Mel Weinberg

Melvin Weinberg (December 4, 1924 – May 30, 2018) was an American con artist, charlatan and federal government informant who is known for his involvement in a sting operation in the late 1970s and early 1980s known as Abscam. At the time of the scandal, he was a convict hired by the Federal Bureau of Investigation to conduct the operation in exchange for a sentence of probation on pending charges and a payment of $150,000.^[2] The two-year investigation initially targeted trafficking in stolen property and corruption of prominent businessmen, but later evolved into a public corruption investigation. The FBI, aided by the Justice Department were able to videotape various politicians and other officials accepting bribes from a fictitious Arabian company in return for various political favors. This led to the convictions of seven members of the United States Congress, among others.^[3]

His story was portrayed in the 2013 film American Hustle, with Christian Bale playing Irving Rosenfeld, a character based on Weinberg.^[4][5]

Weinberg was born in The Bronx, the son of Helen and Harry Weinberg.^[6] His mother was of Swiss descent and his father was of Russian Jewish ancestry.^[7] After dropping out of school in grade nine, he served in the United States Navy in the Pacific from 1942 to 1946.^[8] He retired to Titusville, Florida.^[9][10] He died on May 30, 2018, aged 93.^[11][12]