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The Last Podcast Network

Fraudsters is a true-crime comedy docuseries. Comedians Seena Ghaznavi, JD, Justin Williams, PhD, and Ariel Leaty bring you the scams you love from the fraudsters we hate. Our show merges the chat-cast and the deep-dive to take a humorous look at fraudsters that abuse trust, distort reality, and take advantage of vulnerable people financially. 

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Start a free trial now on Apple Podcasts or by visiting siriusxm.com/podcastsplus.

Fraudsters

For our very last bonus episode of Season 5, we have an interview with Tommy and Paris Chong. And for the kids listening to the show, Tommy Chong is a Canadian-American comedian, actor, and activist, mostly known for his weed humor with comedian Cheech Marin and their classic stoner movies like Up in Smoke and Nice Dreams. In this interview, you’ll hear how Tommy got into comedy, what it was like for Paris to grow up as Tommy Chong’s son, and how they got into the business of selling bongs together, which of course led to Tommy’s arrest in 2003, as part of Operation Pipe Dreams. It’s a wild one, man!

 

Follow The Show: 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/fraudstersLPN

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fraudsterslpn/

Discord: https://discord.gg/WRZ8zgusPT

Website: https://fraudsters.fm/

 

Follow the Hosts: https://www.instagram.com/seenanow/?hl=en

https://www.instagram.com/justin_williams_comedy

https://twitter.com/arielleaty 

 

Follow our Guests:

https://www.instagram.com/heytommychong/?hl=en

https://www.instagram.com/paristchong/?hl=en

Subscribe to SiriusXM Podcasts+ to listen to new episodes of Fraudsters ad-free. 
Start a free trial now on Apple Podcasts or by visiting siriusxm.com/podcastsplus.

Stoned as Can Be with Tommy and Paris Chong

This week’s bonus episode is an interview with Marsha Levick, the co-founder and Chief Legal Officer of the Juvenile Law Center. We dive into the infamous Kids for Cash scandal—how it was exposed, the fight for justice, and the larger patterns of corruption that allow people to profit from locking up kids. We also explore the devastating impact of the War on Drugs on juvenile incarceration, the dehumanization of youth in the system, and how policing and policy have evolved from Reagan to today. Where have we made progress, and what work still needs to be done?

 

Follow The Show: 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/fraudstersLPN

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fraudsterslpn/

Discord: https://discord.gg/WRZ8zgusPT

Website: https://fraudsters.fm/

 

Follow the Hosts: https://www.instagram.com/seenanow/?hl=en

https://www.instagram.com/justin_williams_comedy

https://twitter.com/arielleaty 

 

Follow our Guest:

https://x.com/marshalevick?lang=en

Subscribe to SiriusXM Podcasts+ to listen to new episodes of Fraudsters ad-free. 
Start a free trial now on Apple Podcasts or by visiting siriusxm.com/podcastsplus.

Diving Deep into the Kids for Cash Scandal with Marsha Levick

Blume Professor of Law and Director of the Juvenile Justice Clinic and Initiative at Georgetown Law, Kris Henning, sat down with us over Zoom in the summer of 2024 to talk about the War on Drugs. She spoke about what led to her writing her book, “The Rage of Innocence: How America Criminalizes Black Youth,” how drug policies have affected kids in juvenile court and detention centers, the importance of language, and the role dehumanization plays in the War on Drugs.

Follow The Show: 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/fraudstersLPN

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fraudsterslpn/

Discord: https://discord.gg/WRZ8zgusPT

Website: https://fraudsters.fm/

 

Follow the Hosts: https://www.instagram.com/seenanow/?hl=en

https://www.instagram.com/justin_williams_comedy

https://twitter.com/arielleaty 

 

Follow our Guest:

https://x.com/profkrishenning

https://www.instagram.com/profkrishenning/

 

Check out ‘The Rage of Innocence: How America Criminalizes Black Youth’ by Kris Henning here: https://www.amazon.com/Rage-Innocence-America-Criminalizes-Black/dp/1524748900

Subscribe to SiriusXM Podcasts+ to listen to new episodes of Fraudsters ad-free. 
Start a free trial now on Apple Podcasts or by visiting siriusxm.com/podcastsplus.

The Criminalization of Black Youth, Mass Incarceration, and Undoing the Damage with Kris Henning

In this week’s bonus interview, we sit down with Yasmin Cader, Deputy Director of the ACLU and Director of the Trone Center for Justice and Equality, to explore the lasting impact of the War on Drugs on the U.S. criminal justice system. Yasmin shares what led her to become a public defender and her experiences practicing in D.C., NYC, and L.A. at the height of mass incarceration. We dive into the role of punitive drug laws, racial disparities in enforcement, police militarization, and the myths surrounding mass incarceration. Finally, we discuss the critical work being done to challenge the prison industrial complex and explore real solutions for drug policy reform.

Follow The Show: 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/fraudstersLPN

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fraudsterslpn/

Discord: https://discord.gg/WRZ8zgusPT

Website: https://fraudsters.fm/

 

Follow the Hosts: https://www.instagram.com/seenanow/?hl=en

https://www.instagram.com/justin_williams_comedy

https://twitter.com/arielleaty 

 

Follow our Guest:

https://www.instagram.com/yasmin_cader/?hl=en

Subscribe to SiriusXM Podcasts+ to listen to new episodes of Fraudsters ad-free. 
Start a free trial now on Apple Podcasts or by visiting siriusxm.com/podcastsplus.

Policing, Prisons, and Policy with the ACLU’s Yasmin Cader

This week, we’re talking all things drug policy, harm reduction, and the lingering effects of the War on Drugs with our special guest, Dr. Sheila Vakharia. Dr. Vakharia is the Deputy Director of Research and Academic Engagement at the Drug Policy Alliance, which is a fantastic organization that addresses the harms of drug use and drug criminalization through policy solutions, organizing, and public education. Dr. Vakharia is also a harm reductionist, social worker, and author of “The Harm Reduction Gap”. Listen as Dr. Vakharia shares stories from her book and personal experiences, including working at a Syringe Service Program and the challenges of advocating for harm reduction in a system designed to perpetuate stigma. And we take a look at what’s next: progressive decriminalization efforts, lessons from Oregon’s missteps, and how the average person can make a difference.

Follow The Show: 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/fraudstersLPN

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fraudsterslpn/

Discord: https://discord.gg/WRZ8zgusPT

Website: https://fraudsters.fm/

 

Follow the Hosts: https://www.instagram.com/seenanow/?hl=en

https://www.instagram.com/justin_williams_comedy

https://twitter.com/arielleaty 

 

Follow our Guest:

https://www.instagram.com/myharmreduction/?hl=en

https://x.com/myharmreduction

 

Check out The Harm Reduction Gap by Dr. Sheila Vakharia: https://www.routledge.com/The-Harm-Reduction-Gap-Helping-Individuals-Left-Behind-by-Conventional/Vakharia/p/book/9781032294735

Subscribe to SiriusXM Podcasts+ to listen to new episodes of Fraudsters ad-free. 
Start a free trial now on Apple Podcasts or by visiting siriusxm.com/podcastsplus.

‘The Harm Reduction Gap’ with Dr. Sheila Vakharia

Welcome to the land of bonus episodes, where we release long-form interviews with a variety of guests about the war on drugs that we recorded in the summer of 2024. Here is our interview with Montel Williams. Now the host of Let’s Be Blunt, the number one rated Cannabis podcast in 2023, Montel Williams was a Marine and Navy officer where he undertook rescue missions and earned multiple medals of distinction. He then transitioned into the world of television where he became a household name with The Montel Williams Show, winning an Emmy in 1996 for Outstanding Talk Show Host. As you’ll hear in this interview, his show often tackled tough, controversial subjects, including the war on drugs and CIA involvement. We’ll hear about his transition from military service to talk show host, how his MS diagnosis led him to become an advocate of cannabis, and how the US used racism to perpetuate the war on drugs.

 

Follow The Show: 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/fraudstersLPN

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fraudsterslpn/

Discord: https://discord.gg/WRZ8zgusPT

Website: https://fraudsters.fm/

 

Follow the Hosts: https://www.instagram.com/seenanow/?hl=en

https://www.instagram.com/justin_williams_comedy

https://twitter.com/arielleaty 

 

Check out Let’s Be Blunt with Montel Williams: www.letsbebluntmontel.com

 

Follow our Guests:

https://www.instagram.com/montel_williams/?hl=en

https://x.com/Montel_Williams

Subscribe to SiriusXM Podcasts+ to listen to new episodes of Fraudsters ad-free. 
Start a free trial now on Apple Podcasts or by visiting siriusxm.com/podcastsplus.

'The Boogeyman' with Montel Williams

In the final episode of our series on the war on drugs, we take a look at the present and future of this crisis with some help from Montel Williams and Dr. Sheila Vakharia. Yasmin Cader (ACLU) and Kris Henning (Georgetown Law) return for a roundtable discussion to offer their insight on the current state of the war on drugs and offer a hopeful outlook. From policy failures to glimmers of reform, we wonder, where do we go from here?

Stay tuned for bonus content with full interviews!

Follow The Show: 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/fraudstersLPN

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fraudsterslpn/

Discord: https://discord.gg/WRZ8zgusPT

Website: https://fraudsters.fm/

 

Follow the Hosts: https://www.instagram.com/seenanow/?hl=en

https://www.instagram.com/justin_williams_comedy

https://twitter.com/arielleaty 

 

Check out The Harm Reduction Gap by Dr. Sheila Vakharia and Let’s Be Blunt with Montel Williams 

 

Follow our Guests:

https://www.instagram.com/montel_williams/?hl=en

https://x.com/Montel_Williams

https://www.instagram.com/myharmreduction/?hl=en

https://x.com/myharmreduction

https://www.instagram.com/yasmin_cader/?hl=en

https://x.com/profkrishenning

Subscribe to SiriusXM Podcasts+ to listen to new episodes of Fraudsters ad-free. 
Start a free trial now on Apple Podcasts or by visiting siriusxm.com/podcastsplus.

Where Are We Now?

What, you thought we were done talking about The War on Drugs?! Well, think again! We’re back with a special epilogue and we're diving into Operation Pipe Dreams, the infamous federal investigation that led to the arrest of Tommy Chong. Join us as we explore how this operation led by John Ashcroft and Mary Beth Buchanon targeted businesses selling drug paraphernalia across the country. We sit down with journalist Brian Conway for an in-depth look at the operation's impact, and Tommy Chong himself alongside his son, Paris, who share their experience getting busted and reflect on the evolving war on drugs. It's a wild ride through one of the most notable moments in the history of drug enforcement.

Follow The Show: 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/fraudstersLPN

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fraudsterslpn/

Discord: https://discord.gg/WRZ8zgusPT

Website: https://fraudsters.fm/

 

Follow the Hosts: https://www.instagram.com/seenanow/?hl=en

https://www.instagram.com/justin_williams_comedy

https://twitter.com/arielleaty 

 

Follow our Guests:

https://www.instagram.com/heytommychong/?hl=en

https://www.instagram.com/paristchong/?hl=en

https://www.instagram.com/elbrayanmiguel/

https://www.instagram.com/pghindependent/

 

 

Sources:

https://www.laweekly.com/chong-family-values/

https://www.justice.gov/archive/opa/pr/2003/February/03_crm_106.htm

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/operation-pipe-dream-10-y_b_2745740

https://collider.com/the-wolf-of-wall-street-jordan-belfort-tommy-chong/

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/real-wolf-wall-street-lived-190304316.html?guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAALUINWjWcu9pmFFwl1XO5zewBMO7I0sXu_qS8YEWYEixh5aJ4UDIIqFJdR06DFb2gbD5B6i09_gPwroh-Z6gvveQYz2JQMzRKxBYKyTtQKjnya-3ud1iCd6YPnkTIzjIKrkT8MC94tyWOl1vH0xVd2-vAjm1HMR1xk70YEw7Mmh2&guccounter=2

https://www.legistorm.com/stormfeed/view_rss/385742/organization/95775/title/operations-pipe-dreams-and-headhunter-put-illegal-drug-paraphernalia-sellers-out-of-business.html

https://www.c-span.org/program/news-conference/anti-drug-initiatives/123135

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ihDXmNzc9JA&t=40s

Subscribe to SiriusXM Podcasts+ to listen to new episodes of Fraudsters ad-free. 
Start a free trial now on Apple Podcasts or by visiting siriusxm.com/podcastsplus.

Operation Pipe Dreams and the Take Down of Tommy Chong

It’s the season finale of Fraudsters, and we’re reluctantly exploring the grim origins of America’s opioid crisis. From the Sackler family’s OxyContin empire, built on shameless marketing, fake science, and philanthropy-as-image-laundering, to John Kapoor’s Insys Pharmaceuticals, a scrappy underdog peddling fentanyl sprays, we unravel the fraud that fueled this epidemic. With half a million deaths, shattered communities, and contrasting fates for these corporate villains, it’s a class war in a pill bottle. Who paid the price—and who walked free?

Follow The Show: 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/fraudstersLPN

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fraudsterslpn/

Discord: https://discord.gg/WRZ8zgusPT

Website: https://fraudsters.fm/

Follow the Hosts: https://www.instagram.com/seenanow/?hl=en

https://www.instagram.com/justin_williams_comedy

https://twitter.com/arielleaty 

Sources:

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/feb/13/meet-the-sacklers-the-family-feuding-over-blame-for-the-opioid-crisis

https://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/01/business/01sackler.html

https://www.esquire.com/news-politics/a12775932/sackler-family-oxycontin/

https://theconversation.com/a-dangerous-method-in-defence-of-freuds-psychoanalysis-5989#:~:text=According to Freud's theory%2C mental,caused by early childhood trauma.

https://www.bmj.com/content/suppl/2005/07/18/331.7509.DC1

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/12-napp-pharmaceutical-holdings-rhmq8hnpfgx

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/sackler-family-oxycontin-opioid-drug-scandal-british-connection-q3wd30s35

https://lithub.com/on-terminal-pain-and-the-origins-of-the-end-of-life-movement/

https://www.nytimes.com/1987/05/27/obituaries/dr-arthur-sackler-dies-at-73-philanthropist-and-art-patron.html

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/19/business/raymond-sackler-dead-of-purdue-pharma.html

al-health-data/

https://casetext.com/case/kottayil-v-insys-therapeutics-inc/

https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1516479/000143774915019892/R12.htm

https://www.justice.gov/usao-ma/page/file/947866/dl?inline

https://www.justice.gov/usao-ma/page/file/1010246/dl?inline

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/10/health/insys-opioid-bankruptcy.html?searchResultPosition=6

https://www.nytimes.com/2014/05/14/business/doubts-raised-about-off-label-use-of-subsys-a-strong-painkiller.html?action=click&module=RelatedCoverage&pgtype=Article&region=Footer

Links to clips:

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

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JTR3R2jYw4Q&t=1127s

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pkeQifzvSNE&t=80s

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

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w327H5VNT9A

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2s8kybr-YFU

Subscribe to SiriusXM Podcasts+ to listen to new episodes of Fraudsters ad-free. 
Start a free trial now on Apple Podcasts or by visiting siriusxm.com/podcastsplus.

A Tale of Two Fraudsters: John Kapoor and The Sacklers

Get ready for one of the most sinister and heartbreaking frauds this week – the Kids for Cash scandal. Judges Mark Ciavarella and Michael Conahan turned Pennsylvania’s juvenile justice system into their very own cash cow, sentencing kids to private detention centers they secretly profited from. How else are you gonna clear $330,000 of credit card debt…? From denying legal representation to forcing minors into facilities over petty offenses, their scheme destroyed lives for kickbacks. Join us as we unravel their twisted web of greed and power with guests Marsha Levick co-founder of the Juvenile Law Center and Corene Kendrick of the ACLU.

Follow The Show:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/fraudstersLPN

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fraudsterslpn/

Discord: https://discord.gg/WRZ8zgusPT

Website: https://fraudsters.fm/

 

Follow the Hosts: https://www.instagram.com/seenanow/?hl=en

https://www.instagram.com/justin_williams_comedy

https://twitter.com/arielleaty

 

Follow Our Guests:

https://x.com/ck94117

https://x.com/marshalevick?lang=en

 

Sources:

https://www.congress.gov/congressional-record/volume-152/issue-30/extensions-of-remarks-section/article/E330-1

https://ursdayton.org/about/

https://thearc.org/

https://www.timesleader.com/archive/330195/news-local-news-523246-ciavarellas-wife-files-for-divorce-2

https://www.timesleader.com/top-stories/816416/ciavarella-denied-compassionate-release

https://www.bop.gov/inmateloc/

https://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/21/us/21judge.html?searchResultPosition=1

https://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/12/us/12brfs-JUDGESARECHA_BRF.html?searchResultPosition=13

https://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/28/us/28judges.html

https://graphics8.nytimes.com/packages/pdf/national/20090328_judges_charges.pdf

https://www.newspapers.com/image/535978548/

https://www.newspapers.com/image/508543336/

https://jlc.org/news/lessons-kids-cash-part-2-all-children-must-have-access-legal-representation-court

https://jlc.org/cases/am-v-luzerne-county-juvenile-detention-center

https://www.newspapers.com/image/504007342/

 

Clips:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xO-bXCdZpMw

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jdhsf1u3JVY

Subscribe to SiriusXM Podcasts+ to listen to new episodes of Fraudsters ad-free. 
Start a free trial now on Apple Podcasts or by visiting siriusxm.com/podcastsplus.

Profiting Off Punishment: The Kids for Cash Scandal

It's time to say Bye Bye Bye to our final deep dive into Fraudster Lou Pearlman. He was a blimp scammer, a boy band scammer, and now he's a talent scout scammer. Just fork over the dough and he'll glamour shot you to stardom. Also, Lou creates 84 businesses to create the largest ponzi scheme to rip off retirees of their savings before Madoff ever did. Listen now to how it all comes crashing down on Big Poppa as he's sent to the Big House!

Follow Us: https://twitter.com/seenanow

https://www.instagram.com/justin_williams_comedy

https://twitter.com/arielleaty 

Follow the show on Discord: https://discord.gg/WRZ8zgusPT

Website: https://fraudsters.fm/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/fraudstersLPN

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fraudsterslpn/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQwl8sDTVEAxhwJdYgm-yrgIntro

Music Credit and Sound Fx:https://twitter.com/gograntgordon

Season Cover Art by:https://comedyartwork.com/

 

Sources:

Documentary: The Boy Band Con: The Lou Pearlman Story. (2019). YouTube. Retrieved December 23, 2022, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CcCRs0Ic3FI.

Book: Gray, T. (2008). The Hit Charade: Lou Pearlman, Boy Bands, and the Biggest Ponzi Scheme in U.S. History . Harper Collins.

Articles:

https://vault.si.com/vault/1993/01/25/baron-blimp-lou-pearlman-head-of-airship-international-ltd-is-fulfilling-adolescent-dreams-of-glory

https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/lou-pearlman-backstreet-boys-nsync-remembrance-7480300/

https://abcnews.go.com/US/lou-pearlman-backstreet-boys-nsync-lure-people-massive/story?id=67630954

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

https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2007/11/pearlman200711

https://www.vice.com/en/article/g5qgey/that-time-lou-pearlman-tried-to-send-a-boy-band-to-space

https://www.newyorker.com/culture/culture-desk/we-live-in-the-pop-culture-world-that-lou-pearlman-created 

https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/n-sync-slapped-with-150-million-lawsuit-255197/

https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/backstreet-boys-sue-pearlman-trans-continental-1403688/ 

Subscribe to SiriusXM Podcasts+ to listen to new episodes of Fraudsters ad-free. 
Start a free trial now on Apple Podcasts or by visiting siriusxm.com/podcastsplus.

Lou Pearlman Part III - Big Poppa's Final Ponzi Scheme

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