Tom Petters — $3.65 Billion

Minnesota businessman Tom Petters ran a 13-year, $3.65 billion Ponzi scheme using fictitious purchase orders for consumer electronics from retailers like Costco and Sam's Club. He funneled investor capital into personal ventures and luxury spending. His scheme is 75% bigger than #5 Rothstein's $1.2 billion fraud, demonstrating the scale of deception in the Midwest.