WHO IS MARC ZIROGIANNIS?

November 14, 2018 Franchise Publicity

Marc Zirogiannis appears to be many things: a felon convicted in a $100M mortgage loan scam. A disbarred attorney. The former national business director of the scandal-ridden NY bagel icon H&H Bagels. The prolific, self-publishing author of “The Rise & Fall of H&H Bagels.” Does he have a role in the NYC Bagel scam on Craig’s List?

(UnhappyFranchisee.Com) The author page of “The Rise & Fall of H&H Bagels,” self-published by Marc Zirogiannis November 1, 2015, states:

Marc Zirogiannis holds a B.A. from Long Island University and a Juris Doctor from Hofstra Universitys School of Law. Mr. Zirogiannis is a world renowned Business Development Consultant and writer… Mr. Zirogiannis and, his love, Soraya Rose have four sons, Daniel, Demetrios, Joseph and Sebastian… Mr. Zirogiannis has practiced the martial arts for over 25 years… He has published numerous books… and is currently the lead correspondent for Tae Kwon Do Times, an international print publication.

In 2009, Marc Zirogiannis was indicted along with 13 others for perpetrating over $100 million in mortgage fraud over a four-year period in the New York City metropolitan area.

According to Marc Zirogiannis’ non-fiction account, he met the infamous head of H&H Bagels, Helmer Toro, while they were in prison serving time for their separate, unrelated fraud charges.

In “The Rise & Fall of H&H Bagels,” Mark Zirogiannis recounts how he, having recently lost his law license and ability to practice law, and having recently pleaded guilty to grand larceny and received prison time, accepted tax cheat and fraudster Helmer Toro’s employment offer without hesitation.

To normal people, that may seem like a wildly reckless decision. However, those who study their actions know that many fraudsters and confidence men have strong impulses, bordering on addiction, drawing them to other shady and often illegal enterprises.

There are many stories recounted on the pages of UnhappyFranchisee.Com of smart and clever businesspeople who would have been much more successful if they hadn’t been obsessed by the thrill of illicitly obtained money, often at others’ expense.

Is that the case with Marc Zirogiannis? Did he move from a $100 million mortgage fraud scheme to a bagel magnate who stole from his employees’ insurance and tax accounts to involvement with the Craig’s List NYC Bagel scam?

We don’t know but plan to investigate until we do…

Convicted Felon & Disbarred Attorney Marc Zirogiannis Worked For Fellow Inmate, Helmer Toro

The book’s introduction describes a Summer, 2012 lunch meeting between Marc Zirogiannis, who had been a top executive at the scandal-ridden H&H Bagels (of Seinfeld fame) and two owners of the Davidovich Bakery brand, Gene Davidovich and his Ukrainian-accented partner, Michael. According to Zirogiannis, Gene Davidovich & Michael were eager to get the inside dirt on the collapse of their iconic rival, H&H Bagels, and the fraudulent activities of H&H owner Helmer Toro, who pled guilty to Grand Larceny for stealing from his employee’s insurance fund.

In the summer of 2012, I had the opportunity to enjoy a lunch meeting with the owners of the Davidovich brand.

They were in the process of being recognized by the heir-apparent to the legacy left behind by the, then defunct, H&H Bagels…

Like everyone involved in the bagel business, they were intrigued by the downfall of H&H.

It seems likely that author Marc Zirogiannis was more than lunch partners with the Davidovich owners.

Owing more than $1M in debts and civil judgements, Marc Zirogiannis Filed Chapter 7 bankruptcy in In January, 2016.

According to Marc Zirogiannis’ 2016 Chapter 7 Bankruptcy Filing, he had been employed for 4.5 years (starting 2011/2012) as marketing director for a company (Green Fenix International) located at 5029 69th Place Woodside, NY 11377.

5029 69th Place Woodside, NY was also the address of All Natural Products, parent of Davidovich Bakery.

The image of the Woodside address from Google Street View shows a door with a Davidovich Bakery sign.

It’s the same address as the short-lived Davidovich Bakery Outlet Store.

It appears that Marc Zirogiannis may have been the Marketing Director of Davidovich Bakery, perhaps via an entity with a different name, the self-professed “heir-apparent” to the disgraced H&H Bagel, all this time.

Did Marc Zirogiannis & Marc Fintz Work at H&H Bagels and Davidovich Bakery Together?

Convicted felon and disbarred attorney Marc Zirogiannis detailed his role as a senior advisor to tax cheat Helmer Toro and H&H Bagels.

He evidently also had a close relationship with the owners of Davidovich Bakery.

He also became a marketing director at the same address as Davidovich and its parent All Natural Products.

Another “Marc,” Davidovich Bakery’s current Director of Business Development, Marc Fintz, appears to have had a remarkably similar job history to that of Marc Zirogiannis.

Marc Fintz also worked at H&H Bagels and joined its “heir-apparent” bagel maker Davidovich Bakery at roughly the same time as Marc Zirogiannis.

According to a 2012 Wall Street Journal article, Marc Fintz was National Business Manager for H&H Bagels and joined Davidovich Bakery as Director of Business Development when H&H collapsed.

The Wall Street Journal quotes Marc Fintz as stating that Davidovich Bakery “views itself as being the heir apparent to that [H&H] bagel legacy.”

WSJ writer Sumathi Reddy, who was mentioned in Zirogiannis’ book, wrote in a 8/7/12 article that “Mr. Fintz was previously the national business manager for H&H. He left the company in June just as H&H was crumbling amid the closure of its famed Upper West Side retail location.”

Specialty Food magazine wrote that Marc Fintz “joined All Natural Products in August 2011 as the Director of Business Development.”

According to an October 25, 2011 Facebook post on the Davidovich Bagel page, “Mr. Fintz left the company [H&H Bagels] in July and is now director of business development for Davidovich Bagels, a Woodside, Queens-based commercial operation…”

Marc Fintz’s current LinkedIn resume confirms his career path has an uncanny similarity to that Marc Zirogiannis:

Marc Fintz
Director of Business Development at All Natural Products Davidovich Bakery
Woodside, New York

Director of Business Development
All Natural Products Davidovich Bakery
Aug 2010 – Present
8 yrs 4 mos
Woodside, NY

National Business Manager
H&H Bagels
Dec 2010 – Jul 2011
8 mos
NYC

Not only do the two share the same first name and recent job history, Marc Fintz also bears an uncanny physical resemblance to Marc Zirogiannis (See photo, above left).

Marc Fintz, Marc Zirogiannis, Davidovich Bakery & the NYC Bagel Scam

Davidovich Bakery is the bagel supplier to the NYC Bagel scam, which is currently being promoted on Craig’s List as the NYC Bagel & Sandwich Shop franchise.

Davidovich Bakery plays a key role in the promotion of the NYC Bagel Scam sales pitch, as the bakery enables the scammers to represent that they’ll supply them with 20 varieties of genuine par-baked bagels shipped from New York City.

Furthermore, Marc Fintz has provided the NY Bagel scam with false credibility and endorsements in the past, having assured prospective victims that scammer Joe Smith is honest and aboveboard, and the NY Bagel stores succeed… despite Marc Fintz’s knowledge that they don’t.

Up until now, we assumed that Davidovich Bakery and Marc Fintz (and his doppleganger Marc Zirogiannis) were simply suppliers operating at an arm’s length.

However, more than a dozen NYC Bagel Scam ads recently appeared on Craig’s list promoting the “Hot New Brand NYC Davidovich Bagel Franchise.”

The ads displayed a logo that combined both the Davidovich Bakery logo and the NYC Bagel & Sandwich Shop logo.

Davidovich Bakery’s Director of Development Marc Fintz claims to know nothing about the ads and disavows any involvement other than being a supplier to what we know as the NYC Bagel Scam.

We have asked Marc Fintz & Gene Davidovich: Could the ads be the work of the ex-convict in their midst, Marc Zirogiannis, who is operating without the knowledge or consent of the upstanding Marc Fintz and Gene Davidovich?

Admittedly, we have more questions than answers at this point, and will post the responses to our questions as soon as we hear back from Marc Fintz and Gene Davidovich.

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ARE YOU FAMILIAR WITH MARC ZIROGIANNIS, MARC FINTZ, DAVIDOVICH BAKERY, OR THE NYC BAGEL SCAM? PLEASE SHARE YOUR OPINION BELOW?

If you’ve been a victim of the NY Bagel Scam, please contact us in confidence at NYBagelScam[at]Gmail.Com.

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