Badger game
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Badger game is an extortion scheme, often perpetrated on married men, in which the victim or "mark" is deliberately coerced into a compromising position then threatened with public exposure of his acts unless blackmail money is paid.
There are two competing explanations for the origin of the term badger game. One explanation is that the term originated in the practice of badger baiting. Another says that it derives its name from the state of Wisconsin (the Badger State), where the con allegedly either originated or was popularized.
This con has been around since at least the early 19th century. There are several variations of the con, but the most common form goes something like this. A man, preferably a lonely, married man of some financial means from out of town, is marked by the con artists. An attractive woman who is part of the con goes up to him and begins flirting. The woman entices the man to a private place with the intent of coercing him into a compromising position, usually involving some sort of sexual act. An accomplice gathers evidence of the act by way of photographs, video, or some other means. The accomplice then goes to the mark and threatens to expose him unless blackmail money is paid.
The woman may also claim that the sexual encounter was non-consensual and threaten the victim with a rape charge. It can also involve such things as the threat of a sexual harassment charge which may endanger the victim's career.
In the days before photography or video, the accomplice would usually burst into the room in mid act and claim to be the woman's husband, father, older brother, etc., and demand justice. The con was particularly effective in the 19th and earlier 20th century when the social repercussions of adultery were much greater.
Variants of the con involve luring the mark with homosexual acts, underage girls, child pornography, bizarre sexual fetishes, or other activities deemed to have a particular social stigma.
Another form involves accusations of professional misconduct. In an example of this form of the con, a "sick" woman would visit a physician. The woman would describe symptoms that required her to disrobe for the examination, require the doctor to examine the genitals, or ensure similar scrutiny from the doctor. In the midst of the examination, an "outraged husband" or "outraged father" would enter the room and accuse the doctor of deviant misconduct. The "sick" woman, who is of course part of the con, takes the side of her accomplice and threatens the doctor with criminal charges or a lawsuit. This form of the badger game was first widely publicized in an article in the August 25, 1930 edition of Time magazine.
The con is usually committed against married men but can also be used on married women, public figures, religious leaders, etc.
Non-sexual versions of this con also exist, particularly among ethnic or religious groups with strong social taboos. For example, enticing a Jew or Muslim to eat pork or coercing a Mormon to gamble or drink alcohol. The con-artist would then threaten to expose the mark's activity to the community.
The Badger game has been featured in numerous books, movies, and television shows as a plot device.
[edit] The Badger game in popular culture
- A badger game is used in John le Carré's spy novel Smiley's People to entrap the Soviet agent Kirov, and thus ultimately to bring down the house of cards around George Smiley's bête noir, Karla.
- In both the James Michener novel Centennial and the television miniseries based on the book, the Wendell family makes a fortune by extorting large sums of money by employing the badger game.
- In both the John Grisham novel and the movie The Firm, Mitch McDeere (Tom Cruise) is enticed into having an extramarital sexual encounter, then blackmailed into cooperating with his shady colleagues.
- In the 2005 movie Derailed, Lucinda Harris (Jennifer Aniston) is the bait in a badger game targeted at Charles Schine (Clive Owen), with Philippe Laroche (Vincent Cassel) serving as the intimidating blackmailer.
