The story of financial pyramid MMM started in 1991 in Russia when talented mathematician Sergei Mavrodi organized sales of shares of his firm. The pyramid based on Ponzi scheme began to grow very fast with the support of intensive TV campaign and other ads, prices for its shares grew up in 127 times. The pyramid collapsed in 1994, leaving from 10 to 15 millions of people without money that they invested in it. At least 50 men committed suicide after collapse (known facts). In 1997 MMM was bankrupted and the criminal case against Mavrodi had been started.

Sergei Mavrodi was hiding from justice for about 8 years. In 1997 he started another financial pyramid Stock Generation, that was the longest-running and most infamous financial pyramid (Ponzi scheme again) in the history of internet. Its victims were mostly people from USA and Western Europe.

In 2003 Mavrodi was arrested and was sentenced to 4.5 years and came out in 2007. In 2008 he released the book that he wrote in prison, that consisted of dialogs with Satan. On 19 January, 2010 he announced in his blog that he's searching for actors to make his own movie. But he was late, because other people had already made the movie PiraMMMida (ПираМММида) about him and his financial pyramid MMM. This movie will be released in theaters by UNIVERSAL PICTURES on April 21, 2011.