Business Blunders

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This Week In Blunders – June 22-28

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Al Lewis
Jun 28, 2025
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“Crypto is a playground for scams and frauds, nothing more.” – Charlie Munger


There was a point where Michael Zidell, the scion of a Dallas real estate family, thought he had $300 million worth of non-fungible tokens on a platform called OpenrarietyPro.

He was also falling in love.

Carolyn Parker – whoever she was – initially contacted Zidell on Facebook, according to court filings. Their conversations then moved to WeChat, phone calls and video calls. It was a “friendly, social relationship,” according to court filings, but Zidell “later perceived a romantic one developing.”

Generated image
She’s rich. She’s successful. She’s beautiful. And she just found you on Facebook. What could go wrong? (Illustration: ChatGPT.)

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What’s not to love? Parker purported to be a successful California businesswoman who was making millions trading NFTs on OpenrarietyPro. She encouraged Zidell to invest in these dubious blockchain coins. Over time, he wired $20 million onto the platform through different banks, and he watched his balance rise to $300 million, according to court filings.

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