Melvin Weinberg (December 4, 1924 – May 30, 2018) 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.
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. The two-year investigation initially targeted trafficking in stolen property and corruption of prominent businessmen, but later evolved into a
public corruption investigation. The FBI, aided by the
Justice Department were able to videotape various politicians and other officials accepting
bribes from a fictitious
Arabian company in return for various political favors. This led to the convictions of seven members of the
United States Congress, among others.[2]
His story was portrayed in the 2013 film American Hustle, with
Christian Bale playing Irving Rosenfeld, a character based on Weinberg.[3][4]
Weinberg was born in
The Bronx, the son of Helen and Harry Weinberg.[5] His mother was of Swiss descent and his father was of Russian Jewish ancestry.[6] After dropping out of school in grade nine, he served in the
United States Navy in the Pacific from 1942 to 1946.[7] He retired to
Titusville, Florida.[8][9] He died on May 30, 2018, aged 93.[10][11]