A Plotline They Couldn't Refuse

By Melissa August, Greg Burke, Val Castronovo, Matthew Cooper, Daren Fonda, Benjamin Nugent, Julie Rawe, John Rosenblatt, Josh Tyrangiel, Alexandra Wolfe

LIFE IMITATES ART Have mobsters been watching too much TV? With the arrest of several gangsters for allegedly running a stock scam, the script seemed right out of HBO's hit series The Sopranos. In fact, it was:

SOPRANOS: REAL LIFE:

THE SCAM

Jan. 16, 2000: Christopher June 14, 2000: New York Moltisanti, far left, sets up mobsters busted for a brokerage operation to "pump setting up brokerage and dump" phony stock operations to "pump and dump" penny stocks

TACTICS

High-pressure phone calls High-pressure phone calls

TECH STOCK OF CHOICE

Webistics E-Pawn.com

VICTIMS

Senior citizens Senior citizens

PRICE FOR NOT COOPERATING

Bloody beatings Bloody beatings