Busted Business Bureau

Latest Episodes:

eBay Feb 07, 2022

Show notes

How far would you go to protect your company’s reputation? Is it box-of-live-spiders far? Is it cross-country far? Is it re-enact-a-B-list-80s-movie far? Emily Lindsey joins for this very crime-y episode about the eBay corporate cyberstalking scandal that goes further than you’d imagine. This episode is absolutely nuts; it’s got blogging, it’s got schemes, it's got people who make a preposterous amount of money trying to do crime. Can’t miss this one! Follow @BustedBizBureau everywhere!

“Take Her Down”: Inside eBay’s Stalking Campaign against a Natick Couple, Mike Damiano, Boston Magazine, December 2021
Activist Investor Eviscerates eBay Management, Ina Steiner, eCommerceBytes January 2019
eBay CEO Devin Wenig Earns 152 Times That of Employees, Ina Steiner, eCommerceBytes April 2019
FBI Affadavit, Mark Wilson, June 11 2020
Gilbert, Popp, Stockwell and Zea Charging Doc, US District Court of Massachusetts, May 2020
US District Court of Massachusetts vs. Phillip Cooke, July 2021
Pictures of iMessages, Craigslist Post, and Pig Mask, BustedBizBureau Instagram, 2022

The Ballad of Schwan's Frozen Pizza Jan 31, 2022

Show notes

My girlfriend Sarah joins to talk about frozen food, a surprising amount of corporate espionage, and the private company that has a ~70% likelihood of supplying your public school's pizza: Schwan's! The school lunch contract biz is more intense than you'd think. Please follow @BustedBizBureau everywhere!

Marvin M. Schwan, John Radzilowski, Immigrant Entrepreneurship 2018
Schwan, Marvin in front of an original ice cream truck, ca. 1977
Ketchup as a Vegetable: Condiments and the Politics of School Lunch in Reagan’s America, Amy Bentley, Gastronomica 2021
Judge Allows Lawsuit to Proceed in $870 Million Schwan Heir Case, AP News 1996
MARK SCHWAN AND PAUL SCHWAN VS LAWRENCE BURDGOF ET. AL, APPEAL FROM SECOND JUDICIAL COURT, MINNEHHAHA COUNTY, SOUTH DAKOTA
Corporate Spies: The Pizza Plot, Adam L. Penenberg and Marc Barry, NYT 2000
UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT DISTRICT OF MINNESOTA Schwan’s IP, LLC, and Schwan’s Consumer Brands North America, Inc VS Kraft Pizza Company
Potato politics, with a pizza side, David Rogers, Politico 2011
Washington pizza sauce fight has deep Minnesota ties, Brett Neely, MPRNews 2011
Leading School Food Supplier, Schwan’s Food Service, Serves Up Industry’s First Portfolio of Products to Meet Proposed USDA School Meal Rules, BusinessWire 2011
City Schools’ Food Program Struggles with Pizza Problems, City Limits 2016
Schwan's Co. v. Cai 12-2-2021

iO Theater Jan 24, 2022

Show notes

KP joins to talk about origins and dramatic sudden closure of iO theater. How can you make a sustainable business off of adults playing pretend? Turns out it’s pretty hard. This episode has everything: improv comedy, wage theft allegations, desecration of human remains. Twists and turns everywhere! Follow KP's incredible project @they.call.us everywhere!!!

Footnotes:

Behind the Laughs: Community and Inequality in Comedy, Michael P. Jeffries
The Funniest One in the Room: The Lives and Legend of Del Close, Kim “Howard” Johnson
Chicago Comedy: A Fairly Serious History, Margaret Hicks
Skullduggery, Tad Friend, The New Yorker
Comedy Guru Charna Halpern Carries On, Achy Obejas, Chicago Tribune
The First Comedy Strike, Richard Zoglin, Time Magazine
This Unsung Comic Guru Turned Her Passion For Improv Into a Profitable Business INC Magazine, 2016
iO Co-Founder's Controversial Sexual Harassment Comments Spark Debate, Mae Rice, Chicagoist
iO Chicago’s move is more than a new address, Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune
iO makes a big move into founder Charna Halpern’s ‘dream theater’, Brianna Wellen, Chicago Reader
What We Can Learn From Improv Theaters' PPP Loans, Seth Simons, Paste Magazine
The Death of an Improv Theater: Mismanagement and Neglect at iO West, Seth Simons, Paste Magazine
Chicago Comedy Institution iO Theater Is Closing, Melena Ryzik, The New York Times
iO Past, Present, and Non-Future, Jack Helbig, Chicago Reader
The Case for Unionizing Comedy, Seth Simons, The Outline
Laughs Can Be Cheap at a Comedy Theater, Jason Zinoman, NYT
She’s the Hidden Architect of Modern Comedy, Jason Zinoman, NYT

PS. Sorry Seth Simons, I think I said your name wrong like 8 times in this episode. I misread it so many times. Forgive me, bestie.

Johnson & Johnson's Transvaginal Mesh Thingy Jan 18, 2022

Show notes

My friend Bibi joins to talk about Johnson & Johnson’s transvaginal mesh implant that has been the center of class action lawsuits around the globe. Comedy podcast!! In this episode, we’ll dive into gruesome detail about how your organs sag with age, how some products have tried and failed to alleviate that problem, and how your work emails should never be the subject of court litigation. Follow @BustedBizBureau on all social media! It really helps me out, thanks!

Footnotes:

The history and evolution of pessaries for pelvic organ prolapse, Shah et al. 2005
FEDERAL COURT OF AUSTRALIA, Gill v Ethicon Sàrl (No 5) [2019] FCA 1905
SUPERIOR COURT OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA The People of the state of California vs JOHNSON & JOHNSON, ETHICON, INC.and DOES 1 Case No. 37-2016-00017229-CU-MC-CTL, January 2020
Ethicon complaint reviewer says in J&J trial that patients felt vaginal mesh instructions fell short of explaining risks, Northern California Record 2019
Revealed: Johnson & Johnson's 'irresponsible' actions over vaginal mesh implant, The Guardian
Huskey v Ethicon Day 4- Huskey Takes the Stand, Jane Akre, 2014
'Scandal' of vaginal mesh removal rates revealed by NHS records, The Guardian
Patient Recruiter and Physician Plead Guilty in Bribery and Kickback Scheme in Connection with Transvaginal Mesh Litigation, DOJ 2021
Orlando doctor facing federal charges banned from performing liposuction after patient death, Orlando Sentinel, 2021

Kars4Kids Jan 10, 2022

Show notes

Karsten Runquist joins for an overwhelmingly deep dive into Kars4Kids. When you donate your car, where does your money go? This question is what inspired me to start this entire podcast. If you like looking through public tax records, learning about real estate speculation, or being frightened by sentient 5-dollar-bill mascots, this one's for you. Follow @karstenrunquist and/or @runquistkarsten everywhere!

Listen on Amazon Prime / Audible

Listen on Youtube

Footnotes:

Kars4Kids website, check out the houses and stuff! Pretty fun!
Car donation: When it makes sense to seek a charity tax deduction, Peter Gareffa Edmunds
Kars4Kids Tax Filings by year, ProPublica
Kars4Kids Charity Reneged on Deal, Josh Nathan-Kazis, 2012
Charity in Taxes Tussle, Wall Street Journal, 2012
Kars4Kids Charity Loses Big on Real Estate, Josh Nathan-Kazis, 2012
Court: Oorah is tax-exempt in town of Jefferson, Matthew Mckibben, 2014
Oorah Tax Filings by year, Propublica
Did an Orthodox Charity Secretly Buy a Synagogue Just to Avoid Filing a Tax Return?, Josh Nathan-Kazis, 2016
More on Congregation Oorah, Hannah Dreyfus, 2016
Oorah Federal Covid-related Complaint, 2021
The Cruel (but Effective) Agony of the Kars4Kids Jingle, Jake Rossen 2018
NonProfit Quarterly -- Kars4Kids: What the Jingle Leaves Out (Minnesota), 2017

Clothing Donation Bins / Tvind Teachers Group Jan 03, 2022

Show notes

Jaxi Alegria joins to talk about commercial clothing donation bins, specifically the ones tied to an international political cult. Big swing for the first episode! We'll talk about troubled teen facilities, international fugitives known for tax evasion, fradulent charities, and how sexy you have to be to commit certain crimes.

Listen on Amazon Prime / Audible

Listen on Youtube

1. Tvind Alert Website

2. Minneapolis and USagain bins, Grant Wilson

3. Case Summary of Danish Prosecutor vs. Mogens Amdi Petersen

4. FBI Report on Tvind, 2001

5. Former supporters describe charity leader's rise and fall, Chicago Tribune

6. Concerning Tvind, Steen Thomsen

7. Charity Commission Report, 1997

8. Fresh abuse allegations at children’s ‘home of horrors’ with links to ‘cult-like’ group, Tom Bristow

9. Teachers Group: The cult-like group linked to a charity that gets UK aid, BBC

10. US taxpayers are financing alleged cult through African aid charities, Reveal News

11. PlanetAid's 2020 Annual Report, Talks about One World University and Humana People to People

12. Tvind's Website Timeline stating that they founded One World University and Humana People to People

The Salvation Army's Labor Violations Jan 03, 2022

Show notes

Blender Bluid joins to talk about the Salvation Army. NOT THE GAY STUFF. This is about worker’s rights, weird Christians, incredibly lax laws around what counts as “rehab,” and resisting the urge to cry while reading court documents about labor violations. Follow @blenderbluid everywhere!

Listen on Amazon Prime / Audible

Listen on Youtube

1. The anti-drinking listicle, William Booth 1888

2. Salvation Army ARC magazine write-up, New Frontier Chronicle (now CARING magazine)

3. Charlotte ARC write-up, UNC MediaHub contributors

4. Chaotic De Moines Article, Lee Rood

5. Department of Labor decision, Washington Times

6. "Work Therapy"—How the Salvation Army's Chain of Rehabs Exploits Unpaid Labor, Kenneth Anderson

7. Guy Dixon court summary, Jan 2005

8. California Salvation Army Court Complaint, May 2021

9. Chicago Salvation Army Court Complaint, Nov 2021

Adelphia Jan 03, 2022

Show notes

Amy Do joins to talk about the meteoric rise and fall of a family cable empire from the 90s. It’s like if Succession took place in a rural company town, had less sexy actors, and added fradulently-funded lesbian arthouse films. Turns out, it only takes one question from a nosy fella to collapse a billion-dollar business. Follow @helloamydo everywhere!

Listen on Amazon Prime / Audible

Listen on Youtube

1. JohnnyCashRules32 Youtube Page

2. Adelphia Interviews, Dr. Susan Bishop

3. Court Case Summary, District Judge Gerard Lynch

4. SEC vs. Adelphia

5. That damn public Adelphia meeting, NYT 2002

6. Retrospective on Adelphia, NYT 2004

7. Watch Songcatcher for Free, Tubi

8. The Adelphia Story, CNN Money

9. John Rigas First Pitch, Olean Times Herald