Goodbye coupons, hello high prices. 'Queenpins' Review: How to Scam Audiences with Sophomoric Humor Some customers became aware of the bust after they tried to use the coupons and they didn't work. Marilyn Johnson, 54, Robin Ramirez, 40, and Amiko Fountain, 42, were taken into custody, and in a press conference, police said a search warrant served resulted in the seizing of $40 million worth of coupons and $2 million worth of assets from the womens homes, including $240,000 in vehicles, 22 guns, and a 40-foot speedboat. The comments below have not been moderated, By Bell plays Connie, whose life is smaller and sadder than she expected, following her early success as a gold-medal-winning Olympic athlete (but in a low-profile event, race-walking). According to KTAR News, a Phoenix radio station, the group focused on manufacturers coupons, which typically offer a free item or significant discount. 17:42 EST 23 Jul 2021. Carly Stern For Dailymail.com, Dax Shepard wishes wife Kristen Bell a happy 41st birthday: 'Here's wishing you another 100 years in the saddle', Conwoman, 60, accused of posing as gem expert to swap diamonds worth 4.2m for pebbles was caught on CCTV outside Mayfair jeweller Boodles the day before heist, court hears. They were ringleader Robin Ramirez (46 at the time of her arrest), Marilyn Johnson (62), and Amiko "Amy" Fountain (42). And where does that curmudgeonly frame come from? .aspect-ratio-box { height: 0; overflow: hidden; padding-top: calc(720 / 1280 * 100%); background: #f9f9f9; position: relative; margin-bottom:30px; } .aspect-ratio-box-inside { position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; }, Read original story Queenpins': Heres the Real Story Behind Kristen Bells Crime Comedy At TheWrap, July 2012, police in Phoenix, Arizona arrested three women, Queenpins': Heres the Real Story Behind Kristen Bells Crime Comedy, Tom Sizemore, star of 'Saving Private Ryan,' 'Heat,' dies at 61 after brain aneurysm, Josh Hartnett is done talking about his break from Hollywood but ready to make fun of actors: 'We're the worst', Michael B. Jordan admits muscle gain for 'Creed' has been harder as he's gotten older, Billy Bush suggests Amy Robach and T.J. Holmes start their own show after ABC exit: 'They've got something that works', How to watch every Oscars 2023 Best Picture nominee. The cast, with Kristen Bell and Paul Walter Hauser, is outstanding The Arizona women, Robin Ramirez, Marilyn Johnson and Amiko Fountain, pleaded guilty, Ramirez to. From left, Kristen Bell and Kirby Howell-Baptiste. The group would have fake coupons made oversees, including reproductions of legitimate coupons and made-up ones with steep savings. In the movie, Kristen Bell and Kirby Howell-Baptiste play Connie and Jojo, a pair of best friends from Phoenix who love extreme couponing. A pair of housewives create a $40 million coupon scam. 'We used undercover and covert operations to make purchases and to identify the three suspects,' Holmes said. No. Kristen Bell, Kirby Howell-Baptiste on friendship, coupons - Los You don't always get your way. And they get a monthly reminder every time they make their latest restitution payment. She spends her free time drinking coffee and trying to resist the urge to buy any new books before reading the many she already owns. Instead, he becomes highly frustrated when the FBI blows off his concerns. Not only does Arizona state law forbid convicted criminals from profiting by selling their story, but writer-directors Aron Gaudet and Gita Pullapilly have emphasized that their story is an entirely fictional version of the real thing. 'Queenpins' Summary & Ending, Explained - Digital Mafia Talkies Singer-songwriter Bebe Rexha makes her feature film debut in the Queenpins movie. A quarter of the U.S. will fall inside an extreme heat belt. In the movie, the women are fictionalized as Connie (Bell) and Jojo (Howell-Baptiste), who end up living much the same way. Why the USPS? Thats the type of money they had, Sgt. On a message board, one fan raved about paying $7 for a mega pack of Pampers, with no max value meaning a shopper could get more than $50 worth of product free. You can't make this stuff up - and the filmmakers didn't have to. Details of the true story at the heart of Queenpinswere first revealed in July 2012. And I just want to play the humanity of the guy while adding some comedic elements to him.. Queenpins has arrived in theaters and on Paramount+, telling the story of the countrys largest counterfeit coupon scam. Ben Stiller serves as an executive producer under his Red Hour Productions banner. I try to work with police chiefs, at the state and local level, to come up with ways of explaining how important protecting our business infrastructure is, he said. Queenpins is a quirky crime comedy inspired by a trio of women who made millions of dollars in an elaborate coupon scam. Produced by Music by Siddhartha Khosla . Had the system been better then, Lake said, we could have arrested probably another 50 people at least, who were buying hundreds of these coupons at a time and saying, I know theyre fake, but they work great.. Kristen Bell and Kirby Howell-Baptiste star in this based-on-a-true-story film about a pair of women whose coupon-counterfeiting operation turned into more than they bargained for. She also was ordered to pay restitution of up to $5 million. A bright spot is Bebe Rexha as a dark web expert who helps Connie and Jojo launder their money. Procter & Gamble $1,288,682 in reimbursement. In the movie, the women are fictionalized as Connie (Bell) and Jojo (Howell-Baptiste), who end up living much the same way. Will DiGravio is a Brooklyn-based critic, researcher, and video essayist, who has been a contributor at Film School Rejects since 2018. Read about the latest trends in couponing, get some new coupon alerts and keep up with stories across the country and around the world that have to do with coupons, the companies that issue them and the consumers who use them. The Coupon Queens cheated as many as 40 major manufacturers (Business Insider). It was then that they learned of the fakes that were in circulation. And after reading the script and falling massively in love with it, because it was such a grounded comedy, I did some research about these women. Yes. Queenpins has arrived in theaters and on Paramount+, telling the story of the countrys largest counterfeit coupon scam. Though most of their fraudulent earnings have been confiscated, the pair have hundreds of thousands of dollars from their illegal activities stashed away, and JoJo starts a relationship with Earl and relocates to Montenegro, a non-extradition country, where the pair can immediately restart the scam upon Connie's release. Dayo OkeniyiasEarl - Okeniyi plays Earl, who just happens to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, which results in a hilarious interrogation scene with Ken and Simon. As far as the real women involved, stars Kristen Bell and Kirby Howell-Baptiste admit that they never actually met or spoke to the actual minds behind the crime to learn what sparked it. Dejected and frustrated suburban housewife Connie Kaminski (ne Stevens), a three-time gold-medal-winning former Olympic racewalker, has followed the conventional life path set for her by society ever since she was young. A charge for forgery was dropped. They were just two normal women, who felt taken advantage of by major corporations, and genuinely wanted to help other women and families who were struggling. Tellingly, the changes to the details of the real law enforcement and private investigators make them less sympathetic. Postal Inspector lead the investigation into their activities, encountering multiple humorous setbacks along the way. The three real-life Coupon Queens carried out their counterfeit operation in Phoenix, Arizona where they lived. In addition to the $40 million in counterfeit coupons that they confiscated, police seized $2 million in assets from the three women, including four homes, 22 guns, a 40-foot speed boat, and 21 vehicles. 'They're buying bunches, and they're redeeming them in bunches.'. You cant make this stuff up and the filmmakers didnt have to. Bud Miller, Executive Director of the Coupon Information Center, told money-saving columnist Jill Cataldo at the time, "These customers should expect contact in the future." Yes. Although both women also had to financially reimburse P&G, they did not have to serve jail time for their part in the scheme. 110 minutes Cast Kristen Bell Kirby Howell-Baptiste as JoJo Paul Walter Hauser Vince Vaughn Joel McHale Bebe Rexha as Tempe Tina Dayo Okeniyi Nick Cassavetes Michael Masini Paul Rust Eduardo Franco Marc Evan Jackson Lidia Porto Greta Oglesby Jack McBrayer Annie Mumolo Director Aron Gaudet The site's critics consensus reads: "Lowbrow humor and inconsistent storytelling undercut Queenpins' talented cast, making this coupon-clipping comedy a disappointingly poor bargain. Thecomedy Queenpins features a talented cast coming together to tell a crazy true story. The crime comedy is based on a counterfeit coupon empire that shocked law enforcement. "We're talking about anywhere from $400 to $600 million in loss," said Officer James Holmes of the Phoenix Police Department. Your email address will not be published. That is the basic premise of Queenpins, a comedy reuniting The Good Place co-stars Kristen Bell and Kirby Howell-Baptiste as the two leads. Much the same can be said for Paul Walter Houser, who plays Ken Miller, the loss prevention officer that uncovers and eventually busts Connie and Jojos scam. Fountain and Johnson were both sentenced to three years probation after pleading guilty to a single count of counterfeiting. And where does that curmudgeonly frame come from? "These aren't 50-cent-off coupons. $100,000 x 40 is 4 million not 40 million. Illegal couponing doesn't seem like ahigh-levelcrime, but the two women manage to grow rich off their scheme. Whatever Happened to the Real-Life Queenpins? Kristen Bell and Kirby Howell-Baptiste, playing the lead roles, are as spectacular as ever. The site's name was inspired by the legit coupon magazine Savvy Shopper, which is in no way related. No one who purchased coupons faced legal repercussions, but one cant help but think that they are the real losers here. MSN Article See production, box office & company info. Together, they set up a website called Savvy Super Saver, and eventually make millions of dollars in turn, costing multiple manufacturers millions of dollars. Yes. We are no longer accepting comments on this article. Kirby Howell-Baptiste co-stars as JoJo Johnson, an aspiring YouTube vlogger and Connie's partner in crime. That's not how the world works y'know. Aron and I were immediately drawn to the story and had to understand it more, Pullapilly said.