Before anyone had heard of Bernie Madoff, Minnesota businessman Tom Petters carried out the largest Ponzi scheme in U.S. history. His company, Petters Group Worldwide, owned brands like Polaroid and Fingerhut, as well as a controlling share of Sun Country Airlines. As federal agents learned, though, these legitimate businesses were propped up entirely by a $3.5 billion Ponzi scheme. Petters sold promissory notes through his wholesale brokerage firm Petters Co. Inc., offering stunning returns of 15 percent to 20 percent. The company offered financing on the niche business known as diverting. Investors believed PCI was ... (full story)