McMillions The Absolutely True Story of How an Unlikely Pair of FBI Agents Brought Down the Most Supersized Fraud in Fast Food History

In the tradition of Argo, The Wizard of Lies, and Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room, a book that expands upon the HBO docuseries, McMillion$, with new, exclusive interviews and stories that couldn't make it into the series.

In March of 2001, Federal prosecutor Mark Devereaux cold-called Rob Holm, the head of security for McDonald's Corporation. Without explanation, Devereaux asked that Holm and several other McDonald's senior executives plan a visit to the Jacksonville, Florida, FBI, and tell no one about their intended destination. It wasn't up for discussion. Upon their arrival, Devereaux watched them closely, looking at body language, checking for tells. To him, they were all potential suspects.

Once they were seated in an unremarkable conference room, sealed away in the hyper-secure FBI building, Devereaux began to lay out a shocking conspiracy, one that ran deep into McDonald's most beloved promotions: the Monopoly game. This is where they began to discover from 1989 to 2001, almost every high-value prize winner was actually illegitimate. But how could this happen and who all was behind it? A rookie FBI agent and a brilliant undercover operation led them to one man who brilliantly crafted a near-infallible nationwide conspiracy for fraud.

Expanded from the wildly popular HBO docuseries with major new interviews, MCMILLIONS traces this massive crime, the intricate web of lies that bolstered it, and the tireless work of the FBI agents that unraveled it all. It is a story littered with tragedy: families torn apart, betrayals, financial ruin, and one suspicious car crash. Yet, there are bright spots in the hijinks of the FBI agents and their co-conspirators. Ultimately, it is a story of what happens when the American dream goes very wrong.

James Lee Hernandez is a self-taught filmmaker, editor, and musician. His most notable credits include the Emmy Award-winning documentary series Wonder Women (2017) and the Academy of Motion Pictures Association's award-shortlisted documentary short "Other Side of Home" (2016). James spent four years writing, directing, and editing several short films, series, and nationally televised commercials for Hallmark's SVoD service. He's also produced, directed, and edited original content for Hulu, Reebok, CrossFit, Tastemade, and Nike. He is the co-writer and co-director (with Brian Lazarte) and Executive Producer of the six-part HBO documentary series, McMillions.   Brian Lazarte is a Los Angeles based filmmaker and editor. His credits include a variety of award-winning documentaries and television series, most notably: Katy Perry: Part of Me 3D; HBO's Emmy award-winning Sonic Highways; and Showtime's Time of Death, which won IDA's Best Limited Series in 2014. Brian has also edited or served as a consulting editor on several other films, including Fed Up, ESPN's Emmy award-winning Hawaiian: The Legend of Eddie Aikau 30 for 30, The Price of Free (Grand Jury Prize, Sundance 2018), Alive Inside (Sundance 2014 Audience Award) and Holy Hell (Sundance 2016). A recipient of the Panavision New Filmmaker grant, Brian has additional credits in writing, producing and directing. His work has been seen over the last fourteen years on major networks, including NBC, ABC, FOX, TNT, PBS, NAT GEO, Animal Planet, OWN, MTV and VH1. He is the co-writer and co-director (with James Lee Hernandez) and Executive Producer of the six-part HBO documentary series, McMillions.