When Hunt met man-about town Ron Levin in 1983, they clicked in an instant-frenemies sort of way. The increasingly foundering Hunt encouraged (and needed) Levin to invest with him—and Levin, who had multiple arrests for fraud and theft on his record, eventually agreed to $5 million, but to be held in his own brokerage account. Levin agreed to split the profits with the BBC, meaning Hunt’s cronies (most of whom had family money, which thickens the mystery of why they were so drawn to Hunt) were also looking forward to a payday.
Eventually, when Hunt sought his share, it turned out that Levin, despite having shown him paperwork that said he had deposited $5 million, had never invested at all—part of a bigger scheme he was running that involved other parties. BBC investors started to ask for their money back, money Hunt didn’t have.
On June 6, 1984, Hunt showed up at the office with a $1.5 million check signed by Levin. But when the BBC tried to deposit it, the check bounced.
On June 8, 1984, Levin’s mother reported him missing to the Beverly Hills Police Department. Knowing his history, officers weren’t particularly concerned.
