Scam Goddess: Fraud Friday – See Ya Money Disappear as a F.A.P (Fine Art Partners) w/ Chelsea Devantez

Date: August 22, 2025
Host: Laci Mosley
Guest: Chelsea Devantez (Comedian, Writer, Host of Celebrity Book Club)

EPISODE OVERVIEW

This episode is a wild and hilarious ride through some of the most mind-boggling scams in recent memory, all delivered with signature Scam Goddess style. Host Laci Mosley welcomes the multi-talented Chelsea Devantez (writer, comic, podcast host, and noted connoisseur of celebrity memoirs) for a rollicking chat about scams past, present, and legendary. The episode jumps from personal scam stories and the wedding-industrial complex to a deep-dive into the insane fine art fraud of Inigo Philbrick and Fine Art Partners (FAP).
Main theme: Comedy-infused breakdown of fraud, with an emphasis on the wild intersection of wealth, privilege, and the willingness to believe in the absurd – all via the lens of the art world and real-life experiences.

GUEST INTRO & SCAM FLIRTATION

[01:10 – 07:35]

• Laci effusively welcomes Chelsea Devantez, touts her credits and their shared history (“the only person to ever make Laci cry on a podcast” – [02:52]), and immediately asks about her relationship with scams.
• Chelsea offers three avenues: a big-picture scam worldview, a tie-in to her book podcast, and personal scams she’s dealing with right now. Laci jumps straight to the literary and personal.

Notable Quote:
“Have you ever been scammed? Do you love them? Do you hate them?”
— Laci Mosley [03:25]

CELEBRITY BOOK CLUB SCAM: THE MOLLY SHANNON "MAMET SCAM"

[04:00 – 07:16]

• Chelsea recounts Molly Shannon’s Hollywood break-in, where young Molly and a friend fake calls as famed playwright David Mamet’s assistant to land auditions, snag roles, and bluff their way into the industry.
• “Maybe if more women ran more scams we’d have more talented people in Hollywood.” – Chelsea [05:35]
• The story doubles as a rallying call for women and outsiders to crash the gates, lampooning the system's inner workings.

Notable Moment:
The instant camaraderie and mutual respect for “the messy books” and scammy ingenuity of Molly Shannon’s career launch.

THE PERSONAL SCAM: THE WEDDING INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX

[07:16 – 17:40]

• Chelsea details her current situation — planning a wedding and bumping headlong into the endless, inventive grifts of the industry (‘every time you put wedding on something, the robbery is happening’ – Laci [07:42]).
• High points include: overpriced dresses (if it’s under 4k, it’s “fast fashion”), open bar markups (“$20,000 for an open bar… bitch, for that I better be on the astral plane” – Laci [15:09]), and the scammy guilt of wedding registries.
• Both roast wedding reality TV like Say Yes to the Dress and Four Weddings. Chelsea reveals her intention to scam back – wearing multiple discounted dresses and seeking out deals.

Notable Quotes:
“Weddings are a scam. But I made the decision: I’m gonna throw my money away on a day that is valuable to me. I want to do it right.”
— Chelsea [07:42]

“That’s a part of the contractual obligation of a wedding. I gotta buy you a gift… you better give me some free booze.”
— Laci [11:27]

“Tell them it’s just a little birthday of love party, or see what them prices looking like then.”
— Laci [16:06]

LISTENER LETTER: LANDLORD SCAM EXPOSED (The "Evangelist" Rental Racket)

[20:08 – 37:17]

• Titled “Gigi,” the writer almost falls for a classic Craigslist-style rental scam: a “landlord” named Evangelist Stephen emails explanations for why the price is so low and why she shouldn’t contact realtors. The questionaire is riddled with weird requests (“personality of pet,” “are you section 8 and do you work late night”).
• The duo pick apart the absurdities ("Are you house of Evangelist? Like, is your first name Baptist?"), roast the scam’s hilariously homemade forms, and point out every red flag.
• Chelsea volunteers (comically) to find “Gigi” a legitimate apartment herself.

Notable Moment:
Chelsea and Laci’s faux outrage at being disrespected by a half-assed scam:
“You don’t got a friend you could call who could get in on the scheme and lie with you?...I deserve to be lied to. In a good way.” – Laci [37:05]
“Put some thought into it. Some effort!” – Chelsea [37:17]

HISTORIC HOODWINKS: THE INIGO PHILBRICK / FAP ART FRAUD ("Fine Art Partners")

[39:53 – 81:03]

MEET THE SCAMMER: INIGO PHILBRICK

[39:53 – 42:03]

• Laci introduces “Indiegogo” Philbrick (“He was a 10 but…he does art fraud, that’s an 11 to me!” – Laci [40:20]; “those eyes are dead…he looks like he do murders on the side, that’s his hobby.” – [40:38]).
• Chelsea and Laci determine his charms are mostly surface-level and deeply “standard, tall, white dude scammer.”

ART WORLD SCAM MECHANICS

[43:38 – 70:00]

• Inigo Philbrick, the well-connected son of a museum director, rises fast in the “Blue Chip” art world, launching his own gallery with other people’s money.
• Fine Art Partners (“FAP”), a shadowy investment crew, bankroll his multimillion deals with an absurd lack of oversight—they front the money, he holds the art ("He just showed up, tall and white, and they were like, this guy, he’s the guy.” – Laci [41:47]).
• They break down Indiegogo’s shell games: selling the same artworks and their “shares” to multiple buyers—including never showing anyone the actual pieces (“They bought an Instagram photo. They never saw the…they were sending the money…y’all deserve to be robbed.” – Laci [70:34]).
• Hilarity ensues as Laci and Chelsea skewer art-world absurdities, try to estimate the cost of metal shelves passed off as high art, and descend into a running FAP/fat-ass-pussy (WAP) bit.

Notable Quotes:
“To rush these sales is signing your own death knell.” —Indigo Philbrick [58:54]
“Are you not thinking fat-ass-pussy? Is this not what we’re thinking every time we say this?” — Chelsea [59:01]

COLLAPSE AND CAPTURE

[70:51 – 78:42]

• Philbrick makes up for lack of sales by living very large—private planes, diamond-buckled belts, tennis lessons while on the run (“You know how you need tennis lessons when you’re on the run from the government?”—Laci [78:02]).
• Eventually lawsuits catch up; he and reality-star fiancée go on the lam, fleeing to the South Pacific.
• Arrested in 2022, he is sentenced to 7 years for defrauding victims out of $86 million.
• Disgruntled former associates try to claw back assets ("Indiegogo sold the same picture four times. I can't even sell the damn thing once."—Kitty Schrader [80:01])

Notable Exchange:
“Can you imagine getting anything done without trying 500 times over the level of Indiegogo?” —Chelsea [81:03]
“No. And I’m so jealous." —Laci [81:11]

SCAMMER OF THE WEEK: THE RAPPER WHO RAPPED HIS OWN FRAUD CASE

[82:01 – 87:58]

• The LA rapper “Nuke Bizzle” (Fontrell Antonio Baines) boasts about defrauding California’s EDD unemployment program for $1.2 million—IN HIS MUSIC VIDEO.
• He’s swiftly busted after agreeing to a cop search in Vegas.
• Laci and Chelsea roast the situation (“How are you smart enough to pull this scam but also gonna rap about it?”—Chelsea [84:38]), while noting the endless hypocrisy of who actually gets punished for financial crimes compared to white-collar corporate scammers.

Discussion:

• The penalties for financial crime are lampooned, as Laci rails against “wasting our taxpayer dollars” for 20-year sentences for a "pandemic entrepreneur."
• Chelsea aptly points out: “Corporations that didn’t qualify for [pandemic assistance] took the money… loan forgiveness program, literally what it’s called.” [87:54]

HIGHLIGHTS & QUOTES

• “Weddings are a scam—once you put the word on anything, they’re coming for your money.”
  —Laci Mosley [07:42]
• “Your friend is like, people are dying, but no, I want my Chinette set!”
  —Laci Mosley [13:11]
• “If you go to a bartending company, ask for open bar, and they say $20,000—bitch, for $20,000, I’d better have one drink and be on the astral plane.”
  —Laci Mosley [15:09]
• “They bought an Instagram photo. They never saw the... They were sending the money. Y'all deserve to be robbed.”
  —Laci Mosley [70:34]
• “Can you imagine getting anything done without trying 500 times over the level of Indiegogo?”
  —Chelsea Devantez [81:03]

TIMESTAMPED SEGMENTS

• [01:10 – 07:35] – Chelsea’s scam history & Molly Shannon’s “Mamet Scam”
• [07:16 – 17:40] – The endless scams of weddings
• [20:08 – 37:17] – Listener scam: "Evangelist Stephen" rental scam dissected
• [39:53 – 81:03] – Historic Hoodwinks: Inigo Philbrick, Fine Art scam unravelled
• [82:01 – 87:58] – Scammer of the Week: The rapping fraudster
• [88:15 – 89:01] – Guest plugs & episode close

CONCLUSION

This episode is peak Scam Goddess: hilarious, biting, and full of sharp social observation. Laci and Chelsea churn reality, privilege, and absurdity together, all while making permission to laugh at fraud—and fraught systems—a radical act. The FAP/Philbrick art scam breakdown is a highlight for anyone fascinated by how white-collar crime meets unchecked confidence.
As always: “Stay schemin’, congregation!”

Guest Plugs:

• Celebrity Book Club with Chelsea Devantez (start with Laci's ep!)
• Follow Chelsea @chelseadevantes

Host Plugs:

• Follow Laci @divalaci | Follow @scamgoddesspod (Instagram & Twitter)