'Everyone Wanted To Win': HBO Docu-Series 'McMillion$' Takes Inside Look At Ex-Cop Who Bilked McDonald's Of $20M Via 'Monopoly' Game

(CBS Local)-- The McDonald's "Monopoly" game defined a generation before an ex-cop rigged the contest and stole millions from the fast food giant.

Directors James Lee Hernandez and Brian Lazarte relive the crazy circumstances of this story in their six-part HBO docu-series called "McMillion$." The series is executive produced by Mark Wahlberg and Stephen Levinson and features interviews with FBI agents, McDonald's employees, and game winners.

"We talked to the FBI and they said this is our favorite case and nobody has ever contacted us about it," said Hernandez in an interview with CBS Local's DJ Sixsmith. "Doug Matthews, the main FBI agent that worked this case, is a character. He is so atypical of the boring FBI agent."

"You would think they would be more subdued about it," said Lazarte. "These characters are full of life and full of activity. They are highly entertaining. In the upcoming episodes, we talked to a number of the winners as well. With everybody, it blew our minds. McDonald's wasn't initially on board at first. We were tremendously grateful that they shared their side of the story."

FULL INTERVIEW:

Jerry Jacobson was able to run his scheme for 12 years and he ended up stealing over $20 million from McDonald's.

"One thing the FBI has talked to us a lot about is that it is so difficult to keep a crime quiet," said Hernandez. "There are a bunch of people involved with this, it happened over 12 years and eventually they got busted when somebody talked. That it went that long without being talked about is fascinating. It was somebody in the right place at the right time and exposed that loophole."

"A lot of people when we first tell them about the story said it was a victimless crime," said Lazarte. "You're stealing from a multi-billion corporation and somebody has to win. Everyone wanted to win. The consequences of that choice to go ahead and lie may see harmless, but it was actually quite significant. The consequences of these actions were great."

"McMillion$" is streaming now.