Episode 4 - The Best Friend You Never Asked For

Summary

Once Upon a Con: Episode 4 - The Best Friend You Never Asked For Release Date: February 26, 2025 Host/Author: iHeartPodcast

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Introduction

In Episode 4 of Once Upon a Con, titled "The Best Friend You Never Asked For," host Caroline D'Amore delves deeper into her harrowing experience with David Bloom, a seasoned con artist known as the “Wall Street Whiz Kid.” This episode chronicles Caroline's journey from betrayal to determination as she uncovers David's intricate schemes and takes actionable steps to bring him to justice.

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Recap of Previous Events

The episode opens with a brief recap of the series' earlier episodes, setting the stage for Caroline’s confrontation with David Bloom. Caroline and her business partners, Beck and Erin, had initially believed David to be a trustworthy mentor. However, mounting delays and inconsistencies revealed his true nature as a fraudster who had swindled them out of $35,000 connected to the Soho House IPO.

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The Revelation of the Scam

Caroline narrates the discovery of David Bloom’s deceit:

Caroline D'Amore [02:22]: "Next month, my business partners and I fly to Texas for a meeting David Blum set up that's going to make Pizza Girl pasta sauce a national brand."

As plans faltered, suspicions grew:

Beck [03:54]: "Let's not forget that David Bloom was a professional con artist. He had been doing this for 30 years. We didn't know it at the time, but, you know, looking back, this is what he does."

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Emotional Impact on Caroline

The emotional toll on Caroline becomes evident as she shares her personal struggles:

Caroline D'Amore [05:01]: "I was carrying a weight that no one else in that room had to carry because I truly feel responsible. Right. For Ryan, for you guys."

She candidly discusses her mental health challenges triggered by the betrayal:

Caroline D'Amore [05:38]: "I was having suicidal thoughts. Like for a little bit of time after that, I was having a really hard time."

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Gathering Evidence

Determined to expose David, Caroline and her team begin collecting evidence. They start recording David's phone calls, capturing incriminating admissions of his fraudulent activities.

Caroline D'Amore [06:43]: "So Beck, Aaron, and I start recording all of David Bloom's phone calls from that point on, and I get him to confirm every single scam he's ever pulled on me."

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Devising a Plan to Expose David

To outmaneuver David, the team formulates a strategic plan:

Caroline D'Amore [12:06]: "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."

They create a facade to avoid raising David’s suspicion while continuing to gather vital evidence.

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Background on David Bloom

The episode provides an in-depth look into David Bloom’s history, revealing his long-standing role as a con artist:

James Quealey [19:08]: "David Bloom’s origin story traces all the way back to the wealthiest parts of Manhattan. He grows up really wealthy, Upper East Side Manhattan, vacations in the Hamptons, and he starts this investment group that was basically the beginnings of what would become his grift of choice."

David’s early exploits include running the Greater Sutton Investor Group, amassing millions from unsuspecting investors through false statements and deceptive practices.

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David's History and Previous Scams

David’s criminal endeavors span decades:

Caroline D'Amore [20:26]: "David Blum makes a literal fortune early on in his career of conning."

He successfully executed a Ponzi scheme in the 1980s, defrauding clients like Elizabeth and her husband out of $150,000, only to face conviction and imprisonment. Despite his incarceration, David resurfaced multiple times, continuing his fraudulent activities under different aliases.

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Continued Scamming in Los Angeles

After his release, David relocated to Los Angeles, where he targeted local bartenders and aspiring actors with promises of lucrative investments and exclusive opportunities:

James Quealey [33:49]: "Bloom is a very talented manipulator. He's been convicted of doing this twice. And he's got so many other people in so many positions of power."

David employed sophisticated tactics, leveraging high-profile connections and appealing to individuals' aspirations to secure substantial investments.

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Personal Accounts from Victims

Victims describe David’s manipulative charm and strategic deceit:

James Quealey [35:50]: "Everyone wants to be on the ground floor or something. Everybody wants to get the new gadget. Everybody wants to get the leg up that somebody else doesn't."

Caroline shares how David's manipulations extended to her personal life, tarnishing her reputation and isolating her from the community:

Caroline D'Amore [18:35]: "By the time I got back, David had already told everybody that I was unstable, that I was an alcoholic and a drug addict."

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Caroline's Determination and Next Steps

Despite the emotional and financial devastation, Caroline remains resolute in her mission to expose David:

Caroline D'Amore [06:26]: "I'm not gonna let this lying asshole get away with this. I'm now in, like, at this stage. Like, I already went through my crying, and now I'm in the stage of, like, I just want to get this motherfucker."

With solid evidence in hand, including recordings of David’s admissions, Caroline prepares to collaborate with law enforcement to ensure David faces justice.

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Conclusion

Episode 4 of Once Upon a Con masterfully weaves Caroline D'Amore’s personal ordeal with a broader narrative of systemic fraud perpetrated by David Bloom. Through emotional honesty and meticulous investigation, the episode not only highlights the devastating impact of scams but also underscores the resilience required to combat such deceit. Caroline’s unwavering determination serves as an inspiring testament to seeking justice against powerful adversaries.

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Notable Quotes

• Caroline D'Amore [05:01]: "I was carrying a weight that no one else in that room had to carry because I truly feel responsible."
• Beck [03:54]: "David Bloom was a professional con artist. He had been doing this for 30 years."
• Caroline D'Amore [06:43]: "I get him to confirm every single scam he's ever pulled on me."
• James Quealey [19:08]: "David Bloom’s origin story traces all the way back to the wealthiest parts of Manhattan."

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Key Takeaways

• David Bloom’s Tactics: Mastery in manipulation, leveraging high-profile connections, and exploiting victims’ aspirations.
• Emotional Resilience: Caroline’s journey emphasizes the psychological toll of betrayal and the strength needed to overcome it.
• Systemic Fraud Awareness: The episode sheds light on the importance of vigilance and due diligence in financial dealings to prevent falling victim to similar scams.

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For more insights and developments in Caroline’s quest for justice, stay tuned to Once Upon a Con on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or your preferred podcast platform.

Transcript

[Kyle Tequila]

My name is Kyle Tequila, host of the shocking new true crime podcast Crook County.

[Kenny]

I got recruited into the mob when I was 17 years old.

[Unknown]

People are dying. Is he doing this every night?

[Kyle Tequila]

Kenny was a Chicago firefighter who lived a secret double life as a mafia hitman.

[Kenny]

I had a wife and I had two children. Nobody knew anything.

[Unknown]

He was a fricking crazy man.

[Kyle Tequila]

He was my father and I had no idea about any of this. Until now. Crook county is available now. Listen for free on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your pod tests.

[Caroline D'Amore]

In a world of economic uncertainty and workplace transformation, learn to lead by example. From visionary C suite executives like Shannon Schuyler of PwC and Will Pearson of iHeartMedia. The good teacher explains the great teacher inspires.

[Unknown]

Don't always leave your team to do.

[Holly Fry]

The work that's been the most important.

[Caroline D'Amore]

Part of how to lead by example. Listen to leading by example executives making an impact on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Welcome to the Criminalia Podcast. I'm Maria Tremorki.

[Holly Fry]

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

[Caroline D'Amore]

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

[Holly Fry]

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

[Caroline D'Amore]

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.

[Unknown]

It was big news.

[Caroline D'Amore]

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 whole thing 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.

[Caroline D'Amore]

Previously on Once Upon a Con.

[Kenny]

In order to discuss things for the week, we'd like to have you and.

[Unknown]

Your team come to our headquarters in Austin.

[Caroline D'Amore]

Next month, my business partners and I fly to Texas for a meeting David Blum set up that's going to make Pizza Girl pasta sauce a national brand.

[Beck]

It was going to be a two day meeting in the headquarters of Whole.

[Caroline D'Amore]

Foods, but delay after delay leads us all to a shocking discovery. He's a scammer. He's been in jail a few times. Waitresses Yep, we just realized we're all getting scammed by David Blum. The $35,000 we gave him for that Soho House IPO gone. And this entire meeting with Whole Foods CEO A.C. gallo is one big hoax. But David doesn't know we're onto him. So we start recording all his phone calls as evidence of his crimes for police. And he's still pushing this whole food scam really, really hard.

[Kenny]

That I just want you all calm and cool headed because you are going to have a meeting and they're going to offer you something.

[Caroline D'Amore]

I'm Caroline D'Amore, and this is Once Upon a Con Episode 4, the Best Friend you never asked for.

[Beck]

Let's not forget that David Bloom was a professional con artist. He had been doing this for 30 years. We didn't know it at the time, but you know, looking back, this is what he. He does. And he did it incredibly successfully. So you didn't see stand a chance.

[Caroline D'Amore]

Yeah, but then speaking to AC Gallo, I never thought in a million years that somebody would do this to another person for somebody else. Like that was absurd. And you do have all these questions, but then you question yourself.

[Beck]

But I wonder now if that's why he had to send us to Austin, because that was. It was going to crumble if you didn't believe that was A.C. gallow. So he had to keep dangling this meeting that came out of that call to legitimize the call.

[Caroline D'Amore]

My business partners Beck and Erin and I are Monday morning quarterbacking David Blum's insane scam.

[Beck]

My overwhelming feeling were two things. One was poor Caroline. She was in so much pain. It was awful.

[Caroline D'Amore]

I was carrying a weight that no one else in that room had to carry because I truly feel responsible. Right. For Ryan, for you guys. The reason we're there, I continued to champion this guy and believe in him. And I made everybody else join. So I literally. You guys, I'm not even kidding you. Like, I had, like, hate saying this, but I had really dark thoughts. You know what I mean? Like, really dark thoughts in that moment. And when I had my panic attack, my throat hurts, just feel like closing up.

[Beck]

I just feel like I'm having a panic attack.

[Caroline D'Amore]

I didn't know that I was gonna ever come out of that.

[Kyle Tequila]

It was traumatic.

[Caroline D'Amore]

Not gonna lie. I was having like suicidal thoughts. Like for a little bit of time after that, I was having a really hard time. And as this is all unraveling, I'm falling apart, then putting myself back together, only to fall apart again. Deep down, I know I Have to do something. I'm not gonna let this lying asshole get away with this. I'm now in, like, at this stage. Like, I already went through my crying, and now I'm in the stage of, like, I just want to get this motherfucker. He's preying on people that are fucking working their asses off and that are desperate. And I just came out of a divorce.

[Kenny]

He.

[Caroline D'Amore]

He knew that I had fucking nothing and that I rallied every fucking dollar that I had, but he knew I had nothing.

[Beck]

He doesn't care. In one of the articles, the judge said, I have never seen such depraved, remorseless behavior. He's amoral.

[Caroline D'Amore]

So Beck, Aaron, and I start recording all of David Bloom's phone calls from that point on, and I get him to confirm every single scam he's ever pulled on me.

[Kenny]

And we're gonna have a meeting. I'm not gonna know now. For the next hour and a half, he's switching around. He's getting a final word from that other department of the company about the cleaning. Whether anyone can come in today.

[Caroline D'Amore]

I know, but, David, if you're my friend, you know that I've been here, you know, like, trying my hardest to make this, you know, work out.

[Kenny]

It's a hotspot for Covid in Austin right now. And so this is happening.

[Caroline D'Amore]

What should I do? And what do I tell my team? And what do I do?

[Kenny]

You tell your team exactly what I'm telling you. I mean, I don't know what. I don't know what else to tell you. There's a reason why we couldn't go in on Friday, because it was 13 days, not 14 days. And then we had a whole conversation, and they offered to get you in as quickly as possible. They all scrambled to change their schedule, which they did for today. And now they've had a little outbreak of COVID amongst some of their team members over the weekend. And their corporate protocol, every corporate protocol requires for them to sanitize those office areas where people have Covid and not allow people in to protect employees, to protect visitors for all those things that everyone's talking about every day.

[Caroline D'Amore]

And that's why all companies are doing Zoom. They really are.

[Kenny]

They are. Actually, they aren't all doing Zoom. I go into meetings every week. I actually had a non Zoom thing. It was outdoor on the owner's property yesterday at Netflix. Yesterday for three hours. So everyone isn't doing Zoom. They want to meet you in person for this particular thing. This is not a normal meeting. Like, you have going forward. Once you've signed an agreement with them, they want to meet you in person for this.

[Caroline D'Amore]

Wow. David's on a roll. So I bring up that Soho House ipo. What are all the details with that?

[Kenny]

There are no new details. I was just finalizing. I was hearing the final price is being sold at 26 and a quarter next Monday.

[Caroline D'Amore]

How I saw that it went down to nine or something. So David tricked us into believing he used our $35,000 to buy shares in Soho House for a dollar a share. I checked that day and they were trading at $9 a share. But David is telling me they're trading at $26 a share. Which is obviously a lie on top of a lie on top of another lie. And this is how he masterfully explains the stock price disparity. After I point it out to him. He uses his good friend, billionaire Ron Burkle.

[Kenny]

He has a hedge fund in London. Buying my whole block of shares at 26 and a quarter. Next week.

[Caroline D'Amore]

Rhonda's. Yes.

[Kenny]

It's all been pre arranged. That's why this deal was so certain. That's why, you know, knowing your circumstance, I knew that this was going to be a good thing to go. We're selling you the 26 and a quarter now, next Monday. And then 10 days later you'll have a wire transfer or check.

[Caroline D'Amore]

If that were actually true, a check for nearly a million dollars would be hitting my bank account in 10 days. Which would be really awesome because right now I'm flat broke after giving that fucker all the money I had. And if I didn't know what I know now about his past scams. He really sounds like he actually cares about me.

[Kenny]

If you need money, just tell me when you come back. I'll give you money. I don't care. It's not Ron. Ryan doesn't have to know. No one has to know. I don't talk about those things. You're like my sister. If you need something, just tell me. You need something. You're gonna have money in the next 20 days. And that's. That's signed, that's sealed and delivered. That's done. 26 and a quarter. Your shares are being sold for. All of our shares are being sold for 26 and a quarter next Monday. Liquidated at market. So that's that, that's all taken care of. And 10 business days after you'll have your money.

[Caroline D'Amore]

I mean, you know that. I obviously appreciate that opportunity. Mj.

[Kenny]

I'm always in your corner. I love you. Say Hi to Ryan. And please don't worry about money. You know, whatever. Whatever. Whatever you need. Till that money comes and you just tell me. I'll hand it to you. Okay?

[Unknown]

Relax.

[Kenny]

I love you, man. You know I'm always here for you. No matter how busy I am, I'm always here for you, you, you, you. In my corner when I was very lonely and when I needed friends. And that goes a long way with me. So we just have to keep our heads straight. And I've learned this. With these kinds of people, you have to be low key. No matter what stress we're feeling, we have to put that in our pocket and walk in with a confident face. And no matter how many delays and disappointments, whether they're deserved or they're not, I'm just chill. Because it's that poker face you have to show to people all the time. And I love you, and this is all a learning experience, but I will never let you down. I will never lead you astray, and I will always be in your corner to help you. Whatever you need. Just tell me what you need.

[Caroline D'Amore]

Listening to David Blum tell me he loves me and that he'll always be in my corner makes me sick to my stomach. The good news is this long, rambling phone call.

[Kenny]

I'll call you as soon as I hear back from.

[Caroline D'Amore]

Okay? Okay, sounds good. All right, bye. Is exactly what we need to give police to prove David scammed us. He talked about all his cons. The Whole Foods meeting, billionaire Ron Burkle, and that Soho House IPO Listening to.

[Beck]

Him, psychopath saying all that stuff. I mean, basically, he's just confirmed everything he's done on that call. Like, that we've recorded. From an evidence point of view.

[Caroline D'Amore]

He just thinks I'm just a freaking dummy.

[Beck]

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]

David is insistent that we all stay in Austin, especially me, until this bogus Whole Foods meeting actually happens, which, of course, it never will. So I tell David, after today, I cannot stay. Should I ask Rebecca and Aaron to stay? Should I have them go in? Like, what do I do?

[Kenny]

This is about meeting you. This is not about meeting Rebecca and Aaron. They aren't pizza girl.

[Caroline D'Amore]

It takes one guy out there to say, who's that?

[Kenny]

Kyle, who thinks he can just get on a microphone on a podcast and start publicizing this.

[Kyle Tequila]

From iHeart podcasts and Tenderfoot TV comes a new true crime podcast, Crook County.

[Kenny]

I got recruited into the mob when I was 17 years old.

[Kyle Tequila]

Meet Kenny, an enforcer for the legendary Chicago outfit.

[James Quealey]

And that was my mission, to snuff the life out of this guy.

[Kyle Tequila]

He lived a secret double life as a firefighter paramedic for the Chicago Fire Department.

[Kenny]

I had a wife and I had two children.

[James Quealey]

Nobody knew anything.

[Unknown]

People are dying. Is he doing this every night?

[Kyle Tequila]

Torn between two worlds.

[Kenny]

I'm covering up murders that these cops are doing.

[Unknown]

He was a freaking crazy man.

We don't know who he is.

[Beck]

Really.

[Kyle Tequila]

He is my father and I had no idea about any of this. Until now. Welcome to Crook County. Series premiere February 11th. Listen for free on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Unknown]

Have you ever looked into the night sky and wondered who or what was flying around up there? We've seen planes, helicopters, hot air balloons, and birds. But what if there's something else, something much more ominous that appears under the COVID of night. Silent, unseen, Watching. They may be right above your car late one night as you cruise down the road. Or look like mysterious lights hovering above your home. Drones. Or are they?

[Kenny]

We used to wear drone because it was comfortable to other people.

[Unknown]

One minute was there and one minute it wasn't.

[Caroline D'Amore]

Oh, that means is beyond creepy. Do you feel like this drone was targeting you?

[James Quealey]

Specifically?

[Kenny]

Yes, Absolutely.

[Unknown]

Listen to Obscurum Invasion of the Drones on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Arturo Castro]

Hi, I'm Arturo Castro, and I've been lucky enough to do stuff like Broad City and narcos and Roadhouse and so many commercials about back pain. And now I'm starting a PODC because honestly guys, I don't feel the space is crowded enough. Get ready for Greatest Escapes, a new comedy podcast about the wildest true escape stories in history. Each week I'll be sitting down with some of the most hilarious actors and writers and comedians to tell them a buck wild tale from across history and time. People like Ed Helms, Diane Guerrero, Joseph Gordon Levitt and Zoe Chao.

[Unknown]

Titanic, Charles Manson, Alcatraz, Assata Shakur, the.

[James Quealey]

Sketchy guy named Steve.

[Arturo Castro]

It's giving funny true crime.

[Kenny]

I love storytelling and I love you.

[Caroline D'Amore]

So I can't wait.

[Arturo Castro]

Listen and subscribe to Greatest escapes 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 culture.

[Kenny]

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

[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. He just saw his body just kind of collapsing. 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?

[Kenny]

I definitely am not.

[Unknown]

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

[Caroline D'Amore]

After today, I cannot stay. Should I ask Rebecca and Aaron to stay? Should I have them go in? Like, what do I do?

[Kenny]

This is about meeting you. This is not about meeting Rebecca and Aaron. They aren't pizza girl. He wants to meet you, and his team wants to meet with you after this meeting, probably the rest of your life. Be on Zoom. There might be a rare thing once a year to come down in person for the first day. It's about personality. And that's not something you do on Zoom. That's something you do in person.

[Caroline D'Amore]

He sounds pretty convincing, right? And in order to keep it going on our end, so we can keep gathering evidence for police, we come up with a way that gets us back home to Los Angeles while letting David think it's my fault that this fictitious Whole Foods meeting didn't happen.

[Beck]

We devised this thing where Caroline said, david, we can't wait for this meeting. Now. My daughter needs me back, so we're gonna apply back, and we'll reschedule this Whole Foods meeting.

[Caroline D'Amore]

And we knew that he was gonna blame it. Just like you blame things on Covid, he's gonna blame it on the fact that I needed to go home to my daughter. Well, you have to go home to your daughter. So we were giving almost him an out.

[James Quealey]

We had to give him an out.

[Caroline D'Amore]

So that we could fly home, you know what I mean? Like, and not give up that we knew anything. But I had no idea that while I was in Austin for five days chasing a wild goose named A.C. gallo, David was trash talking me to all my neighbors at the Villa Carlotta, because by the time I got back, David had already told everybody that I was unstable, that I was an alcoholic and a drug addict. Yeah. And that was his new story because he knew I was coming back with a vengeance. He knew we were coming back. Not taking it, but I'm saying he was preparing for it. Yes, absolutely.

[Beck]

For sure.

[Caroline D'Amore]

But we hit it. And when I get back to the Villa Carlotta, I have one hell of a poker face on. I can't tell anyone I know David's true identity because I need to keep gathering evidence. But some of my neighbors actually believe David's lies about me, that I'm this mentally unstable drug addict and they avoid me. They have no idea that this dude is a sophisticated con artist with four decades of swindling, hundreds of innocent victims under his belt.

[James Quealey]

David Blum is better known as the Wall street whiz kid. He is generally considered a high level grifter.

[Caroline D'Amore]

That's James Quealey, a crime reporter for the LA Times. He actually spent months investigating the many scams of David Bloom for a story he did in September of 2022.

[James Quealey]

So the difference between David Blume and my regular beat is just the nature of the crime. I think by and large, over the course of my career, I've normally covered violent crime. That is normally just what resonates. And you know the old adage in newspapers is true, right? If it bleeds, it leads. Bloom is more of a mental gymnastics criminal fraudster, taking money from people in positions of power. Quite honestly, I tend to write a lot about downtrodden victims, people who don't get a voice otherwise. People from communities that are marginalized, underprivileged. Bloom strikes at people largely in his same tax bracket or the tax bracket he wants occupied. He goes after people with money and he goes after people with privilege. And, you know, it kind of shows that wealth doesn't insulate you from that.

[Caroline D'Amore]

And it also explains why he moved into the Villa Carlotta, a super high end building with dozens and dozens of wealthy, ambitious residents who were ripe for the scamming. David Bloom convinced us all that he came from money and that he built his business empire with shrewd investments using powerful connections. But where does this grifter actually come from?

[James Quealey]

David Bloom's origin story traces all the way back to the wealthiest parts of Manhattan. I guess it would have been the 80s, would have been his real coming of age. He grows up really wealthy, Upper east side Manhattan, vacations in the Hamptons, and he starts this investment group that was basically the beginnings of what would become his grift of choice, right? That he has inside information or he can get access to these groups that are about to go public or these stocks that he can get into. Low value, trademark, triple. You can quintuple your investment. Said he had connections to the Rockefeller, said he had connections to Bill Cosby. And this is back at a time when that would be a connection you would want to have. You know, he's still just the jello guy then.

[Caroline D'Amore]

This sickening irony of one predator using another to further their cause is not lost on me. David Blum makes a literal fortune early on in his career of conning.

[James Quealey]

He in the 80s took over 100 people for over $15 million. One of the victims was his own grandmother.

[Caroline D'Amore]

David actually starts a private investment club while he's getting his art history degree at Duke University in the early 1980s. He quickly develops a reputation for making everyone a lot of money and eventually opens his own company, the Greater Sutton Investor Group. And in a few years, he's taken in millions and millions of dollars from hundreds of investors, including his close friends and family. In the meantime, he's spending millions of dollars on high end homes, luxury cars and priceless paintings. He even buys a 52 carat diamond necklace for one of his girlfriends. The crazy thing is all of David Blum's clients are happy for years because David is mailing them entirely fictitious statements every month, giving them all the false impression that they're making a lot of money with him.

[Unknown]

David Bloom was an infant when I first saw him in East Hampton. He was a quiet little fellow and he was quite small.

[Caroline D'Amore]

That's a woman we're calling Elizabeth because she wants to remain anonymous. Both she and her husband were actually good friends with David Bloom's parents and watched him grow up to become, by all accounts a hugely successful young man. People even start calling him the Wall street whiz kid because he's still in his early 20s.

[Unknown]

At this point, my husband and I would go out to dinner with the Blooms and always a new restaurant, a fine restaurant. Places where they were able to tell us of the explosion exploits and fabulous things that their son David was doing. All the conversation was about David. We could not speak of anything else but listen to stories of David and how much money he was making for people and how many clients he had. And he lived in this elegant apartment on 72nd Street, I think it was. He had offices at the 666 Building on 57th or 59th Street. There was a British secretary that answered his office phone. David had a Bentley and a chauffeur. David was a genius. David was admired by all. In fact, when we would go to these restaurants, once we were identified as David Bloom Associates, they treated us like we were celebrities. They could not do enough for us. One time when I was with him for dinner and he had to take A phone call. After he got off the phone, he came back, he said, oh, it's the Sultan of Brunei. He wants to invest with me. He's so interested. And we became impressed with it because we were very interested in the fact that he was making so much money for so many people, including his grandmother. And so at a certain point we cracked and we decided we wanted in on that.

[Caroline D'Amore]

So Elizabeth and her husband give David $150,000 to invest for them back in 1987, which is the equivalent of nearly $400,000 in today's money. But months later, they start hearing troubling rumors about the Wall street whiz kid.

[Unknown]

I think the feds were already after him by then.

[Caroline D'Amore]

Yep, as it turns out, David Bloom was actually running an elaborate Ponzi scheme. There were no investments. When one client wanted their money back, he used another client's to cover it. Sound familiar? Bloom was pulling a Bernie Madoff before most people even knew who Bernie Madoff was. And eventually everything blew up in his face too.

[James Quealey]

When it was all said and done, he was convicted of various financial crimes and barred from operating as a any sort of financial advisor or otherwise anything governed by the Security Exchange Commission for I believe it was a lifetime ban.

[Caroline D'Amore]

The courts sell all of David's assets and are able to return some of his victims money, including Elizabeth and her husband.

[Unknown]

We invested 150 and got 75,000 back. So we were lucky.

[Caroline D'Amore]

And in 1988, David Blum is sentenced to eight years in federal prison. But he gets out early.

[James Quealey]

He spent a couple years in prison, resurfaces in Manhattan, kind of doing the same thing, but on a lower level. Now he's targeting bartender, now he's targeting aspiring actors. He's going by the name David Daley. Now he's purposefully not calling himself Bloom.

[Caroline D'Amore]

David Daly, aka David Blum, is in his mid-30s in 1998 when he becomes a regular at a restaurant in Manhattan's financial district called Houston's. He always wears expensive suits with French cuffs and he really impresses all the waiters and bartenders there with his apparent wealth. He tells them all he drives a Bentley. He also says he's an investment banker and then gives them all stock tips that actually end up being spot on. They're impressed. He then offers to help one bartender who's an aspiring actor land a big time agent and tells another he can pull some strings to get him an investment banking job at one of the big firms next door. But before any of that happens, David offers another couple of Bartenders the opportunity of a lifetime. He says he's got some, quote, gift IPOs that'll be worth 20 to 30 times whatever they put in. According to one of those bartenders, quote, David said his clients weren't interested in.

[Unknown]

Them because there were only a couple of thousand sharers and not millions of shares.

[Caroline D'Amore]

It takes one guy out there to say, who's that?

[Kenny]

Kyle, who thinks he can just get on a microphone on a podcast and start publicizing this.

[Kyle Tequila]

From iHeart podcasts and Tenderfoot TV comes a new true crime podcast, Crook County.

[Kenny]

I got recruited into the mob when I was 17 years old.

[Kyle Tequila]

Meet Kenny, an enforcer for the legendary Chicago outfit.

[James Quealey]

And that was my mission, to snuff the life out of this guy.

[Kyle Tequila]

He lived a secret double life as a firefighter paramedic for the Chicago Fire Department.

[Kenny]

I had a wife and I had two children.

[James Quealey]

Nobody knew anything.

[Unknown]

People are dying. Is he doing this every night?

[Kyle Tequila]

Torn between two worlds.

[Kenny]

I'm covering up murders that these cops are doing.

[Unknown]

He was a freaking crazy man.

We don't know who he is, really.

[Kyle Tequila]

He is. My father and I had no idea about any of this until now. Welcome to Crook County. Series premiere February 11th. Listen for free on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Unknown]

Have you ever looked into the night sky and wondered who or what was flying around up there? We've seen planes, helicopters, hot air balloons, and birds. But what if there's something else, something much more ominous that appears under the COVID of night? Silent, unseen, watching. They may be right above your car late one night as you cruise down the road, or look like mysterious lights hovering above your home. Drones. Or are they?

[Kenny]

We used the word drone because it was comfortable to other people.

[Unknown]

One minute was there, and one minute it wasn't.

[Caroline D'Amore]

Oh, that is beyond creepy.

[Unknown]

Do you feel like this drone was targeting you specifically?

[Kenny]

Yes, Absolutely.

[Unknown]

Listen to Obscurum. Invasion of the Drones on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. It was big news.

[Caroline D'Amore]

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.

[Kenny]

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

[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. He just saw his body just kind of collapsing. 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?

[Kenny]

I definitely am not.

[Unknown]

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

[Arturo Castro]

Hi, I'm Arturo Castro and I've been lucky enough to do stuff like Broad City and Narcos and Roadhouse and so many commercials about back pain. And now I'm starting a podcast because honestly guys, I don't feel the space is crowded enough. Get ready for Greatest Escapes, a new comedy podcast about the wildest true escape stories in history. Each week I'll be sitting down with some of the most hilarious actors and writers and comedians to tell them a buck wild tale from across history and time. People like Ed Helms, Diane Guerrero, Joseph Gordon Levitt and Zoe Chow.

[Unknown]

Titanic, Charles Manson, Alcatraz, Assata Shakur, the.

[James Quealey]

Sketchy guy named Steve.

[Arturo Castro]

It's giving funny true crime.

[Kenny]

I love storytelling and I love you.

[Caroline D'Amore]

So I can't wait.

[Arturo Castro]

Listen and subscribe to Greatest escapes on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Caroline D'Amore]

So David takes tens of thousands of dollars in cash from two of those bartenders at Houston's. One of them is so confident he's about to become a millionaire, he actually quits his bartending job. But surprise, surprise, it was all a scam. They never see their money ever again. Eventually, the other bartender manages to trick David Blum into meeting for a drink to discuss things. And unbeknownst to David, it was all a ruse. Because suddenly three undercover officers seemingly show up out of nowhere and escort David Bloom outside for questioning.

[James Quealey]

He was accused of defrauding a couple people of upwards of 50,000, but certainly not the $15 million swindle from the first time.

[Caroline D'Amore]

And David is charged and then convicted of grand larceny and scheming to defraud. He spends five more years behind bars and gets out in 2006. Eventually, he heads west to Los Angeles, and in the decade or so before I ever meet him at the Villa Carlotta, he scams dozens and dozens of hardworking, unsuspecting people. Reporter James Quealey writes about some of them in that LA Times article.

[James Quealey]

Bloom generally targeted people with money. Many of the victims wanted to remain anonymous due to their positions in Venice.

[Caroline D'Amore]

An eclectic bohemian neighborhood in Los Angeles. David befriends a pair of liquor store owners and impresses them with his investment. One of them told the LA Times.

[Kyle Tequila]

Quote, he never asked for a lot of money.

[Caroline D'Amore]

There wasn't a red flag.

[Kenny]

He wasn't like, you should give me $25,000. He says, if you want to invest 100, if you want to invest a.

[Caroline D'Amore]

Thousand, whatever amount you want. And that's exactly what he told me. Eventually, David scams more than $100,000 out of those liquor store owners by tricking them into believing he was getting them in on the ground for floor of Snapchat's ipo.

[James Quealey]

This was around the time when Snapchat was more or less taking over the neighborhood. This is when they, I think, were just going public with the IPO, right? Like 2017ish. And he said he had early access to that.

[Caroline D'Amore]

15 miles away at the Frolic Room, a storied Hollywood bar featured in a bunch of movies and TV shows, David scams tens of thousands of dollars from bar patrons and employees, employees claiming to have early access to super bowl tickets.

[James Quealey]

Bloom is a very talented manipulator. He's been convicted of doing this twice. And he's got so many other people in so many positions of power, from so much wealth to, you know, kind of fall under his spell, for lack of a better term. People are still embarrassed because at the end of the day, when they think back on it now, to some extent, there's a weird simplicity to his scam. It's just like, I have this thing that you don't understand, but it can make you rich. The commonalities between the Griffs from the people I talk, he'll name drop a lot. He will definitely have a tendency of just snowing you and overwhelming you with, I know this broker, I know this guy, I know this hedge fund cfo, you know, whatever it is, just throwing around, you know, high finance is generally not a world that I think the average human knows a lot about. I certainly don't. And what little I do, I gain from reporting this story. So it's probably very easy to say, I know the CFO of Instacart, and this is why I can get it. You might be sitting there going, I don't. I barely know what a CFO is, and I don't know what Instacart is. But, you know, everybody wants to be on the ground floor or something. Everybody wants to get the new gadget. Everybody wants to get the leg up that somebody else doesn't. You know, you want to be the guy who invested in Apple before the iPhone. So if you see a chance like that, it's a very appealing opportunity. And you're almost like, in your nature. Don't want to ask too many questions. He has a habit of using something that's called me syndrome. A victim who's an artist, he suddenly liked their paintings. A victim who was a film buff, he suddenly was talking about, you know, European cinema in the bar. A lot of people were sports fans. The Frolic Room. He allegedly claimed he had tickets to the super bowl because it was in Los Angeles the year that he was doing a lot of these things. And he played on their football interest. There was a guy in there who was an aspiring screenwriter, so he claimed he knew the CEO of Netflix. He takes what you love and uses it against you. And, of course, it's the stock trading. Like, that's ultimately is always the gambit, it seems, across all three criminal investigations is, I have access to this thing. And then they bite, and he reels them in, and then he disappears.

[Caroline D'Amore]

At this point, there are possibly hundreds of David Blume victims in and around Los Angeles, but a lot of them will never come forward out of shame and embarrassment. Well, dozens of his victims have, in fact, gone to police already. As of today, March 30, 2023, David Bloom is still a free man, targeting potential marks right now at bars, restaurants, and coffee shops.

[James Quealey]

Bloom was, you know, the best friend you never asked for was kind of the phrasing I would get from people. He has a habit, or he has an ability, rather, to sit down and become the most indispensable person in your life. He was patient. He was deliberate. A lot of his victims have told me he never discussed specifics. He never discussed large quantities. He really made them feel like he was doing them a favor, and that probably lulled them into giving more.

[Caroline D'Amore]

And while I've personally lost a lot of money to David Blum and fell victim to his endless lies and crazy manipulations, what happened to me pales in comparison to what happened to another woman he scammed.

[Holly Fry]

He made me feel special, you know, as he started his campaign, I would call it, that he waged against me the time we were married.

[Caroline D'Amore]

Being married to con artist David Blume is a thousand times worse than you ever, ever could imagine.

[Holly Fry]

It's kind of like a cult. That's what I'd liken it to. He brainwashed me. He made me feel like the world hated me. And he was the only person that understood me and loved me, and I could not live without him.

[Caroline D'Amore]

Next time on Once Upon a Con.

[Holly Fry]

We exchanged information, and he told me he was going to the Hamptons for the weekend to spend at Tommy Hilfrickers. I was like, wow, how cool is that? You know?

[Caroline D'Amore]

But David Blume's ex wife has no idea she's about to enter the Twilight Zone and she might not live to tell about it either.

[Holly Fry]

I was barely functioning and I just had this realization that he will not stop until he kills me.

[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'Amore, 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'Amore senior associate producer Jill Piesznik Coordinator, Malena Krojewski Sound design by Tim Mulhern Edited and mixed by Tim Mulhern Supervising editor Victoria Chang Mastered by Victoria Chang Engineering by Justin Longerbeam Legal counsel for Ayr Media Gianni Douglas Voice acting by Jorge Farragut and David Teitelbaum. Our theme song, freshly Served, was written and performed by the incredibly talented Maddie Noyes and is available on her SoundCloud.

[Kyle Tequila]

My name is Kyle Tequila, host of the shocking new true crime podcast Crook County.

[Kenny]

I got recruited into the mob when I was 17 years old.

[Unknown]

People are dying. Is he doing this every night?

[Kyle Tequila]

Kenny was a Chicago firefighter who lived a secret double life as a mafia hitman.

[Kenny]

I had a wife and I had two children. Nobody knew anything.

[Unknown]

He was a fricking crazy man.

[Kyle Tequila]

He was my father and I had no idea about any of this until now. Crook county is available now. Listen for free on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Caroline D'Amore]

In a world of economic uncertainty and workplace transformation, learn to lead by example from visionary C suite executives like Shannon Schuyler of PwC and Will Pearson of iHeartMedia. The good teacher explains the great teacher inspires.

[Unknown]

Don't always leave your team to do.

[Holly Fry]

The work that's been the most important.

[Caroline D'Amore]

Part of how to Lead by Example. Listen to Leading by Example executives making an impact on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. 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.

[Caroline D'Amore]

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 and.

[Caroline D'Amore]

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

[Holly Fry]

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

[Unknown]

It was big news.

[Caroline D'Amore]

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 a whole thing 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.