American Greed Season 15, Episode 21: Preaching Pyramid Schemes

1

The Life & Crimes of Joel Greenberg

Joel Greenberg is a privileged millennial from a rich Florida family who one day decides to run for Seminole County Tax Collector and wins; once in office, he embarks on a breathtaking series of crimes, ranging from fraud to sex trafficking.

45 min

2

Theranos CEO on Trial

Theranos, now back in the news with the blockbuster trial of founder and former CEO Elizabeth Holmes. Former employees, whistleblowers and even a family friend-turned-foe provide new insights into the company’s leadership and the mysterious long-term relationship between Holmes and her top deputy, Sunny Balwani.

45 min

3

How WeWork Went Wild

Inside the rise and near-collapse of WeWork, the startup co-founded by its former CEO, Adam Neumann, who mesmerizes venture capitalists with grandiose promises, even though WeWork turns out to be a traditional real estate leasing business.

45 min

4

Boeing’s Deadly Design

Two new Boeing 737 Max jets fall out of the sky five months apart, killing 346 people; investigators home in on a software program known as MCAS; some critics say the real culprit is a corporate culture that values shareholders over passengers.

45 min

5

The Biggest Theft of All Time?

Jho Low is accused of being one of the biggest thieves the world has ever seen; authorities say he’s the mastermind of an international scheme to steal over $4 billion from the government of Malaysia.

45 min

6

The Kingpin Next Door

The story of a suburban Eagle Scout turned Dark Web drug lord; Aaron Shamo launches a new type of American drug ring, recruiting other Utah millennials to help him manufacture deadly counterfeit opioids and sell them online.

45 min

7

The Polygamist & The Bio Fuel Baron

CEO Jacob Kingston appears to be a rising star in Utah’s fledgling biofuel industry, until a member of a secretive polygamist group called The Order reveals that Kingston is committing a 1.1 billion dollar fraud.

45 min

8

Chasing Tesla

Serial entrepreneur Trevor Milton founds the electric vehicle company Nikola, which suggests it will be the next Tesla, but for long-haul trucks.

45 min

9

COVID Cons

While an estimated $100 billion in COVID relief funds is stolen, this seasoned family of fraudsters easily grabs millions of dollars Americans desperately need to buy themselves mansions, jewelry and gold.

45 min

10

The Accused Crypto Couple

In February 2022, the Justice Department announced charges against Heather Rhiannon Morgan and her husband Ilya Lichtenstein for their alleged roles in the conspiracy to launder $4.5 billion in stolen Bitcoin cryptocurrency. Heather Morgan was as also known as 'Razzlekhan', a fledgling rap artist.

45 min

11

Financial Infidelity

Purported entrepreneur Antonio Mariot Wilson changes his name, pitch, and act to play a series of roles, and the inveterate huckster fleeces unsuspecting investors for decades, including television star Jenifer Lewis. In this installment, Jenifer Lewis opens up about her relationship with Antonio Wilson and how it went from a storybook romance to a nightmare. In the end, Antonio Mariot Wilson, aka 'Brice Carrington' and 'Dr. Tony Mariot', age 58, was sentenced in March 2021 to 8 years in federal prison for deceiving women he met online and elsewhere into investing ...

45 min

12

The Spy Who Conned Me

This installment discusses Garrison Courtney, who infiltrated Washington DC's intelligence circles. In doing so, he collected $4.5 million dollars with his tall tales of running a top-secret national security operation for the CIA, the Central Intelligence Agency. Now age 44, when Courtney's lies unraveled after four years of fraud, he was apprehended and was sentenced in October 2020 in federal court in Alexandria, VA to seven years in prison.

45 min

13

Million Dollar Prison Kickback

Chris Epps charms his way from prison guard to the top post of Mississippi Department of Corrections Commissioner. Once in office, he siphons off millions in bribes and kickbacks.

45 min

14

California Schemin’

In sunny San Diego, entrepreneur and real estate developer Gina Champion-Cain lures in investors with a glamorous image and promises of sky-high returns on short-term liquor license loans.

45 min

15

Streaming and Scheming

Zachary Horwitz has dreams of making it big in Hollywood; while his onscreen career never quite flourishes, Horwitz acts his way into raising more than $600 million for an investment opportunity that is completely bogus.

45 min

16

The Decline of a Dynasty

American Greed Murdaugh Saga, Part 1: Alex Murdaugh, a well-respected lawyer from a prominent family is accused of stealing millions of dollars from the suffering clients who turn to him for his legal knowledge, compassion and help. This brazen act of fraud results in the decline of a dynasty. This installment discusses details about the deaths and multiple legal cases surrounding South Carolina lawyer Alex Murdaugh, who was accused of killing his wife and son in June 2021. The sprawling investigation into the prominent and powerful Murdaugh family uncovers years of unchecked power and privilege that has allegedly resulted in years of fraud, conspiracy, corruption and murder.

45 min

17

A Legacy of Fraud

American Greed Murdaugh Saga, Part 2: Alex Murdaugh, a well-respected lawyer from a prominent family is accused of stealing millions of dollars from the suffering clients who turn to him for his legal knowledge, compassion and help. This brazen act of fraud results in the decline of a dynasty. This installment discusses details about the deaths and multiple legal cases surrounding South Carolina lawyer Alex Murdaugh, who was accused of killing his wife and son in June 2021. The sprawling investigation into the prominent and powerful Murdaugh family uncovers years of unchecked power and privilege that has allegedly resulted in years of fraud, conspiracy, corruption and murder.

45 min

18

The Busted Mogul

Lobsang Dargey escapes from Tibet, makes his way to the United States, marries into a sports superstar's family, and builds a real estate empire. But his success is built on lies.

45 min

19

Follow the Juul Money

When an epidemic of teenage nicotine addiction breaks out across the country, some people ask whether Juul's founders are intent on saving lives or targeting the next generation.

43 min

20

VIP Schemers

Convicted fraudster and identity thief Tracii Show Hutsona is once again up on federal charges after a high-profile client discovers more than $1 million missing from her bank accounts.

43 min

21

Preaching Pyramid Schemes

Marlon and LaShonda Moore are accused of exploiting vulnerable people during the pandemic and convincing thousands of their fans to invest in their illegal scheme; regulators claim the Moore's "blessed" themselves to the tune of millions of dollars.

43 min

22

Drunk with Power

With his long white beard, ponytail and ubiquitous advertising, a former police officer who is now an attorney, James Morris Balagia of Manor, Texas, is also known as the 'D.W.I. Dude'. He is well-known in Texas as a flamboyant defense lawyer who can get 'drunk driving' defendants out of a jam. His advertising slogan was, 'Busted? Call the Dude!'. However, he pocketed money that he told drug dealers would be used to bribe officials, prosecutors said. In the end, when Jamie Balagia, now age 65, got convicted for his crimes in May 2021, he was sentenced to 15 years in prison.

43 min

23

Fame, Fortune & Fraud

Covers a film financier company's $68M scheme, involving bank fraud, wire fraud, and spanning eight (8) years.

43 min

24

Lawyers, Lies, and a Housewife

Personal injury attorney Tom Girardi posits himself as a champion for the little guy, but jilted clients cry foul when they discover him cheating them out of millions of dollars in settlement money as Girardi's wife flaunts her wealth on reality television. Girardi was the subject of 205 attorney ethics complaints between 1982 and June 2022 when he was disbarred in California.

43 min