In the 1990s, a blimp enthusiast with a checkered business record inexplicably dominates pop music by assembling not one but two boy bands.

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SOURCES:

• Lou Pearlman [Wikipedia]
• Baron Blimp Lou Pearlman, head of Airship International Ltd., is fulfilling adolescent dreams of glory [Sports Illustrated]
• Lou Pearlman, Boy Band Impresario, Blimp Tycoon, and Bunco Artist, Dead at 62 [Slate]
• How Lou Pearlman used Backstreet Boys, *NSYNC to lure people into massive Ponzi scheme [ABC News]
• *NSYNC, O-Town members on learning the truth about Lou Pearlman [ABC News]
• *NSYNC vs. Backstreet Boys: The True Story Behind Their Epic Boy Band Rivalry [E! Online]
• Lance Bass on the 'NSync and the Backstreet Boys rivalry: 'The animosity was real' [Yahoo Entertainment]
• Backstreet Boys Turn 25: Untold Stories [Entertainment Tonight]
• Lou Pearlman Ran 1 of America's Biggest Ponzi Schemes [A&E]
• Pop Dreams and Ponzi Schemes [Schneider Downs]
• The "Con" in Trans Continental: Lou Pearlman [Gavin P. Smith]
• AS HE RAN, CASE WAS BUILT [Tampa Bay Times]
• IN JAIL AND ON THE PHONE, LOU PEARLMAN REVERSES THE CHARGES [Tampa Bay Times]
• Victims who lost millions in Pearlman Ponzi scheme could recover a pittance [WFTV]
• Backstreet Boys' Lou Pearlman's Prison Interview: My Ponzi Scheme Was Smarter Than Madoff's [The Hollywood Reporter]
• Lou Pearlman Dead: Remembering the Ponzi Schemer Who Spawned the Backstreet Boys, 'N Sync and More [The Hollywood Reporter]
• Lou Pearlman, disgraced creator of 'NSync and Backstreet Boys, dies [NBC News]
• Netflix's 'Dirty Pop' exposes Lou Pearlman's deceptive role in 'NSYNC and Backstreet Boys' fame [MSNBC]
• The True Story of Lou Pearlman in 'Dirty Pop: The Boy Band Scam' [Netflix Tudum]
• The True Story Behind Dirty Pop: The Boy Band Scam [TIME]
• 10 Most Shocking Reveals From Netflix's Dirty Pop [Screen Rant]
• The Biggest Revelations From Dirty Pop [Den of Geek]
• Mad About the Boys [Vanity Fair]
• Inside the rise and fall of the record store chain Tower Records [Clicktrack]
• Viewpoint: The Backstreet Boys phenomenon [BYU Daily Universe]
• Remembering Lou Pearlman: The Ponzi Schemer Who Spawned the Backstreet Boys, *NSYNC & More [Billboard]
• The Boy Band Con: The Lou Pearlman Story [YouTube Originals]
• The Hit Charade: Lou Pearlman, Boy Bands, and the Biggest Ponzi Scheme in U.S. History — Tyler Gray

To help his down-and-out Ohio hometown, an unassuming entrepreneur builds a fast-growing chain of discount drugstores. 

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Sources:
Phar-Mor [Wikipedia]

Michael I. Monus [Wikipedia]

World Basketball League [Wikipedia]

Edward J. DeBartolo Sr. [Wikipedia]

PricewaterhouseCoopers [Wikipedia]

How to Steal $500 Million [PBS Frontline]

How to Steal $500 Million — Transcript [PBS Frontline]

Mickey's Secret Life [Newsweek]

Rockies born of Monus' work, but he never saw his baby grow up [ESPN]

Souls of the departed haunt Youngstown [ESPN]

How Phar-Mor Came Tumbling Down [Business Journal Daily]

Phar-Mor Reorganizes as Monus Goes to Prison [Business Journal Daily]

Jury Disagrees on All 126 Counts Against Fired Phar-Mor President [Deseret News]

Convicted Drugstore Embezzler Now Accused of Jury Tampering [Deseret News]

The Catholic Church’s financial entanglements draw scrutiny after a banker is found hanging under a bridge.

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• (00:00) - Body Under Blackfriars
• (00:47) - Welcome to Oh My Fraud
• (04:43) - Meet Roberto Calvi
• (07:10) - Vatican Bank Ties
• (12:55) - Offshore Web And Scrutiny
• (17:47) - Circular Money And Conviction
• (22:35) - Flight And Bridge Death
• (26:17) - Bigger Web Vatican P2
• (33:04) - Collapse And Missing Billions
• (39:24) - Murder Mystery And Trials
• (41:42) - Lessons And Wrap Up

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SOURCES:
Roberto Calvi [Wikipedia] — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roberto_Calvi

Banco Ambrosiano [Wikipedia] — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Banco_Ambrosiano

Michele Sindona [Wikipedia] — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michele_Sindona

Propaganda Due [Wikipedia] — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Propaganda_Due

Licio Gelli [Wikipedia] — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Licio_Gelli

Scandal at the Pope's Bank [TIME, July 1982] — https://time.com/archive/6856828/scandal-at-the-popes-bank/

Italy: The Great Vatican Bank Mystery [TIME, September 1982] — https://time.com/archive/6697494/italy-the-great-vatican-bank-mystery/

The Vatican Hiding Behind the Walls [TIME, March 1987] — https://time.com/archive/6708575/the-vatican-hiding-behind-the-walls/

Four indicted in '82 death of 'God's banker' [NBC News, 2005] — https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna7546141

All acquitted in 'God's banker' murder trial [NBC News, 2007] — https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna19075395

23 years on, five stand trial for death of 'God's banker' [Irish Times, 2005] — https://www.irishtimes.com/news/23-years-on-five-stand-trial-for-death-of-god-s-banker-1.502326

Roberto Calvi: Who Killed God's Banker? [OwlCation/The CrimeWire] — https://owlcation.com/social-sciences/Who-Killed-Gods-Banker

The mysterious death of 'God's Banker' [Crime+Investigation UK] — https://www.crimeandinvestigation.co.uk/articles/roberto-calvis-mysterious-death

Roberto Calvi [Forensic Cold Case Murder Investigation] — https://www.forensic-access.co.uk/cold-cases/roberto-calvi/

The Vatican Bank Scandal [Christianity Today, 1982] — https://www.christianitytoday.com/1982/09/vatican-bank-scandal/

Vatican Bank mired in laundering scandal [NBC News/AP, 2010] — https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna40628315

Liquidators and creditors of the failed Banco Ambrosiano [UPI Archives, 1984] — https://www.upi.com/Archives/1984/05/25/Liquidators-and-creditors-of-the-failed-Banco-Ambrosiano-of/8243454305600/

Two more tales of celebrities betrayed by the very people they entrusted to manage their vast fortunes.

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Sources

• Duncan gives ex-money man a dressing down [San Antonio Express-News]
• Feds charge — and sue — Tim Duncan's former financial adviser [MySA]
• Tim Duncan's ex-financial adviser sentenced to 4 years in wire fraud case [KSAT]
• Financial adviser who swindled Tim Duncan out of millions gets 4 years in prison [News4SanAntonio]
• Tim Duncan on losing $20M to financial advisor betrayal [Basketball Network]
• Charles Banks, Winery Owner and Former Financial Advisor to Tim Duncan, Is Indicted in Federal Court [Wine Spectator]
• The Curious Case of Charles Augustus Banks IV [NorthBay Biz]
• Terroir Capital's Charles Banks Likely Out of Wine Business For Good [Wine Enthusiast]
• United States v. Banks IV (2018) [FindLaw / 5th Circuit]
• Litigation Release re: Charles A. Banks [SEC.gov]
• Judge Drops Theft Charges Against Stan Lee's Ex-Manager After Jury Deadlocks [Variety]
• Stan Lee's Daughter Settles Lawsuit Against Memorabilia Manager [Variety]
• Stan Lee estate settles suit against ex-business manager [Hollywood Reporter]
• Marvel Comics Mogul Stan Lee's Former Manager Keya Morgan [NBC News]
• Stan Lee's Business Partner Keya Morgan Arrested for Alleged Elder Abuse [E! News]
• Keya Morgan, former business manager for Stan Lee, pleads not guilty to elder abuse [ABC15 Arizona]
• Stan Lee's Ex-Manager Keya Morgan's Criminal Charges Dismissed [MovieWeb]
• Stan Lee's Former Business Manager Charged With Elder Abuse [The Forward]
• What Happened to Stan Lee's Ex-Business Manager Keya Morgan After 2019 Arrest [FandomWire]
• Stan Lee Abduction, Abuse, Theft of $5,000,000 Assets... [Bleeding Cool]
• Stan Lee Fast Facts [CNN]
• Jock tax [Wikipedia]
• Tim Duncan [Wikipedia]

David Sirota had no idea that getting assigned to a little-known congressman from New England would end up shaping the rest of his life. That New England congressman was Bernie Sanders, and David quickly learned why our political and economic systems work the way they do, and that it’s no accident. Caleb talks to David about his life and career, how corruption entrenched itself in our lives, and the one indulgence that is capable of corrupting him. 

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CONNECT WITH DAVID
https://www.davidsirota.com/
https://x.com/davidsirota
 

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Sources:

• French biathlete guilty of fraud wins Olympic gold while scammed teammate comes 80th [Guardian]
• David Sirota [Wikipedia]
• Master Plan [The Lever]
• The Lever

A teenage entrepreneur charms Southern California, and then Wall Street, with his rapidly growing carpet cleaning and insurance restoration empire.

Sponsors
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Sources:

• Behind ‘Whiz Kid’ Is a Trail of False Credit Card Billings [LAT]
• Minkow Is Convicted on All Charges: Jury Decides That ZZZZ Best Founder Masterminded Fraud [LAT]
  https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1988-12-15-mn-362-story.html
• ZZZZ Best: The House of Cards Falls [LAT]
  https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1987-09-06-mn-6256-story.html
• Police Learn How Mob Moved In on Minkow [LAT]
  https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1988-02-21-mn-44325-story.html
• Last Loose End Wrapped Up in ZZZZ Best Fraud Case [LAT]
  https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1994-05-05-mn-54183-story.html
• Barry Minkow to Help U.S. Investigators as Part of Plea Deal [LAT]
  https://www.latimes.com/business/la-xpm-2011-mar-30-la-fi-minkow-plea-20110330-story.html
• The Secretary Who Helped Uncover One of America’s Strangest Ponzi Schemes [The Hustle] https://thehustle.co/the-secretary-who-helped-uncover-one-of-americas-strangest-ponzi-schemes
• Barry Minkow Charged With Conspiracy to Manipulate Lennar Stock [DOJ]
  https://www.justice.gov/archive/usao/fls/PressReleases/2011/110324-01.html
• Barry Minkow Sentenced for Securities Fraud Conspiracy (Lennar Short-Sale Case) [DOJ]
  https://www.justice.gov/archive/usao/fls/PressReleases/2011/110721-02.html
• Former Inmate Turned Pastor Barry Minkow Pleads Guilty to Bilking Congregation [DOJ]
  https://www.justice.gov/sites/default/files/usao-sdca/legacy/2015/04/30/cas14-0122-MinkowPR.pdf
• Notorious Conman Turned Pastor Barry Minkow Sentenced to Five Years in Prison for Bilking Congregation [DOJ]
  https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdca/pr/notorious-conman-turned-pastor-barry-minkow-sentenced-five-years-prison-bilking
• Barry Minkow Gets Five More Years [Courthouse News]
  https://www.courthousenews.com/barry-minkow-getsfive-more-years/
• Con Man Gets Prison for San Diego Church Fraud [AP News]
  https://apnews.com/general-news-91612bdc0afb48178a38a41ab99b27bc
• Barry Minkow: All-American Con Man [Fortune]
  https://fortune.com/2012/01/05/barry-minkow-all-american-con-man/

A woman caring for her ailing mother is drawn into a North Korean scheme to infiltrate American companies.

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In the 1970s, two lifelong friends set out to disrupt the computer leasing industry.

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Sources:

• O.P.M. BANKRUPTCY: QUESTIONS ABOUND [NYT]
• The Bubble Bursts Following O.P.M.'s Overnight Success [Washington Post]
• GUILTY PLEAS IN O.P.M. FRAUD CASE [NYT]
• TWO GET PRISON IN COMPUTER CASE [NYT]
• SEC News Digest, January 11, 1983 [SEC]
• ETHICS AND THE LAW: A CASE HISTORY [NYT Magazine]
• S.E.C. FILES SUIT AGAINST FOX & CO. [NYT]

A real estate developer serving time for fraud gets a second chance.

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• (00:00) - Eli Weinstein is Pardoned
• (01:41) - Podcast Announcements and Reviews
• (08:01) - Lakewood Township and Weinstein's Background
• (09:14) - Weinstein's Real Estate Fraud
• (11:09) - Legal Troubles and Indictments
• (16:13) - Weinstein's Sentencing and Clemency
• (22:34) - The Complexity of Executive Clemency
• (24:11) - Weinstein's New Fraud Scheme
• (25:32) - The Optimus Investments Scam
• (30:02) - Unraveling the Fraud
• (35:30) - The Downfall and Legal Consequences
• (40:39) - Reflections on Clemency and Fraud
• (47:09) - Final Thoughts and Credits

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Sources:

• Statement from the Press Secretary Regarding Executive Grants of Clemency [WH]
• Lakewood Township, New Jersey [Wikipedia]
• Eli Weinstein’s Second Chances [Bloomberg]
• Leader of $200 Million Real Estate Investment Scam Arrested for Fraud [FBI]
• Leader of $200 million real estate investment scam charged in 45-count indictment with fraud and money laundering [DOJ]
• US v. ELIYAHU WEINSTEIN [DOJ]
• Leader Of Multi-Million Dollar Real Estate Fraud Scheme Pleads Guilty To Fraud And Money Laundering [DOJ]
• Leader of Massive Real Estate Fraud Scheme Sentenced to 22 Years in Prison for Fraud and Money Laundering [DOJ]
• Convicted Ponzi Schemer Eliyahu Weinstein Arraigned on New Charges [FBI]
• Convicted Ponzi Schemer Eliyahu Weinstein Sentenced To Additional 24 Months In Prison On New Fraud And Money Laundering Charges [DOJ]
• The Road to Clemency From Trump Was Closed to Most Who Sought It [NYT]
• Access, Influence and Pardons: How a Set of Allies Shaped Trump’s Choices [NYT]
• A Ponzi Schemer Freed by Trump Strikes Again [Bloomberg Originals]
• Convicted Ponzi Schemer and Alleged Conspirator Indicted for Multimillion-Dollar Fraud Scheme and Obstruction of Justice [DOJ]
• US v. ELIYAHU (“ELI”) WEINSTEIN, a/k/a “Mike Konig,” and ARYEH (“ARI”) BROMBERG [DOJ]
• Ponzi Schemer Who Got Trump Clemency Convicted in New Fraud Case [Bloomberg]
• Convicted Ponzi Schemer and Co-Conspirator Sentenced to 37 Years and 12 Years for $44 Million Fraud Scheme, Money Laundering, False Statements, and Obstruction of Justice [DOJ]
• A Fraudster Pardoned by Trump Gets 37 Years for Running Ponzi Scheme [NYT]
• About the Task Force [DOJ]
• FINANCIAL FRAUD ENFORCEMENT TASK FORCE ANNOUNCES REGIONAL RESULTS OF “OPERATION BROKEN TRUST” TARGETING INVESTMENT FRAUD [DOJ]
• Establishment of the Financial Fraud Enforcement Task Force [Executive Order 13519 / Federal Register]
• President Trump Issues Executive Order to Establish Task Force on Market Integrity and Consumer Fraud [Center for Financial Stability]

Caleb and Zach discuss the past year in Oh My Fraud. 

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Sources:

• Columbus zoo seeks foreclosure of former executives' homes to pay restitution in fraud case [The Columbus Dispatch]
• TV drama on gambling scandal surrounding Shohei Ohtani’s ex-interpreter in development [The Athletic]
• SEC Walks Away From Ozy Media, Stanford Fraud Cases [Law360]
• US podcaster who helped convict ‘Queen of the Con’ disappointed at short sentence [The Guardian]

In this short episode, Caleb lays out a few ideas for what an Oh My Fraud Patreon could look like — including ad-free episodes and bonus content — and asks one simple question: would you subscribe?

Before anything launches, Caleb and Zach want to gauge listener interest. If you’ve got 10 seconds, take the quick survey linked in the show notes and let us know.

Take a quick 3 question survey: https://forms.gle/8Wyz8v7DTJ5JFaYJ7

Or email us at [email protected]