Tracy Smith

It was a driving ambition.

In 2011, Imad Tofilis got to know Robert Dahl, and they talked about the dream they shared of making it big in the wine business.

But this story isn't just about wine.

It's about cash, close to a million dollars in cash.

Now, if you're wondering what that looks like, well, so were we.

So we got some Hollywood prop money, which looks a lot and feels a lot like the real thing.

And this is how Robert Dahl did his next deal, $800,000 in cash in a gym bag.

The money came from that movie investor, Imad Taufilis.

In 2013, according to Imad, Robert told him that returns on his investment would be big.

And if he invested cash, they'd get better deals.

Imad was jumping into business with Robert Dahl with both feet.

It sounds like the perfect match.

Robert, who supposedly knows about wine but doesn't have the money, and then Imad, who doesn't know a lot about wine but has the cash.

Exactly.

Remember, Dahl had already started a vineyard business with Dominic Fopoli, but that wasn't enough for him.

Shortly after Dahl's partnership with Fopoli began, it ended.

There'd been problems.

Now Dahl wanted his own thing.

He wanted his name on the bottle.

Emad was going to make that happen.