The mysterious death of the teenager who posed as a Russian billionaire
5/11/202632 min
The journalist Patrick Radden Keefe on trying to unravel the double life and tragic death of 19-year-old Zac Brettler – and what it tells us about London’s dark underbelly. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/infocus
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[music] Today, the teenager who pretended to be a Russian billionaire and was found dead in the River Thames. For decades, London has been a magnet for global wealth, a flashy playground for the super-rich. To one teenage boy, it contained an elite scene he desperately wanted to be part of, the oligarch class. Not just rich, but powerfully connected billionaires who amassed such huge fortunes with so few questions asked, they helped turn London into what was called the dirty money capital of the world. Zak Bretler began posing as the son of one. Within months, he was found dead on the riverbank in central London. He was nineteen years old. In his explosive new book, author and New Yorker journalist Patrick Radden Keefe has tried to uncover what the Metropolitan Police failed to. What really happened to Zak? How did he become ensnared in one of London's most dangerous circles? And who is responsible for his death?