Bounding After People Like a Labrador w/ Anna Bezahler & Isabella Escalante

Summary

Scam Goddess – "Bounding After People Like a Labrador"

With Guests: Anna Bezahler & Isabella Escalante
Released: February 24, 2026
Host: Laci Mosley

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Episode Overview

This lively episode of Scam Goddess is all about improv, pettiness, personal scams, and the legendary scammer Mary Carol McDonald, a TV producer who posed as an aircraft heiress and swindled over $30 million. Comedians and improv luminaries Anna Bezahler and Isabella Escalante join Laci in a raucous discussion touching on everything from the scammy nature of improv classes, their own brushes with scams and pettiness, to a deep-dive into historic financial crime—plus a bonus laugh at a ski pass scam in Utah.

Tone: Hilarious, irreverent, and confessional with a true affection for the absurdities of grift and hustle.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

The (Scammy) World of Improv & Comedy

• Improv as a Scam: The group mercilessly roasts the improv industrial complex, likening signing up for endless classes to falling for a scam.
  • “The amount of money we've spent on improv classes is definitely like a scam.” (Anna, 01:49)
  • "Coaching truly felt scammy, especially when the teams were terrible but you have to keep showing up to give them hope." (Laci, 04:11)
• Improv Class Experiences: Tales of teaching, being coached, and encountering the perpetual hope peddled by improv schools.
  • “UCB indoctrinates us with, like, oh, once you do this long enough, you're gonna have a professional career…for that few people who make it, there's so many who don’t.” (Laci, 04:21)
• Petty Motivation: Improv rejections still sting and drive ambition, with Laci and Isabella bonding over grudges against improv elitism.

Guest Scam Confessions & Petty Capers

Anna Bezahler’s Scams & Vulnerability

• Classic Rental Scam: Lost $2,000 by renting a non-existent Berkeley apartment online.
  • “We fully spent like $2,000 on an apartment that didn't exist… every red flag was obvious, but we still did it.” (Anna, 07:07)
• Accidental Scammer: Involved in shilling dubious "coupon website" to restaurants during college.
  • “You just put your coupon on the website and then we take, like, 30%… I was so anxious I’d just leave.” (Anna, 09:08–09:46)
• Scam Susceptibility: Admits to having a "scammable" look and being frequently targeted.

Isabella Escalante’s Scam Ambitions

• The College Team Scam: Re-applied incognito as a "transfer student" to her college improv team at age 30 for closure—drove 8 hours, did full auditions, and still only made the "nerdy" team.
  • “I called my cousin who still goes there…I drive eight hours to UC Santa Cruz…tricked them into thinking I’m 20.” (Isabella, 12:21–12:46)
  • “They tried to put me on the same dweeby team I was on when I was in college. I was like, I can’t get away from it.” (Isabella, 13:50)
• Living with an Ex–Through Grief: Moved in with an ex’s family out of state after her dad’s death—ended up living with her ex unwittingly for a year, milking sympathy.

Laci’s Petty Revenge

• Ex’s Parent Drama: Her ex’s mother, who disliked her, invited his former girlfriend over during Laci’s visit. Laci’s retaliation? “One day, bitch, you ain’t never gonna be able to close your eyes without seeing my face.” (Laci, 17:21)

Scam & Grift Discussions: Real Life & Historic

Improv & Scam Parallels

• The show pokes fun at the cyclical, often pointless climb up improv's hierarchical ladder. The emotional cost is discussed with comedic bitterness and solidarity.

Historic Hoodwink: The Case of Mary Carol McDonald

(See below for full breakdown and timeline—20:39-53:17)

“Scammer of the Week”: Ski Pass Grift (Jamila Green, Utah)

-(54:48–59:07):

• Sold major ski passes at a discount using stolen credit cards, scamming resorts and credit card companies while giving buyers a deal. General consensus: victimless-ish, kinda iconic.
  • “I think the icon pass is a scam. All skiing is kind of a scam.” (Anna, 56:05)

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Memorable Quotes & Moments

• “I let pettiness fuel my success.” (Laci, 16:36)
• “I was so anxious I’d just leave.” (Anna, 09:46)
• “I drive 32 hours to shit on you, bitches. You will know I’m better than you.” (Laci, 14:56)
• “Bounding after people like a Labrador.” (Isabella, 50:16) — Episode Title Origin
• “Skiing is ridiculous. You’re going down towards your death and paying for it.” (Anna, 58:40)
• “If you have a lot of power, you don’t have to yell.” (Laci, 43:21)
• “I want to be like a coat rack for the scams—hang the scams on me, but then take them away and I’m just a coat rack.” (Laci, 46:12)
• “If you don't have money, would you be this fancy?” (Laci, 41:33, on scammer emails with 'cheques' spelled with a Q)

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In-Depth Segment: Historic Hoodwink—Mary Carol McDonald

Timestamps: 20:39–53:17

Who Is Mary Carol McDonald?

• Former TV producer (Bellum Entertainment)
• Produced "Corrupt Crimes", "Bizarre Murders", "I Married a Murderer"
• Claimed to be an heiress to the McDonnell Douglas Aircraft fortune; invented "trust fund" of $80 million

The Con

• Wooed banks with tales of imminent inheritance; secured loans totaling $30M+ (Bank of California, others)
• Meanwhile, stiffed employees, including FBI/police experts appearing on her shows, on thousands in back pay
• “She gave the appearance that she was very independently wealthy, always impeccably dressed…she was better than you.” (Ex-employee Joshua Kaufman, 43:12)
• Routinely reassured employees with emails: “There’s a lot going on, but it’s all gonna work out okay.” (40:38)
• Disappeared; a federal warrant was issued (2018). Believed to be hiding out “in the Middle East”—an absurdly broad ‘wanted’ alert, ruthlessly mocked by the trio.

The Group’s Take

• General admiration for the gender-reversal scam: “I have like a soft spot for women scammers like Elizabeth Holmes…Usually producers don’t go rogue like this.” (Isabella, 51:59)
• Unity in disappointment that she robbed the working class: “Steal from the big banks…don’t steal from the hard-working people.” (Laci, 44:54)
• On heiress culture: “Heiresses are never really cute, just got drip… gene pools come out muddily, very royal family, y’know, y’all look like cousins.” (Laci, 47:04)
• Consensus: Bold, almost iconic, but got greedy at the end.

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Key Timestamps

• 00:44–04:21: Improv as a scam; improv class “indoctrination”
• 05:21–19:47: Guests’ personal scam stories and embarrassing improv/adulting moments
• 20:38–53:17: Historic Hoodwink: Mary Carol McDonald, deep-dive and group analysis
• 54:48–59:42: Scammer of the Week—ski pass scam (Jamila Green)
• 59:42–65:48: Roundtable: What’s your dream scam? Cameo awkwardness, petty hustles
• 65:48–end: Plugs and outro

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Notable Side Tangents

• TV & Industry Jargon: Mocking HBO/Max rebrand confusion (25:42–26:13)
• Background Actors: Joy in spotting “grandma extras” doing the most in TV scenes (04:46–05:01)
• Power Signals on TV: Admiration for “Succession” scurrying and slow speech as power moves (43:31)
• Petty Career Motivation: “I will hold onto that shit till I die.” (Laci, 16:32)

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Closing Thoughts

This episode is a masterclass in Scam Goddess energy: scathingly funny, self-deprecating, and unafraid to probe the lines between ambition, pettiness, and petty crime. Laci, Anna, and Isabella illustrate that in the worlds of comedy and con artistry alike, success often lies in unflagging commitment, an ironic eye, and an ability to laugh at your own hustle.

Final tip: Don’t pay for anything in advance…especially improv classes or ski passes.

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Where to Find Them

• Ana & Isabella Do Improv (podcast)
• Insta: @annabezahler, @isabellaesque, @scamgoddesspod
• Laci: @divalaci, Scam Goddess on Hulu/book/tour

Laci’s tagline: “Get out there and stay McDonalding!”

Transcript

[A]

Scams C. Robbery and Frauds. Scam CA Robbery and Frauds. Scam Goddess. What's poppin, Congregation? It's your girl, Lacey Mosley, back with another installment of the podcast all about Scams, Robbery and fraud and those who practice it. I am Scam Goddess. Just reminding y' all this is a comedy pod, y'. All. The Scam Goddess Life Nation tour. It is up and selling out right now in March. Okay, so I'm going to Chicago. I'm going to Irving, Texas, which is basically Dallas, Texas, and that's where I'm from if y' all don't show y' all asses. Dallas, I'mma fight y'.

[B]

All.

[A]

I'mma fight everybody in the Tri state area. Don't play with me. New York, San Francisco. Yep, got them all. This is a little mini tour, cuz I gotta go back to work. If you want to get that promo code, it's Goddess for all the fans. So my guests today are two of the funniest people making waves in the improv scene here in la. I've actually heard good things about you. First up, we have a gal, you know, from the Z Suite, a Tubi original, and the podcast Comedy Bang Bang. Our other equally brilliant guest is a regular on Comedy Bang bang, wrote episode 307 of Wu Tang An American Saga, and performs at UCB in My Favorite Cult. That's My Favorite Cult is UCB. Together they host their podcast, Anna and Isabella Do Improv. Congregation, please rise wherever you are, including your cars. Okay. And help me welcome Anna Betzoller and Isabella Escalante.

[C]

Thanks for having us.

[A]

Thank you for being here. Oh, my goodness, what a ride that was.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

I am from the cult of UCB as well.

[C]

I know, but that was the first thing that popped into my head when you asked us to do this. I was like, the amount of money we've spent on improv classes is definitely like a scam.

[B]

That's the biggest scam of all.

[C]

If I see a person who I like on stage, the next thing I'm doing, I'm going home that night and signing up for whatever school they came from. It doesn't matter. It doesn't matter how many times I've been on stage. If I got asked to do ascat, like a hundred times, I would go and sign up for whatever class this

[A]

person, whatever class they teach, or like, whatever. Like, whoa, you went to Rutgers? Let me go there real quick.

[C]

That's what I would do. I would go, I would go. If they took one class somewhere, I'm Like, I'm doing that.

[A]

I mean, I've taken so many random ones. I think UCB is by far my favorite. But I remember being in New York, going to the Pit. I don't know if you've ever heard of the Pit. I think it's defunct. Is it there?

[C]

No, it's. It has the vibe of being defunct a little bit.

[A]

It's got foreclosure vibes, you know, just all the time you're just waiting for that sign to be out the door. Every time you come when they're like, the chains are on and they're like, it's over, babes.

[C]

Yeah. Yeah, that's kind of the vibe in there. But it's still. It's still. It's still going.

[A]

It's still going.

[B]

Good for them. Have you ever taught a class?

[A]

Yes, I have.

[B]

I feel like I'm scamming when I teach because I'm like, this is all subjective, you know?

[A]

I mean, comedy is so subjective. But I do have to be like, you're doing. Yeah, but you can't say you're doing it wrong. You have to be encouraging and be like, okay, well, this. What did you mean by this?

[C]

Yeah, hit him with the. What did you mean by that? What did you find funny about this?

[A]

Well, yeah, what did you find funny about this? What did you like about this? Okay, about humping old man. What about humping old man? Especially when the whole other group is women. What about humping old man?

[C]

And then you see them go deep into, like, a land of shame. And then the next scene, they do it again. Yeah, the next scene, they're forgetting the exact same thing.

[A]

Oh, my God. That was my least favorite thing about coaching. And probably. Cause yes, it does feel very scammy, Ana. But I felt scammy being in people's living rooms, like, teaching them improv. But the worst part was when I would have a team and I had a lot of these. That's why I quit doing it. This was years ago where, like, the team would be really bad. Like, maybe there was one good one on there, but I had to keep showing up every week, like, giving them hope. And I was like, there's only one good person on this team. The rest of you all should quit. That's the best thing I could tell you. But I can't say that I gotta keep doing exactly what you said. Like, what did you mean by that?

[B]

Well, sometimes they're having so much fun and they are laughing and loving it, and I'm like, I. I think this is for you guys. And I don't like it, but I can't just show up and keep saying that.

[A]

But you know what it is, is UCB indoctrinates us with, like, oh, once you do this for long enough, you're gonna have a professional career. You're gonna be this is that and the third.

[B]

And it.

[A]

It does work for a lot of people. But there's, like, for that few people who make it and work professionally, there's so many others who don't. But I forget that, like, sometimes people just like to have a ho. They're not in it to, like, get on snl. They're, like, there. Cause, like, they're a grandma and they're retired.

[B]

Those are the best improvisers.

[C]

I love the grandmas.

[A]

I love grandmas. I love grandma extras, too. I love when I'm, like, on a set and there's, like, grandma, grandpa, background. I'm like, hey, where are y' all from? They're like, we're retired. We're from Austin. We just like to come out here and see the movie stars sit on the porch. Yeah. And I also now love watching TV shows and looking just in the background to see which background actors are doing the absolute most. I love it. But wait, I. I have to ask you both, and either of you can go first, what is your relationship with scams? Do you love them? Do you hate them? Have you ever been scammed? Like, it could be anything.

[B]

I have been scammed and maybe been a part of a scam. I think I'm pretty scammable.

[C]

Yeah, you get scammed pretty regularly.

[A]

I mean, you do have, like, a really kind face.

[B]

Do I?

[C]

You do.

[A]

I just ran into you in the bathroom before we started this, and I was just like, oh, hey, what's up? And I didn't even know it was you. And I was like, oh, there she is. She's back. I was like, oh, that's here.

[B]

Okay, imagine. I wasn't supposed to be here. I was just like.

[C]

That kind face got you everywhere.

[A]

Yes.

[B]

I have big eyes, so I think that makes people feel invited in to my face.

[A]

But most of the time, you maybe got scammed.

[B]

I got scammed. When I first moved out to California, me and my friend moved to, like, we wanted to live in Berkeley, California.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

Yeah. I was working in, like, marketing, and we fully spent, like, $2,000 on an apartment that didn't exist. Oh, yeah. And we sent them the money through PayPal.

[A]

Oh, you're not getting that back, friends. And I was Just, I was cussing out PayPal yesterday. Like, I'm not even playing. They'll suggest names to you and be like, they're contacts. Shut up. And I hit a contact that is one letter off from my cousin's last. Like, we have the same last name. And I sent this large amount of money, and then I immediately tried to cancel it. PayPal won't give it back. They would not, like, contact me. They won't call you on the phone.

[B]

They don't care.

[C]

I've done that once, too, and it was, like, my boss's old contact, and I accidentally sent him $1,000. No.

[A]

And those people are, like, a blessing from God, especially in this economy. I ain't got that shit back. I sent it right Christmas.

[C]

Your best hope is someone accidentally does the same thing to you at that point.

[A]

No one's ever gonna do that to me. And it was an embarrassing amount of money. And then took this twice.

[B]

I love that. You're, like, sending your cousin a ton of money. That's awesome.

[A]

Yeah. We had things to do. But wait, so you continue.

[B]

Yeah, we, like, we had. Literally, it was. Every red flag was obvious. Like, we hadn't talked to anybody on the phone. We hadn't seen the place. We were on the east coast, just like, oh, we're gonna move to California. This is gonn. Spent all the money, tried to get all the money back. Every person we explained it to was like, there's, like, 1,000 red flags. Like, there's no way that you guys fell for this. And we did.

[A]

I mean, I will say, though, like, moving to another state. Where were you moving from?

[B]

Philadelphia.

[A]

Philly. Okay.

[C]

Okay.

[A]

I can hear a little bit of that in your voice. A little cheesesteak popping out in that accent. Okay. I moved from Texas here.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And I had a similar situation where, like, I wanted to move to a place. Obviously, it's a foreign city. You don't want to get there and beat ass. I didn't. It didn't occur to me, like, oh, maybe get a hotel and then, like, go see some places. So I tried to be safe and do a sublet.

[B]

Mm.

[A]

And so I did, like, a sublet. I had the girl send me proof of residency, address. She sent me photos, videos of everything. I was gonna get my own bedroom. We had been corresponding. I didn't send her. No. I think I maybe sent her half up front.

[B]

Mm.

[A]

I got down. Touchdown. She tells me, oh, yeah, your room is the living room. And also, there's already someone still staying in it. Oh, my Go. So I had to crash with a college friend until I found my old place. So that's not. That's not too bad on that list.

[B]

It's not too bad. It's not too bad. I was also, like, in college, I did this thing called here's my coupon dot com. Okay.

[C]

Sounds super trustworthy.

[B]

Super trustworthy. There's Definitely still a YouTube video of me on the Internet that was like. It's like, one of the few easy to find videos of me where I'm like, plugging this thing that was completely a scam. And I fully was, like, trying to help them scam, I think, but was so bad at it, I, like, got away without, like, fucking up my morals.

[A]

No, you were just there to perform. Okay. They said, give them the coupon. Tell them about the coupon.

[C]

They're like, give us that trustworthy face, those big eyes, that trustworthy face.

[B]

Well, you basically had to go restaurant to restaurant and be like, hey, do you guys wanna sign up for this coupon website? And what you do is you just put your coupon on the website and then we take, like, like, 30% of whatever you like, make.

[A]

30%? That's just very.

[B]

And it was like, in. It was like, right when Groupon was big. So there was already someone doing this. And I was the person that had to go restaurant to restaurant. But I get really anxious talking to,

[A]

like, you were on foot?

[B]

Oh, yeah.

[A]

Oh, I thought she was online doing, like, commercials of it.

[B]

No, no, I was going, like, around my college campus, going into all these restaurants and being like, hey, is the manager around? And they'd be like, yeah, one second. And honestly, I left a bunch of times because I would just get so nervous. I would be like, never mind. Because it was so hard to pitch this thing that was just like, what do you mean? Put a coupon on a website that no one is going to.

[A]

Okay, but you don't have to tell them no one's going there. They don't know no one's going there.

[C]

I can't lie. Yeah, she's honest to a fault about stuff like that.

[B]

I have a light confessional OCD where I'm like, you know what? I'm just gonna have to get ahead of this. My girlfriend's like, stop talking. I'm proud of my scam. I'm glad I was hustling enough to try and scam in college. That's my take on it.

[A]

All right, Isabella, what about you?

[C]

Yeah, so I feel like, well, I get scammed by every AI video That pops up on my feed.

[A]

Yeah, we were just talking about that.

[C]

Yeah. But recently I sort of. I don't know if this qualifies as a full blown scam, but I was kind of scamming, so this is not a flattering story. I'll start off by saying that.

[B]

I will say that this is 100%. She was like, can I say this? Is it scamming? Yes, it's scamming.

[A]

Okay. Do you want us to alter your voice? We can put down, like a dark screen, please.

[C]

Yeah. Just don't share any photos of me after this. But basically. Okay. So I do, like, comedy, like, every night. It drives my friends and family crazy. And like, I. I think back to, like, college when I, like, super wanted to get on this improv team that was like the cool improv team. I was on this, like, super nerdy improv team full of dweebs, and I wanted to be on the artistic team full of good people. And I auditioned every single year and I couldn't get on. I went to UC Santa Cruz. It was. I think it's the best comedy I've ever seen. I'll maintain that at UC Santa Cruz. At UC Santa Cruz, the someone always dies improv team. Incredible. And so I was always. So now I do comedy every day. And I'm like, is this Aldo? And impressed these, like, 19 year olds that I never got the approval from, but now I do comedy. Bang, bang. I'm like, on herald night. And so I. And I was like, in between, like, jobs, and I was like, I was like on Instagram and I was like, oh, they're holding auditions. And I'm like, could I get on now, like, 10 years later, knowing what

[B]

I now know, I was out of town.

[A]

I would have stopped this wait for

[C]

Herald auditions or my college improv team.

[A]

You were trying to go back to.

[C]

I wasn't trying. I did.

[B]

She went.

[C]

I called my cousin. I call my cousin who still goes there.

[A]

Never been kissed.

[C]

Yeah, I know, I know. It's real incel territory. I call my cousin who goes there. He's. He's like 21. I'm like, dude, I need to borrow your email address. He's like, why? I was like, I need to prove something and then sign up for these improv auditions. And so I sign up. I like, try to put on, like a college student outfit. I drive eight hours to UC Santa Cruz.

[A]

Oh, my gosh.

[C]

The whole time I'm like, this is so embarrassing. Why am I doing this? This is. I need a job. Like I officially need a job, but I'm like, so I'm there and I tricked them all into thinking I'm. I said I was a transfer student. Cause I thought I could maybe pass as a 20 year old.

[A]

You still look like a 20 year old.

[C]

I really appreciate that.

[A]

Yeah, well, you can do pass right now. You could go back right now, Isabella.

[C]

And I'm telling you I did.

[B]

This did not happen that long ago. She was like fully like.

[C]

This is a few months ago. Yeah.

[B]

She was almost 30. Yeah.

[A]

Oh my God. This is very close to that lady who saw a negative TikTok comment and drove 3 hours way to confront the man and make him read an apology.

[C]

Yeah, dude, I'm telling you, it's not a flattering story about myself.

[A]

I think it's kind of fucking amazing. You committed to the bitch.

[C]

Then I'm there and they like, they're like, okay, we're gonna call you guys. They're as funny as I remember. It's a fully new, different people. But I'm like, the tone is still as funny as I remember. And they're like, we'll call you guys in a little bit. I get a call and they try to put me on the same dweeby team I was on when I was in college. I was like, I can't get away from it.

[B]

When you were telling me that you were gonna do this, I was like, first of all, don't because that's illegal. I don't even know. But I also was like, in my mind, I was like, there's no way you won't make the good team a second time.

[C]

And guess what? I didn't.

[B]

No, the lesson was what?

[C]

The lesson was. I'm a short form dweeby girl.

[A]

No, they hating on you. They were hating on you. I stand by that. They were hating on you. This is the commit. This is a commitment to a scam I love.

[C]

I also, at one point they said I needed to do a callback. So I went back to L. A and then drove back up there. I spent like, I spent days of my life.

[A]

So you did like 32 hours. If we're talking about round trip each time.

[C]

And it was so much. It felt so much scammier the second time because I was like, now I'm like, I'm like, okay, there's all these Santa Cruz specifics I had to remember. And like, yeah, I was just fully fooling them. And it was, it was right for them to not put me on.

[A]

Oh my God. You're like, Remember that time at Erewhon? They were like, bitch. What?

[C]

Yeah, they were like, erewhon, New leaf.

[A]

Honestly, I don't know. I think that's kind of like Babish behavior. It was like, I will drive 32 hours to shit on you, bitches. You will know I'm better than you.

[C]

Okay. They didn't.

[A]

I think they were hating. I think they were hating.

[B]

They were. I feel like you got kind of a funny. Like, didn't they tell you you were like, close this time?

[C]

They told me I was really. They said that I just needed to get my performance legs and do some short form for a while.

[B]

Meanwhile, she's performing every night.

[A]

Ponzi Schemers. They're like, you're so close. Just keep coming back, giving us that 1095 each night.

[C]

I was close to enrol. I was like, maybe I'll just do a quarter here.

[A]

Rolling back in school to shit on people in improv is just chef's kiss. Honestly though, I will say, when I was going to school at the University of Pittsburgh, they had like an improv clique, but they didn't really, like, fucking know what they were doing. We were more like a theater repertory school. So I did a lot of theater there and business and. But I saw improv and I was like, oh, I used to do that for so long. Like, I want to get involved. They were so fucking clicky, too.

[C]

They're clicky.

[A]

They're so fucking clicky. And they were like dweeby and Cookie.

[C]

I know. That's the thing.

[A]

And not funny. And they were like, you have to take all this training to get on the stage with us. I was like, bitch, the I perform at the Comedy Store, ho. Like, catch my TV shows. I got multiples. That's how I did it. That was my 32 hour drive.

[C]

Yeah, that's good.

[A]

Post on Instagram. Like, watch out. Me. Little old me that couldn't join your dusty ass, black box, crusty ass. Where you bitches now?

[B]

Where? It's good that it sounds like you're super over it.

[C]

Yeah, yeah. You sound way more grounded than me about it.

[A]

I will hold on to that shit till I die.

[C]

That's the thing. It's at a formative diet.

[A]

I let pettiness fuel my success.

[B]

Yeah, absolutely.

[A]

Scams. I had an ex boyfriend years ago. I went to visit him and his family in San Francisco and we stayed at his house and he like, surprised me with these New Year's tickets. Air about to. It was like, super cute. But his mom, who like, I can't say too many specifics because then some people will know. But his mom was basically black and he. And his dad was white. And his mom, like, hated on me cause I was black. Which is so weird. Cause I'm like, your son is half black. You're the black one. And so she didn't want me to be with him. So she like. I went to go get them a favorite mascarpone cake to say thank you for like letting us stay. And like, it was such a cute time.

[B]

An amazing move. Such good, like, in law behavior, right?

[C]

Absolutely.

[A]

I come back, why she invited his ex girlfriend over to the house.

[B]

What?

[A]

Mm. She gonna fuck with me. And I was like, you know what, bitch? I'm gonna get me some billboards, I'm gonna get me some magazines. I swear to God, one day, bitch, you ain't never gonna be able to close your eyes without seeing my face. Ho.

[B]

That. What was. How did she, like, pitch that it made sense for the ex girlfriend to be there? Like, did you just come home and she was just chilling?

[A]

Yes. I think she was trying to say, oh, she popped by to visit. No, she invited that ho. She knew exactly what the fuck she was doing.

[B]

That's insane.

[A]

And I was like 21 at the time. Like. Like, I'm like 16 or something. Like, bitch, the fuck is you doing? I beat out everybody ass in this house. Like, so don't worry.

[C]

I've been on, like, weirdly, like, my high school boyfriend, I, like, I was so in love with him, but he didn't like me and his mom was obsessed with me. And when I moved to la, the

[A]

concept of your own boyfriend not liking you and that, not even bumping me because it's a thing.

[C]

I know, I know. You're like, makes sense.

[B]

Makes sense.

[C]

More common than not.

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

But his mom would always invite me over and would. It didn't work out, but I, like, was just in love with him for so long. And when I moved to la, la, like, my dad had just passed away and my mom was like, oh, it's okay. It actually turns into a hilarious story.

[B]

Worth it.

[A]

This is what comedians do.

[C]

But so she, like, I see her at the funeral and I'm like, oh, I'm trying to, like, get my start in la. And she's like, come live with us. And I was like, oh, but my. She loved you. She loved me, but I'm like, oh, but the high school boyfriend, she's like, don't worry, he's living with his. Like, he's living with his girlfriend in Phoenix. Like, you're totally fine. And so I move in. I'm in his old room. A week later, my ex boyfriend and his girlfriend break up. He moves back in. Yes. And I live there for an entire year. And he's so upset. But everyone, they kind of feel too bad about my dead dad to kick me out. So I'm like, I'm like capitalizing on it. I'm like, maybe we'll get back together.

[A]

Who knows?

[C]

We didn't.

[A]

That is such a sitcom right there. Please write it. We had to bleep some stuff out. Cause that's so fucking funny. Coming home to your parents house, your ex girlfriend's like fully decorated. Your own bedroom. He's like, oh, what's up Chad? I live here now.

[C]

He's like, can she leave? And everyone's like, she's grieving.

[A]

That's how you know. Those are the parents that like they got their kid. And they're like, our kid's kind of a dud. And then they saw another kid and was like, we like this kid better. Let's bring this kid into our lives and pretend that's our kid.

[B]

Exactly 100%.

[A]

I also like if it was your scam, if they were like, okay, Isabella, so you know, know it's been six months. Like do you have a plan? And you're like my dad, dad, can you pay rent? Like I'm paying rent to my dad. Daddy in disguise.

[C]

Exactly. You gotta milk that shit.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

I love that. That's beautiful. Wow, you guys got me cracking up.

[C]

I'm coming across really level and grounded.

[A]

Listen, I saw your unhinged and I gave you more unhinged. I was like let me go unhinged earlier.

[C]

I know something about you. It's bringing it all out.

[A]

It is. These are my secret. No, they're not. People know what they're getting here. Well, let's get into my favorite segment of the show. It's called Historic Hoodwinks. This is where I will regale Ana and Isabella with a famous con caper group of criminals. We don't know. Maybe we love them, maybe we hate them. We're just gonna go along this ride and get your opinions throughout.

[B]

Perfect. Yeah.

[A]

Okay. So today the FBI are looking for a 73 year old Mary Carol McDonald, a TV producer who posed as an aircraft heir who stole $30 million and is now on the run. I would guess she's not on the physical run. Maybe more of a Walker hobble. Like it's not giving run, it's Giving maybe mall power walk, but she is.

[B]

That's fucked up. They put the weight in the FBI like, description of people.

[A]

I've never looked at somebody and been like, they are £183. Let me call the fed. That's our girl.

[B]

Yeah, exactly.

[A]

Like, what the fuck? They really do need to stop doing that because what does. That photo is all I need. Yeah, I know.

[B]

It feels like when you're, like, auditioning for something and you have to, like, put all your information. I'm like, why do you care how big my boobs are?

[A]

Well, sometimes the boobs matter. They might have a joke, honey. They're like that lady with the boobs, so you gotta be there. Anna with the boobs.

[B]

Not the rules I go out for. And I just saw you look at my tits. We all did.

[A]

We all did.

[C]

And I know I've seen them a lot. I was like, could you.

[A]

We looked respectfully. We looked respectfully.

[B]

It was like you guys just stepped

[A]

down on the keyboard. No, I'm just saying I can't go out for a lady with the boobs, you know, like, so, you know, sometimes you gotta know. True. But yes. So this is Mary Carol McDonald. And already I kind of love her. You can tell that in her DMV photo here. She put her makeup on before she went. It's giving. She, like, took the picture and then she looked over on the screen and was like, let's do another one.

[C]

I mean, yeah, she's smiling from ear to ear.

[A]

Love this for her. As she should be with her $30 million. So. Oh, Mary, Mary, Mary, Mary. Before she Landed on the FBI's most wanted list, Mary was the CEO of Bellum Entertainment LLC, a Burbank based production company with shows that included corrupt crimes, bizarre murders, people behaving badly. I've heard of that one. I married a murderer. Ooh, Definitely heard of that one. And all of these came out from, like, 2004 to 2017. Hell, I was probably this prob. One of my first roles is I was like, dead lady in the back. You know, they used to do this id. Id, like reenactment things where it'd be like, and Sean didn't realize his wife was a killer. And then they'd have, like, confessional sort of talking straight to camera. But when they're reenacting things, they have the reenactors who are just, like, walking somewhere or looking distraught or getting shot. Yeah, it's like, this is what it's giving. I love that for Mary.

[C]

Yeah, it's. It's I love a producer turning to crime too. It's like, yes. Yeah. She's working on all these crime shows and she's like, I'll give it a shot.

[A]

Why not? She produced crime already. She might as well produce it in real life. So let's watch a clip from an episode of Corrupt Crimes titled Financial Fraudster. This is probably her inspiration. Martin Frankel. He's a self taught stockbroker, securing and managing millions of dollars in investments, but finds it hard to pull the trigger on trades. Trademark, trader's block. It prevents him from even making a single actual investment. So he devises a phantom insurance and philanthropic empire, embezzling millions in cash. When suspicions are raised, he runs off, becoming an international fugitive. Trader's block is giving me affluenza. Like, you just made that up.

[B]

They said that like it was the most normal thing in the world. He had trader's block, which is really. Which sucks because he wanted to be a trader. What are you talking.

[C]

Sounds like you're maybe bad at being a trader.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Do a different job.

[A]

No, I'm blocked. I'm gonna have a breakthrough. I'm gonna have a trader breakthrough. It's like writer's block. They heard writer's block and we're like, let's apply that to.

[C]

Yeah, it doesn't work if it's not a creative field. It's just like you're analyzing the numbers wrong.

[A]

Right. Have you?

[C]

Go ahead.

[B]

No, you go ahead.

[A]

No, go ahead. No, no, it's your podcast. No. I talk so much. I talk so much here.

[B]

I was gonna say something kind of unrelated, which is, are you guys watching industry?

[C]

Of course.

[A]

I just fucking love industry.

[B]

I love industry. And trader's block would not be understood in that community. No. Like, it's cut through.

[A]

Not only would you be fired, they'd probably like get coked up and beat your ass.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

On the training floor.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

They'd be like, buy, buy, sell, sell, bitch. Like, love that show. Absolutely unhinged. All the sexy people just being sexy and saying jargon at me.

[B]

It's incredible how much I feel like I've learned and how I've also learned that you can have sex with anyone and then just sort of continue your life.

[A]

That's.

[B]

Yeah, they have sex all the time with. With like their coworkers and then sort of never address it. And it's like, great.

[A]

Then their roommates. It's like, I'm not gonna spoil anything. But there's like, then they're all roommates. Then sometimes they fight. Then Sometimes they help each other cover up murder. They just do whatever.

[B]

Yeah, it's just whatever.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

It's kind of amazing.

[B]

Yeah. Perfect.

[A]

I got to get into this new season.

[B]

I haven't watched it yet either.

[A]

Yes. It's so good, though. Please keep my show on the air industry. On hbo. If you. Or is it Max now? Is it hbo? Did we put the. What is it now?

[C]

It's Max.

[A]

No, they went back to hbo.

[B]

I think they did.

[A]

Secretly.

[C]

Oh, they did.

[A]

And they didn't make an announcement about it.

[C]

Oh, yeah, because. Well, they had. They sent so many emails for that first change.

[A]

Yeah. And we were pissed stuff.

[B]

Well, they. And then they made everything purple. Do you guys remember that? Like, that was.

[C]

I have, like, four HBOs on my Apple TV too, because I, like, kept having to download the new ones. So I just see the changes.

[A]

All HBO Go. Hbo, Max.

[B]

HBO Go was such a funny thing.

[A]

Max Pro Hobo.

[B]

Go

[A]

ho ho. That's just for Christmas. Stuff like, what are we doing? I. I just want to know who that scammer was who got into that position that they were way under qualified for and was like, okay, how can I switch things up? Synergy. Let me think. Okay, guys, we make everything purple. We change it to Max. I forget what it was. Oh, I was gonna say like this. So this financial fraudster thing where Martin is just like, I'm not gonna do my job, and now I have all your money. What am I to do but steal? It makes sense. Yes.

[B]

I, I, I. It's honestly over my head. I'm like, is that just what finance is?

[A]

Yes.

[C]

Yeah, I know. Where's the differentiation between, like, when it's a scam and when it's a perfectly fine money move?

[A]

When gambling and suits and cocaine and yelling and jargon, really high jargon. They all meet together, and so it's like, you need somebody because you don't know what a NASDAQ is. But I do, you little bitch. I'm the NASDAQ middleman. So you get over here, you give me your money. Okay. And I'll let you know what the Dow Jones is doing. You ain't never met Dal. That's my homie. They're just making it complicated.

[B]

Yeah, they're just like, gatekeeping information.

[A]

Yes. And ruining the economy while doing so. Beautiful convention. So shout out to the 1920s. So. So our Queen Mary, back to her. She's originally from Michigan and has also gone by the name Mary Carol Clarol, which is Clairel.

[C]

That's her fake name.

[B]

She Just combined two names.

[C]

Clairol.

[A]

I feel like anyone who has multiple names, I'm automatically suspicious she's now going by. She's going by Mary Carol McDonald right now, which sounds more normal, but Mary Carol Clarol.

[C]

Mary Carol Clarol.

[A]

I ain't buying shit you selling.

[B]

No, wait, no.

[A]

They're both Carol Carol.

[C]

They're just spelled differently Mary Carol.

[B]

Also, bad faith.

[A]

Good Mary Carol Carol.

[C]

She should have been Mary Carol. Max go

[B]

then.

[A]

I would buy that.

[C]

Yeah, me too.

[A]

I would buy that. Then I'm in for it. I downloaded again. You said, okay. They added another Carol. Okay. So when one Carol wasn't enough, you know, she added it on. She is white. She has blue eyes and a scar on her right knee, according to the FBI wanted poster. So now we're supposed to be looking at knees. FBI wanted a fucking job.

[B]

Also, you can't see her eyes at all in this picture. She has so much eyeshadow on.

[A]

Like, where's the scar?

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

And where's the knee? You can't tell me about the knee and then not show me the knee.

[C]

I know. And I'm like, is she wearing shorts everywhere? Yeah, she's like, shorts 78.

[A]

I see a lady like her, and I'm like, hey, girl, do you mind, like, lifting up your pant leg? Also, what's your weight?

[C]

Also, do you think you could play on a boob commercial?

[A]

Yeah. Yeah. The FBI is starting to give, like, doctor's office visit, and it's pissing me off. So the McDonald aircraft family, this is what Mary made up, Right? So starting in 2017, Mary posed as an heir to the McDonald aircraft family. McDonnell Douglas Aircraft Corporation is a former aerospace giant that produced commercial jetliners and military aircrafts. So in 1924, when the pilots first flew around the world, imagine being the person on the first successful flight. Like, aren't you crazy?

[B]

I can't even fly now.

[A]

Right, Right. Oh, no. But I mean, the doors are sliding off the shit. Quality control is crazy. I'm like, are we gon, like. I know.

[C]

Everyone's in their, like, finest suits too, right? It's like you can't even get comfortable.

[A]

I feel like at some point, the airlines, like, they're not going to be like, fly the friendly skies. They're just going to be like, we land. Like, buy my ticket from them. They land.

[B]

Have you guys seen pictures of the first of, like, early airplanes? What the seats used to look like? No, they were just like, folding chairs.

[C]

What?

[B]

Yes.

[C]

Really?

[A]

Wait, I need. Oh, my gosh. Why Would anybody get in that?

[C]

Yeah. That's terrifying.

[B]

No, that's too scary.

[C]

It looks sort of like a helicopter.

[A]

At least it's a. A seaplane. I think it's. That's a seaplane. I want to see early airline folding chair seats. Because I'm interested now. I'm not getting a folding chair in the sky. That's crazy. So in 1924, the pilots would, like, fly around the whole world. A wicker chair. I know y' all did it.

[C]

Horrible.

[B]

It looks like a patio furniture, but, like, not in a nice way. Like, that thing's gonna slide around the plane.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

Like, y' all went to home goods and decorated the plane. Exactly. And you know, it wasn't no seatbelts.

[B]

No, of course not. They didn't even believe in that stuff at that time.

[C]

And everyone's chain smoking like crazy, which

[A]

I don't understand why they let them hotbox the plane like that.

[C]

That's crazy. For so long. For so long. It was like the last rule they

[A]

changed, which didn't make it just like, yeah, what if they cause a fire? Now it's fire on the plane. We're all on the plane.

[C]

I know.

[A]

Come on now, y'. All. So, you know, they would fly around the whole. Well, this first pilot who flew around the whole world, it took 175 days. And they did it in a McConnell Douglas airplane. So basically, McConnell Douglas really pop because this huge feat was made where a pilot flew around the world. Kind of like when Tiger woods hit that hole in one and the Nike check sign showed right before it went in the cup. And Nike was like, you're ours.

[B]

It's exactly like that.

[A]

That's crazy. So the McDonald Aircraft Group was established by aviation pioneer James S. McDonald and was also a big player in the aerospace and defense industry. They made landmark military aircraft such as the F4 Phantom 2, and contributed to NASA's Mercury and Gemini space missions. McDonnell Douglas Mer with Boeing in August of 1997 in a $13 billion stock swap.

[B]

I know what that is.

[A]

You know how you buy a company for some stocks? We give you stocks in Boeing, you give us your company.

[B]

Okay.

[C]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[A]

Yes. So James son, John F. McDonald, E I. E I. Okay. Who later served as chairman of the McDonnell Douglas Corp. Has estimated their net worth is around 183 million. Mary isn't a part of the same McDonald' but she claimed to have a secret trust fund worth 80 million that she would eventually have access to. So Mary's now a Nigerian. They said she was A white lady with blue eyes. But now I don't know.

[B]

Wait, she's saying at 87 that she secret trust.

[A]

73.

[C]

She has a secret trust at 85, she can't spend it irresponsibly.

[B]

So she gets like five years with the trust fund. What the.

[A]

You gotta die before you get it. Get it? 73 with a trust fund is wild.

[C]

We want you to have the most epic funeral ever. Literally.

[A]

That's the only place there's going to be. Oh my God. What a great observation. Robbery and fraud. So she got a $14.7 million loan from the bank of California and an estimated $15 million from additional financial institutions that she said she them back for it for this. Like with the secret trust that has

[C]

like $20 million in it.

[A]

It's got $80 million.

[B]

80 is 80. I mean I'm embarrassed. These institutions should be embarrassed. Right.

[A]

Like I don't know what the Trust was like 80 when I'm 80. 80 mil when I'm 80.

[C]

80 when I'm 80. Yeah. If she pitched it like that, then I forgive them.

[A]

Maybe you're on to something. So Bellum Entertainment. So remember she had Bellum Entertainment. Bellum Entertainment does not exist anymore. But it came under intense scrutiny by the California Labor Commission during her time as CEO for non payment of wages to dozens of its former workers, including former police officers and FBI agents who appeared as experts on many crime shows. I'm not mad about that.

[B]

Yeah, I was gonna say I'm back

[C]

on her side, right?

[A]

Like hehehe, gotcha bitch. FBI, you're not even working. You're telling me to look at this lady knee get outta my face. So around the same time the FBI. FBI says she was involved in defrauding bank of California and other financial institutions. McDonald told employees that significant bank fraud was the reason the company was unable to meet payroll. So while she's out here telling everybody that she's an heiress and she's getting all these millions from these banks, she's also telling the people that she's employed that oh my God, they robbing us of all the money that we made. I was gonna do payroll, but we got they it was a stick up.

[C]

This must be the most charming liar in the world. She's like she's turn against each other.

[A]

She is.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

That lady didn't look charming to me at all.

[C]

I know, that's the thing. I'm like trying to picture her telling me something and me believing it.

[A]

Sometimes it doesn't come through the photo. Sometimes it's a real life thing. Like, have you ever, like, hooked up with a ugly person? Like, like, if you. If you show a photo to your friends of the person and they would be like, why would you. But then, like, no, you got to see him in person. Like, yeah, they look like a pit bullet in the photo. But I'm. I tell you, in person, you would see the riz.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

Like, yeah, it's part of being an improv comedian, too. You're like, someone on stage looks a lot different. Yeah, Someone having fun on stage looks a lot different.

[A]

Real shit. Because there's a bunch of, like, honestly, it's mostly the guys. You always see the hottest improv girly with the schlubbiest, ugliest improv guy you've ever seen. I'm like, how did you pull that baddie?

[C]

I know how.

[B]

And it's insane because they're usually kind of assholes. That's like, what?

[A]

And the girl paying for everything. And I'm like, what do you mean? Like, he flew or you flew him out to DCM? What do you mean?

[C]

They're always flew out to DCM.

[A]

What do you mean you flew him

[B]

first to DCM so he could do a 4am show to no one. That would be incredible.

[A]

So it's working for me. Former FBI specialist agent Tim Clemente. I like your last name. Clemente. It's doing something for me.

[C]

Clemente, Right.

[A]

It feels like a brand. Clemente. So. And his colleagues at XG Productions. So this FBI agent, Tim Clemente and his colleagues at XG Production, which is a media management company that specializes in true crime, said that they had worked on more than 100 true crime shows for Mary's company. Acting on screen as experts and commentators on cases. In 2017, Tim and his team claimed that they were owed $50,000 in back wages by the company, refusing to work until they received the ca. So they were like, we gave you all these insider tips. I'm like, did you, though?

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

Like, I feel like anytime I see an FBI person sitting down, they're just like, the most boring person ever.

[C]

Yeah. So boring.

[A]

Like, we waited outside their house for two days, and I had a mayo sandwich, and finally they threw out the trash. And we went through the trash and we found the receipt.

[C]

And then they're always talking about, like, how they can. This is the other thing. Like, they couldn't tell that this lady was lying out her ass. But, like, the whole time that they're. I feel like half the time they're talking, they're like, this is how you spot a master manipulator. Liar. But it's like. So I'm like, I don't buy that for a second. Yeah.

[A]

And they always, like, big themselves up, like, they are the main character hero. They'll be like, you know, everybody on the desk just kept throwing this file away because they couldn't crack it. But something about it, to me, I was like, I can do it. I'm gonna crack it. And I'm like, okay, okay, buddy. Sure thing. So former FBI special agent, right? We're talking about all the money that they didn't get and that they're owed $50,000. They refused to work until then, but obviously want to be on tv. Like, because they're like, we refuse to work until we get our 50k. But it's like, maybe just quit.

[C]

Yeah, stop doing it.

[A]

No, we want to be on tv. We'll do anything. So at the time, Bellum said it would halt production if she paid them. So she was like, y' all gotta let me finish shooting, and then I'm give y' all y' all money later. Don't even worry about that. Why y' all want money? Are y' all broke?

[B]

You guys are coming off a little desperate here.

[A]

Okay, you want to get paid?

[B]

It is crazy how long it takes to get paid doing TV stuff.

[C]

That's the thing. It's crazy. This is not out of the ordinary.

[A]

Yeah, no, but you have to deliver your money on time. Yeah, I've never been able to be like, oh, yeah, I'll be on set in three to five business weeks. Like, no, you have to like, yeah, I have to come when you need me. Because you're like, money.

[B]

Yes. Come on. It's coming. Jeez, relax.

[C]

Yeah, they're like, it's coming. As long as we don't run out.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

That's literally what she said. She said, we got something left. I'mma send it to you. Now get back in that chair with the mood lighting and talk to the camera. So that same year, the company was the subject of two identical lawsuits, both claiming that Bellum breached their contract of more than $3 million each. The two suits seem to be describing the same 104 episode crime show, but with different titles and two different producers. So they trying to sue people twice. Like, are y' all scamming? So in one suit, the show was called they Kill for It, and the plaintiff is Armageddon Media. Love that name. And in the other, the series is called provisionally entitled Lady Killers. Sorry, what Provisionally entitled Lady Killers. That's the name of the show.

[B]

That's a bad name.

[C]

Yeah, it's way too long.

[A]

You're not watching Provisionally titled Lady Killers. You can't really even say it on hbo, Mo. You're not

[C]

so.

[A]

And that plaintiff was the Adirondack Entertainment. So to simplify this, two people are suing, and it seems like they're talking about the same show, but they just tweaked the name. So one is calling it. They kill for it, which I'm definitely gonna watch that one over. Provisionally entitled Lady Killers. Yeah, send them back, Isabella.

[C]

Provisionally entitled Lady Killers.

[A]

You got it. You got. Got it.

[C]

I'll watch it.

[A]

I knew you would. I knew you would. That's why I was like. You could say it back real quick. Mary was also being Investigated by the U.S. department of labor for misclassifying workers as independent contractors instead of employees. Who hasn't done that at least once?

[C]

That's what I'm saying. This is all par for the course so far.

[B]

Yeah, yeah.

[A]

1099, what's up? Yeah, you do need to come to work every day from 9 to 5, but 1099. Okay, you get it. So Mary lets her employees do know that there was a lot going on, but it was all going to work out okay. In an email, she says, imagine getting that email.

[C]

Hey, guys, there's a lot going on, but it's all gonna work out okay.

[B]

That is the email the commercial agents, like, just sent us.

[A]

That's true.

[C]

That's true.

[B]

Like, we don't know what's happening, but, like, we.

[C]

It's gonna pick up soon. There hasn't been a single commercial this year, but it's all gonna pick up.

[A]

Keep the faith. As soon. So this is the email that. That in quotes, it says, as you know, we had significant bank fraud which occurred about a week ago, which caused major issues with our account. Once that situation is resolved, we will be distributing the checks. She put a Q in check, which I think is classy.

[B]

That is French.

[C]

That's how you get people to trust you. And I mean like that. You're like, don't worry, don't worry. They're coming.

[A]

Wait, she didn't say check with a K. She said check with a Q. Okay. We getting paid for sure.

[C]

Yeah, yeah.

[A]

So she said they'll be distributing the shex for the 20shex.

[C]

If I didn't have money, would I be this fancy?

[A]

Come on, guys. I clearly have the money. Yeah, so she says they're gonna be Doing it for a specific week, but we do not have the specific date. I know this is frustrating for all of us, but be assured that Bellum is doing well. Between the bank fraud and the delay in line of credit, we were in a challenging position, but that is being wrecked, and we are moving forward in a very positive direction. Expect a great summer and fall doing these shows.

[C]

I honestly think I've gotten that exact email from a few productions.

[A]

I just want to highlight a few things. She said the company was doing very well, and then she didn't really highlight anything that was going well. She said between the bank fraud, the delay in the line of credit, and the Shek snap coming, where is the very well in this paragraph?

[C]

She's losing her touch, I think.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

I think she started out lying pretty

[B]

good, but I think she's throwing spaghetti at the wall, seeing what sticks. She's like, I don't know. Maybe the cue will just save this whole thing.

[A]

Well, you know what? You're both right, because then she disappeared. She sent this email and then ghosted. So a lot of employees were left without pay. You got Joshua Kaufman, one of her former employees at the now defunct Bell. He was one of her victims. And he said she gave the appearance that she was very independently wealthy, was always impeccably dressed, and always had that air that she knew what she was doing and that she was better than you.

[B]

I love imagining that. Like, what does that look like? Because that's just most producers, right?

[A]

It's like Miranda Priestly esque, kind of like, that's all.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

Like, if. Yeah, if you have a lot of power, you don't have to yell. That's why when people, like, in powerful positions are screaming at their employees, I'm like, you are insecure inside.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Because if you really have power, I should just be like, clear the room. And then everyone just sprints.

[C]

That's true. I know. I always. I always notice that in succession is like, the second someone important comes in, they have, like, three people leave. And my stomach drops, and I'm like, this person must be really powerful. And I'm, like, glued to the tv.

[A]

That's such a thing. I never noticed that. You're so right. When a powerful person comes in, at least people scurry out.

[C]

They scurry.

[A]

They drop coffees off, and they're like, yeah.

[C]

And then they.

[B]

Hello.

[C]

I'm like, oh, my God.

[B]

Oh.

[A]

And it's always such measured speaking. Like, if you talk slower with intentionality. If you talk like Erica Kirk and look up A lot and just God and really truth. Then like, you know, people believe it. They're like, yeah, you must know what you're saying. I don't know what you said.

[B]

I just locked in on you.

[C]

I know. That was really good.

[A]

Wow.

[C]

I wish I could even put that on for a second.

[B]

You have a lot of power though, the way that you. Yeah, I have to. You speak with intentionality.

[A]

No. Don't expose my secrets. I'm such. I'm a little wee baby. Don't run anything. So he says that she took money from individuals as well as big banks and he's owed money too. Now that's fucked up, Mary. You steal from the big banks. You don't steal from the hard working people that you had working 100 episodes with no coin.

[B]

Yeah, yeah.

[A]

I don't like that, Mary. And also you're getting greedy. Like, you have enough money.

[B]

Yeah. They're making so many episodes of these shows. Was it hundred and something? Like that's like, come on, you're chilling.

[A]

And this is the time where those types of shows go into syndication. So, you know at like 3am you about to be watching that shit if you're up. That and commercials that are telling you what's gonna make you die, you know, soon. Okay, round off. Shout out to y'. All. Sponsor the show. No play. Um, so Mary's nephew, Peter McDonald worked at Bellum for 10 years as Vice president and said that he was unaware of the bank fraud and was owed at least $10,000 himself when he quit in July 17. So she knew to pay the family. I like that she kept the family close. But that last 10k, she was like, nephew, you ain't getting that, nephew.

[B]

It didn't quite get there.

[A]

She was like, thank you for the Christmas gift, nephew. But the rest of the time, either he knew when he was covering it up and getting paid, or he was getting paid and he didn't know. I don't believe he didn't know.

[C]

I.

[B]

People always know, but they could. It probably is like he knew, but they never, you know, it wasn't explicit. That's the best situation to be in. Kind of right next to the scammer.

[A]

Yeah, yeah. Adjacent.

[C]

Yeah, yeah. Where? Yeah. It's like when they take the head off, you just. They like can't keep track of where the money went. So you like walk away with a lot of money.

[B]

Yeah, yeah.

[A]

Like, I want to be like a coat rack for the scams. Like hang the scams on me, but then like take them away and I'M like, I'm just a coat rack.

[C]

Yeah, that's the ultimate scam. It's finding someone like dumb enough to be the figurehead and get in, cozying up next to them. Yes.

[A]

And also I know he has to know because if you have put your nephew in a vice president position, what that tells me is like, yeah, you could be keeping it in the family, but you also keep it in the family because the family is less likely to turn on you. They might, they could, but they have more incentive not to.

[B]

Wait, do you think he knows that she's pretending like that she has the. She's like an heiress or whatever? Like, does he have to be going along with that too?

[A]

I don't think so. I think that was what she did for the banks.

[B]

Okay, okay.

[A]

So another former employee said that she had all the heirs of an heiress. I don't know what those are. Do y' all just know lots of heiresses and you're like, nah, this checks out. This, this heiress into me.

[B]

You know what though?

[A]

It kind of does give heiress because heiresses are never really that cute. They just kind of like got a lot of drip. Cuz you know, if the money's in the family for long enough, like you can only marry people that have money. So that deeply restricts the hotness of the people you can marry. So then the gene pool all kind of comes all muddily.

[C]

It becomes stu stuffier genetically.

[A]

Very like royal family. Like y' all look like cousins.

[B]

Ancestral, absolutely. I mean it reminds me of like, who was that girl that scammed everyone?

[A]

Anna.

[B]

Yes. Yes.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

And everybody was like, she just seemed rich. Like that's what it is.

[A]

She had very thin lips, she spoke very few words and she always looked at every place like she hated it. Everywhere we went, she hated. Everywhere we went it. I'm like, she's gotta be rich.

[B]

Yeah. By that standard I'm wealthy as hell.

[A]

Now you're facing a little too nice.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

But you know what? That's giving secret wealth. That's giving like you walk around in thousand dollar T shirts and then I would only know you're rich if I go to like the rich people event on the island or like I'm in one of those like trough things in Switzerland with all the glass going to wherever the fuck. And I'm like, Otto, I knew it. A trough thing.

[C]

What is?

[B]

I know, it's like a trick trolley in the sky.

[A]

Oh, one of those.

[B]

Those things are scary looking.

[A]

They are. That's why I loved in succession they Were in a having a beautiful view around them and just like screaming at each other.

[B]

Would you prefer secret, like rich that you like, find out someone has like a thousand dollar sweat T shirt or whatever? Or would you prefer that it's like a little flashy and you get to enjoy it with them?

[A]

I feel like quiet luxury. They think they're better than loud luxury. But it's not as much fun to be quiet luxury because it's like we all have to go find the new quiet trend to run away from the pores. Because as soon as like people in the middle class class can afford one little thing that the rich people had, they move away from that. You know what I mean? Like, for example, like monogram things, like so Gucci belts and like monogram purses used to be like very loud brands. Right. And then once the middle class could afford one for Christmas, they were like, we got to get away from this ghetto I've ever seen in my life.

[B]

They're like, it's tacky to have your initials on things. It's like, unless. Unless you're like my grandma and it's like two generations ago.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

I like when people have fun with their clothes. I also tend to think, like snooty people having as much fun because you have to perform all the time. The snootiness.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

And I have no interest in that.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

I used to go out with girls like, who like to perform snootiness, like in the club because they were looking for like pro athletes. And one of the tips of like walking around and looking like you're too good for shit was like, you never like walked up and said hi to people. You looked really pretty. And then it's dark right. In these clubs and it's hard to get in. And you put your phone screen on full brightness and then you just stare at it so people can see how pretty you are. And then they pull you over the phone.

[C]

I stare at the phone.

[A]

Have thought of that.

[C]

I haven't thought of that, but I actually have seen people with their phone close to their face. And I'm like, gorgeous.

[B]

That glow.

[C]

I'm like, they're glowing. How do they do that? I'm like, I can't do that. The second I dress up, I'm like bounding after people like a Labrador. I'm like, I look cute. Let's use it. Who wants to talk to me?

[A]

I love it. I love it.

[B]

That's adorable. And that was like a kind of beautiful sentence. It really.

[A]

Hunting after people like a Labrador.

[B]

That was gorgeous. She. Oh, my God.

[A]

Don't tell Taylor Swift nothing. Okay. She gonna steal. Steal that from you because that's a. She ain't never had a lyric that good. Oh, God. The switch is gonna come after me. Y' all know Taylor Swift for President. Okay. I love that. I'm gonna title the episode that Taylor Swift for President.

[C]

Fantastic.

[A]

Oh, my gosh. So let's see where she's at, which clearly we know. We don't know. So whereabouts. An arrest warrant was issued for her in 2018. She is believed to be on the run in the Middle East. Oh, now, Mary was a pretty pale lady.

[C]

Yeah. Why is she going to. She's.

[A]

Y' all couldn't find her in the Middle East? I feel like everybody got a little tan there. I feel like y' all can find Mary.

[C]

Maybe they didn't get the weight memo.

[A]

Yeah, the knee scar.

[C]

That's what it was.

[A]

They didn't know about the knee scar.

[B]

So how do they know she's just generally in the Middle East?

[A]

Yeah, that's such a broad place. It's like saying, we think she's in Asia.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

Like, that's not a country, bro.

[C]

Like, what do you.

[A]

She's definitely in Africa. They're sending the country of Africa. What?

[C]

They're sending that same email. They're like, we lost track of her. But don't worry. Everything's under control. We're proceeding positively. She's in the Middle East.

[A]

Yeah, she's in the Middle East. We're waiting on the fraud situation, and then we're wire the money from the Middle east to your bank account. Exactly. You're right. That's so fucking broad. Oh, my goodness. Well, how do we feel about Mary, honestly? Do we think she's evil? Do we think she's fun? Do we think she. What?

[C]

She could be Alti. I think she's a woman with a passion for true crime, and she just needed to see her stories come to light. I honestly, I like her. I have. I have, like, a soft spot for women scammers like Elizabeth Holmes. I'm like, you're doing all. I'm like, usually I don't hear stories about, like, producers going rogue and doing this.

[A]

She did all the tech bro stuff. The only thing with Elizabeth was she actually did try the tiny thing on. On real patients, and that shit pissed me off. But everything else about it, I was like, turtleneck tech, bro. Low voice, amazing.

[C]

I know, dude. I'm like, yeah, she's a low voice. Lady representation.

[A]

Yeah.

[C]

I'm like, I like this lad.

[B]

Also, Amanda Seyfried playing her just cracked me up, man. That was amazing.

[A]

So fucking funny. But what do you think?

[B]

I think I'm like, I'm upset that she scammed the people, not the bank. Yeah, that's where I'm upset. But ultimately I do kind of feel like this industry is so fucked up that I'm like, I think people are doing this every single day. And she just got caught. And maybe that's because she's an older woman and they were looking at her differently.

[A]

But how she got caught.

[B]

Oh, true.

[A]

She just got discovered.

[C]

She got discovered.

[A]

She get caught. Okay, baby, she in the Middle East. My favorite place to vacation. Have y' all ever been to the Middle East? My favorite hotel in the Middle east, it's the Middle East Hilton. That's my favorite one. That's a good one.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

So she said, shout out to her if she's at 73. On the. On the lamb, baby, just let her have it. I don't agree with, again, scamming the employees, the individuals, because you obviously had enough money to pay them. Now you're just getting Greedy. Like, at 73, you got 30 mil. You ain't got enough lifetime to spend that. Yeah, maybe she's like, I'm gonna get a bionic hip. I'm gonna get a baby heart. I'm gonna live forever.

[B]

A baby heart is crazy.

[C]

Baby heart and a bionic hip, the ultimate duo. She's gonna be crawling like crazy,

[B]

crushing apple juices.

[A]

Fuck yeah. Love it. So that wraps up historic hoodwinks, which brings us to our last segment. Oh, I know you guys are shocked, right? I'm bringing it back. Scammer of the week. I know some of y' all are always yelling at me and pissed about it. I'll bring back listener letters, too. Stop yelling at me. Talking all caps, way too much. But scammer of the week is where we highlight a charlatan that we believe is worthy of our praise. Or maybe not. We'll see. So speaking of lady hustlers, a woman in South Carolina has admitted to a high stakes ski pass scam. Jamila Green sold discount icon and epic ski snowboard passes to winter sportsgoers on the Utah slopes. This is such a relatable scam. Cause I know you guys are all out there hitting the slopes. Like, aren't we all apres ski? Like, come on, guys, this is what we're doing. Okay, don't get weird out. If y' all see me on the slopes in a little bit In France.

[B]

Yeah, I was gonna say no.

[A]

So she was doing this like, in Utah, basically. What an icon pass. And it's like I K O N pass P A S S. What an icon pass provides is like, access to Deer Valley Resort, Solitude Mountain Resort, Brighton Resort, and Alta Ski Area Resort. You guys know these resorts right there of the town?

[C]

Intimately.

[B]

Yeah, I've had to buy an icon pass before, actually, and. Well, I'll wait till you're done explaining.

[A]

Oh, and snowboard and snow Basin. So this pass, basically, it's like a great deal because then you're not having to go to each res and pay the fee. It's like you just flash the pass. Right? Am I right about this?

[B]

Yes, yes, yes.

[A]

Okay. Okay.

[B]

So I made myself the snowboard extra.

[A]

How very gay of you. An epic pass accesses Park City Mountain in Utah as well as well as more than 50 other resorts. God damn it. It's resorts, guys. You can just leave that in in other states and countries. So a multi resort ski pass typically costs between 750 and 1300 dollars, which is, you know, it's a good deal for what you're getting if you paid individually. No, I don't think it's a good

[B]

deal because nobody actually skis as much as they plan to. Like, I think the icon pass is a scam. I think all skiing is kind of a scam.

[A]

That's so true.

[B]

So I kind of love this lady. I want her to make money off of it.

[A]

So let's see how she was making the money. She was buying the passes of at full price using stolen credit card info.

[B]

Oh, I guess I should let you finish your sentences.

[C]

You made your choice.

[A]

You made your choice. Made your bed. You made your bed.

[C]

You love that this lady stole from the uniform.

[A]

Get on your lift and you ride it with interrupting. Sometimes you just know. It's my favorite thing.

[C]

I'm just clear that I think this lady's bad.

[A]

Damn it. No, I love. I love the balls to interrupt. Cause I got you. I'm like. And I was smiling at you like. Yeah, I think so too. I think she's great. Yeah, we love her. So she would buy these passes in full price using the stolen credit cards. It was a very specific, very seasonal scam. She ran the scheme along with several accomplices from November 2020 through May 2024.

[C]

Why does she need accomplices?

[A]

Right? Like, I guess probably steal the credit. And it included multi resort passes and passes to individual resorts in Utah so they would advertise discounted ski Passes on online forums and ski communities. When someone responded, they would communicate with that person via online chats and texts to get the person's name, address, and any other information required to purchase the pass. Jamila and others would then buy the pass using the stolen credit card info and sell it at a discount to the online buyer. Okay, so the online buyer are getting a hookup.

[C]

Yeah. So they're actually walking away with the discounted pass. Yes.

[A]

So they get the pass. It sounds like they're giving them the pass.

[B]

Pass works, I assume.

[A]

Yes. And then because it's a legit pass that they bought with a stolen credit card, then if we think about the stolen credit card, credit card protected, you know, you just ring, ring, call amex telling you the fraud was done to you. So who's really getting hurt?

[C]

Yeah, it's just.

[B]

You guys know I love her and I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm down already.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

Because the, the pay. The buyer would be required to pay, pay her directly like using Venmo, PayPal, Zelle or Apple Pay. And it was like a multi year, multi million dollar business.

[C]

It's multi year. She kept it up.

[A]

Yeah, they kept it up from November 2020 to May 2024. I kind of like this scam. I feel like it's just like the rich scheming the rich.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Cause like skiing is an expensive vacation for the average family, but scamming people into ski passes that. Ana, you were saying like the ski passes aren't really useful.

[B]

I don't think so. I think, think that the. I mean, have you ever. Skiing is. The whole thing is ridiculous. The whole thing is a scam. You're going down towards your death and paying for it.

[A]

I've heard the trees are a thing. Just like aggressive run ins to trees.

[B]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. You hit trees, you hit kids, you hit other people.

[C]

Everyone's breaking their legs.

[B]

Yeah, I, I have ski straight into a kid. Yes, absolutely.

[C]

I'd like to make, if you're on this podcast, I'd like to make it clear I do not hit kids.

[A]

Ambush music on a hit.

[C]

It's that true crime thing that that lady produced.

[A]

I heard she does it on purpose. That's the only time of the year she can hit kids. So she has to go skiing so she can hit kids.

[B]

Hopefully they cast me in the reenactment

[A]

of you hitting kids and then you're

[C]

like on the podcast being like, I had to commit my own crime. Kids get cast in this town.

[A]

Honestly, that may have to be Our new thing. Cuz true crime docs are coming out like hotcakes. So I can be charismatic enough.

[C]

I know.

[A]

And you know, maybe get like a light sentencing, then we get a great talk.

[C]

Yeah. What's our fire fest?

[A]

Yeah. Oh my gosh. I know. I already know what mine is. It's like my scam church. It's the congregation. Like I just open it up and. And you know, we have a church and what is it, 401C? Yeah. We don't pay tax.

[B]

Yeah. The churches is the craziest scam.

[A]

It's like have people come in and donate money to me, to the building fund. There will never be another building than the one that we're in.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

I have a scam choir. We seem scam hymns.

[B]

Are you watching Salt Lake City? Real Housewives?

[A]

I'm in and out of it, but give me a reference though.

[B]

Well, just that Mary M. Cosby is like. She has like a church. That documentary just came out about how it was like a scam kind of

[A]

thing and of course it was.

[B]

What scam would you run, Isabella?

[C]

Yeah, what would I run? Let's see. I would probably. Maybe a surfing school.

[B]

That just sounds helpful.

[A]

Yeah. And very labor intensive.

[C]

Yeah, you're right. I'm not doing this one.

[B]

It's not. What's your dream job?

[A]

What scam would you run?

[C]

Yeah. Okay, wait, let me get. Oh, I would steal suitcases at the airport.

[A]

Why are people not doing that?

[C]

Why are people not doing that?

[A]

That's cause the suitcases are so heavy. And we're also tired from the.

[C]

Dude, I'm taking the most labor intensive scams of all time.

[A]

Surfboard steel suitcases.

[C]

I gotta do one that's not carrying stuff. I'll start a Patreon.

[B]

Oh yeah, that's the best.

[A]

Yeah. I dive for anchors off boats. I lug the anchors up. I sell them to other boats.

[C]

It's not a scam and a hard scam.

[A]

It's a very like labor intensive. Yeah, I gotta pick something easy. Like, like I'll braid little white girl's hair on cruise ships.

[B]

That also seems hard.

[A]

That seems.

[C]

That's babysitting.

[A]

I'm gonna braid it real bad. And they're not gonna know. As long as I put like a few beads in it. They're not gonna know. They're not gonna know. Who's gonna tell them? They're not gonna know.

[C]

Maybe I'll try to make like a cameo for myself, like on that, you know, that thing. Cameo. And I'll somehow like, like Those celebrities that are celebrities, but they haven't done anything but some. And how they're celebrities.

[B]

This is another dream job of mine. I mean, it sounds like you can do so little and just kind of cruise on.

[C]

Yeah. I mean, I'd love to be saying happy birthday to people.

[A]

You think that, but it's, like, so depressing when you actually have to film.

[B]

Have you done them?

[A]

Hell, no. No judgment. But I have seen people do them. And, like, they're like, hold on, I gotta finish these real quick. And they're like, hey, Johnny, happy 30th birthday from me, Blankety Blank. Or like, hey, Tim, so sorry for your loss. You're gonna make it through, bro. Hang in there. From Blanket. Your mom says you're hot. From Blankety Blank. But they have to go through a list of them and give so much energy. And I'm like, I did one, but it wasn't a cameo. Someone asked me to wish somebody a happy birthday, and I said, if you donate to any charity of your choice and send it back to me. Send me the screenshot. I'll wish them a happy birthday.

[B]

What charity?

[A]

I don't want to give people ideas. Yeah, I was gonna say there was a one and done.

[B]

Cause they could scam. That's an easy scam. Yeah, my charity is annapetsolar.com.

[A]

no, I think it was, like, the children's. Yeah, they did send a screen grab, and it had their name.

[B]

When I did the TV show the Z Suite, I got a DM from Cameo, and they said, hey, do you want to be on Cameo? And I was like, I totally wanted to, but. Because I would love to just grab a little money here and there. Yeah, Nobody's gonna buy my cameo. Nobody.

[A]

You gotta believe in yourself, Ana. You gotta believe in yourself. If cameo DMed you, that means that somebody must be thirsty over there for you. It is thirsty. They got too many hits, and they were like, okay, let's just DM Anna because we gotta let her know she need to get over. No, I would do it. I'm not. I don't think it's icky for, like, the money or anything like that. I would do it if it wouldn't depress me to just have to go through it. You should see how, like, when I have to do stuff here, like, Jess and Richard, like, do say the stuff.

[C]

My friend got a Meg Stalter cameo for his girlfriend. That's fun for Valentine's Day. But then, like, one of them cheated right before it. But it was already, like, sent so it was like, the most dystopian cameo ever. Because it was like. Like, you guys are going to have, like, such cute, like, the most awkward, like, Meg Stalter thing. And he couldn't unsend it, so it just popped up there. Isn't that crazy? I was, like, depressed.

[A]

I was like, that would be my 13th reason. Like, how dare you? And Megstalt's so fucking funny. Like, how dare you send me this funny ass, fucking hopeful thing.

[C]

I know, I know. Broke up from, like, the most awkward woman of all time, too.

[B]

But it sounds like it was like a genuine. She wasn't, like, doing a character.

[C]

She was doing. It was a little bit of both. It was, like, so genuine. It's just what she does. Yeah.

[A]

But it's cute and it's funny. So you would be like, aw, babe,

[C]

you know I love Meg.

[A]

And then. But now it's like, I can't believe you'd shame me like this.

[C]

It was a depressing cameo.

[B]

I wonder if anyone's ever sent a cameo to break up with someone.

[A]

Oh, for sure.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

You think so?

[A]

Oh, hell yeah.

[B]

Yeah.

[C]

Would you, like that?

[B]

Depends who it's from, I guess.

[A]

Yeah, it would be less awkward for

[C]

sure if it was, like, your favorite celebrity. I'd be like, what emotion would win?

[A]

Right?

[B]

Yeah, I'm, like, excited, but I'm bummed.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

Yeah. Like, if you send it from, like, Carrot Top, I'm gonna be pissed off. The fuck off.

[B]

I am gonna be so mad.

[C]

You get Carrot Top to do your dirty work.

[A]

Fucking Steve Buscemis breaks up with me, I'll beat your ass. No. Then we got a fight.

[C]

Apparently it has happened, and Mark McGrath was the one, was the most famous one that did it. So it has happened to send a breakup cameo from Sugar Ray or the lead singer of Sugar Ray.

[A]

Shut the door, baby. Don't say a word. And he was like, we shutting the door, baby. Relations.

[C]

I just wanna fly away. And Bruce Buffer, the guy who goes, let's get ready to, you know, rumble that guy.

[B]

Oh, the.

[A]

Let's get ready to rumble.

[C]

That's funny.

[B]

Let's get ready to divorce.

[A]

Divorce is crazy.

[C]

Let's get ready to divorce.

[A]

I was gonna say break up, but divorce is crazy.

[B]

No, no, no.

[A]

Then I'm driving. I'm getting in my car and I'm driving like Isabella. I'm going eight miles. I mean, like eight hours away. Cause we have to fight. Oh, my goodness. Well, this has been such a blast. Thank you guys so much for coming on the show. What a good time.

[C]

Thanks for having us. It's so fun.

[A]

And we always ask at the end of the show, where would you like to be down any socials you want to plug? Any podcasts anymore? Where can people see you that you want to be seen? So, you know, like that bedroom curtain, but, like, you know.

[C]

Yeah, my home address. We do an improv podcast together called Ana and Isabella Do Improv where we just, like, experiment with different forms and chat and do some scenes. It's fun.

[B]

Check that out. You can also follow us on Instagram

[C]

and at Isabella Esque.

[A]

Yes, you can see all of the photos of the. The baddie heiress. We don't have any photos of her niece. Guys, I'm so sorry, but you can see everything like that at Scam. Got his pod on Instagram. You can chat with me at Scam. Got his pod on Twitter. You can follow me and my own personal shenanigans at D I V A L A C I. Diva Lacey on all platforms. Guys, going Dutch. Season two is out now. It's super fun. Like, look, if y' all watch the first season because y' all love me, like, please watch the second season because I'm eating. Like, we all snacking. We fuck that shit up. It's lit as fuck. And also stream Scam Goddess on Hulu and pick up my book Scam Goddess. And yes, we're going on a mini little tour in the spring. So if you're in Chicago, Irving, Texas, New York, the Grand Mercy. Can I remember them all? San Francisco and Chicago. Yeah. If you're in any of those cities in the spring, I'll post some flyers or whatever, but, like, pull up all May and act a fucking fool. Cause that's what I deserve. Yes. So, congregation, I want y' all to get out there. I want you to get out there and stay McDonalding. Scam Goddess. Scam Goddess stars and is hosted by me, Lacey Mosley, AKA Scam Goddess. Our producer is Jessica Cisneros and our audio engineer is Rich Garcia. Research for the show is conducted by Kate Doyle. Stay scheduled.