Scam Goddess: "Fraud Family Values" w/ Josie Totah, Alycia Pascual-Peña & Yasmine Hamady

Date: November 28, 2025
Host: Laci Mosley
Guests: Josie Totah, Alycia Pascual-Peña, Yasmine Hamady

Episode Overview

This lively, laugh-packed episode of Scam Goddess dives into the wild world of family fraud, with an A-list guest panel: actors Josie Totah, Alycia Pascual-Peña, and Yasmine Hamady. The group unpacks the infamous $18 million pandemic loan scam orchestrated by a single extended Armenian-American family, explores personal scam stories (including a tragic tale of a Craigslist puppy named Marcos), and offers witty commentary on historic hoodwinks and a jaw-dropping jewelry heist. As always, Laci keeps the energy high with quick wit and biting commentary, letting her guests’ stories and humor shine.

Key Segments & Highlights

1. Opening & Guest Intros

[02:56 – 05:12]

• Laci announces her three guests, hyping up their comedic chemistry.
• Quick banter about Leo season birthdays and gift-buying fatigue.
  • “Thoughts and prayers, please.” – Laci Mosley [04:46]

2. Personal Scam Stories: The Tale of Marcos the Puppy

[05:12 – 15:22]

The Craigslist Dog Scam – "Marcos"

• Josie shares a 2020 scam experience: During the pandemic, she persuaded her roommates to let her get a dog from Craigslist, against better judgment.
• The pup, Marcos, quickly becomes sick; roommates are left scrambling to care for him.
• Marcos is diagnosed with parvo, a deadly virus, and dies despite expensive vet care.
• Josie discovers Marcos was sold by a Colombian dog cartel, knowingly trafficking sick animals.
• Emotional fallout: Josie has to apologize to her roommates for breaking their trust.
• Memorable Moment:
  • “So Josie, you got scammed, but you also scammed your roommates into emotionally loving a dog that had one week on earth.” – Laci Mosley [14:08]
  • “We think about [Marcos], and as long as he's… he's in a better place, I'll tell you that.” – Yasmin Hamady [15:17]

3. What's Hot in Fraud – Listener Story: "Arthur’s Big Box Bonanza"

[19:26 – 31:30]

Retail Worker Implements Long-Running Store Scam

• Listener "Arthur" emails in about a years-long scheme at a big box retailer: returning “broken” customer electronics (which worked fine), then quietly transferring them through the warehouse and reselling or using them.
• Hilarious panel banter about retail workplace politics and how widespread employee scheming is:
  • “You open your hinge app and they're like three feet away. I mean, you did it.” – Laci Mosley [23:18]
• Quotes:
  • “Anyone who's worked in retail, restaurant slash, grocery store, slash literally anywhere, honestly knows that co workers drink and fuck eventually, yes.” – Listener Arthur [23:18 paraphrased by Laci]
  • “Allegedly. Free People!” – Laci, ribbing Yasmine about retail theft [25:35]
• Panel calls out "Arthur" for glossing over responsibility:
  • “Arthur, you're sus. Like, I don't trust you.” – Yasmin Hamady [29:12]

4. Main Story: "Fraud Family Values" – The $18 Million COVID Loan Scam

[33:47 – 68:47]

The Evansian-Tarabellian Family's Massive Heist

• Meet the culprits: Rich Evansian, Moretta (“Mary”) Tarabellian, brother Artur, and a host of family members.
• Origin story: Immigrants from Armenia, Rich’s first arrest for grand theft at 20, then a long history of petty and major fraud.
• COVID-era escalation:
  • Within five months in 2020, the family files 151 applications for pandemic relief under sham businesses, netting $18 million.
  • Money floods in under names like Fade House Barbershop, GNA Diamonds, and Redline Auto Mechanics.
  • They use the windfall to buy multimillion-dollar homes (in Tarzana, Glendale, Palm Desert), luxury cars, jewelry, and live lavishly.
  • Family members forge documents, use dead relatives’ identities, and get sloppier over time (re-using names/addresses/payrolls).
• The fall:
  • Investigators tie the scam together after discovering overlapping addresses and dead “applicants” on legal documents.
  • Federal agents raid their property; some family members are arrested stateside, but Rich and Mary rip off their ankle monitors and flee to Montenegro, abandoning their teenage children in the US [59:20].
• Quotes & Panel Reactions:
  • On blaming the banks: “They tried to get half a million dollars that they knew they couldn't pay back to get a house, and then when they got caught, they were like, well, this is y' all fault.” – Laci [38:39]
  • On fake business names: “Anything with, like, a white man's last name. Like Richmond and Strong.” – Josie [41:19]
  • On privilege in law enforcement’s response: “Why did the police at least keep believing them? I don't have this privilege as a black person. I can't tell the black people, the cops, ‘I'll be right back.’” – Laci [65:12]
• Funniest commentary:
  • On the police raid: “Y’all brought a tank to Encino. This feels excessive.” – Laci [53:13]
  • On the family leaving their kids and only taking the dog: “They took the dog and left the kids.” – Alycia [61:43]

5. Scammer(s) of the Week: The $100 Million Brinks Truck Jewelry Heist

[69:02 – 73:13]

• Unsolved $100 million jewelry heist from a Brinks truck at a rural California truck stop.
• The thieves have a 27-minute window, likely had inside information.
• Panel Reaction:
  • “Like, haven’t we all looked at a Brinks truck... like, mm, what's in there?” – Laci [71:54]
  • “Enjoy yourself. I just don’t care... So enjoy yourself.” – Alycia [72:55]
  • “Please don’t post this to the gram, right? Please.” – Alycia [73:01]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• The Emotional Scam Loop:
  • “You all kind of got scammed by Josie, but Josie got scammed by the cartel. So, all in all, everyone was scammed.” – Laci [15:03]
• On White-collar Crime:
  • “These people are so talented. They didn't really scam anybody but the government, which is a scam in itself.” – Laci [49:17]
  • “If you're white and you have this privilege and you a scammer, I'm not gonna tell you not to use it.” – Laci [65:43]
• On Leaving the Kids Behind:
  • “Where are the kids? Where are the kids now?” – Josie [68:02]
  • “Proud of them. Like, proud of them. Not their parenting skills. Those are bad.” – Laci [69:01]
• On Getting Caught:
  • “Every time they got in trouble, they pointed the finger to the people being like, it was your fault that y' all let us get away with this, which is crazy.” – Josie [68:12]

Timestamps for Important Segments

• [02:56] — Guest introductions & Leo season jokes
• [05:12 – 15:22] — Marcos the puppy scam saga
• [19:26 – 31:30] — Listener story: Arthur’s retail fraud
• [33:47 – 68:47] — Main Story: Fraud Family Values
  • [40:57] — Pandemic loan scamming details
  • [44:15] — Using dead relatives’ identities
  • [45:41] — Spending spree: homes, cars, jewelry
  • [53:11] — SWAT-style police raid & reactions
  • [59:20] — Fleeing the country/leaving kids
  • [65:12] — Commentary on racial privilege
• [69:02 – 73:13] — Scammer of the Week: Brinks truck gem heist

Panel’s Final Thoughts and Socials

[73:39 – 75:24]

• The guests share their socials and announce their upcoming podcast “Air We Say” on Crooked Media (August 11th).
  • Josie: @josietota
  • Alycia: @lyciadelsol
  • Yasmin: @childishyasmino
  • Joint: @airweesay
• Laci reminds listeners to send in retired scams and follow ScamGoddessPod on Instagram for episode visuals.

Closing Note

This episode was a true showcase of Scam Goddess’s charm: fast-paced, hilarious, and loaded with sharp social commentary. The crew’s chemistry, real scam tales, and their take on the extraordinary pandemic fraud left listeners entertained and a bit in awe of just how wild the con game can get.

As Laci signs off, the congregation is reminded—“stay schemin', and if you leave your kids, at least leave them something they can stream the show with!”