From Odessa to Miami, with Stops in the Sun, Sand, and… Submarines

Step aside, Hollywood—you can’t make this stuff up. Ludwig Fainberg, better known as “Mr. Tarzan,” is the man, the myth, and the living legend whose life reads like a crime saga straight out of a blockbuster movie. Born on March 1, 1958, in Odessa, Ukrainian SSR (back when the Soviet Union was still in the “We’re serious about communism” phase), Fainberg’s story is equal parts outrageous, fascinating, and downright unbelievable.

From Odessa to Brooklyn

In the 1970s, young Ludwig joined a wave of Jewish families leaving the Soviet Union and moved to Israel, where he served in the Israeli Navy. Not content with just swabbing decks, he eventually set his sights on the United States and landed in Brighton Beach, Brooklyn—aka “Little Odessa.” There, he started doing “torch jobs” (sounds romantic, right?) for a mobster, a gig that involved convincing people to buy his boss’s furniture.

Welcome to Miami

By 1990, Ludwig decided the cold winters of New York weren’t for him and set up shop in Miami, Florida. But he didn’t just open any shop—he founded Porky’s, a strip club that would become ground zero for his involvement in drugs, prostitution, and rackets that would make Al Capone proud.

Fainberg also made some interesting friends, like Colombian drug lord Juan Almeida. Together, they spent their days sailing on yachts, planning outrageous deals, and dreaming big—so big that they tried to buy a submarine from the Russian Navy to smuggle drugs. Yes, you read that right: a submarine. Fainberg almost pulled it off, too, if it weren’t for the DEA sniffing around.

The Fall of Tarzan

In January 1997, Tarzan’s high-seas adventures came to an end when he was arrested in Miami after dropping his daughter off at daycare (yes, even mobsters do school runs). Facing 37 federal charges, he opted for 33 months in prison before being deported to Israel.

Oh, and in case you thought his story ended there—nope! He popped up in Panama in 2012 and landed himself back in jail.

The Legend Returns

Because Ludwig Fainberg isn’t just a guy with a wild past—he’s a storyteller with a hell of a story to tell. Now based in Miami (again), Mr. Tarzan is back and ready to share his larger-than-life journey. Want to hear more? Book an interview and get the full story behind the man who dared to buy a submarine and lived to tell the tale.