True crime fans have been spoiled for choice recently, particularly with stories that showcase con artists. Netflix released Inventing Anna, Hulu subsequently premiered The Dropout, and now Apple TV+ is getting into the game with The Big Conn. All three miniseries are about attention-grabbing characters who are larger than life, with the shows leaning into their big personalities and bigger egos. The Big Conn stands out in two ways, however. It’s a docuseries, not a scripted adaptation — and the story it tells may be over the top, but it’s also heartbreaking.
Eric C. Conn (yes, that’s actually his name) isn’t a new villain. Conn’s plot to defraud the Social Security Administration with thousands of bogus claims was detailed in a 2018 installment of CNBC’s American Greed, with a follow-up episode in 2020. Before that, his antics got plenty of coverage in the news media. But with viewers hungry for stories about con artists, it’s no surprise that Conn is back in the spotlight — and this time the tale is even more interesting because it’s handled by McMillions creatives James Lee Hernandez and Brian Lazarte. The duo not only embrace the absurdity of Eric Conn, but the pain felt by all of his victims.
Conn became the biggest Social Security disability lawyer in Eastern Kentucky by having Judge David B. Daugherty and several doctors in his pocket. Between them, they created and approved thousands of false disability claims, resulting in the largest disability fraud in American history. However, that doesn’t include Conn trying to get himself into space, starring in cringe-worthy TV commercials, fleeing from law enforcement to Mexico… or the fact that many of his clients were legitimately disabled and yet he still forged their paperwork.
These types of shows rely on a cult of personality. Inventing Anna treated Anna Sorokin’s surprising high society exploits with awe at how well she infiltrated the upper crust. The Dropout condemned Elizabeth Holmes’ business practices that tainted women’s credibility in STEM careers, but it also gave her credit for being a woman in a male-dominated field. The Big Conn gives no quarter to Eric C. Conn. At points, he’s laughable in how he swaggers around thinking of himself as some kind of hero, even when he’s acting like the exact opposite. He makes Alan Ruck’s character in The Dropout look milquetoast. The series only gets more jaw-dropping when it dives into Conn’s personal life. “Nobody knows how many people he’s been married to,” one person comments. If Eric C. Conn was a fictional character, people would say he was completely unbelievable.
But underneath the wild parties, rampant corruption and adventure from Kentucky all the way to Guatemala, The Big Conn makes time to focus on what actually matters: Conn’s victims, who were injured first by him and then again by the government. The area of Conn’s law practice was not an affluent community like the worlds depicted in Inventing Anna and The Dropout; his clients were often struggling and depended on their Social Security Disability payments to live. They had real disability claims, but because Conn ran them through his fraud scheme, they had their benefits cut off once his crimes came to light — making some of them destitute and even driving a few to end their own lives. Then there were whistleblowers Jennifer Griffith and Sarah Carver, who had to fight and put their own safety on the line just to get people to pay attention to them.
The Big Conn doesn’t attempt to rationalize Eric Conn’s behavior. It strikes the perfect tone between laughing at his bizarre behavior and calling out the fact that so many people just trying to do the right thing were damaged by this man’s Galactus-sized ego. Whether it’s the whistleblowers being dismissed when they could have stopped Conn’s fraud a lot sooner or clients who just happened to pick the wrong lawyer, it’s shocking and heartbreaking how deeply flawed the reality is and how much of what happened can’t be fixed. The incredulity of Conn’s escapades lends some important levity, yet at a certain point the wild ride stops and viewers are left with the cold, hard truth. That honesty is what makes The Big Conn the best con artist story on TV — even though it sounds too strange to be true.
The Big Conn is now streaming on Apple TV+.
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