The Ponzi Playbook

Latest Episodes:

24: The Gucci Goddess May 08, 2025

Show notes

Meet Janet Yamanaka Mello—better known as the "Gucci Goddess." She wasn’t your typical fraudster. Dripping in designer labels, driving luxury cars, and amassing an absurd collection of real estate, she managed to siphon off over $100 million from the U.S. Army’s youth programs. How did a civilian employee turn a government grant program into her personal ATM? And why did nobody notice for six years?

In this episode, Javier and Neal break down how Mello pulled off one of the most brazen frauds against the U.S. military. From creating fake vendors and ghost accounts to laundering millions into mansions, sports cars, and $11 million worth of luxury jewelry, this story takes “flashy fraud” to a whole new level.

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23: My Wife, The Ponzi Schemer Apr 23, 2025

Show notes

This is an Interview with a man convicted of a Ponzi scheme. It originally aired on the PRETEND podcast.

Bill Livolsi says he was just trying to help his wife, Linda, the ringleader of a multi-million dollar investment scam.

In this episode, Bill opens up about how he got roped into the scheme, ignored every red flag, and ultimately landed in prison. He describes fake hedge funds, imaginary employees, and a key investor who also happened to be a self-proclaimed witch and lottery winner.

But here’s the twist: Linda isn’t just any con artist. She’s the sister of the woman who tried to steal Elvis Presley’s Graceland—something we covered in a previous episode of PRETEND.

Yeah, this story just got a whole lot weirder.

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22. The Ponzi Defense: Elliot Abrams on White-Collar Legal Tactics Mar 31, 2025

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What happens after the feds kick in your door?

In this special bonus episode of The Ponzi Playbook, we sit down with white-collar defense attorney Elliot Sol Abrams—partner at Cheshire Parker Schneider Abrams—for a raw, behind-the-scenes look at what it’s really like to defend clients facing federal fraud charges.

You’ll hear:

What goes down in the hours and days after an FBI raid
How money—or the lack of it—affects your legal defense
What a “win” actually looks like for a defense attorney

Plus, we unpack a notable case—Chamberlain v. United States—that helped limit the government’s power to seize assets not directly tied to alleged crimes and explore the psychology behind Ponzi schemes, sociopathy, and second chances.

Guest:

Elliot Sol Abrams is a partner at Cheshire Parker Schneider Abrams in Raleigh, NC. He defends individuals in high-stakes white-collar cases, asset forfeiture disputes, and professional discipline matters.

👉 Follow The Ponzi Playbook on LinkedIn for updates and deeper dives into white-collar crime. Connect with Neal McTighe and Javier Leiva to keep the conversation going.

👍 Like, rate, and leave a comment wherever you listen—your feedback helps others find the show!

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21: The AI Hitmaker: Michael Smith’s $10 Million Stream Scheme Mar 27, 2025

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What if you could create thousands of songs using AI… and make millions off them without a single fan? That’s exactly what prosecutors say Michael Smith did.

In this episode of The Ponzi Playbook, Javier and Neal are joined by criminal defense attorney Elliot Abrams to unpack a case that’s not your typical Ponzi scheme—but definitely fraud-adjacent. We're talking about AI-generated music, armies of bots streaming tracks nonstop, and royalty checks that rival Mariah Carey’s Christmas classic.

About Elliot Abrams:

Elliot Abrams is a white-collar defense attorney and partner at Cheshire Parker Schneider Abrams. He represents clients in criminal cases, asset forfeiture, and professional licensing matters, as well as civil rights, NCAA, and government ethics investigations.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/esabrams

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20: The Ponzi Priestess Feb 26, 2025

Show notes

When the FBI raided financial advisor Dawn Bennett’s luxury penthouse in 2017, they expected to find evidence of fraud. What they didn’t expect? Freezers packed with mason jars—each containing a severed cow tongue, labeled with the initials of SEC attorneys investigating her.

Bennett, once a well-respected investment advisor, promised her clients 15% annual returns. Instead, she drained millions from retirees and funneled the cash into her lavish lifestyle—funding high-end fashion, $100K in cosmetic treatments, and nearly $1 million in payments to Hindu priests she believed could perform rituals to keep investigators at bay.

In this episode, we unravel the bizarre world of Dawn Bennett’s Ponzi scheme—where financial fraud meets mysticism. From luxury sportswear investments that never paid off to occult rituals designed to silence her enemies, this case proves that some con artists will try anything to keep the scam alive.

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19: Burkhalter’s $372M Drive Planning Scheme Feb 12, 2025

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A guaranteed 10% return in just 90 days—sounds too good to be true, right? Well, it was. In this episode, we investigate Todd Burkhalter and Drive Planning, a Georgia-based financial firm that promised real estate-backed investments but instead ran a massive $372 million Ponzi scheme.

Hosts Javier and Neal expose how Burkhalter and his team lured in over 2,000 investors, convinced them to hand over their life savings, and then used their cash to fuel an extravagant lifestyle—complete with private jets, luxury vacations, and a $3.1M yacht named Live More.

We break down the tactics he used, the warning signs investors ignored, and how the SEC finally unraveled the scheme. Plus, we dig into exclusive testimony from Drive Planning’s executives—including some incredibly shady responses (or lack thereof) during questioning.

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The White Collar Support Group Oct 22, 2024

Show notes

Hey everyone, it's Javier. Neal and I are working hard on season two of the Ponzi Playbook. In the meantime, I want to share an episode that I think you'll enjoy from my other podcast PRETEND.

It’s hard to imagine former executives, investment fraudsters, and insider traders gathering for weekly support meetings.

When I first heard about a support group for white-collar criminals, I was skeptical. It sounded like an SNL sketch: former hedge fund managers, insider traders, and embezzlers sitting in a circle, sharing their woes. However, Jeff Grant, the founder of the White Collar Support Group, doesn’t see it that way. After serving time for his crimes, Grant emerged with a mission—to help others like him rebuild their lives, one meeting at a time. “I was lost,” he admits.

After his release from prison, Grant realized there was no blueprint for people like him to re-enter society. That’s why he founded the White Collar Support Group, a space for those prosecuted for financial crimes to navigate life after prison.

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18: Confessions of a Ponzi Schemer: The Timepiece Gentleman (Anthony Farrar) Apr 09, 2024

Show notes

This episode offers an unprecedented look into the life of the 'Timepiece Gentleman' Ponzi schemer, Anthony Farrar, whose love for luxury watches spiraled into a deceitful web of lies, culminating in a rare and candid confession.

If you want to hear more wild Ponzi stories, subscribe to The Ponzi Playbook hosted by me, Javier Leiva, and my buddy Neal McTighe.

SUBSCRIBE: https://t.co/M02YhRa5Iq

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17: Defrauding a U.S. President? Ferdinand Ward's Ponzi Scheme Mar 13, 2024

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The Swindle of the Century: How Ferdinand Ward Duped President Grant

This episode unveils the cunning plot that led to the financial ruin of

Ulysses S. Grant, Civil War hero and former President of the United

States.

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16: Matthew Beasley: You May Get Shot If You Run a $500M Ponzi Feb 07, 2024

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Matthew Beasley, once a respected attorney in Las Vegas, found himself at the heart of a $500 million Ponzi scheme, entangling investors with the promise of lucrative returns from slip-and-fall lawsuits. But his empire crumbled on March 3, 2022, with a shootout after the FBI showed up at his doorstep.

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