Fraudsters

Latest Episodes:

Nicole Daedone and OneTaste Part II – the Rise, (Climax), and Fall Mar 29, 2022

Show notes

It’s part two and we are taking a hard look at the orgasm… again! Dr. Jordan is back and we go through all the wildly offensive details on Nicole Daedone and One Taste. We won’t lie, things get a little dark here: sexual assaults, coercion sexual control, trauma, financial debts, and other horrors sponsored by One Taste. How did One Taste work? Where did the money come from? Why would people engage in it? Tune in to listen to the perfect intersection between scams and orgasmic meditations. It is all about power!

TIMESTAMPS

(2:04) - Dr. Jordan is back with us to help us finish with the One Taste’s Case and talk about the PhD in Sensuality or Lifestyles offered by Moore University.

(15:44) - Meeting Reese Jones, the tech millionaire that was funding One Taste and all about Orgasmic Meditation.

(19:54) - $499 for a weekend course! $12,000 for a coaching course! A $60,000 exclusive membership! Spoiler alert: this is where it gets really gross.

(23:17) - Pussy noses, t-shirt slogans, and asking how’s your orgasm? - The sickening and coercive sales tactics used by One Taste.

(29:57) - At this point, Scientology feels a little PG compared to these people! The violence and adding centers where vulnerable people show up and feel like they have a shelter.

(35:52) - The perpetrator's profile: Likely people who have a history of engagement in prior violence or prior perpetrated behaviors and have been praised for it.

(41:47) - The victims: Feeling ashamed, having power issues, PTSD, physiological trauma, debts and so many things that victims have to go through thanks to One Taste’s slavery system.

(46:57) - The Fall: Bloomberg’s article, Daedone stepping down as CEO, believing her own lies, the FBI opening an investigation and closing all of One Taste’s offices.

(54:07) - Groom your bush and play with your wood - The Land, or what might be the 2.0 version of One Taste. Will they ever stop?

(58:48) - Why Daedone’s work is not new - Dr. Jordan shares with us some final thoughts about One Taste and how it is a cult.

RESOURCES

One Taste’s website

Dr. Ruth on Twitter

Dr. Ruth on Instagram

Dr. Jordan Soper’s Website

Dr. Jordan on Facebook

Dr. Jordan on Linkedin

Dr. Jordan on Instagram

The Darkside of One Taste, the Orgasmic Meditation Company an article by Bloomberg

OneTaste CEO Steps Down After Claims That Company Engaged in Predatory Behavior an article by Bloomberg

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Nicole Daedone and OneTaste Part I – The Seductive Power of a Guaranteed Orgasm Mar 22, 2022

Show notes

This episode is all about sex, orgasms, and pleasure! Did that get your attention? Well, this is the way One Taste would get the attention of their victims. It is our first wellness fraud and to help us navigate its turbulent waters we invited Dr. Jordan Soper a certified sex therapist to speak with us. What is One Taste? What is Orgasmic Meditation or OM? Witsho is Nicole Daedone and where did she get the inspiration for One Taste? In this episode, we see how the promise of pleasure can turn into a real nightmare where slavery, control, and harassment rule. Put your audio seat belt on because it’s about to get nasty!

TIMESTAMPS

(02:16) - It’s our first wellness fraud! The company: One Taste. The fraud: Orgasmic Meditation or OM. The core: a classical financial scheme. But first, what is OM?

(07:24) - To help us navigate the turbulent waters of One Taste’s case, we invited Dr. Jordan Soper, a certified sex therapist.

(09:26) - What is the pleasure gap? How the orgasm receives more attention rather than pleasure.

(11:39) - Nicole Daedone, founder and CEO of One Taste, has a Ted Talk about the female orgasm. Let’s hear what she has to say about it and learn a little bit about her past.

(24:46) - What makes an orgasm good? Thinking about orgasms from the clinical standpoint there are so many mechanisms involved. We need details guys, not generalizations!

(27:50) - Learning from Victor Baranco - Founder of the Lafayette Morehouse, sex communes, and the model that Daedone later used for One Taste.

(33:25) - Slavery, control, and hiding under “educational purposes” - The really creepy stuff that was going on at Lafayette Morehouse.

(43:34) - Baranco’s target: young, naive, and new to the world. Also, other disgusting tales from the Lafayette Morehouse.

RESOURCES

Dr. Jordan Soper’s Website

Dr. Jordan on Facebook

Dr. Jordan on Linkedin

Dr. Jordan on Instagram

Nicole Daedone’s Ted Talk

Lafayette Morehouse video

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BONUS: A Deep Dive on Felicity Huffman, Lori Loughlin, and Mossimo Giannulli Mar 15, 2022

Show notes

How far can a parent go for his/her kid? We’ve realized that we have a little bit of meat left on the old Rick Singer bone and that is why we decided to make a bonus episode! We cover the cases of actresses Felicity Huffman (Desperate Housewives), Lori Laughlin (Full House), and her husband Mossimo Giannulli (Yes, the 90s Mossimo jeans guy). It seemed like these celebrities made some generous “donations” to the Key Worldwide Foundation but in reality, they were paying to get their daughters into top universities. What led them to make those decisions? How did they all end up? Are they part of our beloved fraudsters? Tune in and discover with great details how far these celebs went for their kids!

TIMESTAMPS

(02:07) - We’re covering one of Hollywood’s scandals in hope that, maybe, we can figure out what led the people involved to make the decisions they did. Let’s start with Felicity Huffman!

(08:40) - Art imitating life? Felicity’s career takes off with Desperate Housewives and her tendency to play the role of the well-intended mother.

(13:37) - Freeze! Felicity is arrested in 2019 for giving $15K to the Key Worldwide Foundation to get her daughter the extra 400 points she needed for her SAT to audition for drama school.

(23:52) - Doing the same scheme next year for her younger daughter, aborting the mission due to Huffman’s guilt which eventually helped her case (in addition to Eva Longoria’s support letter).

(25:40) - Huffman’s lawyers argue that “she was being unfairly persecuted for being rich,” and the sentence she had to face. Also, what happened to Sofia?

(29:46) - Introducing the fraudster couple: Actress Lori Laughlin and fashion designer Mossimo Giannulli.

(38:33) - Let’s focus on Olivia Jade’s story because the scheme in her case is better and, well, more documented: The fake athletes and the sentences her parents had to face.

(45:29) - “I’ve been to one class and I already want to die,” Olivia Jade on USC. Also, we talk with Melissa Korn and Jennifer Levitz about Olivia Jade on the Red Table Talk.

RESOURCES

Desperate Housewives, meet the housewives

Olivia Jade on the Red Table Talk

Unacceptable: Privilege, Deceit & the Making of College Admissions Scandal by Melissa Korn, Jennifer Levitz

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Anna Sorokin Update – Talking to Arian Moayed about "Inventing Anna," "Succession," Waterwell and More Mar 08, 2022

Show notes

We can’t get enough of Anna! In this episode, we continue our exploration of Anna Sorokin’s case and the show “Inventing Anna”. We had the opportunity to interview actor, writer, and director Arian Moayed. Arian shares with us a little bit of his story, his amazing project Waterwell and his experience playing Anna Delvey’s lawyer, Todd Spodek, in this Shondaland hit. We’re really grateful for the opportunity to meet and talk with such a great guy like Arian (Of Stewy fame from Succession!). Why does he play such shitty people? How is it to be on a Shonda Rhimes set? What is his perception of Anna Delvey’s case? Tune in and find out!

TIMESTAMPS

(01:33) - You’ve seen him in “Succession”, “Spider-man: No Way Home” and “Inventing Anna.” Ladies and gentlemen Arian Moayed!

(10:48) - Arian talks to us about his amazing company Waterwell, an art and education civic-minded company.

(19:08) - Ok now let’s get to the good part! - Arian shares with us his experience playing the role of Anna’s lawyer, Todd Spodek.

(23:16) - Meeting the real Todd on the most crucial day of filming for Arian, the Brooklyn accent, and being in a Shonda Rhimes set.

(32:15) - What is it about these types of stories that make us so attracted to them? Thinking Anna is not a victim? Or is she? Arian shares his thoughts on this.

(39:27) - Rachel, the Queen of Missteps - The way the media is portraying Anna’s defrauded best friend.

(44:02) - Succession - Being such a lovely man, how does Arian play such shitty people? Also, has Arian been a victim of fraud?

RESOURCES

Arian Moayed on Instagram

Arian Moayed on Twitter

Waterwell website

Succession Trailer

Spider-man: No Way Home Trailer

Inventing Anna, breakdown jail scene (1x8)

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Anna Delvey Update – Talking to a Real Journalist about the Fake Heiress and “Inventing Anna” Mar 01, 2022

Show notes

We are going back to season one a little bit and talking about one of our favorite fraudsters, Anna Delvey! Who is Anna now? Also, our favorite New York Times reporter and our favorite reporter for the Anna Delvey story is back! We take a closer look at Shonda Rhimes’ dramatization of events: Inventing Anna, and the different efforts of media outlets to answer who Anna is. Has she changed? What is next for her? What has she been up to? It seems we’re still very interested in her and have soo many questions! Join us and satisfy your Anna Delvey intrigue with us!

TIMESTAMPS

(02:00) - Let’s talk about one of our favorite fraudsters Ana Sorokin aka Anna Delvey and go through some of the key moments from last season's episodes we did about her case.

(07:34) - Who is Anna? The 60 minutes sit-down interview with Anna, her Instagram, and Shonda Rhymes’ dramatization of events, “Inventing Anna.”

(13:45) - Emily Palmer is back! The journalist who covered Anna’s trial joins us one more time to talk about what Anna Delvey is like now.

(22:23) - Inventing Anna - The 9-hour-long dramatization of Anna’s case. How accurate was the show? Was it a fair portrayal of Anna?

(36:46) - Is she remorseful? Reinventing Anna, the changes Emily has been able to see about this fraudster and Anna saying “I’m not a good person.”

(42:14) - What is she getting out of all this fanfare? Also, we take a look at the things we missed! And, what do Anna’s case and mediatic spotlight say about society?

(55:51) - What is next for Anna in the upcoming months? What is next for Emily? What was Emily’s favorite part of the show?

RESOURCES

Inventing Anna, the official trailer

Anna’s Instagram

Emily Palmer on Twitter

Emily Palmer on LinkedIn

Emily Palmer on Instagram

Emily Palmer on The New York Times

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Charles Ponzi – Italians, Coupons, Skin Transplants and Florida Feb 22, 2022

Show notes

It’s the Italian swindler of excellence! The Picasso of con artists! The king of kings of fraudsters Charles Ponzi! We’ve all heard about the Ponzi schemes but who was Ponzi? What did he do to have a scheme named after him? We invited Patrick O’Boyle to help us understand Charles Ponzi twisted and brilliant mind better. Also, Dr. Amir Mahan Ghaznavi (Yes, Seena’s brother) shares with us some useful information to prove that Ponzi’s redemption story was pure trash! In this episode, we learn who Charles Ponzi was before becoming the king of fraud, how he got to America, and his neverending scheme stories. Tune in and find out why he is the crème de la crème of fraudsters!

TIMESTAMPS

(02:10) - It’s the proto fraudster! The king of kings of frauds! The Italian immigrants' scam! The Lord and Savior Charles Ponzi!

(07:54) - Patrick O’Boyle is here to help us illustrate and paint a more beautiful picture of what Ponzi actually is to the Italian people and who he was back then.

(15:36) - Ponzi comes to America! Why Italians might have gravitated toward the banking center? Patrick O’Boyle shares his theory about it.

(25:04) - Ponzi’s crime beginnings: Faking a check, his job as ‘Special Assistant to a prison warden at the Canadian Prison,’ becoming the Canadian Coyote, and more time in prison.

(29:31) - Rebooting his image - Becoming a nurse at a mining camp and giving 50 inches of his skin to a fellow nurse. Is that even possible? Let’s see what Dr. Amir has to say…

(37:36) - It's the beginning of his iconic fraud! The creation of The Securities Exchange Company which promised a 100% return on investment in his postal reply coupons in 90 days.

(43:47) - Meet Charles Burelli and Andrea Luciana - Changing identities, faking deaths, and changing jobs. Scam and prison being the only constant things in Ponzi’s life.

RESOURCES

The Italian American Podcast website

Patrick O’Boyle on Facebook

Patrick O’Bolye on Instagram

Dr. Amir Mahan Ghaznavi Cleveland Clinic’s Website

Dr. Amir Mahan Ghaznavi on LinkedIn

Dr. Amir Mahan Ghaznavi on Twitter

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Rick Singer Part III - Fraudsters Roulette "Varsity Blues Edition" Feb 15, 2022

Show notes

It’s our final episode on the College Admission Scandal where Rick Singer is the Michael Jordan of snitching! In this episode, we are having a little fun introducing the Fraudsters Roulette! There are around 40 parents to choose from and we are telling you, we are airing all their dirty laundry! Who are they? What did they do? Are they facing any sentences? And finally, we talk with Melissa and Jennifer about who the real victims of this fraud are. Don’t go anywhere because this final episode it’s gonna get hot and scammy.

TIMESTAMPS

(02:02) - If Rick Singer falls everyone falls with him! He has to win right? How Morrie Tobin flipped on Rick Singer and everything went down.

(13:48) - Introducing the Fraudster’s Roulette for the Varsity Blues Scandal! We’ve got around 40 parents to choose from! The first one is Robert Flaxman.

(18:54) - Our next lucky fraudsters of the day are: Gordon Ernst, Peter Jan Sartorio, and Robert Zangrillo!

(31:33) - Red 18 is no other than Michelle Janavs! She is the heiress of the Hot Pockets empire and we’ll tell you, she would do anything for her kids.

(35:46) - The complete absurdity of this case, how people threw their money away just for status ($50 million or not, the kid isn’t going to class anyway), and how this is a Nuveau Rich thing.

(41:14) - Continuing with our Fraudster’s Roulette we talk about Jane Buckingham, just take that name in and imagine her…well it’s worst, it’s the complete dark side of this case.

(50:23) - The final fraudsters from the Fraudster’s Roulette are…the Abbotts anddd Doug Hodge!

(1:07:09) - Who were the real victims of this whole fraud? The real-life athlete kids whose photos were stolen and the intended beneficiaries.

RESOURCES

Hot Pockets commercial

Jane Buckingham on Instagram

Greg Abbott’s book

I Wish I’d Never Met Rick Singer by Doug Hodge

Unacceptable: Privilege, Deceit & the Making of College Admissions Scandal by Melissa Korn, Jennifer Levitz

Jennifer Levitz on Twitter

Jennifer Levitz on The Wall Street Journal

Jennifer Levitz on LinkedIn

Melissa Korn on The Wall Street Journal

Melissa Korn on Twitter

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Rick Singer Part II - FOMO & Fictional Students Feb 08, 2022

Show notes

Rick Singer finally starts selling that one thing that makes every parent vulnerable: their children's future. In this episode, we see how he reaches the peak. Finally, he is the winner of all hustlers and liars! Melissa and Jennifer are back to give us some insights on the techniques and the mechanism of Singer’s scam. How did it work? Also, we learn about his two companies and the key role they played for the scam to work, and finally, we get to see how it all blew up. Tune in and find out why Rick Singer is the greatest rat of all time!

TIMESTAMPS

(02:03) - Our grooming fraudster decided it was time to make his move helping kids into the school of their dreams and published a book called “Getting in.” So kind of him!

(10:56) - Launching the college counselor - A tight group of wealthy white elite people hires him in the early 90s. Also, Melissa and Jennifer share with us how he did business.

(16:07) - The art of resume embellishment - Bold-faced lies and business growing. (FOMO, a hell of a drug and Singer’s business fuel!)

(22:36) - A change of luck! His time working for call centers, India, and coming back to tell more lies than ever before!

(33:36) - The Master Coach and his two companies: Edge College and Career Network, LLC, and The Key Worldwide foundation. A complete shit show!

(37:29) - We listen to an actual conversation from Rick Singer getting hired. Also, Melissa and Jennifer give us a little more insight into the scam itself.

(44:34) - Bribes and Cambodia - The Key Worldwide Foundation as an exempt organization under 501C3. What does that mean? How did Singer make it work?

(56:37) - Melissa and Jennifer tell us how it all blew up: Rick Singer is a rat and he is the greatest rat of all time!

RESOURCES

The Key Worldwide Overview

Unacceptable: Privilege, Deceit & the Making of College Admissions Scandal by Melissa Korn, Jennifer Levitz

Jennifer Levitz on Twitter

Jennifer Levitz on The Wall Street Journal

Jennifer Levitz on LinkedIn

Melissa Korn on The Wall Street Journal

Melissa Korn on Twitter

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Rick Singer Part I - The Bobby Knight of College Counseling Feb 01, 2022

Show notes

Welcome to season 2 of your favorite fraudsters podcast! We would do anything for our children, who wouldn’t? So, let’s go into the Rick Singer College Admission Scandal! In this episode, we meet Rick Singer, the man, the coach, the fraudster! Where did he come from? What is his backstory? What led him to be the protagonist of the College Admission Scandal? Jennifer Levitz and Melissa Korn, authors of the New York Times Bestseller “Unacceptable,” join us to learn more about Singer and his story. Get it on!

TIMESTAMPS

(02:38) - Let’s get into the Rick Singer College Admission Scandal! Aka parents paying a bunch of money (on top of that you also have to pay the tuition) to get their kids into private schools.

(07:46) - Jennifer Levitz and Melissa Korn, authors of the New York Times Bestseller “Unacceptable” are here to provide some wonderful background and insight on this case.

(13:20) - Who was Rick Singer? Where did he grow up? A little bit of background on this fraudster.

(18:07) - “I’m gonna be rich someday,” Singer’s drive to prove to other people how wrong they were about him and his big charisma.

(27:13) - Singer getting triggered by goals, being always the winner, and becoming the coach with unorthodox motivation methods.

(33:25) - The great epiphany - Singer realizes the kids needed to be mentored and guided on how to prepare themselves and get into college.

RESOURCES

Unacceptable: Privilege, Deceit & the Making of College Admissions Scandal by Melissa Korn, Jennifer Levitz

Jennifer Levitz on Twitter

Jennifer Levitz on The Wall Street Journal

Jennifer Levitz on LinkedIn

Melissa Korn on The Wall Street Journal

Melissa Korn on Twitter

Tab Cola “Beautiful People” Commercial (1978)

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Enron Part IV - Blowing the Whistle with Sherron Watkins [SEASON FINALE] Apr 22, 2021

Show notes

It’s our last episode for this season and for our big finale we talk about the sinking of the Titanic of companies: Enron! The tech bubble burst and changed the game. Journalists began to ask questions and Enron went from ferocious beast to wounded prey. We have our first whistleblower in the show, Sherron Watkins! Who is she? How did she get into Enron? How did she end up as a whistleblower? And finally, we see how white-collar crime can be life-threatening and extremely detrimental to its victims.

TIMESTAMPS

(03:36) - From predator to prey - Bethany McLean starts asking questions. Journalists and other investors are seeing blood and they are hungry.

(12:26) - Introducing Sherron Watkins, who shares with us her experience at Enron. But first, who was Sherron before Enron? How was it like to work for Arthur Andersen?

(19:57) - “Enron felt more sophisticated, a little more polished,” getting into Enron, her experience as a female executive and meeting the “big guys.”

(28:31) - The bright and ambitious “buzz saw” Sherron Watkins tells us about the projects she worked on at Enron and running accross the raptors.

(41:12) - Pointing the iceberg to the captain with selective blindness - The confusion, the letter, learning more about the fraud, getting evidence together and getting ignored…

(50:53) - Becoming the Whistleblower - Who failed? How did her letter get published? How did it feel to become a troublemaker for her own tribe?

(59:57) - The dog and pony show - Testifying in front of Jeff Skilling. “Things go wrong when smart people stop asking questions,” and some final words from Sherron.

(1:07:23) - The level of evil - The catastrophic end of Enron and the inhumane priceacross the victims had to pay.

RESOURCES

Bethany McLean on Twitter

Bethany McLean on LinkedIn

The Smartest Guys in the Room by Bethany McLean

Hotel Kenneth Laya lyrics

Sherron Watkins website

Subscribe to SiriusXM Podcasts+ to listen to new episodes of Fraudsters ad-free.
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Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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