Ring of Deceit

Inside the Biggest Sports and Bank Scandal in U.S. History

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Title: Ring of Deceit

 
BEFORE THERE WAS MADOFF, THERE WAS HAROLD SMITH

OVERVIEW

The flashy promoter known as Harold Smith, head of Muhammad Ali Professional Sports, had the world on a string. Women, drugs, yachts, and racehorses were his toys. He was set to pull off his biggest deal ever and was on the verge of controlling an entire sport: the wide world of professional boxing. Then, his empire collapsed… and headlines across the country screamed scandal.

Ring of Deceit is the true story of this lavish sports and entertainment kingdom, the high-rolling lifestyle of the people who ran it, and the staggering secret crime on which it was based. Through the eyes of those caught up in the scheme and those who brought them to justice, this riveting tale exposes the lies and manipulation that toppled officials of one of the nation’s largest banks and spawned the biggest computerized bank embezzlement of its day.

Teeming with fast-paced adventure, crime, suspense, and courtroom drama, Ring of Deceit chronicles the meteoric rise and fall of one of the greatest swindlers of all time.


 

PRAISE

“If high-rolling white-collar crime is your cup of tea, you’ll love this book. Ring of Deceit has all the inside info because (co-author) Dean Allison was the federal prosecutor in the case. While writing the book, Allison and his co-author, Bruce Henderson, had at their fingertips not just the facts, gathered by an army of FBI agents and other investigators, but also the results of official inquiries about what nearly everyone involved was thinking, feeling and planning over several years. Rarely has a crime been retold in such overwhelming detail, all of it fascinating.”
—Sports Illustrated

“Ring of Deceit is an all-night page turner… reads like a crime thriller.”
—Journal of Sports History

“Back in 1981, all everyone talked about was where did Harold Smith get his money. Ring of Deceit tells where and how, and it’s a dramatic and compelling story.”
—Bob Arum, Top Rank Promotions

“A quick read and a soaring enjoyment. Since ‘Yellow Kid’ Weil, no one has pulled off the big con better than Harold Smith and no one has captured the essence of the sting better than Dean Allison and Bruce Henderson.”
—Dr. Ferdi Pacheco, NBC Sports