| Mel Weinberg | |
| Birth Date: | 4 December 1924 |
| Birth Place: | The Bronx, New York, U.S. |
| Death Place: | Titusville, Florida, U.S. |
| Known For: | Informant in Abscam FBI sting operation in the late 1970s and early 1980s |
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Melvin Weinberg (December 4, 1924 – May 30, 2018) was an American con artist, charlatan and federal government informant who is known for his involvement in a sting operation in the late 1970s and early 1980s known as Abscam. At the time of the scandal, he was a convict hired by the Federal Bureau of Investigation to conduct the operation in exchange for a sentence of probation on pending charges and a payment of $150,000.[2] The two-year investigation initially targeted trafficking in stolen property and corruption of prominent businessmen, but later evolved into a public corruption investigation. The FBI, aided by the Justice Department were able to videotape various politicians and other officials accepting bribes from a fictitious Arabian company in return for various political favors. This led to the convictions of seven members of the United States Congress, among others.[3]
His story was portrayed in the 2013 film American Hustle, with Christian Bale playing Irving Rosenfeld, a character based on Weinberg.[4] [5]
Weinberg was born in The Bronx, the son of Helen and Harry Weinberg.[6] His mother was of Swiss descent and his father was of Russian Jewish ancestry.[7] After dropping out of school in grade nine, he served in the United States Navy in the Pacific from 1942 to 1946.[8] He retired to Titusville, Florida.[9] [10] He died on May 30, 2018, aged 93.[11] [12]