Not Another True Crime Podcast

Sara and Danny are back for the final time, to cover Willy's Chocolate Experience in Glasgow - an event organized by a company named House of Illuminati, that was giving more Fyre Fest than "Pure Imagination." Sara and Danny get into it all, from the AI generated, spelling error-riddled poster, to the off-brand character of The Unknown (a terrifying masked figure who "lives in the walls"), and an Oompa Loompa who appeared to wish she were literally anywhere else but there. Event attendees complained that they didn't quite get what they paid £35 for, and even called the police to complain, although whether or not anything illegal actually occurred remains to be seen. Thank you to all the listeners who have been with us along the way, from our first episode (fittingly about the actual Fyre Fest), to now. Follow Danny @kashmeredanny Follow Sara @saralememe Source: https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/willy-wonka-inspired-chocolate-experience-outrage-rcna140726 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoic

This week, Sara is joined by writer and comedian Josh Gondelman to cover a story from his hometown of Boston: the still-unsolved Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum heist. In 1990, two thieves dressed as policemen walked into the museum in the middle of the night, and carried out the single largest property theft in the world, stealing 13 paintings valued at $500 million. Despite having several mob-affiliated suspects, the pieces were never recovered, and the case went cold. SOURCES: https://www.gardnermuseum.org/organization/theft https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/a-new-clue-emerges-in-the-gardner-museum-art-heist-saga-180979651/ https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/five-things-know-about-isabella-stewart-gardner-art-heist-180977448/ https://www.bostonglobe.com/2022/02/28/metro/whodunit-gardner-museum-heist-remains-unsolved-decades-later-with-long-list-suspects-most-them-dead/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sara and Danny are back to cover the self-proclaimed "Jeffrey Dahmer of fraud,” Steve Comisar. But first, Sara shares a self-imposed scam of her own, with a recent Uber Pool trip that went off the rails. Then, they get into the extensive grifting resume of Beverly Hills conman Steve Comisar, who shilled everything from solar-powered clothes dryers, to diet pills, to oil wells - and even scammed an 84 year old man out if $500k. Several prison stints and failed attempts at becoming a Hollywood actor later, Comisar is finally pursuing the most noble profession of all: true crime podcasting. SOURCES: https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1999-jul-24-me-59160-story.html https://www.sabrinaerdely.com/docs/TheCreepWithTheGoldenTongue.pdf https://www.einnews.com/pr_news/613431696/on-the-road-to-redemption-with-former-con-man-steve-comisar Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, Sara and Danny cover the viral story from The Cut's own financial advice columnist, Charlotte Cowles, who was the unlikely victim of a scam that cost her $50,000. They get into Cowles' article, which details how over the course of just one day, the scammers - posing as Amazon employees and and FTC agents - successfully convinced her that she was the victim of extensive identity theft, with multiple warrants out for her arrest for cybercrimes, money laundering, and drug trafficking. Cowles withdrew and handed the scammers $50,000 from her bank account, before realizing it had all been a lie. SOURCES: https://www.thecut.com/article/amazon-scam-call-ftc-arrest-warrants.html Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sara and Danny are joined by Sky Borgman, director and producer of the new documentary series The Truth About Jim, now streaming on MAX. The documentary follows 32-year old Sierra Barter, as she investigates whether or not her step grandfather, Jim Mordecai, was a serial killer. Skye shares her storytelling approach, how Jim might have flown under the radar for so long, and why there was such a serial killing spike in the Bay Area at that time. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sara and Danny are joined by Emmy Award-winning television host, veteran journalist, and bestselling author Tamron Hall, to talk about the latest book in her Jordan Manning series Watch Where They Hide. Tamron shares the real life cases that inspired the novel, how she identifies with the character of Jordan, and the emotional process of writing the book. They get into the media phenomenon of Missing White Woman Syndrome, and the way crime reporting has evolved from the start of her career to now, especially when it comes to racial profiling of suspects. https://www.tamronhall.tv/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, Sara and Danny cover the civil fraud case of Denver pastor Eli Regalado and his wife Kaitlyn, who claimed they were directed by God to sell millions in fake crytocurrency through the Kingdom Wealth Exchange. They're accused of pocketing $1.3 million for their own extravagant lifestyle that included a Range Rover, vacations, luxury handbags, and more, in what the Denver District Court Judge called "a case of just unmitigated greed." SOURCES: https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2024/01/23/crypto-pastor-colorado-god-eli-regalado/ https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-68072665 https://people.com/denver-pastor-says-the-lord-told-us-to-steal-from-christians-8548486 https://www.denverpost.com/2024/01/30/eli-kaitlyn-regalado-cryptocurrency-scam-accounts-frozen-indxcoin/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sara and Danny are back this week with another con artist from Down Under: Samantha Azzopardi. They get into the innumerable fake identities (including that of a 14 year old girl, and the actress Dakota Johnson) that she adopted along her way from the Sydney suburbs, to Dublin, to Calgary, to prison, and back to Australia, where she once again encountered trouble with the law. SOURCES: https://www.womensweekly.com.au/news/samantha-azzopardi-true-story/ https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/international-con-artist-arrested-on-fraud-charges-in-northcote-20231026-p5effh.html https://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-57284621 https://www.9news.com.au/national/melbourne-news-alleged-con-artist-samantha-azzopardi-withdraws-bail-application/1aa9adac-602d-4d36-a8f0-495c133720e7 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, Danny covers the mysterious story of Australian conwoman Melissa Caddick. After falling victim to a romance scam in her early 20s, she pivoted to becoming a scammer herself, cheating friends and family out of millions. As the law began to catch up with her, Melissa mysteriously disappeared, only for a disembodied foot matching her DNA to wash up on the beach months later. Danny gets into the ins and outs of Melissa's scams and disappearance, as well as the theories about whether or not she faked her own death. SOURCES: https://www.cnn.com/2023/05/25/australia/australia-melissa-caddick-fraud-coroner-death-intl-hnk/index.html https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2023/may/26/the-lady-vanishes-fraudster-melissa-caddick-is-dead-but-the-intrigue-lives-on https://www.smh.com.au/national/the-forever-friend-the-former-boss-the-ex-husband-the-early-victims-of-fraudster-melissa-caddick-20210304-p577wo.html Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sara is joined by Betches News director Amanda Duberman to unpack the 2nd season of MAX's docuseries The Curious Case of Natalia Grace, which focuses on Natalia's side of the story. Sara and Amanda get into it all: Natalia's traumatic experiences with the Barnett family, how things unfolded with her new family, the Mans, the "twist" ending, and and why this style of docuseries is so manipulative. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ahead of Netflix's American Nightmare, dropping on January 17th, we're taking a look back at Sara and Danny's interview with Denise Huskins & Aaron Quinn, the subjects of this three-part docuseries . Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sara and Danny are back with some top-of-the-year crime updates. First, Gypsy Rose Blanchard is out of prison after 8 years, and making waves on social media with comments about her husband Ryan. Next, the first batch of long-awaited court documents pertaining to Jeffrey Epstein have been released, with a number of high profile names mentioned. And finally, Andy Cohen claps back at Jen Shah's IG post from prison. SOURCES: https://www.eonline.com/news/1392322/gypsy-rose-blanchard-defends-husband-ryan-anderson-from-jealous-haters https://www.yahoo.com/news/names-more-170-jeffrey-epstein-235431140.html https://www.cnn.com/2024/01/03/business/jeffrey-epstein-documents-list-names/index.html https://www.yahoo.com/news/clinton-trump-named-jeffrey-epstein-002504706.html https://apnews.com/article/jeffrey-epstein-ghislaine-maxwell-virginia-giuffre-3af500d4788ad45301be426628846d71 https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/jan/03/jeffrey-epstein-list-names-released https://people.com/andy-cohen-reacts-after-jen-shah-sla

Ahead of The Curious Case of Natalia Grace: Natalia Speaks, dropping tonight on MAX, here's a look back to Sara and Danny's recap of the previous 6 part series in 2023. The Curious Case Of Natalia Grace dives into the Barnett family and the strange events that unfolded starting from Natalia's adoption, to the suspicions about her age, police involvement, Natalia's birth family in Ukraine, and the child abandonment trial. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sara and Danny are back with some holiday scams you should be aware of: gift cards, QR codes, "Smishing," ChatGPT, and a pyramid scheme gift exchange. SOURCES: https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/shopping/2023/12/11/gift-card-scam-card-draining-holiday-shoppers-christmas/71876923007/ https://consumer.ftc.gov/consumer-alerts/2023/12/scammers-hide-harmful-links-qr-codes-steal-your-information https://www.axios.com/2023/12/12/beware-chatgpt-holiday-scams https://bucks.crimewatchpa.com/newbritaintwppd/34878/post/gift-card-tampering-card-draining-scam?fbclid=IwAR2UjH5BtX7_7N0gz0Sbm49SLwsK5uV9uBH4EtHUUafZt7VNlDmEEdTAeOk https://www.bbb.org/article/scams/18854-bbb-warning-secret-sister-gift-exchange-is-illegal Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sara and Danny are joined by Ashley Randele, co-host of the new podcast Smokescreen: My Fugitive Dad. At 38 years old, Ashley learned that her father, Thomas Randele, was a bank robber and fugitive by the name of Ted Conrad. Ashley shares her experience of making this docuseries, what it was like investigating her own father's past, and what listeners can look forward to in upcoming episodes. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, Sara and Danny dive into the world of housing disputes. First up, the story of a pair of bamboccioni (aka big babies) in Italy whose 75 year old mother took them to court for free-loading. Then, they get into an Italian Supreme Court case from 2020 about parents financially supporting their adult children. Fnally, the story of Elizabeth Hirschhorn - aka the "tenant from hell" - who refused to leave (or pay for) her LA rental mansion for over 500 days, and previously pulled a similar stunt in Oakland. SOURCES: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/oct/26/italian-woman-forced-to-court-to-evict-her-two-sons-aged-40-and-42 https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12597887/Airbnb-guest-Elizabeth-Hirschhorn-kicked-Oakland-rental-two-months-moving-Sascha-Jovanovics-Brentwood-mansion-Harvard-grad-overstayed-540-days.html https://www.fox9.com/news/airbnb-guest-stays-rental-500-days-without-paying-refuses-leave https://fox59.com/news/national-world/airbnb-nightmare-tenant-leaves-los-angeles-home-after-nearl

Sara and Danny are joined by Kiki Monique, host of fellow Betches podcast Pop Crime, to do a deep dive on the saga of Ye's K-12 school, Donda Academy. They cover it all, from bizarre rules about color palettes and staircases, to $10,000 sushi and racial discrimination lawsuits. Kiki Monique: @thetalkofshame Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today, Sara and Danny have a special episode of one of their favorite podcasts to share with you: Pop Crime with host Kiki Monique. Kiki details the ongoing saga of Kanye West, as multiple lawsuits and allegations threaten to bring down his cultural empire. Sara and Danny join, to discuss whether this is the end for Yeezy. Tune in to NATCP on Monday for a deeper dive on the Donda drama, featuring Kiki! @thetalkofshame Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sara is joined by journalist Mandy Matney, host of The Murdaugh Murders Podcast, about the current state of journalism, her new book Blood on Their Hands: Murder, Corruption, and the Fall of the Murdaugh Dynasty, how systemic sexism fostered the environment that enabled Alex Murdaugh, and what it was like covering that unbelievable trial. Guest: @mandy_matney Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sara and Danny catch up on the latest RHOSLC drama before diving into this week's story: aspiring actor-turned-scammer Zachary J Horowitz aka Zach Avery. Avery was charged with wire fraud when he used his company, 1inMM Capital LLC, to collect $650 million in fraudulent regional distribution agreements for various streaming platforms. SOURCES: https://ew.com/celebrity/zach-avery-20-years-in-prison-ponzi-scheme/ https://people.com/crime/actor-zach-avery-arrested-for-running-allegedly-multi-million-hollywood-movie-ponzi-scheme/ https://www.vice.com/en/article/3aq8v8/the-wildest-parts-of-d-list-actor-zach-averys-alleged-ponzi-scheme https://www.justice.gov/usao-cdca/pr/beverlywood-man-arrested-allegedly-bilking-investors-falsely-claiming-license-latin https://www.sec.gov/files/litigation/complaints/2021/comp-pr2021-58.pdf https://www.justice.gov/usao-cdca/pr/la-man-sentenced-20-years-federal-prison-650-million-ponzi-scheme-falsely-claimed Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices