The Recluse's Autobiography

A writer told a big publisher that a reclusive billionaire had agreed to work with him on an authorized life story. He showed letters said to be in the billionaire's hand. The publisher paid $765,000, most of it in cheques made out to the billionaire. The writer's wife, using false names and papers, put those cheques into a Swiss bank account. The publisher's own handwriting experts had first said the letters were genuine. The writer is charged with conspiracy and fraud.