Queenpins

Hannah Baker, Writer

January 31, 2024

Queenpins is a quirky Netflix movie directed by Aron Gaudet and Gita Pullspill that highlights a true story of criminals in Arizona. On January 15, 2024, through January 21, 2024, the movie earned 4,400,00 views in just one week, making it the No.7 movie worldwide. The movie Queenpins was released on September 10, 2021. The main character, Connie, has an addiction to coupons which later leads her down the road of crime alongside her best friend. The character, Connie is to portray the real-life convict: Robin Ramires. The character, Jojo, combines the last two convicts: Amiko Fountain and Marilyn Johnson. The character Tempe Tino doesn’t have a real-life role in these fraudulent scams. Tino was added to the script for comedic reasons as well as to reveal how Connie and JoJo were in over their heads. According to the director, Gaudet, “Take deep dives into the internet to try to find stories that are interesting and unique and haven’t been told before.” He proceeded to state, “ We called the detective in Phoenix and talked to him and he talked about how it was a legitimate case and it happened, and the impact that scam had on our economy.” This reveals how the directors wanted to shed light on cases that many may have never heard before and even add their unique twist to the story.

Robin Ramires started selling fraudulent coupons around 2007 at the age of forty-one. Alongside her were the co-conspirators: forty-three-year-old Amiko Fountain and fifty-four-year-old Marilyn Johnson. Marilyn Johnson would help ship the coupons and place holographic stickers to give off a realistic look. These women forged coupons and sold them on eBay or their website called Savvyshoppersite.com. Those who visited the website were warned not to share information about the website with people they don’t know. Soon businesses began to notice fraudulent activities with coupons causing a total of 40 businesses to file complaints. This alerted the Phoenix police department and private investigators. These investigators conducted an 8-week investigation that led to the woman’s arrest in 2012. It was revealed that the women contained $40 million in counterfeit coupons, and $12 million in assets such as guns, cars, and speedboats. The charges were fraud, forgery, counterfeiting, and operating a criminal enterprise. As of 2013, Ramirez was sentenced to two years in jail and seven years of probation. Amiko Fountain and Marilyn Johnson were both given eighteen months in jail and a total of three years in prohibition. All three convicts were forced to pay $2 million in restorations