Episode 3 - Dangling That Carrot

Summary

Once Upon A Con - Episode 3: "Dangling That Carrot"

Release Date: February 19, 2025
Host/Author: iHeartPodcast

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1. Introduction

In the third episode of Once Upon A Con, titled "Dangling That Carrot," Caroline D'Amore delves deeper into her tumultuous relationship with David Bloom. Once viewed as a mentor and key to her entrepreneurial success, Bloom's true nature as a con artist begins to unravel, leading Caroline to a path of betrayal, loss, and determination to seek justice.

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2. The Illusion of a Mentor

Caroline D'Amore recounts how she initially perceived David Bloom as the ideal mentor who could elevate her business, Pizza Girl Pasta Sauce, to new heights.

• Caroline D'Amore [02:14]:
  "Several times, Caroline would say to me in tears that I thought this was my chance to be lucky. I thought this was my chance for someone to save me."

Caroline invested her personal savings and convinced her loved ones and business partners to contribute a combined $35,000 to Bloom for what was presented as the Soho House IPO.

• Caroline D'Amore [02:34]:
  "I empty my bank account of all the cash I have and get my loved ones and business partners to fork over a combined $35,000 to David Blum for that Soho House IPO."

Bloom further lured Caroline by offering to invest $2 million of his own funds into her company, solidifying his position as a central figure in her business endeavors.

---

3. The Golden Opportunity

Bloom's influence extended to connecting Caroline with A.C. Gallo, the CEO of Whole Foods, which promised a monumental breakthrough for Pizza Girl Pasta Sauce.

• Caroline D'Amore [05:14]:
  "David calls up Whole Foods CEO A.C. Gallo, and I'm right there beside him, freaking out."

Caroline describes the excitement of potentially having her product featured in 500 Whole Foods stores nationwide, marking what seemed like the pinnacle of her entrepreneurial journey.

---

4. The Austin Trip and Vanishing Act

In late August 2021, Caroline and her business partners, Beck and Erin, flew to Austin, Texas, to solidify the partnership with Whole Foods. However, what was supposed to be a defining moment turned into a nightmare.

• Caroline D'Amore [11:18]:
  "David knew that this is a baby startup and that we can't be spending money that we, you know, shouldn't be spending. We're sitting in Texas, and all of a sudden, it's the next day, and David wasn't there."

Initial delays were attributed to other high-profile meetings, including one with the head of Netflix, Ted Sarandos. Despite these excuses, the lack of clarity about the meeting's expectations and Bloom's evasive behavior raised red flags.

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5. The Discovery of Deception

While waiting in Austin, Beck stumbled upon alarming information about David Bloom's past, revealing his history as a con artist.

• Caroline D'Amore [20:33]:
  "Just found this article on by just Googling David Bloom scammer. We're just standing on the bridge after five days in Austin waiting for this mysterious meeting to happen."

The revelation that Bloom had been involved in various scams since the 1980s shattered Caroline's trust. She realized that the promised IPO and connections were fabrications designed to exploit her and her partners financially.

• Caroline D'Amore [21:55]:
  "Apparently, David Bloom has a long history of scamming a lot of people. I mean, we found news reports about his cons that go all the way back to the 1980s."

---

6. Turning the Tables

Overwhelmed by grief and regret, Caroline decided to take action. Determined not to be another victim, she and her partners devised a plan to expose Bloom's deceit.

• Beck [34:15]:
  "To call, record him while we're in Texas. And we need to get him to say, talk about A.C. Gallo, talk about the meeting. You have to say, but I've been here five days. Every fact you can put in there that he can confirm that he set up for you, then we've got him admitting that he did all that stuff."

Caroline began documenting Bloom's inconsistencies and falsehoods, preparing evidence to present to the authorities. Her determination was fueled by the realization that Bloom's manipulation had not only drained her finances but also strained personal relationships, including her breakup with Ryan, who had also invested his family's money based on Bloom's assurances.

• Caroline D'Amore [25:01]:
  "Five nights in Austin. Five nights we've been sitting here in Austin because we thought our lives were going to change. Oh, my God."

---

7. The Commitment to Justice

Caroline's emotional journey culminates in her decision to confront Bloom directly and involve law enforcement, ensuring that he can no longer exploit others.

• Caroline D'Amore [36:12]:
  "David Blum promises us the moon and we record it all for police. He just thinks I'm just a freaking dummy."

Her resilience and commitment to justice not only serve as a testament to her strength but also aim to protect others from falling prey to similar scams orchestrated by Bloom.

---

8. Conclusion

"Dangling That Carrot" showcases the perilous allure of mentorship in the business world and the devastating impact of trust misplaced. Caroline D'Amore's story is a powerful reminder of the importance of due diligence and the courage required to confront and overcome betrayal.

---

Notable Quotes

• Caroline D'Amore [02:34]:
  "I empty my bank account of all the cash I have and get my loved ones and business partners to fork over a combined $35,000 to David Blum for that Soho House IPO."

• Caroline D'Amore [05:14]:
  "David calls up Whole Foods CEO A.C. Gallo, and I'm right there beside him, freaking out."

• Caroline D'Amore [20:33]:
  "Just found this article on by just Googling David Bloom scammer. We're just standing on the bridge after five days in Austin waiting for this mysterious meeting to happen."

• Caroline D'Amore [25:01]:
  "Five nights in Austin. Five nights we've been sitting here in Austin because we thought our lives were going to change. Oh, my God."

• Caroline D'Amore [36:12]:
  "David Blum promises us the moon and we record it all for police. He just thinks I'm just a freaking dummy."

---

Reflections and Insights

This episode serves as a cautionary tale about the vulnerabilities entrepreneurs face when seeking mentorship and investment. It underscores the necessity of thorough background checks and maintaining skepticism, even when opportunities appear golden. Caroline's journey from hope to betrayal, and finally to empowerment, provides invaluable lessons for anyone navigating the complexities of business partnerships.

---

Listen to Once Upon A Con Season 1 on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts to uncover more about Caroline D'Amore's quest for justice against David Bloom.

Transcript

[Maria Tremarke]

Welcome to the Criminalia Podcast. I'm Maria Tremarke.

[Holly Fry]

And I'm Holly Fry. Together we invite you into the dark and winding corridors of historical true crime.

[Maria Tremarke]

Each season we explore a new theme. From poisoners to art thieves, we uncover.

[Holly Fry]

The secrets of history's most interesting figures, from legal injustices to body snatching.

[Maria Tremarke]

And tune in at the end of each episode as we indulge in cocktails and mocktails inspired by each story.

[Holly Fry]

Listen to criminalia on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Caroline D'Amore]

It was big news. I mean, white girl gets murdered, found in a cemetery. Big, big news.

[Unknown]

A long investigation stalls until someone changes their story.

[Caroline D'Amore]

I, like, saw something that happened.

[Unknown]

An arrest, trial and conviction soon follow.

[Holly Fry]

He did not kill her.

[Unknown]

There's no way is the Real Killer rightly behind bars or still walking free. Did you kill her? Listen to the Real Killer Season 3 on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Monster BTK concludes a judge asked Dennis.

[Caroline D'Amore]

Raider to take him through all the killings in the courtroom live on tv.

[Unknown]

He was not expecting that. He's exposed and known for what he is.

To Hear the final four episodes early and ad free, subscribe to iHeart True Crime. Plus the latest episodes will become available for free every Monday. Monster BTK Listen on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Holly Fry]

Did you know that 70% of people get hired at companies where they already have a connection? I'm Andrew Seaman, LinkedIn's editor at large for jobs and career development, and on my podcast, Get Hired, I bring you all the you need to, well, get hired. Landing a job may be tough, but Get Hired is here for you every step of the way with advice on resumes, networking, negotiation, and so much more. Listen to Get Hired with Andrew seaman on the iHeartRadio app, Apple podcast, or wherever you like to listen.

[Caroline D'Amore]

Previously on Once Upon a Con.

[Unknown]

Several times, Caroline would say to me in tears that I thought this was my chance to be lucky. I thought this was my chance for someone to save me.

[Caroline D'Amore]

I wanted the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, and I'm not ashamed to say it.

[Unknown]

That was the start of the cancer that David Blum kind of planted.

[Caroline D'Amore]

I empty my bank account of all the cash I have and get my loved ones and business partners to fork over a combined $35,000 to David Blum for that Soho House IPO. I remember I venmoed you. Yeah, Venmo to Nowhere. And shortly after that, David offers to invest $2 million of his own money in my company.

[Unknown]

He was the center of everything.

[Caroline D'Amore]

It was bizarre who pinned everybody against each other. But suddenly, none of that matters because David gets the CEO of Whole Foods, A.C. gallo, interested in selling my pizza girl pasta sauce in every one of their 500 stores.

[Unknown]

AC statement. I'm gonna put you on speakerphone and introduce you to Caroline. All right? Hold on. Hi, Caroline.

[Caroline D'Amore]

Hi. How are you? Little did I know this was the beginning of a nightmare that changed my life forever.

[Unknown]

Salt and pepper.

[Caroline D'Amore]

I'm Caroline D'Amore, and this is Once Upon a Con. Episode three, dangling that carrot.

[Unknown]

A.C. and Ron go back over a decade.

[Caroline D'Amore]

So he did his deal selling the wild oats to Whole Foods, and now.

[Unknown]

Whole Foods is part of Amazon, right?

[Caroline D'Amore]

It's July 14, 2021. I'm standing now in David Bloom's immaculate apartment at the Villa Carlotta that he's paying eight grand a month for. He's prepping me for the call he's about to make to Whole Foods CEO A.C. gallo, a man he knows through his close friendship with billionaire Ron Burkle.

[Unknown]

And so Ron is now one of the four largest shareholders of Amazon because of the Whole Foods stock.

[Caroline D'Amore]

I told David Bloom I wanted to record all of this on my voice memos app so that I could make notes later to share with my business partners. He didn't object. I mean, he's dropping a lot of knowledge on me right now, and I just want to make sure I catch it all.

[Unknown]

And then the Whole Foods converted into Amazon stock.

[Caroline D'Amore]

Got it.

[Unknown]

No one knows. I mean, you know, Wow. I just know because we're friends. So he's a big wig at Amazon, Ron.

[Caroline D'Amore]

Wow.

[Unknown]

But he knows AC he did a deal with them. Multi hundred million dollar deal.

[Caroline D'Amore]

Oh, my God. This is literally a dream come true for me. I'm pinching myself. I am so happy. David calls up Whole Foods CEO A.C. gallo, and I'm right there beside him, freaking out.

[Unknown]

A.C. i'm sitting here with Caroline, the founder and CEO of Pizza Girl.

[Caroline D'Amore]

Thank you so much for taking time to chat with me.

[Unknown]

Yes. Ron Burkle took an interest in your pasta sauce.

[Caroline D'Amore]

Ron Burkle, the billionaire supermarket mogul I told you about in the last episode, who David says he's good friends with. That's how A.C. gallo found out about me and Pizza Girl.

[Unknown]

I wanted to ask you a little bit about your background. Could you tell me a little bit about yourself and how you can see?

[Caroline D'Amore]

Yeah. So this is my moment. To pitch AC Gallo. I'm excited and I'm terrified, but I'm ready. Pizza Girl Pasta sauce belongs in every single whole food store in the country. And I am going to explain to their CEO in no uncertain terms why. Okay, so my family owns a tiny little hole in the wall pizza restaurant. It's called D'Amore's Pizza. So I grew up in these pizza restaurants, and everybody called me the pizza.

[Unknown]

Girl, and I hated it.

[Caroline D'Amore]

I would walk down the street and they'd be like, oh, what's up? Where's the pizza, Pizza girl? And I hated it for so long. And then I grew up, and I was like, fine, you guys are gonna call me the pizza girl, and I'm gonna be the pizza girl. And so I found that there was really nothing special in the organic sauce world. Nothing by a millennial mom, and just something that was organic and ticked all the boxes, no added sugar, and. And just, like, spoke to a more now generation. It's all either very old world manly, like a Rao's or like a Newman's. And there was nothing that really spoke to me, and I wanted to be able to feed my daughter something healthy and organic right out of the jar. So I used my grandmother's recipes, and I kind of brought this vision into today. And I'm finding a lot of supermarkets are really excited about it, and I find that when people try it, they buy it. It's definitely the best jarred sauce that you can find. FYI, David is motioning for me to speed things up the entire time I'm talking, and it really throws me a lot of celebrities talking about it. Like, Kathy Hilton just said it's her favorite sauce. Christy Cavalieri just said it's her favorite sauce. Like, all these people are being very verbal and vocal about this being the best tasting and, you know, their family's favorite sauce, which has been really awesome. So I've just been getting a ton of love on it and on just this very small startup level.

[Unknown]

Sounds great. We're actually looking for products like yours that align with our values.

[Caroline D'Amore]

Right.

[Unknown]

And products we can promote internally as a brand for our company. I don't know if you're familiar with a program we have. Local producer loan program.

[Caroline D'Amore]

I don't know about the loan program. No.

[Unknown]

The LPLD lends money to small scale emerging businesses, local businesses, helping invest in communities. But in order to discuss things further, we'd like to have you and your team come to our headquarters next month. Okay, we can set that up. David can help with that. Thinking In August, perhaps. Does that sound like something you could do?

[Caroline D'Amore]

Absolutely.

[Unknown]

The partners are going away for three weeks, right?

[Caroline D'Amore]

They are going away, yes. But regardless, I'll make it happen. I'll move mountains to make this happen.

[Unknown]

So I also sent AC Your deck, so he has your decks. Yes. It's lovely. This is all part of what we would want to discuss with you.

[Caroline D'Amore]

So is the next step meeting in Austin, or is there any more?

[Unknown]

Okay, yeah, with your team, with Rebecca.

[Caroline D'Amore]

Okay, yeah, with Rebecca there and sit.

[Unknown]

Down with his team and talk about the program, which is sort of a gateway to helping you scale up to do, you know, a national global deal with them.

[Caroline D'Amore]

Awesome. All right.

[Unknown]

Exactly. Exactly.

[Caroline D'Amore]

The headquarters of Whole Foods is in Austin, Texas, and their CEO, AZ Gallo, wants us all. Me, my business partners, Rebecca and Aaron and David, to fly out there and meet with him ASAP with the goal of getting pizza girl pasta sauce on the shelves of every Whole Foods supermarket in the country. Is this really happening? I had already spoken to the president of Whole Foods. This is legit as far as I'm concerned. You know, I was gonna be a tour.

[Unknown]

We're gonna be debating in the headquarters of Whole Foods, and he would just come for the first bit.

[Mary Kay McBrayer]

Right.

[Caroline D'Amore]

That's my business partner, Beck.

[Unknown]

We did question why he was coming. Aaron and I were like, why does David need to come to open the door and say, here's these guys? So that was. We were like, I kind of would rather go. Just us.

[Caroline D'Amore]

Regardless. In late August of 2021, nearly five months after first meeting David Bloom at the Villa Carlotta, my business partners Beck and Erin and I board a Delta flight to Austin, Texas, a city of about a million people smack dab in the middle of the Lone Star State. Their slogan is, and I kid you not, keep Austin weird. Definitely sounds like my kind of place. And it's really beautiful here. We check into our hotel and we wait.

[Unknown]

So we left on a Wednesday. We were. We're having the meeting on the Thursday. Yes.

[Caroline D'Amore]

And as we're sitting in Texas, we were tight on cash, spending money for hotel rooms, flights. Plus, David knew that this is a baby startup and that we can't be spending money that we, you know, shouldn't be spending. We're sitting in Texas, and all of a sudden, it's the next day, and David wasn't there.

[Unknown]

He sent you a delaying text.

[Caroline D'Amore]

He said he was at. He had to go to a meeting at the head of Netflix's house. He was very good friends with the head of Netflix. David used to talk about Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos a lot. I knew they were close, so his excuse made sense to me. By the way, he was also dangling that carrot with Ryan, right? Ryan was my boyfriend at the time. Ryan had dabbled in acting, and he had said that he was going to help him get some sort of job in a show on Netflix. And even though David's telling us he's been texting with The Whole Food CEO A.C. gallo, the past couple days about our upcoming meeting, we were getting frustrated because we couldn't get a clear picture of what Whole Foods was expecting from us in that meeting.

[Unknown]

And we kept asking David, what will they want? What do we need to prepare? And he was not giving us any answers.

I've never been to a meeting in my whole career of walking in completely blind from or by the person who set it up with zero background other than Whole Foods are going to give us money. My question is why?

[Caroline D'Amore]

Then all of a sudden, our auspicious Whole Foods meeting gets pushed.

[Unknown]

Monster BTK concludes the plans were made.

[Holly Fry]

Search warrants were drawn in advance on that day. I remember it was radio silence when.

[Unknown]

The chief came out and said, we've caught btk. Denial was the first reaction.

[Caroline D'Amore]

Now that they got him, how am I going to get my hands on him? A judge asked Dennis Raider to take him through all the killings in the courtroom live on tv.

[Unknown]

He was not expecting that. And you see him trying to maintain control. You see his voice change. He's acting like he's bored. He's exposed and known for what he is.

To hear the final four episodes early and ad free, subscribe to Iheart True Crime plus the latest episodes will become available for free every Monday. Monster BTK Listen on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast.

[Maria Tremarke]

Welcome to the Criminalia Podcast. I'm Maria Tremarke.

[Holly Fry]

And I'm Holly Fry. Together, we invite you into the dark and winding corridors of historical true crime.

[Maria Tremarke]

Each season we explore a new theme, everything from poisoners and pirates to art thieves and snake oil products and those who made and sold them.

[Holly Fry]

We uncover the stories and secrets of some of history's most compelling criminal figures, including a man who built a submarine as a getaway vehicle. Yep, that's a fact.

[Maria Tremarke]

We also look at what kinds of societal forces were at play at the time of the crime, from legal injustices to the ethics of body snatching, to see what, if anything, might look different through today's perspective.

[Holly Fry]

And be sure to tune in at the end of each episode as we Indulge in custom made cocktails and mocktails inspired by the stories. There's one for every story we tell.

[Maria Tremarke]

Listen to criminalia on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Caroline D'Amore]

It was big news. I mean, white girl gets murdered, found in a cemetery. Big, big news.

[Unknown]

When a young woman is murdered, a desperate search for answers takes investigators to some unexpected places. He believed it could be part of a satanic cult.

I think there were many individuals present. I don't know who pulled the trigger.

A long investigation stalls until someone changes their story.

[Caroline D'Amore]

I like saw whole thing that happened.

[Unknown]

An arrest, trial and conviction soon follow.

[Caroline D'Amore]

He just saw his body just kind of collapsing.

[Unknown]

Two decades later, a new team of lawyers says their client is innocent.

[Holly Fry]

He did not kill her.

[Unknown]

There's no way is the real killer rightly behind bars or still walking free. Are you capable of murder?

I definitely am not.

Did you kill her? Listen to the Real Killer Season 3 on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Mary Kay McBrayer]

Hi listeners. I'm Mary Kay McBrayer, host of the podcast the Greatest True Crime Stories Ever Told Season two. Our show is a little different from other true crime podcasts because we tell the stories in which women are not just the victims, but the heroes or the villains. I'm also excited to tell you that you can now get access to all episodes of the Greatest True Crime Stories ever told, season one and season two, 100% ad free. Plus you'll get access to all episodes of the Greatest True Crime Stories Ever Told Season two, one week ahead of everyone else, available only to I Heart True Crime plus subscribers. So don't wait. Head to Apple Podcasts, search for I Heart True Crime plus and subscribe today.

[Unknown]

He would say they've had a Covid issue in the office. No meetings today. I'm going to fly in tomorrow.

[Caroline D'Amore]

Yep, Covid strikes again. It was actually a very common thing back in 2021 for sudden outbreaks of COVID to snarl meetings and public events. So it made sense to us. I actually got the vaccine for this meeting. I did the Johnson Johnson and I was so sick from it. And then, shockingly, that vaccination eventually becomes another reason for Whole Foods to delay the meeting yet again. I went and got vaccinated, but because I didn't do it in time, a certain amount of days before they could meet with me in person, I'm like, can't we just do a zoom meeting at this point? You know, with COVID and with all this stuff. So since we got to Austin on Wednesday, our Thursday meeting with Whole Foods that got delayed to Friday because of a Covid outbreak in their offices is now being delayed till Monday because by then, it would have been 14 days since my vaccination. Yeah. So it looks like we're spending the weekend in our hotel rooms in Austin, and David has yet to even fly out here to meet us. He's still in Los Angeles.

[Unknown]

And on the Friday, he rang you, and he accidentally did not hang up his phone. I don't remember where he said he was, but I said, you know, don't hang it up. I want to hear where he is.

I'm in a meeting.

Got to go. I'm in a meeting. And then you could hear him shuffling around and walking into some.

Wasn't he buying stamps or something? He's in the post office.

I'm saying he's in the post office. Like, I can hear him talking to people.

[Caroline D'Amore]

Eventually, David hung up his phone. I remember I called David, and I was really upset. I was like, david, like, you know, I'm a mom. Like, I have to get home to my daughter. There was things that were really starting to build up, like, how can I sit here? And he would say things to me like, caroline, when I was broke, I spent my last dollar, my last dime. You need to fight for what you want in life. You need to stay in Texas and wait. It doesn't matter if it takes a month. You wait for that big meeting that. That's going to change your life. So it's Sunday now, and our Whole Foods meeting is scheduled for early Monday morning, and David's still not in Austin yet. So I call him, and he tells me he's on his way to the airport, but I want to make sure. So I called my friend Sylvie, who's at the Carlota, and I said, just checking. Like, is David, like. Because he's supposed to be on his way to the airport. She goes, he's by the pool doing a barbecue for all these other people. Right now he's barbecuing when we're waiting for him to land for this meeting, and he's, like, literally barbecuing at the villa. Carlotta. I am stunned. Why is David lying to me about heading to the airport? And if he's lying to me about that, what else is he lying about? So Beck, Aaron, and I go for a walk to clear our heads and figure out what we should do next. And as we're making our way across a giant bridge near downtown Austin, with the setting sun reflecting off the tall buildings behind us, casting a bright haze on everything. And with cars whizzing by, Beck suddenly stops in her tracks on that bridge. She looks like she's seen a ghost. She's scrolling through her phone now in shape shock. So Aaron starts recording video of her on his phone.

[Unknown]

Can you just tell us what's just happened?

Just found this article on by just Googling David Bloom scammer.

We're just standing on the bridge after five days in Austin waiting for this mysterious meeting to happen.

After his arrest, Mr. Bloom pleaded guilty to federal mail fraud and securities violations. And he traded in his lavish apartment for the Allenwood Correctional Centre. He seemed contrite. He really seemed like he thought he was a stupid, jerky, ridiculous thing to do. When Mr. Bloom was released in 1994, he went home to his parents. He started appearing in his old haunts, trying to make new friends. He popped up at Nello and Elaine's and began hitting the rounds of the charity galas and birthday parties of the Upper east side young investment bankers. He showed up to a gala for second chances at charity. He wove a pretty compelling story, said a woman who met him shortly after his release.

[Caroline D'Amore]

At this point, while Beck's reading an old news article about David Bloom's criminal past, I'm standing about 20ft behind her talking to a friend on the phone. But I can see them freaking out about something. So I walk up and Aaron says to me, we've had a really messy right through. Oh my. Oh no. What?

[Unknown]

He's a scammer. He's been in jail a few times. Beck has just found something.

He does IPOs for people. Waitresses give him $20,000.

Beck just found it by Googling David Bloom.

[Caroline D'Amore]

My heart is pounding. I got to go. I'll call you back. I am in utter shock and disbelief. Apparently, David Bloom has a long history of scamming a lot of people. I mean, we found news reports about his cons that go all the way back to the 1980s. It feels like my world just got ripped out from under me. All those times that we were Googling just David Blume and hundreds of other David Blums would show up in the search results. No one ever tried Googling David Blume and the word scammer until just now. It's a lot to take in. We get back to the hotel and I just lose it in the elevator. I all just had like the hope of like, being successful. And like, he dangled the carrot of like two hard working People that work really fucking hard and just wanted to, like, achieve something. We didn't want to gift it to us. We wanted to work.

[Unknown]

We worked for.

[Caroline D'Amore]

I mean, all the decks and everything that we put together for this fucking meeting, all the pre planning, everything that we did is just insane. Walking back to my hotel room, I can barely keep it together.

[Unknown]

My wind throat.

[Caroline D'Amore]

I just feel like closing up. I just feel like I'm having a panic attack. The weight of everything is just crashing down around me now because I'm beginning to realize that nothing David Bloom told me was true. Nothing. I don't even think we ever really had a meeting set up with the CEO of Whole Foods. And I don't think there's an IPO he invested our $35,000 in. And not only are we out all that money, but we've spent thousands of dollars on this Austin trip. We've been here for five days now for nothing. And I feel like it's all my fault. I roped everyone into this. My business partners, my boyfriend, my boyfriend's family. It's just too much. I'm standing in the hotel hallway now, just drowning in my own grief and regret for literally hours. I'm talking to Beck and Aaron. They're in their room and I'm in mine. And we're on FaceTime. And I'm vacillating back and forth between coherence and bawling. And I had this bad feeling. I know we need to plan anyway, but this whole thing is just really fucked with me.

[Unknown]

I know. Now bet's trying, too.

I'm crying for her.

[Caroline D'Amore]

Not.

[Unknown]

No, no, no.

I just feel so fucking stupid.

[Caroline D'Amore]

And I'm just like.

[Unknown]

I drag you guys along, and I just.

[Caroline D'Amore]

Ryan's money and, like, his family's money. Ryan was my boyfriend at the time. He borrowed $10,000 from his family. Family to invest with David Bloom. And the fallout from all of this is actually one of the reasons why we broke up. Eventually, though, my tears turned to anger. Five nights in Austin. Five nights we've been sitting here in Austin because we thought our lives were going to change. Oh, my God.

[Unknown]

Oh, my God.

[Caroline D'Amore]

I'm so angry. But what's really throwing me right now about this whole entire situation is that I actually talked to Whole Foods CEO A.C. gallo on the phone with David, Remember?

[Unknown]

Yes. Ron Burkel took an interest in your pasta sauce.

[Caroline D'Amore]

But now, in light of everything we just discovered, it's almost comical in a sick and twisted way.

[Unknown]

We're having a corporate meeting with Whole Foods.

[Caroline D'Amore]

Apparently, we're having a corporate meeting tomorrow at the president of whole Whole Foods, A.C. gallo, who I spoke to on the phone.

[Unknown]

But did you?

Clearly not.

[Caroline D'Amore]

Obviously not. I am.

[Unknown]

Freaking out.

[Caroline D'Amore]

Who the hell was pretending to be AC Gallo on the phone with me that day?

[Unknown]

We're actually looking for products like yours that align with our values, right? And products we can promote to our brand for our company.

[Caroline D'Amore]

I even listened to TED talks with A.C. gallo, the president of Whole Foods, and this person who I spoke to on the phone sounded identical to him. Did David hire someone to impersonate A.C. gallo? We have to talk to the police.

[Unknown]

Yeah, we do.

[Caroline D'Amore]

And then all of a sudden.

[Mary Kay McBrayer]

David.

[Caroline D'Amore]

Just text.

[Unknown]

Monster BTK concludes the plans were made.

[Holly Fry]

Search warrants were drawn in advance on that day. I remember it was radio silence when.

[Unknown]

The chief came out and said, we've caught btk. Denial was the first reaction.

[Caroline D'Amore]

Now that they got him, how am I going to get my hands on them? A judge asked Dennis Raider to take him through all the killings in the courtroom live on tv.

[Unknown]

He was not expecting that. And you see him trying to maintain control. You see his voice change. He's acting like he's bored. He's exposed and known for what he is.

To hear the final four episodes early and ad free. Subscribe to I Heart True Crime. Plus the latest episodes will become available for free every Monday. Monster BTK Listen on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Maria Tremarke]

Welcome to the Criminalia Podcast. I'm Maria Tremarki.

[Holly Fry]

And I'm Holly Fry. Together we invite you into the dark and winding corridors of historical true crime.

[Maria Tremarke]

Each season we explore a new theme. Everything from poisoners and pirates to art thieves and snake oil products and those who made and sold them.

[Holly Fry]

We uncover the stories and secrets of some of history's most compelling criminal figures, including a man who built a submarine as a getaway vehicle. Yep, that's a fact.

[Maria Tremarke]

We also look at what kinds of societal forces were at play at the time of the crime, from legal injustices to the ethics of body snatching, to see what, if anything, might look different through today's perspective.

[Holly Fry]

And be sure to tune in at the end of each episode as we indulge in custom made cocktails and mocktails inspired by the stories. There's one for every story we tell.

[Maria Tremarke]

Listen to criminalia on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Caroline D'Amore]

It was big news. I mean, white girl gets murdered, found in a cemetery. Big, big news.

[Unknown]

When a young woman is murdered. A desperate search for an takes investigators to some unexpected places. He believed it could be part of a satanic cult.

I think there were many individuals present. I don't know who pulled the trigger.

A long investigation stalls until someone changes their story.

[Caroline D'Amore]

I like saw whole thing that happened.

[Unknown]

An arrest, trial and conviction soon follow.

[Caroline D'Amore]

You just saw his body just kind of collapsing.

[Unknown]

Two decades later, a new team of lawyers says their client is innocent.

[Holly Fry]

He did not kill her.

[Unknown]

There's no way is the real killer rightly behind bars or still walking free. Are you capable of murder?

I definitely am not.

Did you kill her? Listen to the Real Killer Season 3 on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Mary Kay McBrayer]

Hi listener Mary. I'm Mary Kay McBrayer, host of the podcast the Greatest True Crime Stories Ever Told, Season two. Our show is a little different from other true crime podcasts because we tell the stories in which women are not just the victims, but the heroes or the villains. I'm also excited to tell you that you can now get access to all episodes of the Greatest True Crime Stories ever told, season one and season two, 100% ad free. Plus you'll get access to all episodes of the Greatest True Crime Stories Ever Told, Season two, one week ahead of everyone else. Available only to I Heart True Crime plus subscribers. So don't wait. Head to Apple Podcasts, search for I Heart True Crime plus and subscribe today.

[Caroline D'Amore]

David just texted.

[Unknown]

What's he saying?

[Caroline D'Amore]

Waiting for R to call. He's a few minutes behind schedule. David always refers to billionaire Ron Burkle as rich are in his text messages to me, but I'm pretty certain at this point that David doesn't actually know Ron Burkle at all. So I make a call to someone who actually does know billionaire Ron Burkle.

[Unknown]

What's that?

[Caroline D'Amore]

Ron Burkle's never heard of David Bloom. How do you know? Because Fred Durst just told me.

[Unknown]

They're friends.

[Caroline D'Amore]

They're best friends. And I was scared to ask him a while ago because if it was so believable and if it got back to Ron, then I was investigating David, that he would be like, how dare you? You know, he was a very good, manipulative. I just feel like an idiot.

[Unknown]

Everybody does who's been scammed. He's been doing this for decades.

Decades.

And that's what makes me want to get him.

He's been doing it for. I just thought of something. He's been doing it for almost as long as you've been Alive?

[Caroline D'Amore]

Yeah, since the 80s. I was born in 84. If I'm honest, though, looking back, there were signs that David Blume was off. For starters, his apartment was weirdly spotless. Like serial killer spotless 24 7. It didn't even look like anyone lived there, really.

[Unknown]

He had a couple of shirts hanging in the closet, that's all. And a few shoes lined up.

David's room was like a. Like a furniture showroom.

[Caroline D'Amore]

It always looked like he was ready to pack up and go. It never looked like he made it his home. Everything was very tidy.

[Unknown]

I think for someone like him, with so much stuff, as he calls it, going on in his head, he would need to have everything, everything else very clear and concise and clean and organized around him, because he's constantly organizing things in his head and even his phone. I remember Ryan saying once that David Bloom told him that he deletes his texts at the end of every day. So that texts are just a thought. They're not a communication process. They're just a thought at a moment in time was his reason for it. And in my head, I said, anyone deleting their tracks every day is for a reason. You know, he was the only person I knew deleting every text.

Maybe Ryan started deleting his text.

Ryan did start deleting his text for a while.

As his mentor.

Yeah, his mentor told him, of course.

[Caroline D'Amore]

You know, Ryan's always working on his mental health and stuff like that. He thought it was, like a positive thing, when really it's just the scam artist who is, you know, covering his tracks. It suddenly dawns on Beck what our next steps need to be. I mean, we're definitely reporting David to the police, but in the meantime, need.

[Unknown]

To call, record him while we're in Texas. And we need to get him to say, talk about A.C. gallo, talk about the meeting. You have to say, but I've been here five days. Every fact you can put in there that he can confirm that he set up for you, then we've got him admitting that he did all that stuff.

[Caroline D'Amore]

So I pick up my phone and tap David Blum.

[Unknown]

Okay.

[Caroline D'Amore]

I'm shaking the door.

[Unknown]

Call has been forwarded to an automated voice messaging system.

[Caroline D'Amore]

Then I suddenly get a text from David. I said on phone, we'll call you after. But I can't keep looking at my phone to respond. I'm sitting with the CEO of Netflix. We'll text you from the car. He's always talking to either the CEO of Netflix, Ron Burkel, or the CEO of the Rams. But now I know that's all bullshit. He doesn't know any of those people. Eventually David does call me back and we recorded it. He's still trying really hard to convince us this Whole Foods meeting is actually happening.

[Unknown]

I'm trying to do everything that's in my power to take the stress off of you guys because I know none of you have a lot of money. I've offered to pay for everyone's trip. I don't care about that. I just want you all calm and cool headed because you are gonna have a meeting and they're gonna offer you something.

[Caroline D'Amore]

Next time on Once Upon a Con.

[Unknown]

I'm always in your corner. I love you. Whatever you need. Till that money comes and you just tell me, I'll hand it to you. Okay?

[Caroline D'Amore]

David Blum promises us the moon and we record it all for police. He just thinks I'm just a freaking dummy.

[Unknown]

Now the tables are turned. Like he doesn't know that you know, and now you're playing him so that he can get his just rewards.

[Caroline D'Amore]

This podcast is dedicated to the memory of my amazing mother, Bonnie Major, who would be super proud of me standing up for myself. Once Upon a Con is a production of AYR Media and 32 Flavors, hosted by me, Caroline D'Amores executive producers Aliza Rosen for Ayr Media, Alex Baskin for 32 flavors, and Jonathan Walton for Jonathan Walton Productions. Written by Jonathan Walton Producer Caroline D'Amores Senior Associate Producer, Jill Piesnik coordinator Malena Krolejewski Sound design by Tim Mulhern Edited and mixed by Tim Mulhern Supervising editor, Victoria Chang Mastered by Victoria Chang engineering by Justin Longer Beam legal counsel for Ayr Media, Gianni Douglas. Our theme song, freshly Served, was written and performed by the incredibly talented Maddie Noyes and is available on her SoundCloud.

[Maria Tremarke]

Welcome to the Criminalia Podcast. I'm Maria Tremarke.

[Holly Fry]

And I'm Holly Fry. Together, we invite you into the dark and winding corridors of historical true crime.

[Maria Tremarke]

Each season we explore a new theme. From poisoners to art thieves, we uncover.

[Holly Fry]

The secrets of history's most interesting figures, from legal injustices to body snatching.

[Maria Tremarke]

And tune in at the end of each episode as we indulge in cocktails and mocktails inspired by each story.

[Holly Fry]

Listen to criminalia on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Caroline D'Amore]

It was big news. I mean, white girl gets murdered, found in a cemetery. Big, big news.

[Unknown]

A long investigation stalls until someone changes their story.

[Caroline D'Amore]

I, like, saw something that happened.

[Unknown]

An arrest, trial and conviction soon follow.

[Holly Fry]

He did not kill her.

[Unknown]

There's no way is the Real Killer rightly behind bars or still walking free. Did you kill her? Listen to the real Killer Season 3 on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

Monster BTK concludes A judge asked Dennis.

[Caroline D'Amore]

Rader to take him through all the killings in the courtroom live on tv.

[Unknown]

He was not expecting that. He's exposed and known for what he is.

To Hear the final four episodes earlier, early and ad free, subscribe to iHeart True Crime plus the latest episodes will become available for free every Monday. Monster BTK Listen on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Tomer Cohen, LinkedIn's chief product officer. If you're just as curious as I am about the way things are built, then tune into my podcast Building One. I speak with some of the best product builders out there. I've always been inspired by frustration.

[Caroline D'Amore]

It came back to my own personal pinpoint. So we had to go out to farmers and convince them.

[Unknown]

Following that, curiosity is a superpower.

[Caroline D'Amore]

You have to be obsessed with the human condition.

[Holly Fry]

Listen to Building One on the iHeartRadio.

[Caroline D'Amore]

App, Apple, or wherever you get your podcasts.