Before Best Buy, Target and Fry’s Electronics, there was Crazy Eddie, which created the blueprint for consumer electronic retailers. With their deep discounts and iconic Crazy Eddie ads, they were one of the top performers on Wall Street from 1984 to 1987. But beneath all the success, were internal rivalries, deep jealousy, plots of deceit and betrayal, and a huge family secret that would ultimately unravel this multi-million dollar enterprise. Find out what brought down Eddie Antar, the man behind the brand, on Episode 5 of The Great Fail.

Episode Sources

The Fall of Crazy Eddie

Our prices are INSANE’: Crazy Eddie, fabled electronics retailer and fraudster, has died at 68

Calculated Madness: The rise and fall of Crazy Eddie Antar

Crazy Eddie’s Insanely Successful Criminal Enterprise

Crazy Eddie From Wikipedia

The long and wild Crazy Eddie investor fraud case nears the end

Crazy Eddie Founder Guilty of Fraud

Convicted Crazy Eddie executive tells of ‘Insane!’ wrongdoing

Sam Antar: The CFO behind the Crazy Eddie’s fraud

4 Famous Inventory Frauds You’ve Never Heard Of Crazy Eddie

Eddie Antar, Who Started The Crazy Eddie Chain With ‘Insane!’ Prices, Dies At 68

Special guest

Sam Antar is a convicted felon and a former CPA. As the first cousin of Eddie Antar, and the Chief Financial Officer of Crazy Eddie, Mr. Antar helped mastermind one of the largest securities frauds uncovered during the 1980s.