DONKEY: 28-Year-Old Poses As H.S. Student To Increase Friend’s Public Assistance Benefits

Summary

Podcast Summary: The Breakfast Club – DONKEY: 28-Year-Old Poses As H.S. Student To Increase Friend’s Public Assistance Benefits
Date: May 13, 2026

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Episode Overview

In this episode, The Breakfast Club crew—Charlamagne Tha God, DJ Envy, and Angela Yee—discuss a bizarre story out of the Bronx: a 28-year-old woman, Casey Classen, posed as a 16-year-old high school student to help her friend receive more public assistance benefits. The hosts break down how she pulled it off, the fallout, and the social implications, while keeping their signature mix of humor and social critique.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Story: Impersonating a Teen for Public Assistance

• Case Summary: Charlamagne presents the “Donkey of the Day” to Casey Classen, who enrolled in Westchester Square Academy under a fake name and age (Shamarra Rashad, 16 years old) so her friend could collect additional public assistance.
  • [03:31] Charlamagne Tha God: “Casey Classen is 28 years old. 2 8. And she is accused of posing as a teenager at a New York City high school for two weeks.”
• The Ruse Unravels: The scheme is exposed after the principal finds Casey’s real information on a Facebook page and confronts her.
  • [04:09] News Reporter: “She enrolled as a student... then the principal... confronted her... She said, ‘My real name is Casey Clown. My real date of birth is July 29, 1997... I lied about my identity because my friend forced me to. She was using me to receive more public assistance.’”

Social Commentary, Humor, and Empathy

• Aging Out of High School: Charlamagne jokes about the obviousness of her age, poking fun at her outdated social media platform and referencing how adults play teens in movies.
  • [05:12] Charlamagne Tha God: “First of all, you should have known she was old because she had a Facebook page.”
  • References actors in their late 20s/30s playing teens as inspiration for Casey’s scheme.
• Desperation and Systemic Failure: The hosts consider the deeper issues of mental health, poverty, and inadequate social supports.
  • [06:36] Charlamagne Tha God: “She clearly suffers from some severe mental health issues... Financial issues will lead people to do something strange for a piece of change, okay?”
• Institutional Failure: Critique of the school for not catching the deception sooner.
  • [08:31] Charlamagne Tha God: “How the hell did this slip through the cracks for two weeks?... It took Facebook to catch her. What gave it away? Her throwback Thursday from when she was 16 in 2014.”
  • Memorable Joke: "I know for a fact when she sat in those tiny little desks, her knees sounded like popcorn popping in the microwave." [08:55]
• Empathy Versus Accountability: Charlamagne expresses empathy for Casey’s struggles but criticizes the Bronx's recurring reputation in outrageous news stories.
  • [06:36] Charlamagne Tha God: “America is a failed project. We don't have resources to take care of the most vulnerable amongst us on any level."

Lively Debate and Banter

• Scamming Back in the Day: DJ Envy admits to his own credit card scams, adding levity to the fraud discussion.
  • [06:27] DJ Envy: “Damn credit card... I can look at a credit card one time and know all 16 digits on the front and a lower CBB code.”
• Bronx Stereotypes: Charlamagne jokes about how tired Bronx kids look, suggesting it’s why no one clocked Casey's age.
  • [09:43] Charlamagne Tha God: “The reality that nobody noticed she was 28… Because every student in the Bronx already looks exhausted from life.”
  • [10:09] Charlamagne Tha God: “Most of the stories are from the Bronx that are crazy. Geez, I’m telling you.”

Tangent: The Cost of Dating

• Transition to New Topic: Angela Yee brings up a report on the rising cost of dating.
  • [11:25] Angela Yee: “Nearly half of single Americans say dating is no longer financially worth it... average date night in America costs between $200 to $250."
  • The crew discusses adapting to economic hardships in modern romance, with humor about cheap date options.

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Notable Quotes & Moments

• Charlamagne Tha God:

  • On the obvious red flag:
    “You should have known she was old because she had a Facebook page.” – [05:12]
  • On real-life exhaustion:
    “Every student in the Bronx already looks exhausted from life.” – [09:43]
  • Empathy for the vulnerable:
    “America is a failed project. We don't have resources to take care of the most vulnerable amongst us on any level.” – [06:36]
  • On school’s failure:
    “It took Facebook to catch her. What gave it away? Her throwback Thursday from when she was 16 in 2014.” – [08:31]

• DJ Envy:

  • Revelation on scamming:
    “I can look at a credit card one time and know all 16 digits...” – [06:27]
  • On first-date frugality:
    “I've always liked stuff like that. That's how you really get to know someone.” – [12:50]

• Angela Yee:

  • Questioning dating standards in a tough economy:
    “How are we dating in this economy, ladies? Do we still expect the red carpet rolled out? Are we cool with something like grabbing coffee, sitting on the grass, eating subway sandwiches?” – [12:37]

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Important Segment Timestamps

• [03:31] – Charlamagne introduces "Donkey of the Day": 28-year-old impersonating a student.
• [04:09] – Detailed news report on Casey Classen’s ruse and confession.
• [05:12] – Charlamagne’s comedic analysis and empathy for Casey’s struggles.
• [06:27] – DJ Envy jokes about his own scamming past.
• [08:31] – Critique of school administration for missing the signs.
• [09:43] – Humorous reasoning why Casey blended in; Bronx kids' exhaustion.
• [11:25] – Angela introduces discussion on cost of dating amid economic pressures.

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Tone and Style

The episode retains The Breakfast Club’s trademark blend of wit, sarcasm, and real talk. The hosts provide humor and sharp social commentary while discussing a wild news story with empathy and plenty of laughs, then pivot seamlessly into everyday issues like dating in a tough economy.

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For listeners:
You’ll get a wild “stranger-than-fiction” story about social aid fraud, sharp jokes on identity and city life, thoughtful reflection on poverty and mental health, and a lively debate about the cost of love in 2026—all with The Breakfast Club’s signature energy.

Transcript

[Charlamagne Tha God]

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[Angela Yee]

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[DJ Envy]

Craziest People in America I already got Bronx Trump.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

It's time for don't give the Day we in the Bronx. The craziest people in America come from the Bronx and all of Florida.

[News Reporter]

Why does the Sunshine State consistently produce such strange news?

[Charlamagne Tha God]

If I catch y' all ass detected

[News Reporter]

I'm with the magenta and y' all

[Charlamagne Tha God]

gonna sit down on set. It is just one of the many wacky news stories out of florid Florida

[Angela Yee]

on the Breakfast Club.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

You know donkey Today for Wednesday, May 13th goes to a 28 year old Bronx woman named Casey Class. And now every other day I get on this radio and I tell y' all that the craziest people in America come from the Bronx and all of Florida. And I must be honest and say that Florida overwhelmingly dominates that versus battle. Okay? Not because there isn't enough nut ass stories coming from the Bronx. It's simply because Florida foolishness is different than others. But today the Bronx wins, okay? And it's not even close. See, Casey Classen is 28 years old. 2 8. And she is accused of posing as a teenager at a New York City high school for two weeks. Let's go to News 12 for the report please.

[News Reporter]

28 year old woman was impersonating a teenager. She successfully enrolled at this school and her name is Casey Klassen. Now according to the criminal complaint, Classen is facing criminal impersonation and trespassing charges. Court records show she pled not guilty to both. The document goes on to say on April 13th she enrolled as a student at Westchester Square Academy under the name Shamarra Rashad with the birthday March 8, 2010, which would make her 16 years old. The principal then saw a Facebook page with her photo and a different birthday and confronted her about it. He first asked her for her information. She said, my name is Shamara Rashad. I'm 16 years old. I'm from Ohio. I came to New York with my sister. Then he showed her the Facebook page and asked if that was her. She said yes. My real name is Casey Clown. My real date of birth is July 29, 1997. I'm not Shamara Rashad. I'm not 16 years old. I lied about my identity because my friend forced me to. She was using me to receive more public assistance.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

First of all, you should have known she was old because she had a Facebook page. Facebook page. Okay. And I feel Casey was on YouTube and she came across the fact that Andrew Garfield played Peter Parker when he was 29. Yes. The 29 year old playing a 17 year old. I feel like Casey was on X and saw someone post how Stacy Dash was 28 playing a 17 year old and clueless. I feel like Casey was watching a Breakfast Club interview with Full Force. Salute to the good brothers. Full Force. Drop on the Clues bomb for Full Force. I feel like she was watching them discuss how they were all in their late 20s, early 30s, playing the role of high school teenagers in house party. Okay. I feel like she saw those things and got a bright idea. And that bright idea was to pose as a 16 year old high school student named Shamar Rashad. Okay. She did all of that allegedly so her friend could receive more public assistance benefits. Times are so hard that you got people willing to pose as high school students so they can get more food stamps, more Medicaid. Maybe just some temporary assistance in the form of cash, commonly called welfare. Maybe she needs some assistance with housing and utilities. I don't know what she needed. I don't know what her friend needs. I just know they needed some type of public assistance and she was willing to pose as a 16 year old to get some. Jess, what kind of type of fraud did you commit when you were trying to get that type of stuff back in the day?

[DJ Envy]

Damn credit card.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

I was.

[DJ Envy]

I was real heavy on them credit cards. I can look at a credit card one time and know all 16 digits on the front and a lower CBB code.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Okay, okay, okay, okay, okay. Now, I read another story in the New York Post where Casey says she spent three years in a psych ward. Okay. She said she fled an abusive marriage and struggled with an eating disorder and that landed her in a psych ward. She clearly suffers from some severe mental health issues. Someone who knows her, who goes by the last name Rogers, told the New York Post that they last communicated with Casey in 2018. And they said they feared that the young woman had been human trafficked and may have been sent to the high school to recruit others. She just a mule. She a mule for public assistance and possibly for human trafficking. Desperate times call for desperate measures. Okay. Casey said Back when she was 25, she lost custody of her 2 year old daughter because of her financial issues. Financial issues will lead people to do something strange for a piece of change, okay? And losing your daughter definitely will. And that's why America is a failed project. We don't have resources to take care of the most vulnerable amongst us on any level. Casey needs to be receiving high levels of psychiatric treatment and her basic needs should be taken care of. Hell, there should be some type of support for her 2 year old as well. But when you have people like this just roaming the streets with no assistance, can't get no snap, that's when they snap and usually end up risking it all and enrolling as a 16 year old high school student when you are 28. I have empathy for her, but you know who I don't have empathy for? The Bronx. Okay, Look, I feel it in my heart, in my spirit, in my bones that she could only get this off anywhere in Florida, in the Bronx. Okay? Yes, she deserves the biggest he haw for enrolling in Westchester Square Academy, but the powers that be at Westchester Square Academy, y' all deserve the biggest hee haw too for allowing her to enroll. How the hell did this slip through the cracks for two weeks? Does she look young? Yes, but she also looks a little weathered. Okay, just the fact that she told y' all she was 16, just because she's frail with glasses doesn't mean she's 16. And it took Facebook to catch her. What gave it away? Her throwback Thursday from when she was 16 in 2014. Huh? Westchester. What did y' all think when you saw those crows feet behind the glasses? You thought she was stressed from failing a driver's test? Two weeks. Two weeks she was at that school. I know for a fact when she sat in those tiny little desks, her knees sounded like popcorn popping in the microwave. And you know the reality? The reality that nobody noticed she was 28. You know why nobody noticed that? Because every student in the Bronx already looks exhausted from life. It's just true. You know what? Let's give Casey, Classen and the administration at Westchester Square Academy the sweet sounds of the Hamiltons. That's what it was. It didn't come to me till the end, sure, but that's what it was.

[DJ Envy]

You literally said every student in the Bronx.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

That's what came to me.

I got little cousins and they don't look stressed out.

[DJ Envy]

Right?

[Charlamagne Tha God]

That's what came to me at the end. That's why she was able to get. Well, not all of them.

What did somebody from the Bronx do?

But a lot of. First of all, you don't watch the news. Then if you watch the news, to you personally, all you gotta do is watch the news, and you will see that the craziest people in America come from the Bronx. And all of Florida watch the local news here in New York. Just one time.

I've been listening to centennials.

Most of the stories are from the Bronx that are crazy. Geez, I'm telling you. But I'm. It came to me at the end. That's why nobody noticed, yo. Because all. There's a lot of students in the Bronx that already look exhausted from life.

[DJ Envy]

Nah, but that's wild. Do we got a picture of Shorty? Because, like, for her to look.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

You want to see her?

I want to see her. What was her name?

[DJ Envy]

One more time. She got to do that for two weeks.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

You said two weeks.

What was her full name?

Casey. Classen. K, A, C, Y, C, L, A, A, S, E, N, I think. Oh, man, we can't. Why y' all say like that, man,

what you thinking over there and playing a jazz.

Did y' all cut it out? Why y' all say oh like that? Why y' all say oh like that? Tell me why you said oh. Matter of fact, don't tell me why y' all said oh? Yeah.

[DJ Envy]

Nah. Cause you know I be in trouble like a month.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Text me.

[Angela Yee]

Yeah, all right.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Text me real quick. Yeah, text me, Jeff.

[DJ Envy]

That's good.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

I see the bubbles. Oh, no jazz. You said love on the spectrum. You need to. Speaking of love. Stop. Mimi Brown. Didn't Mimi have a topic earlier about dating?

Mimi said, people not dating because we broke.

I thought.

[Angela Yee]

This is interesting. Exactly what I said.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Okay.

[Angela Yee]

Okay. So real question for all the single people out there, can you even afford to date? Because according to a new report, nearly half of single Americans say dating is no longer financially worth it. So researchers, they found that the average date night in America costs between 200 to $250 just for one date to go.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Well.

[Angela Yee]

That includes dinner, transportation, just getting ready. Okay. Everything's gone up. Restaurant prices, ticket, date ticket, movie tickets, dating app subscriptions. So people are like, I'm just not dating anymore. They're scaling it back, and they're swapping it out for cooking at home, maybe walks in the park.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

You can't do that if you're dating. Right. Because you're not grabbing somebody's house.

It depends on where you are. Y' all could do a first date walk in the park. That's Cute.

[DJ Envy]

Yeah, you can.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Or you can have a picnic. Yeah, yeah.

You still gotta buy things for the picnic though.

[Angela Yee]

That's that part.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Walking is free.

A picnic is not cheaper to 80 go to subway.

[DJ Envy]

Right, exactly. You go to subway, then you go to five and below and you get what a little blanket gets. Like some little. You know what I'm saying?

[Charlamagne Tha God]

I didn't even get no blanket. We gonna get on the grass. We got the subway.

That's cuz he from the south and he just think we are of the

[Angela Yee]

ear the on the grass. So here's the question. How are we dating in this economy, ladies? Do we still expect the red carpet rolled out? Are we cool with something like grabbing coffee, sitting on the grass, eating subway sandwiches?

[DJ Envy]

I've always liked stuff like that. That's how you really get to know someone. You get to really know a person, you know?

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Okay.

I wish you would buy me Subway with all that scamming you was doing back in the day with your credit cards. You had paper. We gonna talk about it when we come back. 1-800-585-1051. Call us right now. It's the Breakfast Club. Donkey of the day is sponsored by renowned personal injury attorney Michael the Bull Lametsoft. Don't be a donkey when you need a fighter on your side. If you're ever injured, go to michaelthebull.com that's michaelthebull.com and when you mess with the bull, you get the horns.

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Hey, everyone.

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[Charlamagne Tha God]

This is an iHeart podcast.

[Angela Yee]

Guaranteed Human.