Lawless Planet – ENCORE: Coal, Con Men and a Kidnapping Scheme

Host: Zach Goldbaum
Date: November 24, 2025

Episode Overview

This episode dives deep into a true-crime tale at the crossroads of environmental destruction, corporate fraud, and personal downfall. Centering on the sudden disappearance and reappearance of coal executive Larry Price Jr. ("LJ"), the episode unravels a labyrinthine story of kidnapping hoaxes, Ponzi schemes, decades of environmental harm, and the notorious culture of corruption in America's coal country. Through interviews with agents, activists, and locals, host Zach Goldbaum exposes the lawlessness underpinning the coal industry and the lasting scars left on people and the land.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Disappearance of LJ Price (00:20–05:00)

• Incident: Amy Price reports her husband, coal executive LJ Price Jr., missing from their home in Bluefield, VA. Police launch a massive search.
• Background: LJ is described as a prominent figure in the coal business with mounting work-related stress and depression.
• Memorable Moment: Amy reveals LJ’s ominous warning from a week earlier:

  “If something happens to me, be thankful for the years we've had together. Also, liquidate all the stuff and stay in one location.” (01:04)

• Discovery: LJ is found 20 miles away, alive but disoriented—setting off a chain of revelations.

2. Decline of Coal & The Signal Peak Mine Context (04:25–06:16)

• Backdrop: US coal usage has sharply declined since 2007 as renewables and fracking rise. President Trump acts to resurrect the industry, but the episode asks, “What are we reviving?”
• Signal Peak Mine: Located in Montana, Signal Peak is the state’s only underground coal mine, suspiciously resilient despite economic headwinds and claims of operational losses.

3. Enter the “Bull”—FBI Agent John Teeling (06:17–11:32)

• Character: Agent Teeling, a tenacious FBI investigator, is drawn to the story via a suspiciously extravagant mansion built by LJ Price in a frugal Montana community.

  “They'd call me the Bull. And my buddies used to say, 'John, I hope you never investigate me, man, because I don't have a chance.'” (07:20)

• Red Flags: Local and federal authorities suspect LJ’s abduction story is fabricated after inconsistencies are found (e.g., he still has thousands in cash post-“robbery”).
• Revelation: LJ owes money to supposedly “dangerous people,” later revealed to be wealthy Wyoming doctors who invested millions with him.

4. Exposing the Ponzi Scheme (11:33–16:22)

• Ponzi Unveiled: Agent Teeling uncovers LJ’s multi-million-dollar Ponzi scheme—funded by doctors, miners, and others. Teeling notes:

  “I'm just going on a gut read. You call it JDLR in law enforcement—just don’t look right. And it just didn’t seem right.” (11:41)

• Fraudulence: LJ entices investors with promises of fantastic returns. More victims surface amid mounting losses and false promises.

5. The Environmental Devastation & Community Resistance (18:40–26:42)

• History of Harm: Rancher and activist Ellen Pfister recounts decades of environmental damage from Signal Peak, such as poisoned water and catastrophic subsidence (land collapse).

  “Their natural inclination is to take things and do them the way they want to do them. And nobody tells them differently.” (26:42)

• Activism: Ellen’s mother and she formed a watchdog group after being lied to by coal agents. Ellen’s legal victories only partially stem the tide of destruction.

6. A Culture of Cover-Ups (27:45–34:51)

• Bribes & Injuries: Miners receive hush gifts (e.g., Corvettes, cash for lost limbs), masking workplace accidents.

  “I think one guy lost a foot…he’s like, ‘That is the best company I’ve ever worked for in my life. Dude, you’re missing your foot. I couldn’t be happier…’” (29:51)

• Systemic Corruption: LJ reveals “the three amigos”—Signal Peak’s executive trio—collaborate on everything from bribery to embezzlement.

  “Every man can be bribed and compromised. Every person has a price.” (35:37)

7. The Collapse & Prosecution (34:52–38:00)

• Downfall: LJ’s empire falls apart; assets are sold under duress. He confesses, exposing widespread embezzlement, kickbacks, and false invoices.
• Legal Fallout: Nine Signal Peak associates face legal consequences.
• Lax Penalties: Despite hundreds of safety and environmental infractions—including at least one death—the mine receives a relatively light $1M fine.

8. The Hidden Owners & Endless Loopholes (39:32–42:55)

• Shell Companies: Investigation reveals Signal Peak is owned by off-shore and out-of-state conglomerates—including Gunvor Group (tied to Putin), FirstEnergy (facing bribery charges), and coal baron Wayne Boich.

  “The U.S. Interior Department said the mine was violating ownership disclosure rules, but it seemed to be by design.” (42:21)

9. Local Impact & the Energy Dilemma (42:55–45:44)

• Community Division: The mine is a lifeblood for jobs, public services, and the local economy—leaving locals conflicted even as environmental and legal crises mount.

  “Capitalism is dirty and cutthroat…at the end of the day, they also want to keep that mine open and make money.” (44:14)

• The Cost: Activist Ellen paints a bleak picture of irreversible environmental loss:

  “We've seen more droughts in the last 25 years than we saw in the previous 40 or 50…But he doesn't do it too often.” (45:15)

10. The Final Showdown & Ongoing Battles (46:30–48:49)

• Ellen’s Farewell: After decades fighting the mine’s expansion and for land preservation, Ellen finally sells her ranch.

  “I’ve wondered what my life would have been like if I hadn’t had this fight…but I didn’t and I was stubborn.” (46:33)

• Irreversible Damage: Ellen mourns springs and ponds lost forever to mining’s destructive reach.

  “Up there it was so wet it would even grow raspberries…when they undermined the mountainside spring, it ran for two weeks and then it quit. And it has never run since.” (48:03)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• LJ’s Grim Worldview:
  “Every man can be bribed and compromised. Every person has a price.” (35:37, LJ Price via Agent Teeling)
• John Teeling’s Reputation:
  “They’d call me the Bull. And my buddies used to say, 'John, I hope you never investigate me, man, because I don’t have a chance.'” (07:20, Teeling)
• Ellen on Coal’s ‘Outlaw Heart’:
  "Their natural inclination is to take things and do them the way they want to do them. And nobody tells them differently." (26:42, Ellen Pfister)
• Environmental Loss Made Personal:
  “When they undermined the mountainside spring, it ran for two weeks and then it quit. And it has never run since.” (48:03, Ellen Pfister)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• LJ Price disappears: 00:20–05:00
• State of the coal industry: 04:25–06:16
• FBI Agent John Teeling’s background: 06:17–11:32
• Ponzi scheme revealed: 11:33–16:22
• Ellen Pfister’s fight & environmental harm: 18:40–26:42
• Workplace safety cover-ups & corruption: 27:45–34:51
• Prosecution and mine’s penalties: 34:52–38:00
• Ownership labyrinth & corporate shield: 39:32–42:55
• Town’s economic/belief conflict: 42:55–45:44
• Ellen’s farewell & Signal Peak’s continuing expansion: 46:30–48:49

Tone & Style

The episode combines investigative rigor with a rugged, sometimes darkly comic storytelling style. Goldbaum narrates with urgency but also injects moments of wryness, especially when unpacking the surreal excesses of coal’s boom-and-bust and the gallows humor of those who stand up to it. Interviews with locals and agents retain their raw, plainspoken authenticity, making abstract corporate crime and environmental damage vivid and personal.

Conclusion

This episode is a gripping environmental crime drama, weaving together personal tragedy, corporate misdeeds, and the enduring and emotionally-charged battle between local livelihoods and planetary survival. Through accounts from insiders, activists, and the investigators who pursued the truth, “Coal, Con Men and a Kidnapping Scheme” reveals how the scars left by coal’s “outlaw heart” run deep—sometimes visible as cracks in the land, forever imprinted in the lives of communities who call it home.