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ShortDocumentary: TheCounterfeiter(2017)RunningTime: 22:30

Director BrianBiegel

Producer JeffTaylor

Editor MichaelE.BerndtJr.

DirectorofPhotography BrianRussell

OriginalMusic MichaelTerry

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ShortsynopsisTheFBIattemptstobringdowntheworld'sgreatestautographforgerafterhejoinsa

counterfeitring,whichhititbigduringthe1998homerunchasebetweenMarkMcGwireand

SammySosa.

LongsynopsisIn1998therewasthechasewithinthechase.WhilemostpeoplewerefollowingMark

McGwireandSammySosatryingtobreakRogerMaris’singleseasonhomerunrecord,theFBI

hadtheirsightsonanotherrecord–chasing$100,000,000ofmemorabiliawithfakesignatures

onthem.

WiththehelpofsomeMajorLeagueBaseballsuperstars,theFBIattemptstoinfiltratethe

worldofthegreatestcounterfeitertheyhadeverseen.Whilehewasn’tthebusinessbrains

behindtheforgeryring,hewasthemanthatmadethemachinerunbyperfectlyforgingthe

autographsoffirstMcGwireandSosain1998,andthenhelpingitgrowintoanationwide

counterfeitoperation,implicatingmorethan50people.

Usinghiddencameras,undercoveragentsandwiretaps,viewersgoinsidetheundercover

operationthatbroughtinthelargestdollarfigureinU.S.history.

GregMarino,theworld’sgreatestforger,accordingtotheFBI.Photographer:BrianRussell

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DirectorBioBrianBiegelisamultiaward-winningdocumentaryfilmmaker,executiveproducerinnon-

fictionTVandacriticallyacclaimedauthor-withspecialinterestsintruecrime,history,sports,

investigationandmysterynarratives.

Hisfirstfeaturedocumentary,MiracleBall:MyHuntfortheShotHeard'RoundtheWorld"coversallofthosecategoriesinonestory,ironically.MiracleBall(2012,Discovery/Velocity)caughttheeyeofthepublishingworldbeforethefilmwasreleased.

Biegelwascommissionedtopenafull-lengthbookforRandomHousebasedonalltheunlikely

twistsandturnsduringhissearchforthemostfamouslosttreasureinsportshistory–Bobby

Thomson’s1951“ShotHeard‘RoundtheWorld”baseball.ThetaleofMiracleBallisbeingdevelopedintoamotionpicture.

Mr.Biegelwasthefirstauthor/filmmakertoimplementforensicscience-trackingcluesbyway

ofscientifictechniques-asameansofsearchingforanddeterminingtheauthenticityoflost,

vintage,iconicartifactsfromtheworldofsports.

UsingthesameformulaofinvestigativeworkasinMiracleBall,Biegelspentyearsresearchingandbuildingnewstorylinesinthesamegenre.Hiseffortspaiddividendswhenheandhis

producingpartner,RobertA.Harris,developedadocu-seriesoutofthis.

OnApril24th,2016SmithsonianChannelairedtheSportsDetectives,thefirstnon-fictionseries

thatcombinessports,investigationsandmysterysolving(Left/Rightwastheproduction

company).

NextinlineforMr.BiegelistheCounterfeiter,adocumentaryhedirectedforESPN.Thistrue

storytakesviewersinsideanundercoverFBIinvestigationtobringdowntheworld’s“greatest

counterfeiter”(accordingtoseveralveteranagentswhoworkedthecase).

Thefilmcapturesthestoryfromthelawenforcementagent’ssideaswellasthemenrunning

thecounterfeitoperation,whichputfakeautographsoffamousathletes(andcelebrities)onto

thousandsofpiecesofmemorabiliaandsoldthemforarecord-breaking$100,000,000intotal,

accordingtotheFBI.Thecounterfeiterhimselfstarsinthefilm,debutingatthe2017Tribeca

FilmFestivalthenairingasanESPN30for30Short.

Mr.Biegel’sprobonoworkincludeswritinganddirecting,GettingMyChildBack:FightingAutism,atouching,educationaldocumentaryabouttheadvancesmadetotreatchildrenwith

autism.Thefilmtookhome1stprizeatthe2006NYInternationalFilmFestival.

Mr.Biegelisbasedoutofhishometown,NYC.

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GregMarinosignsfakeautographsduringfilmingofTheCounterfeiterinNYC.Photographer:BrianRussellTheCounterfeiterFactsThedocumentary,TheCounterfeiter,offersinsideinformationandexpertiseaboutthe

methodsthatwereusedbytheworld’sgreatestforgerofautographstoassuretheywere

undetectable.Someareinthefilm;otherscanonlybereadabouthere:

1).Thearchitectsbehindtheforgeryringbuiltawoodendevicewithgroovesoneachendto

holdabaseballbatstillsotheautographswerescrolledontothebatperfectlystraight.

2).TyCobbonlysignedingreenink.IfakidapproachedhimtosignanautographandCobb

didn’thavehisgreenpenwithhim,he’dsendthekidrunninghometofishoutagreenpen

fromhisparent’sdesk.

3).DuringtheFBI’sinvestigation,theyshowedJoeMontanaafewitemswithhissignatureto

verifywhetherornotitwasindeedhishandwriting.Oneachoccasion,theHallofFame

quarterbacksaid“yes”,wheninfact,itwascreatedbythecounterfeiter.

4).Atonepoint,therequestsforautographsthatwerecominginfromautographcollectors

aroundthecountrybecamesobizarre,thecounterfeiterhimselfasked,“whoisbuyingthis

stuff?”Therequestedautographsincluded:MotherTeresa,AlfredHitchcock,AlbertEinstein,

JohnLennon,FrankSinatraandmore.

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A“3-D”versionofawoodenbatholderdevisedbyGregMarino,forwhichhe’dplacethebatinsidetoholdit

steadywhilehescrolledfakesignaturesonthebatitself.

Graphicdesign:MichaelCroog

FullProductionCreditsDirectorBrianBiegel

ProducerJeffTaylor

EditorMichaelE.BerndtJr.

DirectorofPhotographyBrianRussell

ConsultingProducersRobertHarris

AlMaiorano

AssociateProducerWendyYamano

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MotionGraphicArtistMichaelCroog

AssistantEditorsChrisLove

JustinStarr

OriginalMusicMichaelTerry

AudioMixerMikeRyan

ColoristKevinBurns

ProductionAssistantsSamRussell

JonHarris

SpecialThanksTimFitzsimmons

JohnFerreira

GregMarino

FBISanDiego

FBIHeadquarters

Julie,MyraandAllanMadnick

GregFrench

HenryC.Reid&SonJewelers

FootageandPhotosABCNEWSVideoSource

APImages

WayneBray

eFootage,LLC

GettyImages

KUSA

AngeloMarino

GregMarino

Newsweek

Pond5.com

TimeLife

USAToday

ForESPNFilms

ExecutiveProducersJohnDahl

ConnorSchell

BillSimmons

SeniorProducerDanSilver

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ProducedbyShaunAlperin

ProducersAndyBillman

MarquisDaisy

DeirdreFenton

LibbyGeist

KenanHolley

GentryKirby

ErinLeyden

AssociateProducersJennaAnthony

BrianD'Ostilio

ProductionAssistantsSpencerBarry

VinD'Anton

MichaelHuberman

MorganMoody

AubreyMarcinko

ProductionCoordinatorsMariaDelgado

TomPicard

JenniferThorpe

AdditionalProductionSupportLouiseArgianas

DavidCho

JenniferCingari

VanessaDiaz

SeanFennessey

DanFierman

DavidJacoby

JulietLitman

DavidMayer

PaulMonfre

DianeMorse

JayJayNesheim

MichaelNewman

MichaelPhilbrick

CallieRiotte

DanielSassoon

HeatherScheer

RogerJackson

ShelleyTabor

ExecutiveVicePresident,GlobalBusinessStrategyandOriginalContentMarieDonoghue