Tip:
Highlight text to annotate it
X
GARY TUCHMAN REPORTS.
>> Reporter: TO TODD WEINBERG, A
WEALTHY INVESTOR, A ENTREPRENEUR
FROM NORTHERN CALIFORNIA,
22-YEAR-OLD AHMED WAS THE
PICTURE OF SUCCESS.
SO WEINBERG FELT VERY
COMFORTABLE TRUSTING THE YOUNG
MAN WITH HIS MONEY, A LOT OF HIS
MONEY.
AFTER ALL, AHMED WAS THE TOAST
OF NORWAY WHERE THE PRESS HAILED
HIM AS AN INNOVATIVE GENIUS FOR
SUPPOSEDLY INVENTING A SOLAR
ENERGY COVER THAT COULD CHARGE
iPHONES.
THE NORWEGIAN GOVERNMENT EVEN
PUT UP THIS VIDEO OF AHMED AND
HIS THEN BUSINESS PARTNER TO
SHOW OFF THE INVENTION.
>> WALEED IS APPARENTLY A
CELEBRITY IN NORWAY.
THEY CALL HIM THE MARK
ZUCKERBERG OF NORWAY.
>> Reporter: AND THEN THERE ARE
ALL THESE PHOTOS.
>> THIS IS ANOTHER PICTURE HE
SENT ME.
>> Reporter: FAMOUS PEOPLE FROM
ROYALTY TO RICH BUSINESS
LEADERS.
>> WE HAVE WALEED AHMED HERE,
TOWARD THE BACK, KOFI ANNAN
HERE, TED TURNER.
CROWN PRINCE AND PRINCESS OF
NORWAY.
>> Reporter: AND THIS LETTER OF
THANKS FROM BARACK OBAMA FOR
WHOM HE CLAIMED TO BE THE
NORWEGIAN ELECTION CHAIRMAN.
NOT ONLY DID HE BRAG THAT HE
KNEW AND POSED FOR PICTURES WITH
PEOPLE LIKE THE QUEEN OF JORDAN,
HE SENT OUT PHOTOS OF HIMSELF
WITH WELL-KNOWN PEOPLE LIKE
FORMER U.N. A.M. MBASSADOR ANDR
YOUNG AND MARTIN LUTHER KING
III.
SO TO WEINBERG, IT WASN'T A
STRETCH THAT THIS YOUNG GENIUS
COULD BE MANAGING THE
SCANDINAVIAN CONCERT TOUR FOR
NONE OTHER THAN JUSTIN BIEBER.
IT ALL STARTED WITH THE CALL
WEINBERG RECEIVED FROM A GOOD
FRIEND IN THE MUSIC INDUSTRY.
>> HE SAID THAT HE HAD COME
ACROSS AN OPPORTUNITY THROUGH
HIS GROUP, AND HE RUNS IN
CIRCLES DOWN IN LOS ANGELES THAT
ARE LEGIT.
>> Reporter: WEINBERG WAS TOLD
ABOUT THIS YOUNG KID NAMED
AHMED.
>> WALEED CLAIMED TO HAVE PAID,
ACCORDING TO THE CONTRACTS, $4.5
MILLION.
ARE FOR THE RIGHTS TO FIVE SHOWS
IN SCANDINAVIA.
>> Reporter: THEY HANDLE BIEBER.
SO IT ALL STARTED TO SOUND REAL
TO WEINBERG.
>> WEINBERG WAS ASKED TO INVEST
A MILLION DOLLARS.
WITH $8 60,000 GOING TO AHMED SO
HE COULD SECURE VENUES.
THE REST WENT TO TWO CALIFORNIA
MANAGEMENT COMPANIES THAT AHMED
BROUGHT IN TO PREPARE FOR THE
CONCE
CONCERTS.
LEGITIMATE LOOKING CONTRACTS
FOLLOWED.
>> I WAS TOLD THAT I WOULD GET A
PERCENTAGE OF THE TICKET SALES
AND THE TICKET SALES WERE
SIGNIFICANT.
I MEAN, IT COULD BE 10X RETURN
ON MY MONEY.
>> Reporter: SO YOU THOUGHT YOU
COULD HAVE GOTTEN $10 MILLION
FOR YOUR $1 MILLION INVESTMENT?
>> THAT WAS CONCEIVABLE.
>> Reporter: IN HIS E-MAILS
AHMED WAS REASSURING WRITING,
THE MOST IMPORTANT THING FOR ME
IS THAT EVERYTHING IS CLEAN.
AND BASED ON A RELATIONSHIP.
WERE YOU SUSPICIOUS AT ALL?
>> I WAS SUSPICIOUS IN THE
BEGINNING.
AND, AS A RESULT, I HAD A LOT OF
VARIOUS STIPULATIONS THAT I
NEEDED.
I NEEDED A LOT OF ANSWERS TO MY
QUESTIONS.
>> Reporter: AND AHMED
APPARENTLY HAD NO PROBLEM
PROVIDING THEM.
THE TEAM MET LAST AUGUST AT THIS
BURBANK, CALIFORNIA, RESTAURANT.
>> HE WAS PRADA AND GUCCI HEAD
TO TOE.
HE WAS ARROGANT BUT ALSO HE WAS
A NICE GUY, BUT HE ALSO HAD A
BIT OF AN EDGE AND AN ARROGANCE
TO HIM.
>> Reporter: WEINBERG THOUGHT
THE MEETING WAS IMPRESSIVE.
ONE OF THE PEOPLE HE MET THAT
DAY WAS THE 2011 MISS FINLAND
WHO WAS GOING TO PROMOTE THE
BIEBER CONCERTS.
TO FURTHER CONVINCE WEINBERG,
AHMED HAD A CONVERSATION CALL
WITH A TOP MEMBER OF BIEBER'S
MANAGEMENT GROUP.
BUT IT WASN'T LONG BEFORE THINGS
STARTED TO UNRAVEL.
>> WE START GETTING KIND OF WORD
FROM NORWAY FROM ONE OF OUR
CONTACTS THERE I THINK THE
JUSTIN BIEBER TICKETS HAVE GONE
ON SALE AND HAVE SOLD OUT.
>> Reporter: AND THESE WERE THE
TICKETS YOU WERE PREPARING TO
SELL?
>> ABSOLUTELY.
AND WE'RE THINKING, THAT'S
IMPOSSIBLE.
>> Reporter: THERE WERE NEVER
GOING TO BE ANY TICKETS.
IT WAS ALL A CON JOB
ORCHESTRATED BY WALEED AHMED.
WEINBERG WAS FRANTIC.
HE CALLS THE FBI.
AHMED HAD FLOWN BACK TO NORWAY
WHERE HE POSED FOR THESE PHOTOS
AND THEN MADE WHAT WOULD BE A
FATEFUL CHOICE.
HE FLEW BACK TO SAN FRANCISCO
FOR ONE MORE MEETING WITH
WEINBERG.
AT THIS SAN FRANCISCO RESTAURANT
WEINBERG, NOW WIRED BY THE FBI
CONVINCED AHMED TO TALK TO HIM
ABOUT THE BIEBER DEAL.
THIS IS WHERE THE END GAME
BEGAN.
THIS IS THE EXACT SPOT WHERE
TODD WEINBERG SAT WITH HIS
HIDDEN MICROPHONE LOOKING
DIRECTLY INTO THE EYES OF THE
MAN WHO STOLE HIS MILLION
DOLLARS.
AHMED GAVE WEINBERG A SOB STORY,
THAT HIS LIFE WAS RUINED, AND
THEN ADDED HE WAS GOING TO START
OVER.
NOT IN NORWAY BUT IN PAKISTAN.
>> I'M THINKING THERE'S JUST NO
WAY I'LL SEE THIS KID AGAIN.
HE'LL BE GONE.
MY MONEY IS GONE.
IT'S OVER.
>> Reporter: THE FBI MADE THE
DECISION, THE TIME HAD COME, ONE
DAY AFTER THE RESTAURANT MEETING
WALEED AHMED CAME HERE TO THE
AIRPORT FOR A FLIGHT 0 TO
AMSTERDAM AND IF HE'S TO BE
BELIEVED A FLIGHT TO PAKISTAN.
JUST BEFORE HE BOARDED THE
PLANE, HE WAS ARRESTED BY THE
FBI.
A SPOKESMAN SAYS SCOOTER BRAWN
HAS NEVER HEARD OF HIM AND NEVER
HAS CNN FOUNDER TED TURNER.
THE FORMER MISS FINLAND SAYS SHE
HAD NO IDEA WHAT AHMED WAS UP
TO, EITHER.
MARTIN LUTHER KING III SAYS HE
VAGUELY REMEMBERS GETTING HIS
PICTURE TAKEN WITH AHMED BUT
DOES NOT THE KNOW HIM.
AS FOR ANDREW YOUNG WHO MET HIM
AT A U.N. FOUNDATION GATHERING
IN NORWAY, HE SAYS HE'S SHOCKED
AT WHAT BECAME OF WHO HE
BELIEVED WAS A RISING STAR.
>> HE USE MID CONTACTS FOR
THINGS I DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT.
THE FIRST I HEARD FROM THIS WAS
WHEN HE HAD BEEN ARRESTED AND
HIS LAWYER CALLED ME AND TOLD ME
WHAT HE HAD BEEN CHARGED WITH.
AND MY FIRST REACTION WAS THERE
MUST BE SOME MISUNDERSTANDING.
>> Reporter: BUT THERE IS NO
MISUNDERSTANDING.
TODAY AHMED HAS TRADED LOUIE
HAVE I TON FOR PRISON GARB.
HE CONFESSED TO THE FBI THAT HE
SET UP FAKE WEBSITES AND E-MAILS
TO PULL OFF THE ELABORATE JUSTIN
BIEBER CON.
HE REFUSED TO TALK TO CNN.
TODD WEINBERG, AT LEAST FOR NOW,
HASN'T GOTTEN ANY OF HIS MONEY
BACK.
>> IT'S ALL THAT I'VE GOT TO NOT
GET ON AN AIRPLANE AND VISIT HIM