Quinn, John Philip, prom. 1886-92, U.S., fraud. A gambler-turned-confidence man, John Quinn worked his persuasive wiles on victims throughout the Midwest. He was particularly fond of the gold-brick swindle in which a chosen victim would put up good money for a false brick of gold. Quinn was found Guilty in 1887 in Brownstown, Ind., of working the swindle - although he later claimed that that particular time he not had actually done it. He was sentenced to three years in prison. While there, he decided to give up crime and devote his life to uncovering the methods of con men and gamblers. Four years after being pardoned on Nov. 9, 1888, Quinn published an autobiography called Fools of Fortune, detailing swindling techniques.

From the World Encyclopedia of Con Artists and Confidence Games