The Ponzi Scheme Behind 90s Boy Bands
He gave us Backstreet Boys and *NSYNC, and stole millions.
![The Ponzi Scheme Behind 90s Boy Bands](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/pictofact/7/9/9/742799_320x180.jpg?v=3)
Lou Pearlman blessed our radios with 90s boy bands, with money stolen out of investors' pockets. He showed us that white-collar crime pays really well, until it doesn't.
Read more about the con-man behind Backstreet Boys, *NSYNC, and O-Town below.
![MAN BEHIND THE BOY BANDS Lou Pearlman launched the Backstreet Boys, *NSYNC, O-Town, Aaron Carter, LFO, Take 5, and Innocense, among others. He did it](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/pictofact/7/7/9/742779.jpg?v=2)
![HE WAS A CON MAN FROM THE START Oer Whoknl Ov. Sreond Vader Pi Lore thde Betieye it or IL ice fus La Enforc Dir He got his start by founding a helicop](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/pictofact/7/7/8/742778.jpg?v=2)
![HE THEN STARTED TRANSCONTINENTAL AIRLINES He convinced investors to get in on the ground floor of his fleet of planes and to contribute to the Employe](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/pictofact/7/8/2/742782.jpg?v=2)
![THE BACKSTREET BOYS WERE FUNDED BY THE SCHEME FIRST After chartering a plane for New Kids on the Block, Pearlman decided to get into the boy band busi](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/pictofact/7/8/4/742784.jpg?v=2)
![HE USED THE SAME METHODS FOR NSYNC He intentionally developed a rivalry between the groups, So he could be the financial winner of the feud. CRACKED.C](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/pictofact/7/8/7/742787.jpg?v=2)
![HE USED THEIR FAME TO SUPPORT GAIN INVESTORS He'd take potential investors for Transcontinental to the studio to see the bands recording. CRACKED.COM](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/pictofact/7/8/6/742786.jpg?v=2)
![EVERY BAND IN HIS ROSTER SUED HIM Although he bestowed fame and fortune upon his bands, he also robbed them. When *NSYNC had a number one album, they](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/pictofact/8/0/8/742808.jpg?v=1)
![HE WAS ACCUSED OF MOLESTATION nforcement count There were also rumors that he molested boys in his bands. Vanity Fair wrote an expose covering this bu](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/pictofact/7/8/5/742785.jpg?v=2)
![IN 2006, THE TRANSCON CON WAS UP Bacd ir A week after an investigation was opened into his Transcon businesses, Pearlman fled the country.](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/pictofact/7/8/0/742780.jpg?v=2)
![INVESTIGATORS DISCOVERED TRANSCONTINENTAL AIRLINES HAD NO PLANES, EMPLOYEES, OR REVENUE. Lance Bass said he'd never flown on a Transcontinental plane.](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/pictofact/7/8/3/742783.jpg?v=2)
![IN 2008, HE WAS CONVICTED AND SENTENCED TO 25 YEARS IN PRISON. Pearlman died in prison in 2016. He was 62. CRACKED.COM](https://s3.crackedcdn.com/phpimages/pictofact/7/8/1/742781.jpg?v=2)