A Ponzi Scheme is a swindle where money collected from late investors is used to pay off the early investors. Nothing is ever drilled, dug or manufactured-except money for the charlatan. The term comes from 1920s swindler Charles Ponzi, an Italian immigrant who managed to fleece suckers of more than $15 million. Reporter David McClintick called the Home-Stake Production Company scandal the '"Biggest Ponzi Scheme." This paper identifies key figures and answers the question: Does the Home-Stake case constitute white collar crime or organized crime?*