Israeli Series ‘Embezzlement’ Based on True Crime Story to Begin Streaming in US and Canada in March
The Israeli crime series Embezzlement, which is based on true events, will begin streaming in the US and Canada on March 16 on the subscription-based streaming service Topic.
The seven-part show from Yes Studios is based on the real life story of Eti Alon, a clerk at the family-owned Trade Bank who embezzled all of its customers’ capital, which resulted in the bank’s collapse.
Alon stole more than $100 million and gave it to her brother Ofer Maximov to help cover his massive gambling debts to collectors, according to a release from Topic. In 2002, she walked into a police station and tried to turn herself in. After eight hours of waiting on a bench for someone to pay attention to her, investigators finally took the mother-of-two seriously and listened to her confession, which changed the course of the case. The stolen money was funnelled to illegal casinos run by local organized crime and ultimately used to buy weapons, which fueled violence between crime families.
Alon’s actions also resulted in the closure of the now-defunct Trade Bank, cost the state 500 million shekels in deposit guarantees and forced changes in banking regulations in Israel, The Times of Israel reported in 2016. Alon was convicted in 2003 and in 2016 she was set free from the Neve Tertza prison in Ramleh after serving almost 15 years of her 17-year sentence for the banking fraud. Her brother was also sentenced to 15 years in prison.
Embezzlement was created by Yotam Guendelman and Shira Porat, and produced by MoviePlus Productions and Yes TV. Israeli actress Dana Ivgy won the award for best lead actress at the Berlin TV Series Festival for her role in Embezzlement and also took home the award for best actress in a drama series from the Israeli Academy of Film and Television.
Watch a trailer for season one of Embezzlement below.
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