The Billionaire Boys Club: Joe Hunt, the Ron Levin Murder, and LA's Elite Killers

The Rise of the Billionaire Boys Club

Fraud, greed, cult vibes, and murder defined the greed-is-good ethos of 1980s Los Angeles. The Billionaire Boys Club wasn't just an exclusive social club for LA's most elite young men. It was a tangled mess of Ponzi schemes and manipulation led by a charismatic conman named Joe Hunt. Born Joseph Henry Gamsky, Hunt was incredibly smart and possessed a natural ability to make people believe anything.

In the early 1980s, Joe Hunt convinced a group of young, well-connected men to invest their families' fortunes into his venture, promising astronomical returns. The BBC was structured as a classic Ponzi scheme, where early investors were paid off using money from new ones, making the operation appear wildly successful. Hunt lived by a concept he called "Paradox Philosophy," which basically meant there were no moral absolutes and the ends justified the means.

The Murders of Ron Levin and Hedayat Eslaminia

When the scheme inevitably began to collapse, Hunt and the BBC turned to violence to cover their tracks. The group's financial affairs became even more tenuous when Hunt met Ronald Levin, a 42-year-old conman who allegedly double-crossed Hunt, bankrupting an account and leaving the BBC in a state of financial ruin. Hunt's attempt to recoup losses by intimidating or eliminating their biggest threats led to a shocking sequence of events.

We detail the timeline that led to the murders of two men connected to the club. The first victim was Ron Levin, whose body was never found, sparking decades of theories that he might have faked his own death. The second victim was Hedayat Eslaminia, the father of one of the club's key members, Reza Eslaminia. The case reveals the extreme lengths the members would go to maintain their lavish lifestyles and protect their secrets.

The Trial and Legacy of Joe Hunt

The subsequent trial was a national sensation, exposing the dark side of ambition and wealth. Dean Karny, the club's second-in-command and Hunt's best friend, turned state's evidence in return for immunity. In 1987, a Southern California Court found Joe Hunt guilty of Levin's murder and sentenced him to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Today, Joe Hunt continues to maintain his innocence from prison, claiming Ron Levin faked his own death to escape pending fraud charges. The story of the Billionaire Boys Club remains a cautionary tale of greed that still resonates today, recently returning to the spotlight with a new CNN docuseries.

Check-out bonus episodes up on Spotify and Apple podcast now!

Get new episodes a day early and ad free, plus chat episodes, at ⁠Patreon.com/momsandmysteriespodcast⁠ . 

Check-out ⁠Moms and Mysteries⁠ to find links to our tiktok, youtube, twitter, instagram and more.