https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-scam-call--7193931
Each episode dives deep into the intricate world of cybercrime, revealing the tactics of con artists and the devastating impact of scams. We expose everything from sophisticated online phishing schemes to elaborate identity theft, giving you the knowledge to recognize the red flags before it's too late. This isn't just about cautionary tales; it's about empowering you with real-world defense strategies.

New episodes drop daily, Monday through Sunday, at 4:00 AM, ensuring you get your essential dose of fraud prevention every single day. Expect compelling narratives, breakdowns of current scam trends, and practical advice you can implement immediately. We cover everything from investment scams and tech support fraud to romance scams and cryptocurrency cons.

This podcast is for anyone who wants to stay one step ahead of criminals, protect their money, and secure their personal information. If you're concerned about digital security, online safety, or simply curious about how these intricate deceptions work, you've found your essential guide. Subscribe to The Scam Call and arm yourself with the ultimate defense against deception.]]>enTrue Crime© 2026 OBOMEDIA Creatorshttps://d3wo5wojvuv7l.cloudfront.net/t_rss_itunes_square_1400/images.spreaker.com/original/7131c87512d28c591ab7c0e92e19cc68.jpghttps://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-scam-call--7193931Mon, 21 Sep 2026 08:02:00 +0000Creator at ObomediaCreator at Obomediacreators@obomedia.comEver wonder how you almost fell for that email? Or who's behind those convincing phone calls? The Scam Call unmasks the shocking reality of fraud, bringing you true stories and expert insights to protect yourself. Each episode dives deep into the...
Each episode dives deep into the intricate world of cybercrime, revealing the tactics of con artists and the devastating impact of scams. We expose everything from sophisticated online phishing schemes to elaborate identity theft, giving you the knowledge to recognize the red flags before it's too late. This isn't just about cautionary tales; it's about empowering you with real-world defense strategies.

New episodes drop daily, Monday through Sunday, at 4:00 AM, ensuring you get your essential dose of fraud prevention every single day. Expect compelling narratives, breakdowns of current scam trends, and practical advice you can implement immediately. We cover everything from investment scams and tech support fraud to romance scams and cryptocurrency cons.

This podcast is for anyone who wants to stay one step ahead of criminals, protect their money, and secure their personal information. If you're concerned about digital security, online safety, or simply curious about how these intricate deceptions work, you've found your essential guide. Subscribe to The Scam Call and arm yourself with the ultimate defense against deception.]]>falsec97b5f75-3221-5ff0-bb42-916a43a6d556episodichttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-green-file-in-the-culvert-how-412-000-disappeared-from-keswick--73071447
A soaked green accordion file stuffed with pages turned up in a drainage culvert behind Keswick High School, and the photos one runner took before police arrived preserved a paper trail that would explain how $412,000 vanished. Who built a fraud from pledge cards, a nonprofit filing, and a $14,000 scoreboard panel stored in a unit - and how did so many trusted neighbors pay without verification?

In this episode, we follow the discovery and the records that prosecutors later described as "relentlessly methodical." It covers the pledge campaign, key donations, the phantom facility plans, and the bank records that tied the scheme together - but how did a closed school-board decision and a storage unit panel become the smoking gun?

Person: Eric Coleman
Event: Discovery of green accordion file in culvert on August 11, 2019
Amount: $412,000 disappeared
Donors: 22 people signed pledge cards
Sentence: eleven years in prison

- The green accordion file was found three miles into Gail Holmes’s five-mile run on the morning of August 11, 2019.
- The Keswick Sports Foundation had a pledge goal of $500,000 to build a modernized athletic complex adjacent to the high school.
- Mitch Overbey wrote a $10,000 check in February 2017 but was absent from Coleman’s internal records.
- Eric Coleman paid Meridian Fabrication $14,000 for a custom scoreboard fascia panel that was delivered to a storage unit registered to Donna Coleman.
- Prosecutors reported that the scheme resulted in thirty-one cents recovered for every dollar pledged and Coleman received a sentence of eleven years in prison.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73071447Tue, 22 Sep 2026 08:00:03 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Green File in the Culvert: How $412,000 Disappeared from Keswick A soaked green accordion file stuffed with pages turned up in a drainage culvert behind Keswick High School, and the photos one runner took before police arrived preserved a paper...
A soaked green accordion file stuffed with pages turned up in a drainage culvert behind Keswick High School, and the photos one runner took before police arrived preserved a paper trail that would explain how $412,000 vanished. Who built a fraud from pledge cards, a nonprofit filing, and a $14,000 scoreboard panel stored in a unit - and how did so many trusted neighbors pay without verification?

In this episode, we follow the discovery and the records that prosecutors later described as "relentlessly methodical." It covers the pledge campaign, key donations, the phantom facility plans, and the bank records that tied the scheme together - but how did a closed school-board decision and a storage unit panel become the smoking gun?

Person: Eric Coleman
Event: Discovery of green accordion file in culvert on August 11, 2019
Amount: $412,000 disappeared
Donors: 22 people signed pledge cards
Sentence: eleven years in prison

- The green accordion file was found three miles into Gail Holmes’s five-mile run on the morning of August 11, 2019.
- The Keswick Sports Foundation had a pledge goal of $500,000 to build a modernized athletic complex adjacent to the high school.
- Mitch Overbey wrote a $10,000 check in February 2017 but was absent from Coleman’s internal records.
- Eric Coleman paid Meridian Fabrication $14,000 for a custom scoreboard fascia panel that was delivered to a storage unit registered to Donna Coleman.
- Prosecutors reported that the scheme resulted in thirty-one cents recovered for every dollar pledged and Coleman received a sentence of eleven years in prison.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1118falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/he-stole-their-deposits-the-dry-bag-that-exposed-17k-missing--73071446
A dry canvas deposit bag sitting on a soaked deck revealed a $14,000 hole in a legally required escrow account that had skipped reporting for four years - and one woman’s $450 deposit that vanished within six weeks. Who moved tenant security deposits into operating expenses and a sporting goods store, and when did the park owner know the account was empty?

In this episode, you’ll hear how a meter reader’s photograph, bank reconstructions, and a handwritten log put a small Indiana mobile home park’s finances under a microscope, and the letter that suggested the shortfall may have been known years earlier. What did the forensic accounting and the dated letter to the regulator ultimately prove?

Person: Chad Schultz
Person: Nancy Tillman
Date: July 11, 2019
Location: Pinecrest Meadows, Millford, Indiana
Amount missing: approximately $14,000

- The escrow account required balance across 41 occupied lots was approximately $17,000.
- Bank records showed the account balance never exceeded $3,000 in the four years before July 2019.
- Of 31 deposits received over six years, 28 were moved out of escrow within 45 days of receipt.
- Nancy Tillman paid a $450 deposit in March 2017 and requested its return in June 2019.
- Chad Schultz wrote a letter dated October 14, 2016 to the Indiana Manufactured Housing Division about an escrow balance appearing low due to a bank software transition.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73071446Mon, 21 Sep 2026 08:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaHe Stole Their Deposits: The Dry Bag That Exposed $17K Missing A dry canvas deposit bag sitting on a soaked deck revealed a $14,000 hole in a legally required escrow account that had skipped reporting for four years - and one woman’s $450 deposit...
A dry canvas deposit bag sitting on a soaked deck revealed a $14,000 hole in a legally required escrow account that had skipped reporting for four years - and one woman’s $450 deposit that vanished within six weeks. Who moved tenant security deposits into operating expenses and a sporting goods store, and when did the park owner know the account was empty?

In this episode, you’ll hear how a meter reader’s photograph, bank reconstructions, and a handwritten log put a small Indiana mobile home park’s finances under a microscope, and the letter that suggested the shortfall may have been known years earlier. What did the forensic accounting and the dated letter to the regulator ultimately prove?

Person: Chad Schultz
Person: Nancy Tillman
Date: July 11, 2019
Location: Pinecrest Meadows, Millford, Indiana
Amount missing: approximately $14,000

- The escrow account required balance across 41 occupied lots was approximately $17,000.
- Bank records showed the account balance never exceeded $3,000 in the four years before July 2019.
- Of 31 deposits received over six years, 28 were moved out of escrow within 45 days of receipt.
- Nancy Tillman paid a $450 deposit in March 2017 and requested its return in June 2019.
- Chad Schultz wrote a letter dated October 14, 2016 to the Indiana Manufactured Housing Division about an escrow balance appearing low due to a bank software transition.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1039falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-211-000-salt-scam-how-a-misplaced-invoice-exposed-a-decade-of-theft--73071445
A misplaced supplier invoice for 1,240.40 tons of road salt at $63.15 per ton sat on a sorting table and within 48 hours exposed $211,000 siphoned through a "contingency fund" over 11 years-how did nobody notice a $9-$16 per-ton markup that repeatedly went unexamined? Who finally connected a routine volunteer schedule and a stray paper to a scheme that relied on silence and simple paperwork?

In this episode, we follow the chain of events that began on a Tuesday morning in June 2013 and trace how internal practices at a twelve-town cooperative allowed a single line item to accumulate unexplained funds; we ask how organizational habits and unattended accounting lines hid systematic overbilling for more than a decade.

Person: Ross Allen
Location: Hazen Mills
Organization: Bench Area Road Maintenance Cooperative (BARMC)
Date: June 2013
Amount: $211,000

- Invoice: 1,240.40 tons of sodium chloride at $63.15 per ton found on a sorting table
- Scheme duration: 11 years of billing higher per-ton rates to 12 municipalities
- Markup per ton: between $9 and $16 above contracted price
- Ross Allen hire: 2002 as Executive Coordinator at $51,000 per year
- Volunteer schedule: Gloria Ford volunteered Thursdays 4:30-7:00 and Allen scheduled sensitive calls then each week

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73071445Sun, 20 Sep 2026 08:00:03 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe $211,000 Salt Scam: How a Misplaced Invoice Exposed a Decade of Theft A misplaced supplier invoice for 1,240.40 tons of road salt at $63.15 per ton sat on a sorting table and within 48 hours exposed $211,000 siphoned through a "contingency...
A misplaced supplier invoice for 1,240.40 tons of road salt at $63.15 per ton sat on a sorting table and within 48 hours exposed $211,000 siphoned through a "contingency fund" over 11 years-how did nobody notice a $9-$16 per-ton markup that repeatedly went unexamined? Who finally connected a routine volunteer schedule and a stray paper to a scheme that relied on silence and simple paperwork?

In this episode, we follow the chain of events that began on a Tuesday morning in June 2013 and trace how internal practices at a twelve-town cooperative allowed a single line item to accumulate unexplained funds; we ask how organizational habits and unattended accounting lines hid systematic overbilling for more than a decade.

Person: Ross Allen
Location: Hazen Mills
Organization: Bench Area Road Maintenance Cooperative (BARMC)
Date: June 2013
Amount: $211,000

- Invoice: 1,240.40 tons of sodium chloride at $63.15 per ton found on a sorting table
- Scheme duration: 11 years of billing higher per-ton rates to 12 municipalities
- Markup per ton: between $9 and $16 above contracted price
- Ross Allen hire: 2002 as Executive Coordinator at $51,000 per year
- Volunteer schedule: Gloria Ford volunteered Thursdays 4:30-7:00 and Allen scheduled sensitive calls then each week

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1128falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-beagle-the-sold-prior-files-and-forty-one-stolen-lives--73071444
A beagle named Pepper unearthed forty-one packets stamped SOLD PRIOR on May 9, 2019 - documents that show storage units were sold before the public auctions and that nearly $95,000 changed hands as flat fees. Who was behind those payments, and how many owners were shortchanged out of thousands in rightful proceeds?

In this episode, we lay out the sequence from a trail behind the Harwick County Fairground to the prosecutor’s office, following how auction receipts, flat fees, and receipts tied to a single buyer point to a pattern that left dozens without their due remainder. What did the numbers on those receipts reveal about how the sales were arranged?

Person: Marie Dixon
Company: Ridgecroft Auction Services LLC
Person: Brian Noel
Company: Corridor Storage Solutions LLC
Date: May 9, 2019

- A beagle named Pepper found 41 packets in a concrete culvert behind the Harwick County Fairground on May 9, 2019.
- Each packet contained receipts stamped with the red words "SOLD PRIOR."
- Over 26 months Corridor Storage Solutions paid Marie Dixon $94,800 in flat fees.
- Sandra Okafor was owed approximately $650 after Ridgecroft's stated auction accounting.
- Phil Cordero's true remainder exceeded $1,000 though Ridgecroft's letter claimed no leftover funds.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73071444Sat, 19 Sep 2026 08:00:03 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Beagle, the "SOLD PRIOR" Files, and Forty-One Stolen Lives A beagle named Pepper unearthed forty-one packets stamped SOLD PRIOR on May 9, 2019 - documents that show storage units were sold before the public auctions and that nearly $95,000...
A beagle named Pepper unearthed forty-one packets stamped SOLD PRIOR on May 9, 2019 - documents that show storage units were sold before the public auctions and that nearly $95,000 changed hands as flat fees. Who was behind those payments, and how many owners were shortchanged out of thousands in rightful proceeds?

In this episode, we lay out the sequence from a trail behind the Harwick County Fairground to the prosecutor’s office, following how auction receipts, flat fees, and receipts tied to a single buyer point to a pattern that left dozens without their due remainder. What did the numbers on those receipts reveal about how the sales were arranged?

Person: Marie Dixon
Company: Ridgecroft Auction Services LLC
Person: Brian Noel
Company: Corridor Storage Solutions LLC
Date: May 9, 2019

- A beagle named Pepper found 41 packets in a concrete culvert behind the Harwick County Fairground on May 9, 2019.
- Each packet contained receipts stamped with the red words "SOLD PRIOR."
- Over 26 months Corridor Storage Solutions paid Marie Dixon $94,800 in flat fees.
- Sandra Okafor was owed approximately $650 after Ridgecroft's stated auction accounting.
- Phil Cordero's true remainder exceeded $1,000 though Ridgecroft's letter claimed no leftover funds.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1073falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-11-43-mystery-how-a-treasurer-drained-a-town-s-memorial-fund--73071442
Fear that the person you trust most is quietly taking everything - Millhaven’s memorial fund showed $84,000 on board summaries, but the bank account held just $11.43 when subpoenaed; how did 112 deposits and 109 withdrawals erase more than $100,000 without setting off regulatory alarms? What did a treasurer’s routines hide, and who finally uncovered the paper trail?

In this episode, we tell the sequence of events from the plaque hauled out of Sutter Creek to the subpoena at Millhaven Savings and Loan, outlining how the memorial fund was created, managed, and depleted - and asking whether community trust can mask a long-running financial disappearance.

Person: David Riley
Location: Millhaven, Borden County, Illinois
Date found plaque: April 11, 2019
Account balance at subpoena: $11.43
Total deposits and withdrawals: 112 deposits totaling $106,000+; 109 withdrawals totaling $105,988

- Riley opened the dedicated memorial account in November 2015 and was sole authorized signatory.
- By December 2017 board summaries reported the fund held $84,000.
- The account showed no activity after October 2017 until the February 2019 subpoena.
- Investigators found 112 deposits totaling more than $106,000 into the account.
- Investigators found 109 withdrawals totaling $105,988 from the account.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73071442Fri, 18 Sep 2026 08:00:03 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe $11.43 Mystery: How a Treasurer Drained a Town's Memorial Fund Fear that the person you trust most is quietly taking everything - Millhaven’s memorial fund showed $84,000 on board summaries, but the bank account held just $11.43 when...
Fear that the person you trust most is quietly taking everything - Millhaven’s memorial fund showed $84,000 on board summaries, but the bank account held just $11.43 when subpoenaed; how did 112 deposits and 109 withdrawals erase more than $100,000 without setting off regulatory alarms? What did a treasurer’s routines hide, and who finally uncovered the paper trail?

In this episode, we tell the sequence of events from the plaque hauled out of Sutter Creek to the subpoena at Millhaven Savings and Loan, outlining how the memorial fund was created, managed, and depleted - and asking whether community trust can mask a long-running financial disappearance.

Person: David Riley
Location: Millhaven, Borden County, Illinois
Date found plaque: April 11, 2019
Account balance at subpoena: $11.43
Total deposits and withdrawals: 112 deposits totaling $106,000+; 109 withdrawals totaling $105,988

- Riley opened the dedicated memorial account in November 2015 and was sole authorized signatory.
- By December 2017 board summaries reported the fund held $84,000.
- The account showed no activity after October 2017 until the February 2019 subpoena.
- Investigators found 112 deposits totaling more than $106,000 into the account.
- Investigators found 109 withdrawals totaling $105,988 from the account.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1074falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-tractor-that-proved-a-1-24m-neighborly-scam--73071440
Fear of betrayal in a small town: a surveyor’s casual habit of writing down a tractor serial and an account placard unmasked $1.24 million in fake cooperative leases across eleven farm families - but how did one tractor number crack a decade-long deception? Which documents, placards and one unsent email held the proof that neighbors had been lied to for years?

In this episode, we follow the sequence of events that began with a boundary re-stake and a zip-tied placard and trace how that single observation led investigators to ledgered statements, sealed lender placards, and a draft email on a pickup laptop that confirmed longtime doubts - how did the operation keep appearing as a legitimate lease pool for so long?

Person: Wayne Duncan
Location: Morrow County, Nebraska
Date: March 2019
Amount: $1,240,000
Participants: eleven farm families

- The tractor was a John Deere 8320R with serial number 1R8320RPAG046113 found behind an equipment shed.
- Peggy Wallace recorded the same account reference on two different tractors five days apart and twelve miles away.
- Morrow Ag Leasing had $1.24 million in deposits by spring 2015 from eleven participants.
- Ted Shover deposited $62,000 in 2009 and received quarterly statements for ten years.
- Carl Hess deposited $115,000 and Vicki Lewis deposited $88,000 in 2015; three lenders’ placards remained sealed in envelopes inside Duncan’s shop.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73071440Thu, 17 Sep 2026 08:00:03 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Tractor That Proved a $1.24M Neighborly Scam Fear of betrayal in a small town: a surveyor’s casual habit of writing down a tractor serial and an account placard unmasked $1.24 million in fake cooperative leases across eleven farm families - but...
Fear of betrayal in a small town: a surveyor’s casual habit of writing down a tractor serial and an account placard unmasked $1.24 million in fake cooperative leases across eleven farm families - but how did one tractor number crack a decade-long deception? Which documents, placards and one unsent email held the proof that neighbors had been lied to for years?

In this episode, we follow the sequence of events that began with a boundary re-stake and a zip-tied placard and trace how that single observation led investigators to ledgered statements, sealed lender placards, and a draft email on a pickup laptop that confirmed longtime doubts - how did the operation keep appearing as a legitimate lease pool for so long?

Person: Wayne Duncan
Location: Morrow County, Nebraska
Date: March 2019
Amount: $1,240,000
Participants: eleven farm families

- The tractor was a John Deere 8320R with serial number 1R8320RPAG046113 found behind an equipment shed.
- Peggy Wallace recorded the same account reference on two different tractors five days apart and twelve miles away.
- Morrow Ag Leasing had $1.24 million in deposits by spring 2015 from eleven participants.
- Ted Shover deposited $62,000 in 2009 and received quarterly statements for ten years.
- Carl Hess deposited $115,000 and Vicki Lewis deposited $88,000 in 2015; three lenders’ placards remained sealed in envelopes inside Duncan’s shop.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1100falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-man-with-the-ledger-how-a-fair-s-trust-vanished-into-storage--73071438
Trust turned into theft behind a storage-unit door: a cardboard box labeled "Spot fourteen" seen through a fourteen-inch gap exposed a scheme that ran across at least two Nebraska counties and cost vendors more than $13,400 - how did one man’s ledger and a $42-a-month unit unspool an entire fair’s vendor trust?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from Teresa Simmons’ February 2019 photograph to the unraveling of a holding-fee scam run by a fair vendor manager; you’ll hear how handwritten receipts, cash payments, and stored confirmations replaced board oversight and left vendors wondering what really protected their spots.

Person: Howard Tucker
Location: Clearview Self-Storage, unit eleven
Event: Holding-fee scheme started March 2017
Period: 2017-2019 cycles
Loss: approximately $13,400

- The storage unit door was raised about fourteen inches when Teresa Simmons saw a cardboard box inside.
- Tucker rented unit eleven in March 2017 for $42 per month and paid in cash.
- The fair had 63 applications for 31 spaces by January 2019.
- The fair board’s account contained $2,140 of the scheme’s total funds.
- Vendors were charged a $150 holding fee per spot, presented as an administrative requirement.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73071438Wed, 16 Sep 2026 08:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Man with the Ledger: How a Fair's Trust Vanished into Storage Trust turned into theft behind a storage-unit door: a cardboard box labeled "Spot fourteen" seen through a fourteen-inch gap exposed a scheme that ran across at least two Nebraska...
Trust turned into theft behind a storage-unit door: a cardboard box labeled "Spot fourteen" seen through a fourteen-inch gap exposed a scheme that ran across at least two Nebraska counties and cost vendors more than $13,400 - how did one man’s ledger and a $42-a-month unit unspool an entire fair’s vendor trust?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from Teresa Simmons’ February 2019 photograph to the unraveling of a holding-fee scam run by a fair vendor manager; you’ll hear how handwritten receipts, cash payments, and stored confirmations replaced board oversight and left vendors wondering what really protected their spots.

Person: Howard Tucker
Location: Clearview Self-Storage, unit eleven
Event: Holding-fee scheme started March 2017
Period: 2017-2019 cycles
Loss: approximately $13,400

- The storage unit door was raised about fourteen inches when Teresa Simmons saw a cardboard box inside.
- Tucker rented unit eleven in March 2017 for $42 per month and paid in cash.
- The fair had 63 applications for 31 spaces by January 2019.
- The fair board’s account contained $2,140 of the scheme’s total funds.
- Vendors were charged a $150 holding fee per spot, presented as an administrative requirement.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>960falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/he-stole-their-christmas-the-quilters-41k-betrayal-revealed--73071437
Cold cash in a shoebox at a reservoir and a hand‑written index card listing twenty‑three women and a total of $14,350 forced a small town to confront a betrayal that cost neighbors their holiday savings. How did a trusted bookkeeper turn a quilting guild’s $41,200 Holiday Circle into a personal piggy bank, and who finally noticed the missing money?

In this episode, we tell how the Dellfield Heritage Quilters’ informal Holiday Circle worked, who managed it, and the sequence of deposits and lies that hid years of skimming - from made‑up processing fees to secret personal transfers - until a shoebox and a careful witness turned cash into Exhibit Seven. What timeline of deposits and fabricated charges exposed the theft?

Person: Gordon Bennett
Event: Shoebox found at Ollen Reservoir
Date: January 9, 2019
Total: $14,350 (listed on index card)
Cycle Target: $41,200

- The index card contained twenty‑three women’s first names with individual dollar amounts and a double‑underlined total of $14,350.
- The Dellfield Heritage Quilters had forty‑one active members and met every other Thursday at Cornerstone Lutheran Church by 2015.
- Michael Jones deposited $740 (twenty dollars per member) into his personal account on January 18, 2018, claiming it was a bank processing fee.
- Jones had secretly deposited $11,000 of his own money into the guild account in late 2017 across three installments to cover shortfalls he created.
- The Holiday Circle cycle for 2018 enrolled thirty‑seven members with a combined savings target of $41,200.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73071437Tue, 15 Sep 2026 08:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaHe Stole Their Christmas: The Quilters' $41K Betrayal Revealed Cold cash in a shoebox at a reservoir and a hand‑written index card listing twenty‑three women and a total of $14,350 forced a small town to confront a betrayal that cost neighbors...
Cold cash in a shoebox at a reservoir and a hand‑written index card listing twenty‑three women and a total of $14,350 forced a small town to confront a betrayal that cost neighbors their holiday savings. How did a trusted bookkeeper turn a quilting guild’s $41,200 Holiday Circle into a personal piggy bank, and who finally noticed the missing money?

In this episode, we tell how the Dellfield Heritage Quilters’ informal Holiday Circle worked, who managed it, and the sequence of deposits and lies that hid years of skimming - from made‑up processing fees to secret personal transfers - until a shoebox and a careful witness turned cash into Exhibit Seven. What timeline of deposits and fabricated charges exposed the theft?

Person: Gordon Bennett
Event: Shoebox found at Ollen Reservoir
Date: January 9, 2019
Total: $14,350 (listed on index card)
Cycle Target: $41,200

- The index card contained twenty‑three women’s first names with individual dollar amounts and a double‑underlined total of $14,350.
- The Dellfield Heritage Quilters had forty‑one active members and met every other Thursday at Cornerstone Lutheran Church by 2015.
- Michael Jones deposited $740 (twenty dollars per member) into his personal account on January 18, 2018, claiming it was a bank processing fee.
- Jones had secretly deposited $11,000 of his own money into the guild account in late 2017 across three installments to cover shortfalls he created.
- The Holiday Circle cycle for 2018 enrolled thirty‑seven members with a combined savings target of $41,200.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1135falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-silver-padlock-that-caught-a-small-town-water-thief--73071436
A wrong-colored silver padlock at 6:45 a.m. exposed four years of theft from twenty-eight rural families who trusted a neighbor to fix failing wells - and the single color detail led to files being found neatly moved into a meter shed. How did a paper company, a padded invoice, and a single cooperative meeting turn into tens of thousands of dollars gone from a community bank account?

In this episode, we follow the sequence of events that began with a newspaper route, moved through the formation of a water cooperative, and ended with financial records hidden in a meter shed; what exactly was inside those boxes and who benefited from the inflated invoices?

Person: Douglas Collins
Person: Paul McCarthy
Event: Cooperative formation August 2015
Date: December 9, 2019
Location: Prindle Township, Cavanaugh County, Nebraska

- 6:45 a.m.: fourteen-year-old April Berry noticed the padlock was silver instead of its usual orange.
- 28: number of households that signed onto the Prindle Township Water Cooperative.
- $95: filing fee Collins paid to incorporate Prairie Depth Solutions LLC the afternoon before the first meeting.
- $41,000: actual invoice from Okafor Well and Pump for one drilled well.
- $68,000: amount recorded by Collins and presented to the cooperative, a $27,000 difference paid to Prairie Depth Solutions.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73071436Mon, 14 Sep 2026 08:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Silver Padlock That Caught a Small-Town Water Thief A wrong-colored silver padlock at 6:45 a.m. exposed four years of theft from twenty-eight rural families who trusted a neighbor to fix failing wells - and the single color detail led to files...
A wrong-colored silver padlock at 6:45 a.m. exposed four years of theft from twenty-eight rural families who trusted a neighbor to fix failing wells - and the single color detail led to files being found neatly moved into a meter shed. How did a paper company, a padded invoice, and a single cooperative meeting turn into tens of thousands of dollars gone from a community bank account?

In this episode, we follow the sequence of events that began with a newspaper route, moved through the formation of a water cooperative, and ended with financial records hidden in a meter shed; what exactly was inside those boxes and who benefited from the inflated invoices?

Person: Douglas Collins
Person: Paul McCarthy
Event: Cooperative formation August 2015
Date: December 9, 2019
Location: Prindle Township, Cavanaugh County, Nebraska

- 6:45 a.m.: fourteen-year-old April Berry noticed the padlock was silver instead of its usual orange.
- 28: number of households that signed onto the Prindle Township Water Cooperative.
- $95: filing fee Collins paid to incorporate Prairie Depth Solutions LLC the afternoon before the first meeting.
- $41,000: actual invoice from Okafor Well and Pump for one drilled well.
- $68,000: amount recorded by Collins and presented to the cooperative, a $27,000 difference paid to Prairie Depth Solutions.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>986falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/throwaway-box-two-wires-how-a-broker-stole-310-000-twice--73071435
A banker’s box in a ditch held a promissory note for PRINCIPAL $310,000 and a paper trail proving the same $310,000 had been paid twice; who engineered a duplicate wire and why was the file thrown from a car the night before? The discovery by a plow driver and the edited wire PDF suggest a quiet, patient scheme that relied on people not checking - but who benefited and how was the deception hidden?

In this episode, we follow the sequence of events from the first $310,000 collection to the November closing, and we outline how the altered wire confirmation and a shell company played into the scheme; can the edited metadata and the junked banker's box reveal the person who collected the money twice?

Person: James Colton
Person: Steven Hansen
Person: Lloyd Porter
Event: Closing date November 6
Amount: $310,000

- A banker's box containing a promissory note for PRINCIPAL $310,000 was found in a drainage ditch on November 9 at 5:15 AM.
- Six weeks before the November 6 closing, $310,000 was collected from James Colton through LDG Acquisitions LLC.
- On November 6 the bank wired $310,000 to the closing account and Colton received a second payment of $310,000.
- Lloyd Porter collected a broker fee of $21,700, which is 7% of the $310,000 sale price.
- The original wire confirmation PDF showed the account name edited from PORTER TRANSITION SERVICES LLC to LAKEWOOD DENTAL ESCROW in its metadata.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73071435Sun, 13 Sep 2026 08:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaThrowaway Box, Two Wires: How a Broker Stole $310,000 Twice A banker’s box in a ditch held a promissory note for PRINCIPAL $310,000 and a paper trail proving the same $310,000 had been paid twice; who engineered a duplicate wire and why was the...
A banker’s box in a ditch held a promissory note for PRINCIPAL $310,000 and a paper trail proving the same $310,000 had been paid twice; who engineered a duplicate wire and why was the file thrown from a car the night before? The discovery by a plow driver and the edited wire PDF suggest a quiet, patient scheme that relied on people not checking - but who benefited and how was the deception hidden?

In this episode, we follow the sequence of events from the first $310,000 collection to the November closing, and we outline how the altered wire confirmation and a shell company played into the scheme; can the edited metadata and the junked banker's box reveal the person who collected the money twice?

Person: James Colton
Person: Steven Hansen
Person: Lloyd Porter
Event: Closing date November 6
Amount: $310,000

- A banker's box containing a promissory note for PRINCIPAL $310,000 was found in a drainage ditch on November 9 at 5:15 AM.
- Six weeks before the November 6 closing, $310,000 was collected from James Colton through LDG Acquisitions LLC.
- On November 6 the bank wired $310,000 to the closing account and Colton received a second payment of $310,000.
- Lloyd Porter collected a broker fee of $21,700, which is 7% of the $310,000 sale price.
- The original wire confirmation PDF showed the account name edited from PORTER TRANSITION SERVICES LLC to LAKEWOOD DENTAL ESCROW in its metadata.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1063falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-laminated-lie-how-one-pole-unraveled-640-000-in-fraud--73071434
A single laminated photograph zip-tied to a utility pole - timestamped August 14, 2018 - sat in frost for seven months and contradicted every local memory: no hailstorm hit Adler County that August. That forgotten card helped expose more than $640,000 in fabricated crop-insurance claims and raised one central question: how did a trusted adjuster turn four hundred and thirty-one photos taken in one afternoon into a scheme that lasted over a year?

In this episode, we follow the sequence of everyday actions that unraveled the fraud: field visits, photo evidence, bank payouts, and the paper trail assembled by a lineman, an auditor, and a state investigator. We trace how routine trust in rural insurance work masked fabricated claims and ask whether a single overlooked detail can undo an entire operation.

Person: Patricia Zimmerman
Topic: Fabricated crop-insurance claims
Location: Adler County, Iowa
Amount: $640,000
Photos: 431

- The laminated photograph was timestamped August 14, 2018 and was left on a transformer pole for seven months.
- Meridian Agricultural Insurance covered roughly 40% of cropland in Adler County.
- Zimmerman had completed an online adjuster certification by 2015 and contracted with Meridian as a field adjuster.
- One fabricated payout to Douglas Hegstad totaled $18,700.
- Three farmers received unexpected payouts: $18,700 in 2017, $22,000 in December 2017, and more than $24,000 in July 2018.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73071434Sat, 12 Sep 2026 08:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Laminated Lie: How One Pole Unraveled $640,000 in Fraud A single laminated photograph zip-tied to a utility pole - timestamped August 14, 2018 - sat in frost for seven months and contradicted every local memory: no hailstorm hit Adler County...
A single laminated photograph zip-tied to a utility pole - timestamped August 14, 2018 - sat in frost for seven months and contradicted every local memory: no hailstorm hit Adler County that August. That forgotten card helped expose more than $640,000 in fabricated crop-insurance claims and raised one central question: how did a trusted adjuster turn four hundred and thirty-one photos taken in one afternoon into a scheme that lasted over a year?

In this episode, we follow the sequence of everyday actions that unraveled the fraud: field visits, photo evidence, bank payouts, and the paper trail assembled by a lineman, an auditor, and a state investigator. We trace how routine trust in rural insurance work masked fabricated claims and ask whether a single overlooked detail can undo an entire operation.

Person: Patricia Zimmerman
Topic: Fabricated crop-insurance claims
Location: Adler County, Iowa
Amount: $640,000
Photos: 431

- The laminated photograph was timestamped August 14, 2018 and was left on a transformer pole for seven months.
- Meridian Agricultural Insurance covered roughly 40% of cropland in Adler County.
- Zimmerman had completed an online adjuster certification by 2015 and contracted with Meridian as a field adjuster.
- One fabricated payout to Douglas Hegstad totaled $18,700.
- Three farmers received unexpected payouts: $18,700 in 2017, $22,000 in December 2017, and more than $24,000 in July 2018.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1229falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-treasurer-who-lied-to-a-town-411-000-missing-box-on-a-trail--73071432
A small-town treasurer hid $411,000 in plain sight for nine years while a labeled box of financial records sat on a jogging trail waiting to be found - who would notice and why did no one check the bank statements? This episode centers on the missing booster club funds, the cardboard box labeled "GBCA FINANCIALS FY2010-FY2018" left on a drainage swale, and the single volunteer who could not let a printed summary go unanswered.

In this episode, we tell how routine volunteer bookkeeping, a string of fundraiser deposits, and one accounts payable clerk's skepticism exposed a long-running theft; what led Sherry Slater to keep pushing for a real bank statement and how her actions cracked the case are the questions that drive the story.

Person: John Patterson
Person: Dale Morris
Person: Sherry Slater
Location: Hendrick County Recreational Path
Amount: $411,000

- On September 9, 2019 at 6:15 AM John Patterson found a cardboard box labeled "GBCA FINANCIALS FY2010-FY2018" in a drainage swale.
- Grover Flats Regional High School enrolls roughly 340 students supported by the Grover Flats Booster Club Association.
- The booster club's car wash program brought in approximately $31,000 over four years.
- Dale Morris became treasurer in fall 2009 at age 51 and served as treasurer while diverting funds beginning October 2009.
- A $9,200 PA system purchase from fall 2017 was recalled by volunteer Terry Voss but was not documented in accessible files.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73071432Fri, 11 Sep 2026 08:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Treasurer Who Lied to a Town: $411,000 Missing, Box on a Trail A small-town treasurer hid $411,000 in plain sight for nine years while a labeled box of financial records sat on a jogging trail waiting to be found - who would notice and why did...
A small-town treasurer hid $411,000 in plain sight for nine years while a labeled box of financial records sat on a jogging trail waiting to be found - who would notice and why did no one check the bank statements? This episode centers on the missing booster club funds, the cardboard box labeled "GBCA FINANCIALS FY2010-FY2018" left on a drainage swale, and the single volunteer who could not let a printed summary go unanswered.

In this episode, we tell how routine volunteer bookkeeping, a string of fundraiser deposits, and one accounts payable clerk's skepticism exposed a long-running theft; what led Sherry Slater to keep pushing for a real bank statement and how her actions cracked the case are the questions that drive the story.

Person: John Patterson
Person: Dale Morris
Person: Sherry Slater
Location: Hendrick County Recreational Path
Amount: $411,000

- On September 9, 2019 at 6:15 AM John Patterson found a cardboard box labeled "GBCA FINANCIALS FY2010-FY2018" in a drainage swale.
- Grover Flats Regional High School enrolls roughly 340 students supported by the Grover Flats Booster Club Association.
- The booster club's car wash program brought in approximately $31,000 over four years.
- Dale Morris became treasurer in fall 2009 at age 51 and served as treasurer while diverting funds beginning October 2009.
- A $9,200 PA system purchase from fall 2017 was recalled by volunteer Terry Voss but was not documented in accessible files.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1062falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-motorhome-that-never-existed-how-a-community-lost-204-000--73071431
Fear that your neighbor’s good name could be the very thing that ruins your savings - a small town trusted a familiar volunteer and lost $204,000 to a raffle whose grand prize never existed; how did a laminated placard become the sole proof of an $84,000 motorhome that was never bought?

In this episode, we lay out the timeline of the Copper Falls Community Lost Fund raffle, the paperwork and personal networks that made it seem legitimate, and the financial trail that exposed the fraud - can a stack of receipts and one careful buyer’s habit unravel six years of local trust?

Person: Dale Taylor
Organization: Copper Falls Community Lost Fund
Prize: 2019 Class A motorhome, 32 feet, valued at $84,000
Amount raised: $211,000
Missing funds: $204,000

- Tickets sold for $25 each or 5 for $100 at least five local outlets including a hardware store and biweekly farmers market.
- Taylor rented storage unit at 14 Commerce Loop for $80 per month claiming it held the motorhome; unit contained only a laminated placard.
- Nonprofit registered in January 2021 with three listed directors; two directors were unaware their names were used.
- Heather Phillips purchased $250 in tickets in June and August 2021 and kept receipts that later helped investigators.
- Documented legitimate raffle expenses totaled $6,600; remaining $204,000 was transferred into Taylor’s personal account and CF Event Solutions LLC.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73071431Thu, 10 Sep 2026 08:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Motorhome That Never Existed: How a Community Lost $204,000 Fear that your neighbor’s good name could be the very thing that ruins your savings - a small town trusted a familiar volunteer and lost $204,000 to a raffle whose grand prize never...
Fear that your neighbor’s good name could be the very thing that ruins your savings - a small town trusted a familiar volunteer and lost $204,000 to a raffle whose grand prize never existed; how did a laminated placard become the sole proof of an $84,000 motorhome that was never bought?

In this episode, we lay out the timeline of the Copper Falls Community Lost Fund raffle, the paperwork and personal networks that made it seem legitimate, and the financial trail that exposed the fraud - can a stack of receipts and one careful buyer’s habit unravel six years of local trust?

Person: Dale Taylor
Organization: Copper Falls Community Lost Fund
Prize: 2019 Class A motorhome, 32 feet, valued at $84,000
Amount raised: $211,000
Missing funds: $204,000

- Tickets sold for $25 each or 5 for $100 at least five local outlets including a hardware store and biweekly farmers market.
- Taylor rented storage unit at 14 Commerce Loop for $80 per month claiming it held the motorhome; unit contained only a laminated placard.
- Nonprofit registered in January 2021 with three listed directors; two directors were unaware their names were used.
- Heather Phillips purchased $250 in tickets in June and August 2021 and kept receipts that later helped investigators.
- Documented legitimate raffle expenses totaled $6,600; remaining $204,000 was transferred into Taylor’s personal account and CF Event Solutions LLC.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>989falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-man-who-took-2-3m-and-left-1-140-names-behind--73071429
Greed and small-town trust collided in Fenwick when a pile of 1,140 contracts and $2.3 million in prepaid funeral funds were found strewn on a church storage floor, while the trust account held exactly eleven dollars-how did a licensed local businessman take decades of payments and leave families with nothing? What went wrong between the paperwork, the trust administrators, and the man everyone trusted with their final plans?

In this episode, we tell the sequence of events from the morning those contracts were discovered to the calls, searches, and referrals that followed, tracing the documents, the fake fiduciary name, and the red flags that prompted a fraud investigation. Can records and a small town's memory reveal where the money went and who was responsible?

Person: Vernon Erickson
Location: Fenwick, Nebraska
Date found: July 9, 2014
Total collected: $2,300,000
Contracts counted: 1,140

- The storage annex contained hundreds of contracts fanned on the floor when Paul Padgett found them on July 9, 2014.
- Serenity Path Funeral Planning Services was registered as an LLC in January 2004 and offered packages costing $3,000 to $8,000.
- The trust account that should have held client funds had a balance of eleven dollars.
- Crystal Bishop's mother paid $4,500 for the "Tranquil Passage" package in 2008 and died in March 2014.
- Serenity Path's paperwork listed "Westgate Fiduciary Partners" as trust administrator on recent filings, but no such company existed in state registries.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73071429Wed, 09 Sep 2026 08:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Man Who Took $2.3M and Left 1,140 Names Behind Greed and small-town trust collided in Fenwick when a pile of 1,140 contracts and $2.3 million in prepaid funeral funds were found strewn on a church storage floor, while the trust account held...
Greed and small-town trust collided in Fenwick when a pile of 1,140 contracts and $2.3 million in prepaid funeral funds were found strewn on a church storage floor, while the trust account held exactly eleven dollars-how did a licensed local businessman take decades of payments and leave families with nothing? What went wrong between the paperwork, the trust administrators, and the man everyone trusted with their final plans?

In this episode, we tell the sequence of events from the morning those contracts were discovered to the calls, searches, and referrals that followed, tracing the documents, the fake fiduciary name, and the red flags that prompted a fraud investigation. Can records and a small town's memory reveal where the money went and who was responsible?

Person: Vernon Erickson
Location: Fenwick, Nebraska
Date found: July 9, 2014
Total collected: $2,300,000
Contracts counted: 1,140

- The storage annex contained hundreds of contracts fanned on the floor when Paul Padgett found them on July 9, 2014.
- Serenity Path Funeral Planning Services was registered as an LLC in January 2004 and offered packages costing $3,000 to $8,000.
- The trust account that should have held client funds had a balance of eleven dollars.
- Crystal Bishop's mother paid $4,500 for the "Tranquil Passage" package in 2008 and died in March 2014.
- Serenity Path's paperwork listed "Westgate Fiduciary Partners" as trust administrator on recent filings, but no such company existed in state registries.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1069falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-trail-of-47-000-how-a-small-town-found-a-hidden-heist--73071428
Fear that your neighbor's recommendation could cost you everything: a sealed envelope with $47,000 in fifty-dollar bills was left on a gravel path that did not appear on public maps, connected to an account closed by court order with a zero balance - who would carry nearly fifty thousand dollars to a hidden trail and why was it left there?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from the morning the money was found to the first official complaint that set investigators in motion, tracing how a local investment circle collected $812,000 from 41 people and why one woman's organized reporting changed the course of the case; how did social trust turn into a conduit for large-scale loss?

Person: Pauline Osgood
Date: May 14, 2019
Location: Ralph Keller Trail
Amount: $47,000
Case: Fenwick Forward Investment Circle

- The sealed bank envelope contained banded fifty-dollar bills totaling $47,000.
- The attached sticky note referenced "Acct. 7741 - final transfer, J.S., May eleventh" and the account had been closed by court order nine days earlier with a zero balance.
- The Circle collected $812,000 from 41 people between 2017 and 2019.
- Stevens paid out roughly $230,000 in apparent returns while $582,000 moved in ways investigators later untangled.
- Valerie Christensen contributed $19,000 over eighteen months and filed the complaint with Orin County financial crimes on May 31, 2019.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73071428Tue, 08 Sep 2026 08:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Trail of $47,000: How a Small Town Found a Hidden Heist Fear that your neighbor's recommendation could cost you everything: a sealed envelope with $47,000 in fifty-dollar bills was left on a gravel path that did not appear on public maps,...
Fear that your neighbor's recommendation could cost you everything: a sealed envelope with $47,000 in fifty-dollar bills was left on a gravel path that did not appear on public maps, connected to an account closed by court order with a zero balance - who would carry nearly fifty thousand dollars to a hidden trail and why was it left there?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from the morning the money was found to the first official complaint that set investigators in motion, tracing how a local investment circle collected $812,000 from 41 people and why one woman's organized reporting changed the course of the case; how did social trust turn into a conduit for large-scale loss?

Person: Pauline Osgood
Date: May 14, 2019
Location: Ralph Keller Trail
Amount: $47,000
Case: Fenwick Forward Investment Circle

- The sealed bank envelope contained banded fifty-dollar bills totaling $47,000.
- The attached sticky note referenced "Acct. 7741 - final transfer, J.S., May eleventh" and the account had been closed by court order nine days earlier with a zero balance.
- The Circle collected $812,000 from 41 people between 2017 and 2019.
- Stevens paid out roughly $230,000 in apparent returns while $582,000 moved in ways investigators later untangled.
- Valerie Christensen contributed $19,000 over eighteen months and filed the complaint with Orin County financial crimes on May 31, 2019.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1004falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-river-portfolio-how-a-trotline-exposed-a-treasurer-s-672k-lie--73071427
Fear and small-town trust collide: a waterlogged leather portfolio pulled from Sawyer Fork revealed every entry ending in .09, a pattern that unspooled twenty-two years of deception and $672,000 in unexplained county disbursements-so how did nobody add the numbers up for decades?

In this episode, we walk through the discovery, the people involved, and the records that cracked open a trusted public official's scheme; what started with a fisherman’s trotline and a soaked case became a trail of accounting details that forced a county to face one central question: how did a habitual pattern of nine-cent endings hide for so long?

Person: Grant Rice
Event: Portfolio recovered from trotline on May 9
Location: Sawyer Fork / Harwick County annex / Colville bank branch
Person: Gary Walsh
Person: Gina Miller

- The portfolio was recovered before sunrise on May 9 by fisherman Gary Walsh.
- Every number on every page inside the portfolio ended in exactly nine cents.
- Grant Rice had served as Harwick County Treasurer for twenty-two years and four terms.
- The portfolio contained eleven documents covering January through April of that year.
- A bank account at a Colville branch had never delivered a single invoice yet remained active and received county disbursements.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73071427Mon, 07 Sep 2026 08:00:03 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe River Portfolio: How a Trotline Exposed a Treasurer's $672K Lie Fear and small-town trust collide: a waterlogged leather portfolio pulled from Sawyer Fork revealed every entry ending in .09, a pattern that unspooled twenty-two years of...
Fear and small-town trust collide: a waterlogged leather portfolio pulled from Sawyer Fork revealed every entry ending in .09, a pattern that unspooled twenty-two years of deception and $672,000 in unexplained county disbursements-so how did nobody add the numbers up for decades?

In this episode, we walk through the discovery, the people involved, and the records that cracked open a trusted public official's scheme; what started with a fisherman’s trotline and a soaked case became a trail of accounting details that forced a county to face one central question: how did a habitual pattern of nine-cent endings hide for so long?

Person: Grant Rice
Event: Portfolio recovered from trotline on May 9
Location: Sawyer Fork / Harwick County annex / Colville bank branch
Person: Gary Walsh
Person: Gina Miller

- The portfolio was recovered before sunrise on May 9 by fisherman Gary Walsh.
- Every number on every page inside the portfolio ended in exactly nine cents.
- Grant Rice had served as Harwick County Treasurer for twenty-two years and four terms.
- The portfolio contained eleven documents covering January through April of that year.
- A bank account at a Colville branch had never delivered a single invoice yet remained active and received county disbursements.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1041falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/they-bought-creekfront-lots-that-never-existed-he-took-343-000--73071425
Someone convinced nine families to wire deposits totaling $343,000 for creekfront lots that didn’t exist, while five laminated placards stood in a soybean field and the real owner never knew his land was being sold. How did a man with blueprints, a rented office and an escrow clause spend three years selling paper lots until a 22-year-old bookkeeper’s curiosity started the collapse?

In this episode, you will hear how transactions, contracts and everyday banking blurred into a small-scale land fraud in Pallister County and how a single routine paperwork review turned months of deception into an eleven-day unraveling. What mistakes did buyers and local systems make that allowed this scheme to persist from 2016 to 2019?

Person: Neil Meyer
Date: scheme ran from 2016 to 2019
Amount: $343,000
Location: Larkin Creek, Pallister County, Iowa
Owner: Paul Harwick

- Nine families wired deposits to reserve lots in "Larkin Creek Estates" they believed were creek-side parcels.
- Five laminated placards marking foundation forms were found staked in a soybean field on Harwick’s 60-acre property.
- The escrow agent named in contracts was Neil Meyer, but the escrow account did not exist and deposits went into a checking account for Meyer Residential Development LLC.
- Margaret Hollis invested $22,000 and Jeff Sato invested $35,000; the Perkins family committed $26,000.
- The parcel identification numbers in Meyer's contracts were copied from an abandoned 1990s subdivision plat and matched Paul Harwick’s farmland.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73071425Sun, 06 Sep 2026 08:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaThey Bought Creekfront Lots That Never Existed - He Took $343,000 Someone convinced nine families to wire deposits totaling $343,000 for creekfront lots that didn’t exist, while five laminated placards stood in a soybean field and the real owner...
Someone convinced nine families to wire deposits totaling $343,000 for creekfront lots that didn’t exist, while five laminated placards stood in a soybean field and the real owner never knew his land was being sold. How did a man with blueprints, a rented office and an escrow clause spend three years selling paper lots until a 22-year-old bookkeeper’s curiosity started the collapse?

In this episode, you will hear how transactions, contracts and everyday banking blurred into a small-scale land fraud in Pallister County and how a single routine paperwork review turned months of deception into an eleven-day unraveling. What mistakes did buyers and local systems make that allowed this scheme to persist from 2016 to 2019?

Person: Neil Meyer
Date: scheme ran from 2016 to 2019
Amount: $343,000
Location: Larkin Creek, Pallister County, Iowa
Owner: Paul Harwick

- Nine families wired deposits to reserve lots in "Larkin Creek Estates" they believed were creek-side parcels.
- Five laminated placards marking foundation forms were found staked in a soybean field on Harwick’s 60-acre property.
- The escrow agent named in contracts was Neil Meyer, but the escrow account did not exist and deposits went into a checking account for Meyer Residential Development LLC.
- Margaret Hollis invested $22,000 and Jeff Sato invested $35,000; the Perkins family committed $26,000.
- The parcel identification numbers in Meyer's contracts were copied from an abandoned 1990s subdivision plat and matched Paul Harwick’s farmland.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1026falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-filing-cabinet-the-broken-r-and-473-000-vanished--73071424
Fear and outrage collide when a frozen filing cabinet in a yard exposes a tiny broken letter that links four years of fabricated statements to $473,000 taken from 114 trusting people - how did a single typewriter defect become the clue that cracked the case?

In this episode, you will hear how a routine drain call led Michael Rice to photograph a scattered statement, how a broken capital R matched every fake page, and how small, methodical checks by family members and bank employees revealed the gap that started the investigation: could a misprinted R really unmask a long-running fraud?

Person: Michael Rice
Location: Alderton, Harlan County, Indiana
Event: Filing cabinet with scattered papers found on March 11
Amount: $473,000 vanished from 114 people
Interest rate promised: 4% annually

- The filing cabinet was found flat on frozen ground with both drawers open and papers in mud and frost.
- Michael Rice discovered a page headed "Harlan Neighbors Retirement Club" showing a balance statement of $412,000.
- The capital R in "Retirement" had a small break in the upper serif matching letters on the victim's mail for four years.
- The scheme collected $473,000 from 114 people through fabricated statements over four years.
- Gail Burns found an interest discrepancy of $11.40 and the bank reported a balance closer to $41,000 versus a declared $412,000.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73071424Sat, 05 Sep 2026 08:00:03 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Filing Cabinet, the Broken R, and $473,000 Vanished Fear and outrage collide when a frozen filing cabinet in a yard exposes a tiny broken letter that links four years of fabricated statements to $473,000 taken from 114 trusting people - how did...
Fear and outrage collide when a frozen filing cabinet in a yard exposes a tiny broken letter that links four years of fabricated statements to $473,000 taken from 114 trusting people - how did a single typewriter defect become the clue that cracked the case?

In this episode, you will hear how a routine drain call led Michael Rice to photograph a scattered statement, how a broken capital R matched every fake page, and how small, methodical checks by family members and bank employees revealed the gap that started the investigation: could a misprinted R really unmask a long-running fraud?

Person: Michael Rice
Location: Alderton, Harlan County, Indiana
Event: Filing cabinet with scattered papers found on March 11
Amount: $473,000 vanished from 114 people
Interest rate promised: 4% annually

- The filing cabinet was found flat on frozen ground with both drawers open and papers in mud and frost.
- Michael Rice discovered a page headed "Harlan Neighbors Retirement Club" showing a balance statement of $412,000.
- The capital R in "Retirement" had a small break in the upper serif matching letters on the victim's mail for four years.
- The scheme collected $473,000 from 114 people through fabricated statements over four years.
- Gail Burns found an interest discrepancy of $11.40 and the bank reported a balance closer to $41,000 versus a declared $412,000.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1095falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/inmediato-reservar-como-llegaron-ahi--73071423
Fear that the person you trust with your harvest is stealing from you - that's what hits first: four identical receipts found in the snow, a retired teacher who treated them like evidence, and one man who used a grain elevator's name to siphon $1.4 million from neighbors. How did laser-printed slips, a copied letterhead, and yellowed dashboard pages convince farmers to hand over their stored grain?

In this episode, we follow the trail from a kitchen table ledger to the receipts on Silo Access Road and trace the methods used to convert legitimate sales into repeated frauds. What patterns and mistakes allowed one operator to sell the same lot multiple times without immediate detection?

Person: Denise Donnelly
Date: February 26, 2019
Location: Garner, Iowa
Amount: $1,400,000
Case: multiple sales of same grain lot

- Four paper receipts with the same lot number, same quantity, and same name "Donnelly" were found in the snow.
- Denise Donnelly's legit sale of lot 7-4418 was for 22,400 bushels of corn, netting $89,600.
- Kevin Stein incorporated Kellerman Grain Services, LLC in 2015 and operated from a two-room office in Garner.
- Stein's own cash-flow projection from mid-August 2018 showed a shortfall of $340,000 on a yellow legal pad.
- Across eleven farming families the total exposure reached $1.4 million; Donnelly’s account was short $124,400 after Stein extracted $214,000.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73071423Fri, 04 Sep 2026 08:00:02 +0000Creator at Obomediainmediato. Reservar: cómo llegaron ahí Fear that the person you trust with your harvest is stealing from you - that's what hits first: four identical receipts found in the snow, a retired teacher who treated them like evidence, and one man who used...
Fear that the person you trust with your harvest is stealing from you - that's what hits first: four identical receipts found in the snow, a retired teacher who treated them like evidence, and one man who used a grain elevator's name to siphon $1.4 million from neighbors. How did laser-printed slips, a copied letterhead, and yellowed dashboard pages convince farmers to hand over their stored grain?

In this episode, we follow the trail from a kitchen table ledger to the receipts on Silo Access Road and trace the methods used to convert legitimate sales into repeated frauds. What patterns and mistakes allowed one operator to sell the same lot multiple times without immediate detection?

Person: Denise Donnelly
Date: February 26, 2019
Location: Garner, Iowa
Amount: $1,400,000
Case: multiple sales of same grain lot

- Four paper receipts with the same lot number, same quantity, and same name "Donnelly" were found in the snow.
- Denise Donnelly's legit sale of lot 7-4418 was for 22,400 bushels of corn, netting $89,600.
- Kevin Stein incorporated Kellerman Grain Services, LLC in 2015 and operated from a two-room office in Garner.
- Stein's own cash-flow projection from mid-August 2018 showed a shortfall of $340,000 on a yellow legal pad.
- Across eleven farming families the total exposure reached $1.4 million; Donnelly’s account was short $124,400 after Stein extracted $214,000.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1026falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-man-who-faked-693-000-church-treasurer-s-eleven-year-theft--73071422
Fear that your community's most trusted man has been stealing for over a decade and hiding $693,000 behind neat annual statements-what would you do if the numbers never matched reality? This episode reveals how one precise interest discrepancy unspooled an eleven-year deception and left a soybean field where a church was supposed to rise. Who was trusted enough to hide this for so long, and how was it finally exposed?

In this episode, we lay out the timeline of the Redeemer Fellowship Building Fund, the roles people played, and the single calculation that triggered an official inquiry. You will hear how a twenty-three-year-old bookkeeper's napkin math turned into a state financial crimes investigation and what the bank records actually showed.

Person: Gordon Baker
Person: Dawn Williams
Person: Pastor Elvin Marsh
Location: Millbrook Road and County Route Nine
Status: State financial crimes inquiry opened

- Claimed balance on the annual statement in year ten: $693,000.
- Reported interest credited in year ten: $4,200.
- Expected interest at ~4% on $693,000 in year ten: about $27,000.
- Actual Cornerstone Account balance after subpoena: $31,000.
- Baker chaired the Building Fund Committee for eleven years and served as treasurer for fourteen years.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73071422Thu, 03 Sep 2026 08:00:03 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Man Who Faked $693,000: Church Treasurer's Eleven-Year Theft Fear that your community's most trusted man has been stealing for over a decade and hiding $693,000 behind neat annual statements-what would you do if the numbers never matched...
Fear that your community's most trusted man has been stealing for over a decade and hiding $693,000 behind neat annual statements-what would you do if the numbers never matched reality? This episode reveals how one precise interest discrepancy unspooled an eleven-year deception and left a soybean field where a church was supposed to rise. Who was trusted enough to hide this for so long, and how was it finally exposed?

In this episode, we lay out the timeline of the Redeemer Fellowship Building Fund, the roles people played, and the single calculation that triggered an official inquiry. You will hear how a twenty-three-year-old bookkeeper's napkin math turned into a state financial crimes investigation and what the bank records actually showed.

Person: Gordon Baker
Person: Dawn Williams
Person: Pastor Elvin Marsh
Location: Millbrook Road and County Route Nine
Status: State financial crimes inquiry opened

- Claimed balance on the annual statement in year ten: $693,000.
- Reported interest credited in year ten: $4,200.
- Expected interest at ~4% on $693,000 in year ten: about $27,000.
- Actual Cornerstone Account balance after subpoena: $31,000.
- Baker chaired the Building Fund Committee for eleven years and served as treasurer for fourteen years.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1029falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-snowplow-found-what-grant-records-said-didn-t-exist--73071421
A snowplow blade uncovered a sealed banker’s box stamped "PROCESSED" in a courthouse parking lot on December 11, 2019-inside were 112 photographic slides, a 1941 ledger, and a roll of hand-drawn plat maps that grant paperwork said were digitized and in climate-controlled storage. How did documents supposedly preserved and publicly accessible end up in the slush, and what did that contradiction hide?

In this episode, we follow the sequence of grants, meetings, and records that tied the Millbrook County Historical Society, its executive director, and two grantors together, charting how stated preservation plans diverged from reality and asking whether the paperwork masked a deliberate scheme.

Person: Steven Weaver
Date: December 11, 2019
Location: Millbrook County Courthouse parking lot
Topic: Digitization grants and archival storage
Event: Discovery of sealed banker’s box with historical materials

- 112 photographic slides were found in a sealed banker's box stamped "PROCESSED."
- The ledger recovered was dated 1941.
- Millbrook County Historical Society received an $82,000 grant from the Calloway State Humanities Council in March 2016.
- Ridgeline Document Services reported processing roughly 2,000 items by mid-2016.
- The snowplow discovery occurred at 7:42 AM on December 11, 2019.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73071421Wed, 02 Sep 2026 08:00:03 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Snowplow Found What Grant Records Said Didn't Exist A snowplow blade uncovered a sealed banker’s box stamped "PROCESSED" in a courthouse parking lot on December 11, 2019-inside were 112 photographic slides, a 1941 ledger, and a roll of...
A snowplow blade uncovered a sealed banker’s box stamped "PROCESSED" in a courthouse parking lot on December 11, 2019-inside were 112 photographic slides, a 1941 ledger, and a roll of hand-drawn plat maps that grant paperwork said were digitized and in climate-controlled storage. How did documents supposedly preserved and publicly accessible end up in the slush, and what did that contradiction hide?

In this episode, we follow the sequence of grants, meetings, and records that tied the Millbrook County Historical Society, its executive director, and two grantors together, charting how stated preservation plans diverged from reality and asking whether the paperwork masked a deliberate scheme.

Person: Steven Weaver
Date: December 11, 2019
Location: Millbrook County Courthouse parking lot
Topic: Digitization grants and archival storage
Event: Discovery of sealed banker’s box with historical materials

- 112 photographic slides were found in a sealed banker's box stamped "PROCESSED."
- The ledger recovered was dated 1941.
- Millbrook County Historical Society received an $82,000 grant from the Calloway State Humanities Council in March 2016.
- Ridgeline Document Services reported processing roughly 2,000 items by mid-2016.
- The snowplow discovery occurred at 7:42 AM on December 11, 2019.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>905falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-taxman-next-door-108-families-one-hidden-ledger--73071420
Fear that the person you trusted with your Social Security number stole from your refund - that dread fuels this episode, and the ledger on a storefront window proves it: a hand-drawn grid listed dozens of entries tied to stolen refunds, and by the time it was found 108 households had been victimized. How did a small-town preparer hide a second, midnight tax operation in plain sight, and what finally exposed him?

In this episode, we tell the sequence of events that led from a routine tax office to criminal charges, following the paper trail, the filing logs, and the moments when clients first noticed unexpected notices from the IRS. How did one preparer use clients’ credentials to file amended returns at night and funnel refunds to prepaid cards?

Person: Dean Armstrong
Location: Trujillo Basin, Yavarro County, New Mexico
Period: 2009-2014
Case: Horizontes Tax Services fraud
Event: Discovery of hand-drawn ledger on storefront window

- 108 households had refunds or returns altered and funds diverted.
- Armstrong charged clients between $60 and $90 per return and served roughly 230 households by 2011.
- 104 client accounts showed two submissions: an original return and a later amended Form 1040-X.
- 91 amended returns were filed between 11:00 PM and 2:00 AM from the tax office IP address.
- One diverted refund amount referenced in the transcript was $640 taken from Sandra Vega’s amended return.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73071420Tue, 01 Sep 2026 08:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Taxman Next Door: 108 Families, One Hidden Ledger Fear that the person you trusted with your Social Security number stole from your refund - that dread fuels this episode, and the ledger on a storefront window proves it: a hand-drawn grid...
Fear that the person you trusted with your Social Security number stole from your refund - that dread fuels this episode, and the ledger on a storefront window proves it: a hand-drawn grid listed dozens of entries tied to stolen refunds, and by the time it was found 108 households had been victimized. How did a small-town preparer hide a second, midnight tax operation in plain sight, and what finally exposed him?

In this episode, we tell the sequence of events that led from a routine tax office to criminal charges, following the paper trail, the filing logs, and the moments when clients first noticed unexpected notices from the IRS. How did one preparer use clients’ credentials to file amended returns at night and funnel refunds to prepaid cards?

Person: Dean Armstrong
Location: Trujillo Basin, Yavarro County, New Mexico
Period: 2009-2014
Case: Horizontes Tax Services fraud
Event: Discovery of hand-drawn ledger on storefront window

- 108 households had refunds or returns altered and funds diverted.
- Armstrong charged clients between $60 and $90 per return and served roughly 230 households by 2011.
- 104 client accounts showed two submissions: an original return and a later amended Form 1040-X.
- 91 amended returns were filed between 11:00 PM and 2:00 AM from the tax office IP address.
- One diverted refund amount referenced in the transcript was $640 taken from Sandra Vega’s amended return.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1084falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-clipboard-in-the-rain-how-a-cold-chain-scam-unraveled--73071419
A dry clipboard in a soaked lot led to the collapse of a six-year scheme that siphoned more than $860,000 from 61 ranchers who thought they were paying for refrigerated livestock transport. How did neat temperature logs, carrier certificates, and personal rapport hide a business that never once moved an actual cold load?

In this episode, we follow the sequence of concrete discoveries that exposed the fraud and the human details that let it continue for years: a timestamp discrepancy, a veterinarian's observation, and a clipboard left out in the wrong weather. What exactly fell apart when those small facts were stitched together?

Person: Stanley O'Brien
Company: Apex Livestock Logistics
Amount taken: more than $860,000
Number of ranchers affected: 61
Years of operation described: six years

- The clipboard was found by Terry White at 6:15 AM on October 9, 2019 at the Tulliver County Fairgrounds.
- The bill of lading on the clipboard was dated September 28 and contained temperature readings showing 34-40 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Stanley O'Brien incorporated Apex Livestock Logistics in 2013 after dissolving Summit Freight Solutions in 2012.
- Randy Tucker paid Apex approximately $94,000 over five years and received invoiced temperature logs for 231 loads.
- Pete Gruber operated four dry vans with no refrigeration mounting brackets and subcontracted every load billed as refrigerated.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73071419Mon, 31 Aug 2026 08:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Clipboard in the Rain: How a Cold-Chain Scam Unraveled A dry clipboard in a soaked lot led to the collapse of a six-year scheme that siphoned more than $860,000 from 61 ranchers who thought they were paying for refrigerated livestock transport....
A dry clipboard in a soaked lot led to the collapse of a six-year scheme that siphoned more than $860,000 from 61 ranchers who thought they were paying for refrigerated livestock transport. How did neat temperature logs, carrier certificates, and personal rapport hide a business that never once moved an actual cold load?

In this episode, we follow the sequence of concrete discoveries that exposed the fraud and the human details that let it continue for years: a timestamp discrepancy, a veterinarian's observation, and a clipboard left out in the wrong weather. What exactly fell apart when those small facts were stitched together?

Person: Stanley O'Brien
Company: Apex Livestock Logistics
Amount taken: more than $860,000
Number of ranchers affected: 61
Years of operation described: six years

- The clipboard was found by Terry White at 6:15 AM on October 9, 2019 at the Tulliver County Fairgrounds.
- The bill of lading on the clipboard was dated September 28 and contained temperature readings showing 34-40 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Stanley O'Brien incorporated Apex Livestock Logistics in 2013 after dissolving Summit Freight Solutions in 2012.
- Randy Tucker paid Apex approximately $94,000 over five years and received invoiced temperature logs for 231 loads.
- Pete Gruber operated four dry vans with no refrigeration mounting brackets and subcontracted every load billed as refrigerated.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1001falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/he-sold-honey-he-sold-hope-sixty-three-lost-savings--73071418
A quiet filing cabinet in the gravel hid a paper scheme that took $250,000 from sixty-three people in Sitka County - and the operator blamed the bees. How did a cooperative that reported only $9,040 in honey sales pay early investors for three seasons and keep neighbors trusting its pitch?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from spring 2016 through the discovery in September 2019, tracing the partnership paperwork, payouts, and the moment scrutiny began - and ask how a single managing partner sustained payouts long enough to recruit more investors.

Person: Todd Graham
Person: Dennis Platt
Date: September 4, 2019
Amount: $250,000
Sales: $9,040

- Sixty-three people invested in Pinebrook Cooperative Honey Partners between 2016 and 2019.
- The cooperative's production account recorded four deposits from honey buyers totaling $9,040.
- Early payouts ranged from $40 to $80 per share in the first season.
- Norman Birch invested $31,000 and April Cowan invested $1,200 as examples of investor amounts.
- Dennis Platt countersigned certificates May-November 2016 and left the operation in November 2016 after asking to see the books.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73071418Sun, 30 Aug 2026 08:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaHe Sold Honey, He Sold Hope - Sixty-Three Lost Savings A quiet filing cabinet in the gravel hid a paper scheme that took $250,000 from sixty-three people in Sitka County - and the operator blamed the bees. How did a cooperative that reported only...
A quiet filing cabinet in the gravel hid a paper scheme that took $250,000 from sixty-three people in Sitka County - and the operator blamed the bees. How did a cooperative that reported only $9,040 in honey sales pay early investors for three seasons and keep neighbors trusting its pitch?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from spring 2016 through the discovery in September 2019, tracing the partnership paperwork, payouts, and the moment scrutiny began - and ask how a single managing partner sustained payouts long enough to recruit more investors.

Person: Todd Graham
Person: Dennis Platt
Date: September 4, 2019
Amount: $250,000
Sales: $9,040

- Sixty-three people invested in Pinebrook Cooperative Honey Partners between 2016 and 2019.
- The cooperative's production account recorded four deposits from honey buyers totaling $9,040.
- Early payouts ranged from $40 to $80 per share in the first season.
- Norman Birch invested $31,000 and April Cowan invested $1,200 as examples of investor amounts.
- Dennis Platt countersigned certificates May-November 2016 and left the operation in November 2016 after asking to see the books.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1210falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-scoreboard-that-bought-a-small-town-s-trust-and-vanished--73071417
Trust in a small Ohio town was weaponized into $326,000 that never built a single LED panel - how could thirty-one donors miss permits, contractors, and a scoreboard that existed only on a rendering? Who used a laminated credential and community goodwill to turn donations into personal credit-card payments, a vacation deposit, and casino cash withdrawals?

In this episode, you’ll hear how a local booster club leader positioned himself as the project’s executive director, the paperwork that made the Pinnacle Athletic Foundation look legitimate, and the single photograph that became Exhibit One in a federal fraud case - could a community’s routine trust be enough to hide a multi-year theft?

Person: Paul Nelson
Date: August 9, 2019
Location: Denton Falls, Stanton County, Ohio
Amount: $326,000
Case: federal fraud (Exhibit One photo)

- 31 donors contributed a total of $326,000 to the Pinnacle Athletic Foundation.
- The foundation reported $188,000 in expenses on its 2018 Form 990.
- Jim Evans wrote a $35,000 check pledged for the main scoreboard.
- Delaney Farm Supply pledged $40,000 and the regional hospital pledged $25,000.
- On June 14, 2019 the school board’s attorney notified Paul Nelson that the athletic complex project was cancelled.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73071417Sat, 29 Aug 2026 08:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Scoreboard That Bought a Small Town's Trust-and Vanished Trust in a small Ohio town was weaponized into $326,000 that never built a single LED panel - how could thirty-one donors miss permits, contractors, and a scoreboard that existed only on...
Trust in a small Ohio town was weaponized into $326,000 that never built a single LED panel - how could thirty-one donors miss permits, contractors, and a scoreboard that existed only on a rendering? Who used a laminated credential and community goodwill to turn donations into personal credit-card payments, a vacation deposit, and casino cash withdrawals?

In this episode, you’ll hear how a local booster club leader positioned himself as the project’s executive director, the paperwork that made the Pinnacle Athletic Foundation look legitimate, and the single photograph that became Exhibit One in a federal fraud case - could a community’s routine trust be enough to hide a multi-year theft?

Person: Paul Nelson
Date: August 9, 2019
Location: Denton Falls, Stanton County, Ohio
Amount: $326,000
Case: federal fraud (Exhibit One photo)

- 31 donors contributed a total of $326,000 to the Pinnacle Athletic Foundation.
- The foundation reported $188,000 in expenses on its 2018 Form 990.
- Jim Evans wrote a $35,000 check pledged for the main scoreboard.
- Delaney Farm Supply pledged $40,000 and the regional hospital pledged $25,000.
- On June 14, 2019 the school board’s attorney notified Paul Nelson that the athletic complex project was cancelled.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1083falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-landlord-who-stole-47-deposits-found-in-a-ditch--73071416
A soaked ledger pulled from a drainage ditch held thirty-one months of entries that would expose missing security deposits for forty-seven mobile home lots - the kind of quiet betrayal that costs families thousands and leaves a paper trail in muddy water. Who threw the book away, and why did that one discarded notebook become the key to unravelling a landlord's scheme?

In this episode, we follow the discovery of an "ESCROW DEPOSIT RECONCILIATION" ledger and the county audit that followed, revealing how escrow law, bookkeeping entries, and a pattern of withdrawals led to forty-one families learning their deposits were gone; how did one man's former method at another park translate into decades of theft here?

Person: Todd Whitley
Location: Sycamore Flats, Harmon County, Ohio
Case: Escrow Deposit Reconciliation ledger found in drainage ditch
Period: Thirty-one months of bookkeeping entries
People Affected: Forty-seven occupied lots, forty-one families confirmed missing funds

- The ledger contained thirty-one months of entries, legible despite being soaked in six inches of muddy water.
- Sycamore Flats sits on eleven acres with forty-seven occupied lots arranged in two rows.
- Carol Bennett paid a $750 security deposit when she moved into lot 22 in spring 2007.
- Kent Ramsey withdrew $44,000 from Creekside Meadows escrow in 26 transactions between 2007 and 2009 before buying Sycamore Flats in 2009.
- The escrow account should have held approximately $28,000 to $32,000 for the forty-seven lots but was emptied within Ramsey's first four months of ownership.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73071416Fri, 28 Aug 2026 08:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Landlord Who Stole 47 Deposits: Found in a Ditch A soaked ledger pulled from a drainage ditch held thirty-one months of entries that would expose missing security deposits for forty-seven mobile home lots - the kind of quiet betrayal that costs...
A soaked ledger pulled from a drainage ditch held thirty-one months of entries that would expose missing security deposits for forty-seven mobile home lots - the kind of quiet betrayal that costs families thousands and leaves a paper trail in muddy water. Who threw the book away, and why did that one discarded notebook become the key to unravelling a landlord's scheme?

In this episode, we follow the discovery of an "ESCROW DEPOSIT RECONCILIATION" ledger and the county audit that followed, revealing how escrow law, bookkeeping entries, and a pattern of withdrawals led to forty-one families learning their deposits were gone; how did one man's former method at another park translate into decades of theft here?

Person: Todd Whitley
Location: Sycamore Flats, Harmon County, Ohio
Case: Escrow Deposit Reconciliation ledger found in drainage ditch
Period: Thirty-one months of bookkeeping entries
People Affected: Forty-seven occupied lots, forty-one families confirmed missing funds

- The ledger contained thirty-one months of entries, legible despite being soaked in six inches of muddy water.
- Sycamore Flats sits on eleven acres with forty-seven occupied lots arranged in two rows.
- Carol Bennett paid a $750 security deposit when she moved into lot 22 in spring 2007.
- Kent Ramsey withdrew $44,000 from Creekside Meadows escrow in 26 transactions between 2007 and 2009 before buying Sycamore Flats in 2009.
- The escrow account should have held approximately $28,000 to $32,000 for the forty-seven lots but was emptied within Ramsey's first four months of ownership.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1060falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/fisherman-pulls-a-confession-from-the-water-the-mueller-cooperative-fraud--73071415
A morning fisherman found a zip‑lock bagged file washed up against a cottonwood root, its blue‑ink label reading "SPREAD RECONCILIATION - DO NOT COPY - D. MUELLER," and inside were forty‑one pages that would reveal nearly $148,000 in four years of overbilling for road salt-so how did a trusted township trustee turn cooperative savings into a private windfall?

In this episode, we follow the chain of events from a June 14, 2017 river find to the ledger that exposed systematic overcharges, showing how a county cooperative designed to cut costs became the vehicle for long‑running theft and why built‑in audits never happened; how did a reputation replace reconciliation?

Person: Donald Mueller
Date: June 14, 2017
Location: Hollen County
Topic: Cooperative overbilling for road salt
Case: Hollen County Road Maintenance Cooperative

- File recovered contained forty-one pages of handwritten accounting entries sealed in a zip‑lock bag.
- Cooperative purchased roughly 1,800 tons of road salt per winter.
- Mueller negotiated a supplier price of $61.40 per ton and invoiced townships at $82.00 per ton.
- The per‑ton difference produced nearly $37,000 in one season.
- Across four winters, overbilling plus inflated fees totaled approximately $148,000.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73071415Thu, 27 Aug 2026 08:00:03 +0000Creator at ObomediaFisherman Pulls a Confession from the Water: The Mueller Cooperative Fraud A morning fisherman found a zip‑lock bagged file washed up against a cottonwood root, its blue‑ink label reading "SPREAD RECONCILIATION - DO NOT COPY - D. MUELLER," and...
A morning fisherman found a zip‑lock bagged file washed up against a cottonwood root, its blue‑ink label reading "SPREAD RECONCILIATION - DO NOT COPY - D. MUELLER," and inside were forty‑one pages that would reveal nearly $148,000 in four years of overbilling for road salt-so how did a trusted township trustee turn cooperative savings into a private windfall?

In this episode, we follow the chain of events from a June 14, 2017 river find to the ledger that exposed systematic overcharges, showing how a county cooperative designed to cut costs became the vehicle for long‑running theft and why built‑in audits never happened; how did a reputation replace reconciliation?

Person: Donald Mueller
Date: June 14, 2017
Location: Hollen County
Topic: Cooperative overbilling for road salt
Case: Hollen County Road Maintenance Cooperative

- File recovered contained forty-one pages of handwritten accounting entries sealed in a zip‑lock bag.
- Cooperative purchased roughly 1,800 tons of road salt per winter.
- Mueller negotiated a supplier price of $61.40 per ton and invoiced townships at $82.00 per ton.
- The per‑ton difference produced nearly $37,000 in one season.
- Across four winters, overbilling plus inflated fees totaled approximately $148,000.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1085falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-padlock-that-proved-a-seven-year-fraudulent-empire--73071414
A single unopened Master No. 3 padlock in its factory plastic, with a price tag of $8.49 from a hardware chain that left Indiana in 2014, sat on a storage-unit floor in May 2019 and later became Exhibit Seven in a federal fraud case - how could one padlock reveal a seven-year scheme? What other ordinary detail would unravel a web of falsified auctions and missing investor funds?

In this episode, we follow the sequence of discoveries and documents that linked local storage auctions to investor losses and federal charges, tracing the path from a casual photograph to the question at the heart of the case: who was profiting from fake auction proceeds?

Person: Laura Long
Location: Clearview Self-Storage, Millhaven, Indiana
Date: May 2019
Amount: $22,000
Case: Exhibit Seven (federal fraud case)

- The padlock was a Master No. 3 in original plastic with a price sticker reading $8.49 from a hardware chain that closed Indiana stores in 2014.
- Rachel Jenkins invested $22,000 in March 2018 after receiving that amount as inheritance in autumn 2017.
- Grover Auction Partners' performance summary listed Clearview unit 114 sold May 18, 2018 for $2,700 with a $405 commission.
- Clearview owner Phil Deaton's notebook recorded a private sale of unit 114 on October 6, 2018 to Marcus Freed for $600 cash and a $90 commission to Grover Auction Partners.
- Todd Watson's bank records show a deposit of $4,100 on October 12, 2018 labeled "auction commission, Clearview lot, October twelfth," forty-five times the $90 recorded commission.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73071414Wed, 26 Aug 2026 08:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Padlock That Proved a Seven‑Year Fraudulent Empire A single unopened Master No. 3 padlock in its factory plastic, with a price tag of $8.49 from a hardware chain that left Indiana in 2014, sat on a storage-unit floor in May 2019 and later...
A single unopened Master No. 3 padlock in its factory plastic, with a price tag of $8.49 from a hardware chain that left Indiana in 2014, sat on a storage-unit floor in May 2019 and later became Exhibit Seven in a federal fraud case - how could one padlock reveal a seven-year scheme? What other ordinary detail would unravel a web of falsified auctions and missing investor funds?

In this episode, we follow the sequence of discoveries and documents that linked local storage auctions to investor losses and federal charges, tracing the path from a casual photograph to the question at the heart of the case: who was profiting from fake auction proceeds?

Person: Laura Long
Location: Clearview Self-Storage, Millhaven, Indiana
Date: May 2019
Amount: $22,000
Case: Exhibit Seven (federal fraud case)

- The padlock was a Master No. 3 in original plastic with a price sticker reading $8.49 from a hardware chain that closed Indiana stores in 2014.
- Rachel Jenkins invested $22,000 in March 2018 after receiving that amount as inheritance in autumn 2017.
- Grover Auction Partners' performance summary listed Clearview unit 114 sold May 18, 2018 for $2,700 with a $405 commission.
- Clearview owner Phil Deaton's notebook recorded a private sale of unit 114 on October 6, 2018 to Marcus Freed for $600 cash and a $90 commission to Grover Auction Partners.
- Todd Watson's bank records show a deposit of $4,100 on October 12, 2018 labeled "auction commission, Clearview lot, October twelfth," forty-five times the $90 recorded commission.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1092falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-treasurer-who-emptied-a-town-s-memorial-fund-betrayal-in-harwick--73071413
Fear and anger collide when a town’s memorial fund-built from small donations like $800 and $300-vanishes while official reports still show $61,400; how did its treasurer hide an empty account for more than three years without anyone noticing? What did Roy Jensen see on a Thursday morning in April 2022 that forced him to drive straight to the sheriff?

In this episode, we lay out the sequence of events from the April 2022 discovery to the decade-long pattern that allowed the fund to be emptied. You’ll hear how account balances, redirected donations, and trusted roles combined into one central question: how did a structure designed to look like the real thing replace the real fund?

Person: Roy Jensen
Date: April 2022
Location: Harwick volunteer fire station annex, Calloway County
Topic: Calloway Memorial Fund disappearance
Status: Fund empty for more than three years

- Initial reported balance seen by Jensen on the treasurer's computer: $11.43
- Most recent report balance prior to discovery: $61,400
- Original fund established in the late 1990s with roughly $63,000
- Treasurer Marvin Tate took the role in 2014 and opened a second account within three months
- By the end of 2018 the Bridger Savings account held less than $3,000

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73071413Tue, 25 Aug 2026 08:00:03 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Treasurer Who Emptied a Town's Memorial Fund: Betrayal in Harwick Fear and anger collide when a town’s memorial fund-built from small donations like $800 and $300-vanishes while official reports still show $61,400; how did its treasurer hide an...
Fear and anger collide when a town’s memorial fund-built from small donations like $800 and $300-vanishes while official reports still show $61,400; how did its treasurer hide an empty account for more than three years without anyone noticing? What did Roy Jensen see on a Thursday morning in April 2022 that forced him to drive straight to the sheriff?

In this episode, we lay out the sequence of events from the April 2022 discovery to the decade-long pattern that allowed the fund to be emptied. You’ll hear how account balances, redirected donations, and trusted roles combined into one central question: how did a structure designed to look like the real thing replace the real fund?

Person: Roy Jensen
Date: April 2022
Location: Harwick volunteer fire station annex, Calloway County
Topic: Calloway Memorial Fund disappearance
Status: Fund empty for more than three years

- Initial reported balance seen by Jensen on the treasurer's computer: $11.43
- Most recent report balance prior to discovery: $61,400
- Original fund established in the late 1990s with roughly $63,000
- Treasurer Marvin Tate took the role in 2014 and opened a second account within three months
- By the end of 2018 the Bridger Savings account held less than $3,000

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>993falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-tractor-that-promised-four-loans-and-stole-4-3m--73071412
Fear that a single, ordinary piece of farm equipment could be the keystone of a $4.3 million fraud - a publicly parked John Deere was touted as collateral to four different lenders while its true market value was about $55,000. How did forged paperwork and cordial lending relationships let a $68,000 tractor anchor a multi-year scam that only ended when a birdwatcher took a photo?

In this episode, we tell how a tractor photographed on a country road exposed overlapping liens, multiple investors and a company that appeared legitimate on paper; we follow the timeline from the first Bellridge loan in 2015 through private investors in 2017 and ask how that web of trust unraveled into fraud.

Person: Kevin Russo
Company: Meridian Equipment Solutions
Date discovered: March 4, 2019 at 7:15 AM
Item: John Deere 6155M serial L06155MXXXXX
Loss amount: $4,300,000

- The tractor was purchased for $68,000 at an estate sale in summer 2016.
- Its approximate market value at discovery was $55,000.
- Bellridge extended Meridian a $430,000 loan in fall 2015 secured by eleven pieces of equipment.
- Two private investors contributed $214,000 (Frank and Doris Abner) and $90,000 (Janet Sully) in 2017.
- The scheme had been technically insolvent for nearly two years before discovery.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73071412Mon, 24 Aug 2026 08:00:03 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Tractor That Promised Four Loans and Stole $4.3M Fear that a single, ordinary piece of farm equipment could be the keystone of a $4.3 million fraud - a publicly parked John Deere was touted as collateral to four different lenders while its true...
Fear that a single, ordinary piece of farm equipment could be the keystone of a $4.3 million fraud - a publicly parked John Deere was touted as collateral to four different lenders while its true market value was about $55,000. How did forged paperwork and cordial lending relationships let a $68,000 tractor anchor a multi-year scam that only ended when a birdwatcher took a photo?

In this episode, we tell how a tractor photographed on a country road exposed overlapping liens, multiple investors and a company that appeared legitimate on paper; we follow the timeline from the first Bellridge loan in 2015 through private investors in 2017 and ask how that web of trust unraveled into fraud.

Person: Kevin Russo
Company: Meridian Equipment Solutions
Date discovered: March 4, 2019 at 7:15 AM
Item: John Deere 6155M serial L06155MXXXXX
Loss amount: $4,300,000

- The tractor was purchased for $68,000 at an estate sale in summer 2016.
- Its approximate market value at discovery was $55,000.
- Bellridge extended Meridian a $430,000 loan in fall 2015 secured by eleven pieces of equipment.
- Two private investors contributed $214,000 (Frank and Doris Abner) and $90,000 (Janet Sully) in 2017.
- The scheme had been technically insolvent for nearly two years before discovery.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1117falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-man-who-sold-county-fair-spaces-and-stole-everyone-s-season--73071411
Fear that a single handshake can erase a year's income: forty-one forged contracts, thirty-one spaces, and a vendor envelope found by a paperboy on an icy February morning. How did one man turn an eighty-dollar promise into a decade-long scheme that left bakers, carvers and smoked-meat sellers trusting a name that didn't legally exist - and who finally discovered the ledger of who had been duped?

In this episode, we lay out the sequence of events that led from a cooperative letter to missing booth spots, and follow the paper trail found in a fairgrounds envelope to the twelve-page spiral notebook that listed every vendor and their fate. What did the notebook’s markings mean, and why did so many vendors never verify their own spots?

Person: Michael Dempsey
Event: Envelope found with forty-one contracts
Location: Calvert County fairgrounds
Case: Calvert Vendor Cooperative / Hendrick Vendor Alliance
Period: 2002-2017

- Forty-one contracts bearing the Calvert County Fair seal were inside the envelope found on a fence post.
- The envelope was discovered by a sixteen-year-old paperboy in February after his front tire skidded on ice.
- The cooperative initially charged members eighty dollars a year; later regional operations charged up to three hundred and fifty dollars.
- The cooperative carried as many as ninety members at its peak.
- Dempsey tracked vendors and verification status in a twelve-page spiral notebook with a right-column marking system (checkmark or dash).

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73071411Sun, 23 Aug 2026 08:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Man Who Sold County Fair Spaces - And Stole Everyone's Season Fear that a single handshake can erase a year's income: forty-one forged contracts, thirty-one spaces, and a vendor envelope found by a paperboy on an icy February morning. How did...
Fear that a single handshake can erase a year's income: forty-one forged contracts, thirty-one spaces, and a vendor envelope found by a paperboy on an icy February morning. How did one man turn an eighty-dollar promise into a decade-long scheme that left bakers, carvers and smoked-meat sellers trusting a name that didn't legally exist - and who finally discovered the ledger of who had been duped?

In this episode, we lay out the sequence of events that led from a cooperative letter to missing booth spots, and follow the paper trail found in a fairgrounds envelope to the twelve-page spiral notebook that listed every vendor and their fate. What did the notebook’s markings mean, and why did so many vendors never verify their own spots?

Person: Michael Dempsey
Event: Envelope found with forty-one contracts
Location: Calvert County fairgrounds
Case: Calvert Vendor Cooperative / Hendrick Vendor Alliance
Period: 2002-2017

- Forty-one contracts bearing the Calvert County Fair seal were inside the envelope found on a fence post.
- The envelope was discovered by a sixteen-year-old paperboy in February after his front tire skidded on ice.
- The cooperative initially charged members eighty dollars a year; later regional operations charged up to three hundred and fifty dollars.
- The cooperative carried as many as ninety members at its peak.
- Dempsey tracked vendors and verification status in a twelve-page spiral notebook with a right-column marking system (checkmark or dash).

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1225falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-quilters-missing-61-400-how-a-treasurer-stole-christmas-pool--73071410
A winter morning discovery of a plastic bin in a frozen ditch revealed 143 checks, 11 undeclared deposit slips, and a yellow legal pad that accounted for $61,400 the Nativity Quilting Guild never received - so where did the money go? Who could turn a small-town savings pool into a paper trail that led from a ditch to a lockbox and a sequence of bank transfers that read like a confession?

In this episode, you’ll hear how a community savings system worked, what went missing, and how a lone investigator followed the records from a nonexistent credit union account to the person entrusted with the funds. Could routine trust and a few manipulated documents hide a theft for years?

Person: Patricia Holt
Person: Roger Walsh
Date: January 9, 2019
Amount: $61,400
Case: Nativity Quilting Guild Christmas Pool

- 143 personal checks were found sealed in a freezer bag inside a lidded plastic bin.
- 11 deposit slips recovered had never been presented at a bank teller’s window.
- 47 members had enrolled in the pool by 2018, totaling $61,400 in the pool.
- Patricia Holt increased her contribution to $800 in 2018 aiming for a house down payment.
- Tammy Mitchell opened the sheriff’s financial crimes case on January 7, 2019.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73071410Sat, 22 Aug 2026 08:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Quilters' Missing $61,400: How a Treasurer Stole Christmas Pool A winter morning discovery of a plastic bin in a frozen ditch revealed 143 checks, 11 undeclared deposit slips, and a yellow legal pad that accounted for $61,400 the Nativity...
A winter morning discovery of a plastic bin in a frozen ditch revealed 143 checks, 11 undeclared deposit slips, and a yellow legal pad that accounted for $61,400 the Nativity Quilting Guild never received - so where did the money go? Who could turn a small-town savings pool into a paper trail that led from a ditch to a lockbox and a sequence of bank transfers that read like a confession?

In this episode, you’ll hear how a community savings system worked, what went missing, and how a lone investigator followed the records from a nonexistent credit union account to the person entrusted with the funds. Could routine trust and a few manipulated documents hide a theft for years?

Person: Patricia Holt
Person: Roger Walsh
Date: January 9, 2019
Amount: $61,400
Case: Nativity Quilting Guild Christmas Pool

- 143 personal checks were found sealed in a freezer bag inside a lidded plastic bin.
- 11 deposit slips recovered had never been presented at a bank teller’s window.
- 47 members had enrolled in the pool by 2018, totaling $61,400 in the pool.
- Patricia Holt increased her contribution to $800 in 2018 aiming for a house down payment.
- Tammy Mitchell opened the sheriff’s financial crimes case on January 7, 2019.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>999falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/he-sold-them-water-drilling-rig-that-was-never-there--73071409
Fear of losing everything is quiet until someone profits from that fear: 47 farm households sent money for six years believing a shared well was coming, yet not one inch of earth was drilled. A padded work order hung on a chained, rusted rig bought for $300 - so why did dozens keep paying for a well that never existed?

In this episode, we lay out the timeline from the first April meeting in 2013 to the arrest in December 2019, following the people, payments, and paper trail that built the scheme. How did a man with real geological data convince a rural community to fund a well that was never drilled?

Person: Thomas Chambers
Person: Erin Marshall
Date: April 2013
Date: December 11, 2019
Case: Clearwater Rural Water Cooperative

- 47 farm households sent money to Chambers over six years for a shared water well.
- Chambers registered Clearwater Rural Services LLC on October 14, 2013 at 4:47 PM and received the first membership check the next morning at 9:02 AM.
- Chambers bought a drilling rig in 2015 for $300 at a farm liquidation sale and chained it to an easement on County Road 7.
- Members paid $1,200 to join and $85 monthly thereafter starting in autumn 2013.
- Erin Marshall paid roughly $6,000 to the Clearwater Rural Water Cooperative.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73071409Fri, 21 Aug 2026 08:00:03 +0000Creator at ObomediaHe Sold Them Water - Drilling Rig That Was Never There Fear of losing everything is quiet until someone profits from that fear: 47 farm households sent money for six years believing a shared well was coming, yet not one inch of earth was drilled. A...
Fear of losing everything is quiet until someone profits from that fear: 47 farm households sent money for six years believing a shared well was coming, yet not one inch of earth was drilled. A padded work order hung on a chained, rusted rig bought for $300 - so why did dozens keep paying for a well that never existed?

In this episode, we lay out the timeline from the first April meeting in 2013 to the arrest in December 2019, following the people, payments, and paper trail that built the scheme. How did a man with real geological data convince a rural community to fund a well that was never drilled?

Person: Thomas Chambers
Person: Erin Marshall
Date: April 2013
Date: December 11, 2019
Case: Clearwater Rural Water Cooperative

- 47 farm households sent money to Chambers over six years for a shared water well.
- Chambers registered Clearwater Rural Services LLC on October 14, 2013 at 4:47 PM and received the first membership check the next morning at 9:02 AM.
- Chambers bought a drilling rig in 2015 for $300 at a farm liquidation sale and chained it to an easement on County Road 7.
- Members paid $1,200 to join and $85 monthly thereafter starting in autumn 2013.
- Erin Marshall paid roughly $6,000 to the Clearwater Rural Water Cooperative.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1052falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-dentist-who-sold-the-same-practice-twice-and-lost-420k--73071407
The morning a runner spotted a cardboard banker's box on a car roof, the top page showed a loan for $420,000-and thirteen minutes later the car was gone. How did a trusted dentist sell the same practice twice and leave one buyer on the hook for $420,000?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from the first sale on August 9, 2018 through the second loan on September 14, 2018, and the small clerical details that let two lenders secure the same collateral. What one indexing error allowed a clean-looking second loan to slip through?

Person: Keith Weaver
Person: Gary Cook
Date: August 9, 2018
Date: September 14, 2018
Amount: $420,000

- Weaver opened Weaver Family Dental in 2001 and retired at age 50.
- Gary Cook wired $420,000 to Keith Weaver on August 9, 2018 and took possession eleven days later.
- Cook began repaying a loan to Crestfield Savings and Loan at $3,112 per month.
- On September 14, 2018 Weaver presented Pinnacle Regional Bank with a loan package securing $420,000 against the same dental practice assets.
- Crestfield’s lien was filed under Gary Cook’s personal name while Pinnacle searched the practice name, creating an indexing mismatch.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73071407Thu, 20 Aug 2026 08:00:03 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Dentist Who Sold the Same Practice Twice - and Lost $420K The morning a runner spotted a cardboard banker's box on a car roof, the top page showed a loan for $420,000-and thirteen minutes later the car was gone. How did a trusted dentist sell...
The morning a runner spotted a cardboard banker's box on a car roof, the top page showed a loan for $420,000-and thirteen minutes later the car was gone. How did a trusted dentist sell the same practice twice and leave one buyer on the hook for $420,000?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from the first sale on August 9, 2018 through the second loan on September 14, 2018, and the small clerical details that let two lenders secure the same collateral. What one indexing error allowed a clean-looking second loan to slip through?

Person: Keith Weaver
Person: Gary Cook
Date: August 9, 2018
Date: September 14, 2018
Amount: $420,000

- Weaver opened Weaver Family Dental in 2001 and retired at age 50.
- Gary Cook wired $420,000 to Keith Weaver on August 9, 2018 and took possession eleven days later.
- Cook began repaying a loan to Crestfield Savings and Loan at $3,112 per month.
- On September 14, 2018 Weaver presented Pinnacle Regional Bank with a loan package securing $420,000 against the same dental practice assets.
- Crestfield’s lien was filed under Gary Cook’s personal name while Pinnacle searched the practice name, creating an indexing mismatch.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1069falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-adjuster-who-photographed-innocence-then-collected-847-000--73071406
A farmhand found a tripod-mounted camera firing every five seconds in the middle of a healthy soybean field, its battery dead and lens cap off - and that single device would tie a Nebraska adjuster to $847,000 in federal payouts and a decade of unsolved arsons. How did routine photos and a silver pickup truck with an insurance logo hide a scheme that inflated real losses into large claims?

In this episode, we follow the sequence of discoveries that connected a camera, file timestamps, and claims paperwork to a pattern of inflated damage assessments across four counties, and ask how the system of photographic documentation and local trust was exploited to convert modest field stress into federal payments.

Person: Craig Young
Date (beginning): 2007
Date (discovery): October 14, 2011
Amount: $847,000
Location: Teller County, Nebraska

- A camera found in a soybean field on October 14, 2011 had its shutter-delay timer set to fire every five seconds and the battery was dead.
- Craig Young held a Nebraska crop-insurance adjuster license since 2004 and was 38 years old in 2007 when the scheme began.
- Young worked as an independent contractor for Prairie Indemnity Associates and covered Teller County plus three neighboring counties.
- Young's average reported damage percentage was 11 percentage points higher than the next-highest adjuster in the same area and period.
- The split for payouts ran approximately 60% to the farmer and 40% to Young, according to reconstructed statements.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73071406Wed, 19 Aug 2026 08:00:05 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Adjuster Who Photographed Innocence - Then Collected $847,000 A farmhand found a tripod-mounted camera firing every five seconds in the middle of a healthy soybean field, its battery dead and lens cap off - and that single device would tie a...
A farmhand found a tripod-mounted camera firing every five seconds in the middle of a healthy soybean field, its battery dead and lens cap off - and that single device would tie a Nebraska adjuster to $847,000 in federal payouts and a decade of unsolved arsons. How did routine photos and a silver pickup truck with an insurance logo hide a scheme that inflated real losses into large claims?

In this episode, we follow the sequence of discoveries that connected a camera, file timestamps, and claims paperwork to a pattern of inflated damage assessments across four counties, and ask how the system of photographic documentation and local trust was exploited to convert modest field stress into federal payments.

Person: Craig Young
Date (beginning): 2007
Date (discovery): October 14, 2011
Amount: $847,000
Location: Teller County, Nebraska

- A camera found in a soybean field on October 14, 2011 had its shutter-delay timer set to fire every five seconds and the battery was dead.
- Craig Young held a Nebraska crop-insurance adjuster license since 2004 and was 38 years old in 2007 when the scheme began.
- Young worked as an independent contractor for Prairie Indemnity Associates and covered Teller County plus three neighboring counties.
- Young's average reported damage percentage was 11 percentage points higher than the next-highest adjuster in the same area and period.
- The split for payouts ran approximately 60% to the farmer and 40% to Young, according to reconstructed statements.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>969falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-man-who-stole-the-booster-club-241k-missing-over-nine-years--73071395
A small-town booster club lost $241,000 over nine years while one trusted volunteer controlled the books and a personal account at the same bank; how did repeated "pending transfers" and missing deposits go unnoticed for nearly a decade? What exactly did a three-ring binder found in a school storage room reveal, and who will be held accountable?

In this episode, we tell the sequence of events that led volunteers to discover major discrepancies in their finances, follow the timeline of red flags from 2013 to 2022, and explain the immediate actions that followed the discovery in a school storage room. What began as a missing fundraising deposit became an unraveling of nine years of ledgers and unexplained transfers.

Person: Neil Simmons
Person: Carl Richardson
Person: Rhonda Green
Date: September 2022
Amount: $241,000

- The booster club account had been open since 2004 and was held at Tanner County Savings.
- Neil Simmons served as Keller Falls Booster Support Club treasurer from September 2013 through 2022.
- The spiral notebook contained the notation "pending transfer - operational cleared" 217 times with no matching bank confirmations.
- A missing fundraising dinner deposit first appeared as absent in October 2020 and was explained as a bank cash-threshold review.
- The discrepancy discovery required four weeks, two subpoenas, and one forensic auditor to unpack.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73071395Tue, 18 Aug 2026 08:00:03 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Man Who Stole the Booster Club: 241K Missing Over Nine Years A small-town booster club lost $241,000 over nine years while one trusted volunteer controlled the books and a personal account at the same bank; how did repeated "pending transfers"...
A small-town booster club lost $241,000 over nine years while one trusted volunteer controlled the books and a personal account at the same bank; how did repeated "pending transfers" and missing deposits go unnoticed for nearly a decade? What exactly did a three-ring binder found in a school storage room reveal, and who will be held accountable?

In this episode, we tell the sequence of events that led volunteers to discover major discrepancies in their finances, follow the timeline of red flags from 2013 to 2022, and explain the immediate actions that followed the discovery in a school storage room. What began as a missing fundraising deposit became an unraveling of nine years of ledgers and unexplained transfers.

Person: Neil Simmons
Person: Carl Richardson
Person: Rhonda Green
Date: September 2022
Amount: $241,000

- The booster club account had been open since 2004 and was held at Tanner County Savings.
- Neil Simmons served as Keller Falls Booster Support Club treasurer from September 2013 through 2022.
- The spiral notebook contained the notation "pending transfer - operational cleared" 217 times with no matching bank confirmations.
- A missing fundraising dinner deposit first appeared as absent in October 2020 and was explained as a bank cash-threshold review.
- The discrepancy discovery required four weeks, two subpoenas, and one forensic auditor to unpack.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1019falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-ticket-in-the-cedar-how-a-raffle-stole-our-food-pantry--73071393
A single laminated raffle ticket stamped "GRAND PRIZE WINNER" was found wedged four feet up in a dead cedar branch on August 14, 2019 - and that small discovery would undo a five-year scheme that diverted almost $89,000 from a town food pantry. How did a fundraiser that raised up to $31,000 a year and paid the pantry the same $2,000 annually end with a winning ticket in a glove compartment and a dog pulling a stranger down a trail?

In this episode, we tell the sequence of events from the ticket’s discovery to the complaints that reached the state nonprofit fraud unit, outlining who ran the raffle, who trusted it, and the exact financial trail that went unseen by the board and donors. What happened between the advertised mission and the money that landed in a personal account?

Person: Carl Campbell
Event: Grover County Harvest Festival Charitable Fund raffle (2014-2019)
Date: August 14, 2019 (ticket found)
Location: Gary Coleman Trail, east of Dellerton
Amount diverted: approximately $89,000

- Tickets cost $15 each and were sold through June into the summer.
- In its best year the raffle raised more than $31,000; in its worst year just over $11,000.
- The Dellerton Larder received exactly $2,000 each November for five years.
- Four-H chapters collectively received $1,500 annually.
- Approximately $0.62 of every net dollar raised was moved into Carl Campbell’s personal account.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73071393Mon, 17 Aug 2026 08:00:03 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Ticket in the Cedar: How a Raffle Stole Our Food Pantry A single laminated raffle ticket stamped "GRAND PRIZE WINNER" was found wedged four feet up in a dead cedar branch on August 14, 2019 - and that small discovery would undo a five-year...
A single laminated raffle ticket stamped "GRAND PRIZE WINNER" was found wedged four feet up in a dead cedar branch on August 14, 2019 - and that small discovery would undo a five-year scheme that diverted almost $89,000 from a town food pantry. How did a fundraiser that raised up to $31,000 a year and paid the pantry the same $2,000 annually end with a winning ticket in a glove compartment and a dog pulling a stranger down a trail?

In this episode, we tell the sequence of events from the ticket’s discovery to the complaints that reached the state nonprofit fraud unit, outlining who ran the raffle, who trusted it, and the exact financial trail that went unseen by the board and donors. What happened between the advertised mission and the money that landed in a personal account?

Person: Carl Campbell
Event: Grover County Harvest Festival Charitable Fund raffle (2014-2019)
Date: August 14, 2019 (ticket found)
Location: Gary Coleman Trail, east of Dellerton
Amount diverted: approximately $89,000

- Tickets cost $15 each and were sold through June into the summer.
- In its best year the raffle raised more than $31,000; in its worst year just over $11,000.
- The Dellerton Larder received exactly $2,000 each November for five years.
- Four-H chapters collectively received $1,500 annually.
- Approximately $0.62 of every net dollar raised was moved into Carl Campbell’s personal account.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1042falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-river-folder-how-a-small-town-funeral-scam-devoured-287-000--73071392
A waterproof accordion folder with 114 notarized funeral contracts washed up after being snagged on a trotline-each naming a Garner County resident and promising money held in trust by Eternal Maplecrest Memorial Planning. How did a scheme that reached one in nine people in a county of 8,640 operate long enough to collect $287,000, and why did someone try to sink the paper trail?

In this episode, we follow how a bookkeeper’s routine checks led to photocopies, canceled checks, and a sheriff’s inquiry that exposed missing trust accounts and vague institutional references. Listen to learn how simple numbers, one memo line, and a damp folder forced officials to answer whether the money ever existed and who benefited.

Person: Christine Becker
Location: Maplecrest, Garner County, Missouri
Date: July 9, 2019
Case: Eternal Maplecrest Memorial Planning LLC
Amount: $287,000

- 114 funeral contracts were found together in the waterproof folder retrieved from the river.
- Garner County population is 8,640 and about one in nine residents had signed a contract with Eternal Maplecrest.
- Norma Aldrich paid $4,400 to Eternal Maplecrest Memorial Planning in 2015.
- A retired couple paid $6,000 and an elderly widower paid $3,200 under the same contract form.
- A canceled check dated 2017 from Frank Deluca included the memo: "EMP plan refund - family acct transfer pending."

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73071392Sun, 16 Aug 2026 08:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe River Folder: How a Small-Town Funeral Scam Devoured $287,000 A waterproof accordion folder with 114 notarized funeral contracts washed up after being snagged on a trotline-each naming a Garner County resident and promising money held in trust...
A waterproof accordion folder with 114 notarized funeral contracts washed up after being snagged on a trotline-each naming a Garner County resident and promising money held in trust by Eternal Maplecrest Memorial Planning. How did a scheme that reached one in nine people in a county of 8,640 operate long enough to collect $287,000, and why did someone try to sink the paper trail?

In this episode, we follow how a bookkeeper’s routine checks led to photocopies, canceled checks, and a sheriff’s inquiry that exposed missing trust accounts and vague institutional references. Listen to learn how simple numbers, one memo line, and a damp folder forced officials to answer whether the money ever existed and who benefited.

Person: Christine Becker
Location: Maplecrest, Garner County, Missouri
Date: July 9, 2019
Case: Eternal Maplecrest Memorial Planning LLC
Amount: $287,000

- 114 funeral contracts were found together in the waterproof folder retrieved from the river.
- Garner County population is 8,640 and about one in nine residents had signed a contract with Eternal Maplecrest.
- Norma Aldrich paid $4,400 to Eternal Maplecrest Memorial Planning in 2015.
- A retired couple paid $6,000 and an elderly widower paid $3,200 under the same contract form.
- A canceled check dated 2017 from Frank Deluca included the memo: "EMP plan refund - family acct transfer pending."

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1123falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-church-treasurer-who-stole-kellerton-s-life-savings--73071391
Trust collapsed in a town where a handshake meant more than a prospectus: $412,000 moved through a fake "Harlan Growth Partners" and a canvas bank deposit bag with a printed account number was found half-buried - why did a church treasurer get trusted with the life savings of twenty-three households, and how long could the scheme keep paying fake quarterly checks before it unraveled?

In this episode, we follow the sequence of discoveries and decisions that led from a land surveyor's photograph to county investigators, tracing how a man who became church treasurer convinced neighbors to pool money for an imaginary fund and why routine financial habits and community trust allowed the fraud to continue; what did investigators find in the storage unit and Neil Rogers' green notebook that finally exposed the scheme?

Person: Neil Rogers
Event: Discovery of canvas bank deposit bag in field
Amount: $412,000
Households: 23
Start date: Spring 2017

- Angela Sheridan, a land surveyor, found the canvas bank deposit bag on a Tuesday morning in June 2019 and photographed it before calling the county sheriff.
- Neil Rogers arrived in Kellerton in spring 2017 at age 44 and was appointed treasurer of a Lutheran congregation within months.
- The Harlan Growth Partners Investment Circle collected $412,000 from twenty-three households with an $8,000 minimum contribution and promised 8% annual return paid quarterly.
- By December 2017 twelve households had joined; by March 2018 Rogers' scheme began issuing quarterly checks that cleared using new members' contributions.
- Leon Evans, age 62, took a $22,000 home equity line in April 2018 to invest after receiving three months of distributions; by autumn 2018 that $22,000 was gone.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73071391Sat, 15 Aug 2026 08:00:03 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Church Treasurer Who Stole Kellerton's Life Savings Trust collapsed in a town where a handshake meant more than a prospectus: $412,000 moved through a fake "Harlan Growth Partners" and a canvas bank deposit bag with a printed account number was...
Trust collapsed in a town where a handshake meant more than a prospectus: $412,000 moved through a fake "Harlan Growth Partners" and a canvas bank deposit bag with a printed account number was found half-buried - why did a church treasurer get trusted with the life savings of twenty-three households, and how long could the scheme keep paying fake quarterly checks before it unraveled?

In this episode, we follow the sequence of discoveries and decisions that led from a land surveyor's photograph to county investigators, tracing how a man who became church treasurer convinced neighbors to pool money for an imaginary fund and why routine financial habits and community trust allowed the fraud to continue; what did investigators find in the storage unit and Neil Rogers' green notebook that finally exposed the scheme?

Person: Neil Rogers
Event: Discovery of canvas bank deposit bag in field
Amount: $412,000
Households: 23
Start date: Spring 2017

- Angela Sheridan, a land surveyor, found the canvas bank deposit bag on a Tuesday morning in June 2019 and photographed it before calling the county sheriff.
- Neil Rogers arrived in Kellerton in spring 2017 at age 44 and was appointed treasurer of a Lutheran congregation within months.
- The Harlan Growth Partners Investment Circle collected $412,000 from twenty-three households with an $8,000 minimum contribution and promised 8% annual return paid quarterly.
- By December 2017 twelve households had joined; by March 2018 Rogers' scheme began issuing quarterly checks that cleared using new members' contributions.
- Leon Evans, age 62, took a $22,000 home equity line in April 2018 to invest after receiving three months of distributions; by autumn 2018 that $22,000 was gone.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1154falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-boring-treasurer-who-stole-840-000-found-behind-a-wall--73071390
A leather briefcase wedged behind an exterior wall panel held a yellow legal pad that listed "eighty-four thousand and change" - a faded note that pointed to a theft totaling about $840,000 from Pelham County's general operating fund. How did a man described as "boring" and "the human equivalent of a filing cabinet" divert public money for nearly a decade without detection?

In this episode, we tell how routine habits, informal office divisions, and a graduate student's public records request uncovered a long-running scheme. You will hear how small secondary checks, omitted records, and an unexpected discovery behind a wall combined to expose what auditors and colleagues missed - and why the briefcase mattered.

Person: Vernon Lawson
Date: May 2011
Location: Harwick, Pelham County
Amount: approximately $840,000
Whistleblower: Douglas Hamilton

- At 9:47 AM on a Tuesday in May 2011, septic inspector Connie Thompson found a leather briefcase behind an exterior wall panel of the Harwick Municipal Services building.
- The briefcase contained a yellow legal pad with the handwritten note "eighty-four thousand and change," while the actual diverted total was about ten times that amount.
- Vernon Lawson had been county treasurer since 1989 and was 61 years old in May 2011, after more than 22 years managing the general operating fund.
- Secondary checks routed to accounts controlled by Lawson in Brenford began in spring 2002 and continued until 2011, totaling approximately $840,000.
- Graduate student Douglas Hamilton filed a public records request in February 2011, discovered a roughly $40,000 gap in one fiscal year, and filed a formal complaint with the State Comptroller on May 3, 2011.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73071390Fri, 14 Aug 2026 08:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Boring Treasurer Who Stole $840,000 - Found Behind a Wall A leather briefcase wedged behind an exterior wall panel held a yellow legal pad that listed "eighty-four thousand and change" - a faded note that pointed to a theft totaling about...
A leather briefcase wedged behind an exterior wall panel held a yellow legal pad that listed "eighty-four thousand and change" - a faded note that pointed to a theft totaling about $840,000 from Pelham County's general operating fund. How did a man described as "boring" and "the human equivalent of a filing cabinet" divert public money for nearly a decade without detection?

In this episode, we tell how routine habits, informal office divisions, and a graduate student's public records request uncovered a long-running scheme. You will hear how small secondary checks, omitted records, and an unexpected discovery behind a wall combined to expose what auditors and colleagues missed - and why the briefcase mattered.

Person: Vernon Lawson
Date: May 2011
Location: Harwick, Pelham County
Amount: approximately $840,000
Whistleblower: Douglas Hamilton

- At 9:47 AM on a Tuesday in May 2011, septic inspector Connie Thompson found a leather briefcase behind an exterior wall panel of the Harwick Municipal Services building.
- The briefcase contained a yellow legal pad with the handwritten note "eighty-four thousand and change," while the actual diverted total was about ten times that amount.
- Vernon Lawson had been county treasurer since 1989 and was 61 years old in May 2011, after more than 22 years managing the general operating fund.
- Secondary checks routed to accounts controlled by Lawson in Brenford began in spring 2002 and continued until 2011, totaling approximately $840,000.
- Graduate student Douglas Hamilton filed a public records request in February 2011, discovered a roughly $40,000 gap in one fiscal year, and filed a formal complaint with the State Comptroller on May 3, 2011.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1078falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-man-who-sold-a-neighborhood-that-didn-t-exist-lot-7-scam-revealed--73071389
Fear and anger collide when you realize a trusted local builder moved $174,000 selling lots and model homes on land that was nothing but grass and creek - and the scheme unraveled because a bird-watcher found a brass plaque. How did a company that looked legitimate on paper funnel deposits into an account emptied in cash within days, and who paid when the lots were never owned?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from a morning in April 2019 when Dawn Bell stumbled on a plaque to the paperwork and bank records that exposed the scam. We lay out how Eugene Bowers maintained the appearance of Summit Ridge Construction while selling parcels he had no right to sell, and ask how community trust was weaponized for months.

Person: Eugene Bowers, age 44 at arrest
Person: Dawn Bell, retired postal worker and bird-watcher
Person: Patricia Myers, age 48, buyer of Lot 4
Date: April 9, 2019 (discovery of plaque)
Amount: $174,000 total received into Summit Ridge operating account

- Deposit of $41,000 (20% of $205,000) paid by Patricia Myers for Lot 4 in February 2018
- Summit Ridge operating account opened in 2016 with a $500 deposit
- $174,000 received into the Summit Ridge account from five different people over three years
- Account never held more than $12,000 at any one time and withdrawals were made in cash within four days of deposit
- At time of arrest, Summit Ridge Construction operating account balance was $312

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73071389Thu, 13 Aug 2026 08:00:35 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Man Who Sold a Neighborhood That Didn't Exist: Lot 7 Scam Revealed Fear and anger collide when you realize a trusted local builder moved $174,000 selling lots and model homes on land that was nothing but grass and creek - and the scheme...
Fear and anger collide when you realize a trusted local builder moved $174,000 selling lots and model homes on land that was nothing but grass and creek - and the scheme unraveled because a bird-watcher found a brass plaque. How did a company that looked legitimate on paper funnel deposits into an account emptied in cash within days, and who paid when the lots were never owned?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from a morning in April 2019 when Dawn Bell stumbled on a plaque to the paperwork and bank records that exposed the scam. We lay out how Eugene Bowers maintained the appearance of Summit Ridge Construction while selling parcels he had no right to sell, and ask how community trust was weaponized for months.

Person: Eugene Bowers, age 44 at arrest
Person: Dawn Bell, retired postal worker and bird-watcher
Person: Patricia Myers, age 48, buyer of Lot 4
Date: April 9, 2019 (discovery of plaque)
Amount: $174,000 total received into Summit Ridge operating account

- Deposit of $41,000 (20% of $205,000) paid by Patricia Myers for Lot 4 in February 2018
- Summit Ridge operating account opened in 2016 with a $500 deposit
- $174,000 received into the Summit Ridge account from five different people over three years
- Account never held more than $12,000 at any one time and withdrawals were made in cash within four days of deposit
- At time of arrest, Summit Ridge Construction operating account balance was $312

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1085falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-typewriter-on-the-doorstep-that-exposed-2-3m-scam--73071388
Fear that your neighbor’s “safe” investment is a lie: a typewriter found on a doorstep in freezing dawn revealed three sentences that would unravel a $2.3 million savings club scheme built on forged bank confirmations. How did a single sheet of paper end the illusion of legitimacy and expose years of trust misplaced in one man?

In this episode, you’ll hear the story of how a community savings club operated out of a former tax office, the people who entrusted decades of savings to it, and the small forensic detail that changed everything: what was written on that sheet of paper and why it mattered so much.

Person: Howard Tucker
Location: 14 Breckett Common Drive
Date: March 4, 2009
Topic: Aldenmoor Community Savings Club
Amount: $2.3 million

- The typewriter was found at 5:40 AM on March 4, 2009, on the front step of 14 Breckett Common Drive.
- The outdoor temperature was 31 degrees and the concrete around the typewriter was laced with frost while the machine itself was dry.
- Howard Tucker opened the savings club office in 2005 in a former tax-preparation office and promised 6.2% annual returns.
- Helen Rice, age 63, had saved $81,000 and joined the club in 2006; Paulette Norris brought $400,000 from life insurance proceeds.
- Tucker’s quarterly statements showed growth and a bottom-line notation “Confirmed balance per Prellwood Savings and Trust” but lacked branch codes, authorized signatures, or official letterhead.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73071388Wed, 12 Aug 2026 08:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Typewriter on the Doorstep That Exposed $2.3M Scam Fear that your neighbor’s “safe” investment is a lie: a typewriter found on a doorstep in freezing dawn revealed three sentences that would unravel a $2.3 million savings club scheme built on...
Fear that your neighbor’s “safe” investment is a lie: a typewriter found on a doorstep in freezing dawn revealed three sentences that would unravel a $2.3 million savings club scheme built on forged bank confirmations. How did a single sheet of paper end the illusion of legitimacy and expose years of trust misplaced in one man?

In this episode, you’ll hear the story of how a community savings club operated out of a former tax office, the people who entrusted decades of savings to it, and the small forensic detail that changed everything: what was written on that sheet of paper and why it mattered so much.

Person: Howard Tucker
Location: 14 Breckett Common Drive
Date: March 4, 2009
Topic: Aldenmoor Community Savings Club
Amount: $2.3 million

- The typewriter was found at 5:40 AM on March 4, 2009, on the front step of 14 Breckett Common Drive.
- The outdoor temperature was 31 degrees and the concrete around the typewriter was laced with frost while the machine itself was dry.
- Howard Tucker opened the savings club office in 2005 in a former tax-preparation office and promised 6.2% annual returns.
- Helen Rice, age 63, had saved $81,000 and joined the club in 2006; Paulette Norris brought $400,000 from life insurance proceeds.
- Tucker’s quarterly statements showed growth and a bottom-line notation “Confirmed balance per Prellwood Savings and Trust” but lacked branch codes, authorized signatures, or official letterhead.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1123falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-roadside-deed-box-that-revealed-nineteen-stolen-harvests--73071386
Fear that the papers in your barn could vanish into someone else's loan file - that’s what woke a grader operator at 6:00 AM on February 11, 2009 when he unearthed a fireproof box of sixty-one warehouse receipts on Route 7. Those receipts revealed a scheme that turned nineteen farmers’ harvests into multiple loans and nearly $178,000 of double- and quadruple-pledged collateral; who was behind it and how long had it been running?

In this episode, we follow the chain of events from the berm where the metal box was found to the farms and elevators where warehouse receipts were treated as title, showing how one trusted marketing agent leveraged receipts into secured loans without owners’ knowledge - and how a snapped serpentine belt exposed the fraud.

Person: Gregory Erickson
Date: February 11, 2009
Location: Route 7, three miles north of Millhaven, Nebraska
Case: Warehouse receipt fraud involving nineteen producers
Amount: Approximately $178,000 collected against Olson’s 15,000 bushels

- A fireproof metal box containing sixty-one warehouse receipts was found on the asphalt on February 11, 2009.
- Roy Olson delivered 15,000 bushels of soybeans in November 2008, valued at about $109,000 at market.
- Lloyd Watson pledged Olson’s single set of receipts to four separate parties, collecting roughly $42,000-$47,000 from each.
- By 2008 Watson managed nineteen producers and between 80,000 and 90,000 bushels of aggregate grain.
- The box’s discovery followed someone searching the berm with a flashlight the night before and a serpentine belt snapping on a county road.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73071386Tue, 11 Aug 2026 08:00:03 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Roadside Deed Box That Revealed Nineteen Stolen Harvests Fear that the papers in your barn could vanish into someone else's loan file - that’s what woke a grader operator at 6:00 AM on February 11, 2009 when he unearthed a fireproof box of...
Fear that the papers in your barn could vanish into someone else's loan file - that’s what woke a grader operator at 6:00 AM on February 11, 2009 when he unearthed a fireproof box of sixty-one warehouse receipts on Route 7. Those receipts revealed a scheme that turned nineteen farmers’ harvests into multiple loans and nearly $178,000 of double- and quadruple-pledged collateral; who was behind it and how long had it been running?

In this episode, we follow the chain of events from the berm where the metal box was found to the farms and elevators where warehouse receipts were treated as title, showing how one trusted marketing agent leveraged receipts into secured loans without owners’ knowledge - and how a snapped serpentine belt exposed the fraud.

Person: Gregory Erickson
Date: February 11, 2009
Location: Route 7, three miles north of Millhaven, Nebraska
Case: Warehouse receipt fraud involving nineteen producers
Amount: Approximately $178,000 collected against Olson’s 15,000 bushels

- A fireproof metal box containing sixty-one warehouse receipts was found on the asphalt on February 11, 2009.
- Roy Olson delivered 15,000 bushels of soybeans in November 2008, valued at about $109,000 at market.
- Lloyd Watson pledged Olson’s single set of receipts to four separate parties, collecting roughly $42,000-$47,000 from each.
- By 2008 Watson managed nineteen producers and between 80,000 and 90,000 bushels of aggregate grain.
- The box’s discovery followed someone searching the berm with a flashlight the night before and a serpentine belt snapping on a county road.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>945falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-441k-church-fund-that-never-built-anything-inside-boyd-s-theft--73071385
A decade-long fund labeled at $441,000 turned out to hold just $4,118 when auditors checked the account - and the building permit posted on the lot had expired ten years earlier. How did one man use permits, plausible payees and community trust to siphon funds from sixty-one donors for eleven years without anyone noticing?

In this episode, we walk through the timeline from the initial permit placard photographed on January 9, 2019 to the audit that exposed the discrepancy, showing how routine procedures and faith-based trust hid a prolonged fraud. What allowed withdrawals to stay under the radar, and who finally pulled the thread that unraveled the scheme?

Person: Glenn Boyd
Date: Permit filed December 2007
Location: Lot behind Calvary Road Baptist Church
Status: Account balance $4,118 in late January 2019
Case: Sixty-one identified victims

- The Cornerstone Building Fund reported $387,000 in a church newsletter four years before auditors found $4,118.
- Crystal Foster photographed the weathered orange permit placard on January 9, 2019, which had expired in 2009.
- Glenn Boyd joined Calvary Road Baptist in 2005 and was appointed to the building committee within eighteen months.
- A Community Foundation grant of $18,500 was received in 2013, supported in part by construction photographs Boyd submitted.
- Cheryl Russo donated $23,000 to the Cornerstone Fund over eleven years and kept bank confirmations in a manila envelope.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73071385Mon, 10 Aug 2026 08:00:06 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe $441K Church Fund That Never Built Anything: Inside Boyd's Theft A decade-long fund labeled at $441,000 turned out to hold just $4,118 when auditors checked the account - and the building permit posted on the lot had expired ten years earlier....
A decade-long fund labeled at $441,000 turned out to hold just $4,118 when auditors checked the account - and the building permit posted on the lot had expired ten years earlier. How did one man use permits, plausible payees and community trust to siphon funds from sixty-one donors for eleven years without anyone noticing?

In this episode, we walk through the timeline from the initial permit placard photographed on January 9, 2019 to the audit that exposed the discrepancy, showing how routine procedures and faith-based trust hid a prolonged fraud. What allowed withdrawals to stay under the radar, and who finally pulled the thread that unraveled the scheme?

Person: Glenn Boyd
Date: Permit filed December 2007
Location: Lot behind Calvary Road Baptist Church
Status: Account balance $4,118 in late January 2019
Case: Sixty-one identified victims

- The Cornerstone Building Fund reported $387,000 in a church newsletter four years before auditors found $4,118.
- Crystal Foster photographed the weathered orange permit placard on January 9, 2019, which had expired in 2009.
- Glenn Boyd joined Calvary Road Baptist in 2005 and was appointed to the building committee within eighteen months.
- A Community Foundation grant of $18,500 was received in 2013, supported in part by construction photographs Boyd submitted.
- Cheryl Russo donated $23,000 to the Cornerstone Fund over eleven years and kept bank confirmations in a manila envelope.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1106falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-dry-box-on-sable-creek-how-a-volunteer-stole-181-400--73071383
A jogger found a perfectly dry cardboard banker's box on a snowy bridge with no footprints nearby, containing forty-seven file folders that exposed three years of hidden payments and $181,400 siphoned from a small-town grant account - who would place real evidence in the open like that, and why? This episode starts with that frozen scene and asks how a trusted volunteer turned grant money into a personal bank account without immediate detection.

In this episode, we follow the timeline from two grant awards to the missing progress report, tracing the transfers, the project deliverables, and the board's oversight failures to ask whether trust and small-town familiarity masked a deliberate long con.

Person: Thomas Erickson
Location: Merton, Illinois
Date: December 11, 2019
Event: Discovery of banker's box with financial records
Amount: $181,400

- The Illinois State Humanities Council awarded $112,000 in August 2016 for a digitization project.
- The Whitmore Family Foundation awarded $88,000 in January 2017 for the same project, bringing the project account to $200,000.
- $181,400 was moved over two and a half years through 32 fraudulent vendor payments, 9 consulting fees, and 4 equipment entries.
- The first progress report was due December 2017 but was never sent; by March 2018 the project account was functionally empty.
- The demo archive presented to the board contained roughly 2,000 scanned items, which represented 18% of the promised deliverable.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73071383Sun, 09 Aug 2026 08:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Dry Box on Sable Creek: How a Volunteer Stole $181,400 A jogger found a perfectly dry cardboard banker's box on a snowy bridge with no footprints nearby, containing forty-seven file folders that exposed three years of hidden payments and...
A jogger found a perfectly dry cardboard banker's box on a snowy bridge with no footprints nearby, containing forty-seven file folders that exposed three years of hidden payments and $181,400 siphoned from a small-town grant account - who would place real evidence in the open like that, and why? This episode starts with that frozen scene and asks how a trusted volunteer turned grant money into a personal bank account without immediate detection.

In this episode, we follow the timeline from two grant awards to the missing progress report, tracing the transfers, the project deliverables, and the board's oversight failures to ask whether trust and small-town familiarity masked a deliberate long con.

Person: Thomas Erickson
Location: Merton, Illinois
Date: December 11, 2019
Event: Discovery of banker's box with financial records
Amount: $181,400

- The Illinois State Humanities Council awarded $112,000 in August 2016 for a digitization project.
- The Whitmore Family Foundation awarded $88,000 in January 2017 for the same project, bringing the project account to $200,000.
- $181,400 was moved over two and a half years through 32 fraudulent vendor payments, 9 consulting fees, and 4 equipment entries.
- The first progress report was due December 2017 but was never sent; by March 2018 the project account was functionally empty.
- The demo archive presented to the board contained roughly 2,000 scanned items, which represented 18% of the promised deliverable.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>952falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-envelope-behind-the-meter-that-unmasked-a-tax-scam--73071381
A damp IRS envelope wedged behind a gas meter on November 14, 2017 exposed duplicate refund confirmations for the same taxpayer and year - two refunds, processed months apart. How did a routine meter route and one misplaced envelope unravel four years of an organized tax fraud in Dellum County?

In this episode, we follow the sequence of events from Vernon O'Connor finding the envelope to IRS Criminal Investigation Special Agent Harvey Romano identifying the scheme within two days, and we trace how a local preparer used inside knowledge of IRS processes to defraud clients - but who benefited from the extra refunds?

Person: Vernon O'Connor
Person: Sandra L. Zimmerman
Person: Earl Mills
Date: November 14, 2017
Location: Crestwater Lane, Claro Falls, Dellum County

- Vernon O'Connor had read the Ridgecrest utility route for eleven years when he found the envelope.
- The envelope contained two IRS refund confirmations for the same taxpayer and the same filing year processed months apart.
- Within a week of discovery the envelope reached IRS Criminal Investigation Special Agent Harvey Romano.
- One hundred eighty-eight people in Dellum County had used tax preparer Earl Mills at Ayuda Fiscal.
- Sandra Zimmerman had $41,000 in savings and had lived on Crestwater Lane for nine years when the envelope was found.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73071381Sat, 08 Aug 2026 08:00:05 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Envelope Behind the Meter That Unmasked a Tax Scam A damp IRS envelope wedged behind a gas meter on November 14, 2017 exposed duplicate refund confirmations for the same taxpayer and year - two refunds, processed months apart. How did a routine...
A damp IRS envelope wedged behind a gas meter on November 14, 2017 exposed duplicate refund confirmations for the same taxpayer and year - two refunds, processed months apart. How did a routine meter route and one misplaced envelope unravel four years of an organized tax fraud in Dellum County?

In this episode, we follow the sequence of events from Vernon O'Connor finding the envelope to IRS Criminal Investigation Special Agent Harvey Romano identifying the scheme within two days, and we trace how a local preparer used inside knowledge of IRS processes to defraud clients - but who benefited from the extra refunds?

Person: Vernon O'Connor
Person: Sandra L. Zimmerman
Person: Earl Mills
Date: November 14, 2017
Location: Crestwater Lane, Claro Falls, Dellum County

- Vernon O'Connor had read the Ridgecrest utility route for eleven years when he found the envelope.
- The envelope contained two IRS refund confirmations for the same taxpayer and the same filing year processed months apart.
- Within a week of discovery the envelope reached IRS Criminal Investigation Special Agent Harvey Romano.
- One hundred eighty-eight people in Dellum County had used tax preparer Earl Mills at Ayuda Fiscal.
- Sandra Zimmerman had $41,000 in savings and had lived on Crestwater Lane for nine years when the envelope was found.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1053falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-6-200-paper-trail-how-a-church-receipt-toppled-a-freight-fraud--73071380
Cold receipts, a seized compressor in Lubbock, and a church storage box set in motion a fraud unraveling that cost ranchers thousands. Who noticed a $6,200 invoice and why did a thermal paper log claiming 912 miles of refrigerated transport over four days turn out to describe a truck that never moved?

In this episode, we tell how routine paperwork, community trust, and two everyday people exposed a multi-year scheme in West Texas - and how a single tipped box and a ranch-book discrepancy opened a courtroom door. Could a church volunteer and a 22-year-old bookkeeper really topple a freight fraud built on invoices and thermal logs?

Person: Dennis Jenkins
Location: Mabry, Texas
Date: late October 2021
Case: Exhibit Seven (thermal paper refrigeration log)
Amount: $6,200

- The refrigeration log recorded 38°F maintained across 912 miles over four days in late October 2021.
- Lone Range Logistics LLC opened in spring 2017 and billed 60 to 80 hauls over four years across three West Texas counties.
- Ed Pulaski paid $6,200 for refrigerated transport for breeding stock and received an invoice packet including the thermal log.
- A refrigeration unit was seized in a Lubbock repair yard and remained there for the entire four-day period the log claimed the truck was in transit.
- Karen O'Connor photographed eight invoice pages from a tipping box in the church storage room on the third Tuesday of November 2021.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73071380Fri, 07 Aug 2026 08:00:04 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe $6,200 Paper Trail: How a Church Receipt Toppled a Freight Fraud Cold receipts, a seized compressor in Lubbock, and a church storage box set in motion a fraud unraveling that cost ranchers thousands. Who noticed a $6,200 invoice and why did a...
Cold receipts, a seized compressor in Lubbock, and a church storage box set in motion a fraud unraveling that cost ranchers thousands. Who noticed a $6,200 invoice and why did a thermal paper log claiming 912 miles of refrigerated transport over four days turn out to describe a truck that never moved?

In this episode, we tell how routine paperwork, community trust, and two everyday people exposed a multi-year scheme in West Texas - and how a single tipped box and a ranch-book discrepancy opened a courtroom door. Could a church volunteer and a 22-year-old bookkeeper really topple a freight fraud built on invoices and thermal logs?

Person: Dennis Jenkins
Location: Mabry, Texas
Date: late October 2021
Case: Exhibit Seven (thermal paper refrigeration log)
Amount: $6,200

- The refrigeration log recorded 38°F maintained across 912 miles over four days in late October 2021.
- Lone Range Logistics LLC opened in spring 2017 and billed 60 to 80 hauls over four years across three West Texas counties.
- Ed Pulaski paid $6,200 for refrigerated transport for breeding stock and received an invoice packet including the thermal log.
- A refrigeration unit was seized in a Lubbock repair yard and remained there for the entire four-day period the log claimed the truck was in transit.
- Karen O'Connor photographed eight invoice pages from a tipping box in the church storage room on the third Tuesday of November 2021.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>606falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-mason-jar-that-exposed-a-231-000-honey-scam--73071379
A small half-pint mason jar, sealed in red wax and tucked with certificate SH-3-0047, sat on a nature-trail post for two weeks before anyone understood it signaled a $231,000 shortfall in a local honey investment scheme-how did one jar undo three seasons of trust? Listen to how a single numbered certificate snapped a community's faith and revealed systematic misrepresentation in plain sight.

In this episode, we tell the story of the Sweet Farro Cooperative and the people it touched: the investors who bought shares, the neighbors who smelled the hives, and the documents that didn’t add up-what exactly broke down between demonstration and reporting?

Person: Harvey Carter
Event: Registration of Sweet Farro Cooperative in spring 2016
Case: Certificate SH-3-0047
Investors: 112
Shortfall: approximately $231,000

- The trail jar was placed before 6 a.m. on September 11, 2019 and sat for two weeks before being understood.
- The cooperative ran for three seasons and drew in 112 investors.
- Season One launched in spring 2016 with 61 investors and approximately $94,000 in committed capital.
- Carter listed 187 colonies in filings across three consecutive years despite his demonstration hives never exceeding 40 functioning colonies.
- Nancy Mueller bought a half-share in March 2018 for $300 and received certificate SH-3-0047.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73071379Thu, 06 Aug 2026 08:00:03 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Mason Jar That Exposed a $231,000 Honey Scam A small half-pint mason jar, sealed in red wax and tucked with certificate SH-3-0047, sat on a nature-trail post for two weeks before anyone understood it signaled a $231,000 shortfall in a local...
A small half-pint mason jar, sealed in red wax and tucked with certificate SH-3-0047, sat on a nature-trail post for two weeks before anyone understood it signaled a $231,000 shortfall in a local honey investment scheme-how did one jar undo three seasons of trust? Listen to how a single numbered certificate snapped a community's faith and revealed systematic misrepresentation in plain sight.

In this episode, we tell the story of the Sweet Farro Cooperative and the people it touched: the investors who bought shares, the neighbors who smelled the hives, and the documents that didn’t add up-what exactly broke down between demonstration and reporting?

Person: Harvey Carter
Event: Registration of Sweet Farro Cooperative in spring 2016
Case: Certificate SH-3-0047
Investors: 112
Shortfall: approximately $231,000

- The trail jar was placed before 6 a.m. on September 11, 2019 and sat for two weeks before being understood.
- The cooperative ran for three seasons and drew in 112 investors.
- Season One launched in spring 2016 with 61 investors and approximately $94,000 in committed capital.
- Carter listed 187 colonies in filings across three consecutive years despite his demonstration hives never exceeding 40 functioning colonies.
- Nancy Mueller bought a half-share in March 2018 for $300 and received certificate SH-3-0047.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1160falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-fake-booster-who-took-a-town-s-206-000-ledger-in-a-safe--73071378
A town trusted a booster with $206,000 and kept a framed donation certificate on the wall - but the "Hendricks County Athletic Foundation" never existed and the real ledger ended up in a river. How did a local coach convert community goodwill into cash, and why did his private spiral-bound record conclude, "Balance irrecuperable. Close."?

In this episode, you will hear how donations from 33 victims flowed into a single checking account, how investigators found no EIN or nonprofit filings, and how a waterlogged safe recovered by a resident became central evidence - was this an elaborate one-time fraud or part of a pattern?

Person: Jason Dixon
Amount: $206,000
Victims: 33 donors
Location: Calloway, Hendricks County
Evidence recovered: fireproof document safe with spiral-bound ledger

- The largest single donation was $100,000 from Ted Kelso of Kelso Brothers Supply.
- Donations were collected over fourteen months and totalled $206,000.
- The safe was retrieved from the Dunmore River at 6:41 AM by Connie Andrews using a trotline.
- The ledger’s final handwritten line read: "Balance irrecuperable. Close."
- At the time of subpoena, the Dixon account balance was $412.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73071378Wed, 05 Aug 2026 08:00:03 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Fake Booster Who Took a Town's $206,000 - Ledger in a Safe A town trusted a booster with $206,000 and kept a framed donation certificate on the wall - but the "Hendricks County Athletic Foundation" never existed and the real ledger ended up in...
A town trusted a booster with $206,000 and kept a framed donation certificate on the wall - but the "Hendricks County Athletic Foundation" never existed and the real ledger ended up in a river. How did a local coach convert community goodwill into cash, and why did his private spiral-bound record conclude, "Balance irrecuperable. Close."?

In this episode, you will hear how donations from 33 victims flowed into a single checking account, how investigators found no EIN or nonprofit filings, and how a waterlogged safe recovered by a resident became central evidence - was this an elaborate one-time fraud or part of a pattern?

Person: Jason Dixon
Amount: $206,000
Victims: 33 donors
Location: Calloway, Hendricks County
Evidence recovered: fireproof document safe with spiral-bound ledger

- The largest single donation was $100,000 from Ted Kelso of Kelso Brothers Supply.
- Donations were collected over fourteen months and totalled $206,000.
- The safe was retrieved from the Dunmore River at 6:41 AM by Connie Andrews using a trotline.
- The ledger’s final handwritten line read: "Balance irrecuperable. Close."
- At the time of subpoena, the Dixon account balance was $412.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1159falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-missing-escrow-how-23-410-vanished-from-tenants-accounts--73071377
A dry nylon bank deposit bag labeled "ESCROW - LOT SECURITY - DO NOT COMMINGLE" was found behind a propane cage after rain, holding evidence that should have been in a locked account - and $23,410 was missing from tenant escrow records. Who turned an account meant to protect 63 families into a single-name holding, and how did a receipt book and a green composition notebook become the key to uncovering it?

In this episode, we trace the sequence of discoveries that began with a county surveyor re-staking a property line and a tenant who recorded every transaction in a composition book, leading to an inspection and a probe into account seven-seven-zero-four. How did Indiana escrow law, a bank account, and a landlord’s single-name listing leave tenants unprotected?

Person: Carol Cox
Date: March 14, 2013
Location: Pallister Mobile Home Park
Account: 7704
Amount missing: $23,410

- 63 tenant families rented lots at Pallister Mobile Home Park in spring 2013.
- Tenants typically paid between $280 and $340 per month in lot rent.
- Security deposits ranged between $300 and $500 per tenant.
- Carol Cox paid a $420 security deposit on March 14, 2013 and recorded account 7704 and a receipt number.
- A bank account (7704) listed only Vernon Keller as the named holder when checked at Renner County Savings and Loan on June 29, 2014.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73071377Tue, 04 Aug 2026 08:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Missing Escrow: How $23,410 Vanished From Tenants' Accounts A dry nylon bank deposit bag labeled "ESCROW - LOT SECURITY - DO NOT COMMINGLE" was found behind a propane cage after rain, holding evidence that should have been in a locked account -...
A dry nylon bank deposit bag labeled "ESCROW - LOT SECURITY - DO NOT COMMINGLE" was found behind a propane cage after rain, holding evidence that should have been in a locked account - and $23,410 was missing from tenant escrow records. Who turned an account meant to protect 63 families into a single-name holding, and how did a receipt book and a green composition notebook become the key to uncovering it?

In this episode, we trace the sequence of discoveries that began with a county surveyor re-staking a property line and a tenant who recorded every transaction in a composition book, leading to an inspection and a probe into account seven-seven-zero-four. How did Indiana escrow law, a bank account, and a landlord’s single-name listing leave tenants unprotected?

Person: Carol Cox
Date: March 14, 2013
Location: Pallister Mobile Home Park
Account: 7704
Amount missing: $23,410

- 63 tenant families rented lots at Pallister Mobile Home Park in spring 2013.
- Tenants typically paid between $280 and $340 per month in lot rent.
- Security deposits ranged between $300 and $500 per tenant.
- Carol Cox paid a $420 security deposit on March 14, 2013 and recorded account 7704 and a receipt number.
- A bank account (7704) listed only Vernon Keller as the named holder when checked at Renner County Savings and Loan on June 29, 2014.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1136falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/he-stole-the-salt-how-a-trusted-clerk-pocketed-1-6m-over-ten-years--73071376
An empty garage floor and a 7:14 a.m. timestamp launched what would become a decade-long theft of public funds: one photograph proved salt deliveries were missing while billing records showed full allocations, and auditors later found over $1.2 million diverted from the cooperative. How did a trusted clerk turn legitimate invoices into a private revenue stream without being detected for ten years?

In this episode, we follow the sequence of events that led township officials to question billing, the gaps in oversight that let the scheme continue, and the first concrete acts of verification that unraveled it - culminating in the discovery of who benefitted from the price spread that never reached member municipalities.

Person: Frank Campbell
Event: Missing road salt discovered by photograph at 7:14 a.m.
Case: Prentiss Road-Salt Cooperative billing fraud
Period: 2009-2019
Amount: $1,214,000 diverted from cooperative over ten years

- Photograph timestamped 7:14 a.m. on a Tuesday in June 2019 showed a barn concrete floor completely bare.
- Cooperative organized in 2009 with twelve member municipalities pooling purchases for road salt.
- Suppliers billed between $82 and $91 per ton while municipalities were invoiced between $114 and $122 per ton.
- Spread per ton ranged from $19 to $31, producing about $60,000 in the first year and about $140,000 in 2018.
- Total diverted from the Prentiss cooperative over ten years reached $1,214,000.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73071376Mon, 03 Aug 2026 08:00:03 +0000Creator at ObomediaHe Stole the Salt: How a Trusted Clerk Pocketed $1.6M Over Ten Years An empty garage floor and a 7:14 a.m. timestamp launched what would become a decade-long theft of public funds: one photograph proved salt deliveries were missing while billing...
An empty garage floor and a 7:14 a.m. timestamp launched what would become a decade-long theft of public funds: one photograph proved salt deliveries were missing while billing records showed full allocations, and auditors later found over $1.2 million diverted from the cooperative. How did a trusted clerk turn legitimate invoices into a private revenue stream without being detected for ten years?

In this episode, we follow the sequence of events that led township officials to question billing, the gaps in oversight that let the scheme continue, and the first concrete acts of verification that unraveled it - culminating in the discovery of who benefitted from the price spread that never reached member municipalities.

Person: Frank Campbell
Event: Missing road salt discovered by photograph at 7:14 a.m.
Case: Prentiss Road-Salt Cooperative billing fraud
Period: 2009-2019
Amount: $1,214,000 diverted from cooperative over ten years

- Photograph timestamped 7:14 a.m. on a Tuesday in June 2019 showed a barn concrete floor completely bare.
- Cooperative organized in 2009 with twelve member municipalities pooling purchases for road salt.
- Suppliers billed between $82 and $91 per ton while municipalities were invoiced between $114 and $122 per ton.
- Spread per ton ranged from $19 to $31, producing about $60,000 in the first year and about $140,000 in 2018.
- Total diverted from the Prentiss cooperative over ten years reached $1,214,000.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1102falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-new-lock-the-empty-unit-how-a-storage-auction-was-stolen--73071375
The first thing that draws you in is a brand-new Master Lock on a unit that, when checked, contains nothing at all - and yet eleven days earlier thirteen people had bid on it, one paying $850. How can a spotless new lock, altered auction photos, and a sold unit with no contents connect to nine years of quiet fraud in a county where everyone trusts their neighbors?

In this episode, we lay out the sequence of what happened at Pinnacle Self-Storage and how one curious passerby’s photograph sparked an investigation. You’ll hear how auction records, altered photo metadata, and a pattern of flagged sales led the county to ask: who was selling empty rooms as treasure, and why did the facility manager’s listings show different locks?

Person: Dean Vickers
Location: Pinnacle Self-Storage on Route 9, Haskell County
Date: May 7, 2019 (discovery); April 28, 2019 (auction); April 21, 2019 (listing posted)
Case: Unit 31 lien auction
Status: Complaint filed with Haskell County Sheriff’s Department

- A passerby, Thomas Reynolds, discovered a pristine Master Lock and an empty unit on May 7, 2019.
- Thirteen bidders attended the April 28, 2019 auction for unit 31; the winning bid was $850 by a bidder listed as Frank Peluso.
- The unit had belonged to Diane Kowal, who died in February 2019 and whose estate surrendered the unit.
- Pinnacle Self-Storage had 36 units and had been managed by Dean Vickers for nine years as of spring 2019.
- The sheriff’s review found 14 auctions across 22 months at Pinnacle; 11 of those were flagged as unusual in the subpoena return.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73071375Sun, 02 Aug 2026 08:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe New Lock, The Empty Unit: How a Storage Auction Was Stolen The first thing that draws you in is a brand-new Master Lock on a unit that, when checked, contains nothing at all - and yet eleven days earlier thirteen people had bid on it, one...
The first thing that draws you in is a brand-new Master Lock on a unit that, when checked, contains nothing at all - and yet eleven days earlier thirteen people had bid on it, one paying $850. How can a spotless new lock, altered auction photos, and a sold unit with no contents connect to nine years of quiet fraud in a county where everyone trusts their neighbors?

In this episode, we lay out the sequence of what happened at Pinnacle Self-Storage and how one curious passerby’s photograph sparked an investigation. You’ll hear how auction records, altered photo metadata, and a pattern of flagged sales led the county to ask: who was selling empty rooms as treasure, and why did the facility manager’s listings show different locks?

Person: Dean Vickers
Location: Pinnacle Self-Storage on Route 9, Haskell County
Date: May 7, 2019 (discovery); April 28, 2019 (auction); April 21, 2019 (listing posted)
Case: Unit 31 lien auction
Status: Complaint filed with Haskell County Sheriff’s Department

- A passerby, Thomas Reynolds, discovered a pristine Master Lock and an empty unit on May 7, 2019.
- Thirteen bidders attended the April 28, 2019 auction for unit 31; the winning bid was $850 by a bidder listed as Frank Peluso.
- The unit had belonged to Diane Kowal, who died in February 2019 and whose estate surrendered the unit.
- Pinnacle Self-Storage had 36 units and had been managed by Dean Vickers for nine years as of spring 2019.
- The sheriff’s review found 14 auctions across 22 months at Pinnacle; 11 of those were flagged as unusual in the subpoena return.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1222falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/eleven-dollars-forty-people-one-bookkeeper-the-fund-that-vanished--73071371
Fear that everyday trust can hide a theft: a community celebration, forty people, and a fund that had exactly eleven dollars when plaques costing $4,200 were unveiled - how did a $31,000 fire fund exist mostly on paper? Who first pieced together the missing money after a soggy envelope and a ceramics-class phone call set events in motion?

In this episode, we tell what happened in Carlisle and Dellard County: the fundraising plan, the bookkeeper who managed multiple local accounts, the steady-looking statements that concealed withdrawals, and the small discoveries that exposed the scheme. How did routine trust, printed statements, and a teen on a paper route combine to reveal a five-year fraud?

Person: Beverly Holmes
Person: John Hill
Person: Amy Stroud
Event: Dedication ceremony at Station Four
Amount: $11 (fund balance at ceremony)

- Forty people attended the dedication ceremony where the fund balance was actually $11.
- The plaques on the wall cost $4,200 and Tanner and Sons absorbed an unpaid $3,400 after a $800 deposit.
- Beverly Holmes contributed $6,000 to the fund starting in 2016 and saw a statement showing $9,400 by January 2019.
- The account used for the fund had never held more than $10,000 and was drained twice in 2017 and 2018 via drive-through withdrawals over three-week spans.
- A fifteen-year-old paper carrier, Amy Stroud, found a soggy windowed bank envelope on Dellard Avenue that helped trigger the investigation.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73071371Sat, 01 Aug 2026 08:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaEleven Dollars, Forty People, One Bookkeeper: The Fund That Vanished Fear that everyday trust can hide a theft: a community celebration, forty people, and a fund that had exactly eleven dollars when plaques costing $4,200 were unveiled - how did a...
Fear that everyday trust can hide a theft: a community celebration, forty people, and a fund that had exactly eleven dollars when plaques costing $4,200 were unveiled - how did a $31,000 fire fund exist mostly on paper? Who first pieced together the missing money after a soggy envelope and a ceramics-class phone call set events in motion?

In this episode, we tell what happened in Carlisle and Dellard County: the fundraising plan, the bookkeeper who managed multiple local accounts, the steady-looking statements that concealed withdrawals, and the small discoveries that exposed the scheme. How did routine trust, printed statements, and a teen on a paper route combine to reveal a five-year fraud?

Person: Beverly Holmes
Person: John Hill
Person: Amy Stroud
Event: Dedication ceremony at Station Four
Amount: $11 (fund balance at ceremony)

- Forty people attended the dedication ceremony where the fund balance was actually $11.
- The plaques on the wall cost $4,200 and Tanner and Sons absorbed an unpaid $3,400 after a $800 deposit.
- Beverly Holmes contributed $6,000 to the fund starting in 2016 and saw a statement showing $9,400 by January 2019.
- The account used for the fund had never held more than $10,000 and was drained twice in 2017 and 2018 via drive-through withdrawals over three-week spans.
- A fifteen-year-old paper carrier, Amy Stroud, found a soggy windowed bank envelope on Dellard Avenue that helped trigger the investigation.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1143falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-tractor-that-backed-four-loans-and-betrayed-eleven-farmers--73071370
A single torn sheet in a ditch exposed a serial number that had been used to secure more than $340,000 across four separate loans and eleven farm operations-so how did one John Deere serial PE8430H792214 end up backing multiple lenders for equipment that had been sold years earlier? The discovery began at 6:00 a.m. on March 7, 2011, and unfolded into a four-year fraud that relied on trust, clipped ads, and isolated lenders.

In this episode, we walk through the timeline from the grader operator who found the paper to the bank subpoenas that revealed identical collateral listings, explaining how the scheme was structured, who was affected, and what investigators found when they compared files-could a single number really carry that much liability?

Person: Roy O'Brien
Date: March 7, 2011
Location: Deller Township / Cadell, Iowa
Case: Prairie Basin Equipment Finance insolvency
Amount: $912,000 collected from clients (as discovered in the investigation)

- The torn page with serial PE8430H792214 was found by grader operator Craig Tate at 6:00 a.m, on March 7, 2011.
- The serial number PE8430H792214 (a John Deere 8430) appeared as collateral on asset schedules from four separate lenders.
- The single serial number backed more than $340,000 in combined financing across the four lenders.
- The John Deere 8430 tied to PE8430H792214 had been sold at private auction in September 2006, before Prairie Basin opened in spring 2007.
- Roy O'Brien opened Prairie Basin Equipment Finance in spring 2007 and enrolled eleven farm operators, with the pool becoming insolvent in August 2008.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73071370Fri, 31 Jul 2026 08:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Tractor That Backed Four Loans-and Betrayed Eleven Farmers A single torn sheet in a ditch exposed a serial number that had been used to secure more than $340,000 across four separate loans and eleven farm operations-so how did one John Deere...
A single torn sheet in a ditch exposed a serial number that had been used to secure more than $340,000 across four separate loans and eleven farm operations-so how did one John Deere serial PE8430H792214 end up backing multiple lenders for equipment that had been sold years earlier? The discovery began at 6:00 a.m. on March 7, 2011, and unfolded into a four-year fraud that relied on trust, clipped ads, and isolated lenders.

In this episode, we walk through the timeline from the grader operator who found the paper to the bank subpoenas that revealed identical collateral listings, explaining how the scheme was structured, who was affected, and what investigators found when they compared files-could a single number really carry that much liability?

Person: Roy O'Brien
Date: March 7, 2011
Location: Deller Township / Cadell, Iowa
Case: Prairie Basin Equipment Finance insolvency
Amount: $912,000 collected from clients (as discovered in the investigation)

- The torn page with serial PE8430H792214 was found by grader operator Craig Tate at 6:00 a.m, on March 7, 2011.
- The serial number PE8430H792214 (a John Deere 8430) appeared as collateral on asset schedules from four separate lenders.
- The single serial number backed more than $340,000 in combined financing across the four lenders.
- The John Deere 8430 tied to PE8430H792214 had been sold at private auction in September 2006, before Prairie Basin opened in spring 2007.
- Roy O'Brien opened Prairie Basin Equipment Finance in spring 2007 and enrolled eleven farm operators, with the pool becoming insolvent in August 2008.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1185falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/small-town-vendor-scam-how-a-binder-blew-open-38k-theft--73071369
A small-town trust turned into a $38,000 theft hidden inside a folded binder zip-tied to a utility pole - and one technician's photo started the unraveling. How did a popular county fair, a convincing letter, and a single bank account allow one man to take money from dozens of neighbors before anyone noticed?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from a vendor application and a $250 "retention fee" letter to the moment the fair board discovers missing names, and we ask how a trusted volunteer could control an entire vendor fund without oversight.

Person: Wade Carter
Location: Dellridge, Iowa
Event: Harwick County Fair vendor application scam
Date: February 11, 2019 (discovery); payments began February 2018
Case: Investigation opened August 2018 by Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation

- 63 names were found inside the binder attached to a utility pole.
- Dellridge, Iowa has a population of 11,000 people.
- Monica Wagner paid $120 for her vendor application on February 4, 2018 and later sent a $250 money order for a retention fee.
- The fraudulent Harwick County Fair Vendor Fund account was opened in February 2017 with exactly one authorized signatory: Wade Carter.
- The fair board accepted Wade Carter’s vendor coordination offer in spring 2016 without a formal vote.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73071369Thu, 30 Jul 2026 08:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaSmall-Town Vendor Scam: How a Binder Blew Open $38K Theft A small-town trust turned into a $38,000 theft hidden inside a folded binder zip-tied to a utility pole - and one technician's photo started the unraveling. How did a popular county fair, a...
A small-town trust turned into a $38,000 theft hidden inside a folded binder zip-tied to a utility pole - and one technician's photo started the unraveling. How did a popular county fair, a convincing letter, and a single bank account allow one man to take money from dozens of neighbors before anyone noticed?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from a vendor application and a $250 "retention fee" letter to the moment the fair board discovers missing names, and we ask how a trusted volunteer could control an entire vendor fund without oversight.

Person: Wade Carter
Location: Dellridge, Iowa
Event: Harwick County Fair vendor application scam
Date: February 11, 2019 (discovery); payments began February 2018
Case: Investigation opened August 2018 by Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation

- 63 names were found inside the binder attached to a utility pole.
- Dellridge, Iowa has a population of 11,000 people.
- Monica Wagner paid $120 for her vendor application on February 4, 2018 and later sent a $250 money order for a retention fee.
- The fraudulent Harwick County Fair Vendor Fund account was opened in February 2017 with exactly one authorized signatory: Wade Carter.
- The fair board accepted Wade Carter’s vendor coordination offer in spring 2016 without a formal vote.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1086falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-ice-bound-binder-that-unraveled-261-000-small-town-trust--73071367
Fear of betrayal in a place where everyone knows your name: a dry powder-blue three-ring binder found eight feet up in a tree on January 8, 2019, held four years of handwritten records that revealed $261,000 quietly drained from a holiday savings pool. How did a savings plan described as “boring, safe, reliable” become a ledger for transfers timed to avoid federal reporting - and why was the record left frozen in a box elder tree?

In this episode, you’ll hear how a community program became the center of a financial puzzle, what investigators discovered in the binder, and the single pattern that turned suspicion into evidence. Can the pages in a found binder explain where every dollar went and who knew about the other accounts?

Person: Roger Farrell
Date: January 8, 2019
Location: Dellard County, Minnesota
Amount: $261,000
Investigator: Michael Weaver

- The binder was wedged in a box elder tree about eight feet off the ground with the surrounding bark sealed in a quarter-inch shell of ice while the binder remained dry.
- The Cedar Guild Holiday Account collected just over $308,000 in deposits across four years but never held more than $62,000 at any one time.
- Eighteen guild members enrolled in 2015; twenty-six members enrolled by February 2016 out of forty-one total guild members.
- Initial payouts in December 2015 returned $1,042 per envelope, implying a roughly 4.5% annualized return on each member’s contribution.
- Forensic auditor Michael Weaver found transfers from the guild account to a second account in Anoka County occurring at regular intervals and sized just below the federal reporting threshold.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73071367Wed, 29 Jul 2026 08:00:03 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Ice-Bound Binder That Unraveled $261,000 Small-Town Trust Fear of betrayal in a place where everyone knows your name: a dry powder-blue three-ring binder found eight feet up in a tree on January 8, 2019, held four years of handwritten records...
Fear of betrayal in a place where everyone knows your name: a dry powder-blue three-ring binder found eight feet up in a tree on January 8, 2019, held four years of handwritten records that revealed $261,000 quietly drained from a holiday savings pool. How did a savings plan described as “boring, safe, reliable” become a ledger for transfers timed to avoid federal reporting - and why was the record left frozen in a box elder tree?

In this episode, you’ll hear how a community program became the center of a financial puzzle, what investigators discovered in the binder, and the single pattern that turned suspicion into evidence. Can the pages in a found binder explain where every dollar went and who knew about the other accounts?

Person: Roger Farrell
Date: January 8, 2019
Location: Dellard County, Minnesota
Amount: $261,000
Investigator: Michael Weaver

- The binder was wedged in a box elder tree about eight feet off the ground with the surrounding bark sealed in a quarter-inch shell of ice while the binder remained dry.
- The Cedar Guild Holiday Account collected just over $308,000 in deposits across four years but never held more than $62,000 at any one time.
- Eighteen guild members enrolled in 2015; twenty-six members enrolled by February 2016 out of forty-one total guild members.
- Initial payouts in December 2015 returned $1,042 per envelope, implying a roughly 4.5% annualized return on each member’s contribution.
- Forensic auditor Michael Weaver found transfers from the guild account to a second account in Anoka County occurring at regular intervals and sized just below the federal reporting threshold.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1059falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-farmer-who-stole-the-township-s-water-412-000-ledger-lie--73071366
A single pale-green checkbook register left in eleven-degree cold exposed a $412,000 ledger entry that tied thirty-one households’ life savings to a fake cooperative; how did a volunteer firefighter convince neighbors to hand over monthly fees that never went into a cooperative bank account? Who noticed the tiny address detail that cracked the lie, and why did the sheriff's office initially do nothing?

In this episode, we trace the sequence of events from the first meter reader’s discovery to the moment a granddaughter spotted a UPS mail-drop address on a glossy statement. Listen to how regular quarterly statements, a disclosed eight percent administration fee, and a trusted organizer created the appearance of a legitimate Clearwater Ground Water Cooperative - and why that appearance mattered more than any real bank account.

Person: Troy O'Brien
Event: Ledger found under meter box on County Road 14
Date: Third Tuesday of December 2009 (register dated approx. December 15)
Amount: $412,000 total contributed by 31 households
Person: Iris Vogel, contributed $22,000 lump sum

- The register found open beneath a meter box showed a single entry for $412,000 dated approximately December 15.
- O'Brien founded Clearwater Ground Water Cooperative in early 2007 and served as treasurer, taking a disclosed 8% administration fee.
- Thirty-one households contributed monthly fees that started at $80 and later rose to $120, totaling $412,000 over roughly 2.5 years.
- Iris Vogel, age 71 when she enrolled, contributed her entire liquid savings of $22,000 in a lump sum.
- Connie Vogel, age 22, noticed the drilling contractor address on a statement that matched a UPS mail drop and filed a complaint with the county sheriff the next morning.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73071366Tue, 28 Jul 2026 08:00:24 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Farmer Who Stole the Township's Water: $412,000 Ledger Lie A single pale-green checkbook register left in eleven-degree cold exposed a $412,000 ledger entry that tied thirty-one households’ life savings to a fake cooperative; how did a...
A single pale-green checkbook register left in eleven-degree cold exposed a $412,000 ledger entry that tied thirty-one households’ life savings to a fake cooperative; how did a volunteer firefighter convince neighbors to hand over monthly fees that never went into a cooperative bank account? Who noticed the tiny address detail that cracked the lie, and why did the sheriff's office initially do nothing?

In this episode, we trace the sequence of events from the first meter reader’s discovery to the moment a granddaughter spotted a UPS mail-drop address on a glossy statement. Listen to how regular quarterly statements, a disclosed eight percent administration fee, and a trusted organizer created the appearance of a legitimate Clearwater Ground Water Cooperative - and why that appearance mattered more than any real bank account.

Person: Troy O'Brien
Event: Ledger found under meter box on County Road 14
Date: Third Tuesday of December 2009 (register dated approx. December 15)
Amount: $412,000 total contributed by 31 households
Person: Iris Vogel, contributed $22,000 lump sum

- The register found open beneath a meter box showed a single entry for $412,000 dated approximately December 15.
- O'Brien founded Clearwater Ground Water Cooperative in early 2007 and served as treasurer, taking a disclosed 8% administration fee.
- Thirty-one households contributed monthly fees that started at $80 and later rose to $120, totaling $412,000 over roughly 2.5 years.
- Iris Vogel, age 71 when she enrolled, contributed her entire liquid savings of $22,000 in a lump sum.
- Connie Vogel, age 22, noticed the drilling contractor address on a statement that matched a UPS mail drop and filed a complaint with the county sheriff the next morning.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1122falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/he-sold-the-same-dental-practice-twice-who-got-betrayed--73071365
A townspeople-trusted dentist cashed out of a real, profitable practice and then took a second six-figure loan on the same office - leaving one buyer saddled with a $720,000 acquisition loan and another lender out $550,000. Who actually lost the most when trust and paperwork were weaponized?

In this episode, we follow the timeline of sales, loan applications, and the small misdirections that let one man receive two large payouts on the same dental practice. What made the practice’s records credible enough to fool a bank twice, and when did the first loose thread - the Social Security number tie to a decade-old financing dispute - become visible?

Person: Troy Fisher
Person: Jeffrey Jensen
Date: August 9, 2018
Date: November 1, 2018
Amount: $550,000

- Clearwater Family Dentistry had roughly 800 active patients and steady collections at the time of sale.
- Jeffrey Jensen secured a $720,000 acquisition loan through Midlands Community Bank to buy the practice.
- On August 9, 2018, Jensen signed the purchase agreement and Fisher received $685,000.
- On November 1, 2018, Meridian AG wired a $550,000 bridge loan to Troy Fisher based on production records and a letter of intent.
- Fisher moved approximately $400,000 out of state before the end of that year.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73071365Mon, 27 Jul 2026 08:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaHe Sold the Same Dental Practice Twice - Who Got Betrayed? A townspeople-trusted dentist cashed out of a real, profitable practice and then took a second six-figure loan on the same office - leaving one buyer saddled with a $720,000 acquisition...
A townspeople-trusted dentist cashed out of a real, profitable practice and then took a second six-figure loan on the same office - leaving one buyer saddled with a $720,000 acquisition loan and another lender out $550,000. Who actually lost the most when trust and paperwork were weaponized?

In this episode, we follow the timeline of sales, loan applications, and the small misdirections that let one man receive two large payouts on the same dental practice. What made the practice’s records credible enough to fool a bank twice, and when did the first loose thread - the Social Security number tie to a decade-old financing dispute - become visible?

Person: Troy Fisher
Person: Jeffrey Jensen
Date: August 9, 2018
Date: November 1, 2018
Amount: $550,000

- Clearwater Family Dentistry had roughly 800 active patients and steady collections at the time of sale.
- Jeffrey Jensen secured a $720,000 acquisition loan through Midlands Community Bank to buy the practice.
- On August 9, 2018, Jensen signed the purchase agreement and Fisher received $685,000.
- On November 1, 2018, Meridian AG wired a $550,000 bridge loan to Troy Fisher based on production records and a letter of intent.
- Fisher moved approximately $400,000 out of state before the end of that year.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1004falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/he-photographed-crops-before-storms-how-an-adjuster-stole-840k--73071364
A rural betrayal: a licensed crop-insurance adjuster photographed healthy soybean fields weeks before storms, then used those pre-loss photos to inflate claims that paid out hundreds of thousands of dollars. How did forty-three sealed photos in a culvert, a cash envelope on a kitchen table, and years of habit expose a scheme that siphoned away federal crop-insurance money?

In this episode, we follow the sequence of events and the concrete evidence recovered from a trail-side envelope to show how the fraud operated and who it affected, ending with the question that drove the investigation: how many other claims were built on Barrett’s pre-storm photographs?

Person: Norman Barrett
Person: Crystal Sharp
Date: October 4, 2019
Location: Monica Cooper Trail, Calloway County
Case: pre-loss photographs used to inflate crop-insurance claims

- Barrett had been a licensed adjuster covering Calloway County and three adjoining counties for eleven years.
- The sealed envelope found on October 4, 2019 contained forty-three photographs labeled "FIELD 7, OCT 2017, BARRETT ADJ."
- Crystal Sharp’s Field Seven claim settled for $62,000 after a genuine hail event in October 2017.
- Barrett reportedly left cash payments to farmers between $8,000 and $14,000 in envelopes after claims paid.
- Starting in 2014 Barrett routinely photographed fields in late August, taking forty to sixty images per field as a pre-loss baseline.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73071364Sun, 26 Jul 2026 08:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaHe Photographed Crops Before Storms - How an Adjuster Stole $840K A rural betrayal: a licensed crop-insurance adjuster photographed healthy soybean fields weeks before storms, then used those pre-loss photos to inflate claims that paid out hundreds...
A rural betrayal: a licensed crop-insurance adjuster photographed healthy soybean fields weeks before storms, then used those pre-loss photos to inflate claims that paid out hundreds of thousands of dollars. How did forty-three sealed photos in a culvert, a cash envelope on a kitchen table, and years of habit expose a scheme that siphoned away federal crop-insurance money?

In this episode, we follow the sequence of events and the concrete evidence recovered from a trail-side envelope to show how the fraud operated and who it affected, ending with the question that drove the investigation: how many other claims were built on Barrett’s pre-storm photographs?

Person: Norman Barrett
Person: Crystal Sharp
Date: October 4, 2019
Location: Monica Cooper Trail, Calloway County
Case: pre-loss photographs used to inflate crop-insurance claims

- Barrett had been a licensed adjuster covering Calloway County and three adjoining counties for eleven years.
- The sealed envelope found on October 4, 2019 contained forty-three photographs labeled "FIELD 7, OCT 2017, BARRETT ADJ."
- Crystal Sharp’s Field Seven claim settled for $62,000 after a genuine hail event in October 2017.
- Barrett reportedly left cash payments to farmers between $8,000 and $14,000 in envelopes after claims paid.
- Starting in 2014 Barrett routinely photographed fields in late August, taking forty to sixty images per field as a pre-loss baseline.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1118falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-treasurer-s-secret-how-192-000-vanished-from-small-town-raffles--73071363
A small-town raffle turned into a nine-year puzzle when $192,000 in cash disappeared from an account managed by the booster club treasurer, and a red spiral notebook mysteriously appeared clipped to a fishing line four miles outside Fenwick - why would someone leave a ledger in the creek? Who benefited from five hundred and forty-one entries marked "pending transfer" with no follow-through?

In this episode, we follow how a student’s class assignment, a fisherman's early-morning find, and a sheriff’s forwarded complaint came together to expose inconsistencies in the booster club’s records, asking whether trust and routine had masked deliberate theft.

Person: Kenneth Miller
Person: Rachel Roberts
Date: September 11, 2019
Location: four miles outside Fenwick
Account: 4417 at Cassen County Savings

- The notebook cover read "ML Booster - Deposits FY 2010 through FY 2018."
- Kenneth Miller became treasurer in 2010 and served through 2019.
- Nan Roberts donated $1,000 each year from 2011 through 2019, nine consecutive years.
- The phrase "pending transfer" appears 541 times in the treasurer's ledger with no corresponding transfers.
- Millhaven Lakes Regional serves roughly 1,400 students from Fenwick and three surrounding communities.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73071363Sat, 25 Jul 2026 08:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Treasurer's Secret: How $192,000 Vanished From Small-Town Raffles A small-town raffle turned into a nine-year puzzle when $192,000 in cash disappeared from an account managed by the booster club treasurer, and a red spiral notebook mysteriously...
A small-town raffle turned into a nine-year puzzle when $192,000 in cash disappeared from an account managed by the booster club treasurer, and a red spiral notebook mysteriously appeared clipped to a fishing line four miles outside Fenwick - why would someone leave a ledger in the creek? Who benefited from five hundred and forty-one entries marked "pending transfer" with no follow-through?

In this episode, we follow how a student’s class assignment, a fisherman's early-morning find, and a sheriff’s forwarded complaint came together to expose inconsistencies in the booster club’s records, asking whether trust and routine had masked deliberate theft.

Person: Kenneth Miller
Person: Rachel Roberts
Date: September 11, 2019
Location: four miles outside Fenwick
Account: 4417 at Cassen County Savings

- The notebook cover read "ML Booster - Deposits FY 2010 through FY 2018."
- Kenneth Miller became treasurer in 2010 and served through 2019.
- Nan Roberts donated $1,000 each year from 2011 through 2019, nine consecutive years.
- The phrase "pending transfer" appears 541 times in the treasurer's ledger with no corresponding transfers.
- Millhaven Lakes Regional serves roughly 1,400 students from Fenwick and three surrounding communities.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1008falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-lot-that-never-existed-how-a-trusted-neighbor-stole-11-000--73071361
A trusted volunteer treasurer lost $11,000 to a scheme built around a parcel that county records show was never platted-no lot, no deed, no title. How did a community figure who ran a charitable raffle turn three years of careful savings into nothing, and who else was left holding the papers that proved nothing existed?

In this episode, we tell the episode's narrative from the moment the surveyor noticed an iron stake in August 2019 through the steps that led investigators to financial records and missing funds, asking whether the trust placed in local civic ties masked a deliberate fraud.

Person: Sharon Rogers
Person: Warren Hunt
Event: Survey discovery of orange stake, August 2019
Case: Harvest Drawing / Harvest Drawing LLC
Amount: $11,000

- Sharon Rogers saved $11,000 over three years using a handwritten paper ledger with one column for deposits and one for running balance.
- Sharon paid Warren Hunt $5,000 in November 2017 and $6,000 a few months later, totaling $11,000.
- The county plat index showed Lot Fourteen, Calhoun Pines Phase Two, did not exist and the county had never platted a Phase Two.
- The Harvest Drawing annual report for 2018 declared ticket sales of $46,000 while bank deposits for ticket sales totaled $19,000, a $27,000 discrepancy.
- Between 2017 and 2018, $31,000 moved from accounts connected to the Harvest Drawing into Warren Hunt's personal accounts according to the forensic auditor.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73071361Fri, 24 Jul 2026 08:00:05 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Lot That Never Existed: How a Trusted Neighbor Stole $11,000 A trusted volunteer treasurer lost $11,000 to a scheme built around a parcel that county records show was never platted-no lot, no deed, no title. How did a community figure who ran a...
A trusted volunteer treasurer lost $11,000 to a scheme built around a parcel that county records show was never platted-no lot, no deed, no title. How did a community figure who ran a charitable raffle turn three years of careful savings into nothing, and who else was left holding the papers that proved nothing existed?

In this episode, we tell the episode's narrative from the moment the surveyor noticed an iron stake in August 2019 through the steps that led investigators to financial records and missing funds, asking whether the trust placed in local civic ties masked a deliberate fraud.

Person: Sharon Rogers
Person: Warren Hunt
Event: Survey discovery of orange stake, August 2019
Case: Harvest Drawing / Harvest Drawing LLC
Amount: $11,000

- Sharon Rogers saved $11,000 over three years using a handwritten paper ledger with one column for deposits and one for running balance.
- Sharon paid Warren Hunt $5,000 in November 2017 and $6,000 a few months later, totaling $11,000.
- The county plat index showed Lot Fourteen, Calhoun Pines Phase Two, did not exist and the county had never platted a Phase Two.
- The Harvest Drawing annual report for 2018 declared ticket sales of $46,000 while bank deposits for ticket sales totaled $19,000, a $27,000 discrepancy.
- Between 2017 and 2018, $31,000 moved from accounts connected to the Harvest Drawing into Warren Hunt's personal accounts according to the forensic auditor.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1205falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/he-took-their-funeral-money-430-contracts-one-livestock-trough--73071360
A septic tech found 430 typewritten preneed funeral contracts locked inside a galvanized livestock trough under a sheet of corrugated tin - and the trust accounts they referenced held about $212,000 at peak but only just over $9,000 by July 2019. Who built a paper trail that looked official enough to erase decades of community trust, and why were the papers left to burn under a county burn ban?

In this episode, we tell how a local funeral home employee and longtime county resident sold preneed contracts that referenced a trust fund that largely never existed, how families like Edna Evans’s paid thousands that disappeared into mortgages and truck payments, and how Kenneth Evans’s two unanswered concerns became the hinge for the investigation that followed - what happened between the receipts and the trough?

Person: Neil Donnelly
Date: July 9, 2019
Location: County Road 7, four miles east of Grover Falls
Case: Donnelly Peaceful Passage LLC preneed contracts
Amount: $4,200 (Edna Evans payment)

- 430 manila folders found inside a galvanized livestock trough on July 9, 2019
- Peak trust balance across clients was approximately $212,000, reduced to just over $9,000 by July 2019
- Edna Evans paid $4,200 in September 2017 for a preneed funeral contract
- Deputy Aaron Cole arrived at the scene at 9:15 a.m. after the septic technician called at 8:02 a.m.
- By July 24, 2019, the named suspect was in handcuffs and unable to make bond

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73071360Thu, 23 Jul 2026 08:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaHe Took Their Funeral Money - 430 Contracts, One Livestock Trough A septic tech found 430 typewritten preneed funeral contracts locked inside a galvanized livestock trough under a sheet of corrugated tin - and the trust accounts they referenced...
A septic tech found 430 typewritten preneed funeral contracts locked inside a galvanized livestock trough under a sheet of corrugated tin - and the trust accounts they referenced held about $212,000 at peak but only just over $9,000 by July 2019. Who built a paper trail that looked official enough to erase decades of community trust, and why were the papers left to burn under a county burn ban?

In this episode, we tell how a local funeral home employee and longtime county resident sold preneed contracts that referenced a trust fund that largely never existed, how families like Edna Evans’s paid thousands that disappeared into mortgages and truck payments, and how Kenneth Evans’s two unanswered concerns became the hinge for the investigation that followed - what happened between the receipts and the trough?

Person: Neil Donnelly
Date: July 9, 2019
Location: County Road 7, four miles east of Grover Falls
Case: Donnelly Peaceful Passage LLC preneed contracts
Amount: $4,200 (Edna Evans payment)

- 430 manila folders found inside a galvanized livestock trough on July 9, 2019
- Peak trust balance across clients was approximately $212,000, reduced to just over $9,000 by July 2019
- Edna Evans paid $4,200 in September 2017 for a preneed funeral contract
- Deputy Aaron Cole arrived at the scene at 9:15 a.m. after the septic technician called at 8:02 a.m.
- By July 24, 2019, the named suspect was in handcuffs and unable to make bond

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1123falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-truck-bed-note-that-exposed-a-1-1m-small-town-scam--73071359
A single yellow legal note found in the unlocked bed of a plateless pickup sparked the unravelling of a $1.1 million scheme in a small Indiana town. How did a blue ballpoint scrawl - “move Gail's account before Thursday or we're done” - point detectives to a deadline, a person, and a fraud that had been dead for sixteen months?

In this episode, you will hear how a photographer’s morning birdwatching led to an email to the Holt County Sheriff’s Department, the discovery of forged financial statements, and the quiet collapse of trust in a tightly knit community. What exactly did the note reveal about who knew, when they knew it, and why the theft continued so long?

Person: Ronald Larsen
Date: June 11, 2009
Location: Cedarbrook, Holt County, Indiana
Amount: $1,100,000 passed through the account
Deficit: Investors were owed $1,300,000 while the account held $47,000

- At 6:45 AM on June 11, 2009, Dennis Hensley photographed a pharmacy bag and a handwritten note in a pickup truck bed.
- By noon the Holt County Sheriff’s Department had called Hensley; within nine days Ronald Larsen was arrested.
- Larsen incorporated Holt County Growth Partnership as an LLC in February 2003 without required securities registration.
- Thirty-one people invested; Gail Sanders invested $68,000, her entire liquid savings outside her pension.
- Forensic accountant William O’Connor subpoenaed records on June 10 revealing the checking account balance was $47,000 while $1.1M had passed through it.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73071359Wed, 22 Jul 2026 08:00:03 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Truck-Bed Note That Exposed a $1.1M Small-Town Scam A single yellow legal note found in the unlocked bed of a plateless pickup sparked the unravelling of a $1.1 million scheme in a small Indiana town. How did a blue ballpoint scrawl - “move...
A single yellow legal note found in the unlocked bed of a plateless pickup sparked the unravelling of a $1.1 million scheme in a small Indiana town. How did a blue ballpoint scrawl - “move Gail's account before Thursday or we're done” - point detectives to a deadline, a person, and a fraud that had been dead for sixteen months?

In this episode, you will hear how a photographer’s morning birdwatching led to an email to the Holt County Sheriff’s Department, the discovery of forged financial statements, and the quiet collapse of trust in a tightly knit community. What exactly did the note reveal about who knew, when they knew it, and why the theft continued so long?

Person: Ronald Larsen
Date: June 11, 2009
Location: Cedarbrook, Holt County, Indiana
Amount: $1,100,000 passed through the account
Deficit: Investors were owed $1,300,000 while the account held $47,000

- At 6:45 AM on June 11, 2009, Dennis Hensley photographed a pharmacy bag and a handwritten note in a pickup truck bed.
- By noon the Holt County Sheriff’s Department had called Hensley; within nine days Ronald Larsen was arrested.
- Larsen incorporated Holt County Growth Partnership as an LLC in February 2003 without required securities registration.
- Thirty-one people invested; Gail Sanders invested $68,000, her entire liquid savings outside her pension.
- Forensic accountant William O’Connor subpoenaed records on June 10 revealing the checking account balance was $47,000 while $1.1M had passed through it.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1135falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-treasurer-s-tiny-rounding-scam-that-stole-millions-from-neighbors--73071358
A quiet pattern of tiny rounding differences-just fractions of a percent-turned into a $1,840,000 loss for sixty-three local investors and it took a 16-year-old paper carrier to start the unraveling; how did a routine-looking treasurer hide this for nearly two decades? Listen to learn how small, repeated gaps in quarterly statements became the forensic trail that exposed the scheme.

In this episode, we tell the episode’s events from discovery to forensic accounting, explaining who found the inconsistencies, what the statements showed, and how the trail led to a lifetime of public trust being betrayed. How did routine quarterly statements and a legal pad reveal a long-running scheme?

Person: Craig Burke
Person: Bruce Snyder
Person: Scott Anderson
Date: May 9, 2011
Amount: $1,840,000

- A sixteen-year-old paper carrier named Cheryl Watson found a partially open manila envelope at 414 Dellwood Avenue on the morning of May 9, 2011.
- Craig Burke had served as Grover County Treasurer since 1993 and was fifty-one years old in 2011.
- Sixty-three people handed Burke a combined $1,840,000, with most recovering only about $0.12 per dollar.
- Bruce Snyder received thirty-two quarterly statements over eight years showing steady compounding to $68,412 before spotting two identical consecutive statement balances.
- Forensic accountant Scott Anderson requested a subpoena, reviewed deposits and transfers at Pennfield Savings, and identified clustered deposits and withdrawals labeled "mgmt," "adv svc," and "fee."

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73071358Tue, 21 Jul 2026 08:00:03 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Treasurer's Tiny Rounding Scam That Stole Millions from Neighbors A quiet pattern of tiny rounding differences-just fractions of a percent-turned into a $1,840,000 loss for sixty-three local investors and it took a 16-year-old paper carrier to...
A quiet pattern of tiny rounding differences-just fractions of a percent-turned into a $1,840,000 loss for sixty-three local investors and it took a 16-year-old paper carrier to start the unraveling; how did a routine-looking treasurer hide this for nearly two decades? Listen to learn how small, repeated gaps in quarterly statements became the forensic trail that exposed the scheme.

In this episode, we tell the episode’s events from discovery to forensic accounting, explaining who found the inconsistencies, what the statements showed, and how the trail led to a lifetime of public trust being betrayed. How did routine quarterly statements and a legal pad reveal a long-running scheme?

Person: Craig Burke
Person: Bruce Snyder
Person: Scott Anderson
Date: May 9, 2011
Amount: $1,840,000

- A sixteen-year-old paper carrier named Cheryl Watson found a partially open manila envelope at 414 Dellwood Avenue on the morning of May 9, 2011.
- Craig Burke had served as Grover County Treasurer since 1993 and was fifty-one years old in 2011.
- Sixty-three people handed Burke a combined $1,840,000, with most recovering only about $0.12 per dollar.
- Bruce Snyder received thirty-two quarterly statements over eight years showing steady compounding to $68,412 before spotting two identical consecutive statement balances.
- Forensic accountant Scott Anderson requested a subpoena, reviewed deposits and transfers at Pennfield Savings, and identified clustered deposits and withdrawals labeled "mgmt," "adv svc," and "fee."

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>974falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-fireproof-box-in-the-ditch-how-41-families-were-betrayed--73071357
Fear that the person you trust could be the one stealing your life savings begins this episode with a fireproof, Ziploc-sealed box found in a ditch holding $1,268,000 meant for 41 families - but left unlatched. Who wanted that box preserved and who wanted it destroyed, and what does the unlatched seal reveal about intent?

In this episode, we tell the story of Meadowfield Estates Development, LLC and the people who paid deposits for lots and homes that never existed, following the discovery of the box and the questions that led investigators to a local contractor. How did community trust and paper documents hide a fraud, and what did the records in that box eventually show?

Person: George Johnson
Event: Box found in ditch on Timber Spur Road
Date: April 9, 2019
Amount: $1,268,000
Victims: 41 families

- The metal box was fireproof, Ziploc-sealed, muddy outside and completely dry inside when found on April 9, 2019.
- Meadowfield Estates Development, LLC was filed in 2015 for $45 and had no operating account or legal land interest.
- Jeffrey Phillips gave a $26,000 deposit in January 2019 as the 41st buyer.
- A forensic auditor found a handwritten ledger short by $412,000.
- A forged signature on a property option was dated, by ink and paper analysis, two years after it was supposedly signed.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73071357Mon, 20 Jul 2026 16:58:40 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Fireproof Box in the Ditch: How 41 Families Were Betrayed Fear that the person you trust could be the one stealing your life savings begins this episode with a fireproof, Ziploc-sealed box found in a ditch holding $1,268,000 meant for 41...
Fear that the person you trust could be the one stealing your life savings begins this episode with a fireproof, Ziploc-sealed box found in a ditch holding $1,268,000 meant for 41 families - but left unlatched. Who wanted that box preserved and who wanted it destroyed, and what does the unlatched seal reveal about intent?

In this episode, we tell the story of Meadowfield Estates Development, LLC and the people who paid deposits for lots and homes that never existed, following the discovery of the box and the questions that led investigators to a local contractor. How did community trust and paper documents hide a fraud, and what did the records in that box eventually show?

Person: George Johnson
Event: Box found in ditch on Timber Spur Road
Date: April 9, 2019
Amount: $1,268,000
Victims: 41 families

- The metal box was fireproof, Ziploc-sealed, muddy outside and completely dry inside when found on April 9, 2019.
- Meadowfield Estates Development, LLC was filed in 2015 for $45 and had no operating account or legal land interest.
- Jeffrey Phillips gave a $26,000 deposit in January 2019 as the 41st buyer.
- A forensic auditor found a handwritten ledger short by $412,000.
- A forged signature on a property option was dated, by ink and paper analysis, two years after it was supposedly signed.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1004falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-retirement-circle-how-a-small-town-lost-1-4m-to-one-woman--73071356
Fear that a neighbor you trusted quietly emptied your nest egg - 31 members, $1.4 million passed through a scheme promising 6.2% returns, and a soggy banker’s box on a back step that started the unravelling; who was Peggy Lawson really and how did she keep her town convinced for nine years?

In this episode, we tell what was found in the cardboard box on Birchfield Street and how the Varden Retirement Circle operated, showing the documents, the quarterly statements, and the moment a withdrawal request triggered an investigation; can the damp papers answer how funds moved between members?

Person: Peggy Lawson
Location: Callum, Varden County
Event: Discovery of documents on March 11, 2009
Case: Varden Retirement Circle
Total amount: $1,400,000

- The Circle had 31 members and ran for nine years.
- The scheme reported a 6.2% annual compound return, paid quarterly.
- Vera Stanton joined in 2003 with $22,000 and was paid back from other members’ funds in 2005.
- Shannon Foster joined in 2007 with $31,000 and requested an $8,000 partial withdrawal in February 2009.
- Carol Richardson found the damp banker’s box of documents on March 11, 2009.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73071356Mon, 20 Jul 2026 16:58:37 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Retirement Circle: How a Small Town Lost $1.4M to One Woman Fear that a neighbor you trusted quietly emptied your nest egg - 31 members, $1.4 million passed through a scheme promising 6.2% returns, and a soggy banker’s box on a back step that...
Fear that a neighbor you trusted quietly emptied your nest egg - 31 members, $1.4 million passed through a scheme promising 6.2% returns, and a soggy banker’s box on a back step that started the unravelling; who was Peggy Lawson really and how did she keep her town convinced for nine years?

In this episode, we tell what was found in the cardboard box on Birchfield Street and how the Varden Retirement Circle operated, showing the documents, the quarterly statements, and the moment a withdrawal request triggered an investigation; can the damp papers answer how funds moved between members?

Person: Peggy Lawson
Location: Callum, Varden County
Event: Discovery of documents on March 11, 2009
Case: Varden Retirement Circle
Total amount: $1,400,000

- The Circle had 31 members and ran for nine years.
- The scheme reported a 6.2% annual compound return, paid quarterly.
- Vera Stanton joined in 2003 with $22,000 and was paid back from other members’ funds in 2005.
- Shannon Foster joined in 2007 with $31,000 and requested an $8,000 partial withdrawal in February 2009.
- Carol Richardson found the damp banker’s box of documents on March 11, 2009.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1193falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/she-sold-the-same-grain-four-times-the-julie-harrison-fraud--73071354
The idea that a single warehouse receipt could be turned into cash again and again is terrifying when your entire year depends on one harvest - Julie Harrison allegedly converted 1.3 million dollars by issuing duplicate receipts across 61 transactions over five years. How did a filing cabinet, a padlock that wasn’t locked, and one woman’s control of paperwork hide a fraud that spared no small farmer?

In this episode, we walk through the events and documents that trace how the scheme operated, who trusted the receipts, and what finally brought the ledger to light - could paperwork and routine trust really enable a multi-year Ponzi built on grain?

Person: Julie Harrison
Case: 61 transactions over five years
Amount: 1.3 million dollars
Location: Alderton, Minter County, Illinois
Document: 112-page handwritten ledger

- The fraud spanned from 2013 to 2018 and involved 61 fraudulent transactions.
- Investigators counted 1.3 million dollars extracted from farmers through duplicate warehouse receipts.
- Roy Pettigrew delivered roughly 14,000 bushels of corn in fall 2013 and received a receipt later duplicated in the scheme.
- Scott Weaver sold 4,000 bushels of soybeans in October 2018 and was advised to use his receipt as loan collateral.
- A 112-page handwritten ledger documented every fraudulent transaction in detail and was more organized than the elevator’s official records.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73071354Mon, 20 Jul 2026 16:58:34 +0000Creator at ObomediaShe Sold the Same Grain Four Times: The Julie Harrison Fraud The idea that a single warehouse receipt could be turned into cash again and again is terrifying when your entire year depends on one harvest - Julie Harrison allegedly converted 1.3...
The idea that a single warehouse receipt could be turned into cash again and again is terrifying when your entire year depends on one harvest - Julie Harrison allegedly converted 1.3 million dollars by issuing duplicate receipts across 61 transactions over five years. How did a filing cabinet, a padlock that wasn’t locked, and one woman’s control of paperwork hide a fraud that spared no small farmer?

In this episode, we walk through the events and documents that trace how the scheme operated, who trusted the receipts, and what finally brought the ledger to light - could paperwork and routine trust really enable a multi-year Ponzi built on grain?

Person: Julie Harrison
Case: 61 transactions over five years
Amount: 1.3 million dollars
Location: Alderton, Minter County, Illinois
Document: 112-page handwritten ledger

- The fraud spanned from 2013 to 2018 and involved 61 fraudulent transactions.
- Investigators counted 1.3 million dollars extracted from farmers through duplicate warehouse receipts.
- Roy Pettigrew delivered roughly 14,000 bushels of corn in fall 2013 and received a receipt later duplicated in the scheme.
- Scott Weaver sold 4,000 bushels of soybeans in October 2018 and was advised to use his receipt as loan collateral.
- A 112-page handwritten ledger documented every fraudulent transaction in detail and was more organized than the elevator’s official records.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1072falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/yellow-backpack-million-dollar-lies-how-a-church-fund-vanished--73071353
A small yellow child’s backpack left on a gas meter held a paper trail that pointed to nearly $1,000,000 of missing church money and a ledger column labeled simply “TOLD” that recorded what donors were told about their donations. Who kept a notebook, who filed a complaint, and how did routine trust turn into a nearly million-dollar disappearance?

In this episode, you will hear how routine records, a parishioner’s notebook, and a chance discovery by a gas meter reader brought a financial complaint to the state and led investigators to a cache of documents; could those pages answer whether donations were invested or spent?

Person: Melvin Reed
Person: Diane Quinn
Date: January 14, 2009
Location: 440 Orchard Street, Harwick
Event: Stonebridge Building Fund missing funds

- The building fund target was $800,000 set in 1998.
- First collection Sunday recorded $11,040 in donations.
- Melvin Reed was appointed financial administrator at age 52.
- The Cornerstone Account automatic transfers began in 2002.
- Inside the backpack were 11 deposit slips from one week in November 2008 totaling about $47,000.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73071353Mon, 20 Jul 2026 16:58:31 +0000Creator at ObomediaYellow Backpack, Million-Dollar Lies: How a Church Fund Vanished A small yellow child’s backpack left on a gas meter held a paper trail that pointed to nearly $1,000,000 of missing church money and a ledger column labeled simply “TOLD” that...
A small yellow child’s backpack left on a gas meter held a paper trail that pointed to nearly $1,000,000 of missing church money and a ledger column labeled simply “TOLD” that recorded what donors were told about their donations. Who kept a notebook, who filed a complaint, and how did routine trust turn into a nearly million-dollar disappearance?

In this episode, you will hear how routine records, a parishioner’s notebook, and a chance discovery by a gas meter reader brought a financial complaint to the state and led investigators to a cache of documents; could those pages answer whether donations were invested or spent?

Person: Melvin Reed
Person: Diane Quinn
Date: January 14, 2009
Location: 440 Orchard Street, Harwick
Event: Stonebridge Building Fund missing funds

- The building fund target was $800,000 set in 1998.
- First collection Sunday recorded $11,040 in donations.
- Melvin Reed was appointed financial administrator at age 52.
- The Cornerstone Account automatic transfers began in 2002.
- Inside the backpack were 11 deposit slips from one week in November 2008 totaling about $47,000.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1030falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-check-on-the-scanner-that-unraveled-a-museum-director-s-lies--73071352
A retired postal worker found a $14,200 check face-up on a scanner that had sat there for 17 days, endorsed to a name not belonging to the Mettler County Historical Society - and that forgotten check triggered a probe that uncovered a parallel financial operation. How did a director who grew the budget from about $80,000 to nearly $230,000 secretly siphon $44,300 from the nonprofit, and what did investigators find in a Tanner storage unit?

In this episode, we lay out the events from the December 9, 2019 discovery through the rapid involvement of the board treasurer, an attorney, and the state attorney general's office, and trace how a digitization grant and a shell vendor fit into the missing funds question.

Person: Kathleen Padgett
Date: December 9, 2019
Amount missing: $44,300
Collection size: 46,000 items
Digitized items: 18,412

- A $14,200 check sat face-up on a flatbed scanner for 17 days before being found.
- The check image reached the board treasurer by 9:30 a.m. the same morning it was photographed.
- Within 48 hours of discovery, an attorney was involved and the state attorney general's office opened an inquiry within two days.
- The society's annual budget rose from roughly $80,000 to nearly $230,000 during Kathleen Padgett's 11 years as executive director.
- A State Humanities Council grant of $41,000 was awarded for a digitization project that ultimately cost between $31,000 and $35,000, leaving a surplus that did not return to the funder.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73071352Mon, 20 Jul 2026 16:58:28 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Check on the Scanner That Unraveled a Museum Director's Lies A retired postal worker found a $14,200 check face-up on a scanner that had sat there for 17 days, endorsed to a name not belonging to the Mettler County Historical Society - and that...
A retired postal worker found a $14,200 check face-up on a scanner that had sat there for 17 days, endorsed to a name not belonging to the Mettler County Historical Society - and that forgotten check triggered a probe that uncovered a parallel financial operation. How did a director who grew the budget from about $80,000 to nearly $230,000 secretly siphon $44,300 from the nonprofit, and what did investigators find in a Tanner storage unit?

In this episode, we lay out the events from the December 9, 2019 discovery through the rapid involvement of the board treasurer, an attorney, and the state attorney general's office, and trace how a digitization grant and a shell vendor fit into the missing funds question.

Person: Kathleen Padgett
Date: December 9, 2019
Amount missing: $44,300
Collection size: 46,000 items
Digitized items: 18,412

- A $14,200 check sat face-up on a flatbed scanner for 17 days before being found.
- The check image reached the board treasurer by 9:30 a.m. the same morning it was photographed.
- Within 48 hours of discovery, an attorney was involved and the state attorney general's office opened an inquiry within two days.
- The society's annual budget rose from roughly $80,000 to nearly $230,000 during Kathleen Padgett's 11 years as executive director.
- A State Humanities Council grant of $41,000 was awarded for a digitization project that ultimately cost between $31,000 and $35,000, leaving a surplus that did not return to the funder.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1091falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-scanner-in-the-culvert-how-a-tax-preparer-stole-a-town-s-refunds--73071350
Fear that the person you trusted with your Social Security card quietly stole your family’s refund - a portable scanner with a bilingual card was found in a culvert containing the last twelve processed documents, and $438,000 disappeared from working families over three years. Who filed 211 fraudulent amended returns using clients' scanned IDs and routed extra refunds to cards he controlled, and how was the scheme finally exposed?

In this episode, we tell how a tax-preparation business in Ortega Wells became the vehicle for a long-running refund fraud, what methods the preparer used to alter returns and capture extra money, and how a nonprofit case manager’s curiosity began to unravel the scheme.

Person: Norman Farrell
Location: Vásquez Avenue, Ortega Wells, Mirando County, New Mexico
Date: Scanner found November 7, 2019
Case: 211 fraudulent amended returns from 2016-2019
Amount: $438,000 moved over three years

- A portable document scanner with a laminated bilingual card reading "Servicios Fiscales Ramírez - Client Documents - Please return" was found propped inside a concrete drainage culvert.
- Servicios Fiscales Ramírez had roughly 340 active clients by 2015, mostly agricultural workers and other low-English clients.
- Marco Ramírez died in spring 2016; two weeks after his death the first fraudulent amended return was filed.
- From 2016 through 2019 Farrell filed 211 fraudulent amended returns across approximately 160 client accounts, generating additional refunds of $600 to over $1,200 per filing.
- $438,000 in additional refunds were routed to prepaid debit cards and secondary accounts controlled by Farrell, while clients received their legitimate refunds on time.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73071350Mon, 20 Jul 2026 16:58:25 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Scanner in the Culvert: How a Tax Preparer Stole a Town's Refunds Fear that the person you trusted with your Social Security card quietly stole your family’s refund - a portable scanner with a bilingual card was found in a culvert containing...
Fear that the person you trusted with your Social Security card quietly stole your family’s refund - a portable scanner with a bilingual card was found in a culvert containing the last twelve processed documents, and $438,000 disappeared from working families over three years. Who filed 211 fraudulent amended returns using clients' scanned IDs and routed extra refunds to cards he controlled, and how was the scheme finally exposed?

In this episode, we tell how a tax-preparation business in Ortega Wells became the vehicle for a long-running refund fraud, what methods the preparer used to alter returns and capture extra money, and how a nonprofit case manager’s curiosity began to unravel the scheme.

Person: Norman Farrell
Location: Vásquez Avenue, Ortega Wells, Mirando County, New Mexico
Date: Scanner found November 7, 2019
Case: 211 fraudulent amended returns from 2016-2019
Amount: $438,000 moved over three years

- A portable document scanner with a laminated bilingual card reading "Servicios Fiscales Ramírez - Client Documents - Please return" was found propped inside a concrete drainage culvert.
- Servicios Fiscales Ramírez had roughly 340 active clients by 2015, mostly agricultural workers and other low-English clients.
- Marco Ramírez died in spring 2016; two weeks after his death the first fraudulent amended return was filed.
- From 2016 through 2019 Farrell filed 211 fraudulent amended returns across approximately 160 client accounts, generating additional refunds of $600 to over $1,200 per filing.
- $438,000 in additional refunds were routed to prepaid debit cards and secondary accounts controlled by Farrell, while clients received their legitimate refunds on time.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1186falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-river-logger-that-convicted-a-small-town-freight-fraudster--73071340
A single industrial cold-chain data logger, the size of a paperback and retrieved from eighteen inches of the Sutter Fork River, contained a serial number and memory that unraveled two years of deliberate freight fraud. How did a device meant to certify refrigerated cargo end up in a Nebraska river - and what did its data reveal about invoices totalling more than $31,000 in overcharges?

In this episode, we follow the discovery of the logger and the chain of events it set in motion, from a rancher's routine document check to an official investigation by the Nebraska Department of Agriculture - could a single missing carrier certification number expose a long-running scheme?

Person: Duane Draper
Location: Pembrook Flats, Nebraska
Date: October 2019
Case: Freight billing fraud involving cold-chain claims
Amount: More than $31,000 in overcharges

- The logger was found in eighteen inches of water, no more than twelve feet from the bank of the Sutter Fork River.
- Duane Draper was forty-four years old and operated Draper Logistics Solutions from a strip-mall office suite.
- Between spring 2017 and October 2019 Draper issued invoices to seventeen clients totaling over $31,000 in overcharges.
- Actual carrier payments were around $1,100 per shipment while Draper billed between $3,000 and $3,600.
- The trailer number used on certificates belonged to Sable Transit and had been in continuous service for Sable since 2016.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73071340Mon, 20 Jul 2026 16:58:22 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe River Logger That Convicted a Small-Town Freight Fraudster A single industrial cold-chain data logger, the size of a paperback and retrieved from eighteen inches of the Sutter Fork River, contained a serial number and memory that unraveled two...
A single industrial cold-chain data logger, the size of a paperback and retrieved from eighteen inches of the Sutter Fork River, contained a serial number and memory that unraveled two years of deliberate freight fraud. How did a device meant to certify refrigerated cargo end up in a Nebraska river - and what did its data reveal about invoices totalling more than $31,000 in overcharges?

In this episode, we follow the discovery of the logger and the chain of events it set in motion, from a rancher's routine document check to an official investigation by the Nebraska Department of Agriculture - could a single missing carrier certification number expose a long-running scheme?

Person: Duane Draper
Location: Pembrook Flats, Nebraska
Date: October 2019
Case: Freight billing fraud involving cold-chain claims
Amount: More than $31,000 in overcharges

- The logger was found in eighteen inches of water, no more than twelve feet from the bank of the Sutter Fork River.
- Duane Draper was forty-four years old and operated Draper Logistics Solutions from a strip-mall office suite.
- Between spring 2017 and October 2019 Draper issued invoices to seventeen clients totaling over $31,000 in overcharges.
- Actual carrier payments were around $1,100 per shipment while Draper billed between $3,000 and $3,600.
- The trailer number used on certificates belonged to Sable Transit and had been in continuous service for Sable since 2016.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>981falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-choir-singer-who-sold-bracken-falls-a-fake-honey-fortune--73071339
Fear of being betrayed by someone you trust runs through this story: a choir singer, a jar of honey labeled with a future harvest date, and $382,000 that moved through a local "apiary collective" before a surveyor's photos exposed the hoax-how did a routine site visit unravel an eleven-year sentence? What exactly did those four hundred jars and a heat sealer prove about the scheme?

In this episode, we lay out the timeline and key moments that led fifty-three investors to lose most of their money, following the discovery on a Ferris property that shifted a small-town trust into criminal charges. How did Kevin Sharp use decades of local ties and formal-looking paperwork to keep investors convinced even after the hives failed?

Person: Kevin Sharp
Event: Discovery of roughly four hundred glass jars and labels with a future harvest date: June 14, 2020 (colony collapse logged by beekeeper Mike Devers)
Amount: $382,000 moved through Golden Ridge Apiary Collective since spring 2020
Recovered: $31,000 returned to investors by the time the courts finished

- 53 investors participated in Golden Ridge Apiary Collective.
- 42 hives were recorded for the Ferris property offering.
- Two-thirds of the 42 hives failed, logged June 14, 2020.
- 31 investors in the first round committed $214,000 by August 2020.
- Gail Edwards invested $12,000 and received $412 back.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73071339Mon, 20 Jul 2026 16:58:19 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Choir Singer Who Sold Bracken Falls a Fake Honey Fortune Fear of being betrayed by someone you trust runs through this story: a choir singer, a jar of honey labeled with a future harvest date, and $382,000 that moved through a local "apiary...
Fear of being betrayed by someone you trust runs through this story: a choir singer, a jar of honey labeled with a future harvest date, and $382,000 that moved through a local "apiary collective" before a surveyor's photos exposed the hoax-how did a routine site visit unravel an eleven-year sentence? What exactly did those four hundred jars and a heat sealer prove about the scheme?

In this episode, we lay out the timeline and key moments that led fifty-three investors to lose most of their money, following the discovery on a Ferris property that shifted a small-town trust into criminal charges. How did Kevin Sharp use decades of local ties and formal-looking paperwork to keep investors convinced even after the hives failed?

Person: Kevin Sharp
Event: Discovery of roughly four hundred glass jars and labels with a future harvest date: June 14, 2020 (colony collapse logged by beekeeper Mike Devers)
Amount: $382,000 moved through Golden Ridge Apiary Collective since spring 2020
Recovered: $31,000 returned to investors by the time the courts finished

- 53 investors participated in Golden Ridge Apiary Collective.
- 42 hives were recorded for the Ferris property offering.
- Two-thirds of the 42 hives failed, logged June 14, 2020.
- 31 investors in the first round committed $214,000 by August 2020.
- Gail Edwards invested $12,000 and received $412 back.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1014falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/he-cashed-a-small-town-s-faith-268-000-vanished-for-a-scoreboard--73071338
Greed and betrayal hid behind a ballot of blue-and-gold letterhead, a phony architect’s rendering and thirty-one handwritten pledge envelopes that moved $268,000 out of local accounts - all for a scoreboard the school never approved. How did a deacon and coach convince an entire town to write checks for a project that had been formally rejected months earlier?

In this episode, we tell how a found filing cabinet in August 2022 exposed a paper infrastructure of quarterly update letters, pledge forms and bank deposits that simulated an official school project. Listen to learn how investigators traced the money, the documents, and the moment trust was converted into cash.

Person: Gary Hayes
Person: Rachel Webb
Date: August 2022
Location: Grover
Amount: $268,000

- 31 business owners wrote checks to the Sable County Athletic Excellence Fund.
- $268,000 moved out of local accounts for a scoreboard project.
- The school district voted to table the scoreboard four months before any donations were collected.
- Gary Hayes signed for the superintendent's certified rejection letter in November 2020.
- Rachel Webb wrote a $10,000 check the day she received Hayes's pledge materials.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73071338Mon, 20 Jul 2026 16:58:16 +0000Creator at ObomediaHe Cashed a Small Town's Faith - $268,000 Vanished for a Scoreboard Greed and betrayal hid behind a ballot of blue-and-gold letterhead, a phony architect’s rendering and thirty-one handwritten pledge envelopes that moved $268,000 out of local...
Greed and betrayal hid behind a ballot of blue-and-gold letterhead, a phony architect’s rendering and thirty-one handwritten pledge envelopes that moved $268,000 out of local accounts - all for a scoreboard the school never approved. How did a deacon and coach convince an entire town to write checks for a project that had been formally rejected months earlier?

In this episode, we tell how a found filing cabinet in August 2022 exposed a paper infrastructure of quarterly update letters, pledge forms and bank deposits that simulated an official school project. Listen to learn how investigators traced the money, the documents, and the moment trust was converted into cash.

Person: Gary Hayes
Person: Rachel Webb
Date: August 2022
Location: Grover
Amount: $268,000

- 31 business owners wrote checks to the Sable County Athletic Excellence Fund.
- $268,000 moved out of local accounts for a scoreboard project.
- The school district voted to table the scoreboard four months before any donations were collected.
- Gary Hayes signed for the superintendent's certified rejection letter in November 2020.
- Rachel Webb wrote a $10,000 check the day she received Hayes's pledge materials.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>931falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-photograph-that-exposed-300k-missing-from-tenants-escrow--73071337
A single sunrise photograph taken by a retired road worker became State's Exhibit Four and helped reveal more than $300,000 missing from tenants' escrow at a mobile home park. How did one accidental frame expose an eight-year scheme that siphoned money meant to protect 112 families?

In this episode, we tell how a hobby camera, bank records and routine inspections intersected to raise questions about a park manager, rotating cash deposits, and the missing tenant security funds - and what the photograph actually showed that changed everything.

Person: Kenneth Coleman
Location: Lakeview Pines Mobile Home Park, Orton, Indiana
Date: July 9, 2019 at 5:45 AM
Case: State's Exhibit Four in criminal proceeding
Amount: between $312,000 and $334,000 (auditors' range)

- 112 occupied lots in the park in 2019, with $500 security deposit required per lot by Indiana law.
- First Deller Bank escrow account was required to hold at least $56,000 but held approximately $3,000 by spring 2014.
- Manager Neil Jenkins signed for certified inspection notices and made roughly $3,000 cash deposits before each inspection.
- Jenkins withdrew the deposited cash within 72 hours after each inspection for 11 inspection cycles over four years.
- Paul Hansen paid a $500 deposit when moving in and waited through May and June 2019 for return after giving 60-day notice.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73071337Mon, 20 Jul 2026 16:58:14 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Photograph That Exposed $300K Missing From Tenants' Escrow A single sunrise photograph taken by a retired road worker became State's Exhibit Four and helped reveal more than $300,000 missing from tenants' escrow at a mobile home park. How did...
A single sunrise photograph taken by a retired road worker became State's Exhibit Four and helped reveal more than $300,000 missing from tenants' escrow at a mobile home park. How did one accidental frame expose an eight-year scheme that siphoned money meant to protect 112 families?

In this episode, we tell how a hobby camera, bank records and routine inspections intersected to raise questions about a park manager, rotating cash deposits, and the missing tenant security funds - and what the photograph actually showed that changed everything.

Person: Kenneth Coleman
Location: Lakeview Pines Mobile Home Park, Orton, Indiana
Date: July 9, 2019 at 5:45 AM
Case: State's Exhibit Four in criminal proceeding
Amount: between $312,000 and $334,000 (auditors' range)

- 112 occupied lots in the park in 2019, with $500 security deposit required per lot by Indiana law.
- First Deller Bank escrow account was required to hold at least $56,000 but held approximately $3,000 by spring 2014.
- Manager Neil Jenkins signed for certified inspection notices and made roughly $3,000 cash deposits before each inspection.
- Jenkins withdrew the deposited cash within 72 hours after each inspection for 11 inspection cycles over four years.
- Paul Hansen paid a $500 deposit when moving in and waited through May and June 2019 for return after giving 60-day notice.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1152falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-highway-superintendent-who-secretly-ripped-off-an-entire-county--73071336
A quiet bookkeeping detail siphoned nearly $912,000 from public road budgets over seven winters while most people never noticed; a thermal receipt showing $31.14 per ton contradicted an invoice charging $57 and that $26 gap repeated across every salt purchase. How did a trusted highway superintendent hide an LLC, double-bill twelve municipalities, and spend the proceeds without anyone spotting it - and who finally uncovered the trail?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from a seventeen-year-old delivery driver's accidental glance at a receipt to the Lakemont County District Attorney filing charges in November of 2019, tracing the cooperative structure, the hidden Delaware LLC, the spread between purchase and invoice prices, and the downstream effects on town budgets and residents. How did routine trust and a single undisclosed clause allow nearly a million dollars to vanish from local road funds?

Person: Warren Sheridan
Date: Charges filed November 2019
Location: Lakemont County / Dunmore Township
Amount: $912,000
Supplier: Dellwood Agricultural Supply, Portsmith

- Thermal receipt showed salt price of $31.14 per ton while invoice on file said $57.00 per ton.
- Scheme ran across eight purchasing cycles from 2012 through 2019.
- Twelve member municipalities were billed inflated prices through the Lakemont Road-Salt Cooperative.
- Sheridan made thirty-one cash withdrawals between $400 and $2,200 each.
- Gracefield Borough lost $214,380 - over 8% of its eight-year road-maintenance budget.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73071336Mon, 20 Jul 2026 16:58:11 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Highway Superintendent Who Secretly Ripped Off An Entire County A quiet bookkeeping detail siphoned nearly $912,000 from public road budgets over seven winters while most people never noticed; a thermal receipt showing $31.14 per ton...
A quiet bookkeeping detail siphoned nearly $912,000 from public road budgets over seven winters while most people never noticed; a thermal receipt showing $31.14 per ton contradicted an invoice charging $57 and that $26 gap repeated across every salt purchase. How did a trusted highway superintendent hide an LLC, double-bill twelve municipalities, and spend the proceeds without anyone spotting it - and who finally uncovered the trail?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from a seventeen-year-old delivery driver's accidental glance at a receipt to the Lakemont County District Attorney filing charges in November of 2019, tracing the cooperative structure, the hidden Delaware LLC, the spread between purchase and invoice prices, and the downstream effects on town budgets and residents. How did routine trust and a single undisclosed clause allow nearly a million dollars to vanish from local road funds?

Person: Warren Sheridan
Date: Charges filed November 2019
Location: Lakemont County / Dunmore Township
Amount: $912,000
Supplier: Dellwood Agricultural Supply, Portsmith

- Thermal receipt showed salt price of $31.14 per ton while invoice on file said $57.00 per ton.
- Scheme ran across eight purchasing cycles from 2012 through 2019.
- Twelve member municipalities were billed inflated prices through the Lakemont Road-Salt Cooperative.
- Sheridan made thirty-one cash withdrawals between $400 and $2,200 each.
- Gracefield Borough lost $214,380 - over 8% of its eight-year road-maintenance budget.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1056falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-man-running-the-auctions-had-already-sold-everything-inside-them--73071335
You will feel the sickening certainty that someone trusted to protect property used that trust to steal nearly a million dollars; an auction manager quietly emptied 44 storage units across three counties and left victims with dust and paperwork. How did a routine pre-auction inspection become a systematic theft that lasted three years?

In this episode, we follow the sequence of events that led from a roadside file found at 6:15 a.m. to a county attorney's office, and we trace the scheme that exploited legal lien-auction procedures to steal from renters. What single mistake the perpetrator made the night before exposed the entire operation?

Person: Douglas Williams
Event: storage unit lien auction scheme
Date: early May 2019 (file discovered at 6:15 a.m.)
Case: 44 victims across three counties
Amount: $940,000 taken

- The file was found by Patricia Henderson at 6:15 a.m. on a Thursday morning in early May 2019.
- The manila accordion file was labeled "AUCTION LOG - UNITS ONE THROUGH FORTY-FOUR / PRIVATE DISPOSALS."
- The scheme spanned three years and affected forty-four people across three counties.
- The total amount taken from victims was $940,000.
- Ruth Jones rented Unit 31 at Clearview Self Storage, paid $62 per month, and last used her access code on October 14, 2018.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73071335Mon, 20 Jul 2026 16:58:08 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe man running the auctions had already sold everything inside them You will feel the sickening certainty that someone trusted to protect property used that trust to steal nearly a million dollars; an auction manager quietly emptied 44 storage...
You will feel the sickening certainty that someone trusted to protect property used that trust to steal nearly a million dollars; an auction manager quietly emptied 44 storage units across three counties and left victims with dust and paperwork. How did a routine pre-auction inspection become a systematic theft that lasted three years?

In this episode, we follow the sequence of events that led from a roadside file found at 6:15 a.m. to a county attorney's office, and we trace the scheme that exploited legal lien-auction procedures to steal from renters. What single mistake the perpetrator made the night before exposed the entire operation?

Person: Douglas Williams
Event: storage unit lien auction scheme
Date: early May 2019 (file discovered at 6:15 a.m.)
Case: 44 victims across three counties
Amount: $940,000 taken

- The file was found by Patricia Henderson at 6:15 a.m. on a Thursday morning in early May 2019.
- The manila accordion file was labeled "AUCTION LOG - UNITS ONE THROUGH FORTY-FOUR / PRIVATE DISPOSALS."
- The scheme spanned three years and affected forty-four people across three counties.
- The total amount taken from victims was $940,000.
- Ruth Jones rented Unit 31 at Clearview Self Storage, paid $62 per month, and last used her access code on October 14, 2018.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1124falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/fourteen-beautiful-bronze-donor-plaques-fund-balance-on-the-day-they-were-cast-eleven-dollars--73071334
A small-town treasurer charged $263,000 in donations to a fund that held only eleven dollars, then quietly moved the money in forty-one transfers designed to avoid bank review - and used a near-maxed personal credit card to buy fourteen bronze donor plaques that were cast on March 3, 2019. How did a sequence of sub-$5,000 transfers, falsified quarterly line items, and a $4,840 invoice for plaques hide a theft from an entire county?

In this episode, we lay out the timeline and the documents that link the Marvell Station Memorial Improvement Fund to payments into one man’s accounts, the false quarterly reports, and the foundry invoice that bought permanent-looking proof. What did the plaques mean to the story of the missing money, and why did the scheme stop only when the fund had eleven dollars left?

Person: Glenn Burke
Date: March 3, 2019
Location: Kellman Bronze Works, Portis
Amount collected: $263,000
Invoice total for plaques: $4,840

- 41 transfers were made from the memorial fund to Burke’s personal account at Meridian Federal.
- Each transfer was kept just below the bank’s $5,000 review threshold.
- The fund contained eleven dollars on the day the plaques were cast.
- Fourteen bronze donor plaques were cast on March 3, 2019 and installed eleven days later.
- Burke charged the $4,840 invoice to his personal Visa card ending in 4417, which was near its credit limit.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73071334Mon, 20 Jul 2026 16:58:05 +0000Creator at ObomediaFourteen beautiful bronze donor plaques. Fund balance on the day they were cast: eleven dollars A small-town treasurer charged $263,000 in donations to a fund that held only eleven dollars, then quietly moved the money in forty-one transfers...
A small-town treasurer charged $263,000 in donations to a fund that held only eleven dollars, then quietly moved the money in forty-one transfers designed to avoid bank review - and used a near-maxed personal credit card to buy fourteen bronze donor plaques that were cast on March 3, 2019. How did a sequence of sub-$5,000 transfers, falsified quarterly line items, and a $4,840 invoice for plaques hide a theft from an entire county?

In this episode, we lay out the timeline and the documents that link the Marvell Station Memorial Improvement Fund to payments into one man’s accounts, the false quarterly reports, and the foundry invoice that bought permanent-looking proof. What did the plaques mean to the story of the missing money, and why did the scheme stop only when the fund had eleven dollars left?

Person: Glenn Burke
Date: March 3, 2019
Location: Kellman Bronze Works, Portis
Amount collected: $263,000
Invoice total for plaques: $4,840

- 41 transfers were made from the memorial fund to Burke’s personal account at Meridian Federal.
- Each transfer was kept just below the bank’s $5,000 review threshold.
- The fund contained eleven dollars on the day the plaques were cast.
- Fourteen bronze donor plaques were cast on March 3, 2019 and installed eleven days later.
- Burke charged the $4,840 invoice to his personal Visa card ending in 4417, which was near its credit limit.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1116falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/locked-shed-warm-engine-how-one-tractor-borrowed-412-000--73071333
A warm engine in a locked shed exposed a five-year fraud that used one John Deere tractor as collateral for $412,000 across four loans - and the machine’s owner never knew it sat in his barn. How did identical payments, a lifted key, and a single serial number let one woman turn equipment into multiple loan agreements?

In this episode, we lay out the sequence of events and the people affected, from the discovery in Shed Fourteen to the bookkeeping anomalies that triggered a bank review, asking how routine trust and paperwork gaps enabled the scheme.

Person: Sharon Slater
Date: March 11, 2019
Location: Shed Fourteen
Amount: $412,000
Equipment: John Deere 8R, serial 1RW8310RJKD794422

- The John Deere 8R was worth roughly $171,000 on the open market.
- Glen Hatch received nine quarterly payments after enrolling his tractor in 2016.
- Connie Bailey found four identical quarterly payments of $840 in late February 2019.
- Dennis Pratt signed a $62,000 direct loan secured by the same tractor serial number.
- Sharon Slater incorporated Harwick Equipment Solutions, LLC in 2012 and operated the rental pool.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73071333Mon, 20 Jul 2026 16:58:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaLocked Shed, Warm Engine: How One Tractor Borrowed $412,000 A warm engine in a locked shed exposed a five-year fraud that used one John Deere tractor as collateral for $412,000 across four loans - and the machine’s owner never knew it sat in his...
A warm engine in a locked shed exposed a five-year fraud that used one John Deere tractor as collateral for $412,000 across four loans - and the machine’s owner never knew it sat in his barn. How did identical payments, a lifted key, and a single serial number let one woman turn equipment into multiple loan agreements?

In this episode, we lay out the sequence of events and the people affected, from the discovery in Shed Fourteen to the bookkeeping anomalies that triggered a bank review, asking how routine trust and paperwork gaps enabled the scheme.

Person: Sharon Slater
Date: March 11, 2019
Location: Shed Fourteen
Amount: $412,000
Equipment: John Deere 8R, serial 1RW8310RJKD794422

- The John Deere 8R was worth roughly $171,000 on the open market.
- Glen Hatch received nine quarterly payments after enrolling his tractor in 2016.
- Connie Bailey found four identical quarterly payments of $840 in late February 2019.
- Dennis Pratt signed a $62,000 direct loan secured by the same tractor serial number.
- Sharon Slater incorporated Harwick Equipment Solutions, LLC in 2012 and operated the rental pool.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1267falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-booth-that-vanished-how-a-vendor-scam-stole-a-county-fair--73071331
A small-town trust was weaponized into a four-year con that took $15,750 from 63 vendors who thought they were buying guaranteed fair spots - but when investigators seized the account they found only $4,210 left. Who ran the scheme, how did it go unnoticed for years, and why did victims recover so little?

In this episode, you will hear how a part-time fair employee used local credibility and a fake holding-fee program to collect checks payable to a personal account, and how a farmer’s routine bookkeeping eventually prompted a criminal inquiry that exposed the fraud.

Person: Harvey Bauer
Person: Amanda Gallagher
Date: February 11, 2019
Amount stolen: $15,750.00
Amount recovered: $4,210.00

- 63 people paid a holding fee over four summers starting in 2015.
- The holding fee was $250 per vendor, paid by check or money order.
- The seized account contained $4,210 when investigators took it.
- Victim recovery averaged $66.82 per person after seizure and division.
- The fair runs one week every August and represented 18-22% of Amanda Gallagher’s annual income.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73071331Mon, 20 Jul 2026 16:57:59 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Booth That Vanished: How a Vendor Scam Stole a County Fair A small-town trust was weaponized into a four-year con that took $15,750 from 63 vendors who thought they were buying guaranteed fair spots - but when investigators seized the account...
A small-town trust was weaponized into a four-year con that took $15,750 from 63 vendors who thought they were buying guaranteed fair spots - but when investigators seized the account they found only $4,210 left. Who ran the scheme, how did it go unnoticed for years, and why did victims recover so little?

In this episode, you will hear how a part-time fair employee used local credibility and a fake holding-fee program to collect checks payable to a personal account, and how a farmer’s routine bookkeeping eventually prompted a criminal inquiry that exposed the fraud.

Person: Harvey Bauer
Person: Amanda Gallagher
Date: February 11, 2019
Amount stolen: $15,750.00
Amount recovered: $4,210.00

- 63 people paid a holding fee over four summers starting in 2015.
- The holding fee was $250 per vendor, paid by check or money order.
- The seized account contained $4,210 when investigators took it.
- Victim recovery averaged $66.82 per person after seizure and division.
- The fair runs one week every August and represented 18-22% of Amanda Gallagher’s annual income.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1113falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/he-signed-a-41-000-check-on-a-211-account-who-betrayed-harwick--73071330
A $41,000 cashier's check sat on a church office desk in January 2019 drawn on an account with only $211-signed in blue ink and left with a still-steaming coffee cup. Sixty-one people's Christmas savings would end up in federal court by September; who wrote that check and why did the December payouts vanish?

In this episode, we follow the sequence of events from the open door found by Alice Hughes to the file sent by Shannon Morris that flagged mismatched transaction reference numbers. You’ll hear how a small Illinois savings guild worked, who managed its books, and the single discrepancy that launched a forensic audit-and what question that discrepancy raises about the guild’s payments.

Person: Alice Hughes
Person: Vera Odom
Person: Troy Schultz
Person: Person: Shannon Morris
Date: January 9, 2019

- A $41,000 cashier's check was found on the desk of the Harwick Stitch and Save satellite office.
- The account on which the check was drawn had a balance of $211.
- Harwick Stitch and Save membership had grown to 61 people by fall 2018.
- Shannon Morris had made eight monthly deposits of $120 each in 2018 for a cosmetology tuition deposit.
- Forensic auditor Thomas Mueller had 19 years of experience when contracted to review the case.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73071330Mon, 20 Jul 2026 16:57:56 +0000Creator at ObomediaHe Signed a $41,000 Check on a $211 Account - Who Betrayed Harwick? A $41,000 cashier's check sat on a church office desk in January 2019 drawn on an account with only $211-signed in blue ink and left with a still-steaming coffee cup. Sixty-one...
A $41,000 cashier's check sat on a church office desk in January 2019 drawn on an account with only $211-signed in blue ink and left with a still-steaming coffee cup. Sixty-one people's Christmas savings would end up in federal court by September; who wrote that check and why did the December payouts vanish?

In this episode, we follow the sequence of events from the open door found by Alice Hughes to the file sent by Shannon Morris that flagged mismatched transaction reference numbers. You’ll hear how a small Illinois savings guild worked, who managed its books, and the single discrepancy that launched a forensic audit-and what question that discrepancy raises about the guild’s payments.

Person: Alice Hughes
Person: Vera Odom
Person: Troy Schultz
Person: Person: Shannon Morris
Date: January 9, 2019

- A $41,000 cashier's check was found on the desk of the Harwick Stitch and Save satellite office.
- The account on which the check was drawn had a balance of $211.
- Harwick Stitch and Save membership had grown to 61 people by fall 2018.
- Shannon Morris had made eight monthly deposits of $120 each in 2018 for a cosmetology tuition deposit.
- Forensic auditor Thomas Mueller had 19 years of experience when contracted to review the case.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1074falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-safe-in-the-brambles-how-a-neighbor-stole-community-wells--73071329
A frozen safe labeled "MEMBER RECORDS" turned up in scrub brush with no footprints on December 11, 2022, temperature 31°F - and its contents would unravel three years of trust among thirty-one households. Who organized a cooperative, created a shell drilling company the day before contracts were signed, and funneled 109 payments just below federal reporting thresholds?

In this episode, we tell how residents of Crestfield County pooled thousands to drill shared deepwater wells, why one member took paperwork to the sheriff, and what a detective found when she followed addresses and bank transfers. How did a neighbor positioned as the organizer allegedly divert the project funds, and what did the safe ultimately prove?

Person: Christopher Morgan (listed as Christine Morgan in records)
Person: Gregory Thomas Novak
Person: Nancy Bennett
Event: Safe found in scrub brush on December 11, 2022
Date: April 14-15, 2019

- The safe was discovered off Ridgeback Nature Trail on December 11, 2022, with air temperature 31°F and no footprints nearby.
- Christine Morgan paid $4,000 to join the Crestfield Deepwater Cooperative and added her name to the member list.
- Pinnacle Basin Water Services was incorporated on April 14, 2019, one day before cooperative founding contracts signed on April 15, 2019.
- Bank records show 109 payments moved from the cooperative account to Pinnacle Basin, each between $2,500 and $4,900, with none reaching $5,000.
- Christine delivered her folder to Crestfield County Sheriff's Office on November 2, 2022, prompting investigator Nancy Bennett to visit the listed suite and find a mailbox rental address.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73071329Mon, 20 Jul 2026 16:57:53 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Safe in the Brambles: How a Neighbor Stole Community Wells A frozen safe labeled "MEMBER RECORDS" turned up in scrub brush with no footprints on December 11, 2022, temperature 31°F - and its contents would unravel three years of trust among...
A frozen safe labeled "MEMBER RECORDS" turned up in scrub brush with no footprints on December 11, 2022, temperature 31°F - and its contents would unravel three years of trust among thirty-one households. Who organized a cooperative, created a shell drilling company the day before contracts were signed, and funneled 109 payments just below federal reporting thresholds?

In this episode, we tell how residents of Crestfield County pooled thousands to drill shared deepwater wells, why one member took paperwork to the sheriff, and what a detective found when she followed addresses and bank transfers. How did a neighbor positioned as the organizer allegedly divert the project funds, and what did the safe ultimately prove?

Person: Christopher Morgan (listed as Christine Morgan in records)
Person: Gregory Thomas Novak
Person: Nancy Bennett
Event: Safe found in scrub brush on December 11, 2022
Date: April 14-15, 2019

- The safe was discovered off Ridgeback Nature Trail on December 11, 2022, with air temperature 31°F and no footprints nearby.
- Christine Morgan paid $4,000 to join the Crestfield Deepwater Cooperative and added her name to the member list.
- Pinnacle Basin Water Services was incorporated on April 14, 2019, one day before cooperative founding contracts signed on April 15, 2019.
- Bank records show 109 payments moved from the cooperative account to Pinnacle Basin, each between $2,500 and $4,900, with none reaching $5,000.
- Christine delivered her folder to Crestfield County Sheriff's Office on November 2, 2022, prompting investigator Nancy Bennett to visit the listed suite and find a mailbox rental address.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>989falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-dentist-who-sold-a-house-twice-river-envelope-exposes-scam--73071328
A rusted screw, a zip‑lock bag and eleven pages of bank documents fished from the Sable River led to a mortgage on 414 Birch Street - except that the property had been sold three weeks earlier. Who tossed the envelope into the water, and why did a trusted dentist’s paperwork point to two buyers for the same house?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from a pre-dawn discovery to the sale of a dental practice, tracing emails, wire transfers, prior complaints and a closing that left one buyer paying $312,000 into escrow. How did the scheme bypass audits and repeat a tactic used years before?

Person: Russell Meyer
Person: Patrick Suhr
Date: November 7, 2019
Location: 414 Birch Street
Event: Wire transfer of $312,000 into escrow on September 18, 2019

- A manila envelope sealed in a zip‑lock bag containing eleven pages of Crestwood Community Bank documents was found at 6:41 AM on November 7, 2019.
- The enclosed documents were dated October 3, 2019 and described a mortgage on 414 Birch Street despite the property having been sold three weeks earlier.
- Patrick Suhr wired $312,000 into an escrow account managed by title agent Tom Wicker on September 18, 2019 after signing the purchase contract.
- Russell Meyer wired $260,000 in four transfers between January and August 2019 to an investment firm that reduced to a zero balance by August.
- Nicole Hensley wired $14,000 on April 9, 2019 into Brightpath Dental Consulting, LLC and received a single return check for $420.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73071328Mon, 20 Jul 2026 16:57:50 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Dentist Who Sold a House Twice - River Envelope Exposes Scam A rusted screw, a zip‑lock bag and eleven pages of bank documents fished from the Sable River led to a mortgage on 414 Birch Street - except that the property had been sold three...
A rusted screw, a zip‑lock bag and eleven pages of bank documents fished from the Sable River led to a mortgage on 414 Birch Street - except that the property had been sold three weeks earlier. Who tossed the envelope into the water, and why did a trusted dentist’s paperwork point to two buyers for the same house?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from a pre-dawn discovery to the sale of a dental practice, tracing emails, wire transfers, prior complaints and a closing that left one buyer paying $312,000 into escrow. How did the scheme bypass audits and repeat a tactic used years before?

Person: Russell Meyer
Person: Patrick Suhr
Date: November 7, 2019
Location: 414 Birch Street
Event: Wire transfer of $312,000 into escrow on September 18, 2019

- A manila envelope sealed in a zip‑lock bag containing eleven pages of Crestwood Community Bank documents was found at 6:41 AM on November 7, 2019.
- The enclosed documents were dated October 3, 2019 and described a mortgage on 414 Birch Street despite the property having been sold three weeks earlier.
- Patrick Suhr wired $312,000 into an escrow account managed by title agent Tom Wicker on September 18, 2019 after signing the purchase contract.
- Russell Meyer wired $260,000 in four transfers between January and August 2019 to an investment firm that reduced to a zero balance by August.
- Nicole Hensley wired $14,000 on April 9, 2019 into Brightpath Dental Consulting, LLC and received a single return check for $420.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>909falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/he-pumped-their-fields-and-pocketed-412-000-in-cash-splits--73071327
A trusted crop-insurance adjuster turned fields into cash by secretly flooding corners of farmers' land, creating false flood-stress claims that paid out large sums-how did no one notice the boots sinking in dry October soil? With photographic evidence, a meticulous farmer's ledger, and a federal investigator already watching, one question remains: how far did this simple pump-and-hose scheme reach before it unraveled?

In this episode, we lay out the timeline and mechanics of the scheme, the relationships that enabled it, and the moment a county surveyor's photograph set a federal probe in motion. Listen to learn how routine measurements, handwritten rainfall records, and a pickup truck's midnight visits exposed a multi-year fraud that paid out large cash splits.

Person: Mark Zimmerman
Person: Erin Carter
Person: Ralph O'Brien
Date: October 14, 2011
Amount: $412,000

- Zimmerman was a licensed crop-insurance adjuster in Sable County for nine years by 2011 and drove a white Ford F-150 labeled "Zimmerman Agricultural Services".
- On October 14, 2011, county surveyor Erin Carter found field soil saturated despite no regional rain since the third week of September.
- In Alderman County (1998-2001) 63% of Zimmerman's claims involved corner or edge sections versus a regional average of 21%.
- Over 26 months Zimmerman and at least 11 farmers split claim payouts with a typical split of 60% to the farmer and 40% to Zimmerman, paid in cash.
- Zimmerman's supplemental claim on Ralph O'Brien's southwest field in 2010 paid approximately $14,000, of which Zimmerman took roughly $5,600 in cash.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73071327Mon, 20 Jul 2026 16:57:47 +0000Creator at ObomediaHe Pumped Their Fields-And Pocketed $412,000 in Cash Splits A trusted crop-insurance adjuster turned fields into cash by secretly flooding corners of farmers' land, creating false flood-stress claims that paid out large sums-how did no one notice...
A trusted crop-insurance adjuster turned fields into cash by secretly flooding corners of farmers' land, creating false flood-stress claims that paid out large sums-how did no one notice the boots sinking in dry October soil? With photographic evidence, a meticulous farmer's ledger, and a federal investigator already watching, one question remains: how far did this simple pump-and-hose scheme reach before it unraveled?

In this episode, we lay out the timeline and mechanics of the scheme, the relationships that enabled it, and the moment a county surveyor's photograph set a federal probe in motion. Listen to learn how routine measurements, handwritten rainfall records, and a pickup truck's midnight visits exposed a multi-year fraud that paid out large cash splits.

Person: Mark Zimmerman
Person: Erin Carter
Person: Ralph O'Brien
Date: October 14, 2011
Amount: $412,000

- Zimmerman was a licensed crop-insurance adjuster in Sable County for nine years by 2011 and drove a white Ford F-150 labeled "Zimmerman Agricultural Services".
- On October 14, 2011, county surveyor Erin Carter found field soil saturated despite no regional rain since the third week of September.
- In Alderman County (1998-2001) 63% of Zimmerman's claims involved corner or edge sections versus a regional average of 21%.
- Over 26 months Zimmerman and at least 11 farmers split claim payouts with a typical split of 60% to the farmer and 40% to Zimmerman, paid in cash.
- Zimmerman's supplemental claim on Ralph O'Brien's southwest field in 2010 paid approximately $14,000, of which Zimmerman took roughly $5,600 in cash.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1092falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/buried-receipts-how-211k-vanished-from-a-middle-school-booster--73071326
Fear that the person you trust is stealing in plain sight: thirty-nine deposit receipts stamped P and T were buried feet from a school gym, and they documented six-figure transfers away from students. Who marked "PT" in blue ballpoint for nine straight years and why did no one stop it?

In this episode, we follow the discovery that began on September 11, 2019 and the audit trail that led investigators from a septic vault to a personal bank account, asking how fundraiser cash was rerouted year after year and what finally tipped someone to demand original bank statements.

Person: Glenn T. Armstrong
Event: Discovery of bank deposit bag on September 11, 2019
Case: Crestfield Middle School Booster Association embezzlement
Amount: $211,430
Account: Personal checking account ending in 4417

- Found four feet underground in a septic vault: a bank deposit bag sealed inside a zip-lock freezer bag.
- Inside the bag: forty-one deposit receipts stamped with the letters "P" and "T" and spanning seven years.
- The booster ledger showed "PT" entries every year for nine consecutive years with reconciliation notes appearing only in the first two years.
- Forensic audit found $162,000 documented moving away from the children's fundraising proceeds in one direction only.
- By 2017, 60-70% of each year's carnival cash was being rerouted to account ending in 4417 and used for mortgage, truck payments, vacations, and a deck.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73071326Mon, 20 Jul 2026 16:57:44 +0000Creator at ObomediaBuried Receipts: How $211K Vanished From a Middle School Booster Fear that the person you trust is stealing in plain sight: thirty-nine deposit receipts stamped P and T were buried feet from a school gym, and they documented six-figure transfers...
Fear that the person you trust is stealing in plain sight: thirty-nine deposit receipts stamped P and T were buried feet from a school gym, and they documented six-figure transfers away from students. Who marked "PT" in blue ballpoint for nine straight years and why did no one stop it?

In this episode, we follow the discovery that began on September 11, 2019 and the audit trail that led investigators from a septic vault to a personal bank account, asking how fundraiser cash was rerouted year after year and what finally tipped someone to demand original bank statements.

Person: Glenn T. Armstrong
Event: Discovery of bank deposit bag on September 11, 2019
Case: Crestfield Middle School Booster Association embezzlement
Amount: $211,430
Account: Personal checking account ending in 4417

- Found four feet underground in a septic vault: a bank deposit bag sealed inside a zip-lock freezer bag.
- Inside the bag: forty-one deposit receipts stamped with the letters "P" and "T" and spanning seven years.
- The booster ledger showed "PT" entries every year for nine consecutive years with reconciliation notes appearing only in the first two years.
- Forensic audit found $162,000 documented moving away from the children's fundraising proceeds in one direction only.
- By 2017, 60-70% of each year's carnival cash was being rerouted to account ending in 4417 and used for mortgage, truck payments, vacations, and a deck.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>929falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-laminated-lie-how-a-fake-raffle-hooked-a-town-s-trust--73071324
Fear that the person you trust most is the one taking your money: a laminated winner's certificate threaded into a fence led to a federal fraud file after a small-town charity raised $94,200 without paying any grand prizes. How did three announced winners and a cream paper certificate become Exhibit 31 in a case that unraveled community trust?

In this episode, we tell what happened in Fenner County from the first laminated certificate found by a birdwatcher to the discovery that none of the announced grand prizes had been paid, following receipts, bank records, and jailhouse conversations to ask who benefited and why.

Person: Amy Carlson
Person: Patricia Solano
Amount: $94,200
Date: August 14, 2019
Organization: Hope Fund

- Certificate number 0047 listed a $2,500 prize and was found laminated on a fence near a retention pond.
- The Hope Fund collected $94,200 through charity raffles between 2015 and 2019.
- Three announced grand-prize winners (2015, 2016, 2017) totaled $9,000 in promised prizes that were never paid.
- Patricia Solano bought twelve raffle tickets for $5 each ($60) and received a laminated certificate numbered 0047.
- The warehouse near the fence had been empty since 2015 and the fence was only accessible by a rutted utility track.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73071324Mon, 20 Jul 2026 16:57:42 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Laminated Lie: How a Fake Raffle Hooked a Town's Trust Fear that the person you trust most is the one taking your money: a laminated winner's certificate threaded into a fence led to a federal fraud file after a small-town charity raised...
Fear that the person you trust most is the one taking your money: a laminated winner's certificate threaded into a fence led to a federal fraud file after a small-town charity raised $94,200 without paying any grand prizes. How did three announced winners and a cream paper certificate become Exhibit 31 in a case that unraveled community trust?

In this episode, we tell what happened in Fenner County from the first laminated certificate found by a birdwatcher to the discovery that none of the announced grand prizes had been paid, following receipts, bank records, and jailhouse conversations to ask who benefited and why.

Person: Amy Carlson
Person: Patricia Solano
Amount: $94,200
Date: August 14, 2019
Organization: Hope Fund

- Certificate number 0047 listed a $2,500 prize and was found laminated on a fence near a retention pond.
- The Hope Fund collected $94,200 through charity raffles between 2015 and 2019.
- Three announced grand-prize winners (2015, 2016, 2017) totaled $9,000 in promised prizes that were never paid.
- Patricia Solano bought twelve raffle tickets for $5 each ($60) and received a laminated certificate numbered 0047.
- The warehouse near the fence had been empty since 2015 and the fence was only accessible by a rutted utility track.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1188falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-coffin-in-her-driveway-how-1-14m-vanished-locally--73071323
The sight of a mahogany casket sitting in a pickup truck outside a 72-year-old widow’s house should have felt like a mistake - but it carried a paper trail that would expose $1,140,000 moved out of a funeral trust over 49 months. What began with a cream envelope taped to a lid and a certificate of fulfillment would prompt one bookkeeper to notice contract numbers that didn’t add up; how did prepayment trusts for hundreds of local residents become a conduit for missing money?

In this episode, we follow the sequence of events that starts with Beverly Tucker finding the casket on July 9, 2011, and traces how pre-arranged funeral contracts, a local funeral director, and a community’s trust intersected to raise questions about trust transfers and oversight. What did the contract records and bank activity reveal about where funds went?

Person: Beverly Tucker
Date: July 9, 2011
Person: Dorothy Spann
Amount: $6,400
Duration: 49 months

- A mahogany casket was found in the bed of a pickup truck at 14 Fenwick Circle on July 9, 2011.
- The cream envelope on the casket contained a certificate for contract CP-1847 signed by Ruth Novak.
- Dorothy Spann had paid $6,400 for contract CP-1847.
- At least 312 Crellin County residents had signed pre-arrangement contracts by July 2011.
- Contract CP-1761 (Jessica Roberts) was issued 33 months after January 2008, implying about 1,761 contracts in that period (approximately 53 contracts per month).

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73071323Mon, 20 Jul 2026 16:57:39 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Coffin in Her Driveway: How $1.14M Vanished Locally The sight of a mahogany casket sitting in a pickup truck outside a 72-year-old widow’s house should have felt like a mistake - but it carried a paper trail that would expose $1,140,000 moved...
The sight of a mahogany casket sitting in a pickup truck outside a 72-year-old widow’s house should have felt like a mistake - but it carried a paper trail that would expose $1,140,000 moved out of a funeral trust over 49 months. What began with a cream envelope taped to a lid and a certificate of fulfillment would prompt one bookkeeper to notice contract numbers that didn’t add up; how did prepayment trusts for hundreds of local residents become a conduit for missing money?

In this episode, we follow the sequence of events that starts with Beverly Tucker finding the casket on July 9, 2011, and traces how pre-arranged funeral contracts, a local funeral director, and a community’s trust intersected to raise questions about trust transfers and oversight. What did the contract records and bank activity reveal about where funds went?

Person: Beverly Tucker
Date: July 9, 2011
Person: Dorothy Spann
Amount: $6,400
Duration: 49 months

- A mahogany casket was found in the bed of a pickup truck at 14 Fenwick Circle on July 9, 2011.
- The cream envelope on the casket contained a certificate for contract CP-1847 signed by Ruth Novak.
- Dorothy Spann had paid $6,400 for contract CP-1847.
- At least 312 Crellin County residents had signed pre-arrangement contracts by July 2011.
- Contract CP-1761 (Jessica Roberts) was issued 33 months after January 2008, implying about 1,761 contracts in that period (approximately 53 contracts per month).

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1062falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-leather-portfolio-that-exposed-a-small-town-ponzi-scheme--73071322
A leather portfolio, dry and upright in a fresh drift, led investigators to a fraud that ruined 37 people and hid $1.2 million in promissory notes; why did a bank logo from fourteen years earlier become the linchpin of a small-town deception? What single document could force open a scheme that had paid plausible returns for years?

In this episode, you will hear how a chance roadside discovery connected church trust, a borrowed key, and fabricated financial instruments to expose the Harwick Prosperity Circle - and whether that portfolio held the answers to who knew what and when.

Person: Kelly Holt
Event: discovery of leather portfolio on June 9, 2011 at 5:30 AM
Case: Harwick Prosperity Circle LLC
Amount: $1,200 (operational balance in fall 2010)
People: 37 signatories on promissory notes

- The portfolio was found at 5:30 AM on June 9, 2011 by snowplow operator Mark Green.
- The Harwick Prosperity and Lending logo used on promissory notes came from a bank rebranded and absorbed 14 years earlier.
- Kelly Holt registered Harwick Prosperity Circle LLC by 2006 and began issuing promissory notes in 2007.
- By fall 2010 the checking account Holt controlled had a balance of $1,200 despite $1.2 million in principal commitments.
- On November 19, $43,000 arrived into the Circle after earlier payments that appeared plausible.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73071322Mon, 20 Jul 2026 16:57:36 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Leather Portfolio That Exposed a Small-Town Ponzi Scheme A leather portfolio, dry and upright in a fresh drift, led investigators to a fraud that ruined 37 people and hid $1.2 million in promissory notes; why did a bank logo from fourteen years...
A leather portfolio, dry and upright in a fresh drift, led investigators to a fraud that ruined 37 people and hid $1.2 million in promissory notes; why did a bank logo from fourteen years earlier become the linchpin of a small-town deception? What single document could force open a scheme that had paid plausible returns for years?

In this episode, you will hear how a chance roadside discovery connected church trust, a borrowed key, and fabricated financial instruments to expose the Harwick Prosperity Circle - and whether that portfolio held the answers to who knew what and when.

Person: Kelly Holt
Event: discovery of leather portfolio on June 9, 2011 at 5:30 AM
Case: Harwick Prosperity Circle LLC
Amount: $1,200 (operational balance in fall 2010)
People: 37 signatories on promissory notes

- The portfolio was found at 5:30 AM on June 9, 2011 by snowplow operator Mark Green.
- The Harwick Prosperity and Lending logo used on promissory notes came from a bank rebranded and absorbed 14 years earlier.
- Kelly Holt registered Harwick Prosperity Circle LLC by 2006 and began issuing promissory notes in 2007.
- By fall 2010 the checking account Holt controlled had a balance of $1,200 despite $1.2 million in principal commitments.
- On November 19, $43,000 arrived into the Circle after earlier payments that appeared plausible.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1176falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/he-stole-62-cents-at-a-time-411-000-hidden-in-plain-sight--73071320
Fear that a harmless ledger entry masks a calculated, long-running theft: routine disbursement totals were overstated by twenty to forty cents monthly, adding up to $411,000 over two decades. Who engineered a “Rounding Corrections - General” account and cashed out small overages unnoticed for twenty years - and how was it finally exposed?

In this episode, we follow how routine paperwork and a digitization project uncovered a persistent mismatch between monthly summaries and line-item sums, leading one deputy clerk to recheck arithmetic at her kitchen table and set off a chain of reports that drew in supervisors, the sheriff, and the state. What did those tiny, repeated discrepancies reveal about trust, process, and concealment?

Person: Rachel Petersen
Person: Earl Lawson
Event: Digitization project of disbursement records
Amount: $411,000
Auditor: Don Renner

- Rachel Petersen, age 38 in spring 2017, discovered the discrepancies while scanning and indexing old paper ledgers.
- Earl Lawson opened a suspense account titled "Rounding Corrections - General" within eight months of becoming treasurer in 1997.
- The theft pattern recorded four thousand three hundred disbursement entries per year with an average overage of sixty-two cents.
- Earl withdrew the accumulated funds as cash two hundred to four hundred dollars at a time, typically on the first or third Friday of each month.
- Auditor Don Renner signed clean audit opinions for nineteen consecutive years, 1998 through 2016, using summaries rather than original source ledgers.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73071320Mon, 20 Jul 2026 16:57:33 +0000Creator at ObomediaHe Stole 62 Cents at a Time - $411,000 Hidden in Plain Sight Fear that a harmless ledger entry masks a calculated, long-running theft: routine disbursement totals were overstated by twenty to forty cents monthly, adding up to $411,000 over two...
Fear that a harmless ledger entry masks a calculated, long-running theft: routine disbursement totals were overstated by twenty to forty cents monthly, adding up to $411,000 over two decades. Who engineered a “Rounding Corrections - General” account and cashed out small overages unnoticed for twenty years - and how was it finally exposed?

In this episode, we follow how routine paperwork and a digitization project uncovered a persistent mismatch between monthly summaries and line-item sums, leading one deputy clerk to recheck arithmetic at her kitchen table and set off a chain of reports that drew in supervisors, the sheriff, and the state. What did those tiny, repeated discrepancies reveal about trust, process, and concealment?

Person: Rachel Petersen
Person: Earl Lawson
Event: Digitization project of disbursement records
Amount: $411,000
Auditor: Don Renner

- Rachel Petersen, age 38 in spring 2017, discovered the discrepancies while scanning and indexing old paper ledgers.
- Earl Lawson opened a suspense account titled "Rounding Corrections - General" within eight months of becoming treasurer in 1997.
- The theft pattern recorded four thousand three hundred disbursement entries per year with an average overage of sixty-two cents.
- Earl withdrew the accumulated funds as cash two hundred to four hundred dollars at a time, typically on the first or third Friday of each month.
- Auditor Don Renner signed clean audit opinions for nineteen consecutive years, 1998 through 2016, using summaries rather than original source ledgers.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1087falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/a-mailbox-with-no-house-the-brian-walker-fraud--73071319
A galvanized mailbox numbered 14 sat alone in a red clay field while eleven families had already handed over a combined $640,000 for homes that would never be built - only $412 remained. How did a man who built three real houses use that record to collect deposits from strangers with forged escrow documents and a fake bank confirmation?

In this episode, we tell the sequence of events that led neighbors, buyers, and the Attorney General's office to the mailbox on Pinebrook, tracing deposits, fake paperwork, and the audit that exposed the scheme. What was the true purpose of those three completed homes, and who paid the price when the escrow accounts turned out not to exist?

Person: Brian Walker
Event: Mailbox found in field on Pinebrook, April 2019
Case: Eleven families defrauded, $640,000 collected
Auditor: Jason Anderson, contracted by Attorney General in 2019
Remaining funds: $412

- Darlene Owens photographed the mailbox on Pinebrook during her morning run in April 2019.
- By the evening after the photo, 47 people commented on the neighborhood post about the mailbox.
- Clifford Dalton paid a $65,000 deposit for a house on the Pinebrook tract.
- Sandra and Marvin Pruitt paid $42,000 for a lot Walker claimed to have optioned on Miller Creek Road.
- Walker Fraud Homes completed three houses between 2013 and 2016, which auditor Jason Anderson later called "deliberate loss leaders."

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73071319Mon, 20 Jul 2026 16:57:30 +0000Creator at ObomediaA Mailbox With No House: The Brian Walker Fraud A galvanized mailbox numbered 14 sat alone in a red clay field while eleven families had already handed over a combined $640,000 for homes that would never be built - only $412 remained. How did a man...
A galvanized mailbox numbered 14 sat alone in a red clay field while eleven families had already handed over a combined $640,000 for homes that would never be built - only $412 remained. How did a man who built three real houses use that record to collect deposits from strangers with forged escrow documents and a fake bank confirmation?

In this episode, we tell the sequence of events that led neighbors, buyers, and the Attorney General's office to the mailbox on Pinebrook, tracing deposits, fake paperwork, and the audit that exposed the scheme. What was the true purpose of those three completed homes, and who paid the price when the escrow accounts turned out not to exist?

Person: Brian Walker
Event: Mailbox found in field on Pinebrook, April 2019
Case: Eleven families defrauded, $640,000 collected
Auditor: Jason Anderson, contracted by Attorney General in 2019
Remaining funds: $412

- Darlene Owens photographed the mailbox on Pinebrook during her morning run in April 2019.
- By the evening after the photo, 47 people commented on the neighborhood post about the mailbox.
- Clifford Dalton paid a $65,000 deposit for a house on the Pinebrook tract.
- Sandra and Marvin Pruitt paid $42,000 for a lot Walker claimed to have optioned on Miller Creek Road.
- Walker Fraud Homes completed three houses between 2013 and 2016, which auditor Jason Anderson later called "deliberate loss leaders."

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1091falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-retirement-circle-how-a-church-trust-turned-into-641k-scam--73071317
Fear that your lifelong savings could vanish into paperwork is what grips you first: a woman’s quarterly statements, typed on a Brother electric typewriter, showed steady growth while her retirement fund was already empty - how did a church-trusted bookkeeping routine mask a $641,000 theft, and who finally noticed the mismatch?

In this episode, we tell the story of the Retirement Circle and how a local bookkeeping operation became the center of an eight-year fraud against church members, following the trail from a propped-open door to a compliance officer’s desk and the question that exposed it all: what did the forensic audit actually find?

Person: Edna Marsh
Person: Ray Marsh
Person: Steven Bishop
Event: Forensic audit by state Division of Securities
Amount: $641,000

- Edna Marsh deposited $42,000 into the Retirement Circle in two installments in 2012.
- The scheme affected 19 people over an eight-year period.
- Steven Bishop founded the Retirement Circle in 2009 and was 53 in 2017.
- Quarterly statements were typed on Harwick Savings and Loan letterhead using a Brother electric typewriter.
- Connie Erickson, age 25 and a paralegal, mailed a confirmation letter to Harwick Savings and Loan in late 2016 that led to the account review.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73071317Mon, 20 Jul 2026 16:57:26 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Retirement Circle: How a Church Trust Turned Into $641K Scam Fear that your lifelong savings could vanish into paperwork is what grips you first: a woman’s quarterly statements, typed on a Brother electric typewriter, showed steady growth while...
Fear that your lifelong savings could vanish into paperwork is what grips you first: a woman’s quarterly statements, typed on a Brother electric typewriter, showed steady growth while her retirement fund was already empty - how did a church-trusted bookkeeping routine mask a $641,000 theft, and who finally noticed the mismatch?

In this episode, we tell the story of the Retirement Circle and how a local bookkeeping operation became the center of an eight-year fraud against church members, following the trail from a propped-open door to a compliance officer’s desk and the question that exposed it all: what did the forensic audit actually find?

Person: Edna Marsh
Person: Ray Marsh
Person: Steven Bishop
Event: Forensic audit by state Division of Securities
Amount: $641,000

- Edna Marsh deposited $42,000 into the Retirement Circle in two installments in 2012.
- The scheme affected 19 people over an eight-year period.
- Steven Bishop founded the Retirement Circle in 2009 and was 53 in 2017.
- Quarterly statements were typed on Harwick Savings and Loan letterhead using a Brother electric typewriter.
- Connie Erickson, age 25 and a paralegal, mailed a confirmation letter to Harwick Savings and Loan in late 2016 that led to the account review.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>963falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/she-sold-the-same-bushel-four-times-farmers-betrayed-trust--73071316
A simple pile of roughly 400 grain receipts hidden behind folding chairs in a church annex exposed a scheme where identical ticket numbers, bushel weights, and farmer names were pledged to multiple investors - turning one bushel into four promises. How did a licensed broker in a tight-knit farming town convert decades of trust into duplicated claims that went unnoticed for years?

In this episode, we walk through the discovery and the ledger of a long-running fraud: where the records were found, who trusted the broker, and how the duplications revealed the scale of the betrayal. What made the scheme invisible until a volunteer moved chairs and started taking photos?

Person: Cheryl Myers
Location: Harwick, Illinois
Date: February 6, 2019
Case: Harwick Harvest Advisors receipts found behind church chairs
Accounts managed: 31

- Roughly 400 grain receipts were found stacked behind folding chairs in a church administrative annex.
- The receipts showed the same ticket numbers, bushel weights, and farmer names pledged to four different investors.
- Cheryl Myers built Harwick Harvest Advisors as a sole proprietorship around 2012 and managed 31 accounts by the time the scheme collapsed.
- Howard Buell gave Myers discretionary authority in autumn 2014 for approximately $41,000 and never received a payment.
- An email Myers wrote to herself in April 2016 noted accounts held less than $30,000 against obligations exceeding $400,000 with the line: "there is no way."

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73071316Mon, 20 Jul 2026 16:57:23 +0000Creator at ObomediaShe Sold the Same Bushel Four Times - Farmers Betrayed Trust A simple pile of roughly 400 grain receipts hidden behind folding chairs in a church annex exposed a scheme where identical ticket numbers, bushel weights, and farmer names were pledged...
A simple pile of roughly 400 grain receipts hidden behind folding chairs in a church annex exposed a scheme where identical ticket numbers, bushel weights, and farmer names were pledged to multiple investors - turning one bushel into four promises. How did a licensed broker in a tight-knit farming town convert decades of trust into duplicated claims that went unnoticed for years?

In this episode, we walk through the discovery and the ledger of a long-running fraud: where the records were found, who trusted the broker, and how the duplications revealed the scale of the betrayal. What made the scheme invisible until a volunteer moved chairs and started taking photos?

Person: Cheryl Myers
Location: Harwick, Illinois
Date: February 6, 2019
Case: Harwick Harvest Advisors receipts found behind church chairs
Accounts managed: 31

- Roughly 400 grain receipts were found stacked behind folding chairs in a church administrative annex.
- The receipts showed the same ticket numbers, bushel weights, and farmer names pledged to four different investors.
- Cheryl Myers built Harwick Harvest Advisors as a sole proprietorship around 2012 and managed 31 accounts by the time the scheme collapsed.
- Howard Buell gave Myers discretionary authority in autumn 2014 for approximately $41,000 and never received a payment.
- An email Myers wrote to herself in April 2016 noted accounts held less than $30,000 against obligations exceeding $400,000 with the line: "there is no way."

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1138falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-pastor-s-fund-disappeared-treasures-lies-and-a-lost-rendering--73071315
Fear that the people you trust are stealing from the things you love: a pristine laminated rendering dated for a church project that never happened was found sealed in a contractor sleeve fifty yards from the water, seven years after its promised completion - and it became the thread that unraveled nearly a million dollars. How did nine hundred and fourteen thousand dollars and one hundred and thirty-eight donations disappear while newsletters promised progress and a trusted treasurer showed tidy statements?

In this episode, we lay out the sequence of discoveries from the trail at Sycamore Reservoir to the bank account calls that started an investigation, and we follow the clues that led investigators to question everything the congregation had been told. Who was managing the money, what did the forensic audit reveal, and why was a rendering meant to be destroyed left by a tree?

Person: Pastor Dennis Frye
Person: Ralph Tillman
Date: January 11, 2019
Amount: $914,000 combined donations
Donors: 138 individual contributions

- The architectural rendering measured 24 inches by 36 inches and was found laminated inside a contractor sleeve.
- The sleeve bore the label promising "Estimated Completion Spring 2012" though the drawing remained unbuilt.
- By 2017, 138 donors had contributed a combined $914,000 toward the project.
- Heather Brooks discovered identical newsletter language repeated from 2015 through 2018, prompting her to question progress.
- The building fund bank account shown to Heather held $11,200, while printed statements Tillman provided indicated $412,000.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73071315Mon, 20 Jul 2026 16:57:19 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Pastor's Fund Disappeared - Treasures, Lies, and a Lost Rendering Fear that the people you trust are stealing from the things you love: a pristine laminated rendering dated for a church project that never happened was found sealed in a...
Fear that the people you trust are stealing from the things you love: a pristine laminated rendering dated for a church project that never happened was found sealed in a contractor sleeve fifty yards from the water, seven years after its promised completion - and it became the thread that unraveled nearly a million dollars. How did nine hundred and fourteen thousand dollars and one hundred and thirty-eight donations disappear while newsletters promised progress and a trusted treasurer showed tidy statements?

In this episode, we lay out the sequence of discoveries from the trail at Sycamore Reservoir to the bank account calls that started an investigation, and we follow the clues that led investigators to question everything the congregation had been told. Who was managing the money, what did the forensic audit reveal, and why was a rendering meant to be destroyed left by a tree?

Person: Pastor Dennis Frye
Person: Ralph Tillman
Date: January 11, 2019
Amount: $914,000 combined donations
Donors: 138 individual contributions

- The architectural rendering measured 24 inches by 36 inches and was found laminated inside a contractor sleeve.
- The sleeve bore the label promising "Estimated Completion Spring 2012" though the drawing remained unbuilt.
- By 2017, 138 donors had contributed a combined $914,000 toward the project.
- Heather Brooks discovered identical newsletter language repeated from 2015 through 2018, prompting her to question progress.
- The building fund bank account shown to Heather held $11,200, while printed statements Tillman provided indicated $412,000.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1068falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-box-in-the-creek-how-110k-disappeared-from-a-town-archive--73071313
Fear that the money meant to save a town’s past was quietly stolen: $110,000 raised for digitizing Bracken County’s archives left only 800 scanned items and a muddy filing box in a creek. Who redirected the grants, and why did a handwritten note reading “if both come through” become the linchpin of the forensic audit?

In this episode, we follow the sequence of grant awards, volunteer discovery, and the evidence trail that led from digitization applications to missing funds, asking how two foundation grants for the same project were not disclosed and where $101,200 went before preservation could begin.

Person: Jessica Henderson
Person: Jerry Watson
Person: Brian Ogle
Date: December 2019
Event: Filing box recovered from Cossatot Fork river

- Two grants totaling $110,000 were awarded for the same digitization project: $54,000 from the Caldwell Family Foundation and $56,000 from the Arkansas Humanities Council.
- The Caldwell grant was awarded in January 2017 and the Arkansas Humanities Council grant in March 2017.
- Contractor Brian Ogle scanned roughly 800 items over three months and received about $9,000.
- The Bracken County Historical Society had occupied its Victorian house on Breckinridge Avenue since 1961.
- A handwritten note in the executive director’s handwriting read “if both come through.”

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73071313Mon, 20 Jul 2026 16:57:16 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Box in the Creek: How $110K Disappeared from a Town Archive Fear that the money meant to save a town’s past was quietly stolen: $110,000 raised for digitizing Bracken County’s archives left only 800 scanned items and a muddy filing box in a...
Fear that the money meant to save a town’s past was quietly stolen: $110,000 raised for digitizing Bracken County’s archives left only 800 scanned items and a muddy filing box in a creek. Who redirected the grants, and why did a handwritten note reading “if both come through” become the linchpin of the forensic audit?

In this episode, we follow the sequence of grant awards, volunteer discovery, and the evidence trail that led from digitization applications to missing funds, asking how two foundation grants for the same project were not disclosed and where $101,200 went before preservation could begin.

Person: Jessica Henderson
Person: Jerry Watson
Person: Brian Ogle
Date: December 2019
Event: Filing box recovered from Cossatot Fork river

- Two grants totaling $110,000 were awarded for the same digitization project: $54,000 from the Caldwell Family Foundation and $56,000 from the Arkansas Humanities Council.
- The Caldwell grant was awarded in January 2017 and the Arkansas Humanities Council grant in March 2017.
- Contractor Brian Ogle scanned roughly 800 items over three months and received about $9,000.
- The Bracken County Historical Society had occupied its Victorian house on Breckinridge Avenue since 1961.
- A handwritten note in the executive director’s handwriting read “if both come through.”

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>992falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-screenshot-that-exposed-a-tax-fraud-ring-stealing-from-workers--73071310
A single screenshot from a county surveyor revealed a bank routing number linked to a shell company that collected $231,000 in federal refunds - money meant for 41 working people who never saw it. How did routine tax appointments turn into amended returns routing thousands to CFT Financial Consulting, and who pulled the money out before victims could notice?

In this episode, we tell the sequence of events that began with a Denton County parcel survey screenshot and led auditors to a pattern of fraudulent amended returns filed in a tight 22-day window. Follow the discovery from the moment the routing number was flagged to the audit file that put names, dates, and missing refunds on the map: can a single clerical screenshot unravel a quiet machine of theft?

Person: Todd Bowers
Date: November 12, 2019
Company: CFT Financial Consulting
Amount: $231,000
Victims: 41 people

- The routing number on the surveyor's screenshot matched four separate lien filings across three adjacent parcels within 14 months.
- CFT Financial Consulting received $231,000 in federal refunds over three tax years while having no office or employees.
- Forty-one people’s names generated refunds routed to CFT; by the time they checked, the account held roughly $4,000.
- One amended Form 1040-X filed in October 2019 deposited $4,812.12 into the CFT account in Kenneth Baker’s name.
- Thirty-eight of the forty-one amended returns tied to that account were filed within a 22-day window between late September and mid-October 2019.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73071310Mon, 20 Jul 2026 16:57:14 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Screenshot That Exposed a Tax Fraud Ring Stealing From Workers A single screenshot from a county surveyor revealed a bank routing number linked to a shell company that collected $231,000 in federal refunds - money meant for 41 working people...
A single screenshot from a county surveyor revealed a bank routing number linked to a shell company that collected $231,000 in federal refunds - money meant for 41 working people who never saw it. How did routine tax appointments turn into amended returns routing thousands to CFT Financial Consulting, and who pulled the money out before victims could notice?

In this episode, we tell the sequence of events that began with a Denton County parcel survey screenshot and led auditors to a pattern of fraudulent amended returns filed in a tight 22-day window. Follow the discovery from the moment the routing number was flagged to the audit file that put names, dates, and missing refunds on the map: can a single clerical screenshot unravel a quiet machine of theft?

Person: Todd Bowers
Date: November 12, 2019
Company: CFT Financial Consulting
Amount: $231,000
Victims: 41 people

- The routing number on the surveyor's screenshot matched four separate lien filings across three adjacent parcels within 14 months.
- CFT Financial Consulting received $231,000 in federal refunds over three tax years while having no office or employees.
- Forty-one people’s names generated refunds routed to CFT; by the time they checked, the account held roughly $4,000.
- One amended Form 1040-X filed in October 2019 deposited $4,812.12 into the CFT account in Kenneth Baker’s name.
- Thirty-eight of the forty-one amended returns tied to that account were filed within a 22-day window between late September and mid-October 2019.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1166falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/he-billed-refrigeration-delivered-flatbeds-1-3m-betrayal-revealed--73071309
Fear and betrayal: a trusted broker siphoned $1.3 million from 41 ranching families by billing refrigerated transport while using flatbeds - and left a paper trail in a cold-storage bay that a cinder block had propped open. Who was the man who turned a decade of trust into a four-and-a-half-year scheme, and how did a single stapled manifest stop him?

In this episode, we lay out the sequence of events found in the record: the discovery in October 2019, the billing scheme that began in spring 2015, the role of a subcontractor and a compliance examiner, and the unraveling that followed - but how did routine paperwork and one forgotten sheet become the case’s turning point?

Person: Glenn Andrews
Event: discovery of manifests in Denton Falls cold-storage, October 14, 2019
Amount: $1,300,000
Clients: 41 ranching families across three Nebraska counties

- The manifests stack in bay door three contained roughly 200 pages of refrigerated-transport paperwork.
- Andrews began billing refrigerated rates in spring 2015 while subcontracting to flatbed operators at roughly half the price.
- By 2017 Andrews operated as Great Plains Cold Haul LLC and was extracting about $28,000 per month.
- The primary subcontractor, Terry Wills, was paid $2,080 for the first documented load while the rancher was billed $4,200 plus a 4% coordination fee.
- On September 2018 Clifford Young flagged a manifest showing a flat nine-hour internal temperature of 34°F on a non-refrigerated 2014 Freightliner.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73071309Mon, 20 Jul 2026 16:57:11 +0000Creator at ObomediaHe Billed Refrigeration, Delivered Flatbeds - $1.3M Betrayal Revealed Fear and betrayal: a trusted broker siphoned $1.3 million from 41 ranching families by billing refrigerated transport while using flatbeds - and left a paper trail in a...
Fear and betrayal: a trusted broker siphoned $1.3 million from 41 ranching families by billing refrigerated transport while using flatbeds - and left a paper trail in a cold-storage bay that a cinder block had propped open. Who was the man who turned a decade of trust into a four-and-a-half-year scheme, and how did a single stapled manifest stop him?

In this episode, we lay out the sequence of events found in the record: the discovery in October 2019, the billing scheme that began in spring 2015, the role of a subcontractor and a compliance examiner, and the unraveling that followed - but how did routine paperwork and one forgotten sheet become the case’s turning point?

Person: Glenn Andrews
Event: discovery of manifests in Denton Falls cold-storage, October 14, 2019
Amount: $1,300,000
Clients: 41 ranching families across three Nebraska counties

- The manifests stack in bay door three contained roughly 200 pages of refrigerated-transport paperwork.
- Andrews began billing refrigerated rates in spring 2015 while subcontracting to flatbed operators at roughly half the price.
- By 2017 Andrews operated as Great Plains Cold Haul LLC and was extracting about $28,000 per month.
- The primary subcontractor, Terry Wills, was paid $2,080 for the first documented load while the rancher was billed $4,200 plus a 4% coordination fee.
- On September 2018 Clifford Young flagged a manifest showing a flat nine-hour internal temperature of 34°F on a non-refrigerated 2014 Freightliner.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1068falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-honey-that-wasn-t-how-43-hives-fooled-investors--73071307
A retired birder found forty-three sealed hive boxes full of capped frames and not a single bee on a September morning in 2019 - the meadow was silent and the honey sat unclaimed in a P.O. box, while investors had already been promised an 11% return. How did newsletters claiming 4,800 pounds of honey and two distribution partners mask the money that actually paid those returns?

In this episode, we tell how a local cooperative’s paperwork, in-person tours, and handwritten notes persuaded a cautious investor to hand over her mother’s $11,000 inheritance, and how an auditor’s checks on distribution partners and receipts raised the central question: where did the claimed honey sales and investor returns really come from?

Person: Ruth Sanders
Date: September 3, 2019 (first Tuesday of September 2019 morning observation)
Location: Thornton Road meadow, Dunbar Township
Case: Dunbar Valley Honey Cooperative investor losses
Event: Auditor Leon Holmes began verification revealing discrepancies

- 43 cream-and-green hive boxes arranged in four rows were found on a concrete pad with lids wax-sealed and frames loaded but no bees present.
- Prospectus promised projected annual returns of 11% to investors who bought futures shares in upcoming honey harvests.
- Investor Ruth Sanders invested $11,000 (her inherited amount) across two tranches after a May 2017 visit and receiving handwritten materials.
- A newsletter claimed the cooperative managed 212 active colonies and processed approximately 4,800 pounds of honey in the 2018 season.
- Auditor Leon Holmes contacted two named distribution partners; one had no purchase records and the other had never heard of the cooperative.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73071307Mon, 20 Jul 2026 16:57:08 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Honey That Wasn't: How 43 Hives Fooled Investors A retired birder found forty-three sealed hive boxes full of capped frames and not a single bee on a September morning in 2019 - the meadow was silent and the honey sat unclaimed in a P.O. box,...
A retired birder found forty-three sealed hive boxes full of capped frames and not a single bee on a September morning in 2019 - the meadow was silent and the honey sat unclaimed in a P.O. box, while investors had already been promised an 11% return. How did newsletters claiming 4,800 pounds of honey and two distribution partners mask the money that actually paid those returns?

In this episode, we tell how a local cooperative’s paperwork, in-person tours, and handwritten notes persuaded a cautious investor to hand over her mother’s $11,000 inheritance, and how an auditor’s checks on distribution partners and receipts raised the central question: where did the claimed honey sales and investor returns really come from?

Person: Ruth Sanders
Date: September 3, 2019 (first Tuesday of September 2019 morning observation)
Location: Thornton Road meadow, Dunbar Township
Case: Dunbar Valley Honey Cooperative investor losses
Event: Auditor Leon Holmes began verification revealing discrepancies

- 43 cream-and-green hive boxes arranged in four rows were found on a concrete pad with lids wax-sealed and frames loaded but no bees present.
- Prospectus promised projected annual returns of 11% to investors who bought futures shares in upcoming honey harvests.
- Investor Ruth Sanders invested $11,000 (her inherited amount) across two tranches after a May 2017 visit and receiving handwritten materials.
- A newsletter claimed the cooperative managed 212 active colonies and processed approximately 4,800 pounds of honey in the 2018 season.
- Auditor Leon Holmes contacted two named distribution partners; one had no purchase records and the other had never heard of the cooperative.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>919falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-scoreboard-that-never-existed-how-a-coach-stole-114-200--73071306
A small town's trust turned into a ledger of betrayal: 37 local businesses donated a total of $114,200 for a 42-foot LED scoreboard that was never built, and every dollar went into an account controlled by one man. How did a JV coach, two-term school board member and longtime booster director turn community goodwill into cash without anyone noticing?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from the January 2016 naming-rights pitch to donors through the January-June donation window, through the March facilities committee vote that shelved the project, to the forensic audit that revealed missing funds-asking how oversight failed and why a sealed envelope in an alley unraveled it all.

Person: Curtis Davis
Role: JV football coach, two terms on the school board, director of the Boosters
Amount: $114,200
Donors: 37 local businesses
Vendor: Apex Display

- 37 businesses donated checks between February and June 2016 totaling $114,200.
- The proposed scoreboard pictured in donor mailings was a 42-foot LED unit with donor names shown below.
- Curtis Davis was sole signatory on the Athletic Complex Fund account at Fenwick Savings and Loan.
- The facilities committee voted to indefinitely defer the athletic complex in March 2016.
- Forensic auditor Patricia Bailey spent eleven days reviewing the fund's transaction records.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73071306Mon, 20 Jul 2026 16:57:05 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Scoreboard That Never Existed: How a Coach Stole $114,200 A small town's trust turned into a ledger of betrayal: 37 local businesses donated a total of $114,200 for a 42-foot LED scoreboard that was never built, and every dollar went into an...
A small town's trust turned into a ledger of betrayal: 37 local businesses donated a total of $114,200 for a 42-foot LED scoreboard that was never built, and every dollar went into an account controlled by one man. How did a JV coach, two-term school board member and longtime booster director turn community goodwill into cash without anyone noticing?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from the January 2016 naming-rights pitch to donors through the January-June donation window, through the March facilities committee vote that shelved the project, to the forensic audit that revealed missing funds-asking how oversight failed and why a sealed envelope in an alley unraveled it all.

Person: Curtis Davis
Role: JV football coach, two terms on the school board, director of the Boosters
Amount: $114,200
Donors: 37 local businesses
Vendor: Apex Display

- 37 businesses donated checks between February and June 2016 totaling $114,200.
- The proposed scoreboard pictured in donor mailings was a 42-foot LED unit with donor names shown below.
- Curtis Davis was sole signatory on the Athletic Complex Fund account at Fenwick Savings and Loan.
- The facilities committee voted to indefinitely defer the athletic complex in March 2016.
- Forensic auditor Patricia Bailey spent eleven days reviewing the fund's transaction records.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1120falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-312-000-folder-how-a-broken-rubber-band-exposed-theft--73071305
A cracked rubber band and a four-dollar vinyl folder hid seven years of steady theft: forty-three deposit slips showing exactly $3,000 each, $312,000 taken from 81 families who trusted the park manager every month. How did a single cracked band lead from a drainage berm to a courthouse and expose a banking pattern that never once showed a resident's deposit staying put?

In this episode, we tell the sequence of events that connects the folder found by a road-grader operator to the complaint filed by a tenant and the bank account that never grew; what happened when those threads met, and why one man’s careful photos mattered. Can a folder and a handful of slips reveal the full scope of long-running theft?

Person: Gary Jensen
Date: July 11, 2019
Location: Pinecrest Mobile Home Park, lot 38
Person: Dennis Henderson
Person: Edward Hansen

- 43 bank deposit slips were found in the folder, each for exactly $3,000.
- The slips span a period of seven years and all bear the same account number.
- The folder was discovered in a drainage berm behind lot 38 at 7:00 AM.
- The escrow account’s balance never exceeded $3,040 despite 81 residents’ deposits.
- Dennis Henderson paid a $600 security deposit when he moved into lot 19 in 2015.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73071305Mon, 20 Jul 2026 16:57:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe $312,000 Folder: How a Broken Rubber Band Exposed Theft A cracked rubber band and a four-dollar vinyl folder hid seven years of steady theft: forty-three deposit slips showing exactly $3,000 each, $312,000 taken from 81 families who trusted the...
A cracked rubber band and a four-dollar vinyl folder hid seven years of steady theft: forty-three deposit slips showing exactly $3,000 each, $312,000 taken from 81 families who trusted the park manager every month. How did a single cracked band lead from a drainage berm to a courthouse and expose a banking pattern that never once showed a resident's deposit staying put?

In this episode, we tell the sequence of events that connects the folder found by a road-grader operator to the complaint filed by a tenant and the bank account that never grew; what happened when those threads met, and why one man’s careful photos mattered. Can a folder and a handful of slips reveal the full scope of long-running theft?

Person: Gary Jensen
Date: July 11, 2019
Location: Pinecrest Mobile Home Park, lot 38
Person: Dennis Henderson
Person: Edward Hansen

- 43 bank deposit slips were found in the folder, each for exactly $3,000.
- The slips span a period of seven years and all bear the same account number.
- The folder was discovered in a drainage berm behind lot 38 at 7:00 AM.
- The escrow account’s balance never exceeded $3,040 despite 81 residents’ deposits.
- Dennis Henderson paid a $600 security deposit when he moved into lot 19 in 2015.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>952falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-man-who-hid-1-14m-in-a-road-salt-shed--73071304
A routine utility check led to a burgundy deposition bag holding forty-three cashier's checks worth $214,000 and a county-wide theft that hid in plain sight. How did one warped ventilation panel and a single coordinator let $1,140,000 in road salt invoices go unverified for years?

In this episode, you will hear how a township clerk's routine phone call and a lineman's curiosity unraveled a decade-long scheme, and why a simple gap in a shed wall mattered more than sophisticated fraud techniques. Could the answer to a massive theft really be a missing audit and a latch that never closed?

Person: Duane Casey
Person: Peggy Duncan
Person: Paula Lewis
Person: Stanley Gray
Event: discovery of burgundy deposit bag with forty-three cashier's checks totaling $214,000

- The deposit bag contained forty-three cashier's checks paper-clipped in sequence totaling just over $214,000.
- The cooperative had eleven transactions recorded as $1,140,000 in road salt invoices that were never verified.
- Duane Casey became the cooperative's coordinator in 2008 and earned $8,000 per year from the cooperative's administrative fund.
- Peggy Duncan called Tri-State Road Products in February 2019 and noted a cooperative pricing rate more than $9 per ton lower than Casey's invoice.
- Paula Lewis found the bag in early June 2019 on a shelf inside the proportioner shed at the base of Pole 47 on County Road 14.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73071304Mon, 20 Jul 2026 16:56:59 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Man Who Hid $1.14M in a Road Salt Shed A routine utility check led to a burgundy deposition bag holding forty-three cashier's checks worth $214,000 and a county-wide theft that hid in plain sight. How did one warped ventilation panel and a...
A routine utility check led to a burgundy deposition bag holding forty-three cashier's checks worth $214,000 and a county-wide theft that hid in plain sight. How did one warped ventilation panel and a single coordinator let $1,140,000 in road salt invoices go unverified for years?

In this episode, you will hear how a township clerk's routine phone call and a lineman's curiosity unraveled a decade-long scheme, and why a simple gap in a shed wall mattered more than sophisticated fraud techniques. Could the answer to a massive theft really be a missing audit and a latch that never closed?

Person: Duane Casey
Person: Peggy Duncan
Person: Paula Lewis
Person: Stanley Gray
Event: discovery of burgundy deposit bag with forty-three cashier's checks totaling $214,000

- The deposit bag contained forty-three cashier's checks paper-clipped in sequence totaling just over $214,000.
- The cooperative had eleven transactions recorded as $1,140,000 in road salt invoices that were never verified.
- Duane Casey became the cooperative's coordinator in 2008 and earned $8,000 per year from the cooperative's administrative fund.
- Peggy Duncan called Tri-State Road Products in February 2019 and noted a cooperative pricing rate more than $9 per ton lower than Casey's invoice.
- Paula Lewis found the bag in early June 2019 on a shelf inside the proportioner shed at the base of Pole 47 on County Road 14.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>879falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/empty-unit-double-sale-how-a-trusted-auctioneer-stole-a-town--73071303
Fear that the person you trust to follow the rules is the one breaking them: a buyer paid $420 for a storage unit that was completely empty-yet the same unit had been sold once already days earlier. If one unit in Carverton was sold twice, how many more had been vanished from beneath bidders' flashlights?

In this episode, we follow the sequence of events that began with one empty unit and unfolded into an eleven-year pattern tied to a local auctioneer, using records, photographs, and eyewitness timing to map what happened and ask whether the town's trust was betrayed.

Person: Neil Mills
Location: Carverton
Date: May 18, 2018
Case: storage unit sold twice (Unit G-44)
Event: buyer paid $420 cash

- Dennis Pruitt paid $420 cash for Unit G-44 on May 18, 2018 and found it completely empty the next morning.
- Neil Mills had operated Carverton Auction Services for eleven years and held contracts with seven facilities across two counties.
- Craig Keller recorded $11,000 in fourteen months from storage auctions and was reimbursed for empty units eleven times.
- Industry average for an empty or misrepresented unit is about 1 in 25; Keller's rate of empty units was about 1 in 4.
- On May 9, 2018 Crystal Kowalski observed an unmarked truck loading furniture at Row G of Palmetto Self-Storage nine days before Pruitt opened Unit G-44.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73071303Mon, 20 Jul 2026 16:56:56 +0000Creator at ObomediaEmpty Unit, Double Sale: How a Trusted Auctioneer Stole a Town Fear that the person you trust to follow the rules is the one breaking them: a buyer paid $420 for a storage unit that was completely empty-yet the same unit had been sold once already...
Fear that the person you trust to follow the rules is the one breaking them: a buyer paid $420 for a storage unit that was completely empty-yet the same unit had been sold once already days earlier. If one unit in Carverton was sold twice, how many more had been vanished from beneath bidders' flashlights?

In this episode, we follow the sequence of events that began with one empty unit and unfolded into an eleven-year pattern tied to a local auctioneer, using records, photographs, and eyewitness timing to map what happened and ask whether the town's trust was betrayed.

Person: Neil Mills
Location: Carverton
Date: May 18, 2018
Case: storage unit sold twice (Unit G-44)
Event: buyer paid $420 cash

- Dennis Pruitt paid $420 cash for Unit G-44 on May 18, 2018 and found it completely empty the next morning.
- Neil Mills had operated Carverton Auction Services for eleven years and held contracts with seven facilities across two counties.
- Craig Keller recorded $11,000 in fourteen months from storage auctions and was reimbursed for empty units eleven times.
- Industry average for an empty or misrepresented unit is about 1 in 25; Keller's rate of empty units was about 1 in 4.
- On May 9, 2018 Crystal Kowalski observed an unmarked truck loading furniture at Row G of Palmetto Self-Storage nine days before Pruitt opened Unit G-44.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>955falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/she-stole-the-memorial-fund-112-400-eleven-dollars-left--73071302
The shock is immediate: a community memorial fund raised $112,400 and the account held exactly $11 five days after a brass plaque honoring forty-seven donors was mounted. How did nine years of trust, forged by casseroles and volunteer shifts, come to rest on a single open door - and who finally noticed what everyone else missed?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from the fund’s creation in March 2014 to the April 2017 discovery, outlining who managed the money, which donations were made, and the moment a meter reader’s call set an investigation in motion. What did fabricated quarterly statements hide, and how did one photograph become Exhibit One?

Person: Ruth Ann Harris
Date: March 2014 (fund opened) and April 4, 2017 (plaque unveiled)
Amount: $112,400 collected
Balance: $11 on account after plaque purchase
Plaque cost: $412 paid April 22, 2017

- Ruth Ann Harris served as treasurer for nine years and was sole signatory on the Memorial Fund account.
- The Memorial Fund collected $112,400 from forty-seven donors, including a $20,000 life insurance donation from Evelyn Park.
- The Cutler family donated $1,200 across three years designated for a scholarship.
- Beginning June 2015, withdrawals increased from hundreds to thousands, and fabricated statements showed balances between $80,000 and $90,000.
- On April 9, 2017, meter reader Monica Allen reported a treasurer’s office door open about four inches; a volunteer photographed a bank statement showing an $11 balance.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73071302Mon, 20 Jul 2026 16:56:54 +0000Creator at ObomediaShe Stole the Memorial Fund - $112,400, Eleven Dollars Left The shock is immediate: a community memorial fund raised $112,400 and the account held exactly $11 five days after a brass plaque honoring forty-seven donors was mounted. How did nine...
The shock is immediate: a community memorial fund raised $112,400 and the account held exactly $11 five days after a brass plaque honoring forty-seven donors was mounted. How did nine years of trust, forged by casseroles and volunteer shifts, come to rest on a single open door - and who finally noticed what everyone else missed?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from the fund’s creation in March 2014 to the April 2017 discovery, outlining who managed the money, which donations were made, and the moment a meter reader’s call set an investigation in motion. What did fabricated quarterly statements hide, and how did one photograph become Exhibit One?

Person: Ruth Ann Harris
Date: March 2014 (fund opened) and April 4, 2017 (plaque unveiled)
Amount: $112,400 collected
Balance: $11 on account after plaque purchase
Plaque cost: $412 paid April 22, 2017

- Ruth Ann Harris served as treasurer for nine years and was sole signatory on the Memorial Fund account.
- The Memorial Fund collected $112,400 from forty-seven donors, including a $20,000 life insurance donation from Evelyn Park.
- The Cutler family donated $1,200 across three years designated for a scholarship.
- Beginning June 2015, withdrawals increased from hundreds to thousands, and fabricated statements showed balances between $80,000 and $90,000.
- On April 9, 2017, meter reader Monica Allen reported a treasurer’s office door open about four inches; a volunteer photographed a bank statement showing an $11 balance.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1068falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-tractor-that-bought-four-loans-how-one-stapler-exposed-211k-fraud--73071301
A mundane stapler returned to an agricultural credit union set in motion the unravelling of a two-year, engineered fraud that produced $211,600 in loans secured by a single tractor worth at most $38,000 - but how did one serial number end up as collateral for four separate lenders? Who noticed the duplication, and why did a routine audit collapse a scheme planned down to the week?

In this episode, we tell how two unrelated complaints and an auditor’s attention to footnotes revealed overlapping loans tied to serial number 7MR-441902-C, and we follow the timeline from a missing $14,000 payment to the phone number scribbled on a grocery receipt that changed everything. What systemic gap allowed one machine to secure four loans across counties?

Person: Lori Cook
Person: Sherry Jenkins
Person: Kathleen Harris
Date: March 8, 2023
Event: Duplicate collateral inquiry for serial 7MR-441902-C

- Four separate lenders accepted the same tractor as sole collateral for loans totaling $211,600.
- The tractor, a 2019 Meridian 8400 row-crop machine, was worth at most $38,000.
- A $14,000 missing payment from a cooperative to Sherry Jenkins was traced to Cook Ag Solutions's operating account.
- Kathleen Harris wrote down serial number 7MR-441902-C from a fax on March 8, 2023 and reported it to the sheriff the next morning.
- Auditor Harvey Rafferty received the case on March 9, 2023 after two unrelated complaints surfaced within six days.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73071301Mon, 20 Jul 2026 16:56:52 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Tractor That Bought Four Loans: How One Stapler Exposed $211K Fraud A mundane stapler returned to an agricultural credit union set in motion the unravelling of a two-year, engineered fraud that produced $211,600 in loans secured by a single...
A mundane stapler returned to an agricultural credit union set in motion the unravelling of a two-year, engineered fraud that produced $211,600 in loans secured by a single tractor worth at most $38,000 - but how did one serial number end up as collateral for four separate lenders? Who noticed the duplication, and why did a routine audit collapse a scheme planned down to the week?

In this episode, we tell how two unrelated complaints and an auditor’s attention to footnotes revealed overlapping loans tied to serial number 7MR-441902-C, and we follow the timeline from a missing $14,000 payment to the phone number scribbled on a grocery receipt that changed everything. What systemic gap allowed one machine to secure four loans across counties?

Person: Lori Cook
Person: Sherry Jenkins
Person: Kathleen Harris
Date: March 8, 2023
Event: Duplicate collateral inquiry for serial 7MR-441902-C

- Four separate lenders accepted the same tractor as sole collateral for loans totaling $211,600.
- The tractor, a 2019 Meridian 8400 row-crop machine, was worth at most $38,000.
- A $14,000 missing payment from a cooperative to Sherry Jenkins was traced to Cook Ag Solutions's operating account.
- Kathleen Harris wrote down serial number 7MR-441902-C from a fax on March 8, 2023 and reported it to the sheriff the next morning.
- Auditor Harvey Rafferty received the case on March 9, 2023 after two unrelated complaints surfaced within six days.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1157falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/he-stole-the-fair-63-victims-15-750-one-fake-website--73071299
A quiet morning walk led to a laminated badge that exposed a $15,750 fraud targeting summer vendors - 63 people paid fees to a fake site two weeks before the county portal opened. How did one phony website, a $40 LLC filing and a consumer-made badge convince dozens to hand over $250 each, and who finally noticed the mismatch?

In this episode, we tell how a false vendor site and a counterfeit-looking badge intercepted hard-earned booth fees meant for a county fair, and follow the trail from mailed checks to drained bank accounts to the photograph that became exhibit one. Could one unnoticed detail in a windshield photo unravel an entire scam?

Person: Wade Snyder
Event: Harwick County Agricultural Fair vendor fraud
Date: November 15, 2018 (official portal launched)
Amount: $15,750 total collected
Victims: 63 people

- 63 applicants paid $250 each to harwickcountyfair-vendors.com for vendor booths.
- The fake LLC, Snyder Fair Authority LLC, was incorporated two months before receiving checks with a $40 filing fee.
- The fraudulent account reached a high balance of roughly $14,000 before being drained to under $2,000 by January 9, 2019.
- Donna Fitch photographed a laminated badge on February 4, 2019 that became the first piece of physical evidence.
- There were 31 actual vendor spaces at the fair while Snyder collected fees from 63 applicants, leaving 32 people who never applied through the official county portal.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73071299Mon, 20 Jul 2026 16:56:49 +0000Creator at ObomediaHe Stole the Fair: 63 Victims, $15,750, One Fake Website A quiet morning walk led to a laminated badge that exposed a $15,750 fraud targeting summer vendors - 63 people paid fees to a fake site two weeks before the county portal opened. How did one...
A quiet morning walk led to a laminated badge that exposed a $15,750 fraud targeting summer vendors - 63 people paid fees to a fake site two weeks before the county portal opened. How did one phony website, a $40 LLC filing and a consumer-made badge convince dozens to hand over $250 each, and who finally noticed the mismatch?

In this episode, we tell how a false vendor site and a counterfeit-looking badge intercepted hard-earned booth fees meant for a county fair, and follow the trail from mailed checks to drained bank accounts to the photograph that became exhibit one. Could one unnoticed detail in a windshield photo unravel an entire scam?

Person: Wade Snyder
Event: Harwick County Agricultural Fair vendor fraud
Date: November 15, 2018 (official portal launched)
Amount: $15,750 total collected
Victims: 63 people

- 63 applicants paid $250 each to harwickcountyfair-vendors.com for vendor booths.
- The fake LLC, Snyder Fair Authority LLC, was incorporated two months before receiving checks with a $40 filing fee.
- The fraudulent account reached a high balance of roughly $14,000 before being drained to under $2,000 by January 9, 2019.
- Donna Fitch photographed a laminated badge on February 4, 2019 that became the first piece of physical evidence.
- There were 31 actual vendor spaces at the fair while Snyder collected fees from 63 applicants, leaving 32 people who never applied through the official county portal.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>969falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/checks-on-a-sycamore-the-treasurer-who-stole-christmas-club-funds--73071298
Cold betrayal: forty-seven undeposited checks were found zip-tied to a sycamore four feet off frozen ground in January 2019, each made out to the Harlan County Christmas Club - so how did forty-seven families' holiday savings end up on a tree instead of in a bank?

In this episode, we tell what happened when a community fund meant to deliver lump-sum payouts each December instead showed a bank balance of $412 on December 22, 2018, and how that discovery set off a financial crimes inquiry into years of missing money and a trusted treasurer's role. What did the club records, the treasurer's accounts, and a hidden spreadsheet reveal about where $40,788 went?

Person: Christine Schmidt
Person: Judith Gardner
Person: Person: Todd Jenkins
Location: Redeemer Lutheran Church basement
Date: December 22, 2018

- Forty-seven personal checks were found inside an envelope zip-tied to a sycamore four feet above the ground in January 2019.
- The Christmas Club had paid out $31,000 in 2015, $34,000 in 2016, and $38,000 in 2017.
- Judith Gardner contributed $60 per month and had been in the club for eleven years.
- The guild's reported expected balance was $41,200 but the actual bank balance was $412 on December 22, 2018.
- The missing amount totaled $40,788.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73071298Mon, 20 Jul 2026 16:56:47 +0000Creator at ObomediaChecks on a Sycamore: The Treasurer Who Stole Christmas Club Funds Cold betrayal: forty-seven undeposited checks were found zip-tied to a sycamore four feet off frozen ground in January 2019, each made out to the Harlan County Christmas Club - so...
Cold betrayal: forty-seven undeposited checks were found zip-tied to a sycamore four feet off frozen ground in January 2019, each made out to the Harlan County Christmas Club - so how did forty-seven families' holiday savings end up on a tree instead of in a bank?

In this episode, we tell what happened when a community fund meant to deliver lump-sum payouts each December instead showed a bank balance of $412 on December 22, 2018, and how that discovery set off a financial crimes inquiry into years of missing money and a trusted treasurer's role. What did the club records, the treasurer's accounts, and a hidden spreadsheet reveal about where $40,788 went?

Person: Christine Schmidt
Person: Judith Gardner
Person: Person: Todd Jenkins
Location: Redeemer Lutheran Church basement
Date: December 22, 2018

- Forty-seven personal checks were found inside an envelope zip-tied to a sycamore four feet above the ground in January 2019.
- The Christmas Club had paid out $31,000 in 2015, $34,000 in 2016, and $38,000 in 2017.
- Judith Gardner contributed $60 per month and had been in the club for eleven years.
- The guild's reported expected balance was $41,200 but the actual bank balance was $412 on December 22, 2018.
- The missing amount totaled $40,788.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1105falsefull