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- [00:00]
A
Scams, robbery and fraud. Scams, robbery and fraud. All right, what's poppin, Congregation? It's your girl, Lacey Mosley, Scam Goddess. And we're back for another installment of Scam Goddess. And, honey, it's Covid. We at the crib, baby. And I' excited for this guest. I know I always say that. Say it with me. I'm super excited for this guest, y' all know, but if you haven't ever listened to Hollywood Handbook on Earwolf, I don't know what you're doing with your life, because it's amazing. And wait, Sean. It's Sean Clements. But wait, what is the other one on Patreon again? I immediately forgot.
- [00:50]
B
We do a show called the Flagrant Ones. That's about the Flagrant Ones.
- [00:54]
A
The Flagrant Ones on Patreon, guys. NBA. It's with Carl, right?
- [00:59]
B
Yeah, it's me, Hayes, and Carl.
- [01:01]
A
Yeah, Tarte. We're talking about the same Tart.
- [01:03]
B
Yeah, Carl Tart.
- [01:04]
A
Yeah. Yeah, guys, Carl Tart's been on this show. He was in our doctor episode with the Fake Doctor. You guys know him and love him. Guys, listen to that show on Patreon. It's fucking poppin. Sean, I'm so excited to have you. You're one of the very few straight white men we've ever had on the show, which really sucks.
- [01:19]
B
Such an honor. Thank you.
- [01:21]
A
Because you're the shit. It really speaks volumes. And I love your wife, which you already know.
- [01:27]
B
We love you, too, Lacy.
- [01:29]
A
I've talked about how we have a group chat. It's me, you, and your wife.
- [01:32]
B
Yeah. Every now and then.
- [01:34]
A
Every now and then, I see a
- [01:35]
B
scam and I go, ooh, I've gotta get Laci in on this one.
- [01:38]
A
And I love it. You sent me some good scams, Sean. This isn't one that you sent me, but it is a really fun one that I thought that you would really love. So, guys, as we always do, we're starting with his. Excuse me. Damn. I don't even know how my podcast go no more. We're starting with what's Hot and Fraud. And this is where I either read your letters or I tell you guys about something that's hot and fraud to warn you. So that's what we gonna do. Honey. Before I start with that, I just want to say to everybody leaving me reviews about how I ate on the podcast. Those episodes were eight months ago. I was very new to podcasting, and I was working 80 hour weeks on set. Okay? A bitch was hungry and she was trying to give y'. All.
- [02:23]
B
We deal with this a lot. And, in fact, there is a very vocal group that, you know, supposedly has misophonia, where it's like they have some horrible thing activated in them by hearing someone eat. But what about all the people that want to hear us eat? I always say. And are they too afraid to speak up? And we talk about this on Hollywood Handbook. And those people with misophonia are actually creating a toxic environment for the people who love to hear me sort of chomping on, like, some kind of peanut butter energy bar midway through my conversation. And so I think we should be more inclusive in the future.
- [02:58]
A
Yeah, I'm feeling excluded now. Listen, I will never eat on this hoe again because, Sean, when I tell you they dragged me in my Apple reviews, can y' all go on Apple podcasts? And please look, we still got five stars. That was the worst thing about it is people were leaving me five stars. But then being like, this bitch, like, she won't like, I got reviews. They like, lacey, are you hungry? Are you hungry? I'm like, oh, my God, y' all roasting the shit out of me, but you're leaving positive stars. I. It's complicated.
- [03:27]
B
It takes a lot of energy to do a podcast. I know it looks like we're just sitting here, but we gotta fuel up, so you need to eat, Please, by all means, listen.
- [03:36]
A
I will never do it again. I'm traumatized. But I just wanted to let y' all know because up front, because people were like, dming me on Instagram. Like, I love your podcast, but the misophonia sent me into fight or flight. I said, fight or flight. Who was you gonna fight? Who was you gonna flight? Like you at home. This is Covid. You was fighting the air. I don't want people to air fight while they listen to my podcast.
- [03:58]
B
Could get a good workout in.
- [04:00]
A
Listen. That is a great air fight.
- [04:01]
B
Are you shadow boxing while you listen to the podcast?
- [04:05]
A
Shadow boxing is a great way to make it sound normal, because when I think of people punching the air, it is a fully insane action that I love. But, guys, let's get into our first topic here. We're going with what's Hot in Fraud? And I'm going to be reading Sean. He's never heard anything on this podcast. Like, everything I'm reading to him is new information. I just want to say that after the whole Jameela Jamil situation, where. Well, actually wasn't Jamila's fault. It was Caroline Calloway's Crazy ass. I'll just say it because y' all been wondering. We, our guests, never know what we're talking about. They're never responsible for what we're talking about. Just putting that out there. Lots of PSAs on the top of this episode. Feel like this is the end of, like, a medicine commercial where they're like some inside effects. Might include Lacey eating on the podcast. You might get in a Twitter fight with Caroline Calloway. Like, what? But okay, so what's hot and fried? This one comes from overseas, y'.
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B
All.
- [05:01]
A
So this is a congregation member who is across the pond, and I'm gonna name her Meghan Markle because she's black and she's beautiful and she lives in
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B
London, even though Megan across the pond.
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A
Yeah, we international, baby.
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B
What an audience.
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A
Oh, I'm sure Hollywood Handbook has reached everywhere.
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B
There's one. There's one guy in, like, Slovenia.
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A
Just one guy.
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B
And he's just like. We say it's an international podcast, but it's really just him.
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A
I like that as a scam. Mm. So Meghan Markle says, when I was 18, is this a good British accent? I'm gonna do it.
- [05:46]
B
Wow. I've been transported to Buckingham Palace. Suddenly. Unbelievable. The chameleon.
- [05:54]
A
Right, listen. I lived in London for a while, and I used to go to hardware stores. Cause that was a part of my job. Don't ask. And I would try to put on my British affectation to see if people would notice. They probably just thought I was crazy.
- [06:06]
B
Just taking every ounce of strength I have not to ask. You said don't ask, and I want to respect that, but I'm telling you, it's killing me.
- [06:16]
A
I used to run a theater, which made no sense. I was 20. And they were like, here are the keys to this theater. Because in London, in Leicester Square, the theaters are public, but every other theater in London is funded by the government. So I ran a government funded theater because it was supposed to be an internship, but it was a scam because as soon as I got there, homegirl who was supposed to be teaching me left. She used to just not show up for work and just gave me the keys. It was wild. And it was like a place where people would test their performances for the Fringe Festival.
- [06:48]
B
Ah, yes.
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A
Which is like a weird. Like, people do weird shit there. So there was like one show that we had that was in a van, and only six people could see it at a time. And then we had another show with a pregnant lady who would get naked. And it was my job to get her her robes.
- [07:05]
B
Wow.
- [07:09]
A
Makes sense, right? Yeah, I was just rambling, you know, hey, shout out to London. So she says. When I was 18, I moved from my hometown in London. I worked in retail and I got a store transfer as well as. Oh, I got a store transfer for my move. My first day, I met the assistant manager who told me she was leaving the job in a couple weeks. We chatted and she was setting me up on the till system, which I used to clock in and out and record hours to get paid. This girl was so funny and friendly, and at the time I was really shy and awkward, but she made me feel comfortable as we were chatting. When she had finished setting me up, there was a moment when I thought, wait. She didn't ask me for my payroll number. But I kind of forgot soon after and kept working. Anyway, when the time came for my first paycheck to spelled C H E Q U E cuz it's British, I realized I hadn't been paid. I think it may be different in the us but in the UK we are paid as a direct deposit to our bank accounts. Depends on the job here. By now, the assistant manager was long gone, and I told my manager and she checked the bank details that they had for me and everything was right except for the payroll number. Turns out the girl was setting me up with the system. She put in her payroll number instead of mine. So I was clocking in and out as usual under my own name, but my hours were being attributed to her payroll number, meaning she got paid instead of me. It was 100% intentional, but I didn't take it personally. I got paid soon as I realized what she had done, and I guess she enjoyed getting her leaving bonus.
- [08:43]
B
Quite a scam. And what a generous spirit this woman has to say, you know what? Take your severance package, right?
- [08:53]
A
Look, she does. The company got scammed. She was like, I'm gonna get my coins, so I'm glad you got yours. I mean, I guess if you're working in retail, the only thing I would say is, is that this is only shady because then you had to wait for your payment. So that's not, you know, the times
- [09:10]
B
that sometimes you're counting on that, right?
- [09:12]
A
And you need it to show up on the date that it's supposed to show up. When my money is late, it's an issue. And you know what's weird about, like, just capitalism in America in general? I feel like people shame, you know, for wanting your money on time. And we're artists, so we Deal with that a lot. When people like, oh, you need money to live. Like,
- [09:34]
B
I. So I had this experience like when I first got in the wga, they give you like a little handbook and it says that after an episode you write airs on television, you'll be paid in like whatever, 90 days from the second air date or something. So then 90 days comes, it goes, and I'm like, here comes my money. But it didn't show up. And I wait again and it didn't show up. And then it was like, oh, yeah, well, the companies, if they don't pay you on time, there's like a one and a half percent penalty which is less than they would have to pay a full time accountant to make sure that it all went out on time. So they usually just pay somebody to come in freelance and like once a year do all their residuals. So you may not be paid for a full year. And it doesn't really ding them. And I was like, wow, I wish I knew that because I was really expecting it. Like, maybe put that in the book and. Or like, say like, these companies don't do it on time. And they were like, well then the company could sue us. And it's like, but they don't. Like, it's right.
- [10:33]
A
Like, don't lie. I'm just tired of being shamed by the capitalists in America who are like, oh, you want your money? What are you poor? You need.
- [10:41]
B
Well, that was the tone as I talked to like the guild representatives, where they were like, would you need the money like right now? It's like, I mean, what are you
- [10:50]
A
doing with your finances that you need money right now? Come on. Like, it is something that the money
- [10:56]
B
you earned, you need it. Like when it's supposed to show up. Like, what's gross? Stupid?
- [11:01]
A
What's wrong with you? You're nasty. You're nasty for wanting your money.
- [11:06]
B
Did you spend the other money we gave you?
- [11:09]
A
Right? Like, then they said, it does feel like an indictment of your finances. Like, even, like, I had a contract that unfortunately ended, but they had to pay me for the whole season. And I was like, I'll just wait a month before I ask about it. Because I don't want them to think I'm thirsty. Which is like, no. Like, as soon, like, give me my money now. It's just, it's funny how capitalism has warped all of our brains to think that asking for what you deserve or asking for your shit on time is
- [11:37]
B
like, ew, this like multi billion dollar company. It's like, hey, Can I get my, like, crumbs?
- [11:43]
A
Listen, I'm Bill Gates. I'm not made of money.
- [11:46]
B
I don't want to bother him.
- [11:50]
A
Right. Like, hey, guys. Like, you're so timid about it. Like, hey, guys. Just wanted to drop in.
- [11:55]
B
Checking in again. And I know I hate to be annoying, so you owe me my full year's salary.
- [12:00]
A
Still, I would just really love it if, like, I don't know, like, if you guys have time, if you could, like, pay me.
- [12:08]
B
Yeah, no one's shy when they ask me for money. Like, if your landlord shows up, they're not like, I'm so sorry to do this. I hate doing this. And if now is not a good time, tell me. They're just like, no, you owe me the money.
- [12:19]
A
Right, right. It's like, rent or eviction. Nobody's like, look, hey, hey, Sean, Love that you live here. I was just wondering, like, if. If it's okay with you, is this about time? Yeah. Like, if you could, like, pay us, like, maybe, like, some rent. Like, some of the rent. Like, all of it.
- [12:40]
B
That's a different department.
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A
Okay, well, it seems like you are the department. Cause it's like, you rent the place. You know what? I'll just go. I'm so sorry.
- [12:50]
B
I haven't seen an invoice, so I
- [12:52]
A
left you these muffins. Like, I hate being this way. And she has one more scam. And I'll read it. I'll read it in a regular accent just in case I've annoyed the fuck out of everyone. I don't know when this podcast became me being a slave to my fans, but I'm like, oh, my God, I won't eat. I'll do whatever you guys want. I'll suck your d. No, this is my podcast. I'm gonna do what I want. So the other scam was, she says that my flatmate. I decided I'm doing the accent. Who used to work in a bar. When patrons would pay in cash, he would always tell them that they'd run out of notes. Notes for you. Americans who don't read are cash in, like, UK slang language. Whatever. So he would say that they ran out of cash, and he was like, I have to give you your change in coins. So basically, he would give them pound, like, one pound coins, which still very much exist in the uk. And then he was short each customer a pound, and if they noticed, he'd be like, oh, my God, So sorry. Such a long night. Like, we're all so tired, and I'm all over Twist now and. And he would give him the money back, but normally they wouldn't say anything because it's a bar and everybody's wasted. So he would get home and she always said she knew when he got home because his pants would be jangling with coins every night. And then he would fill up these jars full of coins. And I was like, damn, sis, you ain't taking out them coins. You ain't grab you a couple. I would have took a couple. I. I think that bartender. I used to bartend and I never did I rob people. Yeah, I did some light robbery. It was mostly like, people would buy us drinks because this was like, I was 20 and I was working in a bar in New York City. Have you ever lived in New York?
- [14:42]
B
Yeah, spent like four or five years there.
- [14:46]
A
You know First Avenue?
- [14:48]
B
Yes, I'm familiar.
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A
I worked at Karma Lounge on First Avenue. It's been around forever, but it's the only place that I believe you can still smoke cigarettes inside. Because they petitioned that whole ruling that went out that said you couldn't smoke indoors in New York because they said it would ruin their business because they make hookahs. So I used to make hookahs. Serve eight dollar Long Islands.
- [15:10]
B
What's the cross street? First and where.
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A
Oh, shit. It's by the Second Avenue train station. First and one street over is Mark street, where you bought all your weed supplies. New Yorkers. Y' all know what I'm talking about. It was first and Avenue,
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B
but it's like. It's like Alphabet City, right?
- [15:30]
A
Yeah, yeah, it's definitely Alphabet.
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B
I know where it is. Yeah.
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A
And like, a lot of comedians will go there to do stand up. That's where I started doing stand up. But then stand up was full of nasty men, so I was. I don't want to be around nasty men.
- [15:43]
B
And then you went, of course, to the other field that you're in where everyone is totally cool.
- [15:52]
A
I mean, they're better than, like.
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B
It's better than the stand up scene.
- [15:56]
A
Hell yeah. I used to wear fucking turtlenecks to do stand up. It's 51 First Ave. If that means anything to the New Yorkers. But yeah, I used to wear turtlenecks because everybody was like, if you're pretty, you can't be funny anyways, so. Shout out to Meghan Markle.
- [16:15]
B
That's a beautiful man.
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A
You are a beautiful man.
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B
It hurts my soul to hear that.
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A
But shout out to Meghan Markle for that scam. I honestly, I fuck with your roommate for robbing his Customers, people don't tip like they should. And you know what's worse? Like the bad, like the worst thing about bad tippers is I feel like bad tippers love to take up your time. When I used to wait tables, I used to have the most chattiest, like, hey, girl, let me tell you my whole life story. Let me you be my therapist while I'm at this bar. I'll tip you good. And then they would be leaving like 5%. And I'm like, bitch, we talk for two hours if you don't give me all the money in your wallet.
- [16:56]
B
I, I, I pulled a similar scam to this guy, but it was then I worked at a dry cleaner and when I totaled the cash drawer at the end of the night, I would like round down like, I was like, no one's counting these coins. So I would like round down all the coins by like a dollar. And then I would round down the singles by like three. And I would just like take a ten dollar bill every time I totaled the drawer.
- [17:21]
A
Honestly, you deserve that. If they paid us more, you wouldn't have to do that.
- [17:25]
B
Well, I, they found, eventually they found out me, they came to, they were like, the drawer has been short for months. And we just figured it out. And then I left that job and then I came back much later and I told them that I had stolen and how I did it. And why did you do that? Well, this, you know, this doesn't have to be part of your podcast necessarily, but it is because I got sober and was doing my amends.
- [17:49]
A
Okay, that's very nice.
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B
And so I was like, I guess, yeah, this is the one who I probably, I don't care. But it is, that is why I ended up going to them.
- [18:00]
A
That's okay, that makes this 12 step. That's, that's a good.
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B
But the scam while I was running, it was still was beautiful. I was just like, I just get a $10 bonus every time I close the shop.
- [18:11]
A
Honestly, they don't pay enough to minimum wage workers. So you had to work hard to get your extra money. I'm not mad at that at all. So we're gonna take a quick break and we'll be right back with Historic Hoodwinks Scouts. And we're back for Historic Hoodwinks, my favorite segment of the show. As you all know, guys, today we're talking about a scammer named Louis Covecchio, AKA Covechio the coin. So Covechio is famous for gambling. I'm putting that in quotes. Counterfeited Coins and fooling slot machines. Lewis had a gambling bug, but he didn't want to bankrupt his family and business, so he found another way. He used his wits and business equipment to become one of the best coin counterfeiters in the gambling world. Which. That seems nice. Like, you had a gambling problem. You were like, look, I'm not gonna burden. I'm not gonna mortgage my house, but, you know, I'll just make fake coins.
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B
It's really thoughtful.
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A
If I was his wife, I would think it was thoughtful. Like, thank you so much, baby, for not using our real money.
- [19:22]
B
Oh, yeah. I mean, I've gone to Vegas, and I think that Grace would have really appreciated if I had brought counterfeit money with me.
- [19:29]
A
I. You know what's crazy is I go to Vegas. When I go to Vegas, I always win. And I usually always win rent. Like a month's rent.
- [19:38]
B
Mm.
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A
I learned from my dad on cruise ships when I was 16, which is probably a scam. Cause we would be gambling, and I was 16 years old, and they'd be offering me drinks, and I was like, I can't. But he taught me, like, how to play craps. And just a few free tips for y' all out there. If you playing craps, don't ever bid on the field. It's a bad bet. You might win. And, yeah, it doubles your money, but it's a house bet. You'll always lose in the end. You should be rolling, betting on numbers. And then the thing that my dad taught me that always has ensured that I win is one. I don't play on tables with desperate people. If your despo meter is high, if I see you sweating and you thinking about rent and Similac that you gotta buy with this money, I leave the table. Because desperation doesn't bring money. Also, I only play with what I won if I want to keep playing. And I know when to leave. So it's like, if I'm up and it's been an hour every hour, you should have 15 minutes where you're hot. I don't know why I'm giving all these gambling tips, but 15 minutes out of every hour, statistically, you should be hot. So you just need enough money to play for an hour. And then once you get that hot roll. Bet, bet, bet, bet, bet. And then get the fuck out. I love to gamble.
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B
Yeah, it's fun.
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A
I'm gonna hit Colbecchio up for some fake coins. Actually, he might be in jail, so. Louis Colvecchio was born in 1942 to Italian immigrants Who built their life in province, Rhode island. His father had come to America with a dream of becoming a successful business owner. He focused his skills on making high quality tools and eventually opened a large tool shop in the area. Okay. Lewis wanted to be like his father. In 1964, he graduated with a bachelor's degree in business. He decided that his jewelry industry was on the rise, so that was the business he wanted to invest in. So he saw that the jewelry industry was popping, and he was like, okay, I'm about to make some tennis bracelets for the bitches, and I appreciate that. So he had great attention to detail and great craftsmanship. He opened a store called trop jewelry company. Ten years later, once the business Trop,
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B
you think the name alone, No, I have no idea what it is. I feel like it's a jewelry shop. You could have such an elegant name associated with it, but it's like, I'm not gonna call it trop.
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A
Like, how do you even market trop? Like, you know, every kiss begins with k. And then all the other girls have cute names. Like, why can't I think of Winston? Harry Winston, which is. I guess it's just some man's name, but it sound fancy. Winston sounds fancy. Oh, but trop.
- [22:15]
B
Hmm. I could go to Tiffany's Or I could go to trop jewelry company.
- [22:20]
A
Trop almost sounds like trap. In fact, I actually think I will go there. They probably got the low, low prices. They're like, these are all blood diamonds. In fact, we don't clean the blood off. We leave the blood on. So you can tell that these are blood diamonds? No, no, no. We will wash the blood off after you buy it. But we just wanted you to know,
- [22:40]
B
like, you gotta know it's authentic.
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A
So he was finally able to live his dream and own a big house in a ritzy neighborhood. This high point in his life lasted for just a couple more years before disaster struck and devastated Lewis and his business. One night, Lewis was working late and some thieves broke into his store and brutally tortured Lewis. He was left unconscious while they robbed the store. Damn. Why did they torture you? Why they? Weren't they doing a robbery?
- [23:14]
B
Yeah, it seems unnecessary.
- [23:16]
A
It seems kinda mean.
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B
Just take the stuff.
- [23:19]
A
Right, Like I'm gonna let you take the stuff. You don't gotta be on record.
- [23:22]
B
Yeah, if anyone wants to rob me, I wanna be on record. Now the torture is unnecessary. You can have it all.
- [23:28]
A
If you show up with a gun and you trying to do a robbery. Look, I'm gonna be like, all right, so the jewels are in there. The safe's there. The code is 4355. Like, can I just leave? Like, I want to leave my robbery. Like, I called an Uber to leave my robbery. It's gonna be. Majeed will be here in five minutes. So if I could just go. It seems cruel to beat people up in a robbery. It's unnecessary. But maybe he tried to fight for his shit. Maybe he was like, no, these are my blood diamonds. Hey, we don't know. He woke up days later in the hospital to be told that everything was gone. Like, they all put this man in a coma. Like, this is not right. The police tried to figure out who it was, but they were never, never able to recover the merchandise. So unfortunately, Lewis was forced to file for bankruptcy. He had no insurance.
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B
Damn.
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A
I feel like that's what insurance for. Yeah, you.
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B
Yeah. Jewelry stores, I think, are famously supposed to be insured, right?
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A
Like, it just feels like if you have a store full of expensive shit, like your store is called expensive shit, like, you should probably have, like, a little bit of insurance. You couldn't call the black man from Allstate.
- [24:38]
B
He couldn't call President Palmer from 24.
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A
Hello, black man from Allstate. I have been robbed. He's like, look, I don't actually work at Allstate. No, no, no, you do. Yeah, you should have called a black man from Allstate. So the shop was filled with high quality diamonds, and at this time, Lewis had the state of the art security system installed. Obviously, it wasn't that state of the art, boo.
- [25:02]
B
Boo.
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A
Cause they robbed you and beat you up. But his store wasn't open to the public for regular business hours. Instead, Lewis had a sign on the door that stated, you must call to make an appointment. Okay, this feels like Uncut Gems.
- [25:14]
B
Mm.
- [25:15]
A
Like, he had. Have you seen Uncut Gems?
- [25:17]
B
Of course.
- [25:18]
A
I will say to anybody on this podcast, if you guys want to watch Uncut Gems, just, like, I have anxiety, and I had to step out of the theater for a moment because the Safdie brothers make movies that give me panic attacks. Yeah, it gave me. I literally, physically gave me a panic attack, which is the only thing.
- [25:34]
B
The sound design and, like, the way they shoot. It's. Everybody's, like, sweaty and, like, it's. You're so, like, too close to them, and there's this hum underneath it that you feel like is coming from your brain. It's wild.
- [25:47]
A
It's the only reason that I was like, look, I will never eat on the podcast again if you really have misophonia. Because that experience was so jarring. I had to go to the bathroom in the middle of the movie because I was like, this is too much. Like, they had music where music shouldn't be. It was like people walking. There was music. I was like, turn the music off. They're talking. What's happening? It was stressful. It might.
- [26:08]
B
Everyone's making bad choices the whole time, too. I love their movies.
- [26:12]
A
Oh, it was torture. But it feels like if you want to see a movie about a crazy jewelry person. Uncut gems, guys. But so counterfeiting coin. Over the years, Lewis had been making secret trips to Atlantic City and fell in love with. With slot machines, which is. I thought it was gonna. Fell in love with, like, a woman in Vegas or. No slot machine.
- [26:34]
B
No, the real love affair is with the slot machine. I wonder if it was the hangover slot machine.
- [26:40]
A
The slot machines to me. And maybe I'm ageist. Shout out to everybody who's old on this podcast. I love you guys, but it just feels like, like, my paw paw would be doing slots, you know, like sitting there all day.
- [26:52]
B
I disagree. Because what. Because what I like is I gamble totally alone. I could be every other game. I have to be at least, like, slightly social to engage with it.
- [27:04]
A
Right.
- [27:05]
B
And I do play the other games, and I like playing cards, and. And I do that. But there is sometimes a time in the night where I go, I just gotta be by myself and just gamble.
- [27:15]
A
Wait, Sean, when were you born?
- [27:18]
B
Where?
- [27:19]
A
When?
- [27:21]
B
1981.
- [27:22]
A
No, I want. You gave me all the things I didn't want, like what month and what day?
- [27:28]
B
Oh, sorry. August 4th.
- [27:31]
A
August. Oh, my God. You have the same birthday as my mom and also Barack Obama.
- [27:35]
B
Wow. Yeah, that's us.
- [27:37]
A
You're a Leo. That's crazy that you don't want attention.
- [27:42]
B
Yeah, I get. Yeah, I don't. I just sometimes want to just deal with me and the money I am winning or sometimes losing. So, like, video poker, slot machine. I go like, okay, great.
- [27:58]
A
That's understandable. But at the same time, I'm like, Sean, those systems are operated by algorithms. So it's a computer. I don't trust computers. Okay, I will fuck my laptop.
- [28:10]
B
And the interesting thing, if people want to learn a little bit about slot machines, is the real reward for people who do become addicted to slot machines. And they are probably the most addictive thing there because it is just a variable reward system, which is, like, the most addictive. And that what they. What they give you or. Or what they're promising is not even necessarily money. It's something they call to D time on device that the way in which you lose your money takes a maximum amount of time. So, like, as you're, like, getting down to, like, only having one spin left, you'll get like 14 more spins, but you'll still be below the amount of money you put in the machine. So you'll keep doing it and that, like, the really addictive and thrilling thing for people is just to be able to kind of stay on the machine and stay in the game. And that's something they kind of figured out with the algorithm to make it, like, maximally addictive. And it is pretty nefarious. But I think it works. And that is, it works.
- [29:12]
A
It works for old people, too, because I remember I went to Atlantic City, which honestly is the saddest vacation I've ever taken. Shout out to Atlantic City if y' all listening. Your city is sad. I went into the casino and it was just a bunch of people with breathing machine. Like, the. The air, the oxygen tanks. Yeah, they've got it sitting at the slot machine. And I was like, oh, my God, smoking too? Yep. And smoking. Smoking and getting that air, which I'm like, that's fire. You shouldn't have the fire so close to the air. But I was like, damn granny, damn pawpaw. I just wanted to save all my grandparents who were sitting in there smoking and sitting on the slot machine all damn day.
- [29:51]
B
But isn't that the exact person who really just wants more time on the device?
- [29:56]
A
True.
- [29:56]
B
They're just. They're in their seat, they don't want to move. They don't think they're leaving with a million dollars.
- [30:03]
A
Look, I've talked about this before. When I become an old person, I'mma become trash. Because that's how you live longer is like you become evil. So at 45, I'm a turn evil, and I'm a stop caring about everybody and everything. So I'm trying to do as much good work right now in my life as possible so that it can make up for the evil that I start doing at 45.
- [30:24]
B
What's your evil look like? Do you have it planned out? Because there's a couple different kinds. I think that, like, you probably want to go monochromatic. I'm going, like, you should have a style.
- [30:33]
A
I feel like monochromatic is too hip to be evil old. I'm going Cruella de Vil. Like, I want to take it back. I'm going to have coats made out of real furs and just be a horrible monster. I'll buy it from thrift shops so it's not like a fresh animal that they robbed of their skin. But I do need a cruella de vil outfit to be evil. And I want, like, a long cigarette smoking stick.
- [30:59]
B
I'm not saying you couldn't pull it off. I mean, I think it would be great. But just think about, like, as you're approaching, sort of like the store window, people going, like, the lady in green is back. And it's just. You're always, like, head to toe.
- [31:13]
A
That's true. Do you know there is a lady who loves yellow who has a whole, like, they've done new series on her where everything her house is yellow, Everything she owns is yellow. I mean, I think I'm more of, like, I just want people. I remember when I was in Miami once, and I was in line at a store with my mother, and we were waiting in line the whole time, and these old ladies came up behind us in Miami and were like, we were here first, honey. And we were like, there's no way you were here first. But then we was like, these are scary old ladies. And we just let them in front of us. And I was like, that's what I want. That's what I want.
- [31:44]
B
Yeah. The rottenness sustains you.
- [31:47]
A
Yes. So Lewis started off strong, like most players do, but realized he didn't have money to continue playing the way he really wanted to without losing everything. Sounds like gambling. He tried to manipulate the games themselves at first to see if he could play for free, but this idea didn't pan out. Lewis decided that if he could use the equipment he had in his jewelry store to duplicate the coins used to play the game, he would have a better shot. He gathered up a couple different coins and headed home to start his new project, which is counterfeiting. When Lewis returned home, he went to the stop to see if his electric discharge machine would be able to generate a coin close enough to the real thing. So this is back in the day when slot machines were coins, Because I think they're, like, swipeys now.
- [32:35]
B
Well, I mean, you could put a, like, $20 bill in or whatever, right?
- [32:39]
A
But I don't think you can just put, like, a coin in. So first.
- [32:42]
B
I don't think they have coin slots now. No.
- [32:44]
A
Yeah. So for his first attempt at duplicating the casino currency, Lewis made a fake poker chip. He thought it would be less likely for him to get caught playing poker than the slot machines. His electric Discharge machine did the trick, and he was able to make believable replicas. He knew everything had to be perfect or he would end up getting caught. Once he was satisfied with the poker chips, he turned to making the coins for the slot machines. This is crazy, too, because casinos are notoriously owned by criminals, and you look, you already got your ass beat in a jewelry robbery. Like, do you really want the casino dime?
- [33:20]
B
Yeah, you must have loved getting tortured, Louis, because it's exactly where you're headed.
- [33:26]
A
So Lewis knew that the slots were where he would make the most money. So he took his time to make sure every coin was perfect. He tested the coins, and then, you know, he was able to play the spots for hours, having to risk, like, no money. So he was playing the slots for hours, not risking a single cent. And the coins worked so well that he ended up winning thousands of dollars a night. And that allowed him to flaunt his wealth with other patrons at the casino. Patrons. Patrons. Here's my thing, Louis. Why are you flexing like, you know, you a criminal? When you a criminal, you gotta be quiet.
- [34:04]
B
Not allowed to spend it for a little while?
- [34:06]
A
Listen, I dated. Or not dated. I went on one date with a guy that I met in a boxing class. And when I met him, he said he was Puerto Rican. And I was like, oh, do you speak Spanish? And so we started speaking Spanish, and he was like, do you want to go out? So we went to my campus diner, which was like, you swipe your meal plan to get in.
- [34:28]
B
Swanky.
- [34:29]
A
And I swiped him in to get in. So technically, I paid for the food scam. And when I got there and we talked, he was like. I was like, where do you work? And he was like, oh, I work in the banking industry. I was like, oh, that's cool. And he was like, yeah, I don't work at a bank anymore because I got fired. And I was like, oh, damn, that's terrible. Like, what happened? He was like, insider trading. And I was like, damn, that's a real crime. And he was like, yeah. Like, I traded some stocks that I had some inside knowledge on, and then I told a few co workers, and I was like, why did you tell people? Why? Like, I didn't. I wasn't mad at the insider trading. I may have dated him after that, but the fact that he told everybody, I was like, you're stupid.
- [35:14]
B
He just wanted to be liked. Isn't it why we all do everything, Lacey?
- [35:20]
A
You know what, Sean? He told me after that that he wasn't even puerto Rican.
- [35:25]
B
Uh. Oh.
- [35:26]
A
He just said that. Cause he thought it would make me like him. I was like, what? What?
- [35:31]
B
What. What was he.
- [35:34]
A
He was half black and half white, Which I'm like, it doesn't matter what race you are. But, like, why do you think that Puerto Rican is more enticing? I mean, it's great. Puerto Rican people are great. But why are you, like, lying about it?
- [35:45]
B
Yeah. He obviously has, like, a hierarchy in his head. It's not good.
- [35:50]
A
He was crazy. Crazy. And also, I was like, why are we eating at my campus diner? Like, take me to dinner. You know, I was a child.
- [35:58]
B
Yeah. He did some insider trading. You can't afford to take me out to a nice place.
- [36:02]
A
Right? You don't got no more insider trading money. Like, what's happening? A mess. So he eventually had coins that would be used in many casinos in Atlantic City and surrounding areas. Because that's the other thing is, like, he was putting fake coins in. And then they don't throw the coins away that are in the machine. They keep using them. So now he circulated a bunch of fake coins around Atlantic City and everywhere else. Atlantic City is a good place to do this because Atlantic City is sad. And I feel like everybody who works there is sad. And there's only, like, one casino left there.
- [36:37]
B
Is that right?
- [36:40]
A
Because it's a sad, sad place.
- [36:41]
B
It's like, I only went there once.
- [36:44]
A
Atlantic City has, like, those stores where they sell, like, the hoochie clothes. But you can tell. It's like, if you lost all your money in the casino, then it's like, you gotta start turning tricks so you can go back home. It's sad. And that's for men and for women. No discrimination. So getting caught, he probably would have been able to continue on the winning spree that he had at the Caesar's palace if they had not taken inventory of the annual coin inventory. So basically, like, he would have kept going. But Caesar's palace does this review of all the coins they get. At the end of the year, when they completed their inventory, they noticed that they had way more $10 coins than they should have. So they notified the Gaming Enforcement Agency. Sounds like haters. Gaming enforcement. Gaming enforcement. Listen to that name. Y' all the fun enforcement police. Y' all the fun police. So they contacted the fund police, and the fun police started investigating the coins, and they discovered that they were fake. So Caesars then notified surrounding casinos. They all discovered that they had a surplus of counterfeit coins. Duh. In January 1998, Lewis and his then girlfriend Donna Ulrich. Hey. Donna. Returned to Caesar's palace in what would end up being the worst night of their lives. The casino and all surrounding casinos were on high alert, and they were watching everyone who was playing the slot machines. Lewis and Donna's behavior caught the attention of the security team, and soon as they left the casino, the police opened the machines that they had been playing on and found it full of counterfeit coins. Donna and Louis were arrested soon after. Lewis, why wouldn't you wash your coins? Like, why wouldn't you start playing with the real ones that you got from the machine?
- [38:26]
B
Yeah, it's greedy. You gotta at least mix some in there.
- [38:30]
A
Duh.
- [38:30]
B
I have a gaming enforcement story adjacent, which is. So I got a job writing for a television show, and then before I even started work on the show, I got invited to a poker game where one of the actors, who was one of the stars of the show, was playing in the poker game. And you could tell me how you feel about, like, what happened at this table. But basically, I walked in, we played for a little bit. He had won a lot of money. He had most of the chips in front of him. Someone came in late to the game and went to buy more chips, but there weren't they, like, whatever. The case was locked or something. And he. This actor went, why don't you just buy the chips out of my stack? I said, whoa, whoa, whoa, you can't do that. And he was like, what do you mean? And I said, well, you're taking money off of the table. Like, that money has to stay in circulation. Like, I can't just, like, win a hand, like, win $100 off you and then sell $100 to another person. Now you can't win your money back from me. Like, we're all sitting here with the expectation that, like, you know, it circulates and. And that when. And that some. At some point in the night, like, yes, you won a few hands early on, but I might win some of it back. If it's gone, I don't have that opportunity. And other people were looking at me like, what the fuck are you doing? Like, this person is effectively your boss, and you're, like, making it a problem. And I was like, no. And then I sort of backed up. I was like, no. I'm just, like. I just explained my point, but was like, whatever. It's a home game. It's a friendly game. And then he was like, okay, well, can I buy the chips? And this guy turned and went, like, if the fucking gaming commissioner will allow it and, like, pointed at me, and I was like, yeah, yeah, sure, go ahead.
- [40:15]
A
Immediately. Large man behind you, escorting you out of the party. Get out of here.
- [40:20]
B
Like, yeah. And the host was like, what? Why? Like, why did you do that? But I was a little bit like, well, the rules are the rules, and they apply to everyone.
- [40:30]
A
And listen, we don't believe in rules on this show.
- [40:33]
B
Something I famously say is, if we're not gonna follow the rules, why don't we just throw all the cards around the room? And that's the game now.
- [40:41]
A
And I would like that. If I could win. If I could win better, I would like that. So after Donna and Lewis had been taken into custody, which. Damn, Donna, I'm sorry, sis. Like, you was dating this trash ass man doing crimes, and now you gotta go to jail with him. Listen, I will never go to jail. I'm not a ride or die. I'm a ride. And then when the die come, I'm gonna get out.
- [41:04]
B
Yeah, pull over right here.
- [41:05]
A
Yeah. I'm like, can we stop at this. At this gas station? Thank you. I'm done. But Donna was riding and subsequently dying. And after they'd been taken into custody of police, they searched Lewis's room and his car, where they found £750 of counterfeit coins that had been used at casinos around the area. Bruh, why are you bringing, like. What are you, Scrooge McDuck? Why are you bringing a bathtub of coins with you to Vegas? Why is this? That's probably getting kinky on them coins. So when Lewis went to courtesy, it's
- [41:40]
B
probably, you know, it's your show, but it's not that kind of show. That is not what we talk about here. Getting kinky on the coins. I'm sorry.
- [41:48]
A
They was getting kinky and freaky on the coins. Freaking on the coins. Also, coins are painful. I used to think as a child, jumping into a pile of coins would be hard or, like, fun. But they're dense.
- [42:00]
B
Every bone in Scrooge McDuck's body would be shattered.
- [42:04]
A
Shattered. But he made it look cute.
- [42:06]
B
He's spitting them out of his mouth. He's spitting them up, and it. Like, that's.
- [42:11]
A
Touch them coins, we ain't looking no money. Don't ever lick money, y'.
- [42:15]
B
All.
- [42:15]
A
It's. Every dollar has been in the booty hole. In fact, when you touch cash, you should wash your hands every single time because it's been in somebody booty hole, like, directly, FYI. So he pled guilty and was sentenced to seven years in prison for conspiracy, attempted theft by deception, and unlawful possession of a weapon. Damn. He had a. He had the heater on him. He had the blicky.
- [42:41]
B
Yeah, he packed the heat.
- [42:42]
A
Yeah, I'm not mad. He was released in 2006, but didn't take long for Lewis to get back to his old tricks. On Halloween night, 2006, he was videotaped gambling at several casinos on the strip of Atlantic City. The next day, he was arrested and charged with 10 counts of counterfeiting, among many others. He was given $25,000 bond. And it was posted by anonymous person. Anonymous. Was it your home girl, Danielle? So after this. So there's a plot twist here. After the statutes of limitations were up, he admitted that he was involved in the robbery of his first store, that he. So that he could collect insurance money. Okay, so that's why he got beat up in the robbery. Because I was wondering. I was like, people don't beat up
- [43:24]
B
so that no one could accuse him of being in on it.
- [43:27]
A
Right. But also I was like, why would robbers take the time to beat you up if they're doing a robbery? You don't have much time from when the silent alarm happens or when people notice that a crime is happening. See, I took all this like he was probably in the back hitting himself with a bag of oranges.
- [43:42]
B
Mm, that sounds right.
- [43:45]
A
He's back there beating his own self up into a coma.
- [43:47]
B
Yeah. Just swinging around. A bag of oranges just helicoptered over its head, then land one right down on the base of his neck.
- [43:54]
A
He running into doors and desks and stuff. They're like, chill, kavekio. You got it. So Kawechio has since been convicted of larceny, obtaining money under false pretenses. And after he was caught stealing $100,000 from his 92 year old aunt, he was convicted of resisting arrest and for cultivating kilograms of marijuana. Damn, Kio.
- [44:20]
B
You know, on the one hand, I don't love him robbing his aunt, but also he's taking care of all the Chiba Hawks out there.
- [44:32]
A
Your aunt was 92. You couldn't just wait a little bit?
- [44:36]
B
Like, you know, no one's all one thing. It's shades of gray.
- [44:41]
A
It's shades of black here. This man is a bad man. Like you robbing your auntie. Like, bruh, after you rob the casino. Like, come on now. How much robbery? How much robbery do you need to do? Oh, copechio.
- [44:55]
B
So it's one of those ironic things where if he worked as hard just making jewelry as he did making counterfeit coins.
- [45:04]
A
He would have been fine. Jewelry sells.
- [45:06]
B
Would have done just fine.
- [45:08]
A
An exorbitant amount of money.
- [45:10]
B
It's a big markup.
- [45:12]
A
But you know, he was like, nope, I'm gonna hit myself with these oranges instead. I'm not mad. I guess. I guess this works. Colbeck. Yo. I truly don't.
- [45:23]
B
Let me guess. Then he and his wife were getting freaky on the oranges.
- [45:26]
A
Yes.
- [45:27]
B
Let me guess, Lacey. What's next? They're getting kinky on the oranges. Go ahead, say it.
- [45:31]
A
They were. But you don't want citrus in your orifices. Some of them you don't want that citrus in there. But whatever floats your boat. So guys, we'll be back after a break of non scam advertisements, robbery and fraud. Alright guys. And we're back. And this is always the saddest portion of the show because it's the end of the show where I have to let Sean go, which I never want to let any of my guests go. This is scammer of the week. So scammer of the week this week is a teenager who stole a plane to see famous Dex. If you don't know who famous Dex is, he's a rapper and apparently the teens love him so much that they would steal a plane. Zamarcus Scott, 19, was arrested on July 4th, my birthday. Hey, 4th of July. See after he was found in the cockpit of an American Eagle twin twin engine jet at an Arkansas airport. What?
- [46:28]
B
So Scott say Arkansas.
- [46:30]
A
Arkansas.
- [46:32]
B
I'm just double checking.
- [46:34]
A
I can't read.
- [46:35]
B
Sounds delicious.
- [46:36]
A
Arkansas. Put it on everything. I'm selling Arkansas. But yeah. So Arkansas airport. Scott was first spotted by airport security personnel who noticed Scott jump a fence onto the property around 2.30am so my question is why didn't the airport security say something before he got to the plane? They're just like somebody jumping over a fence.
- [47:00]
B
He probably just dropped something out of my pay range.
- [47:05]
A
The security officers called police who discovered Scott in the pilot seat of the plane. Scott intended to take the plane to Illinois to see a famous Dex concert. Although Scott has no pilot experience, he told investigators investigators he wasn't concerned because he believed flying the aircraft was nothing but pulling levers and pushing buttons. This man, you didn't even play like a pilot video game.
- [47:30]
B
That's where I thought it was going. That he had like had a flight simulator he liked to play on. But he actually just was like, I know what the basic motions are and I think I'll figure it out. And he's Not. He's not wrong, but he is wrong.
- [47:44]
A
I've been in a cockpit of a commercial plane, and, no, I should not have been there, but I was there. And there's no labels. Nobody got a label maker that's like, push this to fly. Like, how are you gonna figure this out?
- [47:58]
B
Do you think you could figure it out if you were in there?
- [48:00]
A
I mean, shit, I don't know. I hope so. I mean, I heard a little bit.
- [48:04]
B
It does feel like you go, like, I bet I've sort of. You know, I take a little trial and error. But I bet I get it going.
- [48:11]
A
After I watched that Denzel Washington movie where he was on cocaine and alcohol flying the plane, I was.
- [48:16]
B
Well, I'm drunk right now, right?
- [48:18]
A
I'm like, if I was on flight and I'm sober, I should be able to toggle a few things, right?
- [48:22]
B
Mm, yeah.
- [48:24]
A
I don't know. But apparently he had a lot of confidence, which I appreciate in this scammer. Like, shout out to Zamarcus, because I appreciate that. He also admitted that he thought about stealing the plane a month before his attempt. Now, why admit that, like, you already arrested. You don't have to be like, here are other crimes that I was contemplating robbing a jewelry store and hitting myself with a bag of oranges.
- [48:48]
B
Hey, is it worse if it's premeditated? Because I'd love to get that on record, right?
- [48:53]
A
Can y' all tell me, for my future crimes, how I could improve? Cause obviously, I got caught pretty quickly here, and I don't want this to be the case the next time. So at a hearing in August, Scott pleaded innocent to attempted commercial burglary and attempted theft of property. The judge ordered a mental evaluation for Scott to determine if he was competent to stand trial. A psychologist with Southwest Arkansas Counseling and Mental Health center found that Scott was competent. Scott received five years of probation on each charge and $1,000 fine. That's not bad.
- [49:30]
B
No, it's honestly sounds pretty fair.
- [49:34]
A
Like, he attempted to steal the plane. He didn't get. Do you even have keys? Do planes have keys? Like, do you need keys to the plane to turn it on?
- [49:42]
B
That's a great question. You would think that they would have some sort of key system that not just anyone could just get in a plane and kind of start it going.
- [49:52]
A
Also, how did he get on the plane? Did he. Like. Cause isn't it, like, a door and then you pull it down and some stairs. Like, how.
- [49:59]
B
You've reached the limit of my knowledge about how planes work. I'd love to answer for you, but I would be making it up.
- [50:08]
A
He got in the plane like it was a Honda Civic. And also, where were you gonna land the plane? Zamarcus.
- [50:18]
B
That would be the scariest part to me is that if I was successful at getting a plane in the air, I would go, man, there's no way I'm bringing this thing down. Right.
- [50:28]
A
Also, gas. Do you know if the plane's gassed up? Like, they check planes before they fly them. Like, this feels like a lot of risks for a famous Dex concert. And also,
- [50:41]
B
I was surprised that he was found competent based on some of the choices I knew he made. I'm working with, like, a limited amount
- [50:49]
A
of info, but from what we know, he doesn't sound competent. He got in a plane and had no clue how to operate a plane.
- [50:56]
B
He just. He jumped the fence at the airport, got in the plane, and then he was going to fly to a rap concert, and he hadn't done any studying.
- [51:06]
A
All of that sounds like not competent.
- [51:09]
B
Yeah, I would have leaned that way, but I'm not a doctor.
- [51:15]
A
Listen, not a doctor, but. All right, guys, we've reached the end of another episode. Sean, where do you want to be found?
- [51:25]
B
You find me over by the Monopoly slot machine. Hopefully I'm getting to the bonus round. Click on the little dog. I mean, follow me, I guess, on Twitter, Sean Clements, and subscribe to our Patreon the flagrant ones. And maybe check out Hollywood Handbook. We're all having fun making this stuff. Yes.
- [51:51]
A
And as always, guys, if you have a scam, you can email us@scamgottispodgmail.com if you want to follow me and my shenanigans. D I V A L A C I Diva Lacy. On all platforms and. All right, congregation, stay scheming.