Pablo Torre Finds Out – “I Think I Solved the Mystery of the NFL's Secret Scammer and a $5 Billion Check”

Host: Pablo Torre
Guests/Contributors: Ryan Cortez, Kenny Blakeney
Air date: September 8, 2023

Episode Overview

In this riveting “talkumentary,” Pablo Torre dives into the wild story behind a mysterious $5 billion bank draft that nearly upended the sale of the Washington Commanders (NFL team). Torre traces the web of real estate entrepreneur and former Duke basketball player Brian Davis, his outlandish bid to buy the team, a legendary fortune linked to WWII-era Filipino gold, and the con artistry at the heart of American capitalism. The episode unwraps layers of scams, desperate dreams, and the quest for sports glory, ultimately revealing how even serial scammers can themselves become prey.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Genesis: A $5B Bank Draft & a Tuna Wrap

• Pablo receives an unforgettable text from Kenny Blakeney (Howard University basketball coach/Duke alum): a PDF of a $5 billion bank draft, purportedly a certified check meant to buy the Commanders (03:56).
• “The amount of money associated…was $5 billion.” – Pablo (03:56)
• Pablo’s curiosity is piqued, sparking a personal investigation that spirals into the depths of sporting, financial, and human folly.

2. Brian Davis – The Would-Be NFL Owner

• Background: Davis, former Duke captain, with limited NBA success, subsequently built a career in real estate and claimed to helm a green energy infrastructure business (10:26).
• After news broke of Josh Harris’s $6 billion deal for the Commanders, Davis emerges—claiming a $7 billion counter-bid, with a promise to be the NFL’s first Black majority owner (07:48).

3. The Problem: “Where Did the Money Come From?”

• Skepticism abounds:
  • Press and bank officials question the legitimacy of Davis’s claim.
  • “Are you able to send us some background and further details regarding the $10 billion of cash…?” – Bank of America MD (08:24)
• Davis evades specifics, repeating (multiple times, forcefully):
  • “My money comes from white people. White.” – Brian Davis (11:24)
  • “I don’t even know what that means.” – Pablo Torre (11:27)
  • Davis continues, vaguely referencing Jewish, Italian, and Sicilian partners but offering no concrete proof.

4. Legal Baggage & Past Humiliations

• Torre recounts Davis’s troubled financial past:
  • Lawsuits for unpaid loans and failed investments.
  • Failed efforts to buy the Memphis Grizzlies, resulting in high-profile lawsuits from the likes of Scottie Pippen (12:51-13:11).
  • Despite vehement denials, Davis’s checkered history lends suspicion to the Commanders’ bid.

5. The $5 Billion Bank Draft — Too Good To Be True?

• Kenny Blakeney and Pablo scrutinize the check; it appears official, but is notably drawn from an estate, not a personal account – the estate of Severino Garcia Santa Romana (20:14).
  • “The name of the estate…was Severino Garcia Santa Romana.” – Pablo (21:45)

6. The Legend of Severino Garcia Santa Romana

• Pablo embarks on a deep dive:
  • Santa Romana: A real (now deceased) Filipino figure, allegedly linked to “Yamashita’s Gold”—a WWII legend about a vast, secret treasure said to be buried in the Philippines (22:03).
  • Santa Romana’s name is attached to myriad conspiracy theories, online scheme forums, and fantastical documents—often used by fraudsters as collateral.

7. The Real Scammer: Donald Norvell Calhoun, a.k.a. Donald Demery

• Pablo tracks the two trustees named on the document: Tarsiana C. Rodriguez and Demery Donald Norvell.

  • On further investigation, Demery is exposed as Donald Norvell Calhoun, a convicted fraudster with a history of financial scams (33:06).
  • “Donald Calhoun is a career con man who has swindled millions...” – Lawsuit excerpt (33:06)

• These individuals, through “Quantum Trust SGSR” and a slew of aliases, have used the Santa Romana estate myth to peddle fake instruments for decades.

8. The Shell Game: Davis as Victim or Co-Conspirator?

• Pablo pivots: Maybe Davis isn’t the original scammer, but a desperate man duped in his quest for redemption and wealth.
  • “What if Brian Davis…was not the only scammer in this story?” – Pablo (35:38)
  • Explains how Davis’s lawsuit (seeking the return of his “bank draft” from Bank of America) might be the act of a man who truly believed in the legitimacy of his fraudulent fortune.

9. Absurdity, Delusion, and the American Dream

• Pablo underscores the blurring lines between redemption, delusion, and predation in American finance and sport.
  • NFL teams are “money-printing machines that seem impossible to mess up” (41:10), irresistible to ambitious risk-takers like Davis.

10. Brian’s Disappearance—and Return

• Following public humiliation, lawsuit withdrawal, and vanishing act (his phone/email go dead), Davis suddenly resurfaces, emailing Bank of America an even larger “offer” – over $10 billion for the Commanders (43:37).
  • “We would like to give Mr. Snyder 8.1 billion…” – Davis’ email (44:13)
  • Davis’s self-belief and relentless pursuit of legitimacy remain undimmed, even as reality repeatedly refutes his claims.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• [04:02] Pablo Torre: “The amount of money associated with this bank draft…was $5 billion.”
• [11:24] Brian Davis: “My money comes from white people. White.”
• [20:14] Pablo Torre: “Brian’s $5 billion bank draft…was not coming from Brian’s own bank account. It was coming from…and was funded by…an estate. That was why Wells Fargo SGSR Statutory Trust, was attached...”
• [21:45] Pablo Torre: “The name of the estate on Brian’s $5 billion bank draft was Severino Garcia Santa Romana.”
• [33:06] Lawsuit Excerpt: “Donald Calhoun is a career con man who has swindled millions of dollars from people and businesses across the United States…”
• [44:13] Kenny Blakeney (reading Davis’s email): “We would like to give Mr. Snyder 8.1 billion, 7.9 billion for the acquisition of the franchise, 100 million for the breakup fee…”
• [45:27] Brian Davis (singing Bob Marley): “All pirates…”
• [End, 45:40] Pablo Torre: “If you dare to run a black light under the motel couch of the American economy, what you’ll discover inevitably are these Nutz—with a Z.”

Important Segment Timestamps

• 03:56 The $5 billion bank draft and its intended use
• 07:48 Brian Davis’s backstory and his audacious NFL bid
• 11:24 Davis’s evasive explanation of his financial backing
• 20:14 Discovery of the estate (Santa Romana) behind the check
• 21:45 Unpacking the Santa Romana legend and Filipino gold
• 33:06 Demery/Donald Calhoun’s checkered history of fraud
• 35:38 Theory: Davis as a victim of a larger scam
• 43:37 Surprise: Brian Davis makes a final, bigger “bid” for the Commanders

Tone, Style & Approach

Pablo Torre’s narration is by turns witty, incredulous, deeply skeptical, and empathetic. The episode employs soundbites, direct quotes, and narrative digressions to humanize its players while exposing the absurdity and peril of American get-rich-quick schemes. The mood oscillates between comic disbelief (“I don’t even know what that means”; “these Nutz with a Z”) and genuine concern for desperation’s consequences.

Conclusion & Takeaway

Pablo closes by reflecting on the relentless, almost mythic American chase for sports ownership, status, and redemption—whatever the personal or moral cost. The episode is ultimately a cautionary (and darkly comic) tale about how the most persistent scammers can themselves fall prey to deeper schemes—and how, beneath the shiny surface of big-money capitalism, lie scammers in perpetual wait.

“If you dare to run a black light under the motel couch of the American economy, what you’ll discover inevitably are these Nutz—with a Z.” – Pablo Torre (45:40)