Chameleon – "White Lies: The Scammer Who Left Brides In The Lurch And Couldn't Stop"

Podcast: Chameleon
Episode Air Date: January 8, 2026
Host: Josh Dean (Audiochuck | Campside Media)
Focus: Unpacking the saga of Carl John Bucco, aka Michael Esposito, aka Lance Miller, aka Michael White—an elusive scam artist who repeatedly deceived aspiring journalists and, later, couples planning their weddings.

Episode Overview

This episode follows journalist Justin Sayles as he becomes both a victim and investigator in the ever-expanding web of a serial scammer. It illuminates how Carl John Bucco, under various aliases, left a trail of defrauded professionals and devastated brides across multiple states for years, ultimately culminating in a dramatic undercover confrontation and the scammer's arrest. The story showcases not only the emotional and financial impact of such cons but also the challenges in bringing perpetrators to justice.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Justin Sayles’ Origin Story & Early Encounter with the Scammer

• Justin’s Career Jump: Justin, eager for a break in LA media, is offered a job as "political editor" at a flashy new startup, New Zarati (00:52). The founder, "Michael Esposito," runs a WeWork operation riddled with red flags: eccentric behavior, dubious claims about luxurious connections, and highly questionable management style.

• Workplace Oddities: Esposito’s demeanor is described as “sharp, elbowed, short-tempered”; at one point, he flips out over someone arriving with coffee a minute after 9 AM (02:36).

  "After 9 o'clock, your ass is mine. That's my time. You don't get the coffee."
  — Justin Sayles impersonating Esposito (02:39)

• Collapse & Realization: Within weeks, unpaid staff begin to compare notes. Esposito shuts the company down, never pays anyone, and vanishes (03:54).

• First Suspicions: Justin is left confused, wondering: Was this money laundering? Quick-flip investor con? Or just plain delusion? Regardless, the operation was clearly a scam (04:04).

2. Tracking the Scammer Across Industries

• The Hunt Begins: The defrauded staff form digital networks to share info, but Esposito’s common name makes it hard to pin him down (06:33).

• A Familiar Pattern: By 2018, they find Esposito running shady catering businesses in LA, then bouncing to San Francisco, where he opens—and quickly folds—Cookshop, again failing to pay staff (07:09, 09:20).

• Alias Factory: Esposito continues to use a series of aliases—Michael Esposito, Michael White, Lance Miller—to defraud more victims, switching cities with each collapse (09:52, 10:31).

• Deceptive Consistency: Whether in media or weddings, his MO remains the same: promise everything, deliver nothing, move on when the heat is up.

  "He was in many cases not showing up or providing the level of service that like you or I could put together in ten minutes right now and just pocketing tens of thousands of dollars."
  — Justin Sayles (07:21)

3. The Personal Investigation & Unmasking

• From Print to Podcast: Initially intending to write an article, Justin is inspired by other true crime podcasts (notably, Chameleon’s first season) to pursue a full investigative podcast (11:15, 11:59).

• Victims Multiply: Interview after interview reveals a staggering pattern—across journalism, catering, and weddings, people lose thousands to undelivered promises (12:48).

• The Real Name & Criminal Record: The smoking gun—a real name (Carl John Bucco) emerges, with a criminal history for credit card fraud and con artistry dating to the 2000s (13:14).

  "I always imagined this to be this, like, big, mind-blowing reveal, but instead it's like, oh, I got his name."
  — Justin Sayles (13:20)

4. Fresh Scams & The Undercover Sting

• Into Texas: The scammer resurfaces, this time as "Lance Miller" running a wedding venue in Houston (14:20). Amy, a wedding planner scammed for $40,000, and her friend connect with Sayles through a web of former victims (15:54).

• Elaborate Set-up: Justin orchestrates a tense undercover confrontation, wiretapping himself and showing up as a "client" at one of Carl’s open house events (17:44).

  "There aren't too many times in your life, especially as an adult, that you can do anything resembling espionage. I went to Best Buy and bought a LAV mic, shaved my chest, taped a wire to my chest... and put on a cowboy hat."
  — Justin Sayles (18:12)

• Confrontation: In a moment recorded in the podcast, Amy confronts him:

  "Lance, this is gonna get really uncomfortable."
  — Amy (20:02)

• Justin presses:

  "Is your name Carl Buccio?"
  — Justin Sayles (20:08)

  "I'm not gonna talk to you about that."
  — Carl John Bucco (20:09)

• Carl never confesses but is "scared," goes quiet, and tries to deflect or reverse blame (21:23–23:13).

5. The Psychology and Mechanics of the Scam

• Not a Mastermind, But Unrelenting: Carl’s methods aren’t sophisticated, but he is persistent and adaptive—shifting cities, names, and stories with each iteration (23:24).

• Manipulative Talent: The hosts and Justin marvel at Bucco’s unbelievable recall and ability to stick to his lies even years later (23:51).

  "He was such an expert level liar that he was able to have this incredible recall because he had to live with so much of this stuff and keep his story straight. Like in San Francisco, he was going by three different names depending on what town he was in."
  — Justin Sayles (23:24)

• Why Is This So Hard to Stop? Police and prosecutors rarely act on relatively small-sum frauds, especially when multiple jurisdictions are involved. Civil lawsuits are ineffective against a man operating under false identities (26:21, 27:25).

  "It's just very easy to get away with most scams. It's hard to pull them off, but it's easy to get away with it if you're good."
  — Justin Sayles (26:56)

6. Aftermath: Fame, Vanity, and Final Downfall

• No Arrest—At First: Even after the "Wedding Scammer" podcast drew attention, Carl continued living large, funneling embezzled money into luxury goods and leveraging his wedding venues for big deals (28:08).

• Hubris as Downfall: His obsession with status symbols (notably Louis Vuitton) ultimately leads him to get careless. He takes massive deposits for undeliverable weddings, is evicted, and finally faces public exposure as the local media and police catch up (29:42–31:46).

  “They allegedly knew him on a first name basis at the Louis Vuitton store in Austin, which is like all he's ever wanted... this is all he's ever wanted.”
  — Justin Sayles (29:42)

• Arrest at Last: In August 2025, Carl John Bucco is arrested and charged with multiple counts of fraud and larceny in Texas (32:04).

  "On August 15th this past August, he got arrested and charged with second degree fraud for the stuff in the Houston area, which is all the wedding stuff, and third degree larceny in Austin."
  — Justin Sayles (32:04)

• Impact of the Podcast: The podcast directly contributed to the case, being cited in affidavits. Yet, justice is slow and incomplete—Carl cannot make bail and remains jailed as of October 2025 (32:43–33:54).

  "The thing that felt really good was when the both affidavits come out... the podcast was mentioned in both of them."
  — Justin Sayles (33:54)

• Emotional Toll: Justin acknowledges the personal investment and connections formed with other victims, expressing a bittersweet sense of justice (27:39, 34:17).

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the ubiquity of cons:

  "We are living in a golden age of deception. It feels like everyone has an angle and that, everywhere you turn, someone’s trying to scam you."
  — Josh Dean (episode description)

• A father's advice:

  "Well, either you have a good paying job and you get what you want, or you get a really good story for the rest of your life."
  — Justin Sayles’ Dad (01:40)

• Final arrest recap:

  "We begin with the story of an alleged wedding scammer now behind bars... a man accused of stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars from brides to be is in jail."
  — Newscaster (31:55)

Key Timestamps

• 00:52 — Justin receives offer from dubious startup New Zarati
• 02:36 — Describes Michael Esposito’s erratic behavior
• 03:54 — The startup collapses and no one is paid
• 07:09 — Esposito pivots to wedding catering scams
• 09:20 — San Francisco restaurant scam exposure
• 13:14 — Discovery of real identity: Carl John Bucco
• 17:44–18:36 — Undercover sting at wedding venue
• 20:02–21:23 — Live confrontation, tense exchange
• 23:51 — Analysis of Bucco's manipulative skills
• 26:21–27:25 — Why such scams evade justice
• 31:55–32:43 — The long-awaited arrest, case impact
• 33:54 — Podcast’s role in the investigation

Final Reflection

The episode is a revealing deep dive into how persistent, mid-level scammers operate—using charm, calculated lies, and shifting identities to exploit hope and trust, then vanishing into the next opportunity. It’s as much about the resilience of the victims as the tenacity of the perpetrator. Chameleon highlights the under-reported psychological and logistical complexity of bringing fraudsters like Carl Bucco to justice, ending with a hard-won if deeply imperfect victory.

For a deeper look—including wild accusations from Bucco post-release—listen to the full "Wedding Scammer" podcast and its epilogue, as recommended by the hosts.