Scam Goddess – Fraud Friday: RazzleCON: The Rapping Crypto Criminal w/ Jabari Davis

Podcast: Scam Goddess
Host: Laci Mosley
Guest: Jabari Davis
Date: October 17, 2025

Episode Overview

This Fraud Friday classic dives into the wild, nearly unbelievable story of Heather Morgan (aka “RazzleCON”) and her husband Ilya Lichtenstein—a rapping CEO duo who found themselves at the heart of the largest crypto asset seizure in DOJ history ($4 billion in Bitcoin). With comedian/writer Jabari Davis, host Laci Mosley explores how two unqualified, internet-obsessed antiheroes managed to bungle their way through the world’s biggest virtual bank heist, leaving a trail of cringey rap videos, streetwear, and digital receipts behind. Between their outlandish genre-bending side hustles and masterclass in white-collar incompetence, the episode finds plenty of laughs in True Con while raising bigger questions about money, privilege, and the limits of hustle.

Key Discussion Points

Scam Culture and Personal Hustle

• Laci's Recovery & Opener [02:01]
  • Laci opens up about her recent medical ordeal, humorously recounting her multi-hour ER wait, and ties it to the theme of “scammy” healthcare.
  • Laci: “I want to be a weak Black queen. Lip wrist. But here I am—your girl on pain medication and vibes.” [07:15]
• Jabari’s Scam Roots [07:49]
  • Jabari reflects on growing up “scam-adjacent” in Southern California and faking it till he made it:
  • Jabari: “Half [my family] are law-abiding citizens, and the other half… well, they got a hustle.” [08:14]
  • Faked credentials got him into media via Google, grit, and improvisation—demonstrating that all “scams” aren’t created equal.
• “Fake Until You Make It”—Talent vs. Trickery [08:38]
  • Both agree skill and nerve often matter more than real credentials, reframing some hustles as audacity and adaptation.

What’s Hot in Fraud: The “Dollar Lottery” Letter

• A listener’s (Ralph) coworker wants to crowdsource $1 from people online, turning it into a personal lottery. Laci and Jabari debate if it’s a scam or just a goofy hustle.
  • Laci: “If you ask people for a dollar, that’s not a scam. If there’s a promise of $10,000 for life, it’s giving pyramid scheme!” [13:32]
  • Jabari: “If you fall for, ‘give me a dollar, maybe you’ll win $10K,’ you kinda deserve what you get.” [13:39]

Main Segment: Historic Hoodwinks – The Case of RazzleCON

[20:37]

The Cast: Who Are RazzleCON and Ilya Lichtenstein?

• Heather Morgan: A self-proclaimed persuasion expert, entrepreneur, writer, streetwear designer, and notably, a cringe rapper (“RazzleCON”).
• Ilya Lichtenstein: Russian-born startup founder with an investment from Mark Cuban, much less online but deeply involved in the con.
• The odd couple met in Silicon Valley, married in extravagant fashion (she was carried down to ‘The Final Countdown’ in a Moroccan palanquin), and lived in a $1M Wall Street apartment as “serial entrepreneurs.”

The RazzleCON Persona – Comedy or Delusion?

• Laci and Jabari dissect clips of Heather’s rap videos—off-beat, obtuse, and “serious, not comedy.”
  • Laci: “Sis, not you starting the TED Talk with a rap song. You are in witness protection from the beat!” [24:30]
  • Jabari on audience diversity: “We’re not in this crowd... He’s letting me down, for the fellow big brothers.” [23:45]
• Heather’s fashion and public persona is torn apart: “Is she cold? Is she hot? Is she at a quinceañera?”

The $4 Billion Bitcoin Heist

• In 2016, 120,000 Bitcoins ($66M then, almost $4B now) were stolen in a Hong Kong crypto exchange hack. The couple somehow ended up in possession of 95,000 of those BTC.
• Laci: “They came up on a significant amount of coins. Who did y’all know who stole this?” [43:55]
• Their laundering plan? Use the blacklisted Bitcoin to buy $500 Walmart gift cards—painfully slow and obviously suspicious.
  • Jabari: “They laundering with quarters. How’d they have the smarts to pull this off, but none to run?” [45:32]
• The pair tried to orchestrate global money laundering, met Ukrainian operatives, yet kept posting their lives—and rap videos—online.

“How Not to Be a Crook”

• The couple meticulously labeled incriminating documents (“burner phone” bag, folders titled “Personas” and “passport ideas”) and used cloud storage for laundering guides.
  • Jabari (channeling The Wire): “You taking notes on a criminal conspiracy, bro?” [50:36]
  • Laci: “You’ve got receipts for your crime? Are y’all on crazy crap?” [50:47]
• Alerts from their internet provider tipped them the DOJ was onto them, yet they continued to buy gift cards and post on social media.
• At arrest, Heather tried to “get her cat” (really: lock her phone) and wrestled the feds. $40,000 in cash, hollowed-out books, burner phones, and labeled bags were all seized.
• Their level of delusion, incompetence, and privilege left both hosts slack-jawed:
  • Jabari: “These are the dumbest crooks I’ve ever heard of. Why so public when you’re sitting on a stolen fortune?” [48:12]
  • Laci: “If Scam Goddess drops off the map, just know I hit a lick and I’m gone!”

Notable Quotes from the RazzleCON Saga

• Laci: “She called herself Turkish Martha Stewart, but—sis, you’re not even from Turkey!” [31:42]
• Jabari: “She’s got Ren & Ten vibes—from Brown Sugar: ‘I rip and I rhyme…’” [35:10]
• Laci: “She looks so free, and I’m jealous. I want this level of delusion!” [33:49]
• Jabari: “If you have ‘guru’ in your name, you’re full of—” [37:43]
• Laci: “They rapping and doing tiktoks while laundering $4 billion—why be online?” [47:13]

Scammer of the Week [64:24–78:30]

Reverend Emmanuel Lemson: Priest, Hedge Fund Hustler

• A “short and distort” scam: Emmanuel Lemson, Orthodox priest and hedge fund manager, shorted stocks and then publicly trashed a San Diego pharma company. He made $1.3M.
• Jabari: “Was this a long con? Did he become a priest just to seem reputable?” [66:18]
• They critique the ethics of preachers with big houses/cars, compare pastors to “pimps on the pulpit,” and question why clergy can’t simply be comfortable rather than exploitative.
  • Laci: “You can love God and money, as long as you don’t hurt people!” [70:53]
• Video breakdown of Lemson in his Boston mansion, rolling up to church in a Benz, feeding babies communion wine, and reading the Bible’s first and last page for show.
• Takeaway: in 2020s fraud, one hustle isn’t enough—every scammer moonlights as a rapper, priest, or influencer.

Memorable Moments & Laughter Highlights

• Laci describing the ER:
  • “They’re just coming in to check if you’re still alive. Like, put her back—she’s fine!” [04:08]
• On laundering with gift cards:
  • “Y’all at a laundromat—you laundering with quarters!” [45:32]
• On crime evidence:
  • “Burner phone in a labeled bag? What are you—crime for TV?” [55:07]
• On snitching:
  • “She put her husband under several buses—she must have flipped, full Simone Biles!” [61:21]
• On “guru” titles:
  • “I feel like you could only be a guru before the internet. Now, that’s just delinquency with branding!” [37:56]

Timestamps for Key Segments

| Timestamp | Segment/Topic | |-----------|------------------------------------------------------| | 02:01 | Laci’s medical story / ER healthcare as a scam | | 07:49 | Jabari’s scam-adjacent roots & fake-it-till-you-make-it| | 10:14 | Listener letter: “Is my coworker’s $1 lottery a scam?”| | 20:37 | Main story: RazzleCON & the $4B Bitcoin theft | | 24:30 | Heather Morgan’s raps & public persona drag | | 37:30 | Revelation of the $4 billion figure & laundering tricks| | 48:49 | The couple’s criminal blunders—gift cards, cloud, etc.| | 54:05 | The arrest – cat distraction and labeled crime gear | | 64:24 | Scammer of the Week: Reverend Lemson, the priest/hedge fund scam| | 70:53 | The morality of religious wealth—preachers and profits|

Final Thoughts & Takeaways

• The RazzleCON case is a masterclass in how not to do white-collar crime: maximum hubris, minimal foresight, and peak entitlement. Their “rap career” and TikTok oversharing, coupled with novice laundering methods, made them a punchline and a cautionary tale.
• Privilege enables all kinds of audacity—even (especially?) criminal.
• There are whole genres of crime stories that are absurd, bumbling, and strangely captivating—proof you CAN “laugh at fraud” when nobody gets physically hurt.
• Every scammer in 2020s America needs a side gig, whether as a rapper, wellness coach, or megachurch leader.

Find the Hosts

• Laci Mosley: @divalaci on all platforms
• Jabari Davis: Twitter: @JabariDavisNBA
  Projects on 19mediagroup.com, upcoming iHeart shows.

Closing

• For more wild scam tales, snitch on friends/family (scamgoddesspod@gmail.com) after they retire the scam.
• As always, Congregation: Stay Schemin’!

Tone: Candid, irreverent, observational, full of playful roasting and incisive cultural commentary