This week we begin our journey covering the one and only, Rod Blagojevich. Rod is the epitome of the American Dream– the son of Yugoslavian immigrants, he came from humble beginnings, shining shoes, delivering pizza, working as a… bookie. He worked himself all the way up to Congress and the story does not stop there! He ran for Governor of Illinois and won on an anti-corruption platform. Spoiler alert: he was corrupt!!! Rod was on the up and up, sneaking in bits of corruption here and there, tha...
Sep 12, 2023•1 hr•Season 4Ep. 108
We’re back to finish off the story of Jen Shah. In this episode, comedian and Emmy-nominated TV writer, Rae Sanni, serves as our Real Housewives expert helping us dig into Jen’s time on the Real Housewives of Salt Lake City. Jen Shah is nothing if not ambitious, she chose to be on national TV while actively running a telemarketing scheme that targeted the elderly. She’s sick and twisted and at the end of the day that’s actually what reality TV is all about!! She wasn’t our most strategic fraudst...
Sep 05, 2023•1 hr 11 min•Season 4Ep. 107
What’s the one place riddled with fraud that we just don’t talk about enough? That’s right, it’s reality TV baby!!! This week we’re talking all about Jen Shah from the Real Housewives of Salt Lake City. And there’s a lot to talk about. From her very Mormon childhood growing up in Utah to meeting her husband and converting to Islam, to when she started dipping her toe in the pool of defrauding the elderly to her actually becoming a fraudster herself (girlboss!), we cover it all. It’s the circle o...
Aug 22, 2023•57 min•Season 4Ep. 106
This week we’re back with more on Elijah Muhammad and the NOI! But of course, we can’t talk about the NOI without at least mentioning Malcolm X and his influence and then ultimately his breaking away from the group. What led to this you ask? Well, it maybe had something to do with Elijah Muhammad’s complicated relationships, financial improprieties, revelations of pregnancies, affairs, and blackmail – classic! We talk about the financial dealings of the NOI and the internal conflicts that led to...
Aug 15, 2023•46 min•Season 4Ep. 105
Our Fraudster du jour is none other than the honorable Elijah Muhammad paired with the Nation of Islam. As always we are setting up the fraud with some good ole fashioned background info. We go from Elijah’s turbulent childhood and upbringing to his days as an alcoholic, to the moment he found God… or Wallace Fard, who interestingly enough claimed to be the Mahdi and founded the Nation of Islam. Ooookay, sounds legit! Like any good fraudster, Elijah went through many iterations of his name and t...
Aug 08, 2023•1 hr 4 min•Season 4Ep. 104
This week we’re back with more Jim Traficant tales to tell with some help from Senator Bob Hagan. Traficant was a complicated man, a hero to some, and a fraudster to… everyone else. We take a walk down memory lane (CSPAN) to look at some of Traficant’s most memorable one-minute speeches AND his frauds from his time in Congress. Eventually, an FBI-led mob investigation brought him down. He represented himself in court (heroic), was expelled from Congress, and then sent to prison. Despite all of T...
Aug 01, 2023•1 hr 6 min•Season 4Ep. 103
We’re traveling all the way to Youngstown, Ohio this week to bring you all the hot goss on Fraudster, Jim Traficant. But context is everything, so before we get to the complicated Ohio Congressman, Seena goes over some history and how the rust belt got RUSTY, with the help of our guest, Senator Bob Hagan. Jim Traficant aka Jimbo, was a star college quarterback who could’ve played in the NFL, but instead somehow became the Sheriff of the Mahoning Valley. This man lived quite the life– he was indi...
Jul 25, 2023•56 min•Season 4Ep. 102
We are back with the last installment of our series on the Fugees to talk about the other guy… Pras Michel. As we learned in our last episode, dealing with money was Pras’s “niche” and it all makes sense now! We untangle the web of Pras’s finance fraud in this episode walking through his relationship with billionaire, Jho Low, the 1MDB scandal (a massive embezzlement scheme that toppled the Malaysian government- no big deal!!), and his latest convictions: money laundering, illegal lobbying, witn...
Jul 18, 2023•1 hr•Season 4Ep. 101
The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill? More like the Miseducation of Lauryn Hill filing her taxes! [cough] SO the joke here is that Lauryn Hill, the only truly talented member of the Fugees, intentionally did not file taxes for FIVE years, which is bad. On the bright side, she got to go to the famous prison from Orange Is the New Black. Tax evasion isn’t all we cover in this episode, in fact, there’s so much more… Lauryn Hill wanted to do good, but sometimes life (Wyclef) just gets in the way. This ep...
Jul 11, 2023•58 min•Season 4Ep. 100
Musicians can be Fraudsters too! In this episode, we focus on Haitian-American Wyclef Jean of the Fugees and dive into his many frauds… many many… many many…. you get it. We start off with how the band came to be and the significance of their success, before the trio’s inevitable downfall. But most importantly, we talk the twists and turns of Wyclef’s Yele Foundation/scam. It’s a tale as old as time– you see your country crumbling, you create an NGO, you spend $400,000 of $1.2 million dollars on...
Jul 04, 2023•1 hr 8 min•Season 4Ep. 99
George Santos has no shame and he will not be stopped. After diving into his origin story and legal crimes we finish this wild ride with his moral crimes. Which crime is worse? Posing as a puppy charity and stealing money from both veterans and Amish people?! But the Amish make such nice furniture! Then he skims ATMs. Is this another dark art taught by Mom? It doesn’t end there as Seena, Justin, and Ariel run down the list of other Georgie Truths from suspicious muggings, alleged employees gunne...
Jun 27, 2023•1 hr 9 min•Season 4Ep. 98
Welcome to Part 2 of George Santos! We deep dive into the recent indictment of Anthony George Devolder Califragilistic Expeala Santos and his merry band of frauds. We uncover the 13 counts of wire fraud, money laundering, theft of public funds, and false statements he's been charged with. From fraudulent political contribution schemes to unemployment insurance fraud, Santos keeps on scammin’. But how did this indictment come about? We take you through Santos's political runs and his connections ...
Jun 20, 2023•1 hr 6 min•Season 4Ep. 97
Welcome to Season 4! From outrageous lies to check fraud and even a stint as a drag queen, we delve into the jaw-dropping tales of this larger-than-life Congressman who's done more with the delete key than anyone in history: George Santos. This rollercoaster begins with George of the Bungle's origin story starting in Queens NY, to a sudden move to Brazil and then back again to begin a string of evictions and schemes for money. In between are the epic lies. From changing his name multiple times t...
Jun 13, 2023•1 hr 5 min•Season 4Ep. 96
Welcome to our pre-Season 4 Red Flag Bonus episode! We got friends like Lamont King and Erin and Jason Saenz telling us their personal stories of not seein' red flags and gettin' scammed. It'll leave you givin some side eye to gift cards and plane tickets. We also talk to Kelly Richmond Pope, author of "Fool Me Once", about the red flags to spot and how when we're at our most vulnerable. Make sure to follow us so you don't miss our Season 4 premiere that drops tomorrow! Welcome to our pre-Season...
Jun 12, 2023•1 hr 13 min
This week we welcome Langston Kerman and David Gborie from the podcast My Momma Told Me! We chat about conspiracies, a little Shaun King, a bit about Dr. Umar Johnson, and more. Plus, are you a melanated person? Because Starry is for you and that knock on your door might be the IRS. Listen now! This week we welcome Langston Kerman and David Gborie from the podcast My Momma Told Me! We chat about conspiracies, a little Shaun King, a bit about Dr. Umar Johnson, and more. Plus, are you a melanated ...
May 26, 2023•58 min•Season 3Ep. 94
In this week's episode of Fraudwire, we welcome Travis Irvine from Abe Lincoln's Top Hat to chat with Seena and Ariel! What's the latest on Kanye's - ahem Ye's (pronounced YAY for those 30+ year olds) - fake school? Well they got sushi. Plus, more of the latest fraud news and the most important question of our era: What mystery food will you eat? Then we have Iowa State Auditor Rob Sand to talk about his book "The Winning Ticket" and how he uncovered the biggest US lottery scam. And there's Big ...
Apr 14, 2023•56 min•Season 3Ep. 92
We are joined by Youtube Crypto personality and fellow Celsius victim Tiffany Fong! She explains how and why she gave a chunk of money to Mashinsky's yield ponzi scheme and all she got was a pic with Joe Biden at the White House. Worth it, right? She also spills the tea (or her cocktail) on how she bagged an interview with Sam Bankman-Fried aka SBF of FTX. And with the gift of hindsight and a good ol' pat on the back for those who didn't invest we look at some scammy clips of Mashinsky. Not your...
Mar 14, 2023•1 hr 1 min•Season 3Ep. 90
Last season our most controversial episode was when Seena shared how he got scammed in crypto. We open this week with the follow up and what exactly he got from that scam, and it's not nothing! It's… three images of…apes. But OOPS he did it again, this time in a different project with money he really did not to lose. We welcome special guest Jackie Zebrowski of LPN as she along with Ariel and Justin ROAST Seena big time. Because it's not just investing in fake apes that Ariel coulda photoshopped...
Mar 07, 2023•54 min•Season 3Ep. 89
We wrap up our series on Sunny Balwani with Ariel Leaty giving you Big Hinge Sunny Energy reading his and Elizabeth Holmes' text messages. Later, find out what it was like working at Theranos when you're super smart and your boss isn't. We got - our resident Bill Nye The Science Guy - former Chief Science Officer Seth Michelson giving us the scientific skinny working at the doomed start-up before it imploded. Listen now! We wrap up our series on Sunny Balwani with Ariel Leaty giving you Big Hing...
Feb 28, 2023•52 min•Season 3Ep. 88
Everyone talks about Elizabeth Holmes building up then bringing down Theranos but what about her other fraud half Ramesh aka "Sunny" Balwani? She was the black-turtle-neck-Steve-Jobs-face of the company while he was the acid-wash-jeans-creep-at-the-club-in-Gucci-loafers-wearing-too-much-cologne pulling the levers. Where did this guy come from and would Elizabeth have gotten as far without him? Also we got Fraudster Exclusive footage of Sunny that may or may not be from the TV show Lost. Listen n...
Feb 21, 2023•56 min•Season 3Ep. 87
It's time to say Bye Bye Bye to our final deep dive into Fraudster Lou Pearlman. He was a blimp scammer, a boy band scammer, and now he's a talent scout scammer. Just fork over the dough and he'll glamour shot you to stardom. Also, Lou creates 84 businesses to create the largest ponzi scheme to rip off retirees of their savings before Madoff ever did. Listen now to how it all comes crashing down on Big Poppa as he's sent to the Big House! Follow Us: https://twitter.com/seenanow https://www.insta...
Feb 14, 2023•45 min•Season 3Ep. 86
It's the late '90s. Backstreet Boys and NSync are at the height of their fame. Little do they know that both groups have a sixth member - dreamy heartthrob con Lou Pearlman. Find out how exactly Lou conned the boys out of their money and how he took advantage of them in other inappropriate ways. *Trigger Warning* This episode talks about predatory sexual harassment of minors. It's the late '90s. Backstreet Boys and NSync are at the height of their fame. Little do they know that both groups have ...
Feb 07, 2023•59 min•Season 3Ep. 85
Did you know that Lou Pearlman was in the *blimp* business? Before he was Big Poppa he crashed his first blimp only a mile away from where the Hidenberg went down. He entire empire started with insurance fraud and was amplified by Art Garfunkel - found out way on the show. And we get a guest appearance from our writer Nick Turner to play the Name Game: Lou Pearlman artist or dot come bubble business? Listen now cause we know you want it that way. Did you know that Lou Pearlman was in the *blimp*...
Jan 31, 2023•49 min•Season 3Ep. 84
We continue our series on Fake Abortion Centers - not clinics! - who fraudulently represent as medical health care services to pregnant women. How do these fraudsters get away with it? We interview two people who help us get answers and explain these centers’ mind-melting con tactics. First we speak to the author of the Reproductive Care Act, current San Francisco City Attorney David Chiu. He explains how the bill went from providing women factual information to the Supreme Court ruling in favor...
Jan 24, 2023•59 min•Season 3Ep. 83
Have you put a ring on it, yet? We wrap up our series on the Diamond Industry cartel talkin about peacocks! More like Zahavi's Handicap principle (which is basically about peacocks) helps humans (men) send signals (DIAMONDS) to con women into trusting it as a symbol of love. Plus get ready to rumble with Colonel Debeers, listen to an Oppenheimer side step pesky questions about fair trade, Elizabeth Taylor's friends wear diamonds while raising money, and remember that classic '90s Debeers commerc...
Jan 17, 2023•49 min•Season 3Ep. 82
A Diamond is Forever! We continue our series on the diamond industry with the world's favorite family the Oppenheimers! Together with De Beers they created a cartel that controls the entire diamond market. We discuss how female Don Drapers launched an advertising campaign right after WWII (who needs a sandwich when you can have a diamond?) and created the most successful ad slogan of the 20th century. With the help of an ad agency, De Beers became the original Jacob the Jeweler and outfitted cel...
Jan 10, 2023•57 min•Season 3Ep. 81
We’re headed to Jared! We begin our multi-part series on the Diamond Industry and the imperialist who started it all: Cecil Rhodes. His entrepreneurial ambitions made him walk 14 hours in a day to conquer a mine that would later become the international diamond corporation known as De Beers. How does this English kid with a heart of an 80 year old build a diamond monopoly off the backs of millions of Africans, have a country named after him, start the Rhodes Scholarship, and create so much power...
Jan 03, 2023•1 hr 4 min•Season 3Ep. 80
We’ve reached the end of our Candace Owens series (or is it?). In this episode we talk about how much she got paid while at Blexit and how she collaborated with Kanye. And we’ll show you that Candace Owens’s promoted Freedom Phone is definitely NOT just an Android with an American Flag wallpaper. She also explains how George Floyd was a bad person and therefore deserved to die at the hands of police while she harassed his family. Finally, Candace sees herself in “White Lives Matter”…because she ...
Dec 20, 2022•1 hr 22 min•Season 3Ep. 79
Part 2 of our Race Hustlers Series - we’re learning more about Candace than we ever thought. We’ll track how she goes from Turning Point USA to a teeth-sucking worthy testimony before Congress, and her initial collaboration with Kanye– Blexit. From her fried hair to her love of shrimp, we'll be covering it all. Tune in for a hilarious and eye-opening look at Candace’s reality distortion field. Follow Us: https://twitter.com/seenanow https://www.instagram.com/justin_williams_comedy/ https://twitt...
Dec 13, 2022•55 min•Season 3Ep. 78
Candace Owens, conservative author, talk show host, political commentator, activist… but did you know she was a tech entrepreneur? We know - crazy, what a multi-talented person… … … Join us as we learn about Candace’s origin story, what her early projects were and how she was AS A DEMOCRAT. Ya think you know somebody… Follow Us: https://twitter.com/seenanow https://www.instagram.com/justin_williams_comedy/ https://twitter.com/arielleaty Follow the show join the discord: Discord: https://discord....
Dec 06, 2022•49 min•Season 3Ep. 77
