Scam Goddess: "The Hospice Hustlers" w/ Matt Apodaca – Fraud Friday (April 24, 2026)
Episode Overview
This lively episode of Scam Goddess, hosted by the ever-hilarious Laci Mosley with guest comedian/podcaster Matt Apodaca, dives into the dark comedy of hospice fraud in America. Laci and Matt skewer the systemic rot allowing grifts in end-of-life care, sandwiched by signature Scam Goddess banter about everyday scams, white-collar crime, and the wildest listener-submitted capers. True crime meets sharp comedic commentary—no one (not even America's health system) is safe from Mosley's razor wit.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
1. Catching Up & Scam Confessions (01:01–17:24)
Improv Origins & Comedy Banter
- Laci and Matt reminisce about their improv days in LA, poking fun at the embarrassing world of adult improv ("Grown adults with kids doing make believe mugs" [03:39, Mosley]).
- Hilariously dissect the "villainous" roommate who hated improv practice, teasing the art of being a “capital B, bitch” [04:52].
Relationship to Scams
- Laci quizzes Matt about his experience with scams—he rides the fence, admitting "I like hearing about them…from you, it's fun" [07:11, Apodaca].
- Recaps Matt's (reluctant) near-victimhood in classic small-time scams:
- The Headlight Hustle: A conman at a gas station offers to “clean” his headlights—demands $60 after showing results on one, and guilt trips with a sob story ("my daughter is sick in the van" [12:32]). Matt gives up his last $20 [13:12], regretting: "Matt, why is one of your headlights spotless?...Matt, you got scammed" [13:04, Mosley].
- Italian Bracelet Scam: Almost falls for a tourist trap in Europe ("Hey, big man" [15:01, Apodaca]) before his girlfriend steps in to save him.
Coping with Uncomfortable Situations
- Laci’s advice for avoiding persistent scammers: "Just start hollering…that’s the most jarring thing you can do" [13:47, Mosley].
2. What's Hot in Fraud (Listener Scam Story) (21:16–30:58)
"Sandy's Grocery Store Heist"
- Listener "Sandy" describes exploiting a self-checkout pilot called "Scan Bag Go."
- Sandy scans/pay for only 25%-50% of items, swipes the rest by removing anti-theft barcodes, amassing ~$4,000 in stolen groceries over a year ("That's not some, that's most…that's almost all of it" [25:28, Apodaca]).
- Laci and Matt roast the grocery industry's trust in wealthy white neighborhoods ("Assuming that white people don't steal when they got to…they're going to be the number one doing it" [22:48, Apodaca]).
- Playfully compare white-collar theft to cultural traditions: "People say white people don't have culture...It is actually stealing" [23:16, Mosley].
- Both co-sign using privilege for good: "If you're white, consider more theft…maybe donate some to a food bank" [23:42, Mosley & Apodaca].
Takeaway:
Mosley & Apodaca turn shoplifting into a Robin Hood-worthy, anti-corporate, social commentary—mocking store policies that turn customers into unpaid labor.
3. Historic Hoodwinks: The Hospice Hustlers (33:01–65:04)
Background: The Rise of Hospice Fraud
- Explores how charitable end-of-life care became a $22 billion for-profit behemoth ripe for government-funded scams.
- "With massive profits has come massive fraud…because you’re scamming the government. And the government is a scam" [35:15, Mosley].
Case Study: AceraCare Scheme
- Key Perpetrator: Marsha Farmer, who began as a "community educator" and quickly became a recruiter for AceraCare.
- After acquisition by private equity (Beverly Enterprises), quotas for patient sign-ups skyrocket—even when not terminally ill [36:12–37:19].
- Medicare pays out per patient certified to have <6 months to live, requiring two doctors' notes [37:19–37:57]. The business pushes to fill beds despite real need.
- Wild Recruitment Tactics:
- Targeting “impoverished communities with low rates of education,” attending churches to poach names from “sick and shut-in” prayer lists [42:14–43:37].
- Dressing in scrubs for deception: "No medical background…now she's wearing costumes" [43:31].
- Bribing doctors with Vegas trips, bottle service, and outright kickbacks [46:09]: "I've never seen a more bribable face. And neck." [47:00, Mosley].
- Luring vulnerable people with promises of comfort and perks: "free room and board…chef…drugs…it's the army recruitment pitch, but for dying" [44:34, Mosley & Apodaca].
Fraud Mechanics & Patient Harm
- Deceptive enrollments: Patients signed up without knowing hospice means losing access to curative care; denied ambulance rides and treatment, resulting in real suffering [49:09, Mosley].
- Booted alive: Those not dying “fast enough” are kicked out, losing even basic care ("In 2007, 70% of Marsha’s patients left hospice alive" [50:49]).
- Execs instruct staff to overdose overstaying patients—genuine acts of murder, yet light legal sentences ("Could you imagine texting somebody, 'Hey, make sure you do that murder tomorrow by 6' On text" [52:51, Mosley]).
Corrupt Courts: Justice System Disabled
- Trial is a farce: Judge Karen Bowdrey, whose son is a defense intern, overtly favors AceraCare—overturns jury verdict, reduces damages from $200 million to just $1 million [58:19–61:03].
- "Judge Karen and Judge’s son. Y'all are terrible people. Every time you go out in the sun it should be like a magnifying glass—just sizzling" [65:09, Mosley].
The Wider Problem
- Explosive growth: From 2011 to 2019, private equity–owned hospices tripled; the sector rife with fictional patients and fake staff in CA ("now…just make them up" [61:42]).
- Death becomes a subscription service: Capitalism puts a price tag on dying itself ("Life is basically a streaming platform. And you can't cancel." [64:13, Mosley & Apodaca]).
- Mosley decries: "There’s no fucking way…this should be on the stock market…Private equity puts its price tag on it and just makes it the sickest shit in the fucking world." [63:59]
4. Scammer of the Week – Pokémon Cop (66:31–72:57)
- Former Kansas cop caught swapping barcodes to steal $400 worth of Pokémon cards; actually loses his badge ("They let murderers wholly come back…and you got fired for Pokémon cards" [71:25, Mosley]).
- Matt's ambivalence: "This is really just hard for me as a guy that hates cops and loves Pokemon." [67:48]
- Joke: If only the greater system responded to worse offenses with equal seriousness.
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
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On Improv Adulting:
“Grown adults with kids doing make believe mugs. … We cannot be running around a coffee table.” [03:39, Mosley]
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On Everyday Scams:
“If you ever need to get away from people, just make an excuse, get in your car, lock the doors, and drive away.” [13:24, Mosley]
“Just start hollering. … Flailing and screaming until they go away.” [14:04]
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On Corporate Greed:
“It’s expensive to die in America. It’s expensive to live in America.” [63:59, Mosley]
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On Systemic White Privilege in Theft:
“White people steal ideas. That’s a cornerstone of their culture.” [22:54, Mosley]
“People say white people don’t have culture. It is actually stealing.” [23:16, Mosley]
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On Hospice Business Model:
“Why am I leaving all this old money over here just because we don’t need it?” [36:17, Mosley]
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On Outrageous Hospice Targeting:
“Marsha would cruise around looking for rundown homes with wheelchair ramps or keep a church prayer list around to look for families with ill members.” [42:14]
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On Dubious Justice:
“So five months later, Judge Karen awarded judgment to AceraCare without completing the trial. … Let’s just wrap this up. It’s taking too long.” [60:19, Mosley]
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On American Healthcare:
“Life is basically a streaming platform. And you can’t cancel. And you need to have all of them.” [64:13]
Important Timestamps
- 01:01–06:17: Childhood friendship, improv roots, and comedy about adult improv life
- 07:11–15:19: Matt’s stories—gas station headlight hustle, nearly scammed in Italy
- 21:16–30:58: Listener Sandy’s "Scan Bag Go" self-checkout theft saga & cultural commentary on shoplifting
- 33:01–65:04: Deep dive: “The Hospice Hustlers”—industry background, AceraCare case, recruitment scams, patient harm, court corruption, and system-level analysis
- 66:31–72:57: "Scammer of the Week": Pokémon-stealing cop gets fired (but not for the usual reasons)
Tone & Style
- Unapologetically irreverent: Laci and Matt keep the proceedings funny, incisive, and unflinchingly political, even (especially) when the material is dark.
- Socially conscious: Comedy is wielded as a tool for critique, highlighting the human cost behind systemic fraud and the failures of both the justice system and capitalism.
- Relatable storytelling: From penny-ante gas station scams to billion-dollar hospice cons, the conversation always loops back to lived experience and the comedy of everyday life.
Closing Message
Laci Mosley: “Congregation, stay sandying. Honestly. … Scam bag go!” [74:13, Mosley]
Matt Apodaca: “Follow this big man. Big man Playboy Matt Apodaca on all social medias.” [73:35]
For More
- Subscribe to Scam Goddess on your favorite podcast platform.
- Support the show by sending in retired scams to scamgoddesspod@gmail.com. Stay scheming!
This summary captures all major discussions, themes, and hilarious highlights of the episode—enough for any would-be "con-gregant" to feel fully briefed WITHOUT pressing play!
