Prompt Cast
The Rise and Fall of Paul LaRue: From Computer Programmer to Cyber Criminal
TLDR Paul LaRue, a former computer programmer, built a criminal empire through his online pharmaceutical company, RxLimited, which dominated the online pharmacy market. However, his success led him to branch out into illegal activities such as drug trafficking and murder, ultimately resulting in his arrest and cooperation with the DEA.
Timestamped Summary
00:00
Evan Ratliff, a reporter, has been working on a book about Paul LaRue, a former computer programmer turned cyber criminal, who built a criminal empire that spanned the world.
04:21
Paul LaRue, a former computer programmer, felt exploited and broke after his code was commercialized without his consent, leading him to start an online pharmaceutical company called RxLimited that allowed Americans to buy painkillers quickly and cheaply.
08:31
Paul LaRue's online pharmaceutical company, RxLimited, was able to protect itself from being shut down and dominated the online pharmacy market, potentially responsible for half of all gray black market distribution of pharmaceuticals on the internet, making Paul extremely wealthy and successful.
12:47
Paul LaRue decided to use his wealth to branch out into high-margin businesses like cocaine trafficking, meth trafficking, and gold purchases in Africa, using a network of ex-soldiers to carry out his operations.
17:10
Paul LaRue tried to start his own militia in Somalia and set up a tuna fishing operation as a cover, coordinating with Somali pirates for protection and to buy them off.
21:12
DEA investigators discover that a suspicious pharmacy in Chicago, part of Paul LaRue's empire, is sharing a FedEx account with dozens of other pharmacies across the United States.
25:29
DEA investigators discover that RxLimited is behind the network of suspicious pharmacies and are stunned by the volume of drug orders happening on the same FedEx account, prompting them to learn about how the internet works in order to understand what RxLimited is up to.
29:26
Paul Le Roux, the founder of RxLimited, was involved in organized crime and had connections to North Korea, where he bought and distributed large quantities of pure methamphetamine, and he also ordered multiple murders as his drug empire grew.
33:49
Paul Le Roux's associate, Dave Smith, was stealing gold from Le Roux and selling it to support his drug habit, leading to Le Roux ordering Smith's murder and participating in the disposal of his body.
38:21
Paul Le Roux is arrested and cooperates with the DEA in order to go after his own organization.
43:52
Paul Le Roux's arrest and cooperation with the DEA did not result in charges for the worst of his crimes, and it is uncertain what his sentence will be or if he will change his behavior upon release.
Categories:
Technology
Society & Culture
