American Hustle Trailer

In this January 21, 1982 interview segment from 20/20, Mel Weinberg defends himself against accusations made by his estranged wife that he accepted inappropriate gifts during the Abscam operation, including three gold watches that he says he turned over to the government. His wife Marie shows a reporter a microwave that she claims Mel filed the serial number off of.

A 20/20 report on the death of Marie Weinberg, wife of con man Melvin Weinberg. The report aired on January 28, 1982, the day Marie Weinberg's body was discovered near her Florida home. She died from an apparent suicide by hanging. She left a note in which she emphasized her position on her husband's actions during Abscam and stated that she could no longer endure the threats being made by her husband toward her. In the months prior, Marie had attempted to reveal that her husband had accepted gifts during the Abscam operation.

The entire footage of Pennsylvania Representative John Murtha's controversial Abscam meeting on January 7, 1980. Decide for yourself. Did Murtha intend to take the FBI's bribe money? FBI agent Anthony Amoroso, who is the real-life counterpart to Bradley Cooper's Richie DiMaso character in the American Hustle movie, attempts to bribe Murtha. The congressman turns down the bribe but seems to indicate that he might be interested in the future. "We do business for a while, maybe I'll be interested and maybe I won't," Murtha says in the video.

Watch an April 12, 1981 interview with Mel Weinberg about his role in the FBI's Abscam operation. The con man opens up about his past as a swindler and his role in the controversial FBI sting operation known as Abscam. Weinberg talks about which corrupt politicians were his favorites and casually lights up a cigar during the interview.