Lou Pearlman

<p><strong>Louis Jay Pearlman</strong> (June 19, 1954 – August 19, 2016) was an <a title="United States" href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States">American</a> <a title="Record producer" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Record_producer">record producer</a>. He was the creator of successful 1990s <a title= "Boy band" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boy_band">boy bands</a> such as <a title="Backstreet Boys" href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Backstreet_Boys">Backstreet Boys</a> and <a title="NSYNC" href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NSYNC">NSYNC</a>. In 2006, he was accused of running one of the largest and longest-running <a title="Ponzi scheme" href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ponzi_scheme">Ponzi schemes</a> in US history, leaving more than $300 million in debts. After being apprehended, he pled guilty to <a title= "Conspiracy (criminal)" href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conspiracy_(criminal)">conspiracy</a>, <a title="Money laundering" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Money_laundering">money laundering</a>, and <a title="Making false statements" href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Making_false_statements">making false statements</a> during a <a title="Bankruptcy" href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bankruptcy">bankruptcy</a> proceeding. In 2008, Pearlman was convicted and sentenced to 25 years in prison.<sup id="cite_ref-msnbc_3-1" class="reference"><a href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lou_Pearlman#cite_note-msnbc-3">[3]</a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-4" class="reference"><a href= "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lou_Pearlman#cite_note-4">[4]</a></sup> He died in federal custody in 2016.</p>