Every case The Ponzi Playbook has covered — 25 of them so far, from a congressman's campaign financier to a woman who kept severed cow tongues in her freezer labeled with the initials of the SEC attorneys investigating her.
Cases are built from primary documents: indictments, SEC complaints, plea agreements, and court opinions. Where a news account and a government record conflict, the government record wins.
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…
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 m…
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 Par…
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 P…
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 contain…
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 t…
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 PRETE…
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, culm…
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 Pr…
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-…
In this episode of the Ponzi Playbook Podcast, we delve into the shocking case of Matthew Motil, the host of "The Cash Flow King" podcast, who was charged by the SEC for running an $11 mill…
This week's "Ponzi Playbook" episode features a special crossover with Javier's acclaimed podcast, "PRETEND." Listeners are introduced to "The Red Collar Killer," the first of a two-part se…
Brent and Jana Seaman, a prominent Naples couple once regulars on the gala circuit, now face serious allegations as the SEC charges Brent Seaman with conducting a multi-million-dollar Ponzi…
44-year-old Matthew Piercey, accused of orchestrating a $35 million Ponzi scheme, led FBI agents on a wild chase through the streets of Redding, California. After evading capture on the roa…
Jordan Maglich, the Florida-based attorney, is a household name in the realm of Ponzi schemes. He's worked on landmark Ponzi cases and is the founder of PonziTracker.com. Hear about his fir…
The grisly discovery of a decomposed foot on a remote beach 300 miles south of Sydney thrust missing con woman Melissa Caddick's Ponzi scheme into the spotlight. Caddick had promised substa…
The so-called 'energy from cow manure' venture orchestrated by Ray Brewer became a multimillion-dollar Ponzi scheme. From 2014 to 2019, Brewer hoodwinked investors, promising green energy r…
Chimene Van Gundy, hailing from Texas, has been implicated in an alleged fraudulent scheme amounting to a staggering $18.5 million, according to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.…
Trust company owner Debra Lynn Mercer-Erwin is convicted on drug trafficking charges and found guilty in a $240 million Ponzi scheme.
We unravel the Forsage.io scandal, revealing its founders' indictment by the DOJ in February 2023. Originally flagged by the SEC in August 2022, Forsage.io orchestrated transactions exceedi…
Rick Siskey, known as "Big Rick," led a lavish lifestyle while orchestrating one of Charlotte, North Carolina's largest Ponzi schemes. IRS and FBI investigations uncovered that Siskey had d…
William Neil Gallagher, also known as "Doc" Gallagher, orchestrated a massive Ponzi scheme targeting retired Christians. Operating under the guise of a licensed investment adviser, Gallaghe…
Mother Teresa is the last person you'd expect to be caught up in a Ponzi scheme—not the humanitarian, but Johanna M. Garcia from North Lauderdale, who went by that moniker in her community.…
In this episode of "The Ponzi Playbook," we deviate from the world of Ponzi schemes and explore the captivating life of Frederick L. Sharp—a story where life imitates art.
In this episode, we delve into the world of Eric J. Dalius, a mastermind behind the Saivian Ponzi scheme that promised incredible cash-back rewards for everyday purchases. Join us as we exp…
We peel back the layers of the Harbor City Capital Ponzi scheme, exposing the deceptive tactics orchestrated by Jonathan Paul Maroney and shedding light on the involvement of George Santos.…
Welcome to The Ponzi Playbook, the podcast that exposes the dark underbelly of the financial world. Join hosts Neal McTighe and Javier Leiva as they take you on a journey through the seedy …
Cases currently in production, each built from the filings before a word of script gets written: the Merrill and Ledford debt-portfolio fraud in Maryland, the Terrence Chalk case in Orlando, Jay Lucas in New Hampshire, the Brian McClain cattle scheme in Kentucky, and Jason Cloth's cross-border film financing fraud.
Plus a standalone episode on Stephen Condon Peters and VisionQuest Wealth Management, drawn from Neal's forthcoming book Big Time.
