Movie Mogul’s $13M Fraud: Odom Admits Scam

BALTIMORE, MD – A Hollywood dream turned into a federal nightmare. David Odom, 53, of Chicago, Illinois, pleaded guilty today to conspiracy to commit wire fraud, admitting his role in a brazen scheme to swindle lenders out of $2.5 million while attempting to finance a feature film, “Season Tickets.” The scheme, spanning February to August 2011, relied on fabricated documents and a compromised bank insider, according to federal prosecutors.

Odom, the owner of CityScope Productions, LLC, wasn’t working with legitimate investors. He was working with a con man. Co-conspirator Darryl Wesley Clements, 50, of Detroit, Michigan, previously pleaded guilty to the same wire fraud conspiracy. The linchpin of the operation, however, was Rodney Patrick Dunn, 40, of Elkridge, Maryland, a vice president and loan officer at a Baltimore bank who pleaded guilty to accepting a bribe. The case was announced by U.S. Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein, along with officials from the FBI, SIGTARP, and the Department of the Treasury.

The scheme hinged on Dunn’s willingness to betray his employer. Dunn met Clements in 2009, initially believing Clements could connect him with high-profile athletes for a career shift into sports agency. Clements dangled promises of valuable contacts and financial rewards in exchange for Dunn’s cooperation. The agreement was simple, and corrupt: if Dunn received a phone call from an unknown number, he’d immediately alert Clements, allowing the con man to impersonate Dunn and vouch for fictitious escrow accounts. Dunn, motivated by greed and a misguided career ambition, complied.

Clements then constructed a web of lies. He fabricated documents claiming CityScope Productions had secured $13 million in permanent financing from Bridge Capital and The Shah Group, with the funds supposedly held in escrow at Dunn’s bank. This was a complete fabrication. He further claimed CityScope only needed a $2.5 million “bridge loan” to finalize the financing. To add insult to injury, Clements created fake email accounts impersonating Dunn and representatives of The Shah Group, controlling the narrative and feeding false information to prospective lenders. He even altered five $20 cashier’s checks, boosting their value to $4 million and changing the payees to individuals connected to the movie.

The operation wasn’t limited to paper trails. Clements actively impersonated Dunn during phone calls with lenders verifying the existence of the escrow accounts. Odom, fully aware of the fraud, knowingly submitted these fabricated documents to potential investors, including an unsuccessful attempt in Baltimore that was flagged by the lender’s local counsel. On May 9, 2011, Clements, posing as Dunn, successfully defrauded a California-based finance company specializing in movie bridge loans out of $2.5 million. The scheme ultimately unraveled, leaving a trail of deceit and broken promises.

Sentencing dates for Odom, Clements, and Dunn have not yet been announced. Federal investigators continue to probe whether additional individuals were involved in the conspiracy. This case serves as a stark reminder that even in the glamorous world of filmmaking, greed and deception can quickly lead to federal charges and a ruined career. The Grimy Times will continue to follow this case as it develops.