Scamfluencers

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Allen Stanford: The Lord of the Lies | 113 Jul 08, 2024

Show notes

After a Texas oil bust forces him into bankruptcy, Allen Stanford looked abroad for a new opportunity: starting an off-shore bank in Antigua and using client money as his own personal piggybank. Soon, he’s spending billions on private planes, his own cricket grounds and estates all over the world. To keep his scheme going, he bullies his coworkers, makes blood oaths with regulators, and threatens to punch reporters in the mouth. But when the global financial crisis hits in 2008, Allen’s bravado is met with cold hard reality.

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Steve Madden: The Cobbler Con | 109 Jun 10, 2024

Show notes

Steve Madden transforms from Long Island screw-up to fashion icon thanks to an eye for fashionable footwear and an addiction to work. But to get his shoe brand off the ground, Steve got entangled with one of the Wolf of Wall Street himself, Jordan Belfort. And Steve’s dealings with Jordan — including wild parties and stock manipulation — won’t stay secret forever. When Jordan’s scam spirals out of control, Steve’s left on his back foot.

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Leona Helmsley: The Art of the Steal Part 1 | 101 Apr 15, 2024

Show notes

Leona Helmsley escapes Depression-era poverty by marrying billionaire real estate magnate Harry Helmsley. She takes over his Manhattan hotels and declares herself Queen of the Palace, then earns a royal reputation for berating, bullying, and firing employees at the drop of a hat. But when her tax bills come into question, everyone who’s worked under Leona gets their pitchforks ready to take down the Queen of Mean.

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Have Your Cake and Eat It, Too | 100 Apr 08, 2024

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Sandy Jenkins moves to the gossipy, small town of Corsicana, Texas to work in the town’s world-famous fruitcake factory. Desperate to keep up with his cliquey neighbors, Sandy starts cutting fruitcake factory checks to pay for jewelry, cars, a second home and private jet trips. But this half-baked scheme starts to crumble when a new employee takes a closer look at how Sandy cooks the books.

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Dial M for Mom | 98 Mar 25, 2024

Show notes

When ex-cop Chris Butler opens a private investigation agency, he recruits some unlikely employees: good-looking soccer moms. His agency starts garnering tons of positive press and even gets a reality T.V. deal. It all seems too good to be true, but Butler is hiding a dirty secret. Pretty soon, his P.I. agency will become the subject of a different kind of investigation – this time, by the Department of Justice.

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The Shark Tank Charlatan | 93 Feb 19, 2024

Show notes

Nate Holzapfel is a natural salesman. When he goes on the television show “Shark Tank” in 2012, he wows investors with his line of ratchet-style belts, which he claims are “like a giant zip tie for your pants.” His company takes off, but Nate still isn’t satisfied – he wants to live even larger. That’s when he decides to take on a much darker business venture: defrauding the most powerless people he can find.

This episode contains descriptions of sexual violence and assault. If you or someone you know is a survivor of sexual assualt and would like to speak with an advocate who is trained to help, the U.S. National Sexual Assault Hotline can be reached at 1-800-656-HOPE.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Death Becomes Him | 92 Feb 12, 2024

Show notes

Alexandre Despallieres gets to live out his lifelong fantasy of recording a pop song when he’s just 19 years old. He thinks it’s his chance to achieve everything he’s always wanted, including music industry stardom. But when the single falls flat, Alexandre will have to find other ways of becoming rich and famous – even if it means lying, committing crimes, and swindling the wealthy benefactors who fall in love with him.

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Martha Stewart: The Homemaker Hustler Part 1 | 87 Jan 08, 2024

Show notes

Martha Stewart spends decades building her lifestyle empire from the ground up. Her cut-throat business savvy helps make her America’s first self-made female billionaire. But when she becomes embroiled in an insider trading scandal in 2002, it’ll spark a media circus and threaten to muddy her squeaky clean image. A damning investigation by the U.S. government promises to take her down – alongside some of her closest friends.

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Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker: The God Fraud | Part 1 | 83 Dec 18, 2023

Show notes

Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker get their start in Christian broadcasting in the early 1960s and quickly become television superstars. As their fame explodes, they build an empire complete with their own network, a theme park, and a super-sized luxury lifestyle for themselves. But when their spending – and their scandals – get out of control, they’ll face their own kind of judgment day.

This episode contains descriptions of sexual assault. If you or someone you know is a survivor looking for resources, call the U.S. National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-H-O-P-E.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Melissa Caddick: Trouble's Afoot | 77 Nov 06, 2023

Show notes

Melissa Caddick has always dreamed of doing big things. When she becomes a high-powered financial planner, she’s finally able to buy a huge house, take extravagant vacations, and live the life of an Australian jet-setter. But all that cash isn’t just coming from her paycheck. When her friends and family find out her secret source of income, they feel hurt and betrayed. But by that point, Melissa has mysteriously vanished.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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