The all-American dream success story "A part-time preacher at a local church, Hanes embodied a certain small-town ideal: He lived in a nice house with his wife and three daughters and volunteered at high school football games."

Testing the waters "Hanes was eventually fired for reasons that remain in dispute"

Hubris works "Hanes assembled a group of local investors who started a bid to buy the bank and restore control"

Self-immolation where the lies stop working "After draining his personal savings, Hanes began stealing — from his local investment club, from his church and finally from the bank."

And, as you note above, the conman still has his defenders ready to open their hearts (and probably checkbooks!) for another round.