The Leaf Con

The Leaf Con, also known as Leafgate, was a multilayered Ponzi scheme perpetrated by CGI Senior Benjamin Vars in the fall of 2013. Because the Leaf Con was instigated as a fundraiser for Environment, known to be the most chill department, and because Vars was exceptionally well-liked, punishment for the crime has yet to occur.

Development
The idea for the Leaf Con came to be on a day when Ms. Franco was absent and Environment was being overseen by a sub. On this fateful day Mr. Manos was making the rounds of the CGI departments, ensuring that all students were active in helping the Institute. Upon reaching Environment, Mr. Manos found the students in the department to be, in local parlance, "macking." Manos demanded an explanation. Vars leapt to the defense of the department, insisting that they were planning what he called the "Leaf Sale." Manos left satisfied. Vars had no concept of what the Leaf Sale would entail at this point.

Execution
Eventually Vars determined that the so-called "Leaf Sale" would work in the following way:

Point 1
Environment would go department to department obtaining money and signatures to buy leaves--as in real leaves, that could at the time be found outside on the ground--to be sent to the friend of one's choice.

Point 2
Environment would never deliver these leaves.

Point 3
Vars would use the money collected to buy himself Chipotle.

The execution of the con went off exactly according to plan.

Legacy
The Leaf Con is widely considered to be the most brilliant long con perpetrated in CGI history. Most admired are its seemingly contradictory points: not only did the participants not actually have to buy leaves, since they could have just walked outside and picked them up, Environment did not even deliver them themselves, and not only were the leaves not delivered, the cause was not actually the Environment department, but Ben Vars's lunch.

Ben Vars's legendary skill in the con has led his personal charm to become something of a legend in CGI lore.