It's Exactly Like "Argo." Except It Isn't

Heard about this one yet?

 Five people have been jailed in Britain for pretending to make a Hollywood movie in a scam to defraud tax authorities of millions of pounds. 

The fraudsters were convicted earlier this month of attempting to bilk the government of $4.2 million in a plot reminiscent of the Academy Award-winning hit "Argo" -- but without that movie's heroic hostage rescue. 

Prosecutors said the fraudsters claimed to be producing a made-in-Britain movie with unnamed A-list actors and a 19 million-pound budget. But officials say the project was a sham to claim back millions in taxes. 

Bashar Al-Issa, described as the leader of the fraud, was jailed Monday for six and a half years. The others were sentenced to around four years each.

So let's recap: this scam involved a couple of fellows with Arab-sounding names; was not designed to rescue hostages who were otherwise facing certain death at the hands of krazed Khomeinists; and has yet to be made into a Hollywood movie directed by and starring Ben Affleck.

But, yeah, other than that they're dead ringers.

(I was amused by the name of the bogus film company--Evolved Pictures--and its fake film--A Landscape of Lies. Sounds to me like these scam artists had a wicked sense of humour.)