The Kristen Bell and Kirby Howell-Baptiste comedy clips a page out of a true-crime story.
TheKristen BellandKirby Howell-Baptistebuddy crime-comedy,Queenpins, now streaming onNetflix, takes coupon clipping to a criminal level.
Interestingly, the film’s inspiration was clipped from a real-life criminal scam that took place in Arizona.
Real-life queenpins Robin Ramirez, Marilyn Johnson, and Amiko “Amy” Fountain.Phoenix Police Department
How did their scam function?
What was their motive?
How much money did they con from the big companies?
‘Queenpins’ stars Kirby Howell-Baptiste and Kristen Bell.Courtesy STX Films
Here’s everything you better know about the real coupon con.
Who were the real Queenpins?
Ramirez was the ringleader who opened the Savvyshoppersite.com, the base site of their counterfeit operation.
Bebe Rexha as Tempe Tina, Kristen Bell as Connie Kaminski, and Kirby Howell-Baptiste as JoJo Johnson in QUEENPINS.Courtesy STX Films
Ramirez started collecting grocery coupons in 2007 and sent them overseas.
They were duplicated in large quantities, then resold on Savvyshoppersite and Ebay.
Eventually, Johnson and Fountain came onboard and assisted Ramirez with operations.
Paul Walter Hauser and Vince Vaughn in ‘Queenpins’.Courtesy STX Films
How did their scam work?
The only catch: they had to purchase $50 worth of coupons by default.
The only way new members could get into their too-good-to-be-true program was if they were referred by current customers.
‘Queenpins’ stars Kristen Bell and Kirby Howell-Baptiste.STX Films
But those customers had to be very secretive about the site and the deals that were promoted there.
Certainly, nothing suspicious going on there.
People from across America wouldspend up to $600 on the site’s fake coupons.
Which companies did the Queenpins affect?
What big buys did Ramirez, Johnson, and Fountain purchase during their crime spree?
Much like Connie and Jojo, Ramirez, Johnson, and Fountain were living large.
Additionally, as if it couldn’t be Arizonian enough, they had around 22 guns.
Thats the key in of money they had."
Were any of theQueenpinscharacters real?
None of the film’s characters were based on any real individuals.
Kent Miller (Paul Walter Hauser) is the closest resemblance to someone who is real.
When were the Queenpins caught?
What were their charges?
Ramirez was sentenced to two years in prison and a seven-year probation.
Johnson and Fountain had a single charge in counterfeiting and didn’t have to serve time but received probation.
Altogether, the scam trio was ordered to pay P&G nearly $2 million in damages.
Where to watchQueenpins?
Queenpinsis currently streaming exclusively on Netflix.
