What’s up Con-gregation! Not gonna lie, this is one of our wildest episodes thanks to Ayo Edebiri (Sunnyside, Forbes) and dig deep into controversial tale of Linda Taylor, the Welfare Queen!

Research: Sharilyn Vera

SOURCES:

https://www.amazon.com/Queen-Forgotten-Life-Behind-American/dp/031651330X

https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/slate/the-queen

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/20/books/review/josh-levin-queen-linda-taylor.html

https://newrepublic.com/article/154404/myth-welfare-queen

What’s poppin’ Con-gregation! We threw a couple extra fries in the bag with this one with our supersized guest Paul Scheer (The League, How Did This Get Made, Human Giant, You know who he is!) as we revisit the man who scammed the McDonald’s Monopoly game for over a decade! 

Research by Sharilyn Vera

SOURCES: 

https://www.thedailybeast.com/how-an-ex-cop-rigged-mcdonalds-monopoly-game-and-stole-millions?ref=scroll 

https://nypost.com/2020/02/01/mcmillions-how-ex-cop-orchestrated-24-million-mcdonalds-monopoly-scam/

https://www.politico.com/news/2019/12/23/trump-campaign-compete-against-groups-money-089454 

Happy Black History Month Con-gregation! We didn’t change anything (I’m black all the time) but it’s still a special episode when our homie Ronnie Adrian (White Women, Key & Peele) drops by! This week we explore that absolute MESS of carpet cleaning ponzi schemer, Barry Jay Minkow!

*In this ep I mention Amber Guyger got 5 years in jail. It was actually 10 years with parole eligibility at 5 my bad but hey, as long as she’s locked up! 

Research by Sharilyn Vera:

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barry_Minkow

https://news.sky.com/story/international-money-laundering-expert-arrested-for-money-laundering-11864982

I hope you stayed schemin’ this weekend Con-gregation. Unwind from the grind this week with our wonderful guest, writer Ira Madison III (Keep It!, Daybreak). This time we’re uncovering the “Fraud Prince” Anthony Gignac! You know I love a luxurious lie, we stan! 

Research Assistant: Sharilyn Vera

https://www.vanityfair.com/style/2018/10/how-the-fake-saudi-prince-anthony-gignac-was-exposed

https://nypost.com/2019/06/01/fake-saudi-prince-who-flaunted-on-instagram-sentenced-in-fraud-scheme/

https://www.vanityfair.com/style/2018/10/he-actually-believes-he-is-khalid-the-odyssey-of-a-counterfeit-saudi-prince

https://www.cnn.com/2018/11/29/business/payless-fake-store/index.html 

Con-gregation! On this special edition we’re in the booth with the WHOLE cast of my show Florida Girls! (Pop TV if you don’t know honey!) My girls Laura Chinn, Patty Guggenheim and Melanie Field gossip about the lavish embezzlement of Texan fruitcake mogul Sandy Jenkins!

This episode is brought to you by Dashlane.

Research by Laci

SOURCES:

https://features.texasmonthly.com/editorial/just-desserts/

https://chicago.suntimes.com/2020/1/6/21048947/whitney-young-swim-coach-principal-pool-inspector-general

What’s poppin’ Con-gregation? This week we’re teaming up with our buddy Ryan Stanger (Action Boyz) to blow the whistle on the referee who gambled on his own games, Tim Donaghy! 

SOURCES:

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2008/jul/30/ussport [theguardian.com]

https://usports.org/former-referee-tim-donaghy-speaks-out-about-nba-game-fixing-video/ [usports.org]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J0otDAgN4OY

https://www.newsday.com/sports/tim-donaghy-timeline-1.562386 [newsday.com]

https://populartimelines.com/timeline/Tim-Donaghy [populartimelines.com]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2007_NBA_betting_scandal [en.wikipedia.org]

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2015/may/22/ex-nba-ref-tim-donaghy-organized-will-always-have-a-hand-in-sports [theguardian.com]

Happy New Year Con-gregation! My New Years Resolution is keep telling y’all about all the biggest scams honey! This week we’re chilling with the hilarious and talented Teresa Lee (I Think She Likes You, Cracked) and diving into the boy band abuser, Lou Jay Pearlman! 

This episode is brought to you by Dashlane.

Research by Sharilyn Vera

Sources:

https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/nsync-lou-pearlman-nightline-927166/

https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2019/03/13/lou-pearlman-was-disgraced-mogul-who-defrauded-s-boy-bands-then-came-million-ponzi-scheme/

https://schedule.sxsw.com/2019/films/2008836?_ga=2.204653328.1845038090.1551958758-1351978170.1551338292

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CcCRs0Ic3FI&vl=en

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lou_Pearlman

https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/music/2019/04/05/lou-pearlman-film-reveals-how-backstreet-boys-n-sync-lost-millions/3373395002/

Happy New Year Con-gregation! Scams are all about hindsight so we got together with our good friend Oscar Montoya (Spanish Aquí, Bless The Harts) to look at our favorite scammer of the decade, habitual political line-stepper and possibly my soulmate, Mina Chang! 

Research: Sharilyn Vera

Sources:

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/amp/ncna1080356

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vIhWGIUGboE

https://www.thecut.com/2019/11/unfortunately-i-love-mina-chang-state-department-scammer.html

https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/gyze3b/this-senior-state-department-officials-resume-was-extremely-bogus

https://www.businessinsider.com/who-is-mina-chang-from-state-department-career-2019-11

https://twitter.com/ksieff/status/1194342219664232454?s=20

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/how-did-mina-chang-get-state-department-job-first-place-n1091516 

This episode is brought to you by Buffy Comforters.

Season’s Scammings Con-gregation! This week we’re sitting around the fire with comedy legend Matt Walsh (Veep, Upright Citizens Brigade) as we sink our teeth into the most famous ponzi schemer in world history, Bernie Madoff! More like he “made off” with those billions honeyyy. Just playin’, he in jail!

This episode is brought to you by Like a Boss and Atlas Coffee Club.

Salutations Congregation! We’ve back with our friend and noble cohort Edgar Momplaisir (Culture Kings) as we uncover the obsessive anglophile and Royal Wedding Scammer, Tommy Muscatello! 

This episode is brought to you by Atlas Coffee Club (www.atlascoffeeclub.com/scam).

How you livin’ Congregation! Ya girl is back uncovering a legendary Long Island scam with our good friend Jon Gabrus! (The Gino Lambardo Show) We bilking coins and talking Harold Adamo y’all!  

This episode is brought to you by Buffy Comforters (www.buffy.co code: SCAM), Atlas Coffee Club (www.atlascoffeeclub.com/scam), and Upstart (www.upstart.com/goddess).

What’s good Con-gregation! Thanks to you Scam Goddess is catching that SHINE, scamming our way into Spotify Pick of the Year! What better to celebrate than with our hilarious friend Jonathan Braylock (Astronomy Club on Netflix December 6th!) as we uncover a legend from the birthplace of fraud, Nigeria’s own Emmanuel Nwude!

Research Assistant: Sharilyn Vera

SOURCES: 

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emmanuel_Nwude

https://www.bosshunting.com.au/hustle/nigerian-fake-airport-scam 

https://www.unilad.co.uk/life/nigerian-scammer-sold-fake-airport-for-242-million-to-international-bank/

https://www.flyertalk.com/articles/nigerian-scammer-sold-fake-airport-to-international-bank.html

https://www.ladbible.com/community/interesting-emmanuel-nwude-carried-out-the-biggest-scam-in-nigeria-20180825

This episode is brought to you by Pretty Litter (www.prettylitter.com code: SCAM) and Dashlane (www.dashlane.com/scam).

We back at it, Con-gregation! This is Scam Goddess, the #1 pod dedicated to all things fraud! This week Laci welcomes comedy’s #1 sleepy boy Andrew Ti (Mix-ish, Yo, Is This Racist?) to cover one of Silicon Valley’s finest, Elizabeth Holmes, the CEO of the now defunct Theranos.

Research Assistant: Sharilyn Vera

Sources: 

https://www.businessinsider.com/theranos-founder-ceo-elizabeth-holmes-life-story-bio-2018-4#theranoss-business-model-was-based-around-the-idea-that-it-could-run-blood-tests-using-proprietary-technology-that-required-only-a-finger-pinprick-and-a-small-amount-of-blood-holmes-said-the-tests-would-be-able-to-detect-medical-conditions-like-cancer-and-high-cholesterol-13 

https://www.thecut.com/2019/03/why-doesnt-elizabeth-holmes-blink-theranos.html 

https://www.thedailybeast.com/hbos-the-inventor-how-theranos-elizabeth-holmes-pulled-off-the-scam-of-the-century

This episode is brought to you by Atlas Coffee Club (www.atlascoffeeclub.com/scam).

We back at it, Con-gregation! This is Scam Goddess, the #1 pod dedicated to all things fraud! This week Laci kicks back with comedian, writer, and podcaster James Mastraieni (Too Effin’ High, Florida Girls) to talk about the curious case of the Instagram marijuana fraudster who dupes would be customers into buying weed that will never appear.

Research Assistant: Sharilyn Vera

Sources: 

https://help.instagram.com/789164081427334?helpref=related 

https://www.reddit.com/r/trees/comments/1ygw9k/a_warning_to_those_thinking_of_buying_trees/

https://hightimes.com/news/weed-scams-trending-instagram-people-falling-for-them/

https://edition.cnn.com/2019/07/11/us/cannabis-planted-vermont-statehouse-trnd/index.html

This episode is brought to you by Atlas Coffee Club (www.atlascoffeeclub.com/scam).

What’s gucci, Con-gregation? Welcome back to Scam Goddess, the #1 pod dedicated to all things fraud! This week Laci kicks it with writer, comedian Lamar Woods (It’s a Party, Single Parents) to talk the Airbnb scam & the writer who went from victim to vindicator   who undercovered all of it. 

Research Assistant: Sharilyn Vera

Sources: 

https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/43k7z3/nationwide-fake-host-scam-on-airbnb?utm_source=vicetwitterus&utm_source=Iterable&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=campaign_858978

This episode is brought to you by Simple Health (www.simplehealth.com/SCAM) and Upstart (www.upstart.com/goddess).