Australia's Greatest Conman? (2026)

SBS On Demand · Crime · 1 season · 48 min

Marc Fennell sets out to uncover the truth behind John Friedrich, the man who deceived a nation. He reveals a story that's stranger than fiction, delving into a web of lies and money.

In the 1980s, John Friedrich ran an elite sea and land rescue squad in Victoria, winning an Order of Australia, top-secret government contracts and hundreds of millions of dollars in loans.

But no one knew that John Friedrich was not who he made out to be. His undoing revealed one of the most audacious scams in Australian history, worth an estimated $900 million in today's money.

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