Jan Lewan
Jan Lewan | |
|---|---|
Lewan at Sundance Film Festival in 2017 | |
| Born | Jan Lewandowski August 15, 1941 |
| Nationality | Polish, American |
| Other names | Polka King, Dowski |
| Occupation(s) | Songwriter, Polka band leader and Tour Guide |
| Criminal charge(s) | Mail and wire fraud, securities fraud, money laundering, racketeering |
| Criminal penalty | concurrent:
|
| Criminal status | imprisonment completed in 2009 |
| Children | 2 |
Jan Lewandowski (Polish pronunciation: [lɛvanˈdɔfskʲi]; born 15 August 1941 in Bydgoszcz, Poland) known professionally as Jan Lewan, is a Polish-American songwriter and polka band leader. The Grammy Award-nominated musician was convicted of fraud charges in 2004, for financial crimes described by The Morning Call as a "classic Ponzi scheme".
Lewan's life has been depicted in multiple films, first in the 2007 TV documentary Mystery of the Polka King, the 2009 documentary film The Man Who Would Be Polka King, and the 2017 American comedy film The Polka King, in which Lewandowski is portrayed by Jack Black, which was released on Netflix on January 12, 2018.