Edward Mezvinsky

- Full name: Edward Maurice Mezvinsky
- Born: Ames, Iowa, January 17, 1937Des Moines Register: Whirlpool of lies swallows Mezvinsky (August 3, 2003)
- Nicknames: "Rat Claw", "Fast Eddie", "Crazy Eddie"Des Moines Register: Whirlpool of lies swallows Mezvinsky (August 3, 2003)
- Education: BA, Iowa State University, 1955
- Party affiliation: DemocratDes Moines Register: Whirlpool of lies swallows Mezvinsky (August 3, 2003)
- Worked for Iowa congressman Neal SmithDes Moines Register: Whirlpool of lies swallows Mezvinsky (August 3, 2003)
- Elected to the Iowa Legislature in 1968Des Moines Register: Whirlpool of lies swallows Mezvinsky (August 3, 2003)
- Served the First Congressional District in Iowa from 1973-1977New York Times: Ex-Lawmaker Is Indicted (March 23, 2001)
- Spouse: Myra Shulman (divorced 1968)
- Children: four daughters from his first marriage
- Spouse: Marjorie Margolies Mezvinsky
- Children: two adopted daughters, two sons and three adopted foreign children with Margolies
- Arrested for fraud on January 27, 2000Des Moines Register: Whirlpool of lies swallows Mezvinsky (August 3, 2003)
- Charged with 66 counts of fraud in 2001New York Times: Ex-Lawmaker Is Indicted (March 23, 2001)
- Schemes included at least $10.4 millionNew York Times: Ex-Lawmaker Is Indicted (March 23, 2001)
- Sentenced to 6 and a half years in January 2003New York Times: Ex-Lawmaker Is Indicted (March 23, 2001)

Edward Mezvinsky was an elected congressman from the first district in Iowa from 1973-1979, who was convicted of massive fraud in 2003 and sentenced to nearly seven years in prison.News Max: 'Crazy' Ex-congressman Accused of Fraud (July 6, 2001)
His son, Marc Mezvinsky, is rumored to be marrying Chelsea Clinton in August of 2009.Boston Globe: Vineyard wedding bells for Chelsea Clinton? (May 2, 2009)
A Career in Politics

Edward Mezvinsky was a football hero at Iowa State University, and worked in Iowa Representative Neal Smith in the 1960s, before being elected himself in 1968. He lost to Jim Leach in 1976, and moved to Pennsylvania, where he ran for Congress in 1980 and lost.News Max: 'Crazy' Ex-congressman Accused of Fraud (July 6, 2001)
In the early 1980s he opened a number of businesses, including grain export, medical instrument companies and a series of get-rich quick schemes with African businessmen, including but not limited to Nigerian email scams.Des Moines Register: Whirlpool of lies swallows Mezvinsky (August 3, 2003)
None of the businesses worked well, and between 1995 and 2000, Mezvinsky executed 165 transactions under $!0,000—evidence of classic restructuring behavior to avoid reporting large amounts of income. He charmed investors, including close friends and friends of friends; and became close to, among others, Bill and Hillary Clinton.News Max: 'Crazy' Ex-congressman Accused of Fraud (July 6, 2001) Des Moines Register: Whirlpool of lies swallows Mezvinsky (August 3, 2003)
Eventually, his fraudulent business deals caught up with him and in 2001 he was charged with 66 counts of fraud, totally at least $10.4 million. Among the frauds he was accused of was a classic Ponzi scheme, in which he spent his wife's inheritance, used checks from her congressional account and cheated his mother-in-law out of $300,000. He pleaded insanity, claiming his bipolar disorder didn't allow him to see the downside of his risky investments.News Max: 'Crazy' Ex-congressman Accused of Fraud (July 6, 2001) Des Moines Register: Whirlpool of lies swallows Mezvinsky (August 3, 2003)
Mezvinsky was convicted in 2003 and sentenced to nearly 7 years. He is scheduled to be released in November 2009.News Max: 'Crazy' Ex-congressman Accused of Fraud (July 6, 2001) Des Moines Register: Whirlpool of lies swallows Mezvinsky (August 3, 2003)