweepstake in 1987 in partnership with the game of Monopoly. Customers could win anything from a cheeseburger to a brand new car to a million dollars simply by purchasing their sandwiches, fries, drinks, et cetera --all of which included secret peel-off game pieces on the packaging. The scheme eventually proved to be the company’s most lucrative marketing device since the Happy Meal, spiking its business by a staggering 40 percent.
But the fast-food giant wasn't aware of the momentous scam that took place behind their backs as they made a killing with their Monopoly games
“It seemed like an opportunity for ordinary people to get ahead, but there were consequences,” said Brian Lazarte, co-director of the HBO docuseries 'McMillion$', which aired its second episode Monday. To put things in perspective, around 50 people were eventually convicted in the cheating scandal.
Authorities later found the mystery man behind the scam to be Jerome "Uncle Jerry" Jacobson -- a former cop who orchestrated the fraud that ran unnoticed for a whopping 12 years and funneled more than $24M from McDonald's.
Uncle Jerry was smart, to say the least. He knew he couldn't cash in the high-value pieces himself and so he gave them to his favorite friends and family members, who would later become “winners" and cut him a slice of the profits.
But he soon realized working with conscientious folks was not a great idea in the long run. He needed someone outside his circle -- someone well connected and fairly influential who would be willing to carry the scam forward.
Enter Gennaro "Jerry" Colombo, a Sicilian-born, Brooklyn-raised man who was linked to the Colombo crime family.
Jacobson had a chance encounter with the mobster at Atlanta airport, where Colombo mentioned he was on his way to Atlantic City. Uncle Jerry would soon fill him in on the million-dollar scheme he was running behind the scenes.
Colombo was larger than life. He ran a series of strip clubs and illegal gambling operations in South Carolina, and was, in fact, related to Joseph Colombo -- the head of the New York Mafia family that made national headlines for orchestrating an attempted assassination at the Italian Unity Day rally in 1971.
At the Atlanta airport, the mobster realized the potential of the fraud Jacobson was running. And so, in a bid to win Uncle Jerry's trust and respect, Colombo unzipped his carry-on bag to reveal stacks of $100 bills.
Colombo's brother Frank opened up on the subject for the first time on HBO's McMillion$, describing him as a surreal concoction of “Marlon Brando and Joe Pesci” or “Al Capone and Rodney Dangerfield.”
And just days after the Jerrys' airport tryst, Jacobson handed Colombo the winning game piece for an all-new Dodge Viper.
One would expect a mob guy to be discreet considering the risks involved, but Colombo was a different beast altogether. He went on to appear in a McDonald's commercial waving the key to his brand new beast of a vehicle. However, he would later realize the sports car was too small for his towering stature and took the cash equivalent instead.
The mobster was soon roping in his family members, friends and trusted acquaintances to become million-dollar winners, taking a sizeable cut for himself and Jacobson with every win. He even managed to convince the father of his wife Robin to become one of the beneficiaries, but his story is reserved for a later date.
Robin herself became a $1M prize winner in a Mars candy contest run by the same marketing firm working for McDonald's. In a standout moment in the docuseries, she recounts a memorable story about nearly eating a gray M&M that ended up being the winning ticket.
Colombo and Jacobson would soon grow close to each other. The mutual arrangement was proving highly lucrative for the mobster, who started referring to Jacobson as “Uncle Jerry" -- as "uncle" was a term of respect in Italian culture.
The flamboyant Colombo lived a lavish life and invested in a series of strip clubs to legitimize his earnings. He even fought local governments in South Carolina who were opposed to his controversial businesses.
In 1998, the Miami New Times published an article detailing Colombo's "divine" efforts to get around an ordinance against strip joints. The gimmick saw Colombo convert his controversial Club 2010 into the Church of the Fuzzy Bunny’s -- which would conduct Bible reading sessions before serving drinks (not holy water) followed by a procession of scantily clad dancers.
That same year, Colombo was trying to save his marriage to Robin. However, in a tragic turn of events, the happy-go-lucky gangster had a major car accident along the Georgia–South Carolina border; and despite the doctors' best efforts, Jerry Colombo died in a hospital two weeks later.
After the incredible "McScam" was broken wide open by federal agents, Colombo's wife Robin got 18 months in jail. She claimed her late husband's parents had always blamed her for trying to keep her son away from them and the Mafia, thereby alleging they were the ones who tipped off the FBI as revenge.
Robin had had enough. After her husband's death, there was no reason for her to go back into a life of crime. Seeking redemption, she turned to her faith and became a born-again Christian, releasing a book titled 'From a Mafia Widow to God’s Child' in 2006.
The second episode of 'McMillion$' is premiered February 10 at 10 pm ET/PT on HBO.