Mel Weinberg
Melvin Weinberg 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.
Among those convicted of bribery and conspiracy in the 1981 sting were:
- US Senator Harrison A. Williams
- US Representative Frank Thompson
- US Representative John Jenrette
- US Representative Raymond Lederer
- US Representative Michael "Ozzie" Myers
- US Representative John M. Murphy
- US Representative Richard Kelly
Five other government officials were convicted, including:
At the time of the scandal, he was a convict hired by the Federal Bureau of Investigation to conduct the operation in exchange for probation. His story was portrayed in the 2013 film American Hustle, with Christian Bale playing Irving Rosenfeld, a character based on Weinberg.
Weinberg was born in The Bronx, the son of Helen and Harry Weinberg. His mother was of Swiss descent and his father was of Russian Jewish ancestry. After dropping out of school in grade nine, he served in the United States Navy in the Pacific from 1942 to 1946. He retired to Titusville, Florida. He died on May 30, 2018, aged 93.
