Scam Goddess – “The Phantom Gold Mine Fallout” w/ Johnny Pemberton

Release Date: April 7, 2026
Host: Laci Mosley
Guest: Johnny Pemberton (comedian; actor on Amazon’s Fallout, Superstore, voice work on Bob’s Burgers, Adventure Time)

Episode Overview

This lively episode dives into the wild true story of the Bre-X mining scandal—one of the world’s biggest gold mining scams, which rocked the 1990s and left a wake of investors ruined and reputations shattered. Host Laci Mosley, with guest Johnny Pemberton, delivers a hilarious and sharp look at how a supposed $6 billion gold discovery in the jungles of Indonesia turned out to be total fiction, dissecting the greed, absurdities, and human drama along the way.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Scam Confessions & “Everyday” Schemes

• Scams as a way of life:
  • Johnny shares low-key scams, like parking at broken meters (“If it’s broken and they can’t give you a ticket, it’s a great scam. I’ve been doing it for years.” – Johnny, 03:23).
  • Discussion of disguising as city workers to avoid citations—“If you drive an old American-built white truck… you can park wherever you want pretty much” (05:03).
• Pimp My Ride: Both recall the infamous car show’s scammy contracts and impractical car modifications (“How you gonna drive with a fish tank in your car?” – Laci, 06:10).

The Allure of Animal Afterlives

• Playful banter about reincarnation: Laci wants to return as “a rich woman’s dog,” while Johnny entertains being a “special rat” (08:00–08:32).
• Memorable quote:
  • “Not a New York City rat. I want to be like a special rat that can live a long time…” – Johnny (08:27)

Main Scam Story: The Bre-X Mining Scandal

Setup – The “Modern Gold Rush” (13:03)

• Laci introduces the tale: The largest mining scam in history happened in the 1990s—not the Old West.
• Bre-X, a Canadian mining penny stock company, claims discovery of a massive gold mine in Borneo, Indonesia.

Building the Scam (16:09–23:10)

• Bre-X is desperate; its head, David Walsh, had recently gone bankrupt.
• Walsh teams up with geologist John Felderhof, known as “the Indiana Jones of geologists.”
  • “He doesn’t even look like he ever been around no rocks or no dirt.” – Laci, (20:15)
  • “He’s killed. He has killed. He’s buried someone who was still breathing.” – Johnny, (20:47)
• Enter Michael de Guzman, a flamboyant Filipino prospector (“born on Valentine’s Day and definitely acted like it” – Laci, 24:59), who brings “gold-laced” soil core samples to the investors.

Hype Grows, Fortunes Rise (24:20–36:44)

• Reports suggest ever-increasing amounts of gold: from 136,000 lbs (first estimate) to 2 million, to 5 million, then 13 million pounds.
  • “In 3 years since the gold had been discovered, a bustling mining town had even sprung up on the site with its own church and school.” – Laci, (36:44)
• Bre-X stock rockets from $0.30 to $250/share, fueled by 40,000+ investors and Wall Street giants like Lehman Brothers hyping it as “the gold discovery of a century.”

Anatomy of the Fraud: SALTING (46:41)

• The big reveal: Michael was “salting” the core samples—mixing in gold shavings from wedding rings and panned gold to fake the find.
  • “He got his dust gold. At first, he used shavings from his own wedding ring.” – Laci, (45:53)
• Other geologists noticed suspiciously rounded gold particles—a telltale sign of fraud.

Fallout: Collapse, Death & Aftermath

The House of Cards Tumbles (47:57–56:27)

• Freeport, a larger mining company, steps in with a real survey and finds no gold.
• Key evidence is destroyed in a “mysterious fire” at Bre-X’s records room.
  • “A mysterious fire… I don’t know how fires be mysterious.” – Laci, (48:18)
• Michael de Guzman dies under suspicious circumstances (falls or is pushed from a helicopter), his body identified only by a molar. Many suspect he faked his death to escape.
  • “Maybe he dropped that molar in the jungle. Little Tupac situation.” – Johnny, (55:24)
• Bre-X collapses, shares become worthless, investors lose billions.

Aftershocks & Justice? (57:07–59:37)

• Walsh dies of a brain aneurysm, possibly from stress.
• Only Felderhof is prosecuted, but acquitted. Only $5.2M is recovered from $5B in lawsuits.
• Laci: “Financial crimes get some of the harshest sentences… the government’s all connected.” (58:14)

Notable Quotes & Fun Moments

• Johnny on acting dumb as a scam:
  “Technically been scamming the whole world for a long time pretending to be stupid. That’s the ultimate scam. Just act stupid, yo.” (18:54)
• On karaoke, wings, and strip clubs:
  “This man is not doing that. This man is… busy with four wives and nine kids and wearing lots of gold and also being at the strip club and doing karaoke…” – Laci, (34:19)
  “I love karaoke. Karaoke’s the best.” – Johnny, (34:33)
• On the ephemeral thrill of scams:
  “What does it feel like to wonder every day if it’s gonna fall apart?” – Laci, (57:37)
  “That’s probably so stressful, to wake up every day and wonder if people are gonna catch you.” – Johnny, (57:45)

Scam Takeaways & Moral

• Johnny argues the scam was ultimately “not that smart—there was no gold at all. The best scams start with some truth and then exaggerate.”
• Laci counters that the scale, audacity, and weird characters make it a classic:
  “Michael the gay with four wives trying to get five jumping out of helicopter… I think they did some things.” (61:41)
• Both agree: greed makes people believe impossible things, and financial scams devastate more lives than people realize.

Where to Find the Hosts

• Johnny Pemberton:
  • Website: johnnypemberton.dog (“Dot dog is better than dot com!” – 63:30)
  • On Amazon’s Fallout & upcoming film “Mermaid.”
• Laci Mosley:
  • Watch Scam Goddess (TV) on Hulu
  • Live Nation mini-tour (pre-sale code: GODDESS). See Laci’s Instagram for dates.

Timestamps for Key Segments

| Timestamp | Segment | |-----------|--------------------------------------------------------------| | 03:23 | Everyday parking scams (Johnny) | | 13:03 | Intro to the Bre-X mining scandal | | 20:15 | First appearance of geologist John Felderhof | | 24:20 | Michael de Guzman enters, “Casanova” angle | | 36:44 | The mining town, church, and school spring up | | 46:41 | Gold core sample “salting” exposed | | 47:57 | “Mysterious fire” destroys records | | 52:17 | Michael’s suspicious helicopter death | | 56:06 | Freeport finds “no gold”, the jig is up | | 59:37 | Final wrap-up / prosecution & class action suit | | 61:09 | Laci and Johnny reflect: scam lessons & moral |

Tone and Noteworthy Vibes

• Humorous, incisive, irreverent: Laci and Johnny riff on everything from reincarnation to strip club wings, but always return to a pointed critique of greed, gullibility, and how power fuels the world’s biggest scams.
• Memorable one-liners & playful asides keep the absurdity of the story front and center—without ever losing sight of its impact.

Recommended for: Anyone who loves true crime with a comedic twist, financial scandal deep-dives, or just wants to learn how not to lose billions on a cup of salted dirt.

As always, stay schemin’, Congregation!