Swindling the Nations w/ Dewayne Perkins

Summary

Scam Goddess Podcast Episode Summary

Title: Swindling the Nations w/ Dewayne Perkins
Release Date: March 25, 2025
Host: Laci Mosley
Guest: Duane Perkins
Podcast Description: Scam Goddess is an award-winning comedy podcast that delves into the world of fraud, featuring humorous yet insightful discussions on historical and contemporary scams. Hosted by Laci Mosley, the show combines true crime elements with comedy, often featuring notable guests to explore the lighter side of deceit.

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1. Introduction and Guest Welcome (00:00 - 03:08)

Laci Mosley opens the episode with her signature charisma, setting the stage for an engaging conversation about fraud and scams. She introduces Duane Perkins, highlighting his accomplishments as an American comedian, writer, and actor. She mentions his upcoming role in the Seth Rogen comedy series "The Studio" premiering on Apple TV and his involvement in the Emmy-nominated horror comedy film "The Blackening." Duane joins the "Scam Goddess Con-gregation," ready to explore the intricate world of scams.

2. Light-hearted Banter and Establishing Rapport (03:08 - 10:04)

The conversation kicks off with playful exchanges about church duties and dancing, showcasing the chemistry between Laci and Duane. They joke about handling collection plates and praise dancing, with Laci complimenting Duane's dance skills. This segment serves to build a relaxed atmosphere, preparing listeners for the deeper dive into scam narratives.

Duane Perkins (03:27): "I have white gloves ready."

Laci Mosley (04:07): "Shout out to the dancers. They do not get enough love."

3. Personal Encounters with Scams (10:04 - 19:50)

Laci shares a personal experience involving a car scam that escalated beyond a simple collision. She describes how seemingly helpful individuals turned aggressive, bringing men in vans to intimidate her for additional payments.

Laci Mosley (08:01): "They almost led to a physical altercation because it was on the streets."

Duane relates with his own story of scamming attempts, emphasizing the importance of vigilance and self-defense.

Duane Perkins (08:36): "We might have to fight these men."

Through these anecdotes, the hosts illustrate the unpredictable and often dangerous nature of scams, blending humor with cautionary tales.

4. Historic Hoodwinks: The Oman Ghana Trust Fund Scam (19:50 - 65:38)

The core of the episode focuses on one of the greatest cons in history: the Oman Ghana Trust Fund scam orchestrated by John Mangana, alias Dr. John aka Bla Miza. This elaborate scheme leveraged colonial narratives and African folklore to deceive millions.

a. Origins and Colonial Context (19:50 - 26:23) Laci narrates how Ghana's first president, Kwame Nkrumah, was portrayed as a hero who stole gold from his own country, setting the foundation for John Mangana's scam. The CIA's psychological warfare against Nkrumah is highlighted, showing how external influences fostered distrust and laid the groundwork for Mangana's deception.

Laci Mosley (23:05): "The greatest con artist in African history used a colonial lie to swindle the western world out of hundreds of millions."

b. Constructing the Con: John Mangana's Blueprint (26:23 - 37:09) John Mangana crafted a believable narrative by claiming insider knowledge of Kwame's hidden treasures. He used fake documents, including those embossed with the President’s seal, and staged international retreats to instill trust among investors.

Laci Mosley (32:02): "He claimed to be a confidant of President Kwame and revealed a deathbed secret about hidden wealth."

c. Execution and Expansion of the Scam (37:09 - 58:43) Mangana expanded his reach by setting up satellite offices in major cities like Philadelphia and London. He lured investors with promises of high returns, often requiring them to attend exclusive retreats to reclaim their "funds."

Duane Perkins (39:20): "Having to do the math in your head like how many years is that? Eighteen months is that bad?"

His extravagant lifestyle, featuring luxury items like Rolls Royces and expensive jewelry, further convinced investors of his legitimacy.

d. The Unraveling and Legacy (58:43 - 65:38) The scam began to fall apart when investigative journalism, notably a 60 Minutes episode, exposed Mangana as the ultimate con man. Despite the public exposure, his legacy persisted, with subsequent attempts to revive the trust fund causing ongoing confusion and financial loss.

Laci Mosley (64:10): "The myth of the Oman Ghana Trust Fund lives on for generations."

Duane reflects on the cyclical nature of scams and the difficulty in dismantling deeply rooted fraudulent narratives.

Duane Perkins (64:21): "It's very much giving cyclical."

5. Insights on Scamming Psychology and Community Impact (65:38 - 73:00)

Laci and Duane delve into the psychological aspects that make scams effective. They discuss the role of shame in perpetuating fraud, where victims often hide their experiences to avoid appearing foolish, thereby allowing scammers to thrive unchecked.

Laci Mosley (55:33): "There's bait out there for everybody. I just hope you don't meet your fishermen."

Duane emphasizes the importance of community vigilance and education to prevent the spread of scams.

Duane Perkins (69:18): "I would like to be found in joy and happiness."

6. Conclusion and Takeaways (73:00 - End)

The episode wraps up with final reflections on the necessity of awareness and skepticism to combat fraud. Laci encourages listeners to stay informed and cautious, while Duane shares his excitement for upcoming projects and reinforces the importance of community support in the fight against scams.

Laci Mosley (71:15): "Stay scheming."

The hosts leave listeners with a blend of humor and serious advice, ensuring the audience remains both entertained and enlightened.

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Key Takeaways

• Historical Scams: Understanding past cons like the Oman Ghana Trust Fund provides valuable lessons on the sophistication and longevity of fraud schemes.
• Psychological Manipulation: Scammers often exploit psychological vulnerabilities, such as trust, greed, and shame, to deceive victims.
• Community Vigilance: Educating communities about common scam tactics can significantly reduce the prevalence and impact of fraud.
• Personal Awareness: Being aware of the signs of scams and maintaining a healthy skepticism can protect individuals from falling victim to deceitful practices.

Notable Quotes with Timestamps

• Laci Mosley (23:05): "The greatest con artist in African history used a colonial lie to swindle the western world out of hundreds of millions."
• Duane Perkins (08:36): "We might have to fight these men."
• Laci Mosley (32:02): "He claimed to be a confidant of President Kwame and revealed a deathbed secret about hidden wealth."
• Duane Perkins (64:21): "It's very much giving cyclical."
• Laci Mosley (55:33): "There's bait out there for everybody. I just hope you don't meet your fishermen."

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Scam Goddess effectively blends humor with critical analysis of scams, providing listeners with both entertainment and education on the intricate world of fraud. This episode, featuring Duane Perkins, offers a deep dive into one of history's most elaborate cons, emphasizing the importance of awareness and community in combating deception.

Transcript

[Lacey Mosley]

Okay let's talk about hair y'all know when your hair kind of gets like greasy and and you need to wash it but you don't have time to wash it especially if you have a lot of hair y'all know that's a whole day enter batiste light it's batiste lightest driest shampoo batiste light blends in seamlessly with your hair leaving none of that white residue and your hair looks clean and it feels clean okay plus batiste light effectively absorbs oil and grease without weighing it down it's a total game change for amazing second or third day hair okay and if you're black you know it might be a little longer because hello i like batiste light because whenever my hair is feeling like greasy or oily you know when i've wrapped it too many times or whatever i can put that in my hair and it kind of wakes it back up you know what i mean without it looking white or powdery or you know like i just put a bunch of baby powder in my hair or something you know what i mean buy batiste light dry shampoo online or in store at your nearest retailer with the venmo debit card you can turn the mini golf outing your co workers paid you back for into a trip to miami with your best friend earning you up to five percent cash back use venmo to pay for the things you love to do visit venmo me debit to learn more the venmo mastercard is issued by the bancorp bank na pursuant to license by mastercard international inc terms apply dosh cashback terms apply scams c robbery and fraud scam ca robbery and fraud scam goddess what's poppin congregation it's ya girl lacey mosley aka scam goddess back with the podcast all about robbery fraud and those who practice it i'm gonna say it again this is a comedy show as well sometimes i just have to when they're new you know to church this is their first time stand up if this is your first time at service all right yes welcome welcome welcome yes y'all already know i'm very what yes excited elated melanated as well today we have an amazing guest on the show a homie of mine he's an american comedian writer actor and so much more also beautiful with great hair i'm just adding that in he can be seen starring in the highly anticipated seth rogen comedy series the studio set to premiere on apple tv on march twenty sixth twenty twenty five born and raised in chicago he received improv training at the second city and also worked for io theater his standup comedy was recommended by variety magazine and just for last comedy festival he's a primetime emmy award nominee he's a co writer and star of the horror comedy film the blackening which was so good congregation please welcome duane perkins to the show.

[Duane Perkins]

Oh my god what an intro come on dwayne come on hello hello hello.

[Lacey Mosley]

Thank you for having me back we love a returning guest okay this is you moving up now you handing out programs at church okay you in the congregation okay i love that okay you.

[Duane Perkins]

Handing out i got white gloves ready.

[Lacey Mosley]

You got your white gloves on you sending people to overflow when we packed and you also will have to hand out those fans with the popsicle sticks and the photo of martin luther king and the advertisement for the funeral home.

[Duane Perkins]

Mm i have so many duties thank you i'm honored honored now when you.

[Lacey Mosley]

Come back you're gonna have to hand out the collection plate you know and.

[Duane Perkins]

I'M ready to praise dance a little too okay you know what i've been.

[Lacey Mosley]

Practicing you are a great dancer you're a phenomenal dancer yeah thank you i love watching your dance videos when you post them on instagram sometimes thank you.

[Duane Perkins]

I really love dancing it's a great hobby it was a profession at one point but then i said girl y'all asking too much of me.

[Lacey Mosley]

Shout out to the dancers hello they do not.

[Duane Perkins]

Get enough love that's a hustle it.

[Lacey Mosley]

Really is you really have to hustle hard to be a dancer too hard that's why i quit okay i couldn't be at millennium like throwing it back.

[Duane Perkins]

Every day i tore my acl just dancing for fun can you imagine if that was my job crazy crazy times.

[Lacey Mosley]

But you know what shout out to y'all also it's hard for me to do a profession where i know that there's a like physical lifespan on it.

[Duane Perkins]

That was the whole thing it'd be like oh i know i can't do this forever right so let me find something i can do which is be a clown right we can be old.

[Lacey Mosley]

Clowns we could be the oldest clowns and people still be i would be the dame judi dench of clowns i.

[Duane Perkins]

Said you know clowning is forever dancing is whatever for now.

[Lacey Mosley]

But you know if you could get out there and chanting tater middle you know get in.

[Duane Perkins]

The you know i'm trying to make a step up seventeen why not we.

[Lacey Mosley]

Need to bring back dance movies i'm trying okay we were talking about that.

[Duane Perkins]

On twitter that is a goal of mine like i really think that like i can do it in like an.

[Lacey Mosley]

Elevated way i definitely can you wrote an excellent hilarious movie the blackening is so fun i loved it so much we were all cracking up in the theater it was such a fun experience watching it thank you so much yes so you could definitely give us a movie where we danced in the rain so we could sa the community center or lil saint or whatever i'm trying.

[Duane Perkins]

To be jessica alba and honey.

[Lacey Mosley]

Yo jessica alba's acting in honey is the most hilarious thing i've ever seen it's.

[Duane Perkins]

My favorite it's truly my favorite listen.

[Lacey Mosley]

Mama was beautiful and she said if y'all want me to act then i'mma.

[Duane Perkins]

Act and she said and i'mma bring.

[Lacey Mosley]

The urban flavor what's up that's whack like i was obsessed wickety whack i.

[Duane Perkins]

Gotta do it soon because the knees.

[Lacey Mosley]

Are giving out right yo honey was hilarious it's honestly a comedy they just didn't know it was a comedy no.

[Duane Perkins]

One hundred percent was did they know.

[Lacey Mosley]

It was a comedy no the world did the world did the world did absolutely we were like y'all are being funny we said oh this is this.

[Duane Perkins]

Is hilarious this is cute we love the circumstances of this of all of.

[Lacey Mosley]

It of this yes of this of what you're doing okay hilarious and now she got the honest company she was like let me pivot to selling these diapers for the girls because i don't.

[Duane Perkins]

Have time for this any plot that saved the community center joke.

[Lacey Mosley]

Okay well she was trying to do music videos with the kids mm okay so i guess it was community center adjacent but.

[Duane Perkins]

At the end it was like we still these kids ain't got nowhere to dance we gotta give them hope you're.

[Lacey Mosley]

Right they needed hope otherwise they were gonna be on the street doing robberies.

[Duane Perkins]

And shoot em up harlem shaking with lil romeo.

[Lacey Mosley]

Instead of harlem shaking they were gonna be shaking people down exactly.

[Duane Perkins]

She saved them she saved them she did save them it was the blind side but just with d honestly should have been nominated for an oscar cinema she did her big one she really.

[Lacey Mosley]

Did so dwayne we always ask on this podcast what is your relationship with scams do you love them do you hate them have you been scammed recently is there any scam you're interested in it could be absolutely anything you know.

[Duane Perkins]

I love a scam when it's a scam that's like robin hoody like very much like taking from the power the powers that be giving it to the people that don't have it i don't like scams when it's aimed at me cause why would you do that that's.

[Lacey Mosley]

Craz i don't think everyone will agree with you on that no one likes scams when they're aimed at them that's.

[Duane Perkins]

Crazy cause i'm nice but i have been scammed before i think i'm scammed less than the people in my life cause i have a general distrust for people and systems so it's like that's gonna be harder to get me cause like who are you what you doing what's going on here but one of the last times i got scammed it almost led to a physical altercation cause it was on the streets you know that thing where people offered help there was like a dent in my car.

[Lacey Mosley]

And this man was yeah they're like i'll pop it out i'll pop this.

[Duane Perkins]

Dent out real quick but then they came with like some men in a van and tried to charge me a lot more than they said but they didn't know that like i will fight y'all so it really took a turn.

[Lacey Mosley]

Also they came with some men in the van how many people do you need to pop out a dent i don't think you need a van worth.

[Duane Perkins]

Of men they came after they popped a dent it was one man that popped the dent but then they asked for money and then more men came and i said where the hell these men come from but then they didn't know that i had a man too i had a man so it was two of us and i was like we might have to fight these men.

[Lacey Mosley]

Y'All got a y'all karate stance y'all.

[Duane Perkins]

Got a y'all yeah because it very much gave like oh let's help this homosexual man and i was very much given soft i said yeah please help me i love help yeah and then when it turned they didn't know that i can make a turn as well yeah and so then they were like.

[Lacey Mosley]

Don'T let the gay fool you yeah.

[Duane Perkins]

I said oh no baby and also we were in chicago i said do you not know where i grew up.

[Lacey Mosley]

Like these hands might be manicured but they also they can take you down.

[Duane Perkins]

And so that's really where it went they were like hey intimidation and i said same i could reciprocate it okay.

[Lacey Mosley]

I'Ll match that energy yeah yeah the chicago jumped out it did and they.

[Duane Perkins]

Said oh cool cool cool we didn't know what we were getting into and i said no fuck you didn't and then they went away i'm glad that.

[Lacey Mosley]

They realized that they caught the right one and the wrong one at the.

[Duane Perkins]

Same time i was like lord don't shoot me.

[Lacey Mosley]

Not the pew pew truly.

[Duane Perkins]

I said amen god thank you for being on my side love being one.

[Lacey Mosley]

Of your favorites right also like don't shoot me over no car dent situation.

[Duane Perkins]

I said if it gets there i will just give you the money right.

[Lacey Mosley]

It'S not that deep it's not that.

[Duane Perkins]

Deep but please don't let it get.

[Lacey Mosley]

There right now did they pop the dent out good they did.

[Duane Perkins]

Great work great work great work excellent recommend the workmanship the people no but the work i said wow y'all could do this.

[Lacey Mosley]

Legit how many stars on yelp would.

[Duane Perkins]

You give them honestly just for the work five it was quick it was efficient but then now you gonna give.

[Lacey Mosley]

Them five but you gotta tell them.

[Duane Perkins]

About the potential murder the shakedown after lowers it to negative five cause what do you mean you're shaking me down i would've gave you five stars i would've recommended right cause i didn't have to go nowhere i was just outside of io in a whole foods so they thought cause i was in a white neighborhood that i was like within that neighborhood and i said no i'm a visitor to this neighborhood as so.

[Lacey Mosley]

Are you the io in la in.

[Duane Perkins]

Chicago oh okay yes but it was quick and efficient i would say and.

[Lacey Mosley]

That didn't go i feel like maybe you gotta give it too soon and then be like i would have gave it five because the quality of the service was amazing however when the goons came when the goons came afterwards that.

[Duane Perkins]

Really gave me i feel like any service where at any point i'm like am i about to die you don't get a star i'm so sorry there's no stars involved if the star which is me could possibly die no no.

[Lacey Mosley]

No okay fair fair enough that's good well i'm glad that you survived because we need you and we need all.

[Duane Perkins]

Of your talents yeah and that was like pre anything that i did it would have been such a young dark ending.

[Lacey Mosley]

I recently got shook down by some car scammers really yes i was pulling into a parking spot and this car like whipped in from behind like tried to back in really fast and then i was like okay well are you trying to steal my spot so i just stopped and then they kept coming and i was like okay are we gonna tap i don't know so i'm gonna back up so then we ended up tapping each other but it was like a love tap like so light so i'm thinking like okay we'll get out we'll look and see if there's any damage we'll exchange insurance information tell me why these two white women open their doors real fast jump out of the car and now i know that they're white latinas cause i have their identification jumped out of the car and ran and i was like oh okay and then three men surrounded my car immediately after and one was on my driver's side and he was like i'm film filming you and had a camera like in my window and then one stepped in the front of my car and was like you can't leave you can't go anywhere and he's like standing in front of my car and then the other one is on my right side and he's like trying to be like fake nice he's like roll down your window like let's just get your insurance information and i'm thinking okay so i'm scared and i was like i started to write down my phone number and stuff and then i thought to myself i was like wait a minute where are the two women that i had the collision with and why are these the samaritans who are these who are these truly who are these ladies who are these and like also how did y'all come out like y'all the avengers like y'all are the power rangers y'all just assimilated like how is this coordinated this is so coordinated everybody had a job hate that that's why i was like this can't just be good samaritans because why does everybody have.

[Duane Perkins]

A job yeah and why do these two white women need y'all and like.

[Lacey Mosley]

They were kind of angry with me and i'm like the one that was filming was like i'm filming you i'm filming you and the one in front's like you can't leave and he's got his hands on the front of my car and then the other one's like trying to be fake nice he's the nice one i gu i was like.

[Duane Perkins]

It'S too coordinated i love that though that they had their parts they did they rehearsed it was theatrical you're the mean one i'm the nice one is giving three little pigs right it's giving.

[Lacey Mosley]

Good cop bad cop but also like where are the two women which is.

[Duane Perkins]

The crazy part yes because y'all weren't.

[Lacey Mosley]

In this car like where did they.

[Duane Perkins]

Go i love that they just ran.

[Lacey Mosley]

Away and i was like why did they run that's not what happens in a collision and like i got out of my car walked around there was no damage to my car there was no damage to the back of their car so i was like okay we can still exchange information but i'm like where where did they go so i waited for them and then finally like i get the nice man i was about to give him my information and i was like wait a minute and so i was like hey just give me write down your information and then you give like them your number and i'mma call you and you get their number and then and then we'll exchange.

[Duane Perkins]

Information even that conversation like who is this man and what like why are we exchanging information sir who are you are you gonna pass it on to the ladies like are you i just.

[Lacey Mosley]

Took his number and i was like i'll call you you get the info.

[Duane Perkins]

From the ladies don't call me i'll.

[Lacey Mosley]

Call you and then we'll exchange info cause after that i was so scared i backed up and i just left and i i then went to the police station and gave my information and i was like oh okay well this is a weird situation so i just left and they were like why don't you call the police and i was like i don't call the lapd honey i'm black i've called them twice before to help me and they turned on not again i'm not calling my hitman.

[Duane Perkins]

That'S insane why would i call my opps to assist my other opps right.

[Lacey Mosley]

No no no no no no i'm gonna call more haters so i can get jumped right i'm gonna call the van of goons that are gonna intimidate me no thank you so then he shows me a photo and he was like they said that you hit them on the side of their car so now they got a kicked inside passenger door or driver's side door and i was like where the the collision was in the back with the men and the stuff i'm like where did this come from they were like you hit him on the side when you drove away they said you hit several parked cars i was like there's no way.

[Duane Perkins]

I was like he said babe come look at my car no literally i.

[Lacey Mosley]

Took the cop outside and i was like come look at my car and then he walked around my car but at first he didn't want to do it but then when i slammed the name down and my paper cause he was like the lady called me in hysterics and i was there within five minutes so i know you left the scene and i was like i slammed that paper that's what my mama said so i slammed that paper down and i was like why would i have this if i if i was not waiting at the scene for these women boom boom boom bop bam had hit him with the kendrick boom bop boom bop bam and so then he's like okay i'll come look at your car so he comes walks around my car this is in the rain i'm fucking up my hair and i had just got it laid in the rain that really and that's how i was like i was really at a level and i said that i was like i'm a black girl i'm about to mess up my hair for this i want you to know and then i was like we can lift traffic cam footage like you can lift the like we can do all this and he was like it's a traffic collision we are not about to do all of this.

[Duane Perkins]

Check the camps check the camps badass use la tax money open a case.

[Lacey Mosley]

Hello call olivia okay cause what call no call benson okay like get the girls on it and so then he was like okay well it's just a traffic collision so we're not gonna do all that but here's her driver's license and then here's this information and he was like okay well you should just get over it it's just a small traffic and you know once you get over this i'll take you out on.

[Duane Perkins]

A date oh whoa wait this took a turn that was planned the whole time what he said you know babe the way you can get over this is by getting under me that's crazy revoke his police license do police have licenses it don't seem like it cause.

[Lacey Mosley]

Clearly so and did you ask him.

[Duane Perkins]

Who was them niggas who are they cause the mystery still ain't solved cause.

[Lacey Mosley]

When i slammed that piece of paper down with that man's name and the phone number you looked a little too familiarly at it she was like damn.

[Duane Perkins]

She got my brother's info right she.

[Lacey Mosley]

Was like damn he was like damn why you write his real name and number he ain't trained them well enough because you know what he's not giving them enough of the cut so he hiring dumb people because he not gonna give them enough of the cut see.

[Duane Perkins]

Criminals hiring worse criminals it's not gonna.

[Lacey Mosley]

Work it's not gonna work the hierarchy is failing yeah it really was also the two women running away was it.

[Duane Perkins]

Was really the beginning of the end yeah cause where are they going where.

[Lacey Mosley]

Are they going also like i'm just one woman in a car like why are you running away i didn't run.

[Duane Perkins]

Nowhere also the internet exists i feel like there's enough videos of like insurance scams where people like be running into people i don't know why they thought that you would just be like yes let me give you your info they were doing the swoop squat three main who was not involved in the situation.

[Lacey Mosley]

I learned about that from the black president from twenty four when he was doing them allstate commercials the swoop and squat that's what they were doing to me so anyway i'm glad you got.

[Duane Perkins]

Through it how was the date.

[Lacey Mosley]

I won't lie at that point i was trying to entrap him so i was like okay yeah we can hang out so we talked like every time i would text he would call me and i was like mm don't want a paper trail don't want a paper trail so then he was like oh let's hang out between like eight and nine but i'm going to san diego tomorrow for military i was like you a cop ain't you in the military what's going on and then loves violins literally loves it lives for it so i was like oh he was i was like oh we can meet wherever and he or you can just come to my place i'm not gonna do it but i'm like trying to see what's going on he was like i can't leave burbank and i was like okay so i was like oh i booked this hotel at this burbank hotel he was like oh well i can't go in there because i'm in uniform and i was like oh well we just wait till you get off work and then you can just come then he was like no how about you just come to the police station at eleven forty five pm because i get off at midnight and i was like what girl huh he was like we could just hang out in your car and i was like what nothing made sense i was like hmm so many excuses and then he was like let's go meet at the police station you know.

[Duane Perkins]

I love that you were like entrapment i couldn't let it go i love the reverse you said uno reversed i.

[Lacey Mosley]

Was like i couldn't let it go and then when i was telling people about it they were like lizzie why did you continue and i was like cause at that point i needed to know so then when i told my mom she was like obviously like what the hell is wrong with you and then she was like i think maybe the cop is in on it so then once i thought about it some more and i did my entrapments and he was like playing then i was like i texted him i was like you know what i think you might be in on this and he never.

[Duane Perkins]

Spoke to me again wow yes that means he was in on it sorry you had to go through it but great story great story do it for the do it for the content i.

[Lacey Mosley]

Need to stop doing stuff for content this is bad for my life life scam y'all already know i'm about to talk about my favorite fashion brand and i'm not even playing i feel like they scam me cuz i can't stop going over there and buying things and yes i'm talking about quint while luxury is enjoyable it's not always affordable that's where quince comes in in these times where the eggs are dollar eleven we need quince quinn offers a range of high quality items at prices within reach and the best part is quin all their items are priced fifty to eighty percent similar brands i recently went back on quinn's because i wanted to get some more of that what is it called like quiet luxury yes and the organic cotton cropped cable crew sweaters that i got when i tell you i wear them and i feel like i'm diane keaton and i'm walking on a beach in martha's vineyard like just thinking about my life wistfully i love it give yourself the luxury you deserve with quinn go to quince dot com goddess for free shipping on your order and three hundred sixty five day returns that's q dash u dash i dash n dash c e dot com to get free shipping and three hundred sixty five day returns quince dot com goddess it's always nice to keep your money where you can see it unfortunately traditional big wireless carriers also seem to like keeping your money too if you're tired of crazy high wireless bills bogus fees and free perks that actually cost more in the long run switch to mint mobile listen mint mobile is fire they offer premium plans starting at dollar fifteen per month with high data and unlimited talk and text on the nation's largest five g network and i know that network is working because some of my producers have mint mobile and when i tell you they can contact me all the time day or night and never have any trouble with their signal they are working me and mint mobile is working for them plus you can keep your phone number and all your contacts so the switch is very easy if you like your money mint mobile is for you shop plans at mintmobile dot com goddess that's mintmobile dot com goddess upfront payments of forty five dollars for three month five gigabyte plan required equivalent to fifteen dollars a month new customer offer for the first three months only then full price plan options available taxes and fees extra see mint mobile for details so let's get into our next segment here historic hoodwinks this is where i will regale dwayne with a famous khan caper group of criminals we'll see how he feels all throughout i wanna note at the top cause we do not scam our journalists most of the reporting for this story comes from the twenty twenty three book i'm gonna say this right anasi's gold the man who looted the west outfoxed washington and swindled the world by yupoka yabo okay yeah so he wrote that book that's like a.

[Duane Perkins]

Spider god right and ozzy is it i think so but then like yeah there's like certain like african folklore and.

[Lacey Mosley]

I think he's like a stranger that would make sense god because and i.

[Duane Perkins]

Think he's like a trickster of some.

[Lacey Mosley]

Sort you know what that makes so much sense because we are talking about an african there we go you know what i'm done you be reading oh look look up here thank you cody it says yep african okay you okay.

[Duane Perkins]

I be reading you be reading just cause i'm a writer i've been having.

[Lacey Mosley]

To do research yes so the greatest con artist in african history used a colonial lie about ghana's past to swindle the western world out of hundreds of millions of dollars now i do wanna point out that the last episode of scam goddess this season is about a fake ghanaian prince in dayton ohio and you can stream that now on hulu look at the synergy well we'll be watching okay it's lit but this particular prince he came before the ghanaian prince that i'm talking about so he was setting the stage so he also this man he also created the blueprint for one of the most successful scams in the modern world the nigerian prince email.

[Duane Perkins]

Oh wow honestly icon innovator innovator whoa.

[Lacey Mosley]

You know what i mean he was like the plato of his time socrates okay so ghana formerly known as the gold coast declared independence from britain in nineteen fifty seven they were the first colony in sub saharan africa to gain freedom from colonial rule and set an example for dozens of other west african nations who were like oh y'all getting out from under the colony okay us too we leaving too same same say less it was like ghana started running and all the other countries were like where y'all running we'll find out when we get there we run it too love that for everyone the new country was led by president kwame nkrumah a political theorist revolutionary and inspiring figure he was an advocate of pan africanism and founding member of the organization of african unity as president he funded industri ban energy projects develop strong national education system you know he was really hooking it up obviously the powers that be in britain and the us didn't like where this was going because they're like hold on where are all this our stolen resources going where y'all going they said.

[Duane Perkins]

Simmer down negro simmer down simmer down.

[Lacey Mosley]

We still have things to steal from.

[Duane Perkins]

You we are trying to pillage y'all.

[Lacey Mosley]

Are getting in the way of our pillaging and we don't like that you're.

[Duane Perkins]

Inspiring others as well no no no.

[Lacey Mosley]

Simmer down so one internal us memo said intensive efforts should be made through psychological warfare and other means to diminish support for nkrumba within ghana oh no not psychological warfare yeah sounds a little familiar like what russia's doing to us.

[Duane Perkins]

Nuts wow it's crazy how life is.

[Lacey Mosley]

So cyclical it's so weird so weird sounds familiar sounds familiar like putin i don't know so the coup and the lie in nineteen sixty six while president nkrumah was on a diplomatic visit to china a cia funded military coup overthrew the government of ghana so they had the cia pull up as they do oh god you know the cia loves.

[Duane Perkins]

They'Re so messy and nosy like get out of these people's country i think.

[Lacey Mosley]

The cia made sexy red so you know he was made in a cia lab wait what to destroy the black.

[Duane Perkins]

Community i mean i would say that's what my mother said when she came out with her lip gloss i don't think you're far off when you make.

[Lacey Mosley]

Lip gloss flavors or like lip gloss like colors that are named after discharge i really that are named after std's.

[Duane Perkins]

And like she does feel like a plant very much giving reagan and crack.

[Lacey Mosley]

It'S giving reagan and crack they put sexy red in our communities like crack okay we're not falling for it we know what it is okay kendra kumar is like combating sexyy red i feel.

[Duane Perkins]

Like that's going the psychological warfare the psychological warfare and it's crazy cause i am buying into it cause not newbies i love me some sexy red listen should we have some bops the propaganda.

[Lacey Mosley]

Is working it's not working on me but i am enjoying it let me.

[Duane Perkins]

Tell you fat juicy and wet isn't.

[Lacey Mosley]

Wet oh my god no not that juice getting wet that's like the same girl same maybe throw up no no and i'm like throwing up my gang.

[Duane Perkins]

Sign the cia is effective they're very.

[Lacey Mosley]

Good at their jobs we're making their jobs easier too we're part of the problem the us had encouraged nkrumah to go on the trip and even promised i'm saying his name wrong it's nkrumah nkrumah there we go sorry y'all nkrumah you know i'm just gonna say kwame from here on out kwame kwame okay so the us had encouraged kwame aka nkrumba i'm gonna say kwame cause i don't wanna mess up this man's name no more they had encouraged him to go on the trip and even promised to pause bombing in north vietnam in order to ensure his safety he said we gonna stop the bombing real just for a little bit in north vietnam so you can go on this trip.

[Duane Perkins]

So you can feel good so you can feel good inside cause that's how.

[Lacey Mosley]

Much we care about you we'll stop bombing a country and then we go.

[Duane Perkins]

On see really can't get up in.

[Lacey Mosley]

Your country mess it up so kwame never returned to ghana living in exile until his death in ro oh wow so they took him out yes so the cia they got him up out.

[Duane Perkins]

Of there they're mlk number two that's.

[Lacey Mosley]

Why you can't listen to the cia when they tell you anything no they don't try to help people especially black people they're not trying to help no.

[Duane Perkins]

No no no no no no that's not what they were made for no.

[Lacey Mosley]

No no.

[Duane Perkins]

And that was that's what kwame was saying when he was in romania living out the rest of his.

[Lacey Mosley]

Life everyone in god was like how did you get here today he's like so to help the coup go over easier with ghanaians who loved kwame the new military leaders and the countries who backed them did some character assassinations on kwame falsely accusing him of hiding the gold coast's famous gold overseas so they were like he was a thief y'all so don't this is why the white man had to come in and save y'all cause he was stealing yeah he.

[Duane Perkins]

Stole the gold so like y'all shouldn't.

[Lacey Mosley]

Like him yeah don't look into it further that's nuts but trust us the people who took over the government that.

[Duane Perkins]

Are not from here who took over.

[Lacey Mosley]

Who took over that we're trying to help you that's all the west has ever tried to do is like we just thinking about you we just care trust us trust us so the lie being that the resource rich nation of ghana could have been so much more wealthier and more powerful if only the alleged corrupt leader hadn't stolen it all.

[Duane Perkins]

From them right they said it's all this mess kwame was just yeah kwame don't look at it it's just bad.

[Lacey Mosley]

For ghan we ain't never stole nothing the west not at all we did.

[Duane Perkins]

Not trick this man to leave no.

[Lacey Mosley]

No no no no no that was all him that was all him he was like i want to take all my gold and leave and we were like no and never returned to his home we said stop kwame no and he was like no i got to.

[Duane Perkins]

Steal from kame i must be exiled.

[Lacey Mosley]

And remember also one man this one man took all the country's how does one man lift up a whole country of wealth like how do you transport.

[Duane Perkins]

Honestly to be honest after watching your show on hulu i could believe it people really just be doing anything out here and people don't ask enough questions.

[Lacey Mosley]

Okay rita crudwell there's still a whole town but she's still a town she's still the whole us as well you.

[Duane Perkins]

Know from illinois i did and i've been to dixon i said you know what i can see how this happens so honestly if kwame just had the right right the vehicle resources he could.

[Lacey Mosley]

Do it maybe he did but i.

[Duane Perkins]

Don'T believe it i don't believe it.

[Lacey Mosley]

Cause it's not true but but but you're like it's plausible yeah i'm like.

[Duane Perkins]

You know niggas really be crafty.

[Lacey Mosley]

So this lie about hidden treasure set the stage for one of the greatest con men of all time to cash in so let's speed forward to john i'm just gonna call him john his name is john colorable i'm not saying any of that anymore i'm just gonna call him john so john later added the name aka the title doctor and many other flourishes to his made up identity which would become jean aka bla miza okay that's the last time i'm saying that maybe if i say it with the accent jean aka blo misa ooh.

[Duane Perkins]

Sound french okay ooh it's like a french african i love that yeah yeah.

[Lacey Mosley]

Yeah okay he claimed to be a confidant of president kwame and said the president had told him an insane secret on his deathbed in romania according to john kwame had hid twenty seven billion dollars worth of cash gold and diamonds in a swiss vault claiming that kwame stole more gold from ghana than anyone else ever had including the portuguese the danes the dutch and the british put.

[Duane Perkins]

Together i'm actually obsessed he said you thought the whites were bad look at what kwame did look at what kwame.

[Lacey Mosley]

Did okay you thought the colonizers were.

[Duane Perkins]

Bad no no no it be your own people the call's coming from inside the house twenty seven billion twenty seven billion just in a vote and you.

[Lacey Mosley]

Know what this is a smart scheme because the cia has already laid the foundation by being like kwame stole everything from y'all and it wasn't even us white people it was kw and john.

[Duane Perkins]

Said let me piggyback and he was.

[Lacey Mosley]

Like i was kwame's homie and if he wasn't dead he will tell you.

[Duane Perkins]

He said the cia correct yeah kwame had secrets he told me as he.

[Lacey Mosley]

Was dying yeah he was like it was his last breath actually he was like i got twenty seven million in swiss mega cast and he died and.

[Duane Perkins]

Then john said and that was my time in romania yeah yeah and then.

[Lacey Mosley]

I left romania that's two black people and then there was one and then i was like let me get out.

[Duane Perkins]

Of here and now i'm looking for.

[Lacey Mosley]

The goat so of course kwame had only told one person john he ain't tell nobody else where the riches were stashed and how to access them and john would need help with the administrative costs of getting it out so he says i know where it is i know how to access it i'm the only one who knows because kwame dead yeah so you gotta trust me to know where everything is he used a combination of half remembered news bulletins propaganda and prison yard gossip to construct one of the most lucrative cons of the twentieth century and he called it the oman ghana trust fund i'm obsessed with.

[Duane Perkins]

The prison yard gossip part who you.

[Lacey Mosley]

Talking to in jail what listen people in jail be knowing things they do cause and especially about crime okay i.

[Duane Perkins]

Mean that is where it feels like you would get a lot of information.

[Lacey Mosley]

Like how many times on any cop serial law and orders or whatever how many times do they go to the jail cause they're like we need more info let's go to the prison they.

[Duane Perkins]

Love an informant love an informant and when you're in jail i guess you ain't got a lot of time to.

[Lacey Mosley]

Do nothing but and they're like look if you want some time off you want a parole early you want commissary you better tell us cops what we.

[Duane Perkins]

Want and they do be talking yeah.

[Lacey Mosley]

They be like all right what you gonna do for me though i mean.

[Duane Perkins]

Those stakes are kind of high i.

[Lacey Mosley]

Feel like if i was in jail i would wanna be like the little finger of jail same i would love.

[Duane Perkins]

To be the instigator like i know everything i know everyone right i have everyone's secrets i'm protected because i know.

[Lacey Mosley]

All the secrets all the secrets i.

[Duane Perkins]

Know what the twenty seven billion dollars.

[Lacey Mosley]

Or wait who was that one the.

[Duane Perkins]

Other the oh yeah that little bald man yeah yeah the spider the spider anansi you see full circle what was.

[Lacey Mosley]

His name barris barris the spider see another spider see you gotta be a spider in life i guess okay we all gotta be arachnids i ain't even.

[Duane Perkins]

Know that game of thrones was stealing.

[Lacey Mosley]

From african folklore wow wow you see it's deep that's deep that's deep black.

[Duane Perkins]

People are the blue planet for everything.

[Lacey Mosley]

The cia told me that game of thrones was before african folklore so i don't i don't know what to tell.

[Duane Perkins]

You you can't believe the cia.

[Lacey Mosley]

What are you talking about i read their blotter every day that's where i get.

[Duane Perkins]

My news they text me all the.

[Lacey Mosley]

Time they're like can you tag these people and i'm like for sure cia.

[Duane Perkins]

Absolutely you're my girl whatever you need.

[Lacey Mosley]

Why not okay i call her kia.

[Duane Perkins]

That'S how it's actually pronounced yeah like people don't know cause they're not as.

[Lacey Mosley]

Close but as me but i'm like i'm like a kya what's good girl.

[Duane Perkins]

Hey girl what's going on what's tea she's been around for lots of lived experience yes kaia's the one always doing.

[Lacey Mosley]

Good philanthropy yeah yeah yeah so as a pioneer of advanced fee fraud john harnessed the racism inherent in a colonial lie to scam everyone from english millionaires to american politicians to the government of his own he said everybody can get it now i hate that he went back to his own country yeah that's.

[Duane Perkins]

Where it really took a turn why.

[Lacey Mosley]

You have to go to ghana because.

[Duane Perkins]

I very much was like i'm on board actually like it's giving robin hood but then when you kinda con your own people like come on now cut.

[Lacey Mosley]

Back poo pack you ain't have to.

[Duane Perkins]

Do all that no cause then that is where the morals start to become.

[Lacey Mosley]

Decrepit but at the same time i understand why he had to go after the people in his own country because they were fed the lie originally exactly.

[Duane Perkins]

You gotta normalize it if he didn't then and i think he would have been like well then people are gonna be suspicious cause the racist people are like so you gotta in order to be with the racist and trick the racist you gotta be enacting the racism as well so i get it yeah.

[Lacey Mosley]

I get it and then that way he can show the racist that he is well actually the racists wouldn't want the ghanaians getting any money but i think he was just getting greedy because they were the ones who were fed the lie from the cia directly oh.

[Duane Perkins]

Yeah and so he had to kinda piggyback off of that to then feed that so he's like for me to continue the lie that is built off this other lie i gotta keep the.

[Lacey Mosley]

Other l so sorry and sorry gnaez cause too many of y'all i guess believed the cia at the time and.

[Duane Perkins]

He needed that like that was part of the blueprint like he needed that lie to stay strong to support the other lie yeah yeah yeah yeah wow.

[Lacey Mosley]

You gotta foundation of lies yeah a.

[Duane Perkins]

Good foundation and if the foundation breaks.

[Lacey Mosley]

The top gonna crumble yeah exactly so the believers for nearly two decades over the seventies and eighties now remember this is like we don't have computers in the seventies and eighties damn you right you know what i mean like it's.

[Duane Perkins]

Folks just talking yeah home phones birds.

[Lacey Mosley]

Yeah homing pigeons everyone's sending a raven.

[Duane Perkins]

Just sending messages it is like the game telephone people just talking people hearing.

[Lacey Mosley]

Okay so john convinced thousands of investors all over the world that he had access to the gold diamonds and cash in the fund once the money was freed he was going to funnel funds back into ghana and anyone who helped him return the gold to the people of ghana would earn ten dollars for every one dollar they put in like an mlm yeah but he's saying like for every dollar you give me you gonna get ten back oh wow and.

[Duane Perkins]

People were like yeah it's kind of like when people sell food stamps is it uh huh because it's like worth like you can get cash for the money because you like less taxes and so that's what happened when i was younger and my family would always be selling food stamps you get food stamps cuz you get more food stamps now.

[Lacey Mosley]

You can't be saying this right now because you know that the racists are trying to say that everybody is just.

[Duane Perkins]

Stealing yeah but we all know who is the biggest perpetrator of that yeah.

[Lacey Mosley]

So i don't know why they're trying to get rid of food stamps because y'all going to struggle yeah that's going.

[Duane Perkins]

That'S going to hurt y'all also like selling food stamps is not stealing is bartering cuz like yeah where you stand barter system you're still getting the amount of food stamps that you are getting and that you're bartering that's like if i got a ps five and was like let me trade that for your car if you wanna trade that i'm not stealing you just valuing what you.

[Lacey Mosley]

Valuing and also why are you in.

[Duane Perkins]

My business mind your fucking business that's the main thing yeah mind your business.

[Lacey Mosley]

They can't cause their business is so miserable i always say like some people can't look in the mirror so they look out the window put it on.

[Duane Perkins]

A fucking shirt that gagged me i was like oh my god cause there is a reflection but you ain't gotta look at it you can look right.

[Lacey Mosley]

Past it right you can look out the window and see what other people do you can snoop on them make sure everybody's miserable just like you just like people like to spread joy other people like to spread misery that's crazy.

[Duane Perkins]

Cause i be looking in the mirror.

[Lacey Mosley]

All the time people just want community some people want joyous community some people want like hater ass miserable community and.

[Duane Perkins]

I know a couple and i always am like i wish i could be in your brain cause what has happened like you really just spreading hate and they're like yeah yeah girl that's why i'm here that's why i'm here okay.

[Lacey Mosley]

I'M spreading and i'm good at it when i walk in the room i suck the air out of it okay everyone's like oh damn i don't read.

[Duane Perkins]

The room i ruin the room.

[Lacey Mosley]

That.

[Duane Perkins]

Would be my housewife quote and then.

[Lacey Mosley]

You hold out your peach like i don't read the room i ruin the.

[Duane Perkins]

Room dinner dinner people are like yeah no he's actually really terrible his vibe.

[Lacey Mosley]

Is nasty but he's our favorite but.

[Duane Perkins]

He'S so funny he's so clever so.

[Lacey Mosley]

Quick he's so clever so quick okay yes everyone's crying but we love it robbery feeling stressed the american heart association says even a brisk walk can reduce stress and improve your mood join us on april second for national walking day and find tips and resources at heart dot org movemore okay we've gotten past january new year new me a lot of us have gone back to old me new year that's okay there's still time to optimize your nutrition with factor factor has chef made gourmet meals that make eating well super easy and ready to heat and eat in two minutes so you can feel right and feel great no matter what life throws at you and life has been throwing hands at me and i i do not have time to cook and i definitely don't have time to wash a pot or a pan personally i love the chicken with the zoodles i love a zoodle i love zoodles so much that i went out and bought a zoodler peeler you know to do it and then i was like i'm tired i'll just get factor meals and then i can still have them okay reach your goals this year okay eat smart with factor get started at factor meals dot com factor factor podcast and use code factorpodcast to get fifty percent off your first box plus free shipping that's code factor podcast at factor meals dot com factor podcast to get fifty percent off plus free shipping on your first box and fraud so investors were told that they'd be paid the next day oh.

[Duane Perkins]

That'S a quick turnaround god damn that's where he messed up the ne sure.

[Lacey Mosley]

The next day is crazy like as soon as i give you my fifty dollars next day that's all you need for the taxes and fees is my dollar fifty huh interesting and then you go and i'm gonna get paid the next day the next day okay seems.

[Duane Perkins]

Like he has quick access to this.

[Lacey Mosley]

Money thing right or maybe they would be pa next month at the latest.

[Duane Perkins]

The maybe tomorrow maybe next week maybe.

[Lacey Mosley]

Next month maybe next month trust me trust me trust me i'm john okay trust me i'm john cause remember kwame.

[Duane Perkins]

He was dead i'm his mane and.

[Lacey Mosley]

I was his man's nobody else knows if you had heard him when he was alive you would know what i.

[Duane Perkins]

Heard and you gotta do it quick cause if i die the goal's gone.

[Lacey Mosley]

Forever yeah the goal's gone forever so we gotta really do this quick so either tomorrow or next week or next month maybe next at the latest right a fortnight three years sixty months start putting in court sentences seventy two months i love how court sentences are always in months and then you got to do the math in your head like how many years is that i'm just like please stop like eighteen months is that bad they got three hundred months is that a lot that's how i.

[Duane Perkins]

Feel when people talking about their children's ages as well yeah how old is your baby eighteen months baby that baby's seventeen i don't know that baby is.

[Lacey Mosley]

A year and a half like please be serious please not stop with the.

[Duane Perkins]

Months why are you using the metric system this is america this is america.

[Lacey Mosley]

This is america okay put that baby in feet so he said that's how you're gonna pay him but something always came up someone had died there had been some other unrest the bankers had balked the government of ghana had withdrawn its support a new company had to be incorporated the americans interfere he said.

[Duane Perkins]

Kaya came he said you know kaya.

[Lacey Mosley]

Is really kaya interrupting they're not on the same page okay the whole vault was opening up it was like and then kaya was like then kaya came.

[Duane Perkins]

And turned it again and turned it.

[Lacey Mosley]

Back so that's not my fault but next time definitely the money will be released all they needed was like one last push so if you give me a little bit more money because as i said all these things are happening the unrest kaya all these things you know that's why we don't have it so john's love of world class luxury hotels where he racked up bills that he had no intention of paying jewelry cigars and ever present rolls royces helped investors believe the lie he was selling and here's how he sold it now i do wanna pause one second before we show this video why john you are stealing so many people's money why can't you pay for your hotel cause.

[Duane Perkins]

It was the principal honestly i get it john said girl i'm not paying these people that's giving me money why would i pay this hotel no i don't need to yes at that point.

[Lacey Mosley]

A jewelry man though for the jewelry.

[Duane Perkins]

Yeah he was pretty powerful i feel like he was really internalizing what he was doing and it was good yeah he said babes i got a rose a rolls royce like give me a penthouse why would i have these cashews in this mini bar no get out.

[Lacey Mosley]

Of my face so let's play this video of how he was convincing investors so this is john mangana fun is.

[C]

Real it is real and they are paying it contains billions of dollars correct and these people will be paid will be paid have you been able to give any of your your your supporters a guarantee they do get their money oh yes they have the guarantee what is the guarantee mister bradley my word is better than my bond when i promise you that after giving me one hundred thousand dollars i i'll give you a million dollars i will never never never never disown it that's your word that is my word better than your.

[Duane Perkins]

Bond oh yes the way i'm gonna start using that my word is better.

[Lacey Mosley]

Than my bond hello my word is better than my bond if you give.

[Duane Perkins]

Me one hundred thousand i'll give you.

[Lacey Mosley]

A million i said i would do it the guarantee is me that's a word he said what do you mean guarantee the guarantee is me he said.

[Duane Perkins]

Babes i'm right in front of you.

[Lacey Mosley]

I'M right this is the guarantee i'm telling you do you not see the you're not here to accent do you not see the traditional my shoulder is out my shoulder is out clavicle out.

[Duane Perkins]

Out okay i am exposing myself i am vulnerable yeah what do you mean.

[Lacey Mosley]

So john set up satellite offices for the fund in philadelphia and london and had investor meetings there john invited chief investors to congregate at international retreats where he would dole out the money they'd long waited for only for a death of a business associate illness or new bureaucratic hurdle to present itself and render the gathering moot so he was hosting these retreats and he was like y'all come to this international retreat that's where you gonna get your money you gotta show up in person can you imagine.

[Duane Perkins]

Going to philly being like i'm gonna get my money back and then he'd.

[Lacey Mosley]

Be like just kidding you probably don't get robbed like why why are we.

[Duane Perkins]

On the south side more than once oh wow and and then he's like oops somebody died i'm so sorry i am so sorry we gotta cancel this.

[Lacey Mosley]

Somebody died and kya came back and we can't do it i'm so sorry you know people people are dying that never died before there is unrest i simply can't make it did y'all hear about the unrest y'all not reading the.

[Duane Perkins]

Papers y'all are not informed cause the.

[Lacey Mosley]

Girls aren't resting right now there's zero rest they are tired so he charmed wealthy businessmen in america radical episcopalian priests industrialists in ghana and anyone else who would listen and had money to spare sometimes he would produce yellowed documents embossed with a seal of the office of the prime minister of ghana that were seemingly signed by the president kwame himself so these are the documents they look like documents to me and in the seventies i would definitely be like this.

[Duane Perkins]

Is a document definitely that is a.

[Lacey Mosley]

Document yeah and it's got a seal on it it's got big signatures signatures.

[Duane Perkins]

Big and wild mm what type of.

[Lacey Mosley]

Type font is that that's that's official.

[Duane Perkins]

Type font it's given courier it's given like typewriter like that's official yeah that's.

[Lacey Mosley]

Official so he may have gotten as much as two hundred million dollars from american investors alone including one man who sank seven million into the scheme and still believed in it let's listen to his take seven million in you gotta just pretend you believe you have to do it you can't you gotta commit to the scheme you can't pull out.

[Duane Perkins]

No more no i've been called a.

[C]

Fool i've been called crazy i've been called the fat man is boiling me in a pot pouring salt in the thing and he's gonna have me for dinner what do you expect to get.

[Duane Perkins]

Now how much do you expect to.

[C]

Get well it's not the money but the satisfaction the satisfaction that i was.

[Lacey Mosley]

Right oh he said it's not the money cause at that money it's a.

[Duane Perkins]

Satisfaction that i have you have to.

[Lacey Mosley]

Say it's not the money because if.

[Duane Perkins]

You do fit the money you're a fucking idiot like you have to like at this point it's only principle it's concepts yeah because what do you mean seven million dollars you have to be.

[Lacey Mosley]

Like i have so much money that this is just i know i'm right so i'm just that's all to be.

[Duane Perkins]

That prideful you it's like that is only a place that like a very rich person has to be to be like money it's about opinion i want.

[Lacey Mosley]

To be right meanwhile he at home eating rame crying sad bamboozled by this man his grandkids like beating up on.

[Duane Perkins]

Him like people called him a fat man in a pot a fat man.

[Lacey Mosley]

In a pot that was salt was.

[Duane Perkins]

Being salted oh you're and he was being cooked he was being cooked being cooked by everybody in his life damn.

[Lacey Mosley]

They have to go after his weight like that that's rude that is crazy but seven mil yeah seven you gotta stop after like he didn't ask enough.

[Duane Perkins]

Questions i'm just like and i'm curious if it was like all at once if he just kept putting it in there i feel like he kept putting.

[Lacey Mosley]

He was going to the retreats and then he was like who died and he's probably sending like bereavement flowers to the fake dead person just in philly.

[Duane Perkins]

Just sad for this man who robbed.

[Lacey Mosley]

Him i bet you kwame or john could pull out some tears too he was probably at the retreat and he was like it is time for you all to have your money and there's.

[Duane Perkins]

Like wait wait i got a telegraph.

[Lacey Mosley]

Not a telegraph i got a telegraph oh someone has died i have to.

[Duane Perkins]

Go gotta hop in my roars gotta hop in my rolls royce and gots to go then he's like he's the sexy red of his time sexy red.

[Lacey Mosley]

Of his time he was the opposite of sexy red he was not a cia plan he was using the cia and i love that for him that's so funny hate that for y'all actually i'm not the colonizers but ghana i hate that for y'all so richard nixon's former attorney general john mitchell believed so strongly in the fund that he flew to ghana and convinced the government to release john during one of his lockups so john got locked up famously ethical richard nixon his employee his attorney general john mitchell flew over to ghana and was like let my people john has.

[Duane Perkins]

Shooters he was connected he was connected.

[Lacey Mosley]

Okay he called up nixon on that phone and he was like i know.

[Duane Perkins]

This is recording he said deep throat coming up i got deep throat he.

[Lacey Mosley]

Got deep throat come help me literally but not everyone fell for john's story so there were some skeptics obviously while john was running his scam former child star shirley temple black now wait is this animal crackers in my suit cause i thought her name was shirley temple where did black come from right right.

[Duane Perkins]

I was like black was she black was she in octoroon and we didn't.

[Lacey Mosley]

Know about it her hair was very.

[Duane Perkins]

Curly it was very curly very them coils were tight yeah giving past passing passing hello ruth nagger.

[Lacey Mosley]

We can start spreading this false propaganda shirley temple was.

[Duane Perkins]

Black honestly our black queen our black.

[Lacey Mosley]

Queen shirley temple so shirley temple black was serving as a us ambassador in ghana and had her doubts about the so called oman ghana trust fund can we please pull up shirley temple black because i need to know if we talking about shirley temple or are we talking about a different shirley temple we must know who was black or not black whose last name she married yeah.

[Duane Perkins]

I'M like did she marry somebody oh.

[Lacey Mosley]

Yeah oh no it is the shirley.

[Duane Perkins]

Temple it is it's the shirley temple.

[Lacey Mosley]

So when she made her stage name did she just cut off the black.

[Duane Perkins]

Yeah and then she refound it when she went to ghana to tell that man i don't believe you then she.

[Lacey Mosley]

Was like okay i'm back with i'm done acting i'm back with my people.

[Duane Perkins]

I had to do what i needed to do for some success and now let me help my people stop being scammed by john right then she went.

[Lacey Mosley]

Back to her homeland and said free.

[Duane Perkins]

My people free my peeps from the.

[Lacey Mosley]

Shackles of john get them shackles off.

[Duane Perkins]

Their feet so they can dance so.

[Lacey Mosley]

They can dance she wrote to the secretary of state harry kissinger what was her accent what was the old timey accent animal crackers in my soup so she was like those who believe i needed to write it down like that so she said those who believe john a fraud are worried he might just have the money and then they would look extremely foolish victims reluctant to identify as suckers helped shield john and prolong his scam so we talk about this a lot of times like there's so much shame when you're being scammed you see the pride that mister boiling man had with his there is a lot of shame in being scammed because you start to think you're foolish or you're dumb but like people fall for scams all the time i always say i say it again there's bait out there for everybody i just hope you don't meet your fishermen okay like true there's something that can get us all that.

[Duane Perkins]

Is unfortunate to feel the shame so strongly being like oh if people know i'll be a fool so i have to keep being a fool in order to people not to know that i'm.

[Lacey Mosley]

A fool right or just keep it a secret and then that allows the scammer to continue because no one's bringing so in reality john wasn't at prime minister kwame's side on his deathbed shocker i can't believe it what he wasn't in romania chilling with kwame his bestie.

[Duane Perkins]

Wow that's crazy who's like holding his.

[Lacey Mosley]

Hand like john john i just knew.

[Duane Perkins]

Give me your hand i just knew it gave thelma louise that is twenty.

[Lacey Mosley]

Seven billion dollars in swiss bank here are the numbers for the bank account four two five nine seven three two.

[Duane Perkins]

Nine one and then he died and then came back and said beware of shirley temple black she won't believe you.

[Lacey Mosley]

She doesn't dance anymore now she goes.

[Duane Perkins]

To ghana she will be your downfall.

[Lacey Mosley]

No more animal crackers in her soup.

[Duane Perkins]

Her soup is justice.

[Lacey Mosley]

At that moment that he said that he was by kwame when he was dying he was actually serving a one to two year sentence for charges including defrauding an innkeeper at gateford state correctional institute in pennsylvania so defrauding an innkeeper sounds like is an innkeeper that's like hotel right that.

[Duane Perkins]

Was like hagrid in harry potter right it's just like it's like i hope this doesn't sound problematic is that part of like the like the staff like janitorial yeah i'm not upkeep can we.

[Lacey Mosley]

Google innkeeper cause it's i n n key yeah it's someone who owns an inn yeah okay that's what i thought cody thank you i thought it was innkeeper like a hotel and that traces back to him being at them luxury and still doing the same and that's.

[Duane Perkins]

How it started he said love rest will not pay for it will not.

[Lacey Mosley]

Pay for it okay i tell people about unrest but i will get my rest for free for the free and he continued that scam i love that he was petty enough to go to prison for defrauding an innkeeper and then was like no i'm gonna keep defrauding.

[Duane Perkins]

The innkeepers oh okay so now it's all coming together they're just gonna be luxury now cause he was hearing about the kwame stuff with the with the jail rumors the jail rumors mm okay.

[Lacey Mosley]

Okay so john had immigrated to philadelphia claiming to be a diplomat set himself up at the bellevue stratford hotel and stiff them on the bill cause he ain't never gonna pay a hotel bill.

[Duane Perkins]

Honey oh and he was really deep in the pennsylvania philly he was really east coast gal he was okay he.

[Lacey Mosley]

Had also been in prison in ghana in the sixties alongside many corrupt ghanaian politicians whose mannerisms credibility he adopted becoming a full fledged scammer so you were right and that's where he got his tips was in prison when he was.

[Duane Perkins]

She was acting it was giving sing.

[Lacey Mosley]

Sing yes he was next to the politicians like you know how they have prison gangs he was like in the.

[Duane Perkins]

Political gang just like writing notes being.

[Lacey Mosley]

Like okay we give the prison speeches.

[Duane Perkins]

This is how you give gravitas right where your shoulders out when you give.

[Lacey Mosley]

Interviews i'm correctional institute president wow he.

[Duane Perkins]

Could use all this for good but he really took a turn he did.

[Lacey Mosley]

So more than once john pledged loyalty to a military dictator to get out of jail does that sound familiar lil wayne in nineteen eighty two john had promised the new military dictator that he could bring home kwame's gold so they released him from prison and issued him a diplomatic passport it was a handsome red document john's profession was listed as government official just just government official just generally general government official officially governmental yeah i'm here to officiate from the government y'all get it a diplomatic passport means he couldn't be arrested in england or extradited to the us where there was a warrant for his arrest here's the philadelphia attorney general explaining what happened because yeah you can't extradite diplomats like diplomats can kind of run amok how do.

[Duane Perkins]

I become a diplomat no there was.

[Lacey Mosley]

A law not at svu that's how i learned thank you olivia benson a.

[C]

Charge as they informed us economic crimes against the state which in ghana carries the death penalty we were told but he is such a confidence man that he was able to convince the ghanaian authorities to let him out of ghana once again and go to london to distribute this trust fund the guy can talk himself himself out of literally off of death row not only did blay misa talk himself off death row he even brought the man who arrested him in ghana back with him to london.

[Lacey Mosley]

So he brought the ops with him.

[Duane Perkins]

Honestly the more i learned about icon he really was moving in a way that was nuts that caused me gianna.

[Lacey Mosley]

First of all you should not be killing people for financial crimes that's extreme.

[Duane Perkins]

It really is they said death penalty.

[Lacey Mosley]

They said off with your head they.

[Duane Perkins]

Said play with our money we play.

[Lacey Mosley]

With your life okay that's wild but i love that he got out of prison and then he was like let me call my opps you know what you were very good at arresting me people normally can't do that so now you work for me he said opps.

[Duane Perkins]

Linking up okay and i'm sending the.

[Lacey Mosley]

Invite literally wow in nineteen eighty nine cbs broadcast had an episode of sixty minutes about john and the oman ghana trust fund while he was en route back to ghana john had hoped that the show would be a glossy advertisement for the trust fund instead he was called the ultimate con man he was like this is gonna be my moment.

[Duane Perkins]

Oh i love that they kinda con.

[C]

Comes to scammers ed found a doozy in doctor john aka blamizo no one was bigger literally or financially he humbly billed himself as the richest man in the world the sole beneficiary of the oman ghana fund a twenty seven billion dollar trust trouble was he said he.

[Lacey Mosley]

Listened to that music like i'm robbing everybody in here he promised them ten.

[C]

Dollars for every dollar they gave him.

[Lacey Mosley]

So i love that he participated in this sixty minutes and he's thinking like oh this is really gonna get my money up he said i'm finna eat okay i'm on television now i'm a.

[Duane Perkins]

Television star americans finna do he was doing his big one and they said.

[Lacey Mosley]

Psych psych tmz gotcha gotcha when john landed in ghana he was immediately put under house arrest many of his strongest supporters had died or were backing away from him so some of them did die maybe when he said they died.

[Duane Perkins]

Maybe i mean maybe he wasn't lying.

[Lacey Mosley]

The whole time but his strongest supporters were gone he was calling them up and they were like he is dead i'm like damn ghana's current president was increasingly focused on laundering his reputation and john had embarrassed him too many times and sixty minutes was the the last straw so sixty minutes actually made his shit worse in ghana too oh no so john died still under house arrest three years later in nineteen ninety two so i'm sure he had a nice house to be arrested in yeah so.

[Duane Perkins]

House arrest he probably was just chilling.

[Lacey Mosley]

It doesn't sound like they froze his assets doesn't sound like it's crazy that.

[Duane Perkins]

Like what was that three years after.

[Lacey Mosley]

Sixteen also they didn't have ankle monitors well maybe in the nineties they had ankle monitors but i don't know like.

[Duane Perkins]

Were there just people inside his house like don't don't you come out don't.

[Lacey Mosley]

Leave we watching you john like they just had to have people just staked out in front of the door you'd be like hey we had the front door and the back door and all the windows turn around stay at home so the legacy the oman ghana trust fund did not die with john soon after his death one of his investors gregory frazier of detroit michigan bought a one way ticket to ghana and announced that he had formed the friends of the oman ghana trust fund and he spent years trying to convince successive ghanaian governments to help him claim the money so now he's saying i was there when john died on house arrest and he told me what kwame had told.

[Duane Perkins]

Him oh my god it's just like a reboot of a reboot isn't that what we do these days yeah it's very much giving cyclical yes nothing is.

[Lacey Mosley]

History in two thousand nine the friends of the oman ghana trust fund successfully petitioned the ghanaian government to look into the trust fund the commission formed to investigate it found no evidence that the trust fund existed that didn't stop people from asking the next administration and the next because they're like we have to find like john took too much we have to find out if this gold exists and remember kya told them that.

[Duane Perkins]

It did they did they said that lie has been invested like in that's the foundation of this okay kya really.

[Lacey Mosley]

Started the whole thing gaya's very good at disrupting nations this nation has been disrupted the myth of the oman ghana trust fund lives on for generations people have wondered how a resource rich country like ghana could be so poor curious we don't want to go to the obvious thing of huh maybe we should.

[Duane Perkins]

Trace it back no no no no.

[Lacey Mosley]

No i heard something about colonizing john.

[Duane Perkins]

John kwame kwame took it that was friends of the group it was not the lovers of the friends it wasn't.

[Lacey Mosley]

The english it wasn't the amer okay.

[Duane Perkins]

It was some shiesty ghanaians they stole.

[Lacey Mosley]

Their own money it was they fault.

[Duane Perkins]

It was self induced the real answer.

[Lacey Mosley]

Is that for centuries ghana was a mine that other countries used to get rich the concept is harder to accept than one greedy man hit our gold in switzerland i don't know why that concept i guess it's because it's like more convoluted because so many countries were colonizing kind of that they're like but which one took all of it and they're like no everybody took a piece like everybody took a chunk and they're like no it's easier to just say that kwame took it all and put.

[Duane Perkins]

It in switzerland just one man just.

[Lacey Mosley]

Moved it just one guy moved all the just moved it all he actually took a beach with him as well.

[Duane Perkins]

Twenty seven billion he took the gold.

[Lacey Mosley]

Coast that's not there no more it's.

[Duane Perkins]

In a bank it's just a bank.

[Lacey Mosley]

And swiss if you want to go to the beach you need to go to the bank in switzerland how big is that bank huge huge bank in two thousand president kwame was voted african man of the millennium by listeners to the bbc world service the bbc described him as a hero of independence and an international symbol of freedom as the leader of the first black african country to shake off the chains of colonial rule so in terms in two thousand i love it's the bbc world service cuz it's like british people being like he was actually a great guy honestly we stan him yeah now we did steal all the country stuff and he was mad about it and you know that was right of him yeah like.

[Duane Perkins]

He deserved that point of view yeah.

[Lacey Mosley]

Cause we were stealing from him and so it's very good that he stood.

[Duane Perkins]

Up to us it's kind of like a bully who's beating somebody up and then when they stand up it's like you better stand up for yourself you ate that okay look at confidence look.

[Lacey Mosley]

At self worth it's like a bully and they're like horrible to you in high school and then you become like a millionaire billionaire and they're like you know what i always admired you i.

[Duane Perkins]

Knew you was going to i knew you great things that's why i was.

[Lacey Mosley]

Giving you them swirlies because i was.

[Duane Perkins]

Jealous of the vibe of success that you always have i was trying to.

[Lacey Mosley]

Motivate you i thought if i beat you up every day and stole your lunch money that you were going to go get money and i see that.

[Duane Perkins]

You you had to get out the hood cuz i was gonna make you you had to and honestly congrats shout out to me for motivating you shout.

[Lacey Mosley]

Out to me because i made you leave the hood because you knew you were gonna get beat up right i.

[Duane Perkins]

Am god's vessel and he moved through me he moved through me through my.

[Lacey Mosley]

Hands through my hands and scrapes okay i had to step on you to order your steps wow put that on.

[Duane Perkins]

The shirt put that on the back.

[Lacey Mosley]

That'S for the bible covers you know if you know oh my goodness dwayne that was such a fantastic episode thank you so much for being here thank.

[Duane Perkins]

You what a journey we've been on.

[Lacey Mosley]

Yes we've been on such a journey wow i love this i can't wait to read my saying my kia blotter after this so i can catch up on real american news that's true she.

[Duane Perkins]

Texted me while we were doing this she did i said wow did she.

[Lacey Mosley]

Say she liked the episode she did okay good because we want to please.

[Duane Perkins]

Her she did she she also said be careful not too much she said i know what you say and i.

[Lacey Mosley]

Said you do you do you do you do and that's why i love you cia always bae bae you're ba oh my god b stay get off.

[Duane Perkins]

My phone babe it's going to work right now stop oh my god so thirsty thirsty get off us always trying.

[Lacey Mosley]

To steal our resources and stuff i'm like babe hey please stop trying to destabilize my nation but where was she.

[Duane Perkins]

When they were trying to scam you she was showing up all late literally.

[Lacey Mosley]

So we always ask at the end of the show where would you like to be found anything you'd like to.

[Duane Perkins]

Plug i would like to be found in joy and happiness yes amen you can find me on the internet on you know the instagrams or twitter it's all dwayne perkins that's d e w a y n e and look out for the studio that's coming out i'm very excited for that and then one of them days just came out so if you haven't seen that yet go.

[Lacey Mosley]

Watch these the fantastic and television show.

[Duane Perkins]

Tv film doing it all.

[Lacey Mosley]

Oh my goodness well y'all listen to what was i about to say listen to the podcast like you're already listening to the podcast listen to it listen to it tell a friend congregation keep spreading the gospel you can watch scam goddess the television show all episodes are streaming now on hul pick up my book scam goddess wherever you purchase your books or audiobook okay if you'd like to listen to me read it honey and then going dutch is also streaming on hulu and congregation y'all get out there and and i want y'all to stay stay.

[Duane Perkins]

Vigilant.

[Lacey Mosley]

No no no i don't want you to be vigilant don't do that don't do that don't do that that don't do that i want you to get out there and i want you to stay kwame oh honestly i love that he's a good guy he was a good guy he was a good guy that john lied on yeah scam goddess this has been an earwolf production in association with team coco scam goddess stars and it's hosted by me lacey moseley aka sc our producer is jessica cisneros and our audio engineer is rich garcia research for the show is conducted by kate doyle stay scheming.

[Duane Perkins]

Jack in the box's new banana french toast sticks starting at two dollars ninety nine cents are the same french toast sticks you love now banana flavored and served with chocolate dipping sauce so good and another way jack gives you so much more.

[Lacey Mosley]

More so good so good so good.

[Duane Perkins]

Easter deals starting at just twenty five dollars are at nordstrom rack stores now and that means tons of fresh reasons to rack they've got the best gifts.

[Lacey Mosley]

Cause i always find something amazing save.

[Duane Perkins]

On easter finds from kate spade new york calvin klein mac cosmetics and more great brands great prices that's why you rack.