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Behind the smiles and public personas lurked darkness and deception. Join us as we explore infamous individuals who presented respectable fronts while hiding sinister secrets. From cult leaders to beloved entertainers, these people fooled the world with their charitable acts and charming personalities, only for their true natures to be eventually exposed.
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00:00This was the story of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, a Ponzi scheme hidden inside a legitimate business.
00:07Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're exploring the infamous times people showcased respectable
00:12or well-maining fronts to the public, only for their darker, more exploitative, and more terrible
00:18side to later emerge.
00:20Jonestown was supposed to be a paradise in the South American jungle.
00:24It was anything but.
00:27Hannah Ingram Moore
00:28During the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, Captain Sir Tom Moore captured the hearts of the UK.
00:35With his 100th birthday nearing, he decided to do 100 laps of his garden to raise money
00:40for the NHS.
00:41Moore made over £30 million.
00:44Who would ever have thought that something like this would happen from a little family
00:49joke?
00:51During this time, his family, headed by daughter Hannah Ingram Moore, created the Captain Tom
00:56Foundation, to raise money for charities specialising in supporting older people.
01:01However, it soon began to go wrong as Ingram Moore was seemingly using its funds for her
01:06own endeavours.
01:07That included building a spa on her property and paying her own company for services for
01:11the foundation.
01:12In 2023, on top of the spa having to be demolished for being unauthorised, the charity commission
01:32barred Ingram Moore from being employed in non-profits.
01:35Stephen Collins
01:37Best known for playing Reverend Eric Camden in 7th Heaven, away from the acting world,
01:42Collins also promoted transcendental meditation to help ease stress.
01:45Welcome, everyone.
01:49I'd like to read something from Ecclesiastes.
01:53Although most of you may have thought this was from the birds, it is indeed from Ecclesiastes.
01:58As such, he seemed like a decent guy.
02:01But then 2014 happened.
02:03A tape was leaked that was believed to be Collins talking about when he abused a minor
02:07in the past.
02:08The recording was reportedly made in 2012 during a therapy session with the actor and his
02:13estranged wife, Faye Grant.
02:15A couple of months later, Collins admitted to abusing three minors in 1973, 1982, and 1994.
02:22The police investigated the crimes, but due to the statute of limitations passing, Collins
02:26was unable to be criminally charged for his admissions.
02:30Instead, he's been blacklisted from Hollywood.
02:32Following the October release of the tape, Collins had lost acting jobs, and the show that
02:37made him famous has been pulled from syndication.
02:40Allison Mack
02:41Sometimes, it's hard to separate the character from the actor.
02:44For example, Mack.
02:46When she was in Smallville, she was universally loved as the determined, loyal, and friendly
02:51Chloe Sullivan.
02:52Uh, didn't you just...
02:54Weren't you...
02:54I took a shortcut.
02:56Through what?
02:56A black hole?
02:57Yet away from that role, Mack lived a very different life.
03:01In 2006, she joined NXIVM, a group co-founded by Keith Raniere.
03:06Mack worked her way up, becoming one of its most prominent members.
03:09However, in 2017, DOS, the secret group within NXIVM, became public knowledge.
03:15The cult would play on empowerment, yet use women for Raniere's gratification.
03:19The recruits were abused and blackmailed to keep quiet.
03:23Mack was heavily involved in the process.
03:25In 2021, after pleading guilty to several charges, she was sentenced to three years in
03:30prison and was released in 2023.
03:33Allison Mack has been released from a California prison.
03:36Charles Dickens
03:37Considered one of the greatest novelists ever, Dickens became famous in his work for his
03:42social criticism, especially when it came to the plight of the impoverished in Victorian
03:46England. While his writings have faced criticism for using racial stereotypes in recent years,
03:51it's his personal life that's added to his nastier side. After marrying Catherine Hogarth
03:56in 1836, Dickens met 18-year-old Ellen Turnen when he was 45 in 1857.
04:02While the duo destroyed their letters, it's believed they had an affair, leading to Dickens
04:07separating from Hogarth in 1858. In 2019, it was reported that letters were found that showed Dickens
04:13had tried, and thankfully failed, to get Hogarth sent to an asylum. At the time, these facilities
04:18weren't always treating people ethically.
04:21Hans Asperger
04:22Due to his work on autism in the 1940s, this Austrian doctor was honored by having Asperger
04:28syndrome named after him. The diagnosis has since been merged into autism spectrum disorder.
04:33But the vision of autism that came out of that clinic, which we now call the autism spectrum,
04:39that's definitely not Mudd. In fact, it turned out to be true.
04:43However, in 2018, evidence emerged that suggested Asperger was not the ethical pioneer everyone
04:49believed him to be. As a medical expert involved with Germany's Wehrmacht, he often gave harsh
04:54diagnoses to children, some of whom he sent to Amspiegelgrund, near where he worked in Vienna.
04:59This infamous facility was used to undergo euthanasia, where hundreds lost their lives. On top of this,
05:05Asperger was involved in Germany's eugenics program, implementing forced sterilization towards
05:10patients not seen favorably by the authorities.
05:13So Asperger, it seems, was playing this very complicated game of appearing to be anti-Nazi,
05:19but meanwhile signing a couple of death warrants.
05:22Roald Dahl
05:23Born to Norwegian parents in Wales, Dahl soon became one of the greatest children's authors
05:27on the planet, with whimsical tales including Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Matilda.
05:32The work of Roald Dahl has been loved by generations.
05:36They are such a popular choice for kids and for parents.
05:39Yet, with that incredible legacy, there was another, less pleasant side to Dahl.
05:43In the later part of his life, the writer was interviewed several times, becoming more
05:47and more problematic.
05:49What began his criticism of Israel soon morphed into anti-Semitism, with Dahl essentially admitting
05:55to being anti-Semitic, as he delved into conspiracy theories such as Jewish people controlling
06:00a media.
06:01In 2020, Dahl's family publicly apologized for what he'd said.
06:05This contributed to publishers' controversial plans to edit his work in new editions, removing
06:09harsher language, which was later rescinded.
06:12Amid the controversy over the move, Puffin today announced it will now also release a classic
06:17collection of Roald Dahl's books.
06:19They will sit alongside the modern versions to allow readers to make their own choice.
06:25Christopher Lee Watts.
06:27In 2018, after a friend realized that pregnant Shannon Watts had Mr. Obstratix in gynecology
06:32appointment and wasn't home with their two children in Frederick, Colorado, she contacted
06:37Shannon's husband, Christopher, who was at work.
06:39I just want them back.
06:42I just want them to come back.
06:44The police soon investigated to find the missing trio, as Christopher did news interviews pleading
06:49for their return.
06:50However, the concerned family man was all an act.
06:53The investigation found that Christopher, who was allegedly having an affair, had murdered
06:58his wife and children, which he later confessed to.
07:01After accepting a plea deal to avoid execution, Christopher was sentenced to five life sentences
07:06without the possibility of parole.
07:08Perhaps the most chilling part of the story is that everyone who knew Chris never saw this
07:12coming.
07:13Thomas Jefferson.
07:14As a founding father and the third president of the U.S., Jefferson is a vital component in
07:19American history.
07:20Yet, while he and other founding fathers have a perception of standing up for what's right,
07:25Jefferson's personal life didn't follow that.
07:28When Jefferson drafted the Declaration of Independence in 1776 and declared,
07:34All men are created equal,
07:36the founder's vision did not include one-fifth of the population who were enslaved.
07:41Following in his family footsteps, he owned a plantation that featured 600 slaves throughout
07:47his lifetime, one of whom was Sally Hemmings, whose father was Jefferson's father-in-law.
07:52After his wife Martha passed away in 1782, five years later, Jefferson took the young Hemmings
07:58to Paris, France.
07:59There, he fathered a child with her and continued back at the Virginia plantation, which modern
08:04DNA evidence supports.
08:05In 2000, Monticello published a report on DNA and other evidence of Jefferson's paternity
08:11of Hemmings' six children, four of whom survived to adulthood.
08:16Hemmings, even after Jefferson's death, was never officially freed.
08:20Jared Fogle.
08:21After rising to fame by losing 245 pounds through a diet featuring Subway products, Fogle was
08:27soon hired by the company as a spokesperson, regularly talking about the health benefits
08:32and his experience.
08:33Then I found Subway restaurants, and I realized I could enjoy lots of great-tasting food without
08:39lots of fat.
08:39This was a massive success for Subway, as its revenue tripled from 1998 to 2011.
08:45He even created his own non-profit, the Jared Foundation, to raise awareness about childhood
08:50obesity.
08:51However, all that goodwill fell apart in 2015.
08:54After eight years of being on the FBI's radar, Fogle's house was raided, where they found
09:00explicit child material.
09:01It got worse when text messages from Fogle admitting to the crimes were discovered.
09:05As part of a plea deal, the former face of Subway pleaded guilty and was sentenced to
09:0915 years and eight months in prison.
09:12Jared Fogle expects to go to prison.
09:15He will do his time.
09:17He expects to get well.
09:19He expects to continue to make amends to those people whose lives he has affected.
09:24Rolf Harris.
09:25A painter, a musician, an actor, and a presenter, Harris could do it all.
09:29A national treasure who became a national disgrace.
09:34Born in Australia, the entertainer established his name in the UK and dominated television
09:38for decades, even painting a portrait of Queen Elizabeth II.
09:42In addition to promoting animal welfare through his hosting of Animal Hospital, he also fronted
09:47the 1985 educational film Kids Can Say No, where he advised children on how to face situations
09:52of abuse.
09:54In the fallout of Jimmy Savile, Harris was found to have abused minors and teenagers and possessed
09:59explicit material.
10:00In 2014, after being found guilty on 12 counts, Harris was sentenced to five years and nine
10:05months in prison.
10:06He was released in 2017, before passing away in 2023.
10:10News of his death had been kept quiet.
10:13There had been reports that he had been extremely unwell for the weeks leading up to this, but
10:18we've now learned that he died on May 10, almost two weeks ago.
10:23Lou Perlman.
10:24He was the man behind some of the biggest boy bands ever, including two of the biggest
10:29juggernauts of all time.
10:31From running a blimp company to creating and managing a series of bands, including the
10:36Backstreet Boys and NSYNC, Perlman seemed like a figurehead for breaking entry barriers
10:40into the music industry.
10:42However, that turned out to be far from the whole story.
10:44Perlman was soon issued lawsuits by most of the talent under him.
10:48The Backstreet Boys struggled financially and had to split $300,000 between them, while
10:53their sixth member, Perlman, took millions.
10:56They said they began to feel like indentured servants.
10:58It was then discovered that his transcontinental company, which claimed to own an airline,
11:03restaurants, and more, was nothing but a Ponzi scheme that stole hundreds of millions.
11:07I think he became aware of his ability to have people trust him sort of in a haphazard
11:12way.
11:13Once he became aware of that, he wasn't afraid to use it further.
11:17In 2008, Perlman was sentenced to 25 years in jail and passed away in 2016.
11:23Jimmy Saville.
11:24For decades, he was one of the most famous presenters in the UK.
11:27Due to hosting Jim'll Fix It, which had children getting their wishes answered, and his passionate
11:32charity work, Saville was highly respected by fans, celebrities, politicians, and even
11:37royalty.
11:38This trust gave him access to schools and facilities where vulnerable people were.
11:43Instead of helping them in their time of need, Saville did the opposite.
11:46As he forged a reputation as a tireless fundraiser, as he was knighted by the Queen and the Pope,
11:52he was, it now seems, leading an appalling double life.
11:56In 2012, a year after his passing, allegations about Saville abusing many, many people came
12:02out, as well as an apparent cover-up by authority figures.
12:05This seemingly open secret was now exposed to the public.
12:08Operation U-Tree was launched by the police, which discovered hundreds of victims of the
12:13disgraced presenter.
12:13We've now had 161 calls to our helpline.
12:17The police are now pursuing 340 separate lines of inquiry.
12:21Elizabeth Holmes.
12:23In 2015, she was named by Forbes as the youngest and wealthiest self-made billionaire woman in
12:28the U.S.
12:29Holmes had created the company Theranos, which claimed to have pioneered a less invasive method
12:33of testing blood.
12:35You founded this company 12 years ago, right?
12:37Mm-hmm.
12:37Tell them how old you were.
12:39I was 19.
12:40The college dropout was everywhere, and her passionate support of getting women into STEM
12:44occupations boosted her positive profile further.
12:47Shortly after the Forbes announcement, allegations about Theranos' methods were exposed.
12:52The biggest problem was going live with blood tests that didn't work, or that worked only
12:58part of the time.
12:59The group was accused of employing devices used by other companies for testing, as the accuracy
13:03of their Edison machine was questioned.
13:05Theranos had raised millions on the misinformation that their device was revolutionary.
13:10In 2023, Holmes was sentenced to more than 11 years in jail, and was fined $452 million
13:16for fraud.
13:17Today, she entered the minimum security federal women's prison camp located in Bryan, Texas,
13:23leaving behind two children, the youngest just three months.
13:26Pablo Picasso.
13:27He was a genius, and I rarely use that term, but he was also a total bastard.
13:31When an artist becomes as legendary as Picasso, many assume that they were a good person.
13:37On the surface, the Cubist movement co-founder seemed to fit the bill.
13:40Some who knew Picasso described him as a saint.
13:43However, others have far less complimentary descriptions.
13:46An artistic genius who revolutionized modern art, Picasso has also been described as violent,
13:52jealous, perverse, and destructive.
13:54Even his granddaughter, Marina Picasso, said that once he'd got what he wanted from women,
13:59he'd throw them away.
14:00Many partners and muses in Picasso's life have spoken about the abuse they sustained
14:05at his hands.
14:05One of his partners, Francois Gillot, wrote a book in 64, Vivre avec Picasso, which described
14:14him really like a monster.
14:16This included burning a cigarette on an ex's face in a jealous rage, having a relationship
14:21with a minor, and having affairs.
14:22His legacy now includes causing several partners and family members to suffer from mental health
14:28issues.
14:29Thomas Edison.
14:30With his name attached to over 1,000 patents in the U.S., Edison is considered one of the
14:35most prolific inventors and someone who helped modernize the world.
14:38He even started the first industrial research laboratory.
14:41But Edison seemingly took credit for work that may rightfully have been done by others.
14:45He also unsuccessfully sued black inventor Granville Woods for developing the induction
14:53telegraph, which Edison claimed he'd made.
14:56During the War of the Currents, Edison, who supported direct current, supported tests to
15:01electrocute animals with alternating current to show its dangers.
15:04This evil fascination led to his film studio recording the electrocution of Topsy the Elephant
15:10in 1903 so Edison could show the clip on his kinetoscopes.
15:14To executing animals, Edison promoted the idea of an AC-powered electric chair to provoke
15:20fear about the dangers of Tesla's AC current.
15:23Bill Cosby.
15:24After playing Cliff Huxtable on The Cosby Show, he was labeled America's dad, and everyone
15:29respected him.
15:30Dad, I have something to tell you.
15:31Is it important?
15:33Yes, Dad.
15:34How important is it?
15:35An ape.
15:36Is it a child's ape or an adult's ape?
15:38This, on top of his other comedy work, secured Cosby's place as one of the greatest comedians
15:43in the U.S.
15:44Then, 2014 happened.
15:46After years of rumors and allegations, Hannibal Buress publicly called Cosby out for assault
15:51during a stand-up set.
15:53This led to a domino effect, as many women began coming out with allegations of abuse
15:57they'd sustained from Cosby, destroying his wholesome persona.
16:00In 2018, he was found guilty and sentenced to three to ten years.
16:05In 2021, Cosby's conviction was overturned, and he was released.
16:10Just hours after the court's ruling, Cosby coming before cameras outside of his home,
16:14celebrating his release after serving more than two years of a three to ten-year prison
16:18sentence.
16:18Regardless, his reputation is in tatters as he continues fighting further legal battles.
16:23I was really shocked.
16:25I was really shocked.
16:27Disappointed.
16:29What does it say about the American justice system?
16:32That it's flawed?
16:33P.T. Barnum.
16:33It's everything you ever want.
16:37It's everything you ever need.
16:40And it's him right in front of you.
16:44This is where you want to be.
16:46Back in the day, Barnum was admired by many.
16:49Beyond his entertainment work, he was a key figure in Connecticut politics, helping to
16:53transform the city of Bridgeport during a stint as mayor.
16:56While on the board of trustees at Tufts University, Barnum gave the facility a lot of money, resulting
17:01in the creation of the Barnum Museum of Natural History.
17:04When he passed in 1891, obituaries heavily focused on his philanthropic endeavors.
17:09While his entertainment empire did give work to those dismissed by society, he's also
17:13been accused of exploiting them, especially if they were black and mistreating animals.
17:18Barnum would often present people from non-white ethnic backgrounds as living curiosities,
17:22promoting racial othering in his museum.
17:24In a similar vein, he presented a black man named William Henry Johnson as a creature known
17:28as the What Is It?
17:29After his wife passed away, Barnum controversially married Nancy Fish, the daughter of his close
17:34friend, who was 40 years younger.
17:37Looking back now through a modern day lens, the magic and spectacle that P.T.
17:41Barnum created would rather be seen as xenophobic, cruel to animals, racist, and hateful.
17:46Harold Shipman.
17:47Harold Shipman killed more people than anyone else in British peacetime history.
17:51He was convicted of 15 murders, but those were just the tip of the iceberg.
17:56This doctor was so respected that in the early 80s, World in Action interviewed him on his
18:00thoughts about how the mentally ill should be treated in society.
18:03For nearly three decades, the general practitioner was well-liked in his communities, so much so
18:08that many of Shipman's patients included him in their wills, even removing their family members
18:13for him.
18:13However, the authorities got suspicious due to the large number of patients dying in
18:17his care.
18:18In 2000, after finding evidence of will forgery, and that he'd been administering fatal doses
18:23of diamorphine, Dr. Death was sentenced to life.
18:27This is not a man who's hiding in the woodshed with an axe in his hand.
18:31This is a man who is pretending to be helpful and consoling and compassionate.
18:36He took his own life in 2004.
18:39The Shipman inquiry investigation concluded in 2005 that the doctor killed 284 people.
18:45Remember that Dr. Shipman has always denied committing any murder whatsoever.
18:49It's always vehemently denied that.
18:51However, for everybody, he dies a convicted person.
18:55Bernie Madoff.
18:56Bernie Madoff's fraud was not a complex fraud.
18:58It involved simply taking people's money, telling them he was going to invest their
19:03money, and he never did.
19:05Many billionaires dabble in philanthropy, but Madoff took it to another level.
19:09After making his fortune from his own stock brokerage company and an asset management firm,
19:14he began working on the boards of several non-profits and Yeshiva University.
19:18Madoff also donated cash to hospitals, foundations, theaters, and around $6 million to lymphoma research.
19:24He seemed like a good person.
19:26Then, in 2008, he was arrested after he confessed to his sons that his company was the largest
19:31Ponzi scheme in history, estimated at $65 billion.
19:36I just can't continue this charade any longer, and that's what caused me to acknowledge to
19:44my family.
19:45Not only did people lose their money due to Madoff, but so did charities.
19:49In 2009, Madoff was sentenced to 150 years in jail.
19:53He passed away in jail in 2021.
19:56It was another big lie.
19:57People believed it.
19:59They lost their futures as a result of it.
20:01Enormous impact.
20:02Yep, and now he's gone.
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20:18Jim Jones
20:19Growing up in poverty and experiencing kindness from neighbors, Jones seemingly wanted to emulate
20:25that in his adulthood.
20:26He could rail.
20:27I mean, he could just light up.
20:29I mean, his whole body punctuated what he was saying.
20:32In 1955, he founded his own new religious movement, which would become the People's Temple,
20:37promoting racial equality and incorporating Christian and left-wing ideologies.
20:41After moving to San Francisco, California, the group worked with activists and charities.
20:46Yet, when accusations of abuse in the temple began to emerge, Jones relocated his movement
20:51to Guyana and created Jonestown.
20:53In 1978, while investigating dark claims about the commune, U.S. politician Leo Ryan and four
20:59others were fatally shot.
21:01Seeing his temple about to come crashing down, Jones ordered mass ingestion of a cyanide-laced
21:06drink among his followers, causing 918 people to perish.
21:10He is the mass murderer.
21:12And you asked me before what I felt about Jim Jones, I think he's a monster.
21:15Are there any secretly horrible people we missed?
21:18Be sure to let us know in the comments.
21:20You've called Keith Raniere a master manipulator.
21:22How do you characterize Alison Mack's role?
21:25I'd say she was the most charismatic co-leader that anyone could ask for.
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