https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/dirty-scams--7193967
From elaborate financial swindles to cunning identity theft, we dissect every detail of the deception. This is where you uncover the psychology behind the trickery and learn how seemingly ordinary people fall prey to extraordinary lies. We don't just tell stories; we analyze the tactics, the red flags, and the devastating impact of these criminal enterprises.

Join us daily, seven days a week, for a fresh dose of deception. New episodes drop every Monday through Sunday at 7:00 PM, offering a deep dive into a new case of fraud, scam, or con. Each episode is meticulously researched, bringing you the facts and the fascinating human element behind every scheme.

Dirty Scams is for anyone fascinated by true crime, investigative journalism, and the darker side of human ingenuity. If you're keen to understand the mechanics of deception and protect yourself from becoming a target, you've found your essential listening. Subscribe now and become an expert in spotting the signs.]]>enTrue Crime© 2026 OBOMEDIA Creatorshttps://d3wo5wojvuv7l.cloudfront.net/t_rss_itunes_square_1400/images.spreaker.com/original/2284a09c515729e1978e5c6ec6f46da5.jpghttps://www.spreaker.com/podcast/dirty-scams--7193967Sun, 25 Oct 2026 23:01:26 +0000Creator at ObomediaCreator at Obomediacreators@obomedia.comEver wonder how the most audacious con artists pull off their schemes? Dirty Scams pulls back the curtain on the world's most shocking frauds, exposing the masterminds and their victims. From elaborate financial swindles to cunning identity theft, we...
From elaborate financial swindles to cunning identity theft, we dissect every detail of the deception. This is where you uncover the psychology behind the trickery and learn how seemingly ordinary people fall prey to extraordinary lies. We don't just tell stories; we analyze the tactics, the red flags, and the devastating impact of these criminal enterprises.

Join us daily, seven days a week, for a fresh dose of deception. New episodes drop every Monday through Sunday at 7:00 PM, offering a deep dive into a new case of fraud, scam, or con. Each episode is meticulously researched, bringing you the facts and the fascinating human element behind every scheme.

Dirty Scams is for anyone fascinated by true crime, investigative journalism, and the darker side of human ingenuity. If you're keen to understand the mechanics of deception and protect yourself from becoming a target, you've found your essential listening. Subscribe now and become an expert in spotting the signs.]]>false3fa33ada-c9c1-5ff2-994d-98c893e43748episodichttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-dumped-box-that-exposed-94-000-of-stolen-deposits--73071819
A soaked cardboard box wedged in a drainage culvert revealed handwritten ledgers that tied $94,000 in missing security deposits to one trusted landlord - and eighty-three families were left counting losses. How did a billing specialist’s routine walk and a box in a river unravel a six-year pattern of “TEMP TRANSFER” withdrawals that emptied the RMHP Security Deposit Trust?

In this episode, we follow the documents, dates, and people connected to the missing escrow money and the audit that followed, asking whether the patterns in the ledgers were deliberate and why Romano tried to dispose of them.

Person: Wade Romano
Person: Rachel Sullivan
Location: Rolling Meadows Mobile Home Park, County Road Seven, Triton County
Date: July 11, 2019
Amount: $94,000

- 83 families were affected by the missing security deposits.
- Romano purchased Rolling Meadows in 2009 for $112,000.
- Security deposit required by state statute since 1987 to be held in escrow.
- The RMHP Security Deposit Trust balance spiked to about $62,000 on inspection days and fell again nine times between 2013 and 2019.
- Romano borrowed $31,000 from maintenance contractor Pete Scholl over two years via informal checks.

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/73071819Mon, 26 Oct 2026 23:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Dumped Box That Exposed $94,000 of Stolen Deposits A soaked cardboard box wedged in a drainage culvert revealed handwritten ledgers that tied $94,000 in missing security deposits to one trusted landlord - and eighty-three families were left...
A soaked cardboard box wedged in a drainage culvert revealed handwritten ledgers that tied $94,000 in missing security deposits to one trusted landlord - and eighty-three families were left counting losses. How did a billing specialist’s routine walk and a box in a river unravel a six-year pattern of “TEMP TRANSFER” withdrawals that emptied the RMHP Security Deposit Trust?

In this episode, we follow the documents, dates, and people connected to the missing escrow money and the audit that followed, asking whether the patterns in the ledgers were deliberate and why Romano tried to dispose of them.

Person: Wade Romano
Person: Rachel Sullivan
Location: Rolling Meadows Mobile Home Park, County Road Seven, Triton County
Date: July 11, 2019
Amount: $94,000

- 83 families were affected by the missing security deposits.
- Romano purchased Rolling Meadows in 2009 for $112,000.
- Security deposit required by state statute since 1987 to be held in escrow.
- The RMHP Security Deposit Trust balance spiked to about $62,000 on inspection days and fell again nine times between 2013 and 2019.
- Romano borrowed $31,000 from maintenance contractor Pete Scholl over two years via informal checks.

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.]]>1047falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/how-one-man-hid-938-000-in-plain-sight-with-road-salt--73071818
A hidden $33-per-ton gap in municipal road salt bills quietly funneled $938,000 of public money over seven years into one administrator's accounts - and it all hinged on a single packing slip and an unnoticed folder. How did a routine pallet of salt and a memo about "administrative consistency" keep a scheme alive until one county surveyor photographed the price?

In this episode, we trace the cooperative's formation, the role of its sole administrator, and the sequence of invoices, memos and missed checks that allowed the discrepancy to grow. We follow the moment Hartwell Supply began sharing prices directly and the photograph that began to unravel the numbers - what happened next?

Person: Alan Moore
Role: Administrator of the Dellard-Kellner Regional Road Salt Cooperative
Date (discrepancy discovered): June 4, 2019
Amount diverted: $938,000
Supplier: Hartwell Supply

- Cooperative founding year: 2009
- Number of member municipalities by 2014: 12
- Invoice price on packing slip: $61 per ton
- Price Moore billed municipalities: $89-$94 per ton
- Years scheme ran: 2012-2019

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/73071818Sun, 25 Oct 2026 23:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaHow One Man Hid $938,000 in Plain Sight with Road Salt A hidden $33-per-ton gap in municipal road salt bills quietly funneled $938,000 of public money over seven years into one administrator's accounts - and it all hinged on a single packing slip...
A hidden $33-per-ton gap in municipal road salt bills quietly funneled $938,000 of public money over seven years into one administrator's accounts - and it all hinged on a single packing slip and an unnoticed folder. How did a routine pallet of salt and a memo about "administrative consistency" keep a scheme alive until one county surveyor photographed the price?

In this episode, we trace the cooperative's formation, the role of its sole administrator, and the sequence of invoices, memos and missed checks that allowed the discrepancy to grow. We follow the moment Hartwell Supply began sharing prices directly and the photograph that began to unravel the numbers - what happened next?

Person: Alan Moore
Role: Administrator of the Dellard-Kellner Regional Road Salt Cooperative
Date (discrepancy discovered): June 4, 2019
Amount diverted: $938,000
Supplier: Hartwell Supply

- Cooperative founding year: 2009
- Number of member municipalities by 2014: 12
- Invoice price on packing slip: $61 per ton
- Price Moore billed municipalities: $89-$94 per ton
- Years scheme ran: 2012-2019

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.]]>1198falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-storage-scam-that-sold-empty-units-while-victims-watched--73071816
Fear of losing what you can't bear to part with: a small-town storage facility quietly erased possessions while auctions and lot cards created the illusion of a legal sale. Ridgeway Self-Storage ran for nearly four years, touched 61 documented auctions, and left 71 people with receipts for units already emptied-so how did the scheme stay hidden in plain sight?

In this episode, we tell the story of the scheme at Ridgeway Self-Storage and the people who noticed, ignored, or were enrolled in it, following the timeline from a Tuesday morning lock to a wire fraud investigation. How did routine maintenance logs, text messages calling an auction "the show," and private cash payments make public auctions a performance?

Person: Howard Casey
Location: Ridgeway Self-Storage, four miles east of Dunmore, Dellard County
Date: May 9, 2019 (pump truck operator observed two padlocks on unit 47)
Case: Wire fraud investigation connected to emptying units before auctions
Event: 61 documented auctions affected; 71 victims left with receipts

- Ridgeway Self-Storage had 62 rentable units and was purchased by Howard Casey in 2013.
- The scam ran for nearly four years and touched 61 documented auctions.
- Trace paid Casey cash fees ranging from $800 to $4,000 per unit depending on contents.
- A recovered text from November 2017 reads: "Trace, forty-one is good, cedar stuff and a tool chest. I'll have it open Wednesday. Show is Saturday."
- Tenant Lisa Barnes paid $55 per month for unit 44 for three years and found her mother's cedar chest unlatched and interior contents shifted in May 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/73071816Sat, 24 Oct 2026 23:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Storage Scam That Sold Empty Units While Victims Watched Fear of losing what you can't bear to part with: a small-town storage facility quietly erased possessions while auctions and lot cards created the illusion of a legal sale. Ridgeway...
Fear of losing what you can't bear to part with: a small-town storage facility quietly erased possessions while auctions and lot cards created the illusion of a legal sale. Ridgeway Self-Storage ran for nearly four years, touched 61 documented auctions, and left 71 people with receipts for units already emptied-so how did the scheme stay hidden in plain sight?

In this episode, we tell the story of the scheme at Ridgeway Self-Storage and the people who noticed, ignored, or were enrolled in it, following the timeline from a Tuesday morning lock to a wire fraud investigation. How did routine maintenance logs, text messages calling an auction "the show," and private cash payments make public auctions a performance?

Person: Howard Casey
Location: Ridgeway Self-Storage, four miles east of Dunmore, Dellard County
Date: May 9, 2019 (pump truck operator observed two padlocks on unit 47)
Case: Wire fraud investigation connected to emptying units before auctions
Event: 61 documented auctions affected; 71 victims left with receipts

- Ridgeway Self-Storage had 62 rentable units and was purchased by Howard Casey in 2013.
- The scam ran for nearly four years and touched 61 documented auctions.
- Trace paid Casey cash fees ranging from $800 to $4,000 per unit depending on contents.
- A recovered text from November 2017 reads: "Trace, forty-one is good, cedar stuff and a tool chest. I'll have it open Wednesday. Show is Saturday."
- Tenant Lisa Barnes paid $55 per month for unit 44 for three years and found her mother's cedar chest unlatched and interior contents shifted in May 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.]]>1077falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/he-stole-the-memorial-fund-victims-got-eleven-dollars-back--73071815
The memorial account meant to honor three fallen firefighters held exactly eleven dollars on the day bronze plaques were unveiled - not eleven thousand, not eleven hundred - after a decade of quiet, in-person cash withdrawals that totaled $61,200. How did a trusted local volunteer turn memorial donations into personal payments and keep two separate frauds running until a retired librarian's bank statement unraveled everything?

In this episode, we tell the sequence of events that led from neighborhood fundraisers and typed annual summaries to bank records and an Attorney General audit, following the people and transactions that revealed the gap between what was shown and what actually existed. What did the records prove about the memorial account and the parallel investment scheme?

Person: Dean Padgett
Age: 47
Location: Harwick
Account: Teller's First Bank of Mercer County, ending 4471
Total cash withdrawals: $61,200

- The memorial fund account balance was $11 on the day four bronze plaques were installed.
- Padgett circulated a January 2018 summary showing $42,300 while the actual account held $912.
- From 2016 onward Padgett made 47 separate in-person cash transactions at the Birch Avenue branch.
- Harwick Community Investment Partners solicited 31 individuals with false promises of commercial real estate returns.
- Marie Farrell, age 62, had saved $4,000 for a trip to Portugal and later filed the complaint that prompted the audit.

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/73071815Fri, 23 Oct 2026 23:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaHe Stole the Memorial Fund - Victims Got Eleven Dollars Back The memorial account meant to honor three fallen firefighters held exactly eleven dollars on the day bronze plaques were unveiled - not eleven thousand, not eleven hundred - after a...
The memorial account meant to honor three fallen firefighters held exactly eleven dollars on the day bronze plaques were unveiled - not eleven thousand, not eleven hundred - after a decade of quiet, in-person cash withdrawals that totaled $61,200. How did a trusted local volunteer turn memorial donations into personal payments and keep two separate frauds running until a retired librarian's bank statement unraveled everything?

In this episode, we tell the sequence of events that led from neighborhood fundraisers and typed annual summaries to bank records and an Attorney General audit, following the people and transactions that revealed the gap between what was shown and what actually existed. What did the records prove about the memorial account and the parallel investment scheme?

Person: Dean Padgett
Age: 47
Location: Harwick
Account: Teller's First Bank of Mercer County, ending 4471
Total cash withdrawals: $61,200

- The memorial fund account balance was $11 on the day four bronze plaques were installed.
- Padgett circulated a January 2018 summary showing $42,300 while the actual account held $912.
- From 2016 onward Padgett made 47 separate in-person cash transactions at the Birch Avenue branch.
- Harwick Community Investment Partners solicited 31 individuals with false promises of commercial real estate returns.
- Marie Farrell, age 62, had saved $4,000 for a trip to Portugal and later filed the complaint that prompted the audit.

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.]]>1137falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/how-one-tractor-s-serial-number-exposed-a-2m-small-town-fraud--73071814
The discovery that one John Deere serial number appeared on loan files across three counties turned a teenager’s morning errand into the undoing of an eight-year scheme. Nearly $2,000,000 vanished from cautious local investors and lenders after one tractor, one serial number, and a forgotten paper on a steering column revealed overlapping loans - but how did a respected community leader keep it hidden for so long?

In this episode, you will hear the documented account of the fraud: who trusted whom, what paperwork matched and what did not, and the small clues that unraveled a system built on reputation and simple duplications. How did a memo, a state auditor, and four oil-change records collapse a scheme that banks and regulators had missed?

Person: Gordon Cook
Person: Russell Reynolds
Person: Ruth Weber
Event: Discovery date - March 24, 2009
Item: Tractor serial number 1LV5075EBAA123847

- A 17-year-old newspaper carrier found a piece of paper on the steering column listing four lenders for the same tractor.
- Tri-County Ag Solutions promised 4.2% net returns on member statements.
- Tri-County’s operating account never held more than $12,000 at any point in 2008.
- Dorothy Aldrich invested $60,000 after two visits; Harold Prentiss invested $43,000 for a roof replacement.
- Kettner’s Diesel records confirmed four oil changes in three years, while nine maintenance invoices appeared in loan 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/73071814Thu, 22 Oct 2026 23:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaHow One Tractor's Serial Number Exposed a $2M Small-Town Fraud The discovery that one John Deere serial number appeared on loan files across three counties turned a teenager’s morning errand into the undoing of an eight-year scheme. Nearly...
The discovery that one John Deere serial number appeared on loan files across three counties turned a teenager’s morning errand into the undoing of an eight-year scheme. Nearly $2,000,000 vanished from cautious local investors and lenders after one tractor, one serial number, and a forgotten paper on a steering column revealed overlapping loans - but how did a respected community leader keep it hidden for so long?

In this episode, you will hear the documented account of the fraud: who trusted whom, what paperwork matched and what did not, and the small clues that unraveled a system built on reputation and simple duplications. How did a memo, a state auditor, and four oil-change records collapse a scheme that banks and regulators had missed?

Person: Gordon Cook
Person: Russell Reynolds
Person: Ruth Weber
Event: Discovery date - March 24, 2009
Item: Tractor serial number 1LV5075EBAA123847

- A 17-year-old newspaper carrier found a piece of paper on the steering column listing four lenders for the same tractor.
- Tri-County Ag Solutions promised 4.2% net returns on member statements.
- Tri-County’s operating account never held more than $12,000 at any point in 2008.
- Dorothy Aldrich invested $60,000 after two visits; Harold Prentiss invested $43,000 for a roof replacement.
- Kettner’s Diesel records confirmed four oil changes in three years, while nine maintenance invoices appeared in loan 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.]]>1132falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/ditch-cash-thirty-two-missing-booths-the-strongbox-that-exposed-him--73071813
A rural ditch in February yielded a padlocked hardware-store strongbox containing $8,700 in banded cash, a spiral-bound ledger of names and amounts, and an index card reading "holds collected, do not deposit." How did a man entrusted to manage thirty-one fair vendor spaces end up with sixty-three confirmations and thousands of dollars in a personal bank account?

In this episode, we present the sequence of events that led from misplaced confirmations to a formal complaint and a forensic audit, following the vendors, the fair coordinator, and the money trail. Can a single quilter's persistence unravel a three-year scheme built on trusted paperwork?

Person: Russell Fisher
Organization: Calloway Fair Management LLC
Amount: $8,700
Spaces assigned: 31 fixed vendor spaces
Confirmations sent: 63 application confirmations

- The strongbox was found upright in a ditch in the third week of February and contained $8,700 in banded cash.
- The Calloway County Agricultural Fair has thirty-one fixed vendor spaces numbered and mapped each year.
- Russell Fisher ran the fair for six consecutive years and was paid $11,000 a year by the county.
- Fisher sent sixty-three confirmation letters in one season despite there being only thirty-one spaces, a discrepancy of thirty-two.
- Holding fees ranged from $200 to $600 and were deposited into Fisher's personal account at Garrett Community Bank in Howell, not the official Portman Savings county 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/73071813Wed, 21 Oct 2026 23:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaDitch Cash, Thirty-Two Missing Booths: The Strongbox That Exposed Him A rural ditch in February yielded a padlocked hardware-store strongbox containing $8,700 in banded cash, a spiral-bound ledger of names and amounts, and an index card reading...
A rural ditch in February yielded a padlocked hardware-store strongbox containing $8,700 in banded cash, a spiral-bound ledger of names and amounts, and an index card reading "holds collected, do not deposit." How did a man entrusted to manage thirty-one fair vendor spaces end up with sixty-three confirmations and thousands of dollars in a personal bank account?

In this episode, we present the sequence of events that led from misplaced confirmations to a formal complaint and a forensic audit, following the vendors, the fair coordinator, and the money trail. Can a single quilter's persistence unravel a three-year scheme built on trusted paperwork?

Person: Russell Fisher
Organization: Calloway Fair Management LLC
Amount: $8,700
Spaces assigned: 31 fixed vendor spaces
Confirmations sent: 63 application confirmations

- The strongbox was found upright in a ditch in the third week of February and contained $8,700 in banded cash.
- The Calloway County Agricultural Fair has thirty-one fixed vendor spaces numbered and mapped each year.
- Russell Fisher ran the fair for six consecutive years and was paid $11,000 a year by the county.
- Fisher sent sixty-three confirmation letters in one season despite there being only thirty-one spaces, a discrepancy of thirty-two.
- Holding fees ranged from $200 to $600 and were deposited into Fisher's personal account at Garrett Community Bank in Howell, not the official Portman Savings county 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.]]>1188falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-quilter-who-stole-christmas-club-savings-ledger-lies-lockup--73071812
The locker held a ledger that listed $214,400 and 24 names, plus a warning written in a different hand: DO NOT OPEN YET - a single unlocked padlock on January 14, 2019, would unravel four years of trusted bookkeeping in a Millhaven quilting club. How did yearly payouts continue through 2017 when deposits and withdrawals were already mismatched, and who controlled the missing funds?

In this episode, we tell how a community Christmas Club run through an LLC fell silent when payouts stopped, what a utilities check revealed in a west-side storage unit, and how household records and a later audit exposed discrepancies that affected livelihoods. Could one person’s access and accounting expertise have masked growing shortfalls?

Person: Marie Lawson
Date: January 14, 2019
Location: west-side storage unit, Millhaven
Amount: $214,400
Members: 24

- The ledger showed a column totaling $214,400 alongside 24 names.
- Millhaven has roughly 12,000 residents in Calder County.
- Marie Lawson was 51 years old and had 15 years as a Farm Bureau office manager.
- The Christmas Club paid out $198,000 in December 2017 after depositing $163,000 earlier that year, leaving a $35,000 gap.
- Patricia Odom had $4,800 in the pool and Barbara Finch lost $6,200, forcing a loan restructuring.

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/73071812Tue, 20 Oct 2026 23:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Quilter Who Stole Christmas Club Savings: Ledger, Lies, Lockup The locker held a ledger that listed $214,400 and 24 names, plus a warning written in a different hand: DO NOT OPEN YET - a single unlocked padlock on January 14, 2019, would...
The locker held a ledger that listed $214,400 and 24 names, plus a warning written in a different hand: DO NOT OPEN YET - a single unlocked padlock on January 14, 2019, would unravel four years of trusted bookkeeping in a Millhaven quilting club. How did yearly payouts continue through 2017 when deposits and withdrawals were already mismatched, and who controlled the missing funds?

In this episode, we tell how a community Christmas Club run through an LLC fell silent when payouts stopped, what a utilities check revealed in a west-side storage unit, and how household records and a later audit exposed discrepancies that affected livelihoods. Could one person’s access and accounting expertise have masked growing shortfalls?

Person: Marie Lawson
Date: January 14, 2019
Location: west-side storage unit, Millhaven
Amount: $214,400
Members: 24

- The ledger showed a column totaling $214,400 alongside 24 names.
- Millhaven has roughly 12,000 residents in Calder County.
- Marie Lawson was 51 years old and had 15 years as a Farm Bureau office manager.
- The Christmas Club paid out $198,000 in December 2017 after depositing $163,000 earlier that year, leaving a $35,000 gap.
- Patricia Odom had $4,800 in the pool and Barbara Finch lost $6,200, forcing a loan restructuring.

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.]]>1153falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-snowy-file-that-exposed-a-69-000-small-town-water-scam--73071809
Snow falling at 4 AM left everything white - except an accordion file sitting on a culvert lip with not a single flake on it; inside were a 43-page financial summary, a voided private check, and a handwritten note that read "I kept a copy." Those four words would unravel three years of trust and reveal how $62 a month from 31 households turned into $69,000 with no drilling ever done. Who put that file there, and how did the cooperative never check the contractor?

In this episode, we follow the chain of events in Fenwick County from the cooperative pitch to the day a retired bookkeeper drove to a Portsmith address and found a UPS mailbox instead of a drill company. The episode covers the cooperative plan, the account transactions at Calloway Savings and Trust, the fake Groundworks Allied Services filing, and the discovery that led to the exposed fraud and the snowy file.

Person: Edward Harrison
Person: Sherry Crawford
Date: December 11, 2019
Amount: $69,000
Institution: Calloway Savings and Trust

- Payments of $62 per month were collected from 31 households for 28 months.
- The collected payments totaled $69,000 held in an account at Calloway Savings and Trust.
- The cooperative was named the Fenwick Deep Draw Water Cooperative and formed to share drilling costs.
- Groundworks Allied Services was incorporated on February 26, 2017 according to public corporate filings.
- On December 11, 2019 a runner found a 43-page financial summary, a voided private check, and a handwritten note reading "I kept a copy."

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/73071809Mon, 19 Oct 2026 23:00:01 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Snowy File That Exposed a $69,000 Small-Town Water Scam Snow falling at 4 AM left everything white - except an accordion file sitting on a culvert lip with not a single flake on it; inside were a 43-page financial summary, a voided private...
Snow falling at 4 AM left everything white - except an accordion file sitting on a culvert lip with not a single flake on it; inside were a 43-page financial summary, a voided private check, and a handwritten note that read "I kept a copy." Those four words would unravel three years of trust and reveal how $62 a month from 31 households turned into $69,000 with no drilling ever done. Who put that file there, and how did the cooperative never check the contractor?

In this episode, we follow the chain of events in Fenwick County from the cooperative pitch to the day a retired bookkeeper drove to a Portsmith address and found a UPS mailbox instead of a drill company. The episode covers the cooperative plan, the account transactions at Calloway Savings and Trust, the fake Groundworks Allied Services filing, and the discovery that led to the exposed fraud and the snowy file.

Person: Edward Harrison
Person: Sherry Crawford
Date: December 11, 2019
Amount: $69,000
Institution: Calloway Savings and Trust

- Payments of $62 per month were collected from 31 households for 28 months.
- The collected payments totaled $69,000 held in an account at Calloway Savings and Trust.
- The cooperative was named the Fenwick Deep Draw Water Cooperative and formed to share drilling costs.
- Groundworks Allied Services was incorporated on February 26, 2017 according to public corporate filings.
- On December 11, 2019 a runner found a 43-page financial summary, a voided private check, and a handwritten note reading "I kept a copy."

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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.]]>1190falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-dentist-who-sold-the-same-practice-twice-522k-vanished--73071808
Fear that someone you trust could quietly take everything: a respected Galton dentist collected $522,000 in 37 days by selling the same dental practice twice, and a utility meter reader plus a routine UCC search are what finally unraveled it. How did a community fixture convert a single asset into two payouts before anyone noticed?

In this episode, we tell the sequence of events that led to two separate closings on the same practice, the roles played by the buyer, the bank, and everyday professionals whose routine actions exposed the scheme, and the question of how close the fraud came to succeeding.

Person: Bruce Allen Hayes
Person: Lena Park
Date: August 22, 2018
Amount: $522,000 collected in 37 days
Location: Galton

- On August 22, 2018, Lena Park completed closing and became legal owner of Galton Family Dentistry with a $110,000 wire transfer to Bruce Hayes.
- On September 3, 2018, Bruce Hayes applied for a business loan at Pinnacle Community Credit Union using the same practice as collateral.
- On September 9, 2018, Hayes received $412,000 from Pinnacle, bringing total collected funds to $522,000 within 37 days.
- The Pinnacle loan was registered as a UCC lien in Fontaine County but was not discovered by the buyer.
- The case was exposed when a utility meter reader noticed a removed sign and found a manila folder of loan documents on a shelf, combined with a 44-year-old bookkeeper running a routine UCC search.

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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/73071808Sun, 18 Oct 2026 23:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Dentist Who Sold the Same Practice Twice - $522K Vanished Fear that someone you trust could quietly take everything: a respected Galton dentist collected $522,000 in 37 days by selling the same dental practice twice, and a utility meter reader...
Fear that someone you trust could quietly take everything: a respected Galton dentist collected $522,000 in 37 days by selling the same dental practice twice, and a utility meter reader plus a routine UCC search are what finally unraveled it. How did a community fixture convert a single asset into two payouts before anyone noticed?

In this episode, we tell the sequence of events that led to two separate closings on the same practice, the roles played by the buyer, the bank, and everyday professionals whose routine actions exposed the scheme, and the question of how close the fraud came to succeeding.

Person: Bruce Allen Hayes
Person: Lena Park
Date: August 22, 2018
Amount: $522,000 collected in 37 days
Location: Galton

- On August 22, 2018, Lena Park completed closing and became legal owner of Galton Family Dentistry with a $110,000 wire transfer to Bruce Hayes.
- On September 3, 2018, Bruce Hayes applied for a business loan at Pinnacle Community Credit Union using the same practice as collateral.
- On September 9, 2018, Hayes received $412,000 from Pinnacle, bringing total collected funds to $522,000 within 37 days.
- The Pinnacle loan was registered as a UCC lien in Fontaine County but was not discovered by the buyer.
- The case was exposed when a utility meter reader noticed a removed sign and found a manila folder of loan documents on a shelf, combined with a 44-year-old bookkeeper running a routine UCC search.

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.]]>1216falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/trusted-adjuster-hidden-photos-how-a-camera-bag-blew-616-000-scam-wide-open--73071807
Trust collapsed in a tight-knit farming county when a Pelican camera case left in a church storage shed contained photos that placed a trusted adjuster at the center of a $616,000 insurance fraud. How did a licensed field adjuster use personal credibility and simple photographs to inflate claims across years before a bookkeeper's caution and a found camera unraveled everything?

In this episode, we follow the chain of events from a bookkeeper's routine reconciliation to an auditor's visit and the discovery that changed the case, asking how access, trust, and a few images allowed a long-running scam to persist until one small discrepancy sparked an investigation.

Person: Jason Wagner
Occupation: Licensed Field Adjuster
Location: Pinnacle County
Date: October 2017
Amount: $616,000

- Pelican case found in a church storage shed contained a digital camera, two lenses, a portable GPS, and a laminated Meridian Agricultural Services LLC card.
- Scheme ran from at least 2014 and involved inflated or fabricated loss reports using photographs of a vacant lot on Alderman Road.
- Eleven farmers appear in the record; seven signed paperwork without understanding it was fabricated and four were aware and referred for separate proceedings.
- Miller Family Grain was reported at 212 acres by Wagner while FSA records showed 188 acres, a 24-acre discrepancy noted by bookkeeper Jean Miller.
- Auditor Gregory Callahan, with nine years at the state department of agriculture, drove to Alderman Road within three weeks of Jean's September 19, 2017 inquiry and found the padlocked shed with the camera on the workbench.

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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/73071807Sat, 17 Oct 2026 23:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaTrusted Adjuster, Hidden Photos: How a Camera Bag Blew $616,000 Scam Wide Open Trust collapsed in a tight-knit farming county when a Pelican camera case left in a church storage shed contained photos that placed a trusted adjuster at the center of...
Trust collapsed in a tight-knit farming county when a Pelican camera case left in a church storage shed contained photos that placed a trusted adjuster at the center of a $616,000 insurance fraud. How did a licensed field adjuster use personal credibility and simple photographs to inflate claims across years before a bookkeeper's caution and a found camera unraveled everything?

In this episode, we follow the chain of events from a bookkeeper's routine reconciliation to an auditor's visit and the discovery that changed the case, asking how access, trust, and a few images allowed a long-running scam to persist until one small discrepancy sparked an investigation.

Person: Jason Wagner
Occupation: Licensed Field Adjuster
Location: Pinnacle County
Date: October 2017
Amount: $616,000

- Pelican case found in a church storage shed contained a digital camera, two lenses, a portable GPS, and a laminated Meridian Agricultural Services LLC card.
- Scheme ran from at least 2014 and involved inflated or fabricated loss reports using photographs of a vacant lot on Alderman Road.
- Eleven farmers appear in the record; seven signed paperwork without understanding it was fabricated and four were aware and referred for separate proceedings.
- Miller Family Grain was reported at 212 acres by Wagner while FSA records showed 188 acres, a 24-acre discrepancy noted by bookkeeper Jean Miller.
- Auditor Gregory Callahan, with nine years at the state department of agriculture, drove to Alderman Road within three weeks of Jean's September 19, 2017 inquiry and found the padlocked shed with the camera on the workbench.

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-green-binder-how-87k-disappeared-from-youth-soccer-fundraisers--73071806
A single upright, dry green binder left on a public trail held nine years of handwritten ledgers that repeatedly said "Pending transfer" with no dates or receiving accounts-while $87,440 moved through a volunteer treasurer's personal bank account. How did bake sales and pasta dinners raise thousands that never reached the boosters' own account, and who noticed the first discrepancies?

In this episode, we walk through the discovery of the binder and the records it contained, the booster club's informal banking practices, and the small but telling notes that raised concerns-starting with one receipt that didn't match the ledger. What does nine years of identical "Pending transfer" entries reveal about where the money actually went?

Person: Dale Sheridan
Event: Discovery of binder on walking trail
Location: Haverfield, Harmon County
Date: September 14, 2014 at 8:40 AM
Amount: $87,440

- The crestwood booster club served a middle school of roughly 600 students and raised between $8,000 and $14,000 in its peak year.
- The club was founded in spring 2005 and never obtained an Employer Identification Number during nine years of operation.
- Treasurer Dale Sheridan, a former loan processor, ran all deposits through his personal account for nine years.
- A pasta dinner receipt showed $4,210 while the ledger recorded $4,680, a $470 discrepancy noted by secretary Linda Wilson.
- The binder contained nine years of hand-tabulated ledger sheets, all written in blue ballpoint with "Pending transfer" in every right-hand column.

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/73071806Fri, 16 Oct 2026 23:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Green Binder: How $87K Disappeared from Youth Soccer Fundraisers A single upright, dry green binder left on a public trail held nine years of handwritten ledgers that repeatedly said "Pending transfer" with no dates or receiving accounts-while...
A single upright, dry green binder left on a public trail held nine years of handwritten ledgers that repeatedly said "Pending transfer" with no dates or receiving accounts-while $87,440 moved through a volunteer treasurer's personal bank account. How did bake sales and pasta dinners raise thousands that never reached the boosters' own account, and who noticed the first discrepancies?

In this episode, we walk through the discovery of the binder and the records it contained, the booster club's informal banking practices, and the small but telling notes that raised concerns-starting with one receipt that didn't match the ledger. What does nine years of identical "Pending transfer" entries reveal about where the money actually went?

Person: Dale Sheridan
Event: Discovery of binder on walking trail
Location: Haverfield, Harmon County
Date: September 14, 2014 at 8:40 AM
Amount: $87,440

- The crestwood booster club served a middle school of roughly 600 students and raised between $8,000 and $14,000 in its peak year.
- The club was founded in spring 2005 and never obtained an Employer Identification Number during nine years of operation.
- Treasurer Dale Sheridan, a former loan processor, ran all deposits through his personal account for nine years.
- A pasta dinner receipt showed $4,210 while the ledger recorded $4,680, a $470 discrepancy noted by secretary Linda Wilson.
- The binder contained nine years of hand-tabulated ledger sheets, all written in blue ballpoint with "Pending transfer" in every right-hand column.

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.]]>1174falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-empty-crate-the-lost-boat-and-fifty-one-betrayed--73071805
Fear that your neighbor's goodwill could be a carefully staged theft: a wooden crate large enough to hold a bass boat washed ashore after weeks, with concrete blocks meant to sink it - and a raffle that collected $57,200 from fifty-one trusting buyers produced no prize. How did a framed certificate, a twelve-dollar stock photo, and a three-sentence postscript unravel a small town's trust?

In this episode, we follow the sequence of events from the August 9, 2019 discovery at Soren Reservoir to the paper trail and bank ledger that exposed the scheme, and ask how a community treasurer could divert funds without immediate detection.

Person: Neil Ramsey
Date: August 9, 2019
Location: Soren Reservoir boat ramp
Event: Raffle for a bass boat collecting $57,200 across 11,440 tickets
Status: $9,280 recovered, remaining funds transferred through PayPal and Harvest Events LLC

- The wooden crate was found thirty feet from shore with two concrete blocks attached to its base.
- The raffle collected $57,200 across 11,440 tickets from fifty-one buyers.
- The winning certificate promised delivery within thirty days; no boat arrived after forty-one days.
- Neil Ramsey had less than $800 across all his accounts on the afternoon of the award photo.
- $9,280 of the $57,200 was eventually recovered after transfers through a PayPal account and Harvest Events 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/73071805Thu, 15 Oct 2026 23:00:01 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Empty Crate, The Lost Boat, and Fifty-One Betrayed Fear that your neighbor's goodwill could be a carefully staged theft: a wooden crate large enough to hold a bass boat washed ashore after weeks, with concrete blocks meant to sink it - and a...
Fear that your neighbor's goodwill could be a carefully staged theft: a wooden crate large enough to hold a bass boat washed ashore after weeks, with concrete blocks meant to sink it - and a raffle that collected $57,200 from fifty-one trusting buyers produced no prize. How did a framed certificate, a twelve-dollar stock photo, and a three-sentence postscript unravel a small town's trust?

In this episode, we follow the sequence of events from the August 9, 2019 discovery at Soren Reservoir to the paper trail and bank ledger that exposed the scheme, and ask how a community treasurer could divert funds without immediate detection.

Person: Neil Ramsey
Date: August 9, 2019
Location: Soren Reservoir boat ramp
Event: Raffle for a bass boat collecting $57,200 across 11,440 tickets
Status: $9,280 recovered, remaining funds transferred through PayPal and Harvest Events LLC

- The wooden crate was found thirty feet from shore with two concrete blocks attached to its base.
- The raffle collected $57,200 across 11,440 tickets from fifty-one buyers.
- The winning certificate promised delivery within thirty days; no boat arrived after forty-one days.
- Neil Ramsey had less than $800 across all his accounts on the afternoon of the award photo.
- $9,280 of the $57,200 was eventually recovered after transfers through a PayPal account and Harvest Events 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.]]>1356falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/a-funeral-home-in-a-town-of-381-people-with-412-prepaid-funeral-contracts--73071804
A single ledger entry showed 412 prepaid contracts in a town of 381 residents, and that impossible mismatch survived audits, bank statements, and years of quiet trust. How did a woman without mortuary credentials collect roughly $840,000 from her neighbors while most of them were still alive, and who finally noticed the gap?

In this episode, we tell how routine moments - a county surveyor walking a boundary, a bank clerk checking an account, a daughter calling about her mother’s receipt - combined to expose eight years of missing trust funds and shattered expectations. What exactly did the records reveal about the cash, the contracts, and the woman running Verdant Rest Funeral Planning Services?

Person: Frances Doyle
Business: Verdant Rest Funeral Planning Services
Location: Lassiter, Ohio
Population: 381 (2010 census)
Amount extracted: approximately $840,000

- Verdant Rest was purchased by Frances Doyle in 2001 for $42,000 with financing from seller Vic Greer.
- At time of sale in 2001 the business held 107 legitimate, funded contracts.
- By the time records were reviewed the ledger listed 412 prepaid funeral contracts in a town of 381 people.
- Edna Hansen’s prepaid contract was $6,200 paid in full in 2007; the bank account showed $4,050 when her daughter inquired in 2011.
- The discrepancy in Edna Hansen’s account was $1,150 against the $6,200 contract, revealed July 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/73071804Wed, 14 Oct 2026 23:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaA funeral home in a town of 381 people - with 412 prepaid funeral contracts A single ledger entry showed 412 prepaid contracts in a town of 381 residents, and that impossible mismatch survived audits, bank statements, and years of quiet trust. How...
A single ledger entry showed 412 prepaid contracts in a town of 381 residents, and that impossible mismatch survived audits, bank statements, and years of quiet trust. How did a woman without mortuary credentials collect roughly $840,000 from her neighbors while most of them were still alive, and who finally noticed the gap?

In this episode, we tell how routine moments - a county surveyor walking a boundary, a bank clerk checking an account, a daughter calling about her mother’s receipt - combined to expose eight years of missing trust funds and shattered expectations. What exactly did the records reveal about the cash, the contracts, and the woman running Verdant Rest Funeral Planning Services?

Person: Frances Doyle
Business: Verdant Rest Funeral Planning Services
Location: Lassiter, Ohio
Population: 381 (2010 census)
Amount extracted: approximately $840,000

- Verdant Rest was purchased by Frances Doyle in 2001 for $42,000 with financing from seller Vic Greer.
- At time of sale in 2001 the business held 107 legitimate, funded contracts.
- By the time records were reviewed the ledger listed 412 prepaid funeral contracts in a town of 381 people.
- Edna Hansen’s prepaid contract was $6,200 paid in full in 2007; the bank account showed $4,050 when her daughter inquired in 2011.
- The discrepancy in Edna Hansen’s account was $1,150 against the $6,200 contract, revealed July 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.]]>1193falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/sewage-tank-full-of-cash-how-a-neighbor-betrayed-an-entire-county--73071803
Fear of betrayal in a small town when 412 pristine cashier's checks are pulled from a sewage tank-each one wrapped, dated 2012-2016, and payable to Zeller Capital Group LLC. How did seven years of reliable-looking 9% returns, physical checks, and neighborly trust end with retirement savings buried underground? Who was protecting whom, and what finally exposed the scheme?

In this episode, we tell the sequence of events that began with a septic contractor finding a gallon freezer bag at 8:17 a.m. on June 11, 2019, and unfolds through the personal stories and financial details of Grover County residents who believed their money was growing. We map how a local business owner without licenses converted social credibility into a seven-year confidence operation-and ask how forty-one people’s funds became their own paperwork in a sewage tank.

Person: Jeffrey Zeller
Date: June 11, 2019
Location: County Road Seven, Grover County
Event: discovery of 412 cashier's checks in a septic access tank
Return rate offered: 9% annualized, paid every 90 days

- 412 cashier's checks were found sealed in a gallon freezer bag weighted with a rusted bolt.
- Check face values ranged from $2,000 to $22,000 and were dated 2012 through 2016.
- Forty-one people entrusted funds to Zeller Capital Group LLC over seven years.
- Dennis Culp invested $112,000 drawn from a second mortgage to fund a buyout.
- Vincent and Helen Sardo invested $89,000, representing their total liquid retirement savings.

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/73071803Tue, 13 Oct 2026 23:00:01 +0000Creator at ObomediaSewage Tank Full of Cash: How a Neighbor Betrayed an Entire County Fear of betrayal in a small town when 412 pristine cashier's checks are pulled from a sewage tank-each one wrapped, dated 2012-2016, and payable to Zeller Capital Group LLC. How did...
Fear of betrayal in a small town when 412 pristine cashier's checks are pulled from a sewage tank-each one wrapped, dated 2012-2016, and payable to Zeller Capital Group LLC. How did seven years of reliable-looking 9% returns, physical checks, and neighborly trust end with retirement savings buried underground? Who was protecting whom, and what finally exposed the scheme?

In this episode, we tell the sequence of events that began with a septic contractor finding a gallon freezer bag at 8:17 a.m. on June 11, 2019, and unfolds through the personal stories and financial details of Grover County residents who believed their money was growing. We map how a local business owner without licenses converted social credibility into a seven-year confidence operation-and ask how forty-one people’s funds became their own paperwork in a sewage tank.

Person: Jeffrey Zeller
Date: June 11, 2019
Location: County Road Seven, Grover County
Event: discovery of 412 cashier's checks in a septic access tank
Return rate offered: 9% annualized, paid every 90 days

- 412 cashier's checks were found sealed in a gallon freezer bag weighted with a rusted bolt.
- Check face values ranged from $2,000 to $22,000 and were dated 2012 through 2016.
- Forty-one people entrusted funds to Zeller Capital Group LLC over seven years.
- Dennis Culp invested $112,000 drawn from a second mortgage to fund a buyout.
- Vincent and Helen Sardo invested $89,000, representing their total liquid retirement savings.

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.]]>1230falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/he-stole-pennies-hid-411k-the-safe-in-the-creek--73071802
A small fireproof safe in the mud led to the discovery of $411,000 siphoned in tiny increments over eighteen years - the differences were often just $60 to $215 per check. How did routine bookkeeping and a twenty-four-year-old auditor unravel a scheme that survived four elections and two state audits?

In this episode, we tell how an incidental cross-reference in a capital improvement review triggered a countywide fraud probe, how vendor ledgers consistently recorded higher amounts than the cancelled checks, and how the case unfolded from a creek bank to the state auditor's office - who found the next thread when they arrived?

Person: Duane Young
Person: Jennifer Barnes
Date: May 2019
Location: Braden Creek, Tippett County
Amount: $411,000

- The safe was found at 6:49 AM on a Tuesday morning in May 2019 on the levee road above Braden Creek.
- Duane Young served as county treasurer since fall 1998 and was 53 years old in spring 2019.
- Jennifer Barnes was 24 years old in April 2019 and had been a junior auditor for less than a year.
- Barnes identified 31 instances of unusually round vendor payments across a three-year sample; 22 matched the pattern when cancelled checks were requested.
- The differences between ledger amounts and check amounts ranged from $60 to $215 per instance.

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/73071802Mon, 12 Oct 2026 23:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaHe Stole Pennies, Hid $411K - The Safe in the Creek A small fireproof safe in the mud led to the discovery of $411,000 siphoned in tiny increments over eighteen years - the differences were often just $60 to $215 per check. How did routine...
A small fireproof safe in the mud led to the discovery of $411,000 siphoned in tiny increments over eighteen years - the differences were often just $60 to $215 per check. How did routine bookkeeping and a twenty-four-year-old auditor unravel a scheme that survived four elections and two state audits?

In this episode, we tell how an incidental cross-reference in a capital improvement review triggered a countywide fraud probe, how vendor ledgers consistently recorded higher amounts than the cancelled checks, and how the case unfolded from a creek bank to the state auditor's office - who found the next thread when they arrived?

Person: Duane Young
Person: Jennifer Barnes
Date: May 2019
Location: Braden Creek, Tippett County
Amount: $411,000

- The safe was found at 6:49 AM on a Tuesday morning in May 2019 on the levee road above Braden Creek.
- Duane Young served as county treasurer since fall 1998 and was 53 years old in spring 2019.
- Jennifer Barnes was 24 years old in April 2019 and had been a junior auditor for less than a year.
- Barnes identified 31 instances of unusually round vendor payments across a three-year sample; 22 matched the pattern when cancelled checks were requested.
- The differences between ledger amounts and check amounts ranged from $60 to $215 per instance.

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.]]>1155falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/neil-dixon-finds-16-damp-contracts-in-a-kiosk--73071801
A 16-year-old found sixteen executed real estate contracts, damp from overnight rain, stapled together in a Meadow Fork brochure sleeve - each one signed for lots that did not exist. How did a staged development, a voided $40,000 check, and rapid transfers of deposits turn ordinary buyers into victims of a multi-year land fraud?

In this episode, we tell how a morning newspaper route set off a chain of texts that exposed a scheme tied to Meadow Fork Properties, LLC, and the people behind it, and we follow the money, documents, and decisions that left buyers out of pocket - who was responsible and how was it hidden?

Person: Neil Dixon
Date: April 11, 2011
Company: Meadow Fork Properties, LLC
Amount: $326,000
Check amount: $40,000

- Sixteen executed real estate contracts were found inside the Meadow Fork brochure sleeve.
- The scheme ultimately took $326,000 from ordinary buyers over three years.
- Jason Campbell paid $22,000 in October 2009 as a deposit for a Meadow Fork lot.
- Cheryl Evans registered Meadow Fork Properties, LLC in February 2008 with starting capital of $1.
- A $40,000 check presented as proof of earnest money was printed, voided, photocopied, and never cleared.

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/73071801Sun, 11 Oct 2026 23:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaNeil Dixon finds 16 damp contracts in a kiosk A 16-year-old found sixteen executed real estate contracts, damp from overnight rain, stapled together in a Meadow Fork brochure sleeve - each one signed for lots that did not exist. How did a staged...
A 16-year-old found sixteen executed real estate contracts, damp from overnight rain, stapled together in a Meadow Fork brochure sleeve - each one signed for lots that did not exist. How did a staged development, a voided $40,000 check, and rapid transfers of deposits turn ordinary buyers into victims of a multi-year land fraud?

In this episode, we tell how a morning newspaper route set off a chain of texts that exposed a scheme tied to Meadow Fork Properties, LLC, and the people behind it, and we follow the money, documents, and decisions that left buyers out of pocket - who was responsible and how was it hidden?

Person: Neil Dixon
Date: April 11, 2011
Company: Meadow Fork Properties, LLC
Amount: $326,000
Check amount: $40,000

- Sixteen executed real estate contracts were found inside the Meadow Fork brochure sleeve.
- The scheme ultimately took $326,000 from ordinary buyers over three years.
- Jason Campbell paid $22,000 in October 2009 as a deposit for a Meadow Fork lot.
- Cheryl Evans registered Meadow Fork Properties, LLC in February 2008 with starting capital of $1.
- A $40,000 check presented as proof of earnest money was printed, voided, photocopied, and never cleared.

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.]]>1149falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-envelope-on-pelham-mill-road-how-a-banker-stole-1-4m--73071800
Fear that someone you trust has been stealing lifelong savings: a manila envelope standing upright on a frozen shoulder at 2:20 a.m. contained professional-looking custodial statements that did not belong to their named owners. How did a one-room office above a hardware store hide an insolvent scheme that cost neighbors, retirees and farmers everything they thought was safe?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from the moment Teresa Novak found the envelope on Pelham Mill Road to the unspooling of Brian Ward’s retirement-practice fraud, asking how long the pattern had been running and how many more victims might be missing. What did investigators learn from the papers in that envelope, and what unanswered questions did it leave?

Person: Brian Ward
Location: Pelham Mill Road, six miles east of Dunnfield
Date: March 4, 2009
Profession: Former loan officer at First Sayers Community Bank; independent retirement planner
Office: One-room office above a hardware store on Clement Street

- Teresa Novak found a manila envelope upright against a mailbox post at 2:20 a.m, on March 4, 2009.
- Brian Ward had worked eleven years as a loan officer at First Sayers Community Bank before leaving in 2003.
- Twenty-two people had trusted Ward with retirement money that did not exist in any custodial accounts.
- Jim and Beverly Rankin had $178,000 placed with Ward that was never held in any actual account.
- Edward Collins kept every original document Ward gave him and later provided those originals to investigators.

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/73071800Sat, 10 Oct 2026 23:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Envelope on Pelham Mill Road: How a Banker Stole $1.4M Fear that someone you trust has been stealing lifelong savings: a manila envelope standing upright on a frozen shoulder at 2:20 a.m. contained professional-looking custodial statements that...
Fear that someone you trust has been stealing lifelong savings: a manila envelope standing upright on a frozen shoulder at 2:20 a.m. contained professional-looking custodial statements that did not belong to their named owners. How did a one-room office above a hardware store hide an insolvent scheme that cost neighbors, retirees and farmers everything they thought was safe?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from the moment Teresa Novak found the envelope on Pelham Mill Road to the unspooling of Brian Ward’s retirement-practice fraud, asking how long the pattern had been running and how many more victims might be missing. What did investigators learn from the papers in that envelope, and what unanswered questions did it leave?

Person: Brian Ward
Location: Pelham Mill Road, six miles east of Dunnfield
Date: March 4, 2009
Profession: Former loan officer at First Sayers Community Bank; independent retirement planner
Office: One-room office above a hardware store on Clement Street

- Teresa Novak found a manila envelope upright against a mailbox post at 2:20 a.m, on March 4, 2009.
- Brian Ward had worked eleven years as a loan officer at First Sayers Community Bank before leaving in 2003.
- Twenty-two people had trusted Ward with retirement money that did not exist in any custodial accounts.
- Jim and Beverly Rankin had $178,000 placed with Ward that was never held in any actual account.
- Edward Collins kept every original document Ward gave him and later provided those originals to investigators.

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/they-touched-the-bucket-widow-s-84k-soybeans-replaced-by-paper--73071799
Fear and outrage: a widow’s entire $84,000 soybean harvest vanished from a licensed warehouse, replaced by four bundles of paper on an overturned bucket-how did 11,440 bushels disappear two days after delivery? Who profited while eight families lost $612,000 in total?

In this episode, we tell what happened when Diane Wright’s October 21 delivery was gone by the afternoon and county records still showed her grain on file, and we follow the paperwork trail, the bank withdrawals, and the ledger entries that led to a confrontation with the warehouse operator - but who ultimately answered for the missing soybeans?

Person: Diane Wright
Date: October 21, 2008
Quantity: 11,440 bushels
Amount lost (per transcript): $84,000
Total loss to eight families: $612,000

- Diane’s 2008 soybean harvest of 11,440 bushels was unloaded October 19 and gone by October 21, two days after delivery.
- Donna O’Brien found four rubber-banded bundles of paper stacked on an overturned plastic bucket inside the bin on February 11, 2009.
- $84,000 moved out of Tucker’s account within eleven days: $22,000 to a truck lease and $18,000 to clear a credit card balance.
- Tucker’s operation became functionally insolvent on November 1, 2008, according to reconstructed state agricultural records.
- The county registration office recorded Tucker’s October report listing one load of 11,440 bushels, processed by clerk Tim Yee, despite eight active depositors.

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/73071799Fri, 09 Oct 2026 23:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaThey Touched the Bucket: Widow's $84K Soybeans Replaced by Paper Fear and outrage: a widow’s entire $84,000 soybean harvest vanished from a licensed warehouse, replaced by four bundles of paper on an overturned bucket-how did 11,440 bushels...
Fear and outrage: a widow’s entire $84,000 soybean harvest vanished from a licensed warehouse, replaced by four bundles of paper on an overturned bucket-how did 11,440 bushels disappear two days after delivery? Who profited while eight families lost $612,000 in total?

In this episode, we tell what happened when Diane Wright’s October 21 delivery was gone by the afternoon and county records still showed her grain on file, and we follow the paperwork trail, the bank withdrawals, and the ledger entries that led to a confrontation with the warehouse operator - but who ultimately answered for the missing soybeans?

Person: Diane Wright
Date: October 21, 2008
Quantity: 11,440 bushels
Amount lost (per transcript): $84,000
Total loss to eight families: $612,000

- Diane’s 2008 soybean harvest of 11,440 bushels was unloaded October 19 and gone by October 21, two days after delivery.
- Donna O’Brien found four rubber-banded bundles of paper stacked on an overturned plastic bucket inside the bin on February 11, 2009.
- $84,000 moved out of Tucker’s account within eleven days: $22,000 to a truck lease and $18,000 to clear a credit card balance.
- Tucker’s operation became functionally insolvent on November 1, 2008, according to reconstructed state agricultural records.
- The county registration office recorded Tucker’s October report listing one load of 11,440 bushels, processed by clerk Tim Yee, despite eight active depositors.

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.]]>1093falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-million-dollar-church-scam-the-empty-pad-and-stolen-faith--73071798
Fear that the money your community trusted away could vanish into thin air - three hundred and forty congregants gave $1,240,000 over eleven years for a gymnasium that never rose, and a construction trailer labeled "DUNMORE COUNTY BUILDING FUND" sat on a concrete pad that had been empty for eleven years; where did the money go and who moved the trailer onto that pad?

In this episode, we tell the sequence of calls, reports, bank statements, and personal sacrifices that led to the discovery of the missing funds and the man who controlled the campaign account. You will hear how regular donation reports hid the truth, why a single signature mattered, and what the county CPA found when she pulled the real bank records.

Person: Thomas Andrews
Person: Diane Boyd
Person: Sarah Young
Location: Portsmith, Dunmore County, Ohio
Amount: $1,240,000

- On January 9, 2014 Sandra Simmons called at 8:43 AM after spotting a construction trailer behind Calvary Ridge Baptist Church.
- The congregation consisted of 340 members who had been donating since 2003 toward a gymnasium project.
- Donors raised a total of $1,240,000 over eleven years with no construction ever started on the concrete pad.
- In 2009 Andrews's quarterly report showed a balance of $912,000 while the actual bank account held $61,400.
- From 2003-2007 Andrews took about 8% of donations as a consulting fee, later withdrawing up to 40% of incoming donations in some months.

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/73071798Thu, 08 Oct 2026 23:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Million-Dollar Church Scam: The Empty Pad and Stolen Faith Fear that the money your community trusted away could vanish into thin air - three hundred and forty congregants gave $1,240,000 over eleven years for a gymnasium that never rose, and a...
Fear that the money your community trusted away could vanish into thin air - three hundred and forty congregants gave $1,240,000 over eleven years for a gymnasium that never rose, and a construction trailer labeled "DUNMORE COUNTY BUILDING FUND" sat on a concrete pad that had been empty for eleven years; where did the money go and who moved the trailer onto that pad?

In this episode, we tell the sequence of calls, reports, bank statements, and personal sacrifices that led to the discovery of the missing funds and the man who controlled the campaign account. You will hear how regular donation reports hid the truth, why a single signature mattered, and what the county CPA found when she pulled the real bank records.

Person: Thomas Andrews
Person: Diane Boyd
Person: Sarah Young
Location: Portsmith, Dunmore County, Ohio
Amount: $1,240,000

- On January 9, 2014 Sandra Simmons called at 8:43 AM after spotting a construction trailer behind Calvary Ridge Baptist Church.
- The congregation consisted of 340 members who had been donating since 2003 toward a gymnasium project.
- Donors raised a total of $1,240,000 over eleven years with no construction ever started on the concrete pad.
- In 2009 Andrews's quarterly report showed a balance of $912,000 while the actual bank account held $61,400.
- From 2003-2007 Andrews took about 8% of donations as a consulting fee, later withdrawing up to 40% of incoming donations in some months.

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-shredder-the-two-grants-and-the-missing-61-200--73071796
Fear that trusted caretakers can quietly convert preservation funding into private paychecks: two separate $48,000 grants meant to digitize fragile county records arrived without either funder knowing about the other, yet bank transfers show $61,200 vanished into a private account - who shredded the paper trail and why?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from the basement shredder still running and two inches of standing water at the Pelham County Historical Society to the discovery of mismatched receipts, unexplained transfers, and a one‑person LLC that processed grant labor payments; what do the records and bank statements reveal about the missing funds?

Person: John Petersen
Location: Pelham County Historical Society on Alderton Street
Date: 2017-2018
Event: Two $48,000 grants disbursed for digitization
Amount missing: $61,200

- Two grants of $48,000 each were awarded, totaling $96,000, with disbursements in August 2017 and January 2018.
- A scanner bought from a regional reseller had an actual invoice price of $3,100 but was billed to a funder as $8,900, a $5,800 discrepancy moved in three transfers over six weeks.
- PH Archival Services LLC was formed in summer 2017, listed one client (the Society), one employee (John Petersen), and a post office box address two towns over.
- John Petersen’s salary at the Society was $52,000 per year and he had served as executive director for eleven years.
- Archivist Louise Henby worked roughly 12 hours per week for 14 months at $15 per hour and retained employment records from the project.

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/73071796Wed, 07 Oct 2026 23:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Shredder, the Two Grants, and the Missing $61,200 Fear that trusted caretakers can quietly convert preservation funding into private paychecks: two separate $48,000 grants meant to digitize fragile county records arrived without either funder...
Fear that trusted caretakers can quietly convert preservation funding into private paychecks: two separate $48,000 grants meant to digitize fragile county records arrived without either funder knowing about the other, yet bank transfers show $61,200 vanished into a private account - who shredded the paper trail and why?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from the basement shredder still running and two inches of standing water at the Pelham County Historical Society to the discovery of mismatched receipts, unexplained transfers, and a one‑person LLC that processed grant labor payments; what do the records and bank statements reveal about the missing funds?

Person: John Petersen
Location: Pelham County Historical Society on Alderton Street
Date: 2017-2018
Event: Two $48,000 grants disbursed for digitization
Amount missing: $61,200

- Two grants of $48,000 each were awarded, totaling $96,000, with disbursements in August 2017 and January 2018.
- A scanner bought from a regional reseller had an actual invoice price of $3,100 but was billed to a funder as $8,900, a $5,800 discrepancy moved in three transfers over six weeks.
- PH Archival Services LLC was formed in summer 2017, listed one client (the Society), one employee (John Petersen), and a post office box address two towns over.
- John Petersen’s salary at the Society was $52,000 per year and he had served as executive director for eleven years.
- Archivist Louise Henby worked roughly 12 hours per week for 14 months at $15 per hour and retained employment records from the project.

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.]]>944falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/dumpster-discovery-unravels-tax-preparer-s-60-000-scam--73071793
A retired postal worker found a damp, unsigned tax form in a dumpster and recognized a church member’s name - a single envelope that would expose a scheme siphoning roughly $60,000 a year from clients. How did signed returns turn into amended refunds sent to prepaid cards, and who finally stopped it?

In this episode, we lay out the timeline from a morning on November 4, 2011 through the investigation that followed, describing the methods used to redirect refunds, the pattern of amended returns, and the evidence that alerted prosecutors - could a handful of clustered filings reveal a long-running fraud?

Person: Michelle Holmes
Date: November 4, 2011
Location: Sutter Boulevard strip mall parking lot
Case: Pronto Tax and Financial Services amended return scheme
Person: Kevin Powell

- The stolen amended refund amounts per client ranged between $400 and $1,100 annually.
- Powell’s scheme affected more than 200 households by 2010, generating roughly $60,000 a year.
- Bruce Stevens found 112 of Powell’s clients had a Form 1040X on file, a rate eleven times the national average.
- Michelle Holmes’s diverted amended refund was $860 and took sixteen months to recover.
- Kevin Powell opened Pronto Tax in 2006 after a six-week online course and was 38 years old.

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/73071793Tue, 06 Oct 2026 23:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaDumpster Discovery Unravels Tax Preparer's $60,000 Scam A retired postal worker found a damp, unsigned tax form in a dumpster and recognized a church member’s name - a single envelope that would expose a scheme siphoning roughly $60,000 a year from...
A retired postal worker found a damp, unsigned tax form in a dumpster and recognized a church member’s name - a single envelope that would expose a scheme siphoning roughly $60,000 a year from clients. How did signed returns turn into amended refunds sent to prepaid cards, and who finally stopped it?

In this episode, we lay out the timeline from a morning on November 4, 2011 through the investigation that followed, describing the methods used to redirect refunds, the pattern of amended returns, and the evidence that alerted prosecutors - could a handful of clustered filings reveal a long-running fraud?

Person: Michelle Holmes
Date: November 4, 2011
Location: Sutter Boulevard strip mall parking lot
Case: Pronto Tax and Financial Services amended return scheme
Person: Kevin Powell

- The stolen amended refund amounts per client ranged between $400 and $1,100 annually.
- Powell’s scheme affected more than 200 households by 2010, generating roughly $60,000 a year.
- Bruce Stevens found 112 of Powell’s clients had a Form 1040X on file, a rate eleven times the national average.
- Michelle Holmes’s diverted amended refund was $860 and took sixteen months to recover.
- Kevin Powell opened Pronto Tax in 2006 after a six-week online course and was 38 years old.

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.]]>1032falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/he-quoted-reefers-sent-dry-vans-19k-a-sick-man-shortchanged--73071790
Fear that a small oversight is a deliberate theft: one forged temperature certificate, a decommissioned trailer number, and nearly $19,000 siphoned from ranchers and packers who trusted a familiar broker - how did a legitimate license and an office become cover for three years of fraud?

In this episode, we tell how routine invoices, forged reefer certificates, and handwritten notes in a young operator’s file exposed a scheme that stretched across Garfield County; what started as a mismatch in a unit number becomes the clue that unravels missing funds and a family’s medical shortfall - who finally connected RT-447 to the wider fraud?

Person: Jason Johnson
Location: Garfield County, Nebraska
Company: Crestline Logistics Solutions, LLC
Period: 2016-2019
Amount: approximately $19,000

- Invoice dated October 3, 2019 listed refrigerated trailer RT-447 hauling 4,000 pounds of beef.
- Trailer RT-447 had been decommissioned and sold for scrap in August 2017.
- Johnson subcontracted refrigerated loads to dry-van carriers and paid them $400-$600 per load while charging clients $800-$1,400.
- The scheme spanned over 47 loads across roughly three years.
- Bud Nelsen paid $940 for the October 3, 2019 load that listed RT-447.

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/73071790Mon, 05 Oct 2026 23:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaHe Quoted Reefers, Sent Dry Vans - $19K, A Sick Man Shortchanged Fear that a small oversight is a deliberate theft: one forged temperature certificate, a decommissioned trailer number, and nearly $19,000 siphoned from ranchers and packers who...
Fear that a small oversight is a deliberate theft: one forged temperature certificate, a decommissioned trailer number, and nearly $19,000 siphoned from ranchers and packers who trusted a familiar broker - how did a legitimate license and an office become cover for three years of fraud?

In this episode, we tell how routine invoices, forged reefer certificates, and handwritten notes in a young operator’s file exposed a scheme that stretched across Garfield County; what started as a mismatch in a unit number becomes the clue that unravels missing funds and a family’s medical shortfall - who finally connected RT-447 to the wider fraud?

Person: Jason Johnson
Location: Garfield County, Nebraska
Company: Crestline Logistics Solutions, LLC
Period: 2016-2019
Amount: approximately $19,000

- Invoice dated October 3, 2019 listed refrigerated trailer RT-447 hauling 4,000 pounds of beef.
- Trailer RT-447 had been decommissioned and sold for scrap in August 2017.
- Johnson subcontracted refrigerated loads to dry-van carriers and paid them $400-$600 per load while charging clients $800-$1,400.
- The scheme spanned over 47 loads across roughly three years.
- Bud Nelsen paid $940 for the October 3, 2019 load that listed RT-447.

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.]]>1144falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-drawer-in-the-river-how-a-honey-scam-broke-a-town--73071788
Fear and betrayal sit at the center of this story: 83 people in and around Brenfield invested over one million dollars into Callaway Valley Honey Scam, LLC - and the business was already hollow when most signed. A filing cabinet drawer full of participation certificates and investor ledgers was pulled from the Callaway River; who threw it and why is only part of the question that needs answering.

In this episode, you will hear how a local cooperative pitch, beehives on a neighbor’s parcel, and agricultural language convinced townspeople to hand over life-changing sums, and how private letters and missed harvests revealed the truth - what happened to the money and who benefited?

Person: Dean Erickson
Location: Brenfield, Miner County
Event: Discovery of filing cabinet drawer on Callaway River
Case: Callaway Valley Honey Scam, LLC
Amount: over one million dollars invested by 83 people

- 83 investors in and around Brenfield placed over one million dollars into Callaway Valley Honey Scam, LLC.
- Dean Erickson filed the LLC paperwork in January 2009 at age 44 and had kept four beehives on Walter Moss’s parcel.
- Sandra Olson invested $14,000 in March 2010 after reviewing documents while working as a records coordinator at the Miner County Extension Office.
- By April 2010 Erickson wrote a private letter acknowledging production had fallen to 8% of promised levels.
- Approximately $0.22 of every new dollar collected in the second round (Season Four - Committed Shares) was used to pay earlier investors rather than coming from honey sales.

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/73071788Sun, 04 Oct 2026 23:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Drawer in the River: How a Honey Scam Broke a Town Fear and betrayal sit at the center of this story: 83 people in and around Brenfield invested over one million dollars into Callaway Valley Honey Scam, LLC - and the business was already hollow...
Fear and betrayal sit at the center of this story: 83 people in and around Brenfield invested over one million dollars into Callaway Valley Honey Scam, LLC - and the business was already hollow when most signed. A filing cabinet drawer full of participation certificates and investor ledgers was pulled from the Callaway River; who threw it and why is only part of the question that needs answering.

In this episode, you will hear how a local cooperative pitch, beehives on a neighbor’s parcel, and agricultural language convinced townspeople to hand over life-changing sums, and how private letters and missed harvests revealed the truth - what happened to the money and who benefited?

Person: Dean Erickson
Location: Brenfield, Miner County
Event: Discovery of filing cabinet drawer on Callaway River
Case: Callaway Valley Honey Scam, LLC
Amount: over one million dollars invested by 83 people

- 83 investors in and around Brenfield placed over one million dollars into Callaway Valley Honey Scam, LLC.
- Dean Erickson filed the LLC paperwork in January 2009 at age 44 and had kept four beehives on Walter Moss’s parcel.
- Sandra Olson invested $14,000 in March 2010 after reviewing documents while working as a records coordinator at the Miner County Extension Office.
- By April 2010 Erickson wrote a private letter acknowledging production had fallen to 8% of promised levels.
- Approximately $0.22 of every new dollar collected in the second round (Season Four - Committed Shares) was used to pay earlier investors rather than coming from honey sales.

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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.]]>1043falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-phantom-scoreboard-how-a-plaque-exposed-a-186k-scam--73071787
A discarded plaque with a $25,000 inscription led to a $186,000 hole in a town’s finances and a ledger that wouldn’t stop asking questions - how did a community fundraiser become an elaborate bank-account fraud? Who signed the phony authorization and why did two hundred twenty donors' money disappear into routine-sounding transfers?

In this episode, we follow the sequence of discoveries from a surveyor’s photo to an accountant’s spiral ledger to a forensic audit, tracing the people, documents, and bank records that revealed the scheme. What turned community trust into a two-year fraud and who falsified the notarial seal?

Person: Kent Cook
Person: Megan Graham
Person: Alan Frick
Person: Howard Thorpe
Event: Account opened October 2017

- Plaque inscription: "Cook Family Enterprises - Platinum Founding Sponsor - $25,000"
- Total misdirected funds: $186,000 from 22 donors between November 2017 and June 2019
- Check number: 1847 for $8,000 written by Megan Graham in March 2018
- Notary irregularities: 11 typographic differences found in the authorization letter compared to genuine district correspondence
- Account name used: "Harwick Athletic Complex Scoreboard Fund" opened at Calloway Savings and Trust

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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/73071787Sat, 03 Oct 2026 23:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Phantom Scoreboard: How a Plaque Exposed a $186K Scam A discarded plaque with a $25,000 inscription led to a $186,000 hole in a town’s finances and a ledger that wouldn’t stop asking questions - how did a community fundraiser become an...
A discarded plaque with a $25,000 inscription led to a $186,000 hole in a town’s finances and a ledger that wouldn’t stop asking questions - how did a community fundraiser become an elaborate bank-account fraud? Who signed the phony authorization and why did two hundred twenty donors' money disappear into routine-sounding transfers?

In this episode, we follow the sequence of discoveries from a surveyor’s photo to an accountant’s spiral ledger to a forensic audit, tracing the people, documents, and bank records that revealed the scheme. What turned community trust into a two-year fraud and who falsified the notarial seal?

Person: Kent Cook
Person: Megan Graham
Person: Alan Frick
Person: Howard Thorpe
Event: Account opened October 2017

- Plaque inscription: "Cook Family Enterprises - Platinum Founding Sponsor - $25,000"
- Total misdirected funds: $186,000 from 22 donors between November 2017 and June 2019
- Check number: 1847 for $8,000 written by Megan Graham in March 2018
- Notary irregularities: 11 typographic differences found in the authorization letter compared to genuine district correspondence
- Account name used: "Harwick Athletic Complex Scoreboard Fund" opened at Calloway Savings and Trust

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-escrow-lie-how-a-plumber-s-photo-exposed-11-400-theft--73071786
A single photo of a rubber-banded envelope of twenty-dollar bills set off the unraveling of a three-year scheme that drained tenants' security deposits; how could an escrow account for 61 families hold only $3,040 when it should have contained $22,400, and who engineered that gap? What happened next was triggered by a plumber’s decision to photograph before he touched the cash.

In this episode, we tell how a tenant's formal housing inquiry and a photograph taken in a mobile home park utility room combined with bank records, inspection schedules, and internal controls to reveal missing escrow funds, and we ask how the withdrawals were concealed so long.

Person: Marie Ford
Person: Ryan Cole
Location: Clearwater Estates
Date: June 28, 2019
Amount missing: $19,360

- Peggy Thompson photographed an envelope of twenty-dollar bills found inside an electrical panel on a Wednesday morning in early July 2019.
- The escrow account held $3,040 on the day it was audited, while the total owed to tenants was $22,400.
- Marie Ford paid a $450 security deposit after saving for 14 months and filed a housing-authority inquiry on June 28, 2019.
- Ryan Cole deposited $3,000 in cash over the counter at Aldine Savings and Trust before inspections to avoid triggering the bank's large-cash review.
- Clearwater Estates had 64 lots, 61 occupied in early 2019, and three empty lots.

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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/73071786Fri, 02 Oct 2026 23:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Escrow Lie: How a Plumber's Photo Exposed $11,400 Theft A single photo of a rubber-banded envelope of twenty-dollar bills set off the unraveling of a three-year scheme that drained tenants' security deposits; how could an escrow account for 61...
A single photo of a rubber-banded envelope of twenty-dollar bills set off the unraveling of a three-year scheme that drained tenants' security deposits; how could an escrow account for 61 families hold only $3,040 when it should have contained $22,400, and who engineered that gap? What happened next was triggered by a plumber’s decision to photograph before he touched the cash.

In this episode, we tell how a tenant's formal housing inquiry and a photograph taken in a mobile home park utility room combined with bank records, inspection schedules, and internal controls to reveal missing escrow funds, and we ask how the withdrawals were concealed so long.

Person: Marie Ford
Person: Ryan Cole
Location: Clearwater Estates
Date: June 28, 2019
Amount missing: $19,360

- Peggy Thompson photographed an envelope of twenty-dollar bills found inside an electrical panel on a Wednesday morning in early July 2019.
- The escrow account held $3,040 on the day it was audited, while the total owed to tenants was $22,400.
- Marie Ford paid a $450 security deposit after saving for 14 months and filed a housing-authority inquiry on June 28, 2019.
- Ryan Cole deposited $3,000 in cash over the counter at Aldine Savings and Trust before inspections to avoid triggering the bank's large-cash review.
- Clearwater Estates had 64 lots, 61 occupied in early 2019, and three empty lots.

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.]]>1139falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-laminated-invoice-that-exposed-a-small-town-embezzlement-scheme--73071785
A laminated commercial invoice zip-tied to a fence exposed a $12,640 discrepancy between an actual Halloran Road Materials LLC charge and what a twelve-municipality cooperative was billed - and it sat in plain sight for four and a half years. Who put that invoice on the fence, and why did no one spot the gap until a birdwatcher noticed it?

In this episode, we follow the unfolding of a small-town billing scandal: the discovery at 7:20 a.m., the forensic audit, the search warrant, and the unraveling of a long-trusted cooperative coordinator. What allowed $12,640 to be diverted over years while invoices arrived on time and community trust stayed intact?

Person: Clifford Brooks
Organization: Halloran Road Materials LLC
Event: Laminated invoice found zip-tied to fence on creek trail
Date: March 4, 2014 (invoice) and June, 2014 (discovery)
Amount: $12,640 discrepancy

- The invoice listed 420 tons of treated road salt at $68 per ton, totaling $28,560.
- The Linden Valley Road Salt Cooperative billed its twelve member municipalities $41,200 for the same delivery.
- The coordinator position paid $8,000 a year and had no office or staff.
- Clifford Brooks had been coordinator since 2009 and was 53 years old in 2014.
- Megan Bailey, Crestwood Falls finance director, kept a market index and wrote “ask C.B. about price trend” on a sticky note preserved as exhibit 47.

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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/73071785Thu, 01 Oct 2026 23:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Laminated Invoice That Exposed A Small-Town Embezzlement Scheme A laminated commercial invoice zip-tied to a fence exposed a $12,640 discrepancy between an actual Halloran Road Materials LLC charge and what a twelve-municipality cooperative was...
A laminated commercial invoice zip-tied to a fence exposed a $12,640 discrepancy between an actual Halloran Road Materials LLC charge and what a twelve-municipality cooperative was billed - and it sat in plain sight for four and a half years. Who put that invoice on the fence, and why did no one spot the gap until a birdwatcher noticed it?

In this episode, we follow the unfolding of a small-town billing scandal: the discovery at 7:20 a.m., the forensic audit, the search warrant, and the unraveling of a long-trusted cooperative coordinator. What allowed $12,640 to be diverted over years while invoices arrived on time and community trust stayed intact?

Person: Clifford Brooks
Organization: Halloran Road Materials LLC
Event: Laminated invoice found zip-tied to fence on creek trail
Date: March 4, 2014 (invoice) and June, 2014 (discovery)
Amount: $12,640 discrepancy

- The invoice listed 420 tons of treated road salt at $68 per ton, totaling $28,560.
- The Linden Valley Road Salt Cooperative billed its twelve member municipalities $41,200 for the same delivery.
- The coordinator position paid $8,000 a year and had no office or staff.
- Clifford Brooks had been coordinator since 2009 and was 53 years old in 2014.
- Megan Bailey, Crestwood Falls finance director, kept a market index and wrote “ask C.B. about price trend” on a sticky note preserved as exhibit 47.

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.]]>1116falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-warm-padlock-how-a-boy-unmasked-a-418-000-scam--73071783
Warm metal on a cool May morning triggered a fourteen-year-old’s curiosity - and that single detail helped unravel $418,000 lost across forty-one people. How did a warm padlock, an empty storage unit and a daughter of habit expose months of missing paperwork, odd payments, and a man with a past?

In this episode, we follow the sequence of events from a paper-route notice to a hospital parking-lot pitch, detailing the contracts, checks, and calls that led ordinary people to invest and then question where their money went. What did a handwritten letter, a homeowner’s bank statements, and a boy’s observation reveal about the auction business and the man running it?

Person: Clifford Simpson
Person: Amanda Quinn
Person: Grant Thorpe
Event: Storage-unit auction scheme
Amount: $418,000

- The padlock on Lot 114 at Kelso Self-Storage was warm to the touch on an overcast morning with air temperature 52°F.
- Amanda Quinn saved $11,000 and began depositing $200 monthly into Pinnacle’s Seller Reserve Account starting October 2018.
- Pinnacle promised 7.4% quarterly returns paid monthly; Quinn received checks between $80 and $240 for six months before larger deposits.
- Four hundred and eighteen thousand dollars in losses were spread across forty-one people in two counties.
- Grant Thorpe was 44 years old in May 2019 and had operated Pinnacle Auction Services in Kelso since 2016 after a prior business dissolution in 2015.

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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/73071783Wed, 30 Sep 2026 23:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Warm Padlock: How a Boy Unmasked a $418,000 Scam Warm metal on a cool May morning triggered a fourteen-year-old’s curiosity - and that single detail helped unravel $418,000 lost across forty-one people. How did a warm padlock, an empty storage...
Warm metal on a cool May morning triggered a fourteen-year-old’s curiosity - and that single detail helped unravel $418,000 lost across forty-one people. How did a warm padlock, an empty storage unit and a daughter of habit expose months of missing paperwork, odd payments, and a man with a past?

In this episode, we follow the sequence of events from a paper-route notice to a hospital parking-lot pitch, detailing the contracts, checks, and calls that led ordinary people to invest and then question where their money went. What did a handwritten letter, a homeowner’s bank statements, and a boy’s observation reveal about the auction business and the man running it?

Person: Clifford Simpson
Person: Amanda Quinn
Person: Grant Thorpe
Event: Storage-unit auction scheme
Amount: $418,000

- The padlock on Lot 114 at Kelso Self-Storage was warm to the touch on an overcast morning with air temperature 52°F.
- Amanda Quinn saved $11,000 and began depositing $200 monthly into Pinnacle’s Seller Reserve Account starting October 2018.
- Pinnacle promised 7.4% quarterly returns paid monthly; Quinn received checks between $80 and $240 for six months before larger deposits.
- Four hundred and eighteen thousand dollars in losses were spread across forty-one people in two counties.
- Grant Thorpe was 44 years old in May 2019 and had operated Pinnacle Auction Services in Kelso since 2016 after a prior business dissolution 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.]]>1202falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-bronze-plaque-in-the-ditch-how-112k-vanished--73071782
A roadside ditch yielded a bronze plaque cast with the name HAROLD VOSS and a flame-and-helmet seal, and that single object set off the unraveling of $112,000 raised for a volunteer fire department memorial. Who collected every donation, where the money actually went, and how a plaque and an $11 bank balance exposed transfers of roughly $94,000 to personal accounts?

In this episode, we follow the sequence of events from April 2019 back through the decade of fundraising for the Kellerton VFD Memorial Fund, mapping donors, accounts, and the actions that hid most donations from the station. What choices allowed a second bank account and routine transfers to divert funds meant to refurbish a meeting room and erect a donor wall?

Person: Neil Peterson
Event: Discovery of bronze plaque in ditch by Debra Gardner
Date: April 2019 (discovery); donations collected between 2016 and 2018
Amount: $112,000 total donations; approximately $94,000 transferred to Peterson's personal accounts
Location: Kellerton; Harmon Savings (county seat); Kellerton Community Bank (First Street)

- The plaque found read "HAROLD VOSS, FOUNDING DONOR" and had pre-drilled mounting holes.
- When Peterson arrived in spring 2015 the legitimate Memorial Fund account held roughly $14,000.
- Between 2016 and 2018, sixty-one people donated a combined $112,000 to the Memorial Fund.
- Harold Voss donated $8,000; the Otten family gave $6,000; Connie Marsh gave $2,200 saved over eleven years.
- Approximately $94,000 moved from the Harmon Savings "Kellerton VFD Community Development Trust" account to Peterson's personal accounts over twenty-seven months.

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/73071782Tue, 29 Sep 2026 23:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Bronze Plaque in the Ditch: How $112K Vanished A roadside ditch yielded a bronze plaque cast with the name HAROLD VOSS and a flame-and-helmet seal, and that single object set off the unraveling of $112,000 raised for a volunteer fire department...
A roadside ditch yielded a bronze plaque cast with the name HAROLD VOSS and a flame-and-helmet seal, and that single object set off the unraveling of $112,000 raised for a volunteer fire department memorial. Who collected every donation, where the money actually went, and how a plaque and an $11 bank balance exposed transfers of roughly $94,000 to personal accounts?

In this episode, we follow the sequence of events from April 2019 back through the decade of fundraising for the Kellerton VFD Memorial Fund, mapping donors, accounts, and the actions that hid most donations from the station. What choices allowed a second bank account and routine transfers to divert funds meant to refurbish a meeting room and erect a donor wall?

Person: Neil Peterson
Event: Discovery of bronze plaque in ditch by Debra Gardner
Date: April 2019 (discovery); donations collected between 2016 and 2018
Amount: $112,000 total donations; approximately $94,000 transferred to Peterson's personal accounts
Location: Kellerton; Harmon Savings (county seat); Kellerton Community Bank (First Street)

- The plaque found read "HAROLD VOSS, FOUNDING DONOR" and had pre-drilled mounting holes.
- When Peterson arrived in spring 2015 the legitimate Memorial Fund account held roughly $14,000.
- Between 2016 and 2018, sixty-one people donated a combined $112,000 to the Memorial Fund.
- Harold Voss donated $8,000; the Otten family gave $6,000; Connie Marsh gave $2,200 saved over eleven years.
- Approximately $94,000 moved from the Harmon Savings "Kellerton VFD Community Development Trust" account to Peterson's personal accounts over twenty-seven months.

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.]]>1098falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-tractor-pledged-four-times-how-one-machine-stole-384k--73071780
Fear and outrage: one green tractor with serial plate 4GX-77214 was listed as sole collateral on four separate loan documents totaling $412,000 while its hour meter read just 63 hours - how did that single machine convince strangers to hand over $384,000 in principal? Who forged signatures and kept an insurance policy cancelled months before investors wired life savings?

In this episode, we lay out the sequence of events, the key players, the fake paperwork and the cancelled insurance that enabled Lakeside Agricultural Partners to collect funds from multiple investors. Follow the timeline from the prospectus Shannon Clark signed to the appraisal that exposed the fraud and ask: what went so wrong between trust and due diligence?

Person: Shannon Clark
Person: Keith Miller
Person: Wanda Foss
Person: Tom Birch
Event: Insurance cancellation dated October 14, 2018

- Shannon Clark wired $104,000 to Lakeside Agricultural Partners on February 19, 2019.
- Total principal invested by four people totaled $384,000 across the scheme.
- The four loan documents collectively represented $412,000 in obligations.
- Midland Mutual insurance policy cited in the prospectus had been cancelled and notice dated October 14, 2018.
- The tractor with serial plate 4GX-77214 showed 63 engine hours when appraised, not the 214 hours claimed on the lease log.

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/73071780Mon, 28 Sep 2026 23:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Tractor Pledged Four Times: How One Machine Stole $384K Fear and outrage: one green tractor with serial plate 4GX-77214 was listed as sole collateral on four separate loan documents totaling $412,000 while its hour meter read just 63 hours -...
Fear and outrage: one green tractor with serial plate 4GX-77214 was listed as sole collateral on four separate loan documents totaling $412,000 while its hour meter read just 63 hours - how did that single machine convince strangers to hand over $384,000 in principal? Who forged signatures and kept an insurance policy cancelled months before investors wired life savings?

In this episode, we lay out the sequence of events, the key players, the fake paperwork and the cancelled insurance that enabled Lakeside Agricultural Partners to collect funds from multiple investors. Follow the timeline from the prospectus Shannon Clark signed to the appraisal that exposed the fraud and ask: what went so wrong between trust and due diligence?

Person: Shannon Clark
Person: Keith Miller
Person: Wanda Foss
Person: Tom Birch
Event: Insurance cancellation dated October 14, 2018

- Shannon Clark wired $104,000 to Lakeside Agricultural Partners on February 19, 2019.
- Total principal invested by four people totaled $384,000 across the scheme.
- The four loan documents collectively represented $412,000 in obligations.
- Midland Mutual insurance policy cited in the prospectus had been cancelled and notice dated October 14, 2018.
- The tractor with serial plate 4GX-77214 showed 63 engine hours when appraised, not the 214 hours claimed on the lease log.

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.]]>1169falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-box-that-exposed-a-county-fair-s-30-000-vendor-scam--73071779
Cold paper under a corrugated steel overhang revealed 63 carbon-copy vendor forms and a missing paper trail that hid nearly $30,000; how did a sealed banker’s box become the single object that unraveled three years of diverted fees? Who knew about the secret bank account and why were applicants paid but never admitted?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from a runner finding a sealed box on February 11, 2019 to an auditor linking handwritten complaints to a hidden financial setup, and we trace the steps that led to a jail admission and the exposure of diverted county funds - but how did the committee miss the account for years?

Person: Scott Gray
Date: February 11, 2019
Location: Callum County Fairgrounds
Amount: $31,400 collected across three cycles
Status: $29,840 moved to personal account, $42 remaining

- 63 carbon-copy vendor forms were found sealed in a banker’s box under a corrugated steel overhang.
- Diane Kowalski paid a $250 holding fee in March 2018 and received a rejection; she sent a handwritten letter on February 4, 2019.
- The administrative holding fee program was approved by committee vote 4 to 3 in 2016 via a two-paragraph summary.
- Between 2016 and 2018 the holding-fee account received $31,400 and $29,840 was transferred to Scott Gray’s personal account.
- The Callum County Treasurer’s auditor Vicki Armstrong received Kowalski’s letter on February 4 and connected it to the box found one week later.

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/73071779Sun, 27 Sep 2026 23:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Box That Exposed a County Fair's $30,000 Vendor Scam Cold paper under a corrugated steel overhang revealed 63 carbon-copy vendor forms and a missing paper trail that hid nearly $30,000; how did a sealed banker’s box become the single object...
Cold paper under a corrugated steel overhang revealed 63 carbon-copy vendor forms and a missing paper trail that hid nearly $30,000; how did a sealed banker’s box become the single object that unraveled three years of diverted fees? Who knew about the secret bank account and why were applicants paid but never admitted?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from a runner finding a sealed box on February 11, 2019 to an auditor linking handwritten complaints to a hidden financial setup, and we trace the steps that led to a jail admission and the exposure of diverted county funds - but how did the committee miss the account for years?

Person: Scott Gray
Date: February 11, 2019
Location: Callum County Fairgrounds
Amount: $31,400 collected across three cycles
Status: $29,840 moved to personal account, $42 remaining

- 63 carbon-copy vendor forms were found sealed in a banker’s box under a corrugated steel overhang.
- Diane Kowalski paid a $250 holding fee in March 2018 and received a rejection; she sent a handwritten letter on February 4, 2019.
- The administrative holding fee program was approved by committee vote 4 to 3 in 2016 via a two-paragraph summary.
- Between 2016 and 2018 the holding-fee account received $31,400 and $29,840 was transferred to Scott Gray’s personal account.
- The Callum County Treasurer’s auditor Vicki Armstrong received Kowalski’s letter on February 4 and connected it to the box found one week later.

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.]]>1107falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/quilt-card-and-an-empty-account-how-a-neighbor-vanished-63k--73071776
Trust turned to theft: a handmade quilt and a blue-ballpoint card meant to honor a beloved member sat unopened after her death, while $63,410 of a community Holiday Fund vanished into purchases like car payments and a Myrtle Beach trip. How did a small-town fund managed from a binder and bank statements become a pipeline for personal spending, and who stood to gain?

In this episode, we trace the sequence of events from the discovery at 4418 Wicker Lane to the bank records that exposed a pattern of withdrawals. We follow the ledger started by a new member, the missing Millcreek account statements, and the forensic summary that tied every deposit and withdrawal to specific purchases - but what else did those records reveal about the timeline and the people involved?

Person: Vera Lindqvist
Date: January 9, 2019
Location: 4418 Wicker Lane, Dunnmore, Ohio
Amount: $63,410
Investigator: George Armstrong

- The quilt was red and cream pinwheels, roughly two by three feet, with a card reading “Merry Christmas, Vera. You earned every stitch.”
- The Pines Guild had twenty-four members contributing monthly January-November with optional December top-ups, averaging $200-$250 per person.
- Millcreek Community Bank account used for the Holiday Fund was closed in October 2017, fourteen months before January 2019.
- Fairway Horizon Consulting LLC was registered in Delaware with a mail-forwarding address and listed principals Vernon Hansen and Dale Pruett.
- The forensic summary assembled by investigator George Armstrong ran seventy-one pages documenting deposits matching every contribution in Valerie Casey’s spiral notebook and withdrawals matching specific purchases.

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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/73071776Sat, 26 Sep 2026 23:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaQuilt, Card, and an Empty Account: How a Neighbor Vanished $63K Trust turned to theft: a handmade quilt and a blue-ballpoint card meant to honor a beloved member sat unopened after her death, while $63,410 of a community Holiday Fund vanished into...
Trust turned to theft: a handmade quilt and a blue-ballpoint card meant to honor a beloved member sat unopened after her death, while $63,410 of a community Holiday Fund vanished into purchases like car payments and a Myrtle Beach trip. How did a small-town fund managed from a binder and bank statements become a pipeline for personal spending, and who stood to gain?

In this episode, we trace the sequence of events from the discovery at 4418 Wicker Lane to the bank records that exposed a pattern of withdrawals. We follow the ledger started by a new member, the missing Millcreek account statements, and the forensic summary that tied every deposit and withdrawal to specific purchases - but what else did those records reveal about the timeline and the people involved?

Person: Vera Lindqvist
Date: January 9, 2019
Location: 4418 Wicker Lane, Dunnmore, Ohio
Amount: $63,410
Investigator: George Armstrong

- The quilt was red and cream pinwheels, roughly two by three feet, with a card reading “Merry Christmas, Vera. You earned every stitch.”
- The Pines Guild had twenty-four members contributing monthly January-November with optional December top-ups, averaging $200-$250 per person.
- Millcreek Community Bank account used for the Holiday Fund was closed in October 2017, fourteen months before January 2019.
- Fairway Horizon Consulting LLC was registered in Delaware with a mail-forwarding address and listed principals Vernon Hansen and Dale Pruett.
- The forensic summary assembled by investigator George Armstrong ran seventy-one pages documenting deposits matching every contribution in Valerie Casey’s spiral notebook and withdrawals matching specific purchases.

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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.]]>1002falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/how-he-drained-288-000-from-41-farm-families-water-fund--73071775
Fear and betrayal: 41 farm families handed over $288,000 in monthly assessments meant to fix failing wells - and not a single well was repaired. How did a local contractor’s name, a P.O. box and a glossy newsletter convince neighbors to pay $40 a month for over two years, and who walked away with almost all of it?

In this episode, we tell the sequence of events from the cooperative’s formation through the bank audit that revealed the missing money, and ask how a scheme built on local trust and a simple paper trail went undetected for two and a half years.

Person: Russell Mason
Date: March 28, 2012 (company incorporation)
Location: Calhoun Flats, eastern Pryor County
Amount: $288,000
Account balance found: $412

- Mason enrolled 41 households by September 2012 with a $40 monthly assessment.
- The cooperative processed 31 checks over 2.5 years, all totaling $288,000.
- Pryor Deep Water Fund was incorporated on March 28, 2012, one day before the first meeting.
- Every cooperative contract listed Pryor Deep Water Fund as the drilling contractor though the company had no employees or equipment.
- The cooperative account checks cleared to Pryor Deep Water Fund, then transferred into a joint personal checking account of Russell Mason and Diane Foley.

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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/73071775Fri, 25 Sep 2026 23:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaHow He Drained $288,000 From 41 Farm Families' Water Fund Fear and betrayal: 41 farm families handed over $288,000 in monthly assessments meant to fix failing wells - and not a single well was repaired. How did a local contractor’s name, a P.O. box...
Fear and betrayal: 41 farm families handed over $288,000 in monthly assessments meant to fix failing wells - and not a single well was repaired. How did a local contractor’s name, a P.O. box and a glossy newsletter convince neighbors to pay $40 a month for over two years, and who walked away with almost all of it?

In this episode, we tell the sequence of events from the cooperative’s formation through the bank audit that revealed the missing money, and ask how a scheme built on local trust and a simple paper trail went undetected for two and a half years.

Person: Russell Mason
Date: March 28, 2012 (company incorporation)
Location: Calhoun Flats, eastern Pryor County
Amount: $288,000
Account balance found: $412

- Mason enrolled 41 households by September 2012 with a $40 monthly assessment.
- The cooperative processed 31 checks over 2.5 years, all totaling $288,000.
- Pryor Deep Water Fund was incorporated on March 28, 2012, one day before the first meeting.
- Every cooperative contract listed Pryor Deep Water Fund as the drilling contractor though the company had no employees or equipment.
- The cooperative account checks cleared to Pryor Deep Water Fund, then transferred into a joint personal checking account of Russell Mason and Diane Foley.

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-briefcase-that-exposed-820-000-in-dellwood-dental-fraud--73071773
A stray Vizsla found a black leather briefcase in Mossback Preserve, and inside was a paper trail that would expose $820,000 taken from a Dellwood dental practice; one dentist had registered a second National Provider Identifier weeks before collecting that money - how did that single misstep unravel a decade of hidden moves? What did the briefcase contain that made the missing money impossible to ignore?

In this episode, we follow the sequence of discoveries from a patient’s office paperwork to a bank examiner’s audit and trace how administrative details at Sawyer Family Dental revealed a massive disappearance of funds; why did a second NPI and small revenue discrepancies trigger a full account of what happened?

Person: Michael Sawyer
Location: 418 Garrison Street, Dellwood, Tennessee
Date: November 14, 2019
Amount: $820,000
Referrer: Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance

- A black leather briefcase was found by a dog walker on November 14, 2019, in Mossback Preserve.
- Michael Sawyer collected $820,000 from two separate transactions on a single September afternoon in 2019.
- Sawyer Family Dental opened in 2009 at 418 Garrison Street and operated as a neighborhood practice.
- A second National Provider Identifier was registered by Sawyer in August 2019 under the same practice name and address.
- Grant Tillman pulled the Pinnacle Agricultural and Commercial Bank file within four days of receiving the referral in early November 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/73071773Thu, 24 Sep 2026 23:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Briefcase That Exposed $820,000 in Dellwood Dental Fraud A stray Vizsla found a black leather briefcase in Mossback Preserve, and inside was a paper trail that would expose $820,000 taken from a Dellwood dental practice; one dentist had...
A stray Vizsla found a black leather briefcase in Mossback Preserve, and inside was a paper trail that would expose $820,000 taken from a Dellwood dental practice; one dentist had registered a second National Provider Identifier weeks before collecting that money - how did that single misstep unravel a decade of hidden moves? What did the briefcase contain that made the missing money impossible to ignore?

In this episode, we follow the sequence of discoveries from a patient’s office paperwork to a bank examiner’s audit and trace how administrative details at Sawyer Family Dental revealed a massive disappearance of funds; why did a second NPI and small revenue discrepancies trigger a full account of what happened?

Person: Michael Sawyer
Location: 418 Garrison Street, Dellwood, Tennessee
Date: November 14, 2019
Amount: $820,000
Referrer: Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance

- A black leather briefcase was found by a dog walker on November 14, 2019, in Mossback Preserve.
- Michael Sawyer collected $820,000 from two separate transactions on a single September afternoon in 2019.
- Sawyer Family Dental opened in 2009 at 418 Garrison Street and operated as a neighborhood practice.
- A second National Provider Identifier was registered by Sawyer in August 2019 under the same practice name and address.
- Grant Tillman pulled the Pinnacle Agricultural and Commercial Bank file within four days of receiving the referral in early November 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.]]>1074falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-river-s-envelope-how-a-trotline-sank-an-insurance-lie--73071772
Fear that someone you trusted stole your family's livelihood starts with a bolt too light to sink a bag - forty-seven photos sealed in tape and a river that refused to keep a secret. Those images unraveled six years of claims and more than half a million dollars taken from farming families; how did one adjuster turn knowledge of a community into a long-running fraud that collapsed in nine days?

In this episode, we follow the documented record from the morning a fisherman pulled a zip-lock bag from the Morrow River to the audit notice nine days earlier that triggered a desperate cleanup. You will hear how the scheme operated, who was targeted, and what single misstep exposed the operation - could a routine audit really topple a trusted local figure?

Person: Douglas Mills
Event: Photograph discovery in river by Cheryl Hicks at 5:42 AM on October 9, 2014
Amount: approximately $418,000 collected in cash
Duration: four years of fraudulent activity
Audit notice date: September 22, 2014

- Forty-seven photographs were sealed inside a zip-lock bag wrapped in three layers of tape and found in the Morrow River.
- Cheryl Hicks pulled the trotline and discovered the envelope at 5:42 AM on October 9, 2014.
- Douglas Mills had worked as a crop-loss adjuster for Meridian for nine years and was 44 in fall 2014.
- Mills collected approximately $418,000 in cash across at least eleven farming operations over four years.
- A third-quarter audit involving satellite imagery was scheduled for October 15, 2014, with notice sent on September 22, 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.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73071772Wed, 23 Sep 2026 23:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe River's Envelope: How a Trotline Sank an Insurance Lie Fear that someone you trusted stole your family's livelihood starts with a bolt too light to sink a bag - forty-seven photos sealed in tape and a river that refused to keep a secret. Those...
Fear that someone you trusted stole your family's livelihood starts with a bolt too light to sink a bag - forty-seven photos sealed in tape and a river that refused to keep a secret. Those images unraveled six years of claims and more than half a million dollars taken from farming families; how did one adjuster turn knowledge of a community into a long-running fraud that collapsed in nine days?

In this episode, we follow the documented record from the morning a fisherman pulled a zip-lock bag from the Morrow River to the audit notice nine days earlier that triggered a desperate cleanup. You will hear how the scheme operated, who was targeted, and what single misstep exposed the operation - could a routine audit really topple a trusted local figure?

Person: Douglas Mills
Event: Photograph discovery in river by Cheryl Hicks at 5:42 AM on October 9, 2014
Amount: approximately $418,000 collected in cash
Duration: four years of fraudulent activity
Audit notice date: September 22, 2014

- Forty-seven photographs were sealed inside a zip-lock bag wrapped in three layers of tape and found in the Morrow River.
- Cheryl Hicks pulled the trotline and discovered the envelope at 5:42 AM on October 9, 2014.
- Douglas Mills had worked as a crop-loss adjuster for Meridian for nine years and was 44 in fall 2014.
- Mills collected approximately $418,000 in cash across at least eleven farming operations over four years.
- A third-quarter audit involving satellite imagery was scheduled for October 15, 2014, with notice sent on September 22, 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.]]>1192falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-filing-cabinet-in-the-creek-214-000-missing-for-nine-years--73071771
A dry creek hid a filing cabinet with a tulip poplar growing through its drawer and a bank deposit slip dated September 11, 2010 - the single slip that unraveled nine years and $214,000 in missing middle school booster funds. How did routine entries labeled "pending transfer" in a tidy binder conceal repeated theft from a trusted treasurer until a 26‑year‑old bookkeeper noticed a $1,330 mismatch?

In this episode, we follow the discovery, the people involved, and the ledger entries that never closed, asking how community trust and a long‑running accounting habit allowed hundreds of thousands to vanish. What did the binder hide, and who finally chose to look?

Person: Jerry Williams
Person: Beverly Christensen
Date: September 4, 2019
Amount: $214,000
Recovered: $4,100

- A tulip poplar had grown up through the open bottom drawer of the filing cabinet found in a dry creek bed.
- The bank deposit slip on top of the records was dated September 11, 2010.
- The binder contained hundreds of entries with the phrase "pending transfer" and no closing dates over nine years.
- Jerry Williams served eleven years as a branch manager at Tarrant Savings and Loan before being moved to an administrative position in 2007.
- Beverly Christensen found a $1,330 discrepancy between an index card in Jerry Williams's handwriting and the official ledger at 7:15 AM on a Thursday.

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/73071771Tue, 22 Sep 2026 23:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Filing Cabinet in the Creek: $214,000 Missing for Nine Years A dry creek hid a filing cabinet with a tulip poplar growing through its drawer and a bank deposit slip dated September 11, 2010 - the single slip that unraveled nine years and...
A dry creek hid a filing cabinet with a tulip poplar growing through its drawer and a bank deposit slip dated September 11, 2010 - the single slip that unraveled nine years and $214,000 in missing middle school booster funds. How did routine entries labeled "pending transfer" in a tidy binder conceal repeated theft from a trusted treasurer until a 26‑year‑old bookkeeper noticed a $1,330 mismatch?

In this episode, we follow the discovery, the people involved, and the ledger entries that never closed, asking how community trust and a long‑running accounting habit allowed hundreds of thousands to vanish. What did the binder hide, and who finally chose to look?

Person: Jerry Williams
Person: Beverly Christensen
Date: September 4, 2019
Amount: $214,000
Recovered: $4,100

- A tulip poplar had grown up through the open bottom drawer of the filing cabinet found in a dry creek bed.
- The bank deposit slip on top of the records was dated September 11, 2010.
- The binder contained hundreds of entries with the phrase "pending transfer" and no closing dates over nine years.
- Jerry Williams served eleven years as a branch manager at Tarrant Savings and Loan before being moved to an administrative position in 2007.
- Beverly Christensen found a $1,330 discrepancy between an index card in Jerry Williams's handwriting and the official ledger at 7:15 AM on a Thursday.

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.]]>1067falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-grill-on-the-vacant-deck-when-a-raffle-prize-vanished--73071770
A sealed, brand-new $2,000 grill marked "Grand Prize" was found on an unoccupied back deck of a vacant rental in Kellner - a town where reputations spread fast and nobody could explain how a raffle prize ended up on a dead man's porch. The discovery tied into a five-year charity that reported $41,000 in community donations and raffle records that later auditors said did not add up - who had taken the prize and why was no one ever called to collect it?

In this episode, we lay out the timeline and documents tied to the Brackett County Civic Wellness Initiative and the Harvest Raffle, following receipts, nonprofit filings, and a complaints-driven audit to trace the gap between what the community believed and what the records showed. Can the paperwork and witness accounts reveal whether the raffle drawings were legitimate or a cover for missing funds?

Person: Michael Reynolds
Date: August 9, 2019
Event: Harvest Raffle prize found on vacant back deck
Amount: $2,000 (value of grill)
Total donations reported: $41,000

- The house where the grill was found had been vacant since May 2019.
- Michael Reynolds was 41 years old in 2019 and drew a salary of $32,000 per year.
- Sharon Hunt purchased raffle receipts numbered 114, 115 (Aug 2018) and 211 (Aug 2019).
- Dennis Albright won a grill at the 2018 Harvest Raffle but never received a delivery.
- The 2018 nonprofit filing listed Prize Procurement as $0.

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/73071770Mon, 21 Sep 2026 23:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Grill on the Vacant Deck: When a Raffle Prize Vanished A sealed, brand-new $2,000 grill marked "Grand Prize" was found on an unoccupied back deck of a vacant rental in Kellner - a town where reputations spread fast and nobody could explain how...
A sealed, brand-new $2,000 grill marked "Grand Prize" was found on an unoccupied back deck of a vacant rental in Kellner - a town where reputations spread fast and nobody could explain how a raffle prize ended up on a dead man's porch. The discovery tied into a five-year charity that reported $41,000 in community donations and raffle records that later auditors said did not add up - who had taken the prize and why was no one ever called to collect it?

In this episode, we lay out the timeline and documents tied to the Brackett County Civic Wellness Initiative and the Harvest Raffle, following receipts, nonprofit filings, and a complaints-driven audit to trace the gap between what the community believed and what the records showed. Can the paperwork and witness accounts reveal whether the raffle drawings were legitimate or a cover for missing funds?

Person: Michael Reynolds
Date: August 9, 2019
Event: Harvest Raffle prize found on vacant back deck
Amount: $2,000 (value of grill)
Total donations reported: $41,000

- The house where the grill was found had been vacant since May 2019.
- Michael Reynolds was 41 years old in 2019 and drew a salary of $32,000 per year.
- Sharon Hunt purchased raffle receipts numbered 114, 115 (Aug 2018) and 211 (Aug 2019).
- Dennis Albright won a grill at the 2018 Harvest Raffle but never received a delivery.
- The 2018 nonprofit filing listed Prize Procurement as $0.

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.]]>1057falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-dry-cabinet-how-a-filing-drawer-uncovered-1-000-000-fraud--73071769
A roadside filing cabinet half-buried in mud held perfectly dry papers that would expose a seven-year, $1,000,000 small-town fraud - and it was found by a woman with binoculars. How did a two-drawer olive-green cabinet in a drainage ditch become the key to unmasking two hundred and eleven victims and a fabric of false funeral contracts?

In this episode, we follow the sequence of discoveries from the ditch to formal complaints and state intervention, tracing the contracts, the fake trust accounts, and the phone call that revealed the lies. What exactly did those documents contain that allowed an auditor and a single funeral home phone call to confirm the deception?

Person: Carl Norris
Person: Christine Crawford
Date: July 11, 2014
Case: pre-need funeral planning contracts fraud
Location: County Road Seven, Sutter's Flat, Calloway County

- Christine Crawford found an olive-green two-drawer steel filing cabinet in a drainage ditch on July 11, 2014.
- The cabinet had been half-buried in mud after two inches of rain and its inside contents were perfectly dry.
- Carl Norris, age fifty-three in summer 2014, sold pre-need funeral contracts beginning around 2004.
- The scheme affected two hundred and eleven victims over seven years.
- Donald Lewis paid $4,200 in September 2013 for contract SFM-00187 and filed a complaint in June 2014 after verifying the alleged funeral home and bank accounts did not exist.

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/73071769Sun, 20 Sep 2026 23:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Dry Cabinet: How a Filing Drawer Uncovered $1,000,000 Fraud A roadside filing cabinet half-buried in mud held perfectly dry papers that would expose a seven-year, $1,000,000 small-town fraud - and it was found by a woman with binoculars. How...
A roadside filing cabinet half-buried in mud held perfectly dry papers that would expose a seven-year, $1,000,000 small-town fraud - and it was found by a woman with binoculars. How did a two-drawer olive-green cabinet in a drainage ditch become the key to unmasking two hundred and eleven victims and a fabric of false funeral contracts?

In this episode, we follow the sequence of discoveries from the ditch to formal complaints and state intervention, tracing the contracts, the fake trust accounts, and the phone call that revealed the lies. What exactly did those documents contain that allowed an auditor and a single funeral home phone call to confirm the deception?

Person: Carl Norris
Person: Christine Crawford
Date: July 11, 2014
Case: pre-need funeral planning contracts fraud
Location: County Road Seven, Sutter's Flat, Calloway County

- Christine Crawford found an olive-green two-drawer steel filing cabinet in a drainage ditch on July 11, 2014.
- The cabinet had been half-buried in mud after two inches of rain and its inside contents were perfectly dry.
- Carl Norris, age fifty-three in summer 2014, sold pre-need funeral contracts beginning around 2004.
- The scheme affected two hundred and eleven victims over seven years.
- Donald Lewis paid $4,200 in September 2013 for contract SFM-00187 and filed a complaint in June 2014 after verifying the alleged funeral home and bank accounts did not exist.

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.]]>1101falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-neighbor-who-sold-trust-how-a-church-friend-stole-41-000--73071768
A trusted church member collected $840,000 from 31 neighbors while pretending to be a financial adviser, and one wet binder on a porch became the hinge that toppled him - how did a single index card and dated notes unravel an entire community fraud? Who kept the records that finally exposed the scheme?

In this episode, we follow the paper trail left by a neighbor’s investment pitch and the documents a victim assembled to keep track of dates, conversations, and statements, revealing the structure of the fraud and the evidence that led to a jury verdict.

Person: Linda Whitley
Amount: $41,000
Total contributed by families: $840,000
Membership count: 31 families
Pitch name: Neighbor Equity Circle

- Linda Whitley was 53 years old and an administrative coordinator for Calloway County School District with 21 years on the job.
- Terry Gardner joined Calvary Ridge Community Church in 2004 and began offering the investment in 2005.
- The minimum buy-in for the Neighbor Equity Circle was $5,000 and Gardner offered Linda a preferred rate of 9.5% quarterly.
- The Eastfield Capital Advisors letterhead printed for the pitch listed a Columbus, Ohio UPS Store address and the company was never registered with the Ohio Secretary of State.
- A jury requested the wet three-ring binder by name at 2:47 PM and returned a verdict in less than 90 minutes.

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/73071768Sat, 19 Sep 2026 23:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Neighbor Who Sold Trust: How a Church Friend Stole $41,000 A trusted church member collected $840,000 from 31 neighbors while pretending to be a financial adviser, and one wet binder on a porch became the hinge that toppled him - how did a...
A trusted church member collected $840,000 from 31 neighbors while pretending to be a financial adviser, and one wet binder on a porch became the hinge that toppled him - how did a single index card and dated notes unravel an entire community fraud? Who kept the records that finally exposed the scheme?

In this episode, we follow the paper trail left by a neighbor’s investment pitch and the documents a victim assembled to keep track of dates, conversations, and statements, revealing the structure of the fraud and the evidence that led to a jury verdict.

Person: Linda Whitley
Amount: $41,000
Total contributed by families: $840,000
Membership count: 31 families
Pitch name: Neighbor Equity Circle

- Linda Whitley was 53 years old and an administrative coordinator for Calloway County School District with 21 years on the job.
- Terry Gardner joined Calvary Ridge Community Church in 2004 and began offering the investment in 2005.
- The minimum buy-in for the Neighbor Equity Circle was $5,000 and Gardner offered Linda a preferred rate of 9.5% quarterly.
- The Eastfield Capital Advisors letterhead printed for the pitch listed a Columbus, Ohio UPS Store address and the company was never registered with the Ohio Secretary of State.
- A jury requested the wet three-ring binder by name at 2:47 PM and returned a verdict in less than 90 minutes.

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.]]>1151falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-lockbox-on-the-road-how-a-treasurer-stole-2-3m-quietly--73071767
A shoebox-sized olive-drab lockbox found upright in the middle of a county road would eventually expose more than $2.3 million siphoned from Harwick County by a trusted treasurer - but why leave it where a road grader would find it? What single habit left a permanent record of twenty years of theft and how did it unravel everything?

In this episode, you will hear how that box, a string of handwritten ledgers, and a dozen quiet investments connect a county treasurer to systematic embezzlement, and why one routine action kept the truth from disappearing. Will the notebooks and the lockbox finally answer who put the money where and why?

Person: Troy Crawford
Role: Harwick County treasurer since 1998
Amount stolen: more than $2,300,000
Notebooks: 37 handwritten ledger-sized spiral notebooks
Private investors identified: at least 9, totaling approximately $480,000

- The lockbox was discovered on a county road at 6:40 a.m., dry on every surface despite overnight rain.
- Troy Crawford served as county treasurer for 21 years, first elected in 1998 and re-elected five times.
- Erin Becker deposited $41,000 in 2012 and gave Crawford $20,000 in 2014 under the appearance of a county investment.
- Investigators identified at least nine private investors who gave Crawford about $480,000 in total.
- Connie Morris began reviewing the notebooks at 2:00 p.m. on the third Tuesday of May 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/73071767Fri, 18 Sep 2026 23:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Lockbox on the Road: How a Treasurer Stole $2.3M Quietly A shoebox-sized olive-drab lockbox found upright in the middle of a county road would eventually expose more than $2.3 million siphoned from Harwick County by a trusted treasurer - but...
A shoebox-sized olive-drab lockbox found upright in the middle of a county road would eventually expose more than $2.3 million siphoned from Harwick County by a trusted treasurer - but why leave it where a road grader would find it? What single habit left a permanent record of twenty years of theft and how did it unravel everything?

In this episode, you will hear how that box, a string of handwritten ledgers, and a dozen quiet investments connect a county treasurer to systematic embezzlement, and why one routine action kept the truth from disappearing. Will the notebooks and the lockbox finally answer who put the money where and why?

Person: Troy Crawford
Role: Harwick County treasurer since 1998
Amount stolen: more than $2,300,000
Notebooks: 37 handwritten ledger-sized spiral notebooks
Private investors identified: at least 9, totaling approximately $480,000

- The lockbox was discovered on a county road at 6:40 a.m., dry on every surface despite overnight rain.
- Troy Crawford served as county treasurer for 21 years, first elected in 1998 and re-elected five times.
- Erin Becker deposited $41,000 in 2012 and gave Crawford $20,000 in 2014 under the appearance of a county investment.
- Investigators identified at least nine private investors who gave Crawford about $480,000 in total.
- Connie Morris began reviewing the notebooks at 2:00 p.m. on the third Tuesday of May 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.]]>1057falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/he-sold-them-dreams-stole-their-lots-11-lives-ruined--73071766
Greed turned neighborly trust into a paper trail that swallowed $231,000 and left eleven families with nothing but identical contracts and a single four-acre parcel that was never for sale - so how did a contractor with a Chamber of Commerce plaque and a record of real work pull it off in plain sight?

In this episode, we lay out the sequence of payments, the matching metes-and-bounds descriptions, and the small acts that made a fictional subdivision feel real, asking how careful buyers and county records missed the one fact that unraveled everything.

Person: Vernon Parker
Company: VP Construction Group
Location: Alderman Street office above a tax preparation shop, Crestfield
Amount: $231,000 total received from reservations
Parcel: four-acre probate parcel in Dellard Township

- Eleven families paid between $15,000 and $22,000 each to reserve lots in "Meadowbrook Estates."
- Marcia Wilson paid $22,000 in January 2019 and was the eleventh and final signer.
- All eleven reservation agreements contained identical metes-and-bounds legal descriptions for one undivided parcel.
- Parker deposited the reservation funds into his business checking, then moved them in multiple small transfers to a Belden credit union account.
- About $44,000 was paid to subcontractor Eddie Baxter for concrete described as preliminary site work.

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/73071766Thu, 17 Sep 2026 23:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaHe Sold Them Dreams - Stole Their Lots, 11 Lives Ruined Greed turned neighborly trust into a paper trail that swallowed $231,000 and left eleven families with nothing but identical contracts and a single four-acre parcel that was never for sale -...
Greed turned neighborly trust into a paper trail that swallowed $231,000 and left eleven families with nothing but identical contracts and a single four-acre parcel that was never for sale - so how did a contractor with a Chamber of Commerce plaque and a record of real work pull it off in plain sight?

In this episode, we lay out the sequence of payments, the matching metes-and-bounds descriptions, and the small acts that made a fictional subdivision feel real, asking how careful buyers and county records missed the one fact that unraveled everything.

Person: Vernon Parker
Company: VP Construction Group
Location: Alderman Street office above a tax preparation shop, Crestfield
Amount: $231,000 total received from reservations
Parcel: four-acre probate parcel in Dellard Township

- Eleven families paid between $15,000 and $22,000 each to reserve lots in "Meadowbrook Estates."
- Marcia Wilson paid $22,000 in January 2019 and was the eleventh and final signer.
- All eleven reservation agreements contained identical metes-and-bounds legal descriptions for one undivided parcel.
- Parker deposited the reservation funds into his business checking, then moved them in multiple small transfers to a Belden credit union account.
- About $44,000 was paid to subcontractor Eddie Baxter for concrete described as preliminary site work.

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.]]>1169falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-paper-on-the-bridge-how-2-8m-vanished-from-retirees--73071765
Greed and betrayal hid behind small-town faces: a typed bank statement left on a footbridge showed $412,000 while the real balance was $119,000, and fifty-three retirees had trusted the numbers on McCarthy’s letters-how did a trusted insurance agent turn two decades of community standing into a $2.8M disappearance?

In this episode, you’ll hear the sequence of events from the first cooperative in 2001 to the paper on the bridge in 2011, following how members’ savings were pooled, moved, and misreported, and asking whether any paper trail could reveal who put that document on the bridge.

Person: Jeffrey McCarthy
Event: Papered bank statement found on bridge on March 5, 2011 at 6:15 AM
Case: Morrow County Savers Cooperative dissolved in 2003
Amount: Approximately $2.4M moved to JM Holdings LLC by 2010
Number: 53 retirees affected

- 22 members initially joined the Morrow County Savers Cooperative in 2001 with roughly $800,000 pooled.
- By 2006 the Tri-County Retirees Investment Club had 31 members and about $2.4 million in principal.
- McCarthy transferred approximately $1.1 million from Club funds into JM Holdings LLC at Shelton National Bank between 2003 and 2010.
- On November 14, 2008 McCarthy sent a letter claiming a balance of about $2.1 million while the actual balance was $83,400.
- Jessica White discovered discrepancies in three quarterly statement figures in February 2011 and contacted authorities three days before the March 5, 2011 bridge 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/73071765Wed, 16 Sep 2026 23:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Paper on the Bridge: How $2.8M Vanished from Retirees Greed and betrayal hid behind small-town faces: a typed bank statement left on a footbridge showed $412,000 while the real balance was $119,000, and fifty-three retirees had trusted the...
Greed and betrayal hid behind small-town faces: a typed bank statement left on a footbridge showed $412,000 while the real balance was $119,000, and fifty-three retirees had trusted the numbers on McCarthy’s letters-how did a trusted insurance agent turn two decades of community standing into a $2.8M disappearance?

In this episode, you’ll hear the sequence of events from the first cooperative in 2001 to the paper on the bridge in 2011, following how members’ savings were pooled, moved, and misreported, and asking whether any paper trail could reveal who put that document on the bridge.

Person: Jeffrey McCarthy
Event: Papered bank statement found on bridge on March 5, 2011 at 6:15 AM
Case: Morrow County Savers Cooperative dissolved in 2003
Amount: Approximately $2.4M moved to JM Holdings LLC by 2010
Number: 53 retirees affected

- 22 members initially joined the Morrow County Savers Cooperative in 2001 with roughly $800,000 pooled.
- By 2006 the Tri-County Retirees Investment Club had 31 members and about $2.4 million in principal.
- McCarthy transferred approximately $1.1 million from Club funds into JM Holdings LLC at Shelton National Bank between 2003 and 2010.
- On November 14, 2008 McCarthy sent a letter claiming a balance of about $2.1 million while the actual balance was $83,400.
- Jessica White discovered discrepancies in three quarterly statement figures in February 2011 and contacted authorities three days before the March 5, 2011 bridge 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.]]>1091falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-grain-heist-how-a-deacon-sold-bushels-that-didn-t-exist--73071763
Trust dissolved into a ledger: a deacon-operated elevator issued receipts for 14,080 bushels that weren’t in the bins, and forty-seven farm families would lose nearly $2 million. Who turned a community fixture into a Ponzi built on bushels, and how did a 22-year-old farmer's daughter unmask it?

In this episode, we lay out the timeline of events and the documents that exposed the scheme, following Donna Carlson as she compiles county liens, warehouse receipts, and her own color-coded spreadsheets to answer a glaring question: where did the grain go?

Date: February 11, 2014
Person: Donna Carlson
Location: Pettit County, Nebraska
Case: Stroud Grain & Feed receipts
Amount: 14,080 bushels

- Temperature at the time Judith Berry inspected the exterior: 19 degrees Fahrenheit
- Carlson family farm size: 310 acres
- Year William Stroud had operated the elevator by 2014: 11 years (since 2003)
- Number of creditors ahead of farmers on the lien file: 3 (commercial mortgage 2011, private lien 2012, factoring 2013)
- Number of loads Donna Carlson delivered in fall 2013: 3

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/73071763Tue, 15 Sep 2026 23:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Grain Heist: How a Deacon Sold Bushels That Didn't Exist Trust dissolved into a ledger: a deacon-operated elevator issued receipts for 14,080 bushels that weren’t in the bins, and forty-seven farm families would lose nearly $2 million. Who...
Trust dissolved into a ledger: a deacon-operated elevator issued receipts for 14,080 bushels that weren’t in the bins, and forty-seven farm families would lose nearly $2 million. Who turned a community fixture into a Ponzi built on bushels, and how did a 22-year-old farmer's daughter unmask it?

In this episode, we lay out the timeline of events and the documents that exposed the scheme, following Donna Carlson as she compiles county liens, warehouse receipts, and her own color-coded spreadsheets to answer a glaring question: where did the grain go?

Date: February 11, 2014
Person: Donna Carlson
Location: Pettit County, Nebraska
Case: Stroud Grain & Feed receipts
Amount: 14,080 bushels

- Temperature at the time Judith Berry inspected the exterior: 19 degrees Fahrenheit
- Carlson family farm size: 310 acres
- Year William Stroud had operated the elevator by 2014: 11 years (since 2003)
- Number of creditors ahead of farmers on the lien file: 3 (commercial mortgage 2011, private lien 2012, factoring 2013)
- Number of loads Donna Carlson delivered in fall 2013: 3

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.]]>1028falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/treasurer-opens-a-binder-and-drains-840-000-the-ridgeline-baptist-fraud--73071761
A volunteer found a church binder that showed an $840,000 building fund reduced to $211.44, revealing a $391,788.56 gap that had gone undetected for eleven years; who had been quietly redirecting donations into personal accounts? What did one trusted treasurer do with donations meant to build a sanctuary?

In this episode, we follow the discovery and the documents that exposed a long-running betrayal at Ridgeline Baptist Church, tracing how cash meant for a building fund was reported as intact while being siphoned away, and ask how institutional trust was weaponized for nearly a decade.

Person: Frank Johnson
Person: Gary Jones
Date: January 9, 2019
Account: 4471 First Covenant Savings
Amount: $391,788.56

- Congregation deposited more than $840,000 into the building fund over eleven years.
- Binder cover page on January 9, 2019 showed a balance of $211.44.
- Gary Jones had been church treasurer since January 2008 and was 51 in January 2019.
- Gary reported the balance as $392,000 to the board shortly before the discovery.
- March 2010 withdrawal of $4,000 labeled "architectural consultation" moved to Gary's personal account; 14 days later he signed a purchase agreement on property in Wickfield.

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/73071761Mon, 14 Sep 2026 23:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaTreasurer Opens a Binder and Drains $840,000: The Ridgeline Baptist Fraud A volunteer found a church binder that showed an $840,000 building fund reduced to $211.44, revealing a $391,788.56 gap that had gone undetected for eleven years; who had...
A volunteer found a church binder that showed an $840,000 building fund reduced to $211.44, revealing a $391,788.56 gap that had gone undetected for eleven years; who had been quietly redirecting donations into personal accounts? What did one trusted treasurer do with donations meant to build a sanctuary?

In this episode, we follow the discovery and the documents that exposed a long-running betrayal at Ridgeline Baptist Church, tracing how cash meant for a building fund was reported as intact while being siphoned away, and ask how institutional trust was weaponized for nearly a decade.

Person: Frank Johnson
Person: Gary Jones
Date: January 9, 2019
Account: 4471 First Covenant Savings
Amount: $391,788.56

- Congregation deposited more than $840,000 into the building fund over eleven years.
- Binder cover page on January 9, 2019 showed a balance of $211.44.
- Gary Jones had been church treasurer since January 2008 and was 51 in January 2019.
- Gary reported the balance as $392,000 to the board shortly before the discovery.
- March 2010 withdrawal of $4,000 labeled "architectural consultation" moved to Gary's personal account; 14 days later he signed a purchase agreement on property in Wickfield.

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.]]>1129falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-banker-s-box-how-a-trail-walkers-find-exposed-44k-theft--73071760
A retired walker and his dog found a sealed banker's box labeled "GRANT RECORDS, FISCAL YEAR 1999" sitting in a sycamore grove forty yards from a trailhead - a box that unraveled fourteen years of quiet theft from the Whetstone County Historical Society. How did a trusted executive director divert $44,000 from a small county archive without anyone noticing, and why was crucial paperwork left in a public park?

In this episode, we follow the discovery on December 11, 2003, the immediate report to authorities, and the fraud examination that traced missing grant funds back to spring 1999, asking how institutional trust was dismantled and what the box revealed.

Person: Troy Patterson
Date: December 11, 2003
Location: Melvin Callahan Trail, near Fenwick, Indiana
Organization: Whetstone County Historical Society
Amount: $44,000

- Box found forty yards from the trailhead in a sycamore grove and labeled "GRANT RECORDS, FISCAL YEAR 1999"
- Finder Troy Patterson had donated $400 to the Society fourteen months earlier
- Archive room contained 14,000 photographic negatives and 3,000 documents
- Lakeview Archival Solutions invoices in the box totaled approximately $19,000
- Executive director Gary McCarthy had held his position since approximately 1994 and was 51 in 2003

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/73071760Sun, 13 Sep 2026 23:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Banker's Box: How a Trail Walkers' Find Exposed $44K Theft A retired walker and his dog found a sealed banker's box labeled "GRANT RECORDS, FISCAL YEAR 1999" sitting in a sycamore grove forty yards from a trailhead - a box that unraveled...
A retired walker and his dog found a sealed banker's box labeled "GRANT RECORDS, FISCAL YEAR 1999" sitting in a sycamore grove forty yards from a trailhead - a box that unraveled fourteen years of quiet theft from the Whetstone County Historical Society. How did a trusted executive director divert $44,000 from a small county archive without anyone noticing, and why was crucial paperwork left in a public park?

In this episode, we follow the discovery on December 11, 2003, the immediate report to authorities, and the fraud examination that traced missing grant funds back to spring 1999, asking how institutional trust was dismantled and what the box revealed.

Person: Troy Patterson
Date: December 11, 2003
Location: Melvin Callahan Trail, near Fenwick, Indiana
Organization: Whetstone County Historical Society
Amount: $44,000

- Box found forty yards from the trailhead in a sycamore grove and labeled "GRANT RECORDS, FISCAL YEAR 1999"
- Finder Troy Patterson had donated $400 to the Society fourteen months earlier
- Archive room contained 14,000 photographic negatives and 3,000 documents
- Lakeview Archival Solutions invoices in the box totaled approximately $19,000
- Executive director Gary McCarthy had held his position since approximately 1994 and was 51 in 2003

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.]]>1175falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-tote-at-cutter-creek-how-a-tax-preparer-stole-410-refunds--73071759
A plastic tote wedged at a creek held 410 IRS forms - each a secretly filed amended return redirecting a client's refund; how did a trusted tax preparer turn four hundred and ten households into victims, and who finally exposed the scheme?

In this episode, we tell the sequence of events from the discovery at Cutter Creek to the federal probe, following the clients whose refunds were stolen and the one client who received her mail and reported an amended return - could a single decision unravel years of theft?

Person: Patricia Pruitt
Person: Roy Watson
Person: Carol Miller
Person: Donna Campbell
Location: Cutter Creek

- 410 pieces of paper were found inside a plastic storage bin at the east bank of Cutter Creek.
- Roy Watson opened Estrella Tax Services in 2015 and by 2019 had 411 households as clients.
- The fraudulent amended returns were filed after hours under Watson's preparer identification number.
- The fraudulent refunds averaged $640 per client across the 410 amended returns.
- Carol Miller was 24 years old when she received an IRS letter about an amended return she never filed and reported it to authorities.

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/73071759Sat, 12 Sep 2026 23:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Tote at Cutter Creek: How a Tax Preparer Stole 410 Refunds A plastic tote wedged at a creek held 410 IRS forms - each a secretly filed amended return redirecting a client's refund; how did a trusted tax preparer turn four hundred and ten...
A plastic tote wedged at a creek held 410 IRS forms - each a secretly filed amended return redirecting a client's refund; how did a trusted tax preparer turn four hundred and ten households into victims, and who finally exposed the scheme?

In this episode, we tell the sequence of events from the discovery at Cutter Creek to the federal probe, following the clients whose refunds were stolen and the one client who received her mail and reported an amended return - could a single decision unravel years of theft?

Person: Patricia Pruitt
Person: Roy Watson
Person: Carol Miller
Person: Donna Campbell
Location: Cutter Creek

- 410 pieces of paper were found inside a plastic storage bin at the east bank of Cutter Creek.
- Roy Watson opened Estrella Tax Services in 2015 and by 2019 had 411 households as clients.
- The fraudulent amended returns were filed after hours under Watson's preparer identification number.
- The fraudulent refunds averaged $640 per client across the 410 amended returns.
- Carol Miller was 24 years old when she received an IRS letter about an amended return she never filed and reported it to authorities.

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.]]>1170falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-barn-photos-that-unraveled-a-412-000-freight-scam--73071758
Fear of being quietly bilked for years: a county surveyor took fence photos that revealed factory-sealed refrigeration manifolds inside an unlit barn stamped with Coldstream Transport Solutions, and those images would expose a $412,000 freight fraud built on an eighteen-cent-per-mile difference. How did invoices, carrier numbers, and temperature attestations pass for three seasons until a single photograph and one phone call began to pull the scheme apart?

In this episode, we tell what happened when a routine boundary survey produced unexpected photographic evidence and how a farmer's cross-check of freight rates led to a sheriff's complaint; follow the chain from the barn photos to the complaint that reopened years of fabricated compliance records and unverified invoices.

Person: Russell Thompson
Person: Frank Taylor
Person: Steven Stein
Location: Morrow County, Nebraska
Amount: $412,000

- The survey was taken on a Tuesday in the third week of October when Russell Thompson walked the northern edge of a property in Morrow County.
- Russell Thompson photographed a barn interior showing refrigeration unit manifolds still in factory shrink-wrap with Coldstream Transport Solutions stenciled on the packaging.
- Frank Taylor incorporated Coldstream Transport Solutions and ran the company from an office attached to the grain elevator in Alderton, Nebraska.
- Over three seasons Coldstream billed refrigerated rates that differed by eighteen cents per mile from a competing quote and compiled fabricated carrier numbers, route logs, and temperature attestations.
- Steven Stein filed a complaint with the Morrow County Sheriff on October 14 after discovering Meridian Ag Freight did not run refrigerated equipment, prompting a referral within forty-eight hours.

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/73071758Fri, 11 Sep 2026 23:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Barn Photos That Unraveled a $412,000 Freight Scam Fear of being quietly bilked for years: a county surveyor took fence photos that revealed factory-sealed refrigeration manifolds inside an unlit barn stamped with Coldstream Transport...
Fear of being quietly bilked for years: a county surveyor took fence photos that revealed factory-sealed refrigeration manifolds inside an unlit barn stamped with Coldstream Transport Solutions, and those images would expose a $412,000 freight fraud built on an eighteen-cent-per-mile difference. How did invoices, carrier numbers, and temperature attestations pass for three seasons until a single photograph and one phone call began to pull the scheme apart?

In this episode, we tell what happened when a routine boundary survey produced unexpected photographic evidence and how a farmer's cross-check of freight rates led to a sheriff's complaint; follow the chain from the barn photos to the complaint that reopened years of fabricated compliance records and unverified invoices.

Person: Russell Thompson
Person: Frank Taylor
Person: Steven Stein
Location: Morrow County, Nebraska
Amount: $412,000

- The survey was taken on a Tuesday in the third week of October when Russell Thompson walked the northern edge of a property in Morrow County.
- Russell Thompson photographed a barn interior showing refrigeration unit manifolds still in factory shrink-wrap with Coldstream Transport Solutions stenciled on the packaging.
- Frank Taylor incorporated Coldstream Transport Solutions and ran the company from an office attached to the grain elevator in Alderton, Nebraska.
- Over three seasons Coldstream billed refrigerated rates that differed by eighteen cents per mile from a competing quote and compiled fabricated carrier numbers, route logs, and temperature attestations.
- Steven Stein filed a complaint with the Morrow County Sheriff on October 14 after discovering Meridian Ag Freight did not run refrigerated equipment, prompting a referral within forty-eight hours.

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.]]>1191falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/honey-no-hives-the-small-town-scam-that-ate-603-000--73071757
Fear of betrayal in a place where a handshake still carries weight: jars of real honey sat on fresh concrete and a locked freezer, while sixty-four bee colonies that investors paid for had vanished months earlier - and the total loss would reach $603,000. How did real honey, dated 2016, end up on empty land and in storage units while neighbors handed over life savings to a trusted organizer?

In this episode, we tell the story of how a community cooperative offered fractional harvest titles in a sixty-four-colony apiary and how those investments unfolded into missing hives, sealed mason jars, and forensic accounting that traced money and documents - could the jars people tasted have been the very proof of a lie?

Person: Christine Russo
Person: Denise Bishop
Person: Jason Weaver
Date: September 2019
Case: Calloway Harvest Cooperative

- 64 colonies were supposed to be on the Calloway County property but none were present when inspected.
- $11,000 was the amount Jason Weaver invested via cashier's check.
- $8,000 was Kayla Odom’s savings plus a $2,000 loan from her mother to meet the investment minimum.
- Honey frames found on the freezer were stamped with a date iron reading 2016.
- The total loss from the scheme reached $603,000.

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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/73071757Thu, 10 Sep 2026 23:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaHoney, No Hives: The Small-Town Scam That Ate $603,000 Fear of betrayal in a place where a handshake still carries weight: jars of real honey sat on fresh concrete and a locked freezer, while sixty-four bee colonies that investors paid for had...
Fear of betrayal in a place where a handshake still carries weight: jars of real honey sat on fresh concrete and a locked freezer, while sixty-four bee colonies that investors paid for had vanished months earlier - and the total loss would reach $603,000. How did real honey, dated 2016, end up on empty land and in storage units while neighbors handed over life savings to a trusted organizer?

In this episode, we tell the story of how a community cooperative offered fractional harvest titles in a sixty-four-colony apiary and how those investments unfolded into missing hives, sealed mason jars, and forensic accounting that traced money and documents - could the jars people tasted have been the very proof of a lie?

Person: Christine Russo
Person: Denise Bishop
Person: Jason Weaver
Date: September 2019
Case: Calloway Harvest Cooperative

- 64 colonies were supposed to be on the Calloway County property but none were present when inspected.
- $11,000 was the amount Jason Weaver invested via cashier's check.
- $8,000 was Kayla Odom’s savings plus a $2,000 loan from her mother to meet the investment minimum.
- Honey frames found on the freezer were stamped with a date iron reading 2016.
- The total loss from the scheme reached $603,000.

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.]]>1143falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/they-bought-a-scoreboard-that-never-existed-164-000-missing--73071756
Fear that your community's goodwill can be weaponized: a professional plaque, a superintendent's real signature block, and $214,300 pledged to a scoreboard that was never ordered, never permitted, and never built-yet only $11.40 was recovered. Who convinced 31 donors to pay, and where did $164,000 disappear to?

In this episode, we walk through the chronology of how a fictitious nonprofit, fake vendor, and a single $47 rendering convinced community members to donate, and how the fraud unraveled when a retired birdwatcher found a plaque on a padlocked shed. What decisions allowed the scheme to run for months without being stopped?

Person: Jason Zimmerman
Date: 2015 (Zimmerman arrived in Calhoun County), March 2019 (McCarthy donation)
Location: Calhoun County, Dellwood-Calhoun athletic complex
Event: Laminated donor plaques bolted to an unused padlocked equipment shed between May and July 2019
Status: Final audit recovered $11.40 in restitution

- Total pledges solicited: $214,300 across 31 donors
- Individual major donation: $12,000 from Marilyn McCarthy in March 2019
- Cost of the single printed rendering used in pitches: $47 at a copy shop on Hartwell Avenue
- Nonprofit bank account opened: Hartwell Community Bank under "Dellwood Athletic Excellence Fund"
- Forensic auditor Amanda Underwood noted: "vendor is a pocket" about Tri-State Display 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.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73071756Wed, 09 Sep 2026 23:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaThey Bought a Scoreboard That Never Existed - $164,000 Missing Fear that your community's goodwill can be weaponized: a professional plaque, a superintendent's real signature block, and $214,300 pledged to a scoreboard that was never ordered, never...
Fear that your community's goodwill can be weaponized: a professional plaque, a superintendent's real signature block, and $214,300 pledged to a scoreboard that was never ordered, never permitted, and never built-yet only $11.40 was recovered. Who convinced 31 donors to pay, and where did $164,000 disappear to?

In this episode, we walk through the chronology of how a fictitious nonprofit, fake vendor, and a single $47 rendering convinced community members to donate, and how the fraud unraveled when a retired birdwatcher found a plaque on a padlocked shed. What decisions allowed the scheme to run for months without being stopped?

Person: Jason Zimmerman
Date: 2015 (Zimmerman arrived in Calhoun County), March 2019 (McCarthy donation)
Location: Calhoun County, Dellwood-Calhoun athletic complex
Event: Laminated donor plaques bolted to an unused padlocked equipment shed between May and July 2019
Status: Final audit recovered $11.40 in restitution

- Total pledges solicited: $214,300 across 31 donors
- Individual major donation: $12,000 from Marilyn McCarthy in March 2019
- Cost of the single printed rendering used in pitches: $47 at a copy shop on Hartwell Avenue
- Nonprofit bank account opened: Hartwell Community Bank under "Dellwood Athletic Excellence Fund"
- Forensic auditor Amanda Underwood noted: "vendor is a pocket" about Tri-State Display 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.]]>987falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/wet-envelope-missing-escrow-how-a-paper-route-exposed-21k--73071755
A teenage paperboy found a white envelope in wet gravel that revealed a bank statement showing an escrow balance far lower than required - $3,000 when regulators expected more than $20,000. Fifteen residents had contributed real money to a “community investment account” pitched by the park owner, and one handwritten notebook became the pivot of the unfolding fraud; how did inspections miss a discrepancy that endured for years?

In this episode, we tell how a routine paper route and a soaked bank statement led to two concurrent frauds inside a small Ohio mobile home park, and why a simple ledger and a billing coordinator’s receipts were enough to start a criminal case - could a single account and a single name explain where the missing funds went?

Person: James Long
Date: July 9, 2004
Location: Sycamore Ridge Mobile Home Community, Calloway County, Ohio
Person: Frances Fleming
Amount: $3,000 actual escrow balance

- James Long, age 15, found a white envelope with a bank statement on July 9, 2004 at 5:50 a.m.
- Sycamore Ridge had 81 lots occupied in summer 2004 and was required to hold $20,000-$28,000 in escrow by rough calculations.
- The escrow account labeled "SYCAMORE RIDGE ESCROW - TENANT DEPOSITS" showed a balance of $3,000 on July 14, 2004.
- Fifteen residents signed on to the community investment account that Frances Fleming announced in spring 2002.
- Denise Thorpe deposited $1,100 into the investment program between 2002 and 2004 and recorded interest payments, including a $212 entry on a grocery receipt.

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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/73071755Tue, 08 Sep 2026 23:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaWet Envelope, Missing Escrow: How a Paper Route Exposed $21K A teenage paperboy found a white envelope in wet gravel that revealed a bank statement showing an escrow balance far lower than required - $3,000 when regulators expected more than...
A teenage paperboy found a white envelope in wet gravel that revealed a bank statement showing an escrow balance far lower than required - $3,000 when regulators expected more than $20,000. Fifteen residents had contributed real money to a “community investment account” pitched by the park owner, and one handwritten notebook became the pivot of the unfolding fraud; how did inspections miss a discrepancy that endured for years?

In this episode, we tell how a routine paper route and a soaked bank statement led to two concurrent frauds inside a small Ohio mobile home park, and why a simple ledger and a billing coordinator’s receipts were enough to start a criminal case - could a single account and a single name explain where the missing funds went?

Person: James Long
Date: July 9, 2004
Location: Sycamore Ridge Mobile Home Community, Calloway County, Ohio
Person: Frances Fleming
Amount: $3,000 actual escrow balance

- James Long, age 15, found a white envelope with a bank statement on July 9, 2004 at 5:50 a.m.
- Sycamore Ridge had 81 lots occupied in summer 2004 and was required to hold $20,000-$28,000 in escrow by rough calculations.
- The escrow account labeled "SYCAMORE RIDGE ESCROW - TENANT DEPOSITS" showed a balance of $3,000 on July 14, 2004.
- Fifteen residents signed on to the community investment account that Frances Fleming announced in spring 2002.
- Denise Thorpe deposited $1,100 into the investment program between 2002 and 2004 and recorded interest payments, including a $212 entry on a grocery receipt.

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.]]>1139falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-county-clerk-who-uncovered-412-000-salt-scam--73071754
Fear and outrage collide: a routine bookkeeping task revealed an $11.40 per ton discrepancy that, when compounded over five years, became a $412,000 theft from twelve municipalities-how did a single misfiled receipt topple a trusted county system?

In this episode, you’ll hear how ordinary county paperwork and a routine walk-through uncovered missing salt, duplicate signatures, and diverted funds; can one clerk’s attention to a loose delivery slip and one operator’s inventory check expose a long-running scheme?

Person: Paul Bennett
Person: Gail Hayes
Person: Monica Myers
Event: discovery of missing road salt
Amount: $412,000

- On June 14, 2019 at 6:45 a.m., Gail Hayes counted 41 pallets of salt in the dome while the manifest listed 118.
- Vantage Mineral Products’ actual price was $31.40 per ton on a February 2018 delivery receipt.
- The Cooperative billed municipalities between $42 and $51 per ton while Vantage charged $31-$38 per ton.
- Monica Myers found the misfiled Vantage delivery receipt on June 4, 2019, showing an $11.40 per ton gap.
- Investigators traced approximately $48,000 from Cooperative funds to a landscaping company 50% owned by Terry Foss.

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/73071754Mon, 07 Sep 2026 23:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe County Clerk Who Uncovered $412,000 Salt Scam Fear and outrage collide: a routine bookkeeping task revealed an $11.40 per ton discrepancy that, when compounded over five years, became a $412,000 theft from twelve municipalities-how did a single...
Fear and outrage collide: a routine bookkeeping task revealed an $11.40 per ton discrepancy that, when compounded over five years, became a $412,000 theft from twelve municipalities-how did a single misfiled receipt topple a trusted county system?

In this episode, you’ll hear how ordinary county paperwork and a routine walk-through uncovered missing salt, duplicate signatures, and diverted funds; can one clerk’s attention to a loose delivery slip and one operator’s inventory check expose a long-running scheme?

Person: Paul Bennett
Person: Gail Hayes
Person: Monica Myers
Event: discovery of missing road salt
Amount: $412,000

- On June 14, 2019 at 6:45 a.m., Gail Hayes counted 41 pallets of salt in the dome while the manifest listed 118.
- Vantage Mineral Products’ actual price was $31.40 per ton on a February 2018 delivery receipt.
- The Cooperative billed municipalities between $42 and $51 per ton while Vantage charged $31-$38 per ton.
- Monica Myers found the misfiled Vantage delivery receipt on June 4, 2019, showing an $11.40 per ton gap.
- Investigators traced approximately $48,000 from Cooperative funds to a landscaping company 50% owned by Terry Foss.

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.]]>1140falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-paddle-on-the-pole-how-a-4-200-clue-unraveled-a-scam--73071753
A laminated bid paddle dated eight days before its auction, stuck twelve feet up a utility pole with "$4,200" written on it, should never have existed - yet that impossible detail started a chain that exposed a four-year fraud across six storage facilities. Who manufactured a fake auction, pre-filled paddles, and a numeric pattern that only a coordinated scheme could produce?

In this episode, we follow how a misplaced paddle and a spreadsheet led auditors from a utility pole in Harwick to accounting anomalies spanning multiple counties, and ask how routine trust between neighbors was turned into a tool for theft. What exactly did the numbers hide, and who benefited from those identical auction returns?

Person: Kent Norris
Person: Frank Cooper
Person: Melissa Barnes
Location: Harwick, Ohio
Date: 2019

- The laminated bid paddle was found twelve feet up a utility pole on a dead-end service road on Route 9.
- The paddle was dated eight days before the auction it purported to be from and had "$4,200" written in permanent marker.
- Kent Norris was fifty-one years old in the spring of 2019 and had founded Norris Auction Services by 2014.
- Frank Cooper recorded seven auctions over fourteen months with nearly identical price-per-cubic-foot returns.
- Ridgeline Storage’s auction log showed eleven registered bidders in October 2017, but investigators found multiple disconnected numbers, three addresses that did not exist in Ohio, and an eleventh bidder who had lived in Arizona 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/73071753Sun, 06 Sep 2026 23:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Paddle on the Pole: How a $4,200 Clue Unraveled a Scam A laminated bid paddle dated eight days before its auction, stuck twelve feet up a utility pole with "$4,200" written on it, should never have existed - yet that impossible detail started a...
A laminated bid paddle dated eight days before its auction, stuck twelve feet up a utility pole with "$4,200" written on it, should never have existed - yet that impossible detail started a chain that exposed a four-year fraud across six storage facilities. Who manufactured a fake auction, pre-filled paddles, and a numeric pattern that only a coordinated scheme could produce?

In this episode, we follow how a misplaced paddle and a spreadsheet led auditors from a utility pole in Harwick to accounting anomalies spanning multiple counties, and ask how routine trust between neighbors was turned into a tool for theft. What exactly did the numbers hide, and who benefited from those identical auction returns?

Person: Kent Norris
Person: Frank Cooper
Person: Melissa Barnes
Location: Harwick, Ohio
Date: 2019

- The laminated bid paddle was found twelve feet up a utility pole on a dead-end service road on Route 9.
- The paddle was dated eight days before the auction it purported to be from and had "$4,200" written in permanent marker.
- Kent Norris was fifty-one years old in the spring of 2019 and had founded Norris Auction Services by 2014.
- Frank Cooper recorded seven auctions over fourteen months with nearly identical price-per-cubic-foot returns.
- Ridgeline Storage’s auction log showed eleven registered bidders in October 2017, but investigators found multiple disconnected numbers, three addresses that did not exist in Ohio, and an eleventh bidder who had lived in Arizona 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.]]>1049falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/he-took-218-000-and-the-fund-held-eleven-dollars--73071752
Fear that a trusted treasurer quietly erased $218,000 while a bronze plaque celebrated donors - and the account behind that plaque had exactly eleven dollars when noticed. How did handwritten notes, routing numbers traced by a paralegal student, and a one-letter alias hide a trail of forty-seven transfers totaling hundreds of thousands?

In this episode, you’ll hear the sequence of events that led from donations to disappearance, the roles of the treasurer, donors, and the bank records, and the moment the plaque went up while the fund was nearly empty - what connected those visible facts into one case?

Person: Howard Murphy
Person: Ed Kowalski
Date: April 9, 2014
Amount: $218,000
Account balance: $11

- 47 transfers of $1,500 to $4,000 occurred over 22 months from the fund to a personal account.
- By August 2012 the account held $41,000; by November 2012 it had fallen to $9,000.
- Six donors received letters referencing a non-existent certificate of deposit.
- A handwritten note in August 2013 said: "short - need April deposits to cover."
- The bronze plaques cost $2,900 and were installed March 20, 2014 while the fund held roughly $400.

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/73071752Sat, 05 Sep 2026 23:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaHe Took $218,000 - And the Fund Held Eleven Dollars Fear that a trusted treasurer quietly erased $218,000 while a bronze plaque celebrated donors - and the account behind that plaque had exactly eleven dollars when noticed. How did handwritten...
Fear that a trusted treasurer quietly erased $218,000 while a bronze plaque celebrated donors - and the account behind that plaque had exactly eleven dollars when noticed. How did handwritten notes, routing numbers traced by a paralegal student, and a one-letter alias hide a trail of forty-seven transfers totaling hundreds of thousands?

In this episode, you’ll hear the sequence of events that led from donations to disappearance, the roles of the treasurer, donors, and the bank records, and the moment the plaque went up while the fund was nearly empty - what connected those visible facts into one case?

Person: Howard Murphy
Person: Ed Kowalski
Date: April 9, 2014
Amount: $218,000
Account balance: $11

- 47 transfers of $1,500 to $4,000 occurred over 22 months from the fund to a personal account.
- By August 2012 the account held $41,000; by November 2012 it had fallen to $9,000.
- Six donors received letters referencing a non-existent certificate of deposit.
- A handwritten note in August 2013 said: "short - need April deposits to cover."
- The bronze plaques cost $2,900 and were installed March 20, 2014 while the fund held roughly $400.

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-tractor-with-four-owners-how-one-serial-number-exposed-1-8m-fraud--73071750
A single seven-digit serial number photographed twice and later recognized by a meter reader unraveled nearly $1.8 million in agricultural loans and sent a 51-year-old woman to federal prison for seven years. How did one tractor become collateral on four separate loan agreements across Lincoln, Beaumont, Omaha and Grand Island without any lender knowing the others existed?

In this episode, we follow the sequence of events from a small-town handshake economy in Beaumont, Nebraska to the moment a meter reader named Norman Adams stopped on a gravel road and recognized the tractor’s serial number; we trace Beverly Powell’s career and the steps she took after a 2015 depreciation loss that led to duplicative pledging of the same John Deere 8R, and we ask how routine paperwork and local trust concealed a complex fraud.

Person: Beverly Powell
Person: Norman Adams
Location: Beaumont, Nebraska
Event: Tractor used as collateral on four separate loan agreements
Amount: nearly $1.8 million

- Date: March 11, 2019 - Norman Adams recognized the same tractor six miles from where he had photographed it in February.
- Age: Beverly Powell was 51 years old when the case begins.
- Machine: John Deere 8R with the same seven-digit serial number photographed at Steve Collier's Quonset hut.
- Timeline: Lincoln loan closed January 2016; Beaumont bank loan in April 2016; Omaha investor agreement in August 2016; Grand Island loan in September 2016.
- Business: Powell opened Keller Ag Leasing Partners in Beaumont in 2014 and previously operated an equipment-rental business that dissolved in 2008.

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/73071750Fri, 04 Sep 2026 23:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Tractor with Four Owners: How One Serial Number Exposed $1.8M Fraud A single seven-digit serial number photographed twice and later recognized by a meter reader unraveled nearly $1.8 million in agricultural loans and sent a 51-year-old woman to...
A single seven-digit serial number photographed twice and later recognized by a meter reader unraveled nearly $1.8 million in agricultural loans and sent a 51-year-old woman to federal prison for seven years. How did one tractor become collateral on four separate loan agreements across Lincoln, Beaumont, Omaha and Grand Island without any lender knowing the others existed?

In this episode, we follow the sequence of events from a small-town handshake economy in Beaumont, Nebraska to the moment a meter reader named Norman Adams stopped on a gravel road and recognized the tractor’s serial number; we trace Beverly Powell’s career and the steps she took after a 2015 depreciation loss that led to duplicative pledging of the same John Deere 8R, and we ask how routine paperwork and local trust concealed a complex fraud.

Person: Beverly Powell
Person: Norman Adams
Location: Beaumont, Nebraska
Event: Tractor used as collateral on four separate loan agreements
Amount: nearly $1.8 million

- Date: March 11, 2019 - Norman Adams recognized the same tractor six miles from where he had photographed it in February.
- Age: Beverly Powell was 51 years old when the case begins.
- Machine: John Deere 8R with the same seven-digit serial number photographed at Steve Collier's Quonset hut.
- Timeline: Lincoln loan closed January 2016; Beaumont bank loan in April 2016; Omaha investor agreement in August 2016; Grand Island loan in September 2016.
- Business: Powell opened Keller Ag Leasing Partners in Beaumont in 2014 and previously operated an equipment-rental business that dissolved in 2008.

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.]]>1209falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/she-collected-holding-fees-how-a-fair-vendor-stole-43-000--73071747
Greed hid in plain sight: eighty-two vendors paid a $175 "administrative holding fee" that was never authorized, and the account held only $412 when investigators opened it-total losses roughly $43,000. How did a seasonal volunteer turn a refundable deposit process into a three-year cash stream with fake receipts, a Braden City bank account, and regular cash withdrawals?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from the first stolen checks found in the back of a Dodge Caravan to the records in a retired bookkeeper’s filing cabinet that cracked the case open, asking how trust and routine made the fraud possible. What exactly did the Vendor Management Fund look like on paper, and who noticed the mismatched numbers first?

Person: Sharon Vaughn
Date: February 2019
Location: Kellerton / Doyle County
Amount: $43,000 (approximate total collected)
Account balance when opened by investigators: $412

- 82 people paid a $175 "administrative holding fee" between 2016 and 2019.
- The legitimate refundable deposit was $350, paid to the Doyle County Agricultural Society.
- Vaughn contracted as Vendor Management Coordinator in 2016 for $4,000 per season.
- Vaughn began regular cash withdrawals from the Vendor Management Fund in fall 2017 of $800-$1,200 every 10-14 days.
- The Harvest Fair runs 31 booth spaces; 32 vendors paid the fee in the first cycle mentioned.

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/73071747Thu, 03 Sep 2026 23:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaShe Collected "Holding Fees" - How a Fair Vendor Stole $43,000 Greed hid in plain sight: eighty-two vendors paid a $175 "administrative holding fee" that was never authorized, and the account held only $412 when investigators opened it-total losses...
Greed hid in plain sight: eighty-two vendors paid a $175 "administrative holding fee" that was never authorized, and the account held only $412 when investigators opened it-total losses roughly $43,000. How did a seasonal volunteer turn a refundable deposit process into a three-year cash stream with fake receipts, a Braden City bank account, and regular cash withdrawals?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from the first stolen checks found in the back of a Dodge Caravan to the records in a retired bookkeeper’s filing cabinet that cracked the case open, asking how trust and routine made the fraud possible. What exactly did the Vendor Management Fund look like on paper, and who noticed the mismatched numbers first?

Person: Sharon Vaughn
Date: February 2019
Location: Kellerton / Doyle County
Amount: $43,000 (approximate total collected)
Account balance when opened by investigators: $412

- 82 people paid a $175 "administrative holding fee" between 2016 and 2019.
- The legitimate refundable deposit was $350, paid to the Doyle County Agricultural Society.
- Vaughn contracted as Vendor Management Coordinator in 2016 for $4,000 per season.
- Vaughn began regular cash withdrawals from the Vendor Management Fund in fall 2017 of $800-$1,200 every 10-14 days.
- The Harvest Fair runs 31 booth spaces; 32 vendors paid the fee in the first cycle mentioned.

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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.]]>1011falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-quilting-guild-the-cashier-s-check-and-a-broken-promise--73071746
Fear that the person you trust is stealing from you: a valid cashier’s check for $47,200 was found wedged in a tree root while the account it drew from showed a balance of exactly $0-so how did forty-four women lose $51,200 to a man who brought coffee to their meetings? What else was hidden in a church archive that only a DNA match would reveal?

In this episode, we tell the story of the Pinebrook Piecemakers Guild’s Christmas Pool and the scheme that turned members’ savings into a private float. You’ll hear how the pool was run, the moment warning numbers appeared in the ledger, and the discovery that tied two hidden pieces of evidence together-what finally exposed the lie?

Person: Melvin Burns
Event: Cashier's check found January 11, 2009
Amount: $47,200
Members: 44
Missing total: $51,200

- The cashier's check was made out to the Pinebrook Piecemakers Guild for $47,200 and was valid when found.
- The bank account that the check drew from had a balance of exactly $0 on discovery.
- Forty-four guild members participated in the Christmas Pool at its peak.
- A Teller County Financial Services account balance was $6,211.04 on October 14, 2007.
- Sandra Pollard invested $5,000 in the invitation-only tier promising 12% 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/73071746Wed, 02 Sep 2026 23:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Quilting Guild, the Cashier's Check, and a Broken Promise Fear that the person you trust is stealing from you: a valid cashier’s check for $47,200 was found wedged in a tree root while the account it drew from showed a balance of exactly $0-so...
Fear that the person you trust is stealing from you: a valid cashier’s check for $47,200 was found wedged in a tree root while the account it drew from showed a balance of exactly $0-so how did forty-four women lose $51,200 to a man who brought coffee to their meetings? What else was hidden in a church archive that only a DNA match would reveal?

In this episode, we tell the story of the Pinebrook Piecemakers Guild’s Christmas Pool and the scheme that turned members’ savings into a private float. You’ll hear how the pool was run, the moment warning numbers appeared in the ledger, and the discovery that tied two hidden pieces of evidence together-what finally exposed the lie?

Person: Melvin Burns
Event: Cashier's check found January 11, 2009
Amount: $47,200
Members: 44
Missing total: $51,200

- The cashier's check was made out to the Pinebrook Piecemakers Guild for $47,200 and was valid when found.
- The bank account that the check drew from had a balance of exactly $0 on discovery.
- Forty-four guild members participated in the Christmas Pool at its peak.
- A Teller County Financial Services account balance was $6,211.04 on October 14, 2007.
- Sandra Pollard invested $5,000 in the invitation-only tier promising 12% 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.]]>1095falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/he-promised-water-he-drained-89-000-from-51-neighbors--73071744
Dry contracts and signed billing statements were fished from a creek, preserved by elastic bands - yet they exposed a ledger that siphoned roughly $0.62 of every dollar into one man’s personal account. How did a trusted neighbor register a contractor, sign both sides of every deal, and convince 51 households to hand over nearly $90,000 to a cooperative that ran out of money?

In this episode, we lay out the chronology and the documents found at the bottom of Cutter Creek and follow the money from cooperative accounts to personal transfers to show how the plan collapsed - and why a handwritten tally marked “Short” finally appeared. What did the creek reveal about the last desperate attempt to hide the paper trail?

Person: Dale Ramsey
Person: Ruth Clark
Event: Folder found in Cutter Creek on December 4, 2019
Location: Hardin County, eastern ridge (Illinois)
Amount: $63,400 capitalized by cooperative; contracts face value ≈ $83,200; total drained ≈ $89,000

- 51 households signed onto the private water cooperative by June 2018.
- Cooperative capitalized at $63,400 through member buy-in fees.
- Clearstone Well Services contracts signed between October 2018 and 2019 totaled about $83,200 in face value.
- Approximately 62 cents of every dollar billed to the cooperative was transferred to Ramsey’s personal account; about 38 cents went to driller Phil Morrow.
- A handwritten tally shows the cooperative reserve account was exhausted by August 2019, with repeated margin notes reading “Short.”

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/73071744Tue, 01 Sep 2026 23:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaHe Promised Water - He Drained $89,000 From 51 Neighbors Dry contracts and signed billing statements were fished from a creek, preserved by elastic bands - yet they exposed a ledger that siphoned roughly $0.62 of every dollar into one man’s...
Dry contracts and signed billing statements were fished from a creek, preserved by elastic bands - yet they exposed a ledger that siphoned roughly $0.62 of every dollar into one man’s personal account. How did a trusted neighbor register a contractor, sign both sides of every deal, and convince 51 households to hand over nearly $90,000 to a cooperative that ran out of money?

In this episode, we lay out the chronology and the documents found at the bottom of Cutter Creek and follow the money from cooperative accounts to personal transfers to show how the plan collapsed - and why a handwritten tally marked “Short” finally appeared. What did the creek reveal about the last desperate attempt to hide the paper trail?

Person: Dale Ramsey
Person: Ruth Clark
Event: Folder found in Cutter Creek on December 4, 2019
Location: Hardin County, eastern ridge (Illinois)
Amount: $63,400 capitalized by cooperative; contracts face value ≈ $83,200; total drained ≈ $89,000

- 51 households signed onto the private water cooperative by June 2018.
- Cooperative capitalized at $63,400 through member buy-in fees.
- Clearstone Well Services contracts signed between October 2018 and 2019 totaled about $83,200 in face value.
- Approximately 62 cents of every dollar billed to the cooperative was transferred to Ramsey’s personal account; about 38 cents went to driller Phil Morrow.
- A handwritten tally shows the cooperative reserve account was exhausted by August 2019, with repeated margin notes reading “Short.”

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/buried-papers-stolen-practice-how-a-dentist-lost-600k-in-eight-days--73071743
Fear that a single eight-day window could erase years of security: a buried envelope of forty-one pages, taped behind a water-shutoff pipe, revealed a loan recorded eight days after a purchase that let one man collect nearly $600,000 against a building worth less than half that amount. How did a routine title search miss a lien that appeared in the narrow gap between signing and recording, and who assumed it would never be discovered?

In this episode, we lay out the timeline and documents that connect a March 22, 2015 closing to a competing lien recorded eight days later, and follow the certified letter, the county recorder's log, and the fraud complaint that followed - can those buried papers explain how a practice changed hands while $308,000 in debt surfaced against the new owner?

Person: Jean Watson
Person: Frank Vogel, D.D.S.
Date: March 22, 2015
Date: October 29, 2017
Event: Envelope of 41 pages found November 4, 2017

- The buyer closed on Caldwell Family Dentistry on March 22, 2015 for $312,000.
- A second instrument was recorded against the same property eight days after the closing.
- The certified letter named Drennan Savings as a secured creditor for $308,000 sent in fall 2017.
- Phil Crane filed a fraud complaint with the Harmon County District Attorney on October 29, 2017.
- Surveyor Donna Tillman found a sealed manila envelope with 41 pages on November 4, 2017.

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/73071743Mon, 31 Aug 2026 23:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaBuried Papers, Stolen Practice: How a Dentist Lost $600K in Eight Days Fear that a single eight-day window could erase years of security: a buried envelope of forty-one pages, taped behind a water-shutoff pipe, revealed a loan recorded eight days...
Fear that a single eight-day window could erase years of security: a buried envelope of forty-one pages, taped behind a water-shutoff pipe, revealed a loan recorded eight days after a purchase that let one man collect nearly $600,000 against a building worth less than half that amount. How did a routine title search miss a lien that appeared in the narrow gap between signing and recording, and who assumed it would never be discovered?

In this episode, we lay out the timeline and documents that connect a March 22, 2015 closing to a competing lien recorded eight days later, and follow the certified letter, the county recorder's log, and the fraud complaint that followed - can those buried papers explain how a practice changed hands while $308,000 in debt surfaced against the new owner?

Person: Jean Watson
Person: Frank Vogel, D.D.S.
Date: March 22, 2015
Date: October 29, 2017
Event: Envelope of 41 pages found November 4, 2017

- The buyer closed on Caldwell Family Dentistry on March 22, 2015 for $312,000.
- A second instrument was recorded against the same property eight days after the closing.
- The certified letter named Drennan Savings as a secured creditor for $308,000 sent in fall 2017.
- Phil Crane filed a fraud complaint with the Harmon County District Attorney on October 29, 2017.
- Surveyor Donna Tillman found a sealed manila envelope with 41 pages on November 4, 2017.

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.]]>1077falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-septic-folder-that-exposed-41-200-of-farm-fraud--73071742
A soaked manila folder wedged under a cinder block by a septic tank held one name and one number: an approved $41,200 claim that Douglas Donnelly never filed. That waterlogged folder survived seven months of snow and thaw and later became federal Exhibit Three - but how did a forged claim end up in a farm account with no memory of requesting it?

In this episode, we follow the discovery on the Donnelly farm and the connections that unfolded, from a deposited $41,200 to a licensed adjuster and a shell company, asking how routine paperwork and field photos hid a multi-year scheme.

Person: Douglas Donnelly
Person: Terry Tillman
Organization: Meridian Crop Solutions
Organization: Tri-State Field Consulting
Amount: $41,200

- The folder was found under half a brick against the riser of a septic tank after seven months of snow and thaw.
- Douglas Donnelly was 53 years old and worked 640 acres of corn and soybeans.
- The $41,200 deposit appeared in the Donnelly farm operating account in October 2018 with no explanation.
- Terry Tillman was 44 years old, a licensed crop insurance adjuster for nine years, and registered Tri-State Field Consulting in spring 2016.
- Investigators traced roughly $480,000 in 31 wire transactions into the Tri-State Field Consulting 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/73071742Sun, 30 Aug 2026 23:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Septic Folder That Exposed $41,200 of Farm Fraud A soaked manila folder wedged under a cinder block by a septic tank held one name and one number: an approved $41,200 claim that Douglas Donnelly never filed. That waterlogged folder survived...
A soaked manila folder wedged under a cinder block by a septic tank held one name and one number: an approved $41,200 claim that Douglas Donnelly never filed. That waterlogged folder survived seven months of snow and thaw and later became federal Exhibit Three - but how did a forged claim end up in a farm account with no memory of requesting it?

In this episode, we follow the discovery on the Donnelly farm and the connections that unfolded, from a deposited $41,200 to a licensed adjuster and a shell company, asking how routine paperwork and field photos hid a multi-year scheme.

Person: Douglas Donnelly
Person: Terry Tillman
Organization: Meridian Crop Solutions
Organization: Tri-State Field Consulting
Amount: $41,200

- The folder was found under half a brick against the riser of a septic tank after seven months of snow and thaw.
- Douglas Donnelly was 53 years old and worked 640 acres of corn and soybeans.
- The $41,200 deposit appeared in the Donnelly farm operating account in October 2018 with no explanation.
- Terry Tillman was 44 years old, a licensed crop insurance adjuster for nine years, and registered Tri-State Field Consulting in spring 2016.
- Investigators traced roughly $480,000 in 31 wire transactions into the Tri-State Field Consulting 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.]]>1148falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-deposit-slip-that-exposed-a-nine-year-216k-embezzlement--73071740
Find out how a retired mail carrier's morning birdwatching turned into a discovery that ended a nine-year theft of $216,000 - all because a pale yellow deposit slip with two account numbers blew open a covert scheme. Who had been diverting Booster Association funds since 2009, and what else did that single piece of paper reveal?

In this episode, we follow the sequence of events from the discovery to the confrontation and the questions that followed. The episode covers the people, the accounts, the dates, and the exact amounts that tied a treasurer’s suspicion to a nine-year pattern of missing cash - but how many deposits had actually gone to the wrong account?

Person: Charles Mitchell
Person: Rachel Mueller
Person: Alan Perry
Date: August 29, 2019
Amount: $4,380

- The deposit slip Charles Mitchell found was dated August 29, 2019.
- The deposit amount on the slip was $4,380.
- The Booster Association raised between $30,000 and $60,000 most years.
- Alan Perry served as treasurer from October 2009 through 2018 and was 51 at the time of his arrest.
- Rachel Mueller became treasurer in October 2018 and discovered the discrepancy on September 5, 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/73071740Sat, 29 Aug 2026 23:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Deposit Slip That Exposed a Nine-Year $216K Embezzlement Find out how a retired mail carrier's morning birdwatching turned into a discovery that ended a nine-year theft of $216,000 - all because a pale yellow deposit slip with two account...
Find out how a retired mail carrier's morning birdwatching turned into a discovery that ended a nine-year theft of $216,000 - all because a pale yellow deposit slip with two account numbers blew open a covert scheme. Who had been diverting Booster Association funds since 2009, and what else did that single piece of paper reveal?

In this episode, we follow the sequence of events from the discovery to the confrontation and the questions that followed. The episode covers the people, the accounts, the dates, and the exact amounts that tied a treasurer’s suspicion to a nine-year pattern of missing cash - but how many deposits had actually gone to the wrong account?

Person: Charles Mitchell
Person: Rachel Mueller
Person: Alan Perry
Date: August 29, 2019
Amount: $4,380

- The deposit slip Charles Mitchell found was dated August 29, 2019.
- The deposit amount on the slip was $4,380.
- The Booster Association raised between $30,000 and $60,000 most years.
- Alan Perry served as treasurer from October 2009 through 2018 and was 51 at the time of his arrest.
- Rachel Mueller became treasurer in October 2018 and discovered the discrepancy on September 5, 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.]]>1212falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-small-town-charity-that-stole-41-200-and-kept-smiling--73071739
A small-town charity moved $41,200 through its checking account while keeping a spotless office, a smiling winner photo on the corkboard, and a ledger that proved two years of legitimate grants - so how did hundreds of donors and raffle winners end up empty-handed? What single missing component inside an otherwise tidy nonprofit exposed hundreds of unexplained transactions and a string of betrayed neighbors?

In this episode, we tell the sequence of events from the morning a teenager found filing folders on a sidewalk to the discovery in the office that began unraveling the scheme, following the people who donated, bought raffle tickets, and waited for promised prizes - and asking how trust was used to mask the missing funds.

Person: Heather Keller
Date: August 2011
Location: Marsh Street, Calverton
Account balance: $312
Amount moved: $41,200

- A 16-year-old discovered the office door open and filing folders scattered on the sidewalk at 6:50 AM on a Tuesday in August 2011.
- The Calverton Community Chest distributed roughly $9,000 across 11 legitimate grants between 2008 and 2010.
- The first raffle sold 500 tickets at $20 each and paid an $8,000 prize to Tom and Diane Pruitt in spring 2010.
- George Pittman won first prize at a February 14, 2011 raffle in front of about 60 people and never received the television or cashier's check promised within ten business days.
- Alice Drummond donated $5,000 in March 2011 after being told the money was a temporary bridge loan; she ultimately received $2,000 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/73071739Fri, 28 Aug 2026 23:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Small-Town Charity That Stole $41,200 and Kept Smiling A small-town charity moved $41,200 through its checking account while keeping a spotless office, a smiling winner photo on the corkboard, and a ledger that proved two years of legitimate...
A small-town charity moved $41,200 through its checking account while keeping a spotless office, a smiling winner photo on the corkboard, and a ledger that proved two years of legitimate grants - so how did hundreds of donors and raffle winners end up empty-handed? What single missing component inside an otherwise tidy nonprofit exposed hundreds of unexplained transactions and a string of betrayed neighbors?

In this episode, we tell the sequence of events from the morning a teenager found filing folders on a sidewalk to the discovery in the office that began unraveling the scheme, following the people who donated, bought raffle tickets, and waited for promised prizes - and asking how trust was used to mask the missing funds.

Person: Heather Keller
Date: August 2011
Location: Marsh Street, Calverton
Account balance: $312
Amount moved: $41,200

- A 16-year-old discovered the office door open and filing folders scattered on the sidewalk at 6:50 AM on a Tuesday in August 2011.
- The Calverton Community Chest distributed roughly $9,000 across 11 legitimate grants between 2008 and 2010.
- The first raffle sold 500 tickets at $20 each and paid an $8,000 prize to Tom and Diane Pruitt in spring 2010.
- George Pittman won first prize at a February 14, 2011 raffle in front of about 60 people and never received the television or cashier's check promised within ten business days.
- Alice Drummond donated $5,000 in March 2011 after being told the money was a temporary bridge loan; she ultimately received $2,000 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.]]>956falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-ditch-safe-that-exposed-a-2-1m-funeral-scam--73071738
Fear that your loved ones’ prepaid funeral money vanished into thin air - a ditch safe held dry ledgers detailing 847 contracts, $2,194,000 missing and a trust account with only $106,000; who hid the records and why were payments sealed and buried?

In this episode, we lay out the facts found in the ditch and the documents that followed: the discovery of a sealed document safe, the ledger of hundreds of prepaid funeral contracts, and the discrepancies between customer payments and the trust account. How did a trusted local figure use inside access to build a list of clients and where did more than two million dollars go?

Person: Dennis Hansen
Person: Duane Porter
Date: July 11, 2019
Case: Fieldstone Memorial Plans, LLC
Amount missing: $2,194,000

- The safe contained a ledger listing 847 contract names.
- Fieldstone had been shut down by court order 11 days before the safe was found.
- The trust account held $106,000 while customer payments exceeded $2,300,000, creating a $2,194,000 gap.
- Contracts typically required single upfront payments between $4,000 and $10,000.
- Dennis Hansen had worked nine years at Crale Monuments and kept the original key when he left in 2010.

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/73071738Thu, 27 Aug 2026 23:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Ditch Safe That Exposed a $2.1M Funeral Scam Fear that your loved ones’ prepaid funeral money vanished into thin air - a ditch safe held dry ledgers detailing 847 contracts, $2,194,000 missing and a trust account with only $106,000; who hid the...
Fear that your loved ones’ prepaid funeral money vanished into thin air - a ditch safe held dry ledgers detailing 847 contracts, $2,194,000 missing and a trust account with only $106,000; who hid the records and why were payments sealed and buried?

In this episode, we lay out the facts found in the ditch and the documents that followed: the discovery of a sealed document safe, the ledger of hundreds of prepaid funeral contracts, and the discrepancies between customer payments and the trust account. How did a trusted local figure use inside access to build a list of clients and where did more than two million dollars go?

Person: Dennis Hansen
Person: Duane Porter
Date: July 11, 2019
Case: Fieldstone Memorial Plans, LLC
Amount missing: $2,194,000

- The safe contained a ledger listing 847 contract names.
- Fieldstone had been shut down by court order 11 days before the safe was found.
- The trust account held $106,000 while customer payments exceeded $2,300,000, creating a $2,194,000 gap.
- Contracts typically required single upfront payments between $4,000 and $10,000.
- Dennis Hansen had worked nine years at Crale Monuments and kept the original key when he left in 2010.

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.]]>1200falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-insurance-man-who-spent-a-town-s-savings-when-he-knew--73071737
A trusted insurance agent collected $1,430,000 from 41 neighbors and retirees into a community “Prosperity Circle,” and by his own admission the fund had been insolvent for two years - so when did he know it would collapse, and why did he keep recruiting? The documents left on a picnic table and a handwritten complaint would become the trail that answers that question.

In this episode, you will hear how the Prosperity Circle was sold through personal relationships, what the paperwork found on a Dellwood Street picnic table revealed, and how a twenty-two-year-old investor’s written complaint set regulators in motion - could those bank records and confirmations show when the fraud became inevitable?

Person: Marvin Stevens
Event: Prospectus pages and financial documents found on June 14, 2011
Amount: $1,430,000
People affected: 41
Date complaint filed: Late May 2011

- The documents found on a picnic table were approximately 200 pages and organized with tabs.
- Marvin Stevens was 53 years old in 2008 when he introduced the Prosperity Circle.
- Dawn York invested $12,000 in October 2010 and missed her first quarterly payment in January 2011.
- Phil Deaton invested $22,000, paying in cash at his home in more than one installment.
- Scott Walker, a forensic auditor, was assigned to the case on June 2, 2011 and requested bank 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/73071737Wed, 26 Aug 2026 23:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Insurance Man Who Spent a Town's Savings - When He Knew A trusted insurance agent collected $1,430,000 from 41 neighbors and retirees into a community “Prosperity Circle,” and by his own admission the fund had been insolvent for two years - so...
A trusted insurance agent collected $1,430,000 from 41 neighbors and retirees into a community “Prosperity Circle,” and by his own admission the fund had been insolvent for two years - so when did he know it would collapse, and why did he keep recruiting? The documents left on a picnic table and a handwritten complaint would become the trail that answers that question.

In this episode, you will hear how the Prosperity Circle was sold through personal relationships, what the paperwork found on a Dellwood Street picnic table revealed, and how a twenty-two-year-old investor’s written complaint set regulators in motion - could those bank records and confirmations show when the fraud became inevitable?

Person: Marvin Stevens
Event: Prospectus pages and financial documents found on June 14, 2011
Amount: $1,430,000
People affected: 41
Date complaint filed: Late May 2011

- The documents found on a picnic table were approximately 200 pages and organized with tabs.
- Marvin Stevens was 53 years old in 2008 when he introduced the Prosperity Circle.
- Dawn York invested $12,000 in October 2010 and missed her first quarterly payment in January 2011.
- Phil Deaton invested $22,000, paying in cash at his home in more than one installment.
- Scott Walker, a forensic auditor, was assigned to the case on June 2, 2011 and requested bank records.

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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.]]>1090falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-two-cent-theft-that-toppled-a-trusted-county-treasurer--73071736
A single four-cent short refund and a zip‑locked certificate left in a fence exposed a scheme that siphoned more than $418,000 over nineteen years. How did a county treasurer’s habit of rounding every disbursement to zero or five cents hide an almost invisible theft until a dental hygienist and a runner noticed the gaps?

In this episode, you will hear how routine records, a question from a citizen, and a lamination receipt converged to unspool nearly two decades of misapplied public funds, and why one two‑cent discrepancy proved decisive.

Person: Kevin Bishop
Date: May 9, 2019
Location: Callum County
Status: Administrative leave
Event: Audit revealed consistent rounding to .00 or .05 cents across disbursements

- A refund worksheet showed $211.44 owed but the check was for $211.40, a four-cent shortfall.
- Kevin Bishop served as county treasurer for 19 years and earned a $61,000 salary.
- Total misappropriated amount exceeded $418,000 when auditors finished counting.
- A lamination purchase paid in cash was recorded at 9:17 p.m. on May 8; the laminated certificate bore the impossible date May 3, 2019.
- Auditor Clifford Gardner found every disbursement line ending in .00 or .05 cents across more than a decade.

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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/73071736Tue, 25 Aug 2026 23:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Two-Cent Theft That Toppled a Trusted County Treasurer A single four-cent short refund and a zip‑locked certificate left in a fence exposed a scheme that siphoned more than $418,000 over nineteen years. How did a county treasurer’s habit of...
A single four-cent short refund and a zip‑locked certificate left in a fence exposed a scheme that siphoned more than $418,000 over nineteen years. How did a county treasurer’s habit of rounding every disbursement to zero or five cents hide an almost invisible theft until a dental hygienist and a runner noticed the gaps?

In this episode, you will hear how routine records, a question from a citizen, and a lamination receipt converged to unspool nearly two decades of misapplied public funds, and why one two‑cent discrepancy proved decisive.

Person: Kevin Bishop
Date: May 9, 2019
Location: Callum County
Status: Administrative leave
Event: Audit revealed consistent rounding to .00 or .05 cents across disbursements

- A refund worksheet showed $211.44 owed but the check was for $211.40, a four-cent shortfall.
- Kevin Bishop served as county treasurer for 19 years and earned a $61,000 salary.
- Total misappropriated amount exceeded $418,000 when auditors finished counting.
- A lamination purchase paid in cash was recorded at 9:17 p.m. on May 8; the laminated certificate bore the impossible date May 3, 2019.
- Auditor Clifford Gardner found every disbursement line ending in .00 or .05 cents across more than a decade.

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.]]>1268falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-concrete-slab-the-38-000-lie-how-nine-homes-vanished--73071733
Fear that your dream home could be a con is immediate when a concrete slab 40 by 28 feet sits alone in a field and someone collected $38,000 to build on land the builder never owned - why did nine families hand over $271,000 for houses that never existed? Who profited while permits were never pulled and addresses were misused?

In this episode, you’ll hear how a licensed Ohio contractor used a professional brochure, a website, and familiar local ties to collect deposits from nine buyers, how one customer’s bookkeeping and a county permit check began to unravel the scheme, and the single photograph that exposed an empty slab - could a string of ordinary transactions be the core of a criminal scheme?

Person: Ross Stewart
Person: Howard Beal
Date: April 2019
Amount: $38,000
Total amount: $271,000

- The concrete slab found measured 40 feet by 28 feet and was discovered in April 2019.
- Carl Danning paid $38,000, the largest single deposit collected by Ross Stewart.
- Nine families paid a combined $271,000 in deposits to Stewart Custom Homes.
- No building permits were pulled for any of the nine properties listed in the contracts.
- Howard Beal had owned the 30-acre parcel off County Road Fourteen for 14 years and had declined Stewart’s 2015 offer to buy it.

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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/73071733Mon, 24 Aug 2026 23:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Concrete Slab, The $38,000 Lie: How Nine Homes Vanished Fear that your dream home could be a con is immediate when a concrete slab 40 by 28 feet sits alone in a field and someone collected $38,000 to build on land the builder never owned - why...
Fear that your dream home could be a con is immediate when a concrete slab 40 by 28 feet sits alone in a field and someone collected $38,000 to build on land the builder never owned - why did nine families hand over $271,000 for houses that never existed? Who profited while permits were never pulled and addresses were misused?

In this episode, you’ll hear how a licensed Ohio contractor used a professional brochure, a website, and familiar local ties to collect deposits from nine buyers, how one customer’s bookkeeping and a county permit check began to unravel the scheme, and the single photograph that exposed an empty slab - could a string of ordinary transactions be the core of a criminal scheme?

Person: Ross Stewart
Person: Howard Beal
Date: April 2019
Amount: $38,000
Total amount: $271,000

- The concrete slab found measured 40 feet by 28 feet and was discovered in April 2019.
- Carl Danning paid $38,000, the largest single deposit collected by Ross Stewart.
- Nine families paid a combined $271,000 in deposits to Stewart Custom Homes.
- No building permits were pulled for any of the nine properties listed in the contracts.
- Howard Beal had owned the 30-acre parcel off County Road Fourteen for 14 years and had declined Stewart’s 2015 offer to buy 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.]]>1171falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/he-pretended-to-be-the-bank-how-neighbors-lost-4-8m--73071731
The envelope that landed on the wrong desk in March 2019 exposed a scheme that siphoned $4.8 million from 214 neighbors who trusted a local retirement club; one misdelivered bank statement and a missing nine-digit reference code started the unraveling. Who was the man at the center of the Lakeland Retirement Security Club, and how did routine-looking statements conceal years of transfers that left the real bank balance under $94,000?

In this episode, we follow the sequence of events from a misdelivered envelope to an investigation by the state's financial crimes unit and the Department of Financial Institutions, detailing how ordinary trust and small, deliberate transfers hid the truth. What investigators discovered about account records, postmarks, and transfer patterns reveals how the deception lasted eleven years.

Person: Harvey McCarthy
Event: Misdelivered envelope revealing fake bank statements
Case: Lakeland Retirement Security Club
Date: March 2019 (envelope); statements dated January 2016-2018
Amount: $4,800,000 deposited over eleven years

- 214 members belonged to the Lakeland Retirement Security Club.
- $4,800,000 moved through a single checking account opened in 2008.
- The real balance when investigators accessed the account was less than $94,000.
- Bev Evans had saved $40,000 over two decades that showed as $61,000 on the statements.
- Statements were postmarked the Tuesday after Martin Luther King Jr. Day in 2016-2018, a federal holiday when the bank was closed.

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/73071731Sun, 23 Aug 2026 23:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaHe Pretended to Be the Bank - How Neighbors Lost $4.8M The envelope that landed on the wrong desk in March 2019 exposed a scheme that siphoned $4.8 million from 214 neighbors who trusted a local retirement club; one misdelivered bank statement and...
The envelope that landed on the wrong desk in March 2019 exposed a scheme that siphoned $4.8 million from 214 neighbors who trusted a local retirement club; one misdelivered bank statement and a missing nine-digit reference code started the unraveling. Who was the man at the center of the Lakeland Retirement Security Club, and how did routine-looking statements conceal years of transfers that left the real bank balance under $94,000?

In this episode, we follow the sequence of events from a misdelivered envelope to an investigation by the state's financial crimes unit and the Department of Financial Institutions, detailing how ordinary trust and small, deliberate transfers hid the truth. What investigators discovered about account records, postmarks, and transfer patterns reveals how the deception lasted eleven years.

Person: Harvey McCarthy
Event: Misdelivered envelope revealing fake bank statements
Case: Lakeland Retirement Security Club
Date: March 2019 (envelope); statements dated January 2016-2018
Amount: $4,800,000 deposited over eleven years

- 214 members belonged to the Lakeland Retirement Security Club.
- $4,800,000 moved through a single checking account opened in 2008.
- The real balance when investigators accessed the account was less than $94,000.
- Bev Evans had saved $40,000 over two decades that showed as $61,000 on the statements.
- Statements were postmarked the Tuesday after Martin Luther King Jr. Day in 2016-2018, a federal holiday when the bank was closed.

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.]]>1043falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-farmer-who-sold-the-same-corn-four-times-and-got-away--73071729
Trust can be weaponized: 112,000 bushels of corn, four separate, legitimate receipts, and $940,000 missing from eleven farm families-so how did no one notice for nearly three years? The receipts were real, the grain existed, and the man at the center was a decades‑long pillar of Kettrick County-so who finally unraveled the paper trail?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from the first farmer complaint to the state field examiner who turned a two‑day referral into a full inquiry. You will hear how routine grain marketing relationships and community reputation intersected with multiple legitimate documents to create a large‑scale fraud, and what question about local trust ultimately exposed it.

Person: Lloyd Dixon
Company: Heartland Crop Advisors LLC
Bushels: 112,000
Arrest Date: late March 2017
Loss: $940,000

- Four receipts referenced the same 112,000 bushels of corn from one load.
- Dixon operated Heartland Crop Advisors LLC in Kettrick for 17 years.
- Eleven farm families lost a total of $940,000.
- Jason Tucker began working with Dixon in 2015 and presented four receipts to the field examiner.
- Lauren Cooper had 11 years as a field examiner and was assigned the Tucker referral in early February 2017.

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/73071729Sat, 22 Aug 2026 23:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Farmer Who Sold the Same Corn Four Times and Got Away Trust can be weaponized: 112,000 bushels of corn, four separate, legitimate receipts, and $940,000 missing from eleven farm families-so how did no one notice for nearly three years? The...
Trust can be weaponized: 112,000 bushels of corn, four separate, legitimate receipts, and $940,000 missing from eleven farm families-so how did no one notice for nearly three years? The receipts were real, the grain existed, and the man at the center was a decades‑long pillar of Kettrick County-so who finally unraveled the paper trail?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from the first farmer complaint to the state field examiner who turned a two‑day referral into a full inquiry. You will hear how routine grain marketing relationships and community reputation intersected with multiple legitimate documents to create a large‑scale fraud, and what question about local trust ultimately exposed it.

Person: Lloyd Dixon
Company: Heartland Crop Advisors LLC
Bushels: 112,000
Arrest Date: late March 2017
Loss: $940,000

- Four receipts referenced the same 112,000 bushels of corn from one load.
- Dixon operated Heartland Crop Advisors LLC in Kettrick for 17 years.
- Eleven farm families lost a total of $940,000.
- Jason Tucker began working with Dixon in 2015 and presented four receipts to the field examiner.
- Lauren Cooper had 11 years as a field examiner and was assigned the Tucker referral in early February 2017.

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.]]>1240falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/he-stole-a-church-s-814k-thermometer-still-missing-nail-hole--73071728
The town thermometer climbed to $814,000 on the wall - but the real balance was $11,400 and the binder with the receipts was found in a creek; how did eleven years of donations disappear while quarterly reports looked perfectly legitimate? Who hid a personal-debt ledger inside a church building fund and why did it take a freezer bag in Sable Creek to reveal it?

In this episode, you’ll hear the timeline from the first $22,000 deposit through eleven years of steady donor gifts, the discovery of the soaked binder by Dennis Norris, and the financial trail that points to a trusted treasurer’s transfers into personal debts - could the meticulous paperwork have been designed to pass scrutiny?

Person: Dennis Norris
Person: Scott Schmidt
Event: Binder with 112 pages found in Sable Creek
Date: January 2019
Amount: $814,000

- First deposit into the building fund was $22,000.
- By end of 2013 reports showed $490,000 accumulated.
- By end of 2017 reports showed $680,000 accumulated.
- Binder contained 112 pages including donor receipts and handwritten ledger entries.
- Real balance at discovery was $11,400.

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/73071728Fri, 21 Aug 2026 23:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaHe Stole a Church's $814K - Thermometer Still Missing Nail Hole The town thermometer climbed to $814,000 on the wall - but the real balance was $11,400 and the binder with the receipts was found in a creek; how did eleven years of donations...
The town thermometer climbed to $814,000 on the wall - but the real balance was $11,400 and the binder with the receipts was found in a creek; how did eleven years of donations disappear while quarterly reports looked perfectly legitimate? Who hid a personal-debt ledger inside a church building fund and why did it take a freezer bag in Sable Creek to reveal it?

In this episode, you’ll hear the timeline from the first $22,000 deposit through eleven years of steady donor gifts, the discovery of the soaked binder by Dennis Norris, and the financial trail that points to a trusted treasurer’s transfers into personal debts - could the meticulous paperwork have been designed to pass scrutiny?

Person: Dennis Norris
Person: Scott Schmidt
Event: Binder with 112 pages found in Sable Creek
Date: January 2019
Amount: $814,000

- First deposit into the building fund was $22,000.
- By end of 2013 reports showed $490,000 accumulated.
- By end of 2017 reports showed $680,000 accumulated.
- Binder contained 112 pages including donor receipts and handwritten ledger entries.
- Real balance at discovery was $11,400.

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.]]>1221falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-shredder-the-spreadsheet-and-224-000-missing--73071727
Cold metal teeth chewed through county records in a frozen yard while $224,000 sat in accounts no one on the board knew about - who shredded the paper trail, and why? A single spreadsheet quietly mapped a private financial arrangement that contradicts two grant awards and raises one central question: how did an executive director turn two identical $112,000 grants into control over the money without the board's knowledge?

In this episode, we tell how the Dellmore County Historical Society's digitization project unfolded, what was promised in two grant applications, and which details staff and volunteers noticed that didn't add up. How did one man’s past experience with title work and financial instruments lead to two funders sending identical awards to accounts he controlled?

Person: Leon Foster
Role: Executive Director
Amount: $224,000
Items in archive: 40,000
Missing equipment value: $8,400

- Two grants of $112,000 each were awarded in 2017 by Fenwick Family Foundation and Indiana Humanities Council.
- Foster's reported salary in 2019 was $41,000 per year.
- The Dellmore County Historical Society archive held roughly 40,000 items and about 300 member households.
- Donna Schaefer noted in October 2018 that an Epson scanner budgeted at $8,400 had never arrived.
- At a December 2018 board meeting Foster said "both" funders were satisfied; the board recorded only one funder later as $109,000 spent with $3,000 returned.

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/73071727Thu, 20 Aug 2026 23:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Shredder, The Spreadsheet, and $224,000 Missing Cold metal teeth chewed through county records in a frozen yard while $224,000 sat in accounts no one on the board knew about - who shredded the paper trail, and why? A single spreadsheet quietly...
Cold metal teeth chewed through county records in a frozen yard while $224,000 sat in accounts no one on the board knew about - who shredded the paper trail, and why? A single spreadsheet quietly mapped a private financial arrangement that contradicts two grant awards and raises one central question: how did an executive director turn two identical $112,000 grants into control over the money without the board's knowledge?

In this episode, we tell how the Dellmore County Historical Society's digitization project unfolded, what was promised in two grant applications, and which details staff and volunteers noticed that didn't add up. How did one man’s past experience with title work and financial instruments lead to two funders sending identical awards to accounts he controlled?

Person: Leon Foster
Role: Executive Director
Amount: $224,000
Items in archive: 40,000
Missing equipment value: $8,400

- Two grants of $112,000 each were awarded in 2017 by Fenwick Family Foundation and Indiana Humanities Council.
- Foster's reported salary in 2019 was $41,000 per year.
- The Dellmore County Historical Society archive held roughly 40,000 items and about 300 member households.
- Donna Schaefer noted in October 2018 that an Epson scanner budgeted at $8,400 had never arrived.
- At a December 2018 board meeting Foster said "both" funders were satisfied; the board recorded only one funder later as $109,000 spent with $3,000 returned.

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/he-filed-your-refund-twice-how-a-tax-prep-stole-112-000--73071726
The idea that your trusted tax preparer could quietly steal thousands is terrifying: 31 clients lost a total of $112,000 through amended returns filed without their knowledge, and one amended refund of $4,100 was deposited into an account linked to a license plate - how did he get away with it for three and a half years?

In this episode, we follow the sequence of events from the August 2019 amended return that alerted Connie Sullivan to the scheme through her 40-minute call to the IRS Identity Protection line, and we trace how repeated, unauthorized Form 1040-X filings funneled refunds into accounts opened with falsified documentation - but who finally exposed the pattern?

Person: Connie Sullivan
Date: November 4, 2019
Case: Thirty-one victims over three and a half years
Event: Amended return (Form 1040-X) deposited $4,100 to an unfamiliar account
Total: $112,000 documented loss

- Connie Sullivan noticed an August 2019 amended return claiming a $4,100 education credit she never filed.
- Connie waited on hold with the IRS Identity Protection line for 40 minutes on November 4, 2019.
- Patterson operated Impuesto Fácil, a storefront tax prep used by Connie since 2015 and by 31 affected clients.
- The scheme ran approximately three and a half years with a median loss per victim of about $3,600.
- One account linked to an amended refund used an application address that printed as a license plate registered to Impuesto Fácil LLC and a Chevrolet Silver.

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/73071726Wed, 19 Aug 2026 23:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaHe Filed Your Refund Twice - How a Tax Prep Stole $112,000 The idea that your trusted tax preparer could quietly steal thousands is terrifying: 31 clients lost a total of $112,000 through amended returns filed without their knowledge, and one...
The idea that your trusted tax preparer could quietly steal thousands is terrifying: 31 clients lost a total of $112,000 through amended returns filed without their knowledge, and one amended refund of $4,100 was deposited into an account linked to a license plate - how did he get away with it for three and a half years?

In this episode, we follow the sequence of events from the August 2019 amended return that alerted Connie Sullivan to the scheme through her 40-minute call to the IRS Identity Protection line, and we trace how repeated, unauthorized Form 1040-X filings funneled refunds into accounts opened with falsified documentation - but who finally exposed the pattern?

Person: Connie Sullivan
Date: November 4, 2019
Case: Thirty-one victims over three and a half years
Event: Amended return (Form 1040-X) deposited $4,100 to an unfamiliar account
Total: $112,000 documented loss

- Connie Sullivan noticed an August 2019 amended return claiming a $4,100 education credit she never filed.
- Connie waited on hold with the IRS Identity Protection line for 40 minutes on November 4, 2019.
- Patterson operated Impuesto Fácil, a storefront tax prep used by Connie since 2015 and by 31 affected clients.
- The scheme ran approximately three and a half years with a median loss per victim of about $3,600.
- One account linked to an amended refund used an application address that printed as a license plate registered to Impuesto Fácil LLC and a Chevrolet Silver.

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.]]>1218falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-412k-cold-chain-scam-how-one-photocopy-crippled-a-fraud-ring--73071723
Fear that something ordinary in your mailbox could expose a years-long theft - a discarded photocopy found in frosted grass triggered the unmasking of a $412,000 cold-chain fraud affecting 22 ranching families across five Nebraska counties; how did one copy survive every attempt to cover up the scheme and who did it finally point to?

In this episode, we follow the discovery, the paperwork, and the whistleblowing that tied suspicious climate-controlled invoices to carriers that never owned a refrigerated trailer, and we ask how trust and thin margins let the fraud run for years without detection.

Person: Melvin Brown
Person: Thomas Hensley
Date: October 9, 2019
Case: $412,000 cold-chain fraud
Location: Garfield Flats, Nebraska

- A document box was found at 5:40 AM on October 9, 2019 with "for T.H." written on the side.
- Tri-State Livestock Transport Solutions, LLC was incorporated by Melvin Brown in autumn 2015.
- Brown signed 22 operations across 5 counties, generating between 350 and 400 transport jobs annually in his first year.
- Refrigerated transport in 2015 ran 40 to 60 percent above standard rates.
- Phil Reuter, a night dispatcher, confirmed the named carrier ran six slat-side trailers and did not operate refrigerated units.

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/73071723Tue, 18 Aug 2026 23:00:03 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe $412K Cold-Chain Scam: How One Photocopy Crippled a Fraud Ring Fear that something ordinary in your mailbox could expose a years-long theft - a discarded photocopy found in frosted grass triggered the unmasking of a $412,000 cold-chain fraud...
Fear that something ordinary in your mailbox could expose a years-long theft - a discarded photocopy found in frosted grass triggered the unmasking of a $412,000 cold-chain fraud affecting 22 ranching families across five Nebraska counties; how did one copy survive every attempt to cover up the scheme and who did it finally point to?

In this episode, we follow the discovery, the paperwork, and the whistleblowing that tied suspicious climate-controlled invoices to carriers that never owned a refrigerated trailer, and we ask how trust and thin margins let the fraud run for years without detection.

Person: Melvin Brown
Person: Thomas Hensley
Date: October 9, 2019
Case: $412,000 cold-chain fraud
Location: Garfield Flats, Nebraska

- A document box was found at 5:40 AM on October 9, 2019 with "for T.H." written on the side.
- Tri-State Livestock Transport Solutions, LLC was incorporated by Melvin Brown in autumn 2015.
- Brown signed 22 operations across 5 counties, generating between 350 and 400 transport jobs annually in his first year.
- Refrigerated transport in 2015 ran 40 to 60 percent above standard rates.
- Phil Reuter, a night dispatcher, confirmed the named carrier ran six slat-side trailers and did not operate refrigerated units.

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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.]]>1174falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-empty-drum-that-blew-open-a-small-town-honey-scam--73071722
A 55-gallon drum labeled "Clarion Valley Honey Collective - Reserve Stock - Do Not Open" was found completely empty in a roadside ditch, and that empty drum helped expose a fraud that took $350,000 from 63 local investors. How did real hives, real honey, a pontoon boat and an empty drum become the trail that led to the scheme's collapse?

In this episode, we tell the sequence of events from the morning the drum was spotted through the scheme's final 36 hours, outlining who invested, what was promised, and what actually happened - and we ask how much of the collective was ever legitimate.

Person: Paul Casey
Date: early September 2019 (discovery of the drum)
Event: Clarion Valley Honey Collective formation in 2016
Amount: $312,000 collected from 43 investors (May 2016-Aug 2018)
Loss: $350,000 taken from 63 people

- A fourteen-year-old found the 55-gallon drum at 5:45 a.m. while riding a bicycle.
- Paul Casey collected $312,000 from 43 investors between May 2016 and August 2018.
- Two hundred and forty bee colonies were purchased across three sites in Weller County.
- The 2017 harvest produced approximately 900 pounds of honey.
- Frank and Donna Sievert invested $38,000, the largest known investment.

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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/73071722Mon, 17 Aug 2026 23:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Empty Drum That Blew Open a Small-Town Honey Scam A 55-gallon drum labeled "Clarion Valley Honey Collective - Reserve Stock - Do Not Open" was found completely empty in a roadside ditch, and that empty drum helped expose a fraud that took...
A 55-gallon drum labeled "Clarion Valley Honey Collective - Reserve Stock - Do Not Open" was found completely empty in a roadside ditch, and that empty drum helped expose a fraud that took $350,000 from 63 local investors. How did real hives, real honey, a pontoon boat and an empty drum become the trail that led to the scheme's collapse?

In this episode, we tell the sequence of events from the morning the drum was spotted through the scheme's final 36 hours, outlining who invested, what was promised, and what actually happened - and we ask how much of the collective was ever legitimate.

Person: Paul Casey
Date: early September 2019 (discovery of the drum)
Event: Clarion Valley Honey Collective formation in 2016
Amount: $312,000 collected from 43 investors (May 2016-Aug 2018)
Loss: $350,000 taken from 63 people

- A fourteen-year-old found the 55-gallon drum at 5:45 a.m. while riding a bicycle.
- Paul Casey collected $312,000 from 43 investors between May 2016 and August 2018.
- Two hundred and forty bee colonies were purchased across three sites in Weller County.
- The 2017 harvest produced approximately 900 pounds of honey.
- Frank and Donna Sievert invested $38,000, the largest known investment.

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.]]>1231falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/he-promised-a-new-scoreboard-took-162-000-and-disappeared--73071721
A small Wisconsin town trusted a familiar face with $162,000 for a new high school scoreboard - and nine days later he was gone, leaving a fireproof lockbox, pledge cards, and a note that read "Short - will reconcile Aug." Who took the money, where did it go, and how did long-standing trust become the cover for an elaborate fundraising fraud?

In this episode, we follow the documented timeline and financial trail revealed in ledgers, pledge cards, bank records, and a forensic audit to explain what happened in Weyfield and why investigators opened a formal inquiry; what did the audit and bank subpoenas actually show?

Person: Gary Anderson
Date: August 14, 2019
Location: Weyfield, Pottawoc County, Wisconsin
Amount: $162,000
Donors: 31 businesses

- At 5:30 AM on August 14, 2019 a fireproof lockbox with pledge cards, a handwritten ledger, $1,100 in cash, and a note was found behind Weyfield High School.
- The pledge ledger showed $162,000 collected by July 2019 from thirty-one businesses for the Weyfield High Campaign scoreboard.
- The High Campaign account at First Commerce Bank held $4,012 when subpoenaed on August 9, 2019.
- Gary Anderson opened the High Campaign account in June 2018 with a $500 deposit and collected fourteen months of deposits afterward.
- Paul Larsen pledged $15,000 and paid $5,000; Thomas Greer pledged $12,000 and paid $6,000 in cash, with Greer also introducing donors who contributed roughly $40,000 more.

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/73071721Sun, 16 Aug 2026 23:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaHe Promised a New Scoreboard - Took $162,000 and Disappeared A small Wisconsin town trusted a familiar face with $162,000 for a new high school scoreboard - and nine days later he was gone, leaving a fireproof lockbox, pledge cards, and a note that...
A small Wisconsin town trusted a familiar face with $162,000 for a new high school scoreboard - and nine days later he was gone, leaving a fireproof lockbox, pledge cards, and a note that read "Short - will reconcile Aug." Who took the money, where did it go, and how did long-standing trust become the cover for an elaborate fundraising fraud?

In this episode, we follow the documented timeline and financial trail revealed in ledgers, pledge cards, bank records, and a forensic audit to explain what happened in Weyfield and why investigators opened a formal inquiry; what did the audit and bank subpoenas actually show?

Person: Gary Anderson
Date: August 14, 2019
Location: Weyfield, Pottawoc County, Wisconsin
Amount: $162,000
Donors: 31 businesses

- At 5:30 AM on August 14, 2019 a fireproof lockbox with pledge cards, a handwritten ledger, $1,100 in cash, and a note was found behind Weyfield High School.
- The pledge ledger showed $162,000 collected by July 2019 from thirty-one businesses for the Weyfield High Campaign scoreboard.
- The High Campaign account at First Commerce Bank held $4,012 when subpoenaed on August 9, 2019.
- Gary Anderson opened the High Campaign account in June 2018 with a $500 deposit and collected fourteen months of deposits afterward.
- Paul Larsen pledged $15,000 and paid $5,000; Thomas Greer pledged $12,000 and paid $6,000 in cash, with Greer also introducing donors who contributed roughly $40,000 more.

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/the-man-who-took-their-deposits-the-3-000-pattern-revealed--73071720
Fear that the money you trusted to a landlord could be quietly spent on a roof and a rental down payment is real: roughly $41,000 was taken from a legally required escrow and funneled into one man’s expenses without forged identities or offshore accounts - so how did a $3,000 withdrawal pattern stay hidden for three years? What single oversight let deposits from eighty families vanish into one checking account?

In this episode, we lay out how the theft unfolded at Pinegrove Mobile Home Park, who was involved, and the specific banking trail that revealed the scheme - and we ask whether the regulatory checklist designed to protect tenants actually opened the door to the fraud.

Person: Melvin Reed
Person: Victor Huang
Location: Pinegrove Mobile Home Park, Harwick County, Indiana
Date: July 8, 2009
Amount: approximately $41,000

- The escrow account at Harwick Community Savings carried the designation 7714 and should have held about $41,000 in tenant deposits.
- Between 2006 and 2009 the account’s actual balance typically ranged from $800 to $2,200 despite the $41,000 legal obligation.
- Melvin Reed was hired in spring 2005 and was paid $1,800 per month by owner Victor Huang to manage the park.
- By the time Cynthia Ford found the swollen folder on July 8, 2009, $11,000 had been withdrawn in cash that investigators could not fully trace.
- Sherry Richardson moved into Lot 47 in 2003, was 38 in summer 2009, and discovered a signed form falsely stating she had received her deposit in full after Reed visited on July 2.

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/73071720Sat, 15 Aug 2026 23:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Man Who Took Their Deposits: The $3,000 Pattern Revealed Fear that the money you trusted to a landlord could be quietly spent on a roof and a rental down payment is real: roughly $41,000 was taken from a legally required escrow and funneled...
Fear that the money you trusted to a landlord could be quietly spent on a roof and a rental down payment is real: roughly $41,000 was taken from a legally required escrow and funneled into one man’s expenses without forged identities or offshore accounts - so how did a $3,000 withdrawal pattern stay hidden for three years? What single oversight let deposits from eighty families vanish into one checking account?

In this episode, we lay out how the theft unfolded at Pinegrove Mobile Home Park, who was involved, and the specific banking trail that revealed the scheme - and we ask whether the regulatory checklist designed to protect tenants actually opened the door to the fraud.

Person: Melvin Reed
Person: Victor Huang
Location: Pinegrove Mobile Home Park, Harwick County, Indiana
Date: July 8, 2009
Amount: approximately $41,000

- The escrow account at Harwick Community Savings carried the designation 7714 and should have held about $41,000 in tenant deposits.
- Between 2006 and 2009 the account’s actual balance typically ranged from $800 to $2,200 despite the $41,000 legal obligation.
- Melvin Reed was hired in spring 2005 and was paid $1,800 per month by owner Victor Huang to manage the park.
- By the time Cynthia Ford found the swollen folder on July 8, 2009, $11,000 had been withdrawn in cash that investigators could not fully trace.
- Sherry Richardson moved into Lot 47 in 2003, was 38 in summer 2009, and discovered a signed form falsely stating she had received her deposit in full after Reed visited on July 2.

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/the-doctor-who-wasn-t-framed-diploma-frozen-snow-small-town-betrayal--73071718
Cold despair and quiet deceit: a framed diploma pressed glass-first into nine-degree snow revealed a fraud at the heart of a town that trusted one woman as its only physician for nearly three years - how did 3,100 people end up relying on someone who never went to medical school?

In this episode, we follow the sequence of events from the January 12 discovery through the hiring and daily practice of Lori Ann Ann in Merritt Falls, and we trace how a real license number, a printed diploma, and unchallenged references kept the deception hidden; what finally tipped the scales and who noticed the discrepancies that raised the central question: who failed to ask the right questions?

Person: Lori Ann Ann
Location: Merritt Falls, Kentucky
Date: January 12, 2011
Temperature: 9 degrees Fahrenheit
Population dependent on clinic: 3,100

- The framed diploma was found face-down in the snow with glass pressed against the ice and the frame back bone dry.
- Lori Ann was hired in spring 2008 after Phil Garrett checked a license number on the state's online registry that returned a valid result.
- Ann was 30 years old when she arrived in Merritt Falls and served as the only physician within forty miles for nearly three years.
- The license number Ann used belonged to a physician in Atlanta whose license had lapsed around 2008 and who did not know her number had been taken.
- Ann bought and returned a printer within thirty days after producing a diploma on certificate-weight paper in an academic frame.

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/73071718Fri, 14 Aug 2026 23:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Doctor Who Wasn't: Framed Diploma, Frozen Snow, Small Town Betrayal Cold despair and quiet deceit: a framed diploma pressed glass-first into nine-degree snow revealed a fraud at the heart of a town that trusted one woman as its only physician...
Cold despair and quiet deceit: a framed diploma pressed glass-first into nine-degree snow revealed a fraud at the heart of a town that trusted one woman as its only physician for nearly three years - how did 3,100 people end up relying on someone who never went to medical school?

In this episode, we follow the sequence of events from the January 12 discovery through the hiring and daily practice of Lori Ann Ann in Merritt Falls, and we trace how a real license number, a printed diploma, and unchallenged references kept the deception hidden; what finally tipped the scales and who noticed the discrepancies that raised the central question: who failed to ask the right questions?

Person: Lori Ann Ann
Location: Merritt Falls, Kentucky
Date: January 12, 2011
Temperature: 9 degrees Fahrenheit
Population dependent on clinic: 3,100

- The framed diploma was found face-down in the snow with glass pressed against the ice and the frame back bone dry.
- Lori Ann was hired in spring 2008 after Phil Garrett checked a license number on the state's online registry that returned a valid result.
- Ann was 30 years old when she arrived in Merritt Falls and served as the only physician within forty miles for nearly three years.
- The license number Ann used belonged to a physician in Atlanta whose license had lapsed around 2008 and who did not know her number had been taken.
- Ann bought and returned a printer within thirty days after producing a diploma on certificate-weight paper in an academic frame.

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.]]>1220falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/deacon-of-theft-how-a-storage-owner-sold-lives-twice-over--73071716
A trusted church deacon sold people’s belongings twice and pocketed the cash: 61 victims, $283,000 taken, and recoveries averaging just $0.11 on the dollar - but who tipped the scale toward exposure? What did a yellow tote bag padlocked to a meter reveal about a scheme that ran for four years?

In this episode, we tell how the owner of a local storage facility used a liquidator and staged public auctions to profit from delinquent units, and how a 26-year-old accounting assistant’s discovery set the investigation in motion. How did one locked tote and six pages of spreadsheets unravel a decade of apparent normalcy?

Person: Jerry Thorpe
Person: Jean Whitfield
Date: May 12, 2019
Case: Clearfield Self-Storage fraud
Amount: $283,000

- 61 victims were eventually named in the case.
- Recovery averaged $0.11 on the dollar for victims.
- Clearfield Self-Storage had 68 units on a six-acre lot.
- Thorpe operated the facility for 11 years before exposure.
- A yellow canvas tote contained six pages of spreadsheets and a handwritten sticky note listing units 14, 22, and 31.

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/73071716Thu, 13 Aug 2026 23:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaDeacon of Theft: How a Storage Owner Sold Lives Twice Over A trusted church deacon sold people’s belongings twice and pocketed the cash: 61 victims, $283,000 taken, and recoveries averaging just $0.11 on the dollar - but who tipped the scale toward...
A trusted church deacon sold people’s belongings twice and pocketed the cash: 61 victims, $283,000 taken, and recoveries averaging just $0.11 on the dollar - but who tipped the scale toward exposure? What did a yellow tote bag padlocked to a meter reveal about a scheme that ran for four years?

In this episode, we tell how the owner of a local storage facility used a liquidator and staged public auctions to profit from delinquent units, and how a 26-year-old accounting assistant’s discovery set the investigation in motion. How did one locked tote and six pages of spreadsheets unravel a decade of apparent normalcy?

Person: Jerry Thorpe
Person: Jean Whitfield
Date: May 12, 2019
Case: Clearfield Self-Storage fraud
Amount: $283,000

- 61 victims were eventually named in the case.
- Recovery averaged $0.11 on the dollar for victims.
- Clearfield Self-Storage had 68 units on a six-acre lot.
- Thorpe operated the facility for 11 years before exposure.
- A yellow canvas tote contained six pages of spreadsheets and a handwritten sticky note listing units 14, 22, and 31.

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.]]>1036falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-bronze-lie-how-a-treasurer-turned-memorials-into-missing-millions--73071715
Everything about the plaques screamed community triumph: polished bronze, fourteen thousand two hundred dollars engraved in names, and yet the account behind them held only eleven dollars and forty-two cents - a discrepancy hidden for years. How did a familiar volunteer treasurer divert thousands in carefully spaced transfers while the town read its own memorial every day without noticing?

In this episode, we tell the episode’s events and timeline, following the Harwick Fire Benevolence Trust from its founding after the 2011 fire through the discovery in 2019, and we ask how a billing coordinator’s eye for a mismatched font finally exposed the missing money.

Person: León Murphy
Event: Installation of bronze donor plaques on April 3, 2019
Amount on plaques: $14,200
Account balance discovered: $11.42
Donation noticed by resident: $2,000 in January 2019

- The memorial plaques were installed on April 3, 2019 and listed $14,200 raised.
- The fund account held $11.42 when the plaques were visible on the fire station wall.
- León Murphy transferred $11,000 out of the account in four installments over four months, each kept below bank review thresholds.
- The Benevolence Trust originated after a 2011 fire that killed Captain Dennis Pryor and initially held $30,000 from a memorial dinner.
- Ruth Tillman’s $2,000 donation in January 2019 and the differing account number font on Murphy’s summary prompted her to request a full account statement.

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/73071715Wed, 12 Aug 2026 23:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Bronze Lie: How a Treasurer Turned Memorials into Missing Millions Everything about the plaques screamed community triumph: polished bronze, fourteen thousand two hundred dollars engraved in names, and yet the account behind them held only...
Everything about the plaques screamed community triumph: polished bronze, fourteen thousand two hundred dollars engraved in names, and yet the account behind them held only eleven dollars and forty-two cents - a discrepancy hidden for years. How did a familiar volunteer treasurer divert thousands in carefully spaced transfers while the town read its own memorial every day without noticing?

In this episode, we tell the episode’s events and timeline, following the Harwick Fire Benevolence Trust from its founding after the 2011 fire through the discovery in 2019, and we ask how a billing coordinator’s eye for a mismatched font finally exposed the missing money.

Person: León Murphy
Event: Installation of bronze donor plaques on April 3, 2019
Amount on plaques: $14,200
Account balance discovered: $11.42
Donation noticed by resident: $2,000 in January 2019

- The memorial plaques were installed on April 3, 2019 and listed $14,200 raised.
- The fund account held $11.42 when the plaques were visible on the fire station wall.
- León Murphy transferred $11,000 out of the account in four installments over four months, each kept below bank review thresholds.
- The Benevolence Trust originated after a 2011 fire that killed Captain Dennis Pryor and initially held $30,000 from a memorial dinner.
- Ruth Tillman’s $2,000 donation in January 2019 and the differing account number font on Murphy’s summary prompted her to request a full account statement.

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.]]>1080falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/how-one-tractor-exposed-a-farmer-lender-fraud-ring--73071714
A single serial number on a tractor tag started a chain that revealed $1,840,000 in duplicate loans and secret collaterals across eleven farming families - but how did one man use spare keys and small-town trust to hide seven years of theft? What else did the submerged 8320R, a buried camera clip and a stapled insurance note quietly record about the fraud?

In this episode, we tell how everyday paperwork, a beagle’s stubbornness and routine banking checks converged to expose a lender's scheme, and we follow the evidence that led from a drainage ditch to the courthouse: how did investigators connect the tag to multiple lenders and duplicate security interests?

Person: Earl Long
Date: March 11, 2019
Location: Tillman Flat / Alderville area
Case: Duplicate equipment liens totaling $1,840,000 across eleven farming families
Equipment: John Deere 8320R serial number 1RW8320RPCF078841

- The John Deere 8320R serial number 1RW8320RPCF078841 was listed as collateral on four separate loans totaling $412,000 against that single tractor.
- Lawson used equipment photos taken from farm sheds beginning no later than 2012 to prepare fraudulent loan applications.
- Across seven equipment types and eleven families, duplicate pledges amounted to $1,840,000 in claimed collateral.
- Security camera footage showed a car at a grain elevator for 85 minutes (9:47 p.m. to 11:12 p.m.), a span later pivotal to the prosecution.
- An insurance underwriter’s lien check returned three separate security interests on the 8320R, which Earl filed under “Lawson - Questions.”

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/73071714Tue, 11 Aug 2026 23:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaHow One Tractor Exposed a Farmer-Lender Fraud Ring A single serial number on a tractor tag started a chain that revealed $1,840,000 in duplicate loans and secret collaterals across eleven farming families - but how did one man use spare keys and...
A single serial number on a tractor tag started a chain that revealed $1,840,000 in duplicate loans and secret collaterals across eleven farming families - but how did one man use spare keys and small-town trust to hide seven years of theft? What else did the submerged 8320R, a buried camera clip and a stapled insurance note quietly record about the fraud?

In this episode, we tell how everyday paperwork, a beagle’s stubbornness and routine banking checks converged to expose a lender's scheme, and we follow the evidence that led from a drainage ditch to the courthouse: how did investigators connect the tag to multiple lenders and duplicate security interests?

Person: Earl Long
Date: March 11, 2019
Location: Tillman Flat / Alderville area
Case: Duplicate equipment liens totaling $1,840,000 across eleven farming families
Equipment: John Deere 8320R serial number 1RW8320RPCF078841

- The John Deere 8320R serial number 1RW8320RPCF078841 was listed as collateral on four separate loans totaling $412,000 against that single tractor.
- Lawson used equipment photos taken from farm sheds beginning no later than 2012 to prepare fraudulent loan applications.
- Across seven equipment types and eleven families, duplicate pledges amounted to $1,840,000 in claimed collateral.
- Security camera footage showed a car at a grain elevator for 85 minutes (9:47 p.m. to 11:12 p.m.), a span later pivotal to the prosecution.
- An insurance underwriter’s lien check returned three separate security interests on the 8320R, which Earl filed under “Lawson - Questions.”

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.]]>1168falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-binder-in-the-river-how-a-fairground-scam-unraveled--73071713
Cold water preserved a confidential three-ring binder that ultimately exposed a scheme touching at least a hundred families and likely running for twelve years; inside was a vendor list labeled "Kellen County Fair, Vendor Applications, FY2018, CONFIDENTIAL, L. Schmidt" and a Post-it reading "31 only. Hold the rest. Don't deposit until I say." Who decided to raise a $50 fee to $250, who benefitted, and why did the binder end up in the river?

In this episode, we follow the discovery, the people involved, and the documents that reveal how vendor fees were diverted at a long-running county fair; we chart Amanda Meyer's find, the career of coordinator Larry Schmidt, and Angela Tate's missing booth confirmation to ask: how did internal controls fail and what did the binder prove?

Person: Amanda Meyer
Person: Larry Schmidt
Person: Angela Tate
Date: February (morning discovery at 5:22)
Amount: $200 (difference per applicant between policy and charges)

- Found at 5:22 AM in a collapsed sycamore root ball on the east bank of the Calloway River
- Binder tab read "Kellen County Fair, Vendor Applications, FY2018, CONFIDENTIAL, L. Schmidt"
- Post-it note on binder front said "31 only. Hold the rest. Don't deposit until I say."
- Board approved a non-refundable $50 application fee in spring 2016; Schmidt charged $250 per applicant
- Schmidt was hired in August 2015 at a salary of $31,000 per year and was 43 years old

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/73071713Mon, 10 Aug 2026 23:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Binder in the River: How a Fairground Scam Unraveled Cold water preserved a confidential three-ring binder that ultimately exposed a scheme touching at least a hundred families and likely running for twelve years; inside was a vendor list...
Cold water preserved a confidential three-ring binder that ultimately exposed a scheme touching at least a hundred families and likely running for twelve years; inside was a vendor list labeled "Kellen County Fair, Vendor Applications, FY2018, CONFIDENTIAL, L. Schmidt" and a Post-it reading "31 only. Hold the rest. Don't deposit until I say." Who decided to raise a $50 fee to $250, who benefitted, and why did the binder end up in the river?

In this episode, we follow the discovery, the people involved, and the documents that reveal how vendor fees were diverted at a long-running county fair; we chart Amanda Meyer's find, the career of coordinator Larry Schmidt, and Angela Tate's missing booth confirmation to ask: how did internal controls fail and what did the binder prove?

Person: Amanda Meyer
Person: Larry Schmidt
Person: Angela Tate
Date: February (morning discovery at 5:22)
Amount: $200 (difference per applicant between policy and charges)

- Found at 5:22 AM in a collapsed sycamore root ball on the east bank of the Calloway River
- Binder tab read "Kellen County Fair, Vendor Applications, FY2018, CONFIDENTIAL, L. Schmidt"
- Post-it note on binder front said "31 only. Hold the rest. Don't deposit until I say."
- Board approved a non-refundable $50 application fee in spring 2016; Schmidt charged $250 per applicant
- Schmidt was hired in August 2015 at a salary of $31,000 per year and was 43 years old

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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.]]>1249falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/he-promised-christmas-he-hid-211-800-in-a-cardboard-box--73071712
A cardboard banker's box full of 147 stamped, sealed Christmas checks-worth $211,800 at its peak-sat in dead grass in January; by December 1 the fund balance was $412. How did six years of quiet bookkeeping turn into nearly $212,000 missing, and why were mailed checks printed but never sent?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from the Holiday Fund's start in 2012 through the discovery of the box on January 9, 2019, covering who managed the money, how members contributed, and the moment the missing disbursements became a criminal investigation. What exactly happened to the money and the mailed-but-undelivered checks?

Person: Dale Tate
Organization: Dunmore County Quilting Guild Holiday Fund
Date found: January 9, 2019
Peak account balance: $211,800 (approximately, November 2018)
Remaining balance on Dec 1, 2018: $412

- The Holiday Fund began in 2012 with monthly deposits from February through November.
- By 2015 the guild had roughly 60 members and 41 households enrolled in the Holiday Fund.
- At peak in November 2018 the account held approximately $211,800.
- On December 1, 2018 the fund balance was $412.
- On January 9, 2019 Rachel Perry found 147 sealed, stamped, hand-addressed envelopes in a cardboard box on property belonging to Dale Tate.

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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/73071712Sun, 09 Aug 2026 23:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaHe Promised Christmas-He Hid $211,800 in a Cardboard Box A cardboard banker's box full of 147 stamped, sealed Christmas checks-worth $211,800 at its peak-sat in dead grass in January; by December 1 the fund balance was $412. How did six years of...
A cardboard banker's box full of 147 stamped, sealed Christmas checks-worth $211,800 at its peak-sat in dead grass in January; by December 1 the fund balance was $412. How did six years of quiet bookkeeping turn into nearly $212,000 missing, and why were mailed checks printed but never sent?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from the Holiday Fund's start in 2012 through the discovery of the box on January 9, 2019, covering who managed the money, how members contributed, and the moment the missing disbursements became a criminal investigation. What exactly happened to the money and the mailed-but-undelivered checks?

Person: Dale Tate
Organization: Dunmore County Quilting Guild Holiday Fund
Date found: January 9, 2019
Peak account balance: $211,800 (approximately, November 2018)
Remaining balance on Dec 1, 2018: $412

- The Holiday Fund began in 2012 with monthly deposits from February through November.
- By 2015 the guild had roughly 60 members and 41 households enrolled in the Holiday Fund.
- At peak in November 2018 the account held approximately $211,800.
- On December 1, 2018 the fund balance was $412.
- On January 9, 2019 Rachel Perry found 147 sealed, stamped, hand-addressed envelopes in a cardboard box on property belonging to Dale Tate.

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.]]>1044falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-prop-well-how-a-deacon-stole-412-000-from-neighbors--73071711
Fear that your neighbor's water project is a scam starts on the first line: a PVC pipe dressed with a $14 sanitary seal, bought in cash 46 miles away, stood as a "prop" for a fake well while 43 families paid $38 a month into an account that never funded drills or pumps. Who built those props, how many were out there, and when did the scheme start to unravel?

In this episode, we walk through the timeline from a February 2016 community meeting to the December 2019 discovery, tracing money, documents, and a single email that changes everything. What evidence proves the treasurer knew the plan would collapse, and how did a granddaughter's records search start the unraveling?

Person: Duane Coleman
Role: Treasurer, Secretary, sole bank signatory of Stillwater Rural Water Cooperative
Amount: $412,000 total collected from March 2016 to November 2019
Members: 43 families paying $38 per month
Discovery date: December 9, 2019

- A four-inch PVC pipe extended fourteen inches above the surface with a sanitary well seal and no pump or borehole.
- The sanitary well seal cost approximately $14 and was purchased with cash forty-six miles away two years before inspection.
- Forty-three people joined the cooperative and paid $38 per month from March 2016 through November 2019.
- The cooperative's bank account never held more than approximately $541 and was drained within days of deposits in 22 of 43 months.
- Jennifer Christensen, age 28, searched the Nebraska Secretary of State business records in October 2019 after finding disturbed soil and no well at the GPS coordinates.

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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/73071711Sat, 08 Aug 2026 23:00:03 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Prop Well: How a Deacon Stole $412,000 From Neighbors Fear that your neighbor's water project is a scam starts on the first line: a PVC pipe dressed with a $14 sanitary seal, bought in cash 46 miles away, stood as a "prop" for a fake well while...
Fear that your neighbor's water project is a scam starts on the first line: a PVC pipe dressed with a $14 sanitary seal, bought in cash 46 miles away, stood as a "prop" for a fake well while 43 families paid $38 a month into an account that never funded drills or pumps. Who built those props, how many were out there, and when did the scheme start to unravel?

In this episode, we walk through the timeline from a February 2016 community meeting to the December 2019 discovery, tracing money, documents, and a single email that changes everything. What evidence proves the treasurer knew the plan would collapse, and how did a granddaughter's records search start the unraveling?

Person: Duane Coleman
Role: Treasurer, Secretary, sole bank signatory of Stillwater Rural Water Cooperative
Amount: $412,000 total collected from March 2016 to November 2019
Members: 43 families paying $38 per month
Discovery date: December 9, 2019

- A four-inch PVC pipe extended fourteen inches above the surface with a sanitary well seal and no pump or borehole.
- The sanitary well seal cost approximately $14 and was purchased with cash forty-six miles away two years before inspection.
- Forty-three people joined the cooperative and paid $38 per month from March 2016 through November 2019.
- The cooperative's bank account never held more than approximately $541 and was drained within days of deposits in 22 of 43 months.
- Jennifer Christensen, age 28, searched the Nebraska Secretary of State business records in October 2019 after finding disturbed soil and no well at the GPS coordinates.

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.]]>1236falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-broker-who-borrowed-his-retirement-830k-stolen-closing--73071709
Trust betrayed cost one man his retirement: a broker arranged a lender to disburse $520,000 against a dental practice while the seller completed a clean sale for $640,000 - leaving $830,000 effectively borrowed from the practice without the seller's knowledge. How did an $800K-plus loan get issued on a practice already under contract, and who found the folder that exposed it?

In this episode, we tell the sequence of events that led from a routine practice sale to a hidden loan, following the people, documents, and decisions that let the fraud happen. Listen to learn how the loan was originated, who signed what, and the moment a waterlogged closing package changed everything.

Person: Roger O'Connor
Person: Darlene Norris
Person: Amy Cho
Date: November 4, 2019
Event: $520,000 disbursement to Norris Practice Partners LLC

- The agreed sale price for Summit Ridge Dental was $640,000 with a $120,000 down payment by buyer Amy Cho.
- On October 18, 2019 Harmon Bridge Financial issued a commitment letter for $520,000 secured by the practice.
- Phil Watts provided an appraisal valuing the practice at $790,000 while the contract price was $640,000.
- The $520,000 loan was disbursed on October 29, 2019 to Norris Practice Partners LLC, three days before the November 1 closing.
- Steven Green found a waterlogged folder labeled "SUMMIT RIDGE DENTAL - CLOSING PKG - DO NOT COPY" beside Teller Creek on November 4, 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/73071709Fri, 07 Aug 2026 23:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Broker Who Borrowed His Retirement: $830K Stolen Closing Trust betrayed cost one man his retirement: a broker arranged a lender to disburse $520,000 against a dental practice while the seller completed a clean sale for $640,000 - leaving...
Trust betrayed cost one man his retirement: a broker arranged a lender to disburse $520,000 against a dental practice while the seller completed a clean sale for $640,000 - leaving $830,000 effectively borrowed from the practice without the seller's knowledge. How did an $800K-plus loan get issued on a practice already under contract, and who found the folder that exposed it?

In this episode, we tell the sequence of events that led from a routine practice sale to a hidden loan, following the people, documents, and decisions that let the fraud happen. Listen to learn how the loan was originated, who signed what, and the moment a waterlogged closing package changed everything.

Person: Roger O'Connor
Person: Darlene Norris
Person: Amy Cho
Date: November 4, 2019
Event: $520,000 disbursement to Norris Practice Partners LLC

- The agreed sale price for Summit Ridge Dental was $640,000 with a $120,000 down payment by buyer Amy Cho.
- On October 18, 2019 Harmon Bridge Financial issued a commitment letter for $520,000 secured by the practice.
- Phil Watts provided an appraisal valuing the practice at $790,000 while the contract price was $640,000.
- The $520,000 loan was disbursed on October 29, 2019 to Norris Practice Partners LLC, three days before the November 1 closing.
- Steven Green found a waterlogged folder labeled "SUMMIT RIDGE DENTAL - CLOSING PKG - DO NOT COPY" beside Teller Creek on November 4, 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.]]>1167falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/he-burned-the-barn-why-114-photos-survived-the-fire--73071708
A burned building reduced to a concrete slab, a locked cabinet scorched at the edges, and inside: 114 pristine color prints with sharp edges and true colors - left untouched where no one would expect them. How did those photographs survive a fire set to destroy evidence, and what did their existence reveal about the man who filed claims for years?

In this episode, we lay out the sequence of events and the people involved, from the adjuster who controlled both photographs and coordinates to the farmers who accepted altered claims as lifelines, and we follow the investigation that asked one central question: if Jason Wallace knew the photos were in that cabinet, why did he let them survive?

Person: Jason Wallace
Case: 114 color prints recovered after barn fire
Region: Central San Joaquin Valley along Highway 99
Companies: Meridian Crop Assurance; Halloway Agricultural Risk
Period: January-September 2011 (19 amended claims)

- Wallace worked as a crop adjuster for eleven years covering an approximately 80-mile corridor along Highway 99.
- He filed 19 amended claims between January and September 2011, compared to 22 in the previous four years combined.
- The recovered evidence consisted of 114 color four-by-six prints found inside a scorched but locked cabinet in a burned building.
- Wallace filed claims independently for two carriers: Meridian Crop Assurance (Fresno) and Halloway Agricultural Risk (Visalia).
- Farmers paid Wallace envelopes of cash amounting to 10-15% of the inflated portion of claims.

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/73071708Thu, 06 Aug 2026 23:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaHe Burned the Barn - Why 114 Photos Survived the Fire A burned building reduced to a concrete slab, a locked cabinet scorched at the edges, and inside: 114 pristine color prints with sharp edges and true colors - left untouched where no one would...
A burned building reduced to a concrete slab, a locked cabinet scorched at the edges, and inside: 114 pristine color prints with sharp edges and true colors - left untouched where no one would expect them. How did those photographs survive a fire set to destroy evidence, and what did their existence reveal about the man who filed claims for years?

In this episode, we lay out the sequence of events and the people involved, from the adjuster who controlled both photographs and coordinates to the farmers who accepted altered claims as lifelines, and we follow the investigation that asked one central question: if Jason Wallace knew the photos were in that cabinet, why did he let them survive?

Person: Jason Wallace
Case: 114 color prints recovered after barn fire
Region: Central San Joaquin Valley along Highway 99
Companies: Meridian Crop Assurance; Halloway Agricultural Risk
Period: January-September 2011 (19 amended claims)

- Wallace worked as a crop adjuster for eleven years covering an approximately 80-mile corridor along Highway 99.
- He filed 19 amended claims between January and September 2011, compared to 22 in the previous four years combined.
- The recovered evidence consisted of 114 color four-by-six prints found inside a scorched but locked cabinet in a burned building.
- Wallace filed claims independently for two carriers: Meridian Crop Assurance (Fresno) and Halloway Agricultural Risk (Visalia).
- Farmers paid Wallace envelopes of cash amounting to 10-15% of the inflated portion of claims.

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.]]>1153falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/he-stole-from-kids-the-treasurer-who-hid-67-000-in-plain-sight--73071707
A trusted treasurer ran a nine-year scheme that siphoned $67,000 from a school booster club into a personal account held in his own name-then casually tossed the incriminating ledger into a ditch. How did dozens of transfers land just before meetings while $400-$1,200 disappeared each time, and why did it take a road crew finding a folder to expose it?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from the first lost papers to the accounting trail that tied the money to one man, and we ask how routine trust and on-time reports hid a decade of missing funds.

Person: Raymond A. Bennett
Date: September 2011
Location: Cutler Mill Road, Dellwood Township
Amount: $67,000
Role: Treasurer since October 2002

- The folder found in a drainage ditch contained nine years of bank statements and a handwritten ledger.
- Bennett served as treasurer for nine years, beginning in October 2002.
- Forty-one transfers from the booster club landed in Bennett’s personal account over nine years.
- Each transfer arrived within 72 hours before a board meeting where Bennett gave his treasurer’s report.
- Each transfer was short by between $400 and $1,200 of the total collected.

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/73071707Wed, 05 Aug 2026 23:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaHe Stole From Kids: The Treasurer Who Hid $67,000 in Plain Sight A trusted treasurer ran a nine-year scheme that siphoned $67,000 from a school booster club into a personal account held in his own name-then casually tossed the incriminating ledger...
A trusted treasurer ran a nine-year scheme that siphoned $67,000 from a school booster club into a personal account held in his own name-then casually tossed the incriminating ledger into a ditch. How did dozens of transfers land just before meetings while $400-$1,200 disappeared each time, and why did it take a road crew finding a folder to expose it?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from the first lost papers to the accounting trail that tied the money to one man, and we ask how routine trust and on-time reports hid a decade of missing funds.

Person: Raymond A. Bennett
Date: September 2011
Location: Cutler Mill Road, Dellwood Township
Amount: $67,000
Role: Treasurer since October 2002

- The folder found in a drainage ditch contained nine years of bank statements and a handwritten ledger.
- Bennett served as treasurer for nine years, beginning in October 2002.
- Forty-one transfers from the booster club landed in Bennett’s personal account over nine years.
- Each transfer arrived within 72 hours before a board meeting where Bennett gave his treasurer’s report.
- Each transfer was short by between $400 and $1,200 of the total collected.

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.]]>1065falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/she-sold-a-fake-resort-weekend-380-people-paid-31k-vanished--73071706
A local charity raffle raised more than $40,000 from roughly 380 people for a grand prize that did not exist: a luxury weekend at Granger Valley Resort, which had been demolished two years before tickets were sold. How did one woman convince hundreds to hand over cash while a framed confirmation for a prize that couldn’t be claimed hung on the wall of a rented office?

In this episode, we tell what happened when a utility lineman found a warm shredder and a framed confirmation in a vacant unit, how a 62-year-old water treatment worker named Neil Price followed a hunch, and why the raffle’s money ended up in the organizer’s personal bank account. What did Neil uncover that turned suspicion into a case?

Person: Lauren Hensley
Person: Neil Price
Date: August 9, 2019
Location: Elsin Road strip mall, Millbrook Township
Amount: roughly $40,000 collected

- 380 people across Millbrook Township bought raffle tickets for the supposed prize.
- Tickets were sold at eleven separate community venues over about five months.
- Grand prize was advertised as a $2,000 weekend at Granger Valley Resort, which had been demolished in spring 2017.
- Checks and cash proceeds were deposited into Lauren Hensley’s personal bank account in an adjacent county.
- Frances Daly bought $200 in tickets and Robert Voss spent $150; Neil Price paid $40 for five tickets.

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/73071706Tue, 04 Aug 2026 23:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaShe Sold a Fake Resort Weekend - 380 People Paid, $31K Vanished A local charity raffle raised more than $40,000 from roughly 380 people for a grand prize that did not exist: a luxury weekend at Granger Valley Resort, which had been demolished two...
A local charity raffle raised more than $40,000 from roughly 380 people for a grand prize that did not exist: a luxury weekend at Granger Valley Resort, which had been demolished two years before tickets were sold. How did one woman convince hundreds to hand over cash while a framed confirmation for a prize that couldn’t be claimed hung on the wall of a rented office?

In this episode, we tell what happened when a utility lineman found a warm shredder and a framed confirmation in a vacant unit, how a 62-year-old water treatment worker named Neil Price followed a hunch, and why the raffle’s money ended up in the organizer’s personal bank account. What did Neil uncover that turned suspicion into a case?

Person: Lauren Hensley
Person: Neil Price
Date: August 9, 2019
Location: Elsin Road strip mall, Millbrook Township
Amount: roughly $40,000 collected

- 380 people across Millbrook Township bought raffle tickets for the supposed prize.
- Tickets were sold at eleven separate community venues over about five months.
- Grand prize was advertised as a $2,000 weekend at Granger Valley Resort, which had been demolished in spring 2017.
- Checks and cash proceeds were deposited into Lauren Hensley’s personal bank account in an adjacent county.
- Frances Daly bought $200 in tickets and Robert Voss spent $150; Neil Price paid $40 for five tickets.

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/the-filing-cabinet-in-the-pond-how-a-choirman-stole-1-8m--73071705
Fear that the person you trusted from church quietly emptied your prepayment trust - and left a town holding the bill - is the first thing that hits when a filing cabinet is pulled from a pond containing contracts and receipts tied to $1.8 million. A spreadsheet emailed 38 days before the man disappeared and a $61 check left uncashed beside a grandmother’s contract refuse to stop haunting the story: who did this, and why did it take a filing cabinet in a retention pond to prove it?

In this episode, we walk through the timeline, the documents, and the people affected by the scheme to show how prepaid funeral contracts sold over more than a decade ended with almost nothing in the trust account and grieving families forced to pay. What does the spreadsheet Fitzgerald emailed himself and the uncashed $61 check reveal about the unraveling of his business?

Person: Vernon Fitzgerald
Location: Dunmore, Grady County
Date first noticed in pond: July 11, 2019 at 6:15 AM
Contracts sold: 412 contracts between 2008 and 2019
Amount collected: approximately $1,800,000 with $11,400 remaining in trust

- Filing cabinet pulled from retention pond was submerged to its second drawer and labeled Fitzgerald Memorial Planning Services.
- Fitzgerald sold 412 prepaid funeral contracts and collected about $1.8 million between 2008 and 2019.
- State law required 90% of each prepaid contract to be deposited into a trust account; by 2019 the trust held $11,400 (less than 1% of required funds).
- Investigator Dean Baker identified the trust as functionally empty by approximately 2016 and found accelerating sales after 2015.
- On May 29, 2019 Angela Wells filed a consumer protection complaint including the original contract and receipts after her grandmother’s $3,800 prepaid plan was not honored and the family paid $6,200 out of pocket.

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/73071705Mon, 03 Aug 2026 23:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Filing Cabinet in the Pond: How a Choirman Stole $1.8M Fear that the person you trusted from church quietly emptied your prepayment trust - and left a town holding the bill - is the first thing that hits when a filing cabinet is pulled from a...
Fear that the person you trusted from church quietly emptied your prepayment trust - and left a town holding the bill - is the first thing that hits when a filing cabinet is pulled from a pond containing contracts and receipts tied to $1.8 million. A spreadsheet emailed 38 days before the man disappeared and a $61 check left uncashed beside a grandmother’s contract refuse to stop haunting the story: who did this, and why did it take a filing cabinet in a retention pond to prove it?

In this episode, we walk through the timeline, the documents, and the people affected by the scheme to show how prepaid funeral contracts sold over more than a decade ended with almost nothing in the trust account and grieving families forced to pay. What does the spreadsheet Fitzgerald emailed himself and the uncashed $61 check reveal about the unraveling of his business?

Person: Vernon Fitzgerald
Location: Dunmore, Grady County
Date first noticed in pond: July 11, 2019 at 6:15 AM
Contracts sold: 412 contracts between 2008 and 2019
Amount collected: approximately $1,800,000 with $11,400 remaining in trust

- Filing cabinet pulled from retention pond was submerged to its second drawer and labeled Fitzgerald Memorial Planning Services.
- Fitzgerald sold 412 prepaid funeral contracts and collected about $1.8 million between 2008 and 2019.
- State law required 90% of each prepaid contract to be deposited into a trust account; by 2019 the trust held $11,400 (less than 1% of required funds).
- Investigator Dean Baker identified the trust as functionally empty by approximately 2016 and found accelerating sales after 2015.
- On May 29, 2019 Angela Wells filed a consumer protection complaint including the original contract and receipts after her grandmother’s $3,800 prepaid plan was not honored and the family paid $6,200 out of pocket.

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.]]>1081falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-passbook-on-the-pipe-how-344-000-vanished-from-lakewood--73071704
A forgotten savings passbook taped to a water pipe led investigators to a scheme that siphoned $344,000 from twenty-three victims over four and a half years - but why was a passbook with a $412 balance left in a meter box on June 4, 2014? Who was Jean Hunt trusting when she handed over six years of savings, and how did a local tax preparer turn that trust into a multi-year fraud?

In this episode, we tell how one woman’s careful savings, routine phone calls, and a chance meeting at a free library seminar intersected with a fake pooled investment called the Lakewood Group, and how the passbook on the pipe became the last move before the losses were discovered.

Person: Jean Hunt
Date: June 4, 2014
Amount: $344,000
Victims: 23
Location: Millhaven, Grover County

- Jean Hunt had $61,000 in a retirement account and $22,000 in liquid savings before she invested with Doyle.
- Jean transferred $14,000 to the Lakewood Group in October 2012.
- The passbook found on the pipe showed a last entry dated February 17, 2014 with a balance of $412.
- Melvin Doyle ran Doyle Financial Services from a converted storefront on Aldwell Street and was licensed only to prepare tax returns.
- Twelve of fourteen tax clients recruited were brought into the Lakewood Group within six weeks of completing their returns.

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/73071704Sun, 02 Aug 2026 23:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Passbook on the Pipe: How $344,000 Vanished from Lakewood A forgotten savings passbook taped to a water pipe led investigators to a scheme that siphoned $344,000 from twenty-three victims over four and a half years - but why was a passbook with...
A forgotten savings passbook taped to a water pipe led investigators to a scheme that siphoned $344,000 from twenty-three victims over four and a half years - but why was a passbook with a $412 balance left in a meter box on June 4, 2014? Who was Jean Hunt trusting when she handed over six years of savings, and how did a local tax preparer turn that trust into a multi-year fraud?

In this episode, we tell how one woman’s careful savings, routine phone calls, and a chance meeting at a free library seminar intersected with a fake pooled investment called the Lakewood Group, and how the passbook on the pipe became the last move before the losses were discovered.

Person: Jean Hunt
Date: June 4, 2014
Amount: $344,000
Victims: 23
Location: Millhaven, Grover County

- Jean Hunt had $61,000 in a retirement account and $22,000 in liquid savings before she invested with Doyle.
- Jean transferred $14,000 to the Lakewood Group in October 2012.
- The passbook found on the pipe showed a last entry dated February 17, 2014 with a balance of $412.
- Melvin Doyle ran Doyle Financial Services from a converted storefront on Aldwell Street and was licensed only to prepare tax returns.
- Twelve of fourteen tax clients recruited were brought into the Lakewood Group within six weeks of completing their returns.

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.]]>1220falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-treasurer-who-shredded-a-county-s-retirement-62k-foundations-shaken--73071702
Fear that a quiet, trusted official hid a decades‑long deception: a county fund showed five straight annual returns between 6.1% and 6.8% with no custodian, no audits, and no registration - then the treasurer was caught shredding documents. How many participants were left holding balances that existed only on paper?

In this episode, we lay out the timeline from the first sighting of a shredder at 7:54 AM on May 3, 2019, through the state forensic inquiry opened May 29, 2019, and show how routine records and annual luncheon statements masked an apparent internal bookkeeping scheme - but who ultimately lost real money?

Person: Robert Morris
Person: Rebecca Carter
Date: May 3, 2019
Date: May 29, 2019
Fund: Grover County Municipal Employees Supplemental Fund

- At 7:54 AM on May 3, 2019, Thomas Ramsey found Robert Morris feeding pages into a personal shredder.
- The fund reported five annual returns of 6.1%, 6.4%, 6.8%, 6.2%, and 6.2% on participant statements.
- The fund had forty-six participants including county employees, retirees, and spouses.
- Diane Donnelly’s January 2019 statement showed a balance of $31,412.60.
- The forensic inquiry began after Diane called the State Securities Division and Rebecca Carter opened a formal inquiry on May 29, 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/73071702Sat, 01 Aug 2026 23:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Treasurer Who Shredded a County's Retirement: $62K Foundations Shaken Fear that a quiet, trusted official hid a decades‑long deception: a county fund showed five straight annual returns between 6.1% and 6.8% with no custodian, no audits, and no...
Fear that a quiet, trusted official hid a decades‑long deception: a county fund showed five straight annual returns between 6.1% and 6.8% with no custodian, no audits, and no registration - then the treasurer was caught shredding documents. How many participants were left holding balances that existed only on paper?

In this episode, we lay out the timeline from the first sighting of a shredder at 7:54 AM on May 3, 2019, through the state forensic inquiry opened May 29, 2019, and show how routine records and annual luncheon statements masked an apparent internal bookkeeping scheme - but who ultimately lost real money?

Person: Robert Morris
Person: Rebecca Carter
Date: May 3, 2019
Date: May 29, 2019
Fund: Grover County Municipal Employees Supplemental Fund

- At 7:54 AM on May 3, 2019, Thomas Ramsey found Robert Morris feeding pages into a personal shredder.
- The fund reported five annual returns of 6.1%, 6.4%, 6.8%, 6.2%, and 6.2% on participant statements.
- The fund had forty-six participants including county employees, retirees, and spouses.
- Diane Donnelly’s January 2019 statement showed a balance of $31,412.60.
- The forensic inquiry began after Diane called the State Securities Division and Rebecca Carter opened a formal inquiry on May 29, 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.]]>1071falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/they-sold-her-a-backyard-how-a-stake-stole-341k-from-neighbors--73071701
The first clue was an eighteen-inch orange stake with a laminated card listing "Lot fourteen, $187,500" driven into protected trailland six weeks after the trail opened - and that single stake set off a scheme that collected $341,000 from neighbors. How did a licensed contractor sell lots that were under a conservation easement and convince at least fourteen people to hand over large deposits for land he never owned?

In this episode, we follow the day Donna Krebs found the stake on William Morgan Trail and the chain of phone calls that exposed years of sales, the profiles of several buyers, and the seller’s background - leading to the question of how trust, paperwork, and local reputation were used to sell untouchable land.

Person: Donna Krebs
Person: Steven Barnes
Person: Angela Patterson
Event: Stake planted April 11, 2019
Amount: $341,000

- The stake was driven into the ground on the morning of April 11, 2019 in the middle of William Morgan Trail.
- The laminated card on the stake read Lot 14, $187,500.
- The land had been under a conservation easement and legally untouchable since 2016.
- Steven Barnes registered Barnes Custom Homes LLC in 2016 and obtained a Tennessee contractor's license in 2012.
- Iris Patel paid $19,500 as a deposit on a lot; Angela Patterson paid $17,200 by wire for Lot 7 listed at $172,000.

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/73071701Fri, 31 Jul 2026 23:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaThey Sold Her a Backyard: How a Stake Stole $341K from Neighbors The first clue was an eighteen-inch orange stake with a laminated card listing "Lot fourteen, $187,500" driven into protected trailland six weeks after the trail opened - and that...
The first clue was an eighteen-inch orange stake with a laminated card listing "Lot fourteen, $187,500" driven into protected trailland six weeks after the trail opened - and that single stake set off a scheme that collected $341,000 from neighbors. How did a licensed contractor sell lots that were under a conservation easement and convince at least fourteen people to hand over large deposits for land he never owned?

In this episode, we follow the day Donna Krebs found the stake on William Morgan Trail and the chain of phone calls that exposed years of sales, the profiles of several buyers, and the seller’s background - leading to the question of how trust, paperwork, and local reputation were used to sell untouchable land.

Person: Donna Krebs
Person: Steven Barnes
Person: Angela Patterson
Event: Stake planted April 11, 2019
Amount: $341,000

- The stake was driven into the ground on the morning of April 11, 2019 in the middle of William Morgan Trail.
- The laminated card on the stake read Lot 14, $187,500.
- The land had been under a conservation easement and legally untouchable since 2016.
- Steven Barnes registered Barnes Custom Homes LLC in 2016 and obtained a Tennessee contractor's license in 2012.
- Iris Patel paid $19,500 as a deposit on a lot; Angela Patterson paid $17,200 by wire for Lot 7 listed at $172,000.

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.]]>1214falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-box-in-sable-creek-how-he-drained-47-retirements--73071699
Fear that the people you trust are quietly stealing your future: a soaked cardboard banker's box in Sable Creek held the paper trail of a seven-year scheme that emptied the retirement savings of forty-seven people in a town of nine thousand - how did routine quarterly statements hide a gap of over one million dollars? What happens when the envelopes everyone expects are the very instruments of a fraud?

In this episode, we tell the sequence of events from the discovery on March 11, 2019 through the unraveling of the Retirement Savers Circle, and how forged statements and a single personal bank account concealed missing funds; can the misplaced trust of a small town be traced to one man’s paperwork and a typewriter flaw?

Person: Kenneth Vickers
Person: April Collins
Date: March 11, 2019
Location: Sable Creek
Amount: $1,204,000 contributed over six years

- Forty-seven members of the Retirement Savers Circle had their retirement savings affected.
- The town population is roughly nine thousand.
- Contributions totaled $1,204,000 while the actual account held $11,040 when investigators looked.
- April Collins received a statement showing $112,000 in January 2019 though the real balance was zero.
- Kenneth Vickers used an IBM Selectric III typewriter with a distinctive elevated lowercase "e" to produce forged quarterly 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.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73071699Thu, 30 Jul 2026 23:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Box in Sable Creek: How He Drained 47 Retirements Fear that the people you trust are quietly stealing your future: a soaked cardboard banker's box in Sable Creek held the paper trail of a seven-year scheme that emptied the retirement savings of...
Fear that the people you trust are quietly stealing your future: a soaked cardboard banker's box in Sable Creek held the paper trail of a seven-year scheme that emptied the retirement savings of forty-seven people in a town of nine thousand - how did routine quarterly statements hide a gap of over one million dollars? What happens when the envelopes everyone expects are the very instruments of a fraud?

In this episode, we tell the sequence of events from the discovery on March 11, 2019 through the unraveling of the Retirement Savers Circle, and how forged statements and a single personal bank account concealed missing funds; can the misplaced trust of a small town be traced to one man’s paperwork and a typewriter flaw?

Person: Kenneth Vickers
Person: April Collins
Date: March 11, 2019
Location: Sable Creek
Amount: $1,204,000 contributed over six years

- Forty-seven members of the Retirement Savers Circle had their retirement savings affected.
- The town population is roughly nine thousand.
- Contributions totaled $1,204,000 while the actual account held $11,040 when investigators looked.
- April Collins received a statement showing $112,000 in January 2019 though the real balance was zero.
- Kenneth Vickers used an IBM Selectric III typewriter with a distinctive elevated lowercase "e" to produce forged quarterly 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.]]>1169falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/he-sold-one-grain-lot-eight-times-farmers-lost-425k--73071698
A single grain lot was secretly promised to eight different investors, producing $643,000 in deposits and $425,000 in unrecovered losses-how did no one notice until a drainage survey? Who built a paper trail convincing enough to turn a forty-seven thousand two hundred bushel corn lot into eight separate ownership claims?

In this episode, we lay out the sequence of events that began with a February 11, 2019 weigh-house discovery and follow the people, receipts, and bank movements that turned a local elevator lot into the center of a federal fraud case. How did Curtis Harrison use reputation, paper receipts, and community trust to move money and obscure ownership?

Person: Curtis Harrison
Date: February 11, 2019
Location: Farlen County Co-op Elevator weigh-house
Amount lost: $425,000
Bushels: 47,200

- Eight grain-storage receipts, stapled in a row, each assigned full ownership of the same lot seven-F.
- Total investor deposits linked to the scheme were $643,000.
- The official corn lot contained 47,200 bushels belonging to farmer Leonard Pruitt.
- Beverly Nolan invested $62,000 in fall 2015 and was repaid approximately $8,900 profit in March 2016.
- Sandra Bowers deposited $41,000 on September 1, 2017; three days later $38,000 was wired to a futures broker.

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/73071698Wed, 29 Jul 2026 23:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaHe Sold One Grain Lot Eight Times - Farmers Lost $425K A single grain lot was secretly promised to eight different investors, producing $643,000 in deposits and $425,000 in unrecovered losses-how did no one notice until a drainage survey? Who built...
A single grain lot was secretly promised to eight different investors, producing $643,000 in deposits and $425,000 in unrecovered losses-how did no one notice until a drainage survey? Who built a paper trail convincing enough to turn a forty-seven thousand two hundred bushel corn lot into eight separate ownership claims?

In this episode, we lay out the sequence of events that began with a February 11, 2019 weigh-house discovery and follow the people, receipts, and bank movements that turned a local elevator lot into the center of a federal fraud case. How did Curtis Harrison use reputation, paper receipts, and community trust to move money and obscure ownership?

Person: Curtis Harrison
Date: February 11, 2019
Location: Farlen County Co-op Elevator weigh-house
Amount lost: $425,000
Bushels: 47,200

- Eight grain-storage receipts, stapled in a row, each assigned full ownership of the same lot seven-F.
- Total investor deposits linked to the scheme were $643,000.
- The official corn lot contained 47,200 bushels belonging to farmer Leonard Pruitt.
- Beverly Nolan invested $62,000 in fall 2015 and was repaid approximately $8,900 profit in March 2016.
- Sandra Bowers deposited $41,000 on September 1, 2017; three days later $38,000 was wired to a futures broker.

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-stole-the-sanctuary-how-a-pastor-s-trustee-took-500k--73071696
Fear that your community’s trust can be turned into a ledger of lies: more than $400,000 vanished from a church building fund that showed $318,000 on paper in June 2007 while the real account held $11,240. How did a congregational trustee alter receipts, control semiannual summaries, and quietly reroute donors’ money for over a decade?

In this episode, we tell what happened at Calvary Ridge Community Church and the earlier pattern in Northfield Baptist Church, outlining the timeline of donations, the governance loophole used, and the people who gave believing a sanctuary would be built. How long did faith itself serve as the cover for those transfers?

Person: Ronald Taylor
Location: Calvary Ridge Community Church, Renner Church Road, Harton
Date: Fund summaries referenced June 2007 and semiannual distributions in June and December over 12 years
Amount: $318,000 reported vs $11,240 actual (June 2007)
Prior case: Approximately $89,000 missing at Northfield Baptist Church (1992-1996)

- The building fund at Calvary Ridge ran for 12 years with semiannual summaries produced by a single trustee.
- In June 2007 the church summary showed $318,000 while the actual bank balance was $11,240.
- Harriet Bloom donated $40,000 in 2002 as the largest single contribution to the fund.
- Bernard Cooke wrote yearly December checks totaling $22,000 across six years.
- Ronald Taylor had previously managed an $89,000 building fund at Northfield Baptist Church that ceased being discussed after he left in fall 1996.

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/73071696Tue, 28 Jul 2026 23:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaHe Stole the Sanctuary: How a Pastor's Trustee Took $500K Fear that your community’s trust can be turned into a ledger of lies: more than $400,000 vanished from a church building fund that showed $318,000 on paper in June 2007 while the real...
Fear that your community’s trust can be turned into a ledger of lies: more than $400,000 vanished from a church building fund that showed $318,000 on paper in June 2007 while the real account held $11,240. How did a congregational trustee alter receipts, control semiannual summaries, and quietly reroute donors’ money for over a decade?

In this episode, we tell what happened at Calvary Ridge Community Church and the earlier pattern in Northfield Baptist Church, outlining the timeline of donations, the governance loophole used, and the people who gave believing a sanctuary would be built. How long did faith itself serve as the cover for those transfers?

Person: Ronald Taylor
Location: Calvary Ridge Community Church, Renner Church Road, Harton
Date: Fund summaries referenced June 2007 and semiannual distributions in June and December over 12 years
Amount: $318,000 reported vs $11,240 actual (June 2007)
Prior case: Approximately $89,000 missing at Northfield Baptist Church (1992-1996)

- The building fund at Calvary Ridge ran for 12 years with semiannual summaries produced by a single trustee.
- In June 2007 the church summary showed $318,000 while the actual bank balance was $11,240.
- Harriet Bloom donated $40,000 in 2002 as the largest single contribution to the fund.
- Bernard Cooke wrote yearly December checks totaling $22,000 across six years.
- Ronald Taylor had previously managed an $89,000 building fund at Northfield Baptist Church that ceased being discussed after he left in fall 1996.

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.]]>1197falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-archivist-who-hid-94-400-how-a-town-s-trust-vanished--73071695
Fear that the person you trust most is stealing from the community: a retired postal carrier found a water-warped box labeled DO NOT DISCARD, and it later became the thread that exposed $94,400 raised for preservation with only about $4,000 spent - so where did the rest go?

In this episode, we follow the sequence of events from the morning the box was discovered to the federal case known as Double Ground, laying out the grant approvals, the roles people played, and the gaps that let funds vanish - can the archive’s real history and the missing money be reconciled?

Person: Ronald O'Connor
Age: 56
Amount raised: $94,400
Amount spent on project: about $4,000
Case: Double Ground

- At 7:14 AM on a Tuesday in December 2019, Ralph Osborne photographed a water-warped banker's box labeled DO NOT DISCARD on an unlit loading dock.
- The Halverson Family Foundation approved a $47,200 grant to HCHS in February 2018 for a digitization project.
- One month later, in March 2018, the state humanities council approved an identical $47,200 grant for the same project without knowing about the other grant.
- Ronald O'Connor served as executive director, treasurer, grant writer, and only full-time employee of Harlowe County Historical Society for nine years.
- The archive comprised 19 years of acquisitions totaling 1,400 linear feet of primary source material.

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/73071695Mon, 27 Jul 2026 23:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Archivist Who Hid $94,400: How a Town's Trust Vanished Fear that the person you trust most is stealing from the community: a retired postal carrier found a water-warped box labeled DO NOT DISCARD, and it later became the thread that exposed...
Fear that the person you trust most is stealing from the community: a retired postal carrier found a water-warped box labeled DO NOT DISCARD, and it later became the thread that exposed $94,400 raised for preservation with only about $4,000 spent - so where did the rest go?

In this episode, we follow the sequence of events from the morning the box was discovered to the federal case known as Double Ground, laying out the grant approvals, the roles people played, and the gaps that let funds vanish - can the archive’s real history and the missing money be reconciled?

Person: Ronald O'Connor
Age: 56
Amount raised: $94,400
Amount spent on project: about $4,000
Case: Double Ground

- At 7:14 AM on a Tuesday in December 2019, Ralph Osborne photographed a water-warped banker's box labeled DO NOT DISCARD on an unlit loading dock.
- The Halverson Family Foundation approved a $47,200 grant to HCHS in February 2018 for a digitization project.
- One month later, in March 2018, the state humanities council approved an identical $47,200 grant for the same project without knowing about the other grant.
- Ronald O'Connor served as executive director, treasurer, grant writer, and only full-time employee of Harlowe County Historical Society for nine years.
- The archive comprised 19 years of acquisitions totaling 1,400 linear feet of primary source material.

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/he-stole-tax-refunds-from-his-own-clients-second-harvest-scandal--73071693
A quiet tax preparer stole $378,000 by filing a second set of returns in his clients’ names and redirecting refunds to a single account - often without clients ever seeing or signing the amended forms. How did a laminated PTIN, a storefront in a predominantly Latino strip mall, and a handwritten ledger labeled "second harvest" enable a nine-year scheme that preyed on trust and fear of government mail?

In this episode, we lay out the sequence of events and the mechanisms that allowed the theft to continue for years, following the discoveries that began with an IRS envelopes found on a closed storefront and a formal complaint to the Kansas Attorney General. What exactly did investigators find in the filing patterns and financial trail that unraveled Philip Sawyer’s operation?

Person: Philip Sawyer
Location: Crestfield, Kansas
Date: November 3-15, 2021 (complaint and investigation steps)
Amount: $378,000
Company: Pronto Tax Services

- Eleven IRS envelopes addressed to eleven different clients were found wedged inside the door of the closed Pronto Tax Services storefront.
- Philip Sawyer opened Pronto Tax Services in winter 2019 and operated the business for nine years.
- Pronto Tax Services held a 4.2-star Google rating across three tax seasons.
- Investigators found a consistent pattern of two filings per client: an original return, then a Form 1040-X filed 2-6 weeks later.
- All amended returns directed refunds to the same account at Morrow Financial Solutions, registered in Sedgwick County.

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/73071693Sun, 26 Jul 2026 23:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaHe Stole Tax Refunds From His Own Clients - "Second Harvest" Scandal A quiet tax preparer stole $378,000 by filing a second set of returns in his clients’ names and redirecting refunds to a single account - often without clients ever seeing or...
A quiet tax preparer stole $378,000 by filing a second set of returns in his clients’ names and redirecting refunds to a single account - often without clients ever seeing or signing the amended forms. How did a laminated PTIN, a storefront in a predominantly Latino strip mall, and a handwritten ledger labeled "second harvest" enable a nine-year scheme that preyed on trust and fear of government mail?

In this episode, we lay out the sequence of events and the mechanisms that allowed the theft to continue for years, following the discoveries that began with an IRS envelopes found on a closed storefront and a formal complaint to the Kansas Attorney General. What exactly did investigators find in the filing patterns and financial trail that unraveled Philip Sawyer’s operation?

Person: Philip Sawyer
Location: Crestfield, Kansas
Date: November 3-15, 2021 (complaint and investigation steps)
Amount: $378,000
Company: Pronto Tax Services

- Eleven IRS envelopes addressed to eleven different clients were found wedged inside the door of the closed Pronto Tax Services storefront.
- Philip Sawyer opened Pronto Tax Services in winter 2019 and operated the business for nine years.
- Pronto Tax Services held a 4.2-star Google rating across three tax seasons.
- Investigators found a consistent pattern of two filings per client: an original return, then a Form 1040-X filed 2-6 weeks later.
- All amended returns directed refunds to the same account at Morrow Financial Solutions, registered in Sedgwick County.

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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.]]>1190falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/frozen-invoices-fake-regulations-how-a-neighbor-scammed-nebraska-farms--73071692
Trust turned to theft: a phone-book-sized stack of frozen invoices in a gravel berm revealed 214 billed "refrigerated" loads that had never been refrigerated, and 43 farms collectively lost more than $300,000 over four years. How did a local dispatcher turn a made-up federal rule into a mandatory 22% surcharge, and who finally noticed the contradiction?

In this episode, we follow the paper trail found by a road-grader operator and the farmer who questioned a trailer's lack of refrigeration, tracing how Petersen Livestock Solutions billed clients a refrigerated-transport premium based on a non-existent regulation. What stopped the scheme after years of compliance and unquestioned trust?

Person: Wendy Petersen
Company: Petersen Livestock Solutions
Person: Gary Osborne
Count: 43 client operations
Total Loss: more than $300,000

- 214 loads were billed as refrigerated by Petersen Livestock Solutions between 2015 and 2019.
- The refrigerated-transport premium imposed by Petersen was 22% above standard rates.
- Petersen incorporated Petersen Livestock Solutions in spring 2011 with $2,000 startup capital.
- Gary Osborne paid approximately $22,000 over four years for 18 loads billed as refrigerated.
- Terry Vance operated a two-truck dry-van carrier that hauled all 214 billed loads with no refrigeration equipment.

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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/73071692Sat, 25 Jul 2026 23:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaFrozen Invoices, Fake Regulations: How a Neighbor Scammed Nebraska Farms Trust turned to theft: a phone-book-sized stack of frozen invoices in a gravel berm revealed 214 billed "refrigerated" loads that had never been refrigerated, and 43 farms...
Trust turned to theft: a phone-book-sized stack of frozen invoices in a gravel berm revealed 214 billed "refrigerated" loads that had never been refrigerated, and 43 farms collectively lost more than $300,000 over four years. How did a local dispatcher turn a made-up federal rule into a mandatory 22% surcharge, and who finally noticed the contradiction?

In this episode, we follow the paper trail found by a road-grader operator and the farmer who questioned a trailer's lack of refrigeration, tracing how Petersen Livestock Solutions billed clients a refrigerated-transport premium based on a non-existent regulation. What stopped the scheme after years of compliance and unquestioned trust?

Person: Wendy Petersen
Company: Petersen Livestock Solutions
Person: Gary Osborne
Count: 43 client operations
Total Loss: more than $300,000

- 214 loads were billed as refrigerated by Petersen Livestock Solutions between 2015 and 2019.
- The refrigerated-transport premium imposed by Petersen was 22% above standard rates.
- Petersen incorporated Petersen Livestock Solutions in spring 2011 with $2,000 startup capital.
- Gary Osborne paid approximately $22,000 over four years for 18 loads billed as refrigerated.
- Terry Vance operated a two-truck dry-van carrier that hauled all 214 billed loads with no refrigeration equipment.

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.]]>1230falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-silent-hives-how-a-local-bee-scam-stole-812-000--73071689
Silence hid $812,000 in plain sight: forty-three Langstroth hive boxes stood untouched in full bloom, and a utility lineman heard no hum - a sign that exposed a web of false contracts, cash withdrawals, and staged payouts. How did a local honey cooperative become a $812,000 disappearance built on fake invoices, a nonexistent distributor, and a bookkeeper's access to other people's money?

In this episode, we lay out the sequence of events from the first silent apiary sighting to the financial trail that followed, detailing the people, transactions, and documents that shaped the case. What choice by the cooperative's founder allowed payouts to mask losses and silent hives to become evidence?

Date: September 11, 2019
Person: Emily Myers
Amount: $812,000
Investors: 47
Payout rate: 11%

- Forty-three white Langstroth hive boxes were found silent along a fence line on September 11, 2019.
- Emily Myers incorporated Clover Ridge Honey Cooperative in spring 2015 at age 44.
- Between May 2015 and August 2018, 47 investors contributed a total of $812,000.
- Approximately $640,000 was withdrawn in cash or transferred to a personal account under Myers's previous surname.
- Pinnacle Natural Foods had no contract or relationship with Clover Ridge, despite being named in investor pitches.

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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/73071689Fri, 24 Jul 2026 23:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Silent Hives: How a Local Bee Scam Stole $812,000 Silence hid $812,000 in plain sight: forty-three Langstroth hive boxes stood untouched in full bloom, and a utility lineman heard no hum - a sign that exposed a web of false contracts, cash...
Silence hid $812,000 in plain sight: forty-three Langstroth hive boxes stood untouched in full bloom, and a utility lineman heard no hum - a sign that exposed a web of false contracts, cash withdrawals, and staged payouts. How did a local honey cooperative become a $812,000 disappearance built on fake invoices, a nonexistent distributor, and a bookkeeper's access to other people's money?

In this episode, we lay out the sequence of events from the first silent apiary sighting to the financial trail that followed, detailing the people, transactions, and documents that shaped the case. What choice by the cooperative's founder allowed payouts to mask losses and silent hives to become evidence?

Date: September 11, 2019
Person: Emily Myers
Amount: $812,000
Investors: 47
Payout rate: 11%

- Forty-three white Langstroth hive boxes were found silent along a fence line on September 11, 2019.
- Emily Myers incorporated Clover Ridge Honey Cooperative in spring 2015 at age 44.
- Between May 2015 and August 2018, 47 investors contributed a total of $812,000.
- Approximately $640,000 was withdrawn in cash or transferred to a personal account under Myers's previous surname.
- Pinnacle Natural Foods had no contract or relationship with Clover Ridge, despite being named in investor pitches.

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.]]>1070falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-man-who-sold-a-scoreboard-how-a-treasurer-stole-236k--73071688
Fear that the person you trust most is quietly stealing from your community: a treasurer moved $231,000 through a single-signatory campaign account called "Briar Ridge Athletic Complex Campaign" using a laminated rendering and an altered endorsement letter-how did he convince long-time supporters to hand over real checks? Who was the man behind the official-looking documents, and what happened when donors started asking questions?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from a cardboard box found in a storm drain to the discovery of missing funds, detailing how documents, emails, and one-signature banking enabled the scheme and what specific moments exposed it. Listen to learn how ordinary records and a trusted role were turned into a multi-year fraud, and what finally cracked the case.

Person: Steven Anderson
Person: Lloyd Hicks
Person: Jerry Erickson
Organization: Briar Ridge Athletic Complex Club
Location: Decatur Lane

- $231,000 moved through the Briar Ridge Athletic Complex Campaign account between March 2018 and April 2019.
- $236,000 is the total loss reported to victims at the conclusion of the episode.
- $25,000 naming-rights agreement signed by Jerry Erickson in March 2018 with two payments of $12,500.
- Anderson ordered fifty laminated renderings showing a 48-foot LED scoreboard in January 2018 from a print shop in the capital.
- The school board voted in closed session to defer the scoreboard project in November 2017, a fact recorded in the official minutes.

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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/73071688Thu, 23 Jul 2026 23:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Man Who Sold a Scoreboard: How a Treasurer Stole $236K Fear that the person you trust most is quietly stealing from your community: a treasurer moved $231,000 through a single-signatory campaign account called "Briar Ridge Athletic Complex...
Fear that the person you trust most is quietly stealing from your community: a treasurer moved $231,000 through a single-signatory campaign account called "Briar Ridge Athletic Complex Campaign" using a laminated rendering and an altered endorsement letter-how did he convince long-time supporters to hand over real checks? Who was the man behind the official-looking documents, and what happened when donors started asking questions?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from a cardboard box found in a storm drain to the discovery of missing funds, detailing how documents, emails, and one-signature banking enabled the scheme and what specific moments exposed it. Listen to learn how ordinary records and a trusted role were turned into a multi-year fraud, and what finally cracked the case.

Person: Steven Anderson
Person: Lloyd Hicks
Person: Jerry Erickson
Organization: Briar Ridge Athletic Complex Club
Location: Decatur Lane

- $231,000 moved through the Briar Ridge Athletic Complex Campaign account between March 2018 and April 2019.
- $236,000 is the total loss reported to victims at the conclusion of the episode.
- $25,000 naming-rights agreement signed by Jerry Erickson in March 2018 with two payments of $12,500.
- Anderson ordered fifty laminated renderings showing a 48-foot LED scoreboard in January 2018 from a print shop in the capital.
- The school board voted in closed session to defer the scoreboard project in November 2017, a fact recorded in the official minutes.

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.]]>1064falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-ledger-in-the-vent-how-a-dry-notebook-exposed-28-000-theft--73071687
Fear that someone you trusted stole from your neighbors: a dry, wire-bound ledger tucked into a crawl-space vent after two days of hard July rain led to the unravelling of six years of systematic theft and a missing escrow balance of roughly $28,000. Who placed the notebook there, and how did one man keep an escrow account nearly empty while residents paid rent for years?

In this episode, we present the sequence of events that followed the discovery of that notebook and outline the records and actions that exposed the gap between required and actual escrow balances. Listen to how a single photograph, one complaint to the Division of Housing Standards, and bank records combined to answer the question: how did no one notice?

Person: Robert Davis
Location: Pinewood Terrace, Grover Township, Lacey County
Event: Discovery of a dry wire-bound ledger in a crawl-space vent on July 21, 2011
Amount: Escrow required roughly $28,000; account often held approximately $3,000
Case: Systematic theft affecting 81 occupied lots over six years

- The ledger was found dry inside Lot 14’s crawl-space vent after two days of July rain, spine facing outward and vent cover leaned against the siding.
- Troy Moore had walked the Pinewood Terrace route 43 times and photographed the notebook before touching it on July 21, 2011.
- Pinewood Terrace had 81 occupied lots by 2011 on 42 acres, with lot rents between $310 and $360 per month.
- Robert Davis was the sole signatory on escrow account 4417 at Lacey Savings and Loan and was hired in 2005 at a salary of $44,000 plus a manager unit.
- In 2006 Davis registered R.L. Davis Consulting, LLC, filed for $300, and opened a separate checking account at Millhaven Community Bank with no documented revenue.

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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/73071687Wed, 22 Jul 2026 23:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Ledger in the Vent: How a Dry Notebook Exposed $28,000 Theft Fear that someone you trusted stole from your neighbors: a dry, wire-bound ledger tucked into a crawl-space vent after two days of hard July rain led to the unravelling of six years...
Fear that someone you trusted stole from your neighbors: a dry, wire-bound ledger tucked into a crawl-space vent after two days of hard July rain led to the unravelling of six years of systematic theft and a missing escrow balance of roughly $28,000. Who placed the notebook there, and how did one man keep an escrow account nearly empty while residents paid rent for years?

In this episode, we present the sequence of events that followed the discovery of that notebook and outline the records and actions that exposed the gap between required and actual escrow balances. Listen to how a single photograph, one complaint to the Division of Housing Standards, and bank records combined to answer the question: how did no one notice?

Person: Robert Davis
Location: Pinewood Terrace, Grover Township, Lacey County
Event: Discovery of a dry wire-bound ledger in a crawl-space vent on July 21, 2011
Amount: Escrow required roughly $28,000; account often held approximately $3,000
Case: Systematic theft affecting 81 occupied lots over six years

- The ledger was found dry inside Lot 14’s crawl-space vent after two days of July rain, spine facing outward and vent cover leaned against the siding.
- Troy Moore had walked the Pinewood Terrace route 43 times and photographed the notebook before touching it on July 21, 2011.
- Pinewood Terrace had 81 occupied lots by 2011 on 42 acres, with lot rents between $310 and $360 per month.
- Robert Davis was the sole signatory on escrow account 4417 at Lacey Savings and Loan and was hired in 2005 at a salary of $44,000 plus a manager unit.
- In 2006 Davis registered R.L. Davis Consulting, LLC, filed for $300, and opened a separate checking account at Millhaven Community Bank with no documented revenue.

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.]]>1271falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-28-a-ton-secret-how-a-treasurer-bled-towns-dry--73071686
A hidden invoice taped to a pallet exposed a $28-per-ton gap in road salt prices that had been siphoning money from a dozen townships for nearly six years-how did nobody notice until a church volunteer found folding chairs in a rented storage unit? What started as a cooperative meant to save small towns became a private income stream, and the crucial clue was an unlocked door and a misplaced document.

In this episode, we tell how a township treasurer built a county-wide purchasing cooperative, how purchase numbers diverged from supplier quotes, and how persistent record requests and meeting minutes eventually forced the question nobody had answered: who benefited from the price spread?

Person: Douglas Dalton
Person: Lauren Zimmerman
Location: Millhaven Township administration building laundry room
Date: June 11, 2019
Event: Cooperative billing discrepancy discovered

- The supplier quote Dalton obtained in fall 2013 was approximately $55 per ton.
- Dalton billed twelve municipal governments at $89 per ton, a $34 difference from the supplier quote he circulated and $28 higher than the invoice found taped to the pallet.
- Dalton served as Millhaven Township treasurer since 2010 and was elected five times in a row.
- The administrative fee Dalton authorized for the cooperative was $1.50 per ton.
- The crucial original Clearwater invoices were stored in a metal filing cabinet behind a back door with a reported broken lock.

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/73071686Tue, 21 Jul 2026 23:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe $28-a-Ton Secret: How a Treasurer Bled Towns Dry A hidden invoice taped to a pallet exposed a $28-per-ton gap in road salt prices that had been siphoning money from a dozen townships for nearly six years-how did nobody notice until a church...
A hidden invoice taped to a pallet exposed a $28-per-ton gap in road salt prices that had been siphoning money from a dozen townships for nearly six years-how did nobody notice until a church volunteer found folding chairs in a rented storage unit? What started as a cooperative meant to save small towns became a private income stream, and the crucial clue was an unlocked door and a misplaced document.

In this episode, we tell how a township treasurer built a county-wide purchasing cooperative, how purchase numbers diverged from supplier quotes, and how persistent record requests and meeting minutes eventually forced the question nobody had answered: who benefited from the price spread?

Person: Douglas Dalton
Person: Lauren Zimmerman
Location: Millhaven Township administration building laundry room
Date: June 11, 2019
Event: Cooperative billing discrepancy discovered

- The supplier quote Dalton obtained in fall 2013 was approximately $55 per ton.
- Dalton billed twelve municipal governments at $89 per ton, a $34 difference from the supplier quote he circulated and $28 higher than the invoice found taped to the pallet.
- Dalton served as Millhaven Township treasurer since 2010 and was elected five times in a row.
- The administrative fee Dalton authorized for the cooperative was $1.50 per ton.
- The crucial original Clearwater invoices were stored in a metal filing cabinet behind a back door with a reported broken lock.

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.]]>1249falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-box-on-the-trail-that-exposed-241-000-auction-scam--73071685
A single cardboard box sealed with packing tape and labeled "UNIT 114 - AUCTION PENDING - DO NOT OPEN" sat half-hidden by a utility pole on a county trail and contained thirty-seven signed bidder contracts that linked a small-town auction company to a $241,000 scheme - how did a trail-side discovery unravel years of hidden payments and early-entry deals?

In this episode, we tell how a walk with a rescue dog led a first-time hiker to call the sheriff and how that call set off an investigation into auction practices, early access payments, and missing items from storage units; what patterns and payments tied Christine Andrews and Robert Voss to the missing goods?

Person: Paul Tipton
Person: Biscuit (rescue dog)
Person: Christine Andrews
Person: Robert Voss
Amount: $241,000

- The box contained thirty-seven manila envelopes, each with a signed bidder contract.
- The box label read "UNIT 114 - AUCTION PENDING - DO NOT OPEN."
- Christine Andrews founded Eastfield Auction Partners LLC in 2014 and was 48 when the investigation closed in.
- Payments from Robert Voss to Andrews over five years totaled $241,000 and were made in personal checks and cash.
- Nicole Holmes paid $40 to register and won Unit 88 for $200, later noticing missing items and gaps in shelving.

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/73071685Mon, 20 Jul 2026 23:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Box on the Trail That Exposed $241,000 Auction Scam A single cardboard box sealed with packing tape and labeled "UNIT 114 - AUCTION PENDING - DO NOT OPEN" sat half-hidden by a utility pole on a county trail and contained thirty-seven signed...
A single cardboard box sealed with packing tape and labeled "UNIT 114 - AUCTION PENDING - DO NOT OPEN" sat half-hidden by a utility pole on a county trail and contained thirty-seven signed bidder contracts that linked a small-town auction company to a $241,000 scheme - how did a trail-side discovery unravel years of hidden payments and early-entry deals?

In this episode, we tell how a walk with a rescue dog led a first-time hiker to call the sheriff and how that call set off an investigation into auction practices, early access payments, and missing items from storage units; what patterns and payments tied Christine Andrews and Robert Voss to the missing goods?

Person: Paul Tipton
Person: Biscuit (rescue dog)
Person: Christine Andrews
Person: Robert Voss
Amount: $241,000

- The box contained thirty-seven manila envelopes, each with a signed bidder contract.
- The box label read "UNIT 114 - AUCTION PENDING - DO NOT OPEN."
- Christine Andrews founded Eastfield Auction Partners LLC in 2014 and was 48 when the investigation closed in.
- Payments from Robert Voss to Andrews over five years totaled $241,000 and were made in personal checks and cash.
- Nicole Holmes paid $40 to register and won Unit 88 for $200, later noticing missing items and gaps in shelving.

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.]]>1251falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/they-drowned-the-donors-names-how-230k-vanished-in-gideon--73071684
Trust turned to shock when a creek yielded fourteen pristine bronze plaques engraved with donor names - each deliberately dropped from a bridge - and the Gideon Memorial Fund’s bank account showed just $11. How did $230,000 disappear into administrative fees and equipment purchases while a small town believed it was caring for its own, and why were those names sunk to silence?

In this episode, we tell the sequence of events from the fund’s incorporation through the discovery in Sycamore Fork, tracing the actions that left donors baffled and one auditor following a paper trail to missing funds. What did a contractor-turned-treasurer do with hundreds of thousands entrusted to a community fund, and why were the donor plaques cast and then discarded?

Person: Larry Ford
Person: Jeffrey Adams
Person: Philip Carter
Date: April 9, 2019
Event: Fourteen bronze donor plaques found in Sycamore Fork

- The fund reported a balance of $247,000 at the end of 2017.
- Approximately $230,000 was withdrawn by Larry Ford by that same date.
- The fund account held $11 on December 14, 2018, when Ford received a certified letter from donor Philip Carter.
- Ford ordered fourteen bronze plaques in late November 2018 costing $4,080.
- Philip Carter had donated $2,000 and first emailed for financial statements in September 2018, sending a certified letter by December.

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/73071684Mon, 20 Jul 2026 17:21:05 +0000Creator at ObomediaThey Drowned the Donors' Names - How $230K Vanished in Gideon Trust turned to shock when a creek yielded fourteen pristine bronze plaques engraved with donor names - each deliberately dropped from a bridge - and the Gideon Memorial Fund’s bank...
Trust turned to shock when a creek yielded fourteen pristine bronze plaques engraved with donor names - each deliberately dropped from a bridge - and the Gideon Memorial Fund’s bank account showed just $11. How did $230,000 disappear into administrative fees and equipment purchases while a small town believed it was caring for its own, and why were those names sunk to silence?

In this episode, we tell the sequence of events from the fund’s incorporation through the discovery in Sycamore Fork, tracing the actions that left donors baffled and one auditor following a paper trail to missing funds. What did a contractor-turned-treasurer do with hundreds of thousands entrusted to a community fund, and why were the donor plaques cast and then discarded?

Person: Larry Ford
Person: Jeffrey Adams
Person: Philip Carter
Date: April 9, 2019
Event: Fourteen bronze donor plaques found in Sycamore Fork

- The fund reported a balance of $247,000 at the end of 2017.
- Approximately $230,000 was withdrawn by Larry Ford by that same date.
- The fund account held $11 on December 14, 2018, when Ford received a certified letter from donor Philip Carter.
- Ford ordered fourteen bronze plaques in late November 2018 costing $4,080.
- Philip Carter had donated $2,000 and first emailed for financial statements in September 2018, sending a certified letter by December.

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-tractor-everyone-claimed-how-one-scam-stole-farmers-lifetimes--73071683
A single tractor with keys on the seat and a lease addendum pressed to its windshield led to a network of lies that siphoned $940,000 from farmers and retirees. Four separate institutions and individuals simultaneously held legal claims on the same John Deere 8370R - so how did one man engineer a fraud that hid $630,000 in phony assets?

In this episode, you will hear the sequence of events from the moment the county surveyor found the tractor through the trail of investor statements, lease filings, and phone calls that reveal how the scheme operated. What systems failed that let one serial number appear on multiple investor schedules and bank filings?

Person: Roy Snyder
Person: Eric York
Person: Alan Weaver
Date: March 4, 2019
Amount: $940,000

- Roy Snyder invested $40,000 in Feltner Ag Solutions in March 2017 and received six quarterly payments totaling $10,800.
- Sandra Pruitt invested $65,000 in the autumn of 2015 and received 14 months of payments before they stopped.
- Eric York raised $940,000 from 11 investors over six years while the actual equipment value never exceeded $310,000.
- The tractor was a John Deere 8370R with serial number 1RW8370RPJH784412, found nose-down in a drainage ditch on Dutton Road.
- At the time the tractor was found, four separate institutions and individuals held legal claims against the same machine.

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/73071683Mon, 20 Jul 2026 17:21:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Tractor Everyone Claimed - How One Scam Stole Farmers' Lifetimes A single tractor with keys on the seat and a lease addendum pressed to its windshield led to a network of lies that siphoned $940,000 from farmers and retirees. Four separate...
A single tractor with keys on the seat and a lease addendum pressed to its windshield led to a network of lies that siphoned $940,000 from farmers and retirees. Four separate institutions and individuals simultaneously held legal claims on the same John Deere 8370R - so how did one man engineer a fraud that hid $630,000 in phony assets?

In this episode, you will hear the sequence of events from the moment the county surveyor found the tractor through the trail of investor statements, lease filings, and phone calls that reveal how the scheme operated. What systems failed that let one serial number appear on multiple investor schedules and bank filings?

Person: Roy Snyder
Person: Eric York
Person: Alan Weaver
Date: March 4, 2019
Amount: $940,000

- Roy Snyder invested $40,000 in Feltner Ag Solutions in March 2017 and received six quarterly payments totaling $10,800.
- Sandra Pruitt invested $65,000 in the autumn of 2015 and received 14 months of payments before they stopped.
- Eric York raised $940,000 from 11 investors over six years while the actual equipment value never exceeded $310,000.
- The tractor was a John Deere 8370R with serial number 1RW8370RPJH784412, found nose-down in a drainage ditch on Dutton Road.
- At the time the tractor was found, four separate institutions and individuals held legal claims against the same machine.

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.]]>1243falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/he-stole-their-booths-how-one-volunteer-vanished-14-100--73071680
Fear and anger hit first when a stack of cashier's checks - twelve checks, $41,000 total - is found sealed in a freezer bag in a septic access panel; how could a volunteer who printed $12 domain names and office-supply business cards siphon away $14,100 from hardworking vendors? Who was Dennis Young, and how did sixty-three people end up paying for booths that did not exist?

In this episode, we tell how a volunteer offered to "modernize" the Dellwood County Fair vendor process, set up a fake website and P.O. Box, and began collecting a made-up $150 administrative holding fee - and what happened when a septic worker found the evidence. Can a seemingly ordinary man and a dozen checks reveal the full scope of the fraud?

Person: Dennis Young
Event: Dellwood County Fair vendor fraud
Date: January-February 2019
Amount: $41,000 in cashier's checks found; $150 fabricated fee
People affected: 63 applicants contacted; 32 had no possible booth

- Twelve cashier's checks totaling $41,000 were found sealed in a gallon zip freezer bag on February morning.
- Dennis Young registered the domain dellwoodcountyfairvendors.com for $12.
- Young reached out to 63 people for vendor space while the fair only had 31 available booth slots.
- The fraudulent administrative holding fee Young requested was $150, distinct from the fair's legitimate $250 deposit.
- Young rented a P.O. Box under the name Dellwood Fair Vendor Services and used business cards reading "Dennis Young, Vendor Services Coordinator, Dellwood County Fair."

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/73071680Mon, 20 Jul 2026 17:20:59 +0000Creator at ObomediaHe Stole Their Booths: How One Volunteer Vanished $14,100 Fear and anger hit first when a stack of cashier's checks - twelve checks, $41,000 total - is found sealed in a freezer bag in a septic access panel; how could a volunteer who printed $12...
Fear and anger hit first when a stack of cashier's checks - twelve checks, $41,000 total - is found sealed in a freezer bag in a septic access panel; how could a volunteer who printed $12 domain names and office-supply business cards siphon away $14,100 from hardworking vendors? Who was Dennis Young, and how did sixty-three people end up paying for booths that did not exist?

In this episode, we tell how a volunteer offered to "modernize" the Dellwood County Fair vendor process, set up a fake website and P.O. Box, and began collecting a made-up $150 administrative holding fee - and what happened when a septic worker found the evidence. Can a seemingly ordinary man and a dozen checks reveal the full scope of the fraud?

Person: Dennis Young
Event: Dellwood County Fair vendor fraud
Date: January-February 2019
Amount: $41,000 in cashier's checks found; $150 fabricated fee
People affected: 63 applicants contacted; 32 had no possible booth

- Twelve cashier's checks totaling $41,000 were found sealed in a gallon zip freezer bag on February morning.
- Dennis Young registered the domain dellwoodcountyfairvendors.com for $12.
- Young reached out to 63 people for vendor space while the fair only had 31 available booth slots.
- The fraudulent administrative holding fee Young requested was $150, distinct from the fair's legitimate $250 deposit.
- Young rented a P.O. Box under the name Dellwood Fair Vendor Services and used business cards reading "Dennis Young, Vendor Services Coordinator, Dellwood County Fair."

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.]]>1300falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-quilting-guild-ledger-left-on-ice-betrayal-68k-missing--73071678
Fear that the people you trust most are quietly siphoning money: a forest-green accordion file frozen under Pelham Creek held handwritten columns circled in red and became Exhibit Seven in a case that would expose $112,400 withdrawn from a quilting guild savings pool. Who converted a community safety net into a personal trading fund, and how did routine trust hide transfers under reporting thresholds until a retired mail carrier spotted the ledger under ice?

In this episode, we follow the discovery and the paperwork trail that unfolded from January 9, 2019, to reveal how a small-town guild’s bylaws change and one treasurer’s banking choices led to missing funds and criminal charges. Was the change from a "dedicated account" to "appropriate records" the opening move that allowed ongoing misappropriation?

Person: Douglas Rafferty
Date: January 9, 2019
Location: Pelham Creek, Cedarwick, Tanner County, Ohio
Case: Four-year criminal case with fifty-one counts
Amount: $112,400 withdrawn from the guild pool

- A forest-green accordion file with handwritten columns was found beneath ice at the base of a concrete piling on January 9, 2019.
- The Cedarwick Quilting Guild had met since 1981 and had grown to more than fifty members by 2015.
- In February 2015, treasurer Wade Ramsey changed bylaws language from "dedicated account" to "appropriate records" during a sparsely attended meeting.
- Members' contributions were deposited into Ramsey's business checking account number 4417 at First Agricultural Bank starting spring 2015.
- Ramsey made transfers under $10,000 to avoid federal reporting thresholds, moving funds into joint account 8803 with Patty Ramsey and then into his personal brokerage account, losing approximately 60% over eighteen months.

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/73071678Mon, 20 Jul 2026 17:20:56 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Quilting Guild Ledger Left on Ice: Betrayal, $68K Missing Fear that the people you trust most are quietly siphoning money: a forest-green accordion file frozen under Pelham Creek held handwritten columns circled in red and became Exhibit Seven...
Fear that the people you trust most are quietly siphoning money: a forest-green accordion file frozen under Pelham Creek held handwritten columns circled in red and became Exhibit Seven in a case that would expose $112,400 withdrawn from a quilting guild savings pool. Who converted a community safety net into a personal trading fund, and how did routine trust hide transfers under reporting thresholds until a retired mail carrier spotted the ledger under ice?

In this episode, we follow the discovery and the paperwork trail that unfolded from January 9, 2019, to reveal how a small-town guild’s bylaws change and one treasurer’s banking choices led to missing funds and criminal charges. Was the change from a "dedicated account" to "appropriate records" the opening move that allowed ongoing misappropriation?

Person: Douglas Rafferty
Date: January 9, 2019
Location: Pelham Creek, Cedarwick, Tanner County, Ohio
Case: Four-year criminal case with fifty-one counts
Amount: $112,400 withdrawn from the guild pool

- A forest-green accordion file with handwritten columns was found beneath ice at the base of a concrete piling on January 9, 2019.
- The Cedarwick Quilting Guild had met since 1981 and had grown to more than fifty members by 2015.
- In February 2015, treasurer Wade Ramsey changed bylaws language from "dedicated account" to "appropriate records" during a sparsely attended meeting.
- Members' contributions were deposited into Ramsey's business checking account number 4417 at First Agricultural Bank starting spring 2015.
- Ramsey made transfers under $10,000 to avoid federal reporting thresholds, moving funds into joint account 8803 with Patty Ramsey and then into his personal brokerage account, losing approximately 60% over eighteen months.

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.]]>1104falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-well-that-wasn-t-how-a-neighbor-embezzled-112-440--73071675
Cold suspicion: a fourteen-year-old paperboy found a fresh well cap dated October 2009 where the yard had been flat a month earlier, and a retired librarian later uncovered a $112,440 gap in a cooperative’s accounts - who was the only person with the password to the spreadsheet that held the answer? What did that single spreadsheet hide?

In this episode, we follow the sequence of discoveries that moved from a morning walk to a county financial-crime investigation, showing how community trust, meeting handouts, and a spiral notebook of dates and calculations pointed to one central question: where did the cooperative money go?

Person: Holly Marshall
Date: December 11, 2009
Location: 4418 Pettit Loop Road, Callum County, Nebraska
Amount: $112,440
Case: Callum County Rural Water Cooperative embezzlement

- Temperature at 6:40 AM on December 11, 2009: 11 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Well cap plaque inscription: "installed October 2009."
- Cooperative membership fee: $900 upfront plus $65 per month.
- Thomas Morris set up two LLCs three days apart, both listing his Vantage Road address.
- Financial summary presented December 14 stated three well installations cost $18,600, while market rate would be $24,000-$33,000.

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/73071675Mon, 20 Jul 2026 17:20:53 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Well That Wasn't: How a Neighbor Embezzled $112,440 Cold suspicion: a fourteen-year-old paperboy found a fresh well cap dated October 2009 where the yard had been flat a month earlier, and a retired librarian later uncovered a $112,440 gap in a...
Cold suspicion: a fourteen-year-old paperboy found a fresh well cap dated October 2009 where the yard had been flat a month earlier, and a retired librarian later uncovered a $112,440 gap in a cooperative’s accounts - who was the only person with the password to the spreadsheet that held the answer? What did that single spreadsheet hide?

In this episode, we follow the sequence of discoveries that moved from a morning walk to a county financial-crime investigation, showing how community trust, meeting handouts, and a spiral notebook of dates and calculations pointed to one central question: where did the cooperative money go?

Person: Holly Marshall
Date: December 11, 2009
Location: 4418 Pettit Loop Road, Callum County, Nebraska
Amount: $112,440
Case: Callum County Rural Water Cooperative embezzlement

- Temperature at 6:40 AM on December 11, 2009: 11 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Well cap plaque inscription: "installed October 2009."
- Cooperative membership fee: $900 upfront plus $65 per month.
- Thomas Morris set up two LLCs three days apart, both listing his Vantage Road address.
- Financial summary presented December 14 stated three well installations cost $18,600, while market rate would be $24,000-$33,000.

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.]]>1333falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-dentist-who-sold-his-practice-and-the-3-inch-snowbox-of-lies--73071674
A banker's box in three inches of slush held dry documents that exposed a fraud hidden for nearly two years - and the man responsible drove eleven hundred miles from Scottsdale to discard it after his truck broke down on Interstate Eighty. How did a forty-one-year-old dentist, a deacon with a growing practice, end up dumping evidence in a drainage ditch at two in the morning?

In this episode, we tell the sequence of events that led from a $425,000 loan to a clean-looking sale, tracing the accounts, transfers, and false certifications that masked the truth. Was the sale a clean exit or a layered fraud that required forged promises and a last-minute cover-up to survive?

Person: Troy Novak
Date: November 14, 2019
Location: Moraine Flats, Nebraska
Event: $425,000 loan disbursed by Consolidated Heartland Bank on April 3, 2018
Case: Sale of Novak Family Dentistry to Paul Ostrowski on August 9, 2018

- $425,000 wired into Troy Novak’s business account by Consolidated Heartland Bank on April 3, 2018.
- Novak listed Novak Family Dentistry value at $890,000 on the loan application for a business acquisition loan.
- Novak sold Novak Family Dentistry for $790,000 to Paul Ostrowski on August 9, 2018, with $140,000 down.
- Novak lost approximately $220,000 in an Omaha warehouse conversion investment between 2015 and 2017.
- Novak’s practice carried roughly $380,000 in debt by 2017 while net collections ran about $600,000 per 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/73071674Mon, 20 Jul 2026 17:20:50 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Dentist Who Sold His Practice - and the 3-Inch Snowbox of Lies A banker's box in three inches of slush held dry documents that exposed a fraud hidden for nearly two years - and the man responsible drove eleven hundred miles from Scottsdale to...
A banker's box in three inches of slush held dry documents that exposed a fraud hidden for nearly two years - and the man responsible drove eleven hundred miles from Scottsdale to discard it after his truck broke down on Interstate Eighty. How did a forty-one-year-old dentist, a deacon with a growing practice, end up dumping evidence in a drainage ditch at two in the morning?

In this episode, we tell the sequence of events that led from a $425,000 loan to a clean-looking sale, tracing the accounts, transfers, and false certifications that masked the truth. Was the sale a clean exit or a layered fraud that required forged promises and a last-minute cover-up to survive?

Person: Troy Novak
Date: November 14, 2019
Location: Moraine Flats, Nebraska
Event: $425,000 loan disbursed by Consolidated Heartland Bank on April 3, 2018
Case: Sale of Novak Family Dentistry to Paul Ostrowski on August 9, 2018

- $425,000 wired into Troy Novak’s business account by Consolidated Heartland Bank on April 3, 2018.
- Novak listed Novak Family Dentistry value at $890,000 on the loan application for a business acquisition loan.
- Novak sold Novak Family Dentistry for $790,000 to Paul Ostrowski on August 9, 2018, with $140,000 down.
- Novak lost approximately $220,000 in an Omaha warehouse conversion investment between 2015 and 2017.
- Novak’s practice carried roughly $380,000 in debt by 2017 while net collections ran about $600,000 per 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.]]>1202falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/he-claimed-hail-stole-a-farm-s-field-and-398-000--73071673
A perfectly straight line of flattened soybean plants stopped exactly forty feet inside the eastern boundary of Kimberly Hughes's field-clean as if something had been switched off-and yet an insurance claim later listed hail as the cause. How did a quarter-inch storm mapped eleven miles away become the basis for a $398,000 payout, and who used field photos and a contractor’s access to make it happen?

In this episode, we walk through the events that connected a neighbor’s observation, an adjuster’s inspection, and a flagged insurance file to a state investigation; we describe the physical evidence on the field, the storm data, and the steps that raised red flags-could routine paperwork and a few photographs hide a nine-year fraud?

Person: Kimberly Hughes
Person: Clifford Edwards
Event: Hailstorm on September 29, 2017
Location: Hughes's soybean field, Garfield Township, Renner County, Iowa
Status: Investigation opened November 2017

- Damage line stopped exactly forty feet inside the eastern boundary of the soybean field.
- Storm recorded as quarter-inch hail with roughly twenty-two minutes of impact on September 29, 2017.
- Hughes's field sat eleven miles southwest of the nearest documented hail impact zone.
- Clifford Edwards worked forty to sixty claims per season across four counties and inspected Hughes's parcel on October 3, 2017.
- The alleged fraud involved more than $398,000 across a nine-year span.

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/73071673Mon, 20 Jul 2026 17:20:47 +0000Creator at ObomediaHe Claimed Hail - Stole a Farm's Field and $398,000 A perfectly straight line of flattened soybean plants stopped exactly forty feet inside the eastern boundary of Kimberly Hughes's field-clean as if something had been switched off-and yet an...
A perfectly straight line of flattened soybean plants stopped exactly forty feet inside the eastern boundary of Kimberly Hughes's field-clean as if something had been switched off-and yet an insurance claim later listed hail as the cause. How did a quarter-inch storm mapped eleven miles away become the basis for a $398,000 payout, and who used field photos and a contractor’s access to make it happen?

In this episode, we walk through the events that connected a neighbor’s observation, an adjuster’s inspection, and a flagged insurance file to a state investigation; we describe the physical evidence on the field, the storm data, and the steps that raised red flags-could routine paperwork and a few photographs hide a nine-year fraud?

Person: Kimberly Hughes
Person: Clifford Edwards
Event: Hailstorm on September 29, 2017
Location: Hughes's soybean field, Garfield Township, Renner County, Iowa
Status: Investigation opened November 2017

- Damage line stopped exactly forty feet inside the eastern boundary of the soybean field.
- Storm recorded as quarter-inch hail with roughly twenty-two minutes of impact on September 29, 2017.
- Hughes's field sat eleven miles southwest of the nearest documented hail impact zone.
- Clifford Edwards worked forty to sixty claims per season across four counties and inspected Hughes's parcel on October 3, 2017.
- The alleged fraud involved more than $398,000 across a nine-year span.

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/runner-finds-a-bin-in-a-ditch-the-millhaven-booster-club-fraud--73071672
A morning runner found a cracked $14 plastic bin in a drainage ditch containing a red spiral ledger, a flash drive, and a carbon-copy deposit slip stamped September 2011 with the memo "Millhaven Boosters - Fall Festival receipts, pending transfer." How did two words and one hidden account help $631,000 vanish from a small-town booster club over nine years, and who finally forced the numbers to add up?

In this episode, you will hear how routine volunteer processes and trusted names masked missing money, why a billing coordinator's spreadsheet comparison matters, and what a found bin revealed about decades of bookkeeping. What sequence of withdrawals, "pending transfers," and unchecked audits allowed the theft to continue until a runner and a persistent volunteer intervened?

Person: Ryan Crawford
Person: Lloyd Novak
Person: Cynthia Cooper
Date: September 2020
Amount: $631,000

- The plastic storage bin cost approximately $14 and was found wedged against a ditch wall on a Tuesday morning.
- The carbon-copy deposit slip recovered was dated September 2011 and time-stamped 4:47 p.m. with memo "Millhaven Boosters - Fall Festival receipts, pending transfer."
- The Booster Club's annual revenue ranged between $62,000 and $81,000 during Novak's tenure.
- Novak made his first irregular withdrawal of $800 seven weeks after opening a new account in November 2010.
- Public meeting minutes showed more than $22,000 allocated to the scholarship fund since 2016 while Novak's spreadsheet showed $14,000, a discrepancy of roughly $8,000.

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/73071672Mon, 20 Jul 2026 17:20:44 +0000Creator at ObomediaRunner Finds a Bin in a Ditch: The Millhaven Booster Club Fraud A morning runner found a cracked $14 plastic bin in a drainage ditch containing a red spiral ledger, a flash drive, and a carbon-copy deposit slip stamped September 2011 with the memo...
A morning runner found a cracked $14 plastic bin in a drainage ditch containing a red spiral ledger, a flash drive, and a carbon-copy deposit slip stamped September 2011 with the memo "Millhaven Boosters - Fall Festival receipts, pending transfer." How did two words and one hidden account help $631,000 vanish from a small-town booster club over nine years, and who finally forced the numbers to add up?

In this episode, you will hear how routine volunteer processes and trusted names masked missing money, why a billing coordinator's spreadsheet comparison matters, and what a found bin revealed about decades of bookkeeping. What sequence of withdrawals, "pending transfers," and unchecked audits allowed the theft to continue until a runner and a persistent volunteer intervened?

Person: Ryan Crawford
Person: Lloyd Novak
Person: Cynthia Cooper
Date: September 2020
Amount: $631,000

- The plastic storage bin cost approximately $14 and was found wedged against a ditch wall on a Tuesday morning.
- The carbon-copy deposit slip recovered was dated September 2011 and time-stamped 4:47 p.m. with memo "Millhaven Boosters - Fall Festival receipts, pending transfer."
- The Booster Club's annual revenue ranged between $62,000 and $81,000 during Novak's tenure.
- Novak made his first irregular withdrawal of $800 seven weeks after opening a new account in November 2010.
- Public meeting minutes showed more than $22,000 allocated to the scholarship fund since 2016 while Novak's spreadsheet showed $14,000, a discrepancy of roughly $8,000.

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.]]>1147falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-man-who-drew-raffles-and-kept-every-prize--73071671
Trust betrayed: a laminated raffle poster tucked in a hedge concealed a signed $2,000 cashier's check meant for a winner - but no winner ever came forward. How did a deacon running a local benevolent fund collect between $60,000 and $90,000 over four years while paying only about $11,000 in aid, and who finally forced the truth into daylight?

In this episode, we follow the discovery, the paper trail, and the person who turned a hand-drawn accounting chart into Exhibit Seven at trial, asking whether a trusted neighbor used community rituals to mask a years-long fraud.

Person: Harvey Whitley
Date: August 18, 2011
Location: Mercer Township
Amount collected: between $60,000 and $90,000
Amount disbursed to aid: roughly $11,000

- A laminated raffle poster with a folded $2,000 signed cashier's check was found hidden inside a gas meter housing behind shrubs.
- Mercer Township Benevolent Fund sold raffle tickets at $25 each or five for $80 and held drawings at the fire hall.
- One hundred and twelve people had bought tickets across the Fund's events, with no verified prize winners.
- Whitley publicly estimated the Fund collected between $60,000 and $90,000 over four years while Forms 990 showed about $11,000 in disbursements.
- When federal agents arrived, Whitley's bank account contained $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.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73071671Mon, 20 Jul 2026 17:20:41 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Man Who Drew Raffles - And Kept Every Prize Trust betrayed: a laminated raffle poster tucked in a hedge concealed a signed $2,000 cashier's check meant for a winner - but no winner ever came forward. How did a deacon running a local benevolent...
Trust betrayed: a laminated raffle poster tucked in a hedge concealed a signed $2,000 cashier's check meant for a winner - but no winner ever came forward. How did a deacon running a local benevolent fund collect between $60,000 and $90,000 over four years while paying only about $11,000 in aid, and who finally forced the truth into daylight?

In this episode, we follow the discovery, the paper trail, and the person who turned a hand-drawn accounting chart into Exhibit Seven at trial, asking whether a trusted neighbor used community rituals to mask a years-long fraud.

Person: Harvey Whitley
Date: August 18, 2011
Location: Mercer Township
Amount collected: between $60,000 and $90,000
Amount disbursed to aid: roughly $11,000

- A laminated raffle poster with a folded $2,000 signed cashier's check was found hidden inside a gas meter housing behind shrubs.
- Mercer Township Benevolent Fund sold raffle tickets at $25 each or five for $80 and held drawings at the fire hall.
- One hundred and twelve people had bought tickets across the Fund's events, with no verified prize winners.
- Whitley publicly estimated the Fund collected between $60,000 and $90,000 over four years while Forms 990 showed about $11,000 in disbursements.
- When federal agents arrived, Whitley's bank account contained $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.]]>974falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-funeral-prepaid-by-a-deacon-where-did-the-money-go--73071670
A small Missouri town’s prepaid funeral contracts were found in a nearly closed storage unit-917 contracts with a face value approaching $1.1 million, all labeled “BRACKEN FALLS PERPETUAL CARE.” Who was a trusted deacon and independent planner, and how did hundreds of families’ money end up in unit forty-eight instead of the funeral home three blocks away?

In this episode, we lay out the sequence of discoveries and documents that brought state consumer protection to Bracken Falls, from a folding table errand to a formal case file. Listen to how a bereaved son’s receipts, a bookkeeper’s photos, and a regulator’s count transformed grief into an investigation: where did the money go?

Person: Todd Simpson
Location: Bracken Falls, Missouri
Organization: Simpson Bereavement Planning, LLC
Discovery Date: July 2014
Contracts Found: 917

- Storage unit door raised eighteen inches revealed nine cardboard boxes labeled "BRACKEN FALLS PERPETUAL CARE - ACTIVE CONTRACTS."
- Todd Simpson was sixty-one years old in summer 2014 and served as a deacon at St. Andrew's Episcopal.
- Simpson Bereavement Planning, LLC was incorporated in Missouri in February 2004.
- Norma Collins paid $4,200 for a Perpetual Care Plan in 2007; her son Troy paid $5,800 to bury her in April 2012.
- Consumer protection investigator Megan Draper opened the first box on July 14, 2014, and counted 917 contracts by the second day.

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/73071670Mon, 20 Jul 2026 17:20:38 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Funeral Prepaid by a Deacon - Where Did the Money Go? A small Missouri town’s prepaid funeral contracts were found in a nearly closed storage unit-917 contracts with a face value approaching $1.1 million, all labeled “BRACKEN FALLS PERPETUAL...
A small Missouri town’s prepaid funeral contracts were found in a nearly closed storage unit-917 contracts with a face value approaching $1.1 million, all labeled “BRACKEN FALLS PERPETUAL CARE.” Who was a trusted deacon and independent planner, and how did hundreds of families’ money end up in unit forty-eight instead of the funeral home three blocks away?

In this episode, we lay out the sequence of discoveries and documents that brought state consumer protection to Bracken Falls, from a folding table errand to a formal case file. Listen to how a bereaved son’s receipts, a bookkeeper’s photos, and a regulator’s count transformed grief into an investigation: where did the money go?

Person: Todd Simpson
Location: Bracken Falls, Missouri
Organization: Simpson Bereavement Planning, LLC
Discovery Date: July 2014
Contracts Found: 917

- Storage unit door raised eighteen inches revealed nine cardboard boxes labeled "BRACKEN FALLS PERPETUAL CARE - ACTIVE CONTRACTS."
- Todd Simpson was sixty-one years old in summer 2014 and served as a deacon at St. Andrew's Episcopal.
- Simpson Bereavement Planning, LLC was incorporated in Missouri in February 2004.
- Norma Collins paid $4,200 for a Perpetual Care Plan in 2007; her son Troy paid $5,800 to bury her in April 2012.
- Consumer protection investigator Megan Draper opened the first box on July 14, 2014, and counted 917 contracts by the second day.

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.]]>1096falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-41-000-check-in-the-mud-how-neighbors-lost-everything--73071667
A damp certified check for $41,000 turned up at a trailhead in Sutter Hollow, found by a dog named Biscuit and traced back to a retirement transfer that had never been cashed - but the money was only the first clue to a larger betrayal that left 23 neighbors financially exposed. Who had placed that check in the roots of a beech tree, and how did a trusted local investment pitch turn $480,000 of hometown savings into a pyramid of promises?

In this episode, we follow the sequence of events from the morning the check appeared through the community ties that brought investors to one man’s door, and we outline the records and testimonies that reveal where the payments actually came from. What did a spiral-bound notebook labeled "float" show about the gap between promises and reality?

Person: Clifford Romano
Date: June 11, 2019
Location: Beech Creek Loop trailhead, Sutter Hollow, Tennessee
Case: Sutter Hollow Investment Partners LLC
Amount: $480,000 total invested by 23 people

- A certified check for $41,000 dated three months earlier was found damp and softened by creek moisture in beech tree roots.
- Clifford Romano, age 34, found the check at 8:47 AM and contacted the Sutter Hollow Police Department.
- Curtis Powell incorporated Sutter Hollow Investment Partners LLC in 2015 and presented returns of six to eight percent annually.
- The first four participants invested a combined $62,000; by spring 2019, 23 people had invested $480,000.
- By January 2018, Powell’s handwritten spiral notebook showed a "float" column of negative $63,000.

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/73071667Mon, 20 Jul 2026 17:20:36 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe $41,000 Check in the Mud: How Neighbors Lost Everything A damp certified check for $41,000 turned up at a trailhead in Sutter Hollow, found by a dog named Biscuit and traced back to a retirement transfer that had never been cashed - but the...
A damp certified check for $41,000 turned up at a trailhead in Sutter Hollow, found by a dog named Biscuit and traced back to a retirement transfer that had never been cashed - but the money was only the first clue to a larger betrayal that left 23 neighbors financially exposed. Who had placed that check in the roots of a beech tree, and how did a trusted local investment pitch turn $480,000 of hometown savings into a pyramid of promises?

In this episode, we follow the sequence of events from the morning the check appeared through the community ties that brought investors to one man’s door, and we outline the records and testimonies that reveal where the payments actually came from. What did a spiral-bound notebook labeled "float" show about the gap between promises and reality?

Person: Clifford Romano
Date: June 11, 2019
Location: Beech Creek Loop trailhead, Sutter Hollow, Tennessee
Case: Sutter Hollow Investment Partners LLC
Amount: $480,000 total invested by 23 people

- A certified check for $41,000 dated three months earlier was found damp and softened by creek moisture in beech tree roots.
- Clifford Romano, age 34, found the check at 8:47 AM and contacted the Sutter Hollow Police Department.
- Curtis Powell incorporated Sutter Hollow Investment Partners LLC in 2015 and presented returns of six to eight percent annually.
- The first four participants invested a combined $62,000; by spring 2019, 23 people had invested $480,000.
- By January 2018, Powell’s handwritten spiral notebook showed a "float" column of negative $63,000.

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.]]>1166falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-treasurer-s-hidden-account-how-261-000-vanished-from-county-books--73071665
A quiet desktop calculator and forty-seven voided cashier's checks turned up in Cutler Creek, and those items would unravel a nineteen-year pattern that diverted at least $261,000 into a secret county account; who engineered the scheme and why did a long-serving treasurer choose to throw the calculator off a bridge?

In this episode, we follow the discovery and early audit work that connects debris in a river to missing tax payments and a previously unknown bank account, tracing how ordinary receipts disappeared from county ledgers and asking whether institutional trust hid deliberate theft.

Person: Randy Hill
Person: Kevin Underwood
Person: Rachel Boyd
Location: Cutler Creek
Event: discovery of a desktop calculator and forty-seven voided cashier's checks

- 47 voided cashier's checks were recovered from a ziplock bag in Cutler Creek on May 9, 2014.
- The desktop calculator recovered had its cord still attached and no battery.
- The secret account was opened in 2001 by a loan officer in a neighboring county without commissioners' approval.
- Rachel Boyd paid property taxes of $981 in both May 2012 and May 2013 by cashier's check that cleared but did not appear in the county ledger.
- The treasurer, Randy Hill, served 19 years and was 63 years old at the time of 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/73071665Mon, 20 Jul 2026 17:20:33 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Treasurer's Hidden Account: How $261,000 Vanished from County Books A quiet desktop calculator and forty-seven voided cashier's checks turned up in Cutler Creek, and those items would unravel a nineteen-year pattern that diverted at least...
A quiet desktop calculator and forty-seven voided cashier's checks turned up in Cutler Creek, and those items would unravel a nineteen-year pattern that diverted at least $261,000 into a secret county account; who engineered the scheme and why did a long-serving treasurer choose to throw the calculator off a bridge?

In this episode, we follow the discovery and early audit work that connects debris in a river to missing tax payments and a previously unknown bank account, tracing how ordinary receipts disappeared from county ledgers and asking whether institutional trust hid deliberate theft.

Person: Randy Hill
Person: Kevin Underwood
Person: Rachel Boyd
Location: Cutler Creek
Event: discovery of a desktop calculator and forty-seven voided cashier's checks

- 47 voided cashier's checks were recovered from a ziplock bag in Cutler Creek on May 9, 2014.
- The desktop calculator recovered had its cord still attached and no battery.
- The secret account was opened in 2001 by a loan officer in a neighboring county without commissioners' approval.
- Rachel Boyd paid property taxes of $981 in both May 2012 and May 2013 by cashier's check that cleared but did not appear in the county ledger.
- The treasurer, Randy Hill, served 19 years and was 63 years old at the time of 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.]]>1080falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/forgotten-orange-stake-that-stole-22-families-life-savings--73071664
Fear and anger collide: an orange fiberglass stake, left forgotten in a field, exposed deposits from 22 families totaling $416,000 and unraveled three years of false promises-how could one slip cost so many everything? What exactly did the tag on that stake reveal, and who finally connected the dots?

In this episode, we trace the timeline from a builder’s shrinking business accounts to the laminated tag that led a county surveyor to call the sheriff, and we ask how deposits meant for land acquisition disappeared without a single foundation ever poured.

Person: Wade Lawson
Person: Michael Stevens
Date: February 2013 (stake driven), April 9, 2014 (sheriff called)
Amount: $416,000 total deposits
Households: 22 families affected

- Lawson Custom Homes registered in 2003 and began receiving deposits between 2010 and 2013.
- Deposits ranged per transaction from $12,000 to $31,000 as recorded in Lawson’s bank.
- Debra Griffin put $16,000 down on a lot she believed would become her home.
- The Okafors made two payments totaling $27,000 by March 2013, both documented and later found missing.
- Permit database showed three years of deposits, one unrelated permit, and zero foundation filings, utility connections, or septic approvals.

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/73071664Mon, 20 Jul 2026 17:20:30 +0000Creator at ObomediaForgotten Orange Stake That Stole 22 Families' Life Savings Fear and anger collide: an orange fiberglass stake, left forgotten in a field, exposed deposits from 22 families totaling $416,000 and unraveled three years of false promises-how could one...
Fear and anger collide: an orange fiberglass stake, left forgotten in a field, exposed deposits from 22 families totaling $416,000 and unraveled three years of false promises-how could one slip cost so many everything? What exactly did the tag on that stake reveal, and who finally connected the dots?

In this episode, we trace the timeline from a builder’s shrinking business accounts to the laminated tag that led a county surveyor to call the sheriff, and we ask how deposits meant for land acquisition disappeared without a single foundation ever poured.

Person: Wade Lawson
Person: Michael Stevens
Date: February 2013 (stake driven), April 9, 2014 (sheriff called)
Amount: $416,000 total deposits
Households: 22 families affected

- Lawson Custom Homes registered in 2003 and began receiving deposits between 2010 and 2013.
- Deposits ranged per transaction from $12,000 to $31,000 as recorded in Lawson’s bank.
- Debra Griffin put $16,000 down on a lot she believed would become her home.
- The Okafors made two payments totaling $27,000 by March 2013, both documented and later found missing.
- Permit database showed three years of deposits, one unrelated permit, and zero foundation filings, utility connections, or septic approvals.

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/he-stole-pensions-with-a-pipe-wrench-843k-betrayed--73071662
Fear and betrayal start in a backyard: a quarterly statement weighted by half a brick revealed a pension balance of $412 when it should have been tens of thousands, and by the end $843,000 was gone - who was the plumber behind the theft and how did he nearly erase every trace?

In this episode, we tell the story of the Linden Circle Retirement Association, the people who trusted it, and the man who used his plumbing business to recruit retirees into a fake investment; how did a fictional account number, a typewriter, and a misaligned decimal finally bring the scheme down?

Person: Thomas Frick
Date: March 11, 2009
Location: 44 Stillwater Lane
Amount: $843,000 total contributions
Account: 7741 (fictitious)

- Frick’s quarterly statement found in dead grass showed a balance of $412.
- Linden Circle had 22 members at its peak and took in $843,000 in total contributions.
- Thomas Frick had worked 31 years and had contributed to Linden Circle for five years.
- Howard Sloane contributed more than $68,000 and recovered less than $3,000.
- Funds were routed to an account in the name of W. Donnelly Contracting LLC and used to pay personal creditors and expenses.

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/73071662Mon, 20 Jul 2026 17:20:27 +0000Creator at ObomediaHe Stole Pensions With a Pipe Wrench - $843K Betrayed Fear and betrayal start in a backyard: a quarterly statement weighted by half a brick revealed a pension balance of $412 when it should have been tens of thousands, and by the end $843,000 was...
Fear and betrayal start in a backyard: a quarterly statement weighted by half a brick revealed a pension balance of $412 when it should have been tens of thousands, and by the end $843,000 was gone - who was the plumber behind the theft and how did he nearly erase every trace?

In this episode, we tell the story of the Linden Circle Retirement Association, the people who trusted it, and the man who used his plumbing business to recruit retirees into a fake investment; how did a fictional account number, a typewriter, and a misaligned decimal finally bring the scheme down?

Person: Thomas Frick
Date: March 11, 2009
Location: 44 Stillwater Lane
Amount: $843,000 total contributions
Account: 7741 (fictitious)

- Frick’s quarterly statement found in dead grass showed a balance of $412.
- Linden Circle had 22 members at its peak and took in $843,000 in total contributions.
- Thomas Frick had worked 31 years and had contributed to Linden Circle for five years.
- Howard Sloane contributed more than $68,000 and recovered less than $3,000.
- Funds were routed to an account in the name of W. Donnelly Contracting LLC and used to pay personal creditors and expenses.

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.]]>1115falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-man-who-printed-four-receipts-and-stole-an-entire-town--73071660
Fear that something ordinary is hiding a calculated theft: a retired postal worker found an envelope with four identical warehouse receipts for 4,210 bushels of number two yellow corn-receipts that should not have existed. That single discovery exposed a nine-year fraud that cost roughly $2,300,000 and affected 31 farm families; how did one man operate for so long from a converted storage unit less than a mile from the elevator?

In this episode, we follow the sequence of discoveries and people who uncovered the scheme, from the roadside find to the elevator records room, and ask how routine trust and small formalities let a fraud persist. What specific documents and actions finally made the paper trail undeniable?

Person: Robert Jenkins
Date: February 11, 2019
Quantity: 4,210 bushels
Loss: $2,300,000 (approximately)
Victims: 31 farm families

- Jenkins found an envelope on County Road Seven containing four identical warehouse receipts for the same lot and depositor.
- The four receipts documented 4,210 bushels of number two yellow corn each, all for the same lot number.
- The scheme ran for nine years and took roughly $2,300,000 from 31 farm families across three counties.
- Sanders Crop Consulting operated from a converted storage unit on the south edge of Tulliver and was run by 61-year-old Harvey Sanders since 2010.
- Forensic auditor Philip Russo, age 44, arrived from Madison within 72 hours of Vicki Young’s call and began pulling records from the Tulliver Cooperative Grain Elevator.

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/73071660Mon, 20 Jul 2026 17:20:24 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Man Who Printed Four Receipts and Stole an Entire Town Fear that something ordinary is hiding a calculated theft: a retired postal worker found an envelope with four identical warehouse receipts for 4,210 bushels of number two yellow...
Fear that something ordinary is hiding a calculated theft: a retired postal worker found an envelope with four identical warehouse receipts for 4,210 bushels of number two yellow corn-receipts that should not have existed. That single discovery exposed a nine-year fraud that cost roughly $2,300,000 and affected 31 farm families; how did one man operate for so long from a converted storage unit less than a mile from the elevator?

In this episode, we follow the sequence of discoveries and people who uncovered the scheme, from the roadside find to the elevator records room, and ask how routine trust and small formalities let a fraud persist. What specific documents and actions finally made the paper trail undeniable?

Person: Robert Jenkins
Date: February 11, 2019
Quantity: 4,210 bushels
Loss: $2,300,000 (approximately)
Victims: 31 farm families

- Jenkins found an envelope on County Road Seven containing four identical warehouse receipts for the same lot and depositor.
- The four receipts documented 4,210 bushels of number two yellow corn each, all for the same lot number.
- The scheme ran for nine years and took roughly $2,300,000 from 31 farm families across three counties.
- Sanders Crop Consulting operated from a converted storage unit on the south edge of Tulliver and was run by 61-year-old Harvey Sanders since 2010.
- Forensic auditor Philip Russo, age 44, arrived from Madison within 72 hours of Vicki Young’s call and began pulling records from the Tulliver Cooperative Grain Elevator.

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.]]>1162falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-eleven-year-theft-how-a-church-s-building-fund-disappeared--73071659
Fear that the person you trust most is quietly taking everything - two million one hundred forty thousand dollars raised for a fellowship hall vanished over eleven years, with eight hundred twenty-four thousand found in cash in a trailer; how did one man keep a whole congregation looking at a horizon that would never arrive?

In this episode, we tell who was involved, what was taken, when the key discoveries happened, and how a teenager's flashlight and a new member's arithmetic exposed eleven years of missing money - could a single authorized signatory really hide more than a million dollars from an entire church?

Person: Neil Hayes
Event: Trailer discovery with cash and disbursement folder
Date: January 9, 2019
Amount: $2,140,000 total donations
Amount found: $824,000 in banded twenties

- The Building Fund received $2,140,000 in donations over eleven years.
- $824,000 in cash was found stacked in paper-wrapped bundles inside a white equipment trailer.
- $1,316,000 was unaccounted for when the trailer was found.
- Neil Hayes was named sole authorized signatory of the Building Fund account in June 2007.
- Two hundred thirteen donors contributed to the Building Fund, including one donor who gave $40,000.

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/73071659Mon, 20 Jul 2026 17:20:20 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Eleven-Year Theft: How a Church's Building Fund Disappeared Fear that the person you trust most is quietly taking everything - two million one hundred forty thousand dollars raised for a fellowship hall vanished over eleven years, with eight...
Fear that the person you trust most is quietly taking everything - two million one hundred forty thousand dollars raised for a fellowship hall vanished over eleven years, with eight hundred twenty-four thousand found in cash in a trailer; how did one man keep a whole congregation looking at a horizon that would never arrive?

In this episode, we tell who was involved, what was taken, when the key discoveries happened, and how a teenager's flashlight and a new member's arithmetic exposed eleven years of missing money - could a single authorized signatory really hide more than a million dollars from an entire church?

Person: Neil Hayes
Event: Trailer discovery with cash and disbursement folder
Date: January 9, 2019
Amount: $2,140,000 total donations
Amount found: $824,000 in banded twenties

- The Building Fund received $2,140,000 in donations over eleven years.
- $824,000 in cash was found stacked in paper-wrapped bundles inside a white equipment trailer.
- $1,316,000 was unaccounted for when the trailer was found.
- Neil Hayes was named sole authorized signatory of the Building Fund account in June 2007.
- Two hundred thirteen donors contributed to the Building Fund, including one donor who gave $40,000.

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.]]>1258falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/he-took-124-000-how-a-director-cashed-two-grants-twice--73071658
Fear that someone you trust quietly doubled-dipped on grant money: two funders paid the same $62,000 project and no one noticed for twenty-two months - how did $124,000 leave a tiny nonprofit unnoticed, and could the pattern go back further?

In this episode, we tell how the Millhaven-Breckett Historical Preservation Collaborative received two identical grants for one digitization project, how payments flowed, and what investigators found in the banker's box; did a director exploit informal checks and a non-existent finance committee to funnel most of the money to his own company?

Person: Randy Doyle
Organization: Millhaven-Breckett Historical Preservation Collaborative
Amount: $124,000
Project: Digitization of photographic archive
Investigator: Gordon Simpson

- Two grant applications with the same project description and budget were submitted to different funders and both were approved for $62,000 each.
- Both $62,000 checks were deposited into the Collaborative's account in July and August of the year before the investigation.
- Over the next twenty-two months, $91,000 was paid from the Collaborative's account to Doyle Administrative Consulting Services with memo lines like "grant management" and "project oversight."
- Doyle had unilateral signature authority for organizational checks below $5,000 and nearly all payments to his company were made in increments below that threshold.
- The banker's box delivered to investigator Gordon Simpson contained about four hundred pages of organized records including grant applications, correspondence, invoices, and bank registers.

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/73071658Mon, 20 Jul 2026 17:20:17 +0000Creator at ObomediaHe Took $124,000: How a Director Cashed Two Grants Twice Fear that someone you trust quietly doubled-dipped on grant money: two funders paid the same $62,000 project and no one noticed for twenty-two months - how did $124,000 leave a tiny nonprofit...
Fear that someone you trust quietly doubled-dipped on grant money: two funders paid the same $62,000 project and no one noticed for twenty-two months - how did $124,000 leave a tiny nonprofit unnoticed, and could the pattern go back further?

In this episode, we tell how the Millhaven-Breckett Historical Preservation Collaborative received two identical grants for one digitization project, how payments flowed, and what investigators found in the banker's box; did a director exploit informal checks and a non-existent finance committee to funnel most of the money to his own company?

Person: Randy Doyle
Organization: Millhaven-Breckett Historical Preservation Collaborative
Amount: $124,000
Project: Digitization of photographic archive
Investigator: Gordon Simpson

- Two grant applications with the same project description and budget were submitted to different funders and both were approved for $62,000 each.
- Both $62,000 checks were deposited into the Collaborative's account in July and August of the year before the investigation.
- Over the next twenty-two months, $91,000 was paid from the Collaborative's account to Doyle Administrative Consulting Services with memo lines like "grant management" and "project oversight."
- Doyle had unilateral signature authority for organizational checks below $5,000 and nearly all payments to his company were made in increments below that threshold.
- The banker's box delivered to investigator Gordon Simpson contained about four hundred pages of organized records including grant applications, correspondence, invoices, and bank registers.

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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.]]>1136falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-man-who-stole-397-refunds-exposed-by-a-notebook--73071655
Fear of being quietly robbed: 397 working-class families had refunds redirected into one account and $318,000 flowed through a shell over 31 months before a small spiral notebook exposed the scheme. How did a shoebox under a lamp and one woman's habit of writing a phone call time unravel a long-running tax fraud?

In this episode, we follow the sequence of events from the first notice to investigators and trace how routine filings and a single amended return led to an IRS Criminal Investigation. You'll hear how a notebook entry prompted an agent to pull three years of amended returns and discover a system built to rely on trust - and ask how it could have gone unnoticed for so long.

Person: Duane Richardson
Person: Gail Sanders
Agent: Angela Hunter
Amount: $318,000
Deposits: 412 deposits over 31 months

- 397 families of Peralta, New Mexico clients had refunds redirected to the same bank account.
- $318,000 moved through a shell account tied to a post office box on Montoya Avenue.
- 412 deposits were made into that account during a 31-month span.
- Gail Sanders first noticed a $640 shortfall on her refund in April 2018.
- Gail recorded the November 1, 2019 4:17 p.m. phone call in a spiral notebook, which led her to file a formal dispute.

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/73071655Mon, 20 Jul 2026 17:20:14 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Man Who Stole 397 Refunds - Exposed by a Notebook Fear of being quietly robbed: 397 working-class families had refunds redirected into one account and $318,000 flowed through a shell over 31 months before a small spiral notebook exposed the...
Fear of being quietly robbed: 397 working-class families had refunds redirected into one account and $318,000 flowed through a shell over 31 months before a small spiral notebook exposed the scheme. How did a shoebox under a lamp and one woman's habit of writing a phone call time unravel a long-running tax fraud?

In this episode, we follow the sequence of events from the first notice to investigators and trace how routine filings and a single amended return led to an IRS Criminal Investigation. You'll hear how a notebook entry prompted an agent to pull three years of amended returns and discover a system built to rely on trust - and ask how it could have gone unnoticed for so long.

Person: Duane Richardson
Person: Gail Sanders
Agent: Angela Hunter
Amount: $318,000
Deposits: 412 deposits over 31 months

- 397 families of Peralta, New Mexico clients had refunds redirected to the same bank account.
- $318,000 moved through a shell account tied to a post office box on Montoya Avenue.
- 412 deposits were made into that account during a 31-month span.
- Gail Sanders first noticed a $640 shortfall on her refund in April 2018.
- Gail recorded the November 1, 2019 4:17 p.m. phone call in a spiral notebook, which led her to file a formal dispute.

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.]]>1139falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/he-stole-their-freight-how-a-fake-broker-cost-ranchers-330-000--73071654
A damp, triplicate freight manifest found on a fence exposed a five-year scheme that siphoned $330,000 from local ranchers using fake carrier names and cash-paid drivers; who engineered this logistics fiction and how did it evade detection for years? Listen to learn which single lost page unlocked a web of falsified paperwork and missing federal registrations.

In this episode, you will hear how routine ranch logistics, invoices and delivery paperwork hid a broker with no FMCSA registration and carriers that never appeared on GPS records, and why a found manifest forced the county sheriff to act - could one missing registration number explain $330,000 in losses?

Person: Carl Doyle
Date: October 9, 2017 (manifest found) and October 20, 2017 (turned into sheriff)
Person: Charles O'Brien
Person: Larry Fleming
Amount: $330,000
Event: Found triplicate manifest for 460 head of processed pork at 34°F

- The manifest listed 460 head of processed pork at a controlled temperature of 34°F and a rate of $4,310.
- Charles O'Brien paid Larry Fleming $38,400 over nine uses between 2013 and 2017.
- The Tippett brothers paid Fleming a combined $71,000 over four years for freight services.
- Kevin Marsh was paid $2,010 in cash on August 22 for a run using a dry-van trailer with no refrigeration.
- Polar Star Refrigerated Transport was a real, licensed carrier located about 400 miles away with GPS records showing no presence in Minnick County on the dates in question.

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/73071654Mon, 20 Jul 2026 17:20:11 +0000Creator at ObomediaHe Stole Their Freight: How a Fake Broker Cost Ranchers $330,000 A damp, triplicate freight manifest found on a fence exposed a five-year scheme that siphoned $330,000 from local ranchers using fake carrier names and cash-paid drivers; who...
A damp, triplicate freight manifest found on a fence exposed a five-year scheme that siphoned $330,000 from local ranchers using fake carrier names and cash-paid drivers; who engineered this logistics fiction and how did it evade detection for years? Listen to learn which single lost page unlocked a web of falsified paperwork and missing federal registrations.

In this episode, you will hear how routine ranch logistics, invoices and delivery paperwork hid a broker with no FMCSA registration and carriers that never appeared on GPS records, and why a found manifest forced the county sheriff to act - could one missing registration number explain $330,000 in losses?

Person: Carl Doyle
Date: October 9, 2017 (manifest found) and October 20, 2017 (turned into sheriff)
Person: Charles O'Brien
Person: Larry Fleming
Amount: $330,000
Event: Found triplicate manifest for 460 head of processed pork at 34°F

- The manifest listed 460 head of processed pork at a controlled temperature of 34°F and a rate of $4,310.
- Charles O'Brien paid Larry Fleming $38,400 over nine uses between 2013 and 2017.
- The Tippett brothers paid Fleming a combined $71,000 over four years for freight services.
- Kevin Marsh was paid $2,010 in cash on August 22 for a run using a dry-van trailer with no refrigeration.
- Polar Star Refrigerated Transport was a real, licensed carrier located about 400 miles away with GPS records showing no presence in Minnick County on the dates in question.

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.]]>1247falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/they-took-her-life-savings-inside-the-pembrook-honey-scam--73071651
A small-town trust turned into a $412,000 betrayal when a man who never kept bees sold "paid in full" promises that hid empty hives and missing records-how did 71 neighbors hand over their savings to a cooperative with no production reports? What did those 37 file boxes under a tarp really contain, and why did a single ribbon-winning beekeeper become the linchpin of the scheme?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from incorporation to discovery, tracing how the Pembrook Honey Cooperative solicited local investors, recorded returns for one season, and then left no production filings for any year after incorporation. Listen to how personal connections, a 12% annual return pitch, and hand-delivered prospectuses led cautious people to invest-and what investigators found when they opened those boxes.

Person: Marvin Dempsey
Person: Harold Finch
Person: Karen Brown
Amount: $412,000
Investors: 71

- 37 plastic file boxes stacked four high were found behind a shed on September 11, 2019.
- Karen Brown invested $60,000-the largest single investment in Season Three.
- The cooperative promised a 12% annual return with a $2,000 minimum investment.
- Seventy-one people invested across three forward seasons totaling $412,000.
- No production report was ever filed for the cooperative in the state registry for any year after incorporation.

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/73071651Mon, 20 Jul 2026 17:20:09 +0000Creator at ObomediaThey Took Her Life Savings: Inside the Pembrook Honey Scam A small-town trust turned into a $412,000 betrayal when a man who never kept bees sold "paid in full" promises that hid empty hives and missing records-how did 71 neighbors hand over their...
A small-town trust turned into a $412,000 betrayal when a man who never kept bees sold "paid in full" promises that hid empty hives and missing records-how did 71 neighbors hand over their savings to a cooperative with no production reports? What did those 37 file boxes under a tarp really contain, and why did a single ribbon-winning beekeeper become the linchpin of the scheme?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from incorporation to discovery, tracing how the Pembrook Honey Cooperative solicited local investors, recorded returns for one season, and then left no production filings for any year after incorporation. Listen to how personal connections, a 12% annual return pitch, and hand-delivered prospectuses led cautious people to invest-and what investigators found when they opened those boxes.

Person: Marvin Dempsey
Person: Harold Finch
Person: Karen Brown
Amount: $412,000
Investors: 71

- 37 plastic file boxes stacked four high were found behind a shed on September 11, 2019.
- Karen Brown invested $60,000-the largest single investment in Season Three.
- The cooperative promised a 12% annual return with a $2,000 minimum investment.
- Seventy-one people invested across three forward seasons totaling $412,000.
- No production report was ever filed for the cooperative in the state registry for any year after incorporation.

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.]]>1244falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-deposit-slip-that-exposed-a-beloved-volunteer-s-theft--73071650
Trust can feel like iron in a small town: Vernon Reynolds collected $268,000 from 33 donors for a new scoreboard that did not exist, and a single deposit slip photographed in a ground-floor office became Exhibit Fourteen in a criminal trial. Who wrote “PERSONAL - VR - DO NOT FILE” across it, and how did years of community trust get converted into missing funds?

In this episode, we tell the story of how a volunteer organizer, a grassroots fundraising LLC, and one bookkeeper’s curiosity revealed that the promised school project had been removed from the district plan 18 months earlier - and why that discovery mattered.

Person: Vernon Reynolds
Event: Photograph of deposit slip made by Melissa Brown on August 11, 2019
Amount: $268,000 collected
Donors: 33 contributors
Project removed: 18 months before August 2019

- Melissa Brown photographed a deposit slip on August 11, 2019 that later became Exhibit Fourteen.
- Vernon Reynolds incorporated Tri-County Athletic Futures, LLC in January 2018 to raise funds for a scoreboard.
- Reynolds raised $268,000 from 33 contributors using pledge tiers named Bronze, Silver, and Gold Cornerstone.
- Phil Hendricks pledged $50,000 as a Gold Cornerstone donor and made an initial payment in April 2018.
- Howard Pratt, facilities supervisor for 11 years, told Jean Porter the scoreboard project had been removed from the district’s capital plan 18 months earlier.

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/73071650Mon, 20 Jul 2026 17:20:06 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Deposit Slip That Exposed a Beloved Volunteer's Theft Trust can feel like iron in a small town: Vernon Reynolds collected $268,000 from 33 donors for a new scoreboard that did not exist, and a single deposit slip photographed in a ground-floor...
Trust can feel like iron in a small town: Vernon Reynolds collected $268,000 from 33 donors for a new scoreboard that did not exist, and a single deposit slip photographed in a ground-floor office became Exhibit Fourteen in a criminal trial. Who wrote “PERSONAL - VR - DO NOT FILE” across it, and how did years of community trust get converted into missing funds?

In this episode, we tell the story of how a volunteer organizer, a grassroots fundraising LLC, and one bookkeeper’s curiosity revealed that the promised school project had been removed from the district plan 18 months earlier - and why that discovery mattered.

Person: Vernon Reynolds
Event: Photograph of deposit slip made by Melissa Brown on August 11, 2019
Amount: $268,000 collected
Donors: 33 contributors
Project removed: 18 months before August 2019

- Melissa Brown photographed a deposit slip on August 11, 2019 that later became Exhibit Fourteen.
- Vernon Reynolds incorporated Tri-County Athletic Futures, LLC in January 2018 to raise funds for a scoreboard.
- Reynolds raised $268,000 from 33 contributors using pledge tiers named Bronze, Silver, and Gold Cornerstone.
- Phil Hendricks pledged $50,000 as a Gold Cornerstone donor and made an initial payment in April 2018.
- Howard Pratt, facilities supervisor for 11 years, told Jean Porter the scoreboard project had been removed from the district’s capital plan 18 months earlier.

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.]]>1051falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/how-a-dog-and-a-sticky-note-exposed-207-960-stolen-from-neighbors--73071648
Biscuit the dog and a four-word sticky note started an unraveling that revealed nearly $208,000 missing from neighbors’ deposits - and it began with a manila envelope found on a drainage easement behind a mobile home park. How did routine escrow numbers that hovered around $3,000 hide a pattern of theft for five years?

In this episode, we follow the discovery, the parallel complaint, and the audit that connect a found envelope to a long-running scheme; listeners will hear how inspection records, subpoenas, and bank logs answer the question: what did Melvin West do to cover up missing tenant deposits?

Person: Melvin West
Location: Pineview Acres, west Callum, Ohio
Date: July 11, 2019 (discovery); May 6, 2014 (deposit check)
Amount: $207,960
Required escrow balance: $25,000-$28,000

- Biscuit the dog found a manila envelope on July 11, 2019 behind a mobile home park.
- The sticky note inside contained four words: COMPARE TO JUNE.
- Pineview Acres had 87 occupied lots requiring an escrow between $25,000 and $28,000.
- Inspection records across five years showed the escrow account balance around $3,000 each cycle.
- Linda Slater wrote a $325 deposit check on May 6, 2014 and filed a formal complaint on July 3, 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/73071648Mon, 20 Jul 2026 17:20:03 +0000Creator at ObomediaHow a Dog and a Sticky Note Exposed $207,960 Stolen from Neighbors Biscuit the dog and a four-word sticky note started an unraveling that revealed nearly $208,000 missing from neighbors’ deposits - and it began with a manila envelope found on a...
Biscuit the dog and a four-word sticky note started an unraveling that revealed nearly $208,000 missing from neighbors’ deposits - and it began with a manila envelope found on a drainage easement behind a mobile home park. How did routine escrow numbers that hovered around $3,000 hide a pattern of theft for five years?

In this episode, we follow the discovery, the parallel complaint, and the audit that connect a found envelope to a long-running scheme; listeners will hear how inspection records, subpoenas, and bank logs answer the question: what did Melvin West do to cover up missing tenant deposits?

Person: Melvin West
Location: Pineview Acres, west Callum, Ohio
Date: July 11, 2019 (discovery); May 6, 2014 (deposit check)
Amount: $207,960
Required escrow balance: $25,000-$28,000

- Biscuit the dog found a manila envelope on July 11, 2019 behind a mobile home park.
- The sticky note inside contained four words: COMPARE TO JUNE.
- Pineview Acres had 87 occupied lots requiring an escrow between $25,000 and $28,000.
- Inspection records across five years showed the escrow account balance around $3,000 each cycle.
- Linda Slater wrote a $325 deposit check on May 6, 2014 and filed a formal complaint on July 3, 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.]]>969falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-fishhook-that-exposed-a-small-town-embezzlement-scheme--73071647
A waterlogged envelope snagged on a fishhook contained six pages of real supplier invoices that contradicted the cooperative’s official records and eventually put a trusted local administrator behind bars - but how did routine salt invoices become proof of a nine-year prison sentence? What did a twenty-three-year-old volunteer and a single afternoon of bookkeeping discover that twelve municipalities had missed for years?

In this episode, we tell how a sealed manila envelope pulled from Stender Creek set off a chain of events in Weller County that exposed fabricated invoices, missing oversight, and a sole administrator’s control of a multi-municipality account - and we ask whether a simple procurement system can hide deliberate fraud.

Person: Lloyd Berry
Date: June 9, 2011
Location: Stender Creek, Weller County
Case: Weller County Regional Salt Cooperative embezzlement
Sentence: nine years

- The envelope contained six pages of supplier invoices from Hartwell Industrial Supply in Moline, Illinois.
- Holly Novak had printed a second set of invoices at home with prices increased by 12 to 19 percent.
- The cooperative served twelve municipalities (nine townships and three villages).
- The cooperative’s administrative fee was capped at 3 percent and used one bank account at First Harwick Bank.
- Annual financial summaries were sent to members by March 15 each year without underlying supplier invoices.

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/73071647Mon, 20 Jul 2026 17:20:00 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Fishhook That Exposed a Small-Town Embezzlement Scheme A waterlogged envelope snagged on a fishhook contained six pages of real supplier invoices that contradicted the cooperative’s official records and eventually put a trusted local...
A waterlogged envelope snagged on a fishhook contained six pages of real supplier invoices that contradicted the cooperative’s official records and eventually put a trusted local administrator behind bars - but how did routine salt invoices become proof of a nine-year prison sentence? What did a twenty-three-year-old volunteer and a single afternoon of bookkeeping discover that twelve municipalities had missed for years?

In this episode, we tell how a sealed manila envelope pulled from Stender Creek set off a chain of events in Weller County that exposed fabricated invoices, missing oversight, and a sole administrator’s control of a multi-municipality account - and we ask whether a simple procurement system can hide deliberate fraud.

Person: Lloyd Berry
Date: June 9, 2011
Location: Stender Creek, Weller County
Case: Weller County Regional Salt Cooperative embezzlement
Sentence: nine years

- The envelope contained six pages of supplier invoices from Hartwell Industrial Supply in Moline, Illinois.
- Holly Novak had printed a second set of invoices at home with prices increased by 12 to 19 percent.
- The cooperative served twelve municipalities (nine townships and three villages).
- The cooperative’s administrative fee was capped at 3 percent and used one bank account at First Harwick Bank.
- Annual financial summaries were sent to members by March 15 each year without underlying supplier invoices.

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.]]>1203falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-fake-auction-that-emptied-a-man-s-storage-and-his-life-savings--73071646
A single new padlock with its retail sticker still attached was photographed at 9:47 AM on a Tuesday in May 2019 - and ten days later the storage unit it sealed was empty. How did a documented $219,000 of transactions result in only $61,000 recovered and a man’s carpentry equipment vanished without notification?

In this episode, we follow how a noticed font difference, a dated consignment form, and archived auction listings lead a maintenance supervisor and a forensic auditor to uncover discrepancies at Carlson Auction and Storage - could a fake auction have been used to launder or siphon years of possessions and savings?

Person: Raymond Bishop
Date: May 2019
Location: Keswick Road, Dellard County, Indiana
Amount documented: $219,000
Amount recovered: $61,000

- Padlock photographed at 9:47 AM on a Tuesday in May 2019 still had its retail sticker attached.
- Arthur Neff’s consignment form listed approximately $3,800 worth of carpentry equipment in the unit found empty ten days later.
- Leon Cook, 38 years old in spring 2019, consigned his late mother’s items and received a check for $260.
- Carlson’s auction listings for Cook’s lots appeared in the Dellard County Courier for November 4, 2017, while Carlson’s letter and check were dated November 18 and 19, 2017.
- A forensic auditor found a spreadsheet on a USB drive buried in box four of eleven years of commercial files documenting $219,000.

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/73071646Mon, 20 Jul 2026 17:19:57 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Fake Auction That Emptied a Man's Storage-and His Life Savings A single new padlock with its retail sticker still attached was photographed at 9:47 AM on a Tuesday in May 2019 - and ten days later the storage unit it sealed was empty. How did a...
A single new padlock with its retail sticker still attached was photographed at 9:47 AM on a Tuesday in May 2019 - and ten days later the storage unit it sealed was empty. How did a documented $219,000 of transactions result in only $61,000 recovered and a man’s carpentry equipment vanished without notification?

In this episode, we follow how a noticed font difference, a dated consignment form, and archived auction listings lead a maintenance supervisor and a forensic auditor to uncover discrepancies at Carlson Auction and Storage - could a fake auction have been used to launder or siphon years of possessions and savings?

Person: Raymond Bishop
Date: May 2019
Location: Keswick Road, Dellard County, Indiana
Amount documented: $219,000
Amount recovered: $61,000

- Padlock photographed at 9:47 AM on a Tuesday in May 2019 still had its retail sticker attached.
- Arthur Neff’s consignment form listed approximately $3,800 worth of carpentry equipment in the unit found empty ten days later.
- Leon Cook, 38 years old in spring 2019, consigned his late mother’s items and received a check for $260.
- Carlson’s auction listings for Cook’s lots appeared in the Dellard County Courier for November 4, 2017, while Carlson’s letter and check were dated November 18 and 19, 2017.
- A forensic auditor found a spreadsheet on a USB drive buried in box four of eleven years of commercial files documenting $219,000.

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.]]>1126falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-bronze-plaque-that-exposed-a-212-000-firehouse-theft--73071645
A routine septic-tank call led a sanitation worker to notice a bronze plaque and send a photo that would unravel a $212,000 theft - all because a donated fund held just $11.43 where over $200,000 had once been. How did years of small donations, unpaid acknowledgments, and a missing dedication plaque hide a crime until one neighbor recognized a name?

In this episode, you’ll hear how a phone call to the sheriff set off a forensic audit, uncovered a handwritten ledger and a storage unit, and produced a confession that put a man in state prison. Follow the trail from a sanitation worker’s photograph to the documents and questions that finally answered what happened to the donors’ money.

Person: Angela Padgett
Person: Tracy Fitzgerald
Person: Wade Sheridan
Date: April 2019
Location: Haddox Volunteer Fire Department, County Road 7, east of Glenport, Duvall County

- Angela Padgett photographed a bronze memorial plaque while pumping the station’s septic tank on a Tuesday in the second week of April 2019.
- Tracy Fitzgerald had donated $14,000 over three years in installments of $6,000, $5,000, and $3,000 but received no Form 2892 or written acknowledgment.
- Forty-one households and businesses donated to the station’s expansion campaign solicited by treasurer Wade Sheridan.
- The east interior plaque reads "East Bay Addition, Dedicated Two Thousand and Sixteen" with no donor name or tribute.
- A fund that once held over $200,000 was found to contain $11.43 when audits began.

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/73071645Mon, 20 Jul 2026 17:19:54 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Bronze Plaque That Exposed a $212,000 Firehouse Theft A routine septic-tank call led a sanitation worker to notice a bronze plaque and send a photo that would unravel a $212,000 theft - all because a donated fund held just $11.43 where over...
A routine septic-tank call led a sanitation worker to notice a bronze plaque and send a photo that would unravel a $212,000 theft - all because a donated fund held just $11.43 where over $200,000 had once been. How did years of small donations, unpaid acknowledgments, and a missing dedication plaque hide a crime until one neighbor recognized a name?

In this episode, you’ll hear how a phone call to the sheriff set off a forensic audit, uncovered a handwritten ledger and a storage unit, and produced a confession that put a man in state prison. Follow the trail from a sanitation worker’s photograph to the documents and questions that finally answered what happened to the donors’ money.

Person: Angela Padgett
Person: Tracy Fitzgerald
Person: Wade Sheridan
Date: April 2019
Location: Haddox Volunteer Fire Department, County Road 7, east of Glenport, Duvall County

- Angela Padgett photographed a bronze memorial plaque while pumping the station’s septic tank on a Tuesday in the second week of April 2019.
- Tracy Fitzgerald had donated $14,000 over three years in installments of $6,000, $5,000, and $3,000 but received no Form 2892 or written acknowledgment.
- Forty-one households and businesses donated to the station’s expansion campaign solicited by treasurer Wade Sheridan.
- The east interior plaque reads "East Bay Addition, Dedicated Two Thousand and Sixteen" with no donor name or tribute.
- A fund that once held over $200,000 was found to contain $11.43 when audits began.

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.]]>1121falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-seventeen-digit-lie-how-a-phantom-tractor-stole-2-3m--73071644
Fear of losing everything lurks in the most ordinary details - a seventeen-digit serial number printed twice. A sandwich drop-off in March 2017 led Melissa Lewis to spot the same John Deere serial on two separate loan files, a clue that would unravel four years of fraud and $2.3 million in loans; how did a nonexistent tractor and a phantom farmer slip past four different lenders for so long?

In this episode, we follow the chain of events that began when Melissa noticed the duplicated serial number on Dennis Pruitt’s desk and the chain reaction that exposed a multi-institution fraud. Listen to how the scheme used fabricated collateral, fake identities, and shell companies to extract loans, and ask: who profited while farmers and banks were left holding the losses?

Person: Melissa Lewis
Person: Dennis Pruitt
Person: Scott Burke
Person: Neil and Sandra Casey
Event: Fraud scheme running since 2013

- Melissa Lewis saw the same seventeen-digit John Deere serial number on two different loan documents in March 2017.
- The Caseys wired $100,000 to Burke Ag Solutions in November 2016 and received a single $1,800 interest payment in January 2017.
- Burke incorporated Burke Ag Solutions in 2011 and a South Dakota shell company that received and passed wire transfers.
- The scheme stretched across four lending institutions: Grange Cooperative Credit, Midwest Ag Partners, First Cornhusker Bank, and another lender.
- The federal indictment states the scheme had been running since 2013 and by August 2015 Burke acknowledged financial trouble in an email to his South Dakota registered agent.

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/73071644Mon, 20 Jul 2026 17:19:51 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Seventeen-Digit Lie: How a Phantom Tractor Stole $2.3M Fear of losing everything lurks in the most ordinary details - a seventeen-digit serial number printed twice. A sandwich drop-off in March 2017 led Melissa Lewis to spot the same John Deere...
Fear of losing everything lurks in the most ordinary details - a seventeen-digit serial number printed twice. A sandwich drop-off in March 2017 led Melissa Lewis to spot the same John Deere serial on two separate loan files, a clue that would unravel four years of fraud and $2.3 million in loans; how did a nonexistent tractor and a phantom farmer slip past four different lenders for so long?

In this episode, we follow the chain of events that began when Melissa noticed the duplicated serial number on Dennis Pruitt’s desk and the chain reaction that exposed a multi-institution fraud. Listen to how the scheme used fabricated collateral, fake identities, and shell companies to extract loans, and ask: who profited while farmers and banks were left holding the losses?

Person: Melissa Lewis
Person: Dennis Pruitt
Person: Scott Burke
Person: Neil and Sandra Casey
Event: Fraud scheme running since 2013

- Melissa Lewis saw the same seventeen-digit John Deere serial number on two different loan documents in March 2017.
- The Caseys wired $100,000 to Burke Ag Solutions in November 2016 and received a single $1,800 interest payment in January 2017.
- Burke incorporated Burke Ag Solutions in 2011 and a South Dakota shell company that received and passed wire transfers.
- The scheme stretched across four lending institutions: Grange Cooperative Credit, Midwest Ag Partners, First Cornhusker Bank, and another lender.
- The federal indictment states the scheme had been running since 2013 and by August 2015 Burke acknowledged financial trouble in an email to his South Dakota registered agent.

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.]]>1221falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/he-took-their-booth-fees-the-man-who-turned-checks-into-cash--73071643
Cold cash and cancelled checks turned up in a green cashbox at 6:40 a.m. on February 11, 2019 - $430 in cash, two uncashed checks, and a ledger listing 63 names who thought they had paid booth fees; did one volunteer quietly build a fake reservation system and quietly cash other people's checks? What did investigators find in the stack of cancelled checks and two versions of the same application form?

In this episode, we follow how routine vendor mail and a volunteer arrangement led to a countywide fraud that collapsed the Harwick County Fair's vendor system and forced a reckoning about access and oversight. How did altered forms, diverted mail, and a single man's access allow booth fees to disappear?

Person: Larry Rafferty
Date: February 11, 2019
Amount: $430 in cash found in the box
Count: 63 names in the handwritten ledger
Payee name on cancelled check: Richard Sawyer

- A green metal cashbox was found unlatched beside the main gate at 6:40 a.m.
- Inside the box were $430 in cash, two uncashed checks, and a handwritten ledger with 63 names.
- Vendors were told an early reservation fee was $325 total: $250 booth fee plus a $75 holding fee, payable by check.
- Heather Ramsey wrote her check on November 12, 2018, and it cleared on November 14, 2018.
- The fair board post office box received no vendor correspondence after October 2018 because Richard Sawyer was intercepting mail.

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/73071643Mon, 20 Jul 2026 17:19:48 +0000Creator at ObomediaHe Took Their Booth Fees - The Man Who Turned Checks Into Cash Cold cash and cancelled checks turned up in a green cashbox at 6:40 a.m. on February 11, 2019 - $430 in cash, two uncashed checks, and a ledger listing 63 names who thought they had...
Cold cash and cancelled checks turned up in a green cashbox at 6:40 a.m. on February 11, 2019 - $430 in cash, two uncashed checks, and a ledger listing 63 names who thought they had paid booth fees; did one volunteer quietly build a fake reservation system and quietly cash other people's checks? What did investigators find in the stack of cancelled checks and two versions of the same application form?

In this episode, we follow how routine vendor mail and a volunteer arrangement led to a countywide fraud that collapsed the Harwick County Fair's vendor system and forced a reckoning about access and oversight. How did altered forms, diverted mail, and a single man's access allow booth fees to disappear?

Person: Larry Rafferty
Date: February 11, 2019
Amount: $430 in cash found in the box
Count: 63 names in the handwritten ledger
Payee name on cancelled check: Richard Sawyer

- A green metal cashbox was found unlatched beside the main gate at 6:40 a.m.
- Inside the box were $430 in cash, two uncashed checks, and a handwritten ledger with 63 names.
- Vendors were told an early reservation fee was $325 total: $250 booth fee plus a $75 holding fee, payable by check.
- Heather Ramsey wrote her check on November 12, 2018, and it cleared on November 14, 2018.
- The fair board post office box received no vendor correspondence after October 2018 because Richard Sawyer was intercepting mail.

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.]]>1192falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/he-promised-gifts-he-embezzled-93-840-from-quilting-women--73071641
A single green accordion folder and eleven dollars and thirty cents exposed a betrayal that siphoned $93,840 from forty-one quilting women who trusted a neighbor with their Christmas savings-how did routine Tuesday nights turn into an embezzlement scheme? What was written on that torn June ledger corner that made everything add up?

In this episode, we tell how a community savings habit, a guild ledger, and one man’s control of both turned into a fraud that unfolded over years and unraveled when a snow plow operator found the folder; could a grainy security clip and one suspicious phone call be enough to prove it?

Person: Grant Hill
Person: Nicole Parker
Date: January 9, 2019
Amount: $93,840
Account balance: $11.30

- Forty-one women were owed a combined total of $93,840 by the Pinecroft Christmas Club.
- The Pinecroft Christmas Club account balance on December 1, 2018, was $11.30.
- Grant Hill was 41 years old in January 2019 and had become club administrator around 2014-2015.
- Nicole Parker increased her monthly contribution to $80 starting February 2018 after seeing Hill write it in the ledger.
- A green accordion folder with eleven pages of handwritten ledger entries was found in an alley on January 9, 2019, under two inches of snow.

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/73071641Mon, 20 Jul 2026 17:19:45 +0000Creator at ObomediaHe Promised Gifts - He Embezzled $93,840 From Quilting Women A single green accordion folder and eleven dollars and thirty cents exposed a betrayal that siphoned $93,840 from forty-one quilting women who trusted a neighbor with their Christmas...
A single green accordion folder and eleven dollars and thirty cents exposed a betrayal that siphoned $93,840 from forty-one quilting women who trusted a neighbor with their Christmas savings-how did routine Tuesday nights turn into an embezzlement scheme? What was written on that torn June ledger corner that made everything add up?

In this episode, we tell how a community savings habit, a guild ledger, and one man’s control of both turned into a fraud that unfolded over years and unraveled when a snow plow operator found the folder; could a grainy security clip and one suspicious phone call be enough to prove it?

Person: Grant Hill
Person: Nicole Parker
Date: January 9, 2019
Amount: $93,840
Account balance: $11.30

- Forty-one women were owed a combined total of $93,840 by the Pinecroft Christmas Club.
- The Pinecroft Christmas Club account balance on December 1, 2018, was $11.30.
- Grant Hill was 41 years old in January 2019 and had become club administrator around 2014-2015.
- Nicole Parker increased her monthly contribution to $80 starting February 2018 after seeing Hill write it in the ledger.
- A green accordion folder with eleven pages of handwritten ledger entries was found in an alley on January 9, 2019, under two inches of snow.

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/the-143k-pipe-how-one-fake-administrator-drained-a-town-s-water-fund--73071639
A $143,840 payment vanished into a shell company while thirty-two households kept paying into an empty water fund for years-how did one forged credential and a six-inch vs. four-inch pipe hide a four-year fraud? What single photograph finally set the unraveling in motion?

In this episode, we tell how Teller Flats' informal cooperative handed control to a woman who presented fifteen years of municipal water experience, how routine receipts and a UPS mailbox company registration masked the theft, and how a retired dental hygienist's paper records and a photograph of a pipe forced the question everyone had been avoiding: who was actually getting the community's money?

Person: Crystal Stein
Person: Rhonda Baker
Location: Teller Flats, Pickett County, Kansas
Date: March 14, 2017 (company registration)
Amount: $143,840

- The pipe photographed by Grant Gallagher on December 11, 2019 was four inches wide while the community had paid for a six-inch pipe.
- Teller Flats consisted of thirty-two households contributing monthly to a water fund that had been empty since before Crystal Stein left.
- Panhandle Deep Water Fund LLC was registered with the Kansas Secretary of State on March 14, 2017 with a UPS mailbox in Wichita as the address.
- Rhonda Baker wrote an $8,000 check in January 2017 from her certificate of deposit to the water fund and received a receipt on cooperative letterhead signed by Stein.
- The drilling contract specified drilling to 340 feet and the LLC was filed the afternoon before the cooperative signed that contract.

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/73071639Mon, 20 Jul 2026 17:19:42 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe $143K Pipe: How One Fake Administrator Drained a Town's Water Fund A $143,840 payment vanished into a shell company while thirty-two households kept paying into an empty water fund for years-how did one forged credential and a six-inch vs....
A $143,840 payment vanished into a shell company while thirty-two households kept paying into an empty water fund for years-how did one forged credential and a six-inch vs. four-inch pipe hide a four-year fraud? What single photograph finally set the unraveling in motion?

In this episode, we tell how Teller Flats' informal cooperative handed control to a woman who presented fifteen years of municipal water experience, how routine receipts and a UPS mailbox company registration masked the theft, and how a retired dental hygienist's paper records and a photograph of a pipe forced the question everyone had been avoiding: who was actually getting the community's money?

Person: Crystal Stein
Person: Rhonda Baker
Location: Teller Flats, Pickett County, Kansas
Date: March 14, 2017 (company registration)
Amount: $143,840

- The pipe photographed by Grant Gallagher on December 11, 2019 was four inches wide while the community had paid for a six-inch pipe.
- Teller Flats consisted of thirty-two households contributing monthly to a water fund that had been empty since before Crystal Stein left.
- Panhandle Deep Water Fund LLC was registered with the Kansas Secretary of State on March 14, 2017 with a UPS mailbox in Wichita as the address.
- Rhonda Baker wrote an $8,000 check in January 2017 from her certificate of deposit to the water fund and received a receipt on cooperative letterhead signed by Stein.
- The drilling contract specified drilling to 340 feet and the LLC was filed the afternoon before the cooperative signed that contract.

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/unsigned-212-000-on-a-trail-how-a-dentist-sold-a-practice-twice--73071638
A $212,000 banker's check appeared face-up on a jogging trail at dawn, unsigned and inexplicably abandoned - a single paper that would unravel a scheme where $170,000 vanished and a dental practice was sold twice. Who forged deeds, impersonated a utilities inspector, and manufactured a loan file to extract that money, and how did one check on gravel expose it all?

In this episode, we tell the sequence of events that began with a jogger finding a check on Pelham Trail and led investigators through forged documents, a fake lease and utility letter, and a duplicate sale that siphoned most of the funds; can a community’s routine and trust explain how the fraud nearly succeeded?

Person: Gary Callahan
Person: George Vogel
Date: November 9, 2017
Location: Pelham Trail; Beckford Avenue practice
Amount: $212,000

- A jogger, Richard Crawford, found an unsigned banker's check for $212,000 on Pelham Trail at 6:14 AM on November 9, 2017.
- The check was turned in and then sat in a property-found envelope untouched for eleven days.
- George Vogel purchased the Beckford Avenue dental practice on August 18, 2017 for $310,000 with a $238,000 loan and a $72,000 cashier's check.
- Callahan Dental Transitions LLC received a wire of $212,000 the same week using a loan file containing a fabricated purchase agreement, appraisal, and deed of business transfer.
- On September 6, 2017 a man signed the visitor log as a "utilities inspector," spent 20 minutes in the back office, and later a forged lease and utilities letter were created to show the LLC held the Beckford Avenue lease.

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/73071638Mon, 20 Jul 2026 17:19:39 +0000Creator at ObomediaUnsigned $212,000 on a Trail: How a Dentist Sold a Practice Twice A $212,000 banker's check appeared face-up on a jogging trail at dawn, unsigned and inexplicably abandoned - a single paper that would unravel a scheme where $170,000 vanished and a...
A $212,000 banker's check appeared face-up on a jogging trail at dawn, unsigned and inexplicably abandoned - a single paper that would unravel a scheme where $170,000 vanished and a dental practice was sold twice. Who forged deeds, impersonated a utilities inspector, and manufactured a loan file to extract that money, and how did one check on gravel expose it all?

In this episode, we tell the sequence of events that began with a jogger finding a check on Pelham Trail and led investigators through forged documents, a fake lease and utility letter, and a duplicate sale that siphoned most of the funds; can a community’s routine and trust explain how the fraud nearly succeeded?

Person: Gary Callahan
Person: George Vogel
Date: November 9, 2017
Location: Pelham Trail; Beckford Avenue practice
Amount: $212,000

- A jogger, Richard Crawford, found an unsigned banker's check for $212,000 on Pelham Trail at 6:14 AM on November 9, 2017.
- The check was turned in and then sat in a property-found envelope untouched for eleven days.
- George Vogel purchased the Beckford Avenue dental practice on August 18, 2017 for $310,000 with a $238,000 loan and a $72,000 cashier's check.
- Callahan Dental Transitions LLC received a wire of $212,000 the same week using a loan file containing a fabricated purchase agreement, appraisal, and deed of business transfer.
- On September 6, 2017 a man signed the visitor log as a "utilities inspector," spent 20 minutes in the back office, and later a forged lease and utilities letter were created to show the LLC held the Beckford Avenue lease.

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.]]>1082falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-envelope-forty-seven-photos-and-the-adjuster-who-cheated-farmers--73071637
Fear that a trusted lifeline was betraying an entire county: a sealed manila envelope found on a gas meter panel contained forty-seven photos stapled to claim forms signed by one adjuster, and a forensic review found forty-three images time-stamped in a single ten-day span that geography and daylight made impossible-so who was reusing old photos to collect payouts, and how far did the scheme reach?

In this episode, we tell how a routine route and a curious bookkeeper set off a three-year unraveling of fraud that pulled in a second state investigation and raised unanswered questions about systemic oversight and collusion. What the envelope revealed about procedures, timestamps, and long-held trust drives the story onward.

Person: Judith Hayes
Organization: Meridian Ag Insurance
Date: August 2018 (forty-three photos time-stamped within a ten-day window)
Location: Carver, Pelton, and Wabash counties
Evidence: 47 photographs in sealed envelope; 43 clustered timestamps

- 47 photographs were found sealed in a manila envelope on the east side of the Ardmore Grain Cooperative.
- 43 of those photos were time-stamped within a single ten-day window in August 2018 across four townships.
- Judith Hayes had been adjusting claims in the region since 2008 and worked for Carver County Agricultural Services submitting to Meridian Ag Insurance.
- Hayes drove a white pickup with a cracked passenger mirror and coached youth softball; she was 54 years old.
- Melissa Collins noticed unusually low weather losses in summer 2018 and flagged inconsistencies that helped open 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/73071637Mon, 20 Jul 2026 17:19:36 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Envelope, Forty-Seven Photos, and the Adjuster Who Cheated Farmers Fear that a trusted lifeline was betraying an entire county: a sealed manila envelope found on a gas meter panel contained forty-seven photos stapled to claim forms signed by...
Fear that a trusted lifeline was betraying an entire county: a sealed manila envelope found on a gas meter panel contained forty-seven photos stapled to claim forms signed by one adjuster, and a forensic review found forty-three images time-stamped in a single ten-day span that geography and daylight made impossible-so who was reusing old photos to collect payouts, and how far did the scheme reach?

In this episode, we tell how a routine route and a curious bookkeeper set off a three-year unraveling of fraud that pulled in a second state investigation and raised unanswered questions about systemic oversight and collusion. What the envelope revealed about procedures, timestamps, and long-held trust drives the story onward.

Person: Judith Hayes
Organization: Meridian Ag Insurance
Date: August 2018 (forty-three photos time-stamped within a ten-day window)
Location: Carver, Pelton, and Wabash counties
Evidence: 47 photographs in sealed envelope; 43 clustered timestamps

- 47 photographs were found sealed in a manila envelope on the east side of the Ardmore Grain Cooperative.
- 43 of those photos were time-stamped within a single ten-day window in August 2018 across four townships.
- Judith Hayes had been adjusting claims in the region since 2008 and worked for Carver County Agricultural Services submitting to Meridian Ag Insurance.
- Hayes drove a white pickup with a cracked passenger mirror and coached youth softball; she was 54 years old.
- Melissa Collins noticed unusually low weather losses in summer 2018 and flagged inconsistencies that helped open 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.]]>1078falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/green-box-empty-accounts-how-a-treasurer-stole-283-000--73071636
A small green metal cash box with $412 and a handwritten deposit slip sat in a church pew for who knows how long - a single clue that eventually exposed $283,000 missing from a middle school booster club over nine years. How did routine bake sales and carnivals feed a methodical embezzlement that hid in plain sight, and why did a treasurer who read the club's reports aloud go undetected for so long?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from the green box discovery to the records that revealed parallel accounting and long-term theft. We detail the booster club's structure, the treasurer's background, and the investigative thread that connected past missing funds to the Tillman Falls case - but what finally broke the scheme open?

Person: Michelle Taylor
Person: Michelle Taylor
Person: Patricia Odom
Amount: $283,000
Date found: September 2019

- The green metal cash box contained $412 in small bills and a deposit slip with a note dated July 9, 2018.
- Michelle Taylor became treasurer in spring 2010 at age 41 and opened a personal bank account at Alderton Community Bank.
- From 2011 Taylor kept notebooks with two columns comparing the booster club ledger to her personal account, creating a parallel record.
- From 2007 to 2009 roughly $18,000 went missing from the Renner County Youth Baseball League while Taylor served on its board.
- Meetings of the Tillman Falls Booster Club typically lasted about 20 minutes with eight people on a good night and treasurer reports read from a single page.

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/73071636Mon, 20 Jul 2026 17:19:34 +0000Creator at ObomediaGreen Box, Empty Accounts: How a Treasurer Stole $283,000 A small green metal cash box with $412 and a handwritten deposit slip sat in a church pew for who knows how long - a single clue that eventually exposed $283,000 missing from a middle school...
A small green metal cash box with $412 and a handwritten deposit slip sat in a church pew for who knows how long - a single clue that eventually exposed $283,000 missing from a middle school booster club over nine years. How did routine bake sales and carnivals feed a methodical embezzlement that hid in plain sight, and why did a treasurer who read the club's reports aloud go undetected for so long?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from the green box discovery to the records that revealed parallel accounting and long-term theft. We detail the booster club's structure, the treasurer's background, and the investigative thread that connected past missing funds to the Tillman Falls case - but what finally broke the scheme open?

Person: Michelle Taylor
Person: Michelle Taylor
Person: Patricia Odom
Amount: $283,000
Date found: September 2019

- The green metal cash box contained $412 in small bills and a deposit slip with a note dated July 9, 2018.
- Michelle Taylor became treasurer in spring 2010 at age 41 and opened a personal bank account at Alderton Community Bank.
- From 2011 Taylor kept notebooks with two columns comparing the booster club ledger to her personal account, creating a parallel record.
- From 2007 to 2009 roughly $18,000 went missing from the Renner County Youth Baseball League while Taylor served on its board.
- Meetings of the Tillman Falls Booster Club typically lasted about 20 minutes with eight people on a good night and treasurer reports read from a single page.

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-raffle-that-stole-a-grandmother-s-3-000-and-got-away--73071635
Fear that a neighborly handshake could hide theft: a community raffle raised $61,000 over three years while a $3,000 founding-member gift from a 68-year-old grandmother disappeared, a single $2,000 prize was cashed, and a routing number on a cream cardstock certificate pointed to a personal account - how did the pattern go unnoticed for so long?

In this episode, we lay out the timeline and documents that track the Burns Community Betterment Fund from its registration to the day an investigator recognized the same telltale pattern across months of transactions. What small details become damning once you spot the pattern?

Person: Ryan Burns
Person: Elaine O'Brien
Person: Warren (grandson)
Person: Nicole Thompson
Event: Raffle on August 6, 2022

- Total collected by the fund over three years: $61,000.
- Elaine O'Brien contribution as founding member in 2021: $3,000.
- Raffle ticket price: $20; founding-member tier: $500-$3,000.
- Winner Albert Doss cashed a prize check for: $2,000.
- Fund bank balance on the morning of the 2022 raffle (August 6): $312.

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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/73071635Mon, 20 Jul 2026 17:19:31 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Raffle That Stole a Grandmother's $3,000 - and Got Away Fear that a neighborly handshake could hide theft: a community raffle raised $61,000 over three years while a $3,000 founding-member gift from a 68-year-old grandmother disappeared, a...
Fear that a neighborly handshake could hide theft: a community raffle raised $61,000 over three years while a $3,000 founding-member gift from a 68-year-old grandmother disappeared, a single $2,000 prize was cashed, and a routing number on a cream cardstock certificate pointed to a personal account - how did the pattern go unnoticed for so long?

In this episode, we lay out the timeline and documents that track the Burns Community Betterment Fund from its registration to the day an investigator recognized the same telltale pattern across months of transactions. What small details become damning once you spot the pattern?

Person: Ryan Burns
Person: Elaine O'Brien
Person: Warren (grandson)
Person: Nicole Thompson
Event: Raffle on August 6, 2022

- Total collected by the fund over three years: $61,000.
- Elaine O'Brien contribution as founding member in 2021: $3,000.
- Raffle ticket price: $20; founding-member tier: $500-$3,000.
- Winner Albert Doss cashed a prize check for: $2,000.
- Fund bank balance on the morning of the 2022 raffle (August 6): $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.]]>1056falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-312-contracts-how-a-kansas-funeral-scammed-a-town-s-trust--73071634
Fear of being betrayed by the people and institutions you trust hits hard: 312 prepaid funeral contracts belonging to a town of 281 people were found in a cardboard box smelling of chemicals in an unlocked prep room. How did a Serenity Plan that promised "never burden your family" end up with more contracts than residents, missing files, and an empty escrow?

In this episode, we tell the sequence of events from the morning the box was discovered to the records that revealed the scale of the discrepancy. Listen to learn who handled the plan, what Linda Bauer noticed years earlier, and why regulators flagged a 130% penetration rate-what happened to the money held for those funerals?

Person: Paul Calverton
Person: Richard Underwood
Location: Aldine, Pettit County, Kansas
Event: 312 pre-need funeral contracts found in prep room
Date: July 14, 2019

- The cardboard box contained contracts numbered 1076 through 1388, totaling 312 contracts.
- Aldine's town population was reported as 281 residents.
- Serenity Plan price was sold at $6,000 per family or couple unit.
- Linda Bauer photographed the Serenity Plan's annual filing in 2016 and noted "one thousand three hundred and eighty-eight reported."
- Rebecca Whitaker had 11 years' experience reviewing life and burial insurance complaints before receiving the July 14, 2019 incident report.

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/73071634Mon, 20 Jul 2026 17:19:28 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe 312 Contracts: How a Kansas Funeral Scammed a Town's Trust Fear of being betrayed by the people and institutions you trust hits hard: 312 prepaid funeral contracts belonging to a town of 281 people were found in a cardboard box smelling of...
Fear of being betrayed by the people and institutions you trust hits hard: 312 prepaid funeral contracts belonging to a town of 281 people were found in a cardboard box smelling of chemicals in an unlocked prep room. How did a Serenity Plan that promised "never burden your family" end up with more contracts than residents, missing files, and an empty escrow?

In this episode, we tell the sequence of events from the morning the box was discovered to the records that revealed the scale of the discrepancy. Listen to learn who handled the plan, what Linda Bauer noticed years earlier, and why regulators flagged a 130% penetration rate-what happened to the money held for those funerals?

Person: Paul Calverton
Person: Richard Underwood
Location: Aldine, Pettit County, Kansas
Event: 312 pre-need funeral contracts found in prep room
Date: July 14, 2019

- The cardboard box contained contracts numbered 1076 through 1388, totaling 312 contracts.
- Aldine's town population was reported as 281 residents.
- Serenity Plan price was sold at $6,000 per family or couple unit.
- Linda Bauer photographed the Serenity Plan's annual filing in 2016 and noted "one thousand three hundred and eighty-eight reported."
- Rebecca Whitaker had 11 years' experience reviewing life and burial insurance complaints before receiving the July 14, 2019 incident report.

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.]]>1101falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-safe-in-the-culvert-how-a-grover-mills-scam-crushed-retirements--73071631
Fear of losing everything: a small fireproof safe found in six inches of standing water behind a shuttered tax office in Grover Mills contained forty-seven promissory notes and would expose a six-year theft that wiped out retirements - but who kept a town’s savings in a hardware-store safe, and why was a scheme already insolvent eight months before Jessica Quinn invested?

In this episode, we follow how a routine boundary check led to a sheriff’s call, an arrest, and a forensic reconstruction that names twenty-two investors and reveals one man operating under Doyle Financial Partners; what happened from the first investment to the discovery, and how did a community’s trust turn into one point seven million dollars in obligations?

Person: Jessica Quinn
Date: May 2017 (Quinn invested $150,000)
Location: Grover Mills, Missouri
Case: Doyle Financial Partners promissory notes (47 notes)
Amount: $1.7 million in obligations

- A surveyor’s rod hit a small fireproof safe on the third Tuesday of June 2019 in six inches of standing water in a drainage culvert.
- Jessica Quinn was sixty-two in spring 2019 and had saved $168,000 toward a $212,000 retirement target before investing $150,000 in May 2017.
- Ross Doyle, age fifty-three at the time, operated as Doyle Financial Partners and served unpaid on his church finance committee since 2014.
- Twenty-two investors across three counties handed Ross Doyle a combined $1.4 million over six years.
- William Brooks found forty-seven promissory notes inside the safe representing $1.7 million in obligations, and the scheme had been technically insolvent for eight months before Quinn signed her note.

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/73071631Mon, 20 Jul 2026 17:19:25 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Safe in the Culvert: How a Grover Mills Scam Crushed Retirements Fear of losing everything: a small fireproof safe found in six inches of standing water behind a shuttered tax office in Grover Mills contained forty-seven promissory notes and...
Fear of losing everything: a small fireproof safe found in six inches of standing water behind a shuttered tax office in Grover Mills contained forty-seven promissory notes and would expose a six-year theft that wiped out retirements - but who kept a town’s savings in a hardware-store safe, and why was a scheme already insolvent eight months before Jessica Quinn invested?

In this episode, we follow how a routine boundary check led to a sheriff’s call, an arrest, and a forensic reconstruction that names twenty-two investors and reveals one man operating under Doyle Financial Partners; what happened from the first investment to the discovery, and how did a community’s trust turn into one point seven million dollars in obligations?

Person: Jessica Quinn
Date: May 2017 (Quinn invested $150,000)
Location: Grover Mills, Missouri
Case: Doyle Financial Partners promissory notes (47 notes)
Amount: $1.7 million in obligations

- A surveyor’s rod hit a small fireproof safe on the third Tuesday of June 2019 in six inches of standing water in a drainage culvert.
- Jessica Quinn was sixty-two in spring 2019 and had saved $168,000 toward a $212,000 retirement target before investing $150,000 in May 2017.
- Ross Doyle, age fifty-three at the time, operated as Doyle Financial Partners and served unpaid on his church finance committee since 2014.
- Twenty-two investors across three counties handed Ross Doyle a combined $1.4 million over six years.
- William Brooks found forty-seven promissory notes inside the safe representing $1.7 million in obligations, and the scheme had been technically insolvent for eight months before Quinn signed her note.

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.]]>1273falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/three-cents-a-million-dollars-the-rounding-that-built-a-fortune--73071630
Three cents on a reimbursement check exposed an invisible scheme that siphoned $1,140,000 over eighteen years through a “rounding” habit; how did a single short check lead to uncovering a secret county account and almost two decades of missing funds? What started as a tiny discrepancy revealed transfers always posted on the last business day of the quarter into an account no board had authorized - but who signed the paperwork and where did the money go?

In this episode, you'll hear how a county contractor's written complaint set a methodical state auditor on a trail through clean-looking books, suspiciously regular transfers, and a bank account opened under the county tax ID; the episode follows the documents and unanswered questions that connect a three-cent error to a million-dollar gap in public money.

Person: Janet Jones
Date: May 14, 2019
Person: Nicole Gray
Person: Gordon Cooper
Amount: $1,140,000

- Janet Jones received a reimbursement check short by three cents on May 14, 2019.
- Nicole Gray received Jones's complaint on May 23, 2019 and treated it as a thread to pull.
- The Millhaven County Infrastructure Reserve Fund received regular quarterly transfers from 2001 to 2019 totaling $1,140,000.
- The Farwell bank account for the fund was opened on March 8, 2001 using the county's tax identification number.
- After eighteen years of transfers, the account balance was $11,200.

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.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73071630Mon, 20 Jul 2026 17:19:22 +0000Creator at ObomediaThree Cents, A Million Dollars: The Rounding That Built a Fortune Three cents on a reimbursement check exposed an invisible scheme that siphoned $1,140,000 over eighteen years through a “rounding” habit; how did a single short check lead to...
Three cents on a reimbursement check exposed an invisible scheme that siphoned $1,140,000 over eighteen years through a “rounding” habit; how did a single short check lead to uncovering a secret county account and almost two decades of missing funds? What started as a tiny discrepancy revealed transfers always posted on the last business day of the quarter into an account no board had authorized - but who signed the paperwork and where did the money go?

In this episode, you'll hear how a county contractor's written complaint set a methodical state auditor on a trail through clean-looking books, suspiciously regular transfers, and a bank account opened under the county tax ID; the episode follows the documents and unanswered questions that connect a three-cent error to a million-dollar gap in public money.

Person: Janet Jones
Date: May 14, 2019
Person: Nicole Gray
Person: Gordon Cooper
Amount: $1,140,000

- Janet Jones received a reimbursement check short by three cents on May 14, 2019.
- Nicole Gray received Jones's complaint on May 23, 2019 and treated it as a thread to pull.
- The Millhaven County Infrastructure Reserve Fund received regular quarterly transfers from 2001 to 2019 totaling $1,140,000.
- The Farwell bank account for the fund was opened on March 8, 2001 using the county's tax identification number.
- After eighteen years of transfers, the account balance was $11,200.

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.]]>1144falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-handshake-fraud-how-13-families-lost-340-200-to-meadowbrook--73071629
A small-town handshake hid a $340,200 fraud: 13 families wrote checks for lots in a development that never existed, and the account holding their money once dipped to just $4.17. How did a licensed contractor with a trustworthy reputation and convincing paperwork convince neighbors to hand over life-changing sums - and who finally noticed the mismatch?

In this episode, we tell the sequence of events that led people to buy into Meadowbrook Estates, the steps a meticulous buyer took that unraveled the scheme, and the concrete irregularities she found that no one else had questioned. What happened between the first sign in early 2018 and the moment the first person checked county records?

Person: Marcus Pruitt
Person: Lori Osborne
Person: Keith Cole
Date: early 2018
Amount: $340,200

- 13 families paid a combined $340,200 for Meadowbrook lots.
- Lori Osborne wrote a check for $22,000 on the Tuesday she signed the contract.
- Eleven households had already signed by the time Lori paid, totaling $312,400.
- The bank account where Lori’s $22,000 landed reached a low balance of $4.17 that year.
- Marcus Pruitt had owned the soybean field since 2004 and had not listed it for sale.

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/73071629Mon, 20 Jul 2026 17:19:20 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Handshake Fraud: How 13 Families Lost $340,200 to Meadowbrook A small-town handshake hid a $340,200 fraud: 13 families wrote checks for lots in a development that never existed, and the account holding their money once dipped to just $4.17. How...
A small-town handshake hid a $340,200 fraud: 13 families wrote checks for lots in a development that never existed, and the account holding their money once dipped to just $4.17. How did a licensed contractor with a trustworthy reputation and convincing paperwork convince neighbors to hand over life-changing sums - and who finally noticed the mismatch?

In this episode, we tell the sequence of events that led people to buy into Meadowbrook Estates, the steps a meticulous buyer took that unraveled the scheme, and the concrete irregularities she found that no one else had questioned. What happened between the first sign in early 2018 and the moment the first person checked county records?

Person: Marcus Pruitt
Person: Lori Osborne
Person: Keith Cole
Date: early 2018
Amount: $340,200

- 13 families paid a combined $340,200 for Meadowbrook lots.
- Lori Osborne wrote a check for $22,000 on the Tuesday she signed the contract.
- Eleven households had already signed by the time Lori paid, totaling $312,400.
- The bank account where Lori’s $22,000 landed reached a low balance of $4.17 that year.
- Marcus Pruitt had owned the soybean field since 2004 and had not listed it for sale.

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/a-14-year-old-s-two-dollar-tip-habit-found-the-envelope-that-unraveled-a-2-1-million-lie--73071628
A freezing paperboy found a sealed envelope on a March sidewalk that contained an account statement showing $81,400 and a bank confirmation letter - a discovery that exposed a six-year fraud built on $2.1 million of fabricated cooperative holdings. How did a single typewriter, a stack of stolen bank letterhead, and decades of neighborly trust hide the truth for years?

In this episode, we follow the chain of small choices and ordinary routines that let a fabricated retirement cooperative operate undetected for six years, and we ask how close a community came to losing everything before one teenager’s two-dollar tip changed the course of the story.

Person: Glenn Bell
Age: 14
Location: Fenwick Road
Amount: $2,100,000
Victims: 32

- At 6:40 AM on a Tuesday in early March, the temperature was 31 degrees when Glenn Bell found the envelope.
- The envelope contained a statement showing a balance of $81,400 for unit 44 (Doris Pham).
- Gregory Long logged 47 sheets of genuine Crestfield Community Bank letterhead as office supplies when he left the bank.
- Over six years, Long spent approximately $900,000 on personal expenses while $1.2 million could not be fully reconstructed.
- Thirty-two cooperative members, mostly in their sixties to nineties, had entrusted savings amounts including $60,000 deposits by Doris Pham and Edna York.

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/73071628Mon, 20 Jul 2026 17:19:17 +0000Creator at ObomediaA 14-year-old's two-dollar tip habit found the envelope that unraveled a $2.1 million lie A freezing paperboy found a sealed envelope on a March sidewalk that contained an account statement showing $81,400 and a bank confirmation letter - a...
A freezing paperboy found a sealed envelope on a March sidewalk that contained an account statement showing $81,400 and a bank confirmation letter - a discovery that exposed a six-year fraud built on $2.1 million of fabricated cooperative holdings. How did a single typewriter, a stack of stolen bank letterhead, and decades of neighborly trust hide the truth for years?

In this episode, we follow the chain of small choices and ordinary routines that let a fabricated retirement cooperative operate undetected for six years, and we ask how close a community came to losing everything before one teenager’s two-dollar tip changed the course of the story.

Person: Glenn Bell
Age: 14
Location: Fenwick Road
Amount: $2,100,000
Victims: 32

- At 6:40 AM on a Tuesday in early March, the temperature was 31 degrees when Glenn Bell found the envelope.
- The envelope contained a statement showing a balance of $81,400 for unit 44 (Doris Pham).
- Gregory Long logged 47 sheets of genuine Crestfield Community Bank letterhead as office supplies when he left the bank.
- Over six years, Long spent approximately $900,000 on personal expenses while $1.2 million could not be fully reconstructed.
- Thirty-two cooperative members, mostly in their sixties to nineties, had entrusted savings amounts including $60,000 deposits by Doris Pham and Edna York.

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.]]>1129falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-laminated-receipt-how-a-snowplow-found-842-000-in-lies--73071627
Cold winter headlights revealed a laminated grain receipt in the ditch - a document meant to survive handling that shouldn't have existed at all, tied to 14,000 bushels of soybeans and a missing embossed seal. Who fabricated a nearly identical receipt book, issued at least 29 false receipts, and how did a snowplow operator become the first link in unravelling $842,000 in deception?

In this episode, we follow the sequence of events from a roadside discovery to the connections that tied a careful farmer, a meticulous accountant, and an outsider named Gregory Draper to a scheme built on replicated receipts and false signatures. What motivated Draper to replicate receipt books and print dozens of forged storage tickets without the cooperative's embossed seal?

Person: Dennis Pratt
Field: 14,000 bushels of soybeans
Date: February 14 (receipt found); October (receipt dated)
Location: Cooperstown elevator; Route Nine near Kellerman Road, Harlan County, Nebraska
Case: 29 voided receipts logged with signatures not belonging to manager Bob Fenwick

- Pamela Griffin found a laminated grain storage receipt at 3:47 AM on February 14 while making her fourth pass of a twelve-mile loop.
- The receipt she found was dated the previous October and listed 14,000 bushels of soybeans in Dennis Pratt's name.
- Dennis Pratt farmed the same 420 acres in Harlan County for 23 years and paid off his operating line before Christmas each year.
- Linda Hicks worked 11 years as the staff accountant at Harlan County Grain Cooperative and reconciled ledgers every Friday without exception.
- Investigators later identified 29 receipts marked as voided in the cooperative's log that bore signatures Bob Fenwick said were not his.

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/73071627Mon, 20 Jul 2026 17:19:14 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Laminated Receipt: How a Snowplow Found $842,000 in Lies Cold winter headlights revealed a laminated grain receipt in the ditch - a document meant to survive handling that shouldn't have existed at all, tied to 14,000 bushels of soybeans and a...
Cold winter headlights revealed a laminated grain receipt in the ditch - a document meant to survive handling that shouldn't have existed at all, tied to 14,000 bushels of soybeans and a missing embossed seal. Who fabricated a nearly identical receipt book, issued at least 29 false receipts, and how did a snowplow operator become the first link in unravelling $842,000 in deception?

In this episode, we follow the sequence of events from a roadside discovery to the connections that tied a careful farmer, a meticulous accountant, and an outsider named Gregory Draper to a scheme built on replicated receipts and false signatures. What motivated Draper to replicate receipt books and print dozens of forged storage tickets without the cooperative's embossed seal?

Person: Dennis Pratt
Field: 14,000 bushels of soybeans
Date: February 14 (receipt found); October (receipt dated)
Location: Cooperstown elevator; Route Nine near Kellerman Road, Harlan County, Nebraska
Case: 29 voided receipts logged with signatures not belonging to manager Bob Fenwick

- Pamela Griffin found a laminated grain storage receipt at 3:47 AM on February 14 while making her fourth pass of a twelve-mile loop.
- The receipt she found was dated the previous October and listed 14,000 bushels of soybeans in Dennis Pratt's name.
- Dennis Pratt farmed the same 420 acres in Harlan County for 23 years and paid off his operating line before Christmas each year.
- Linda Hicks worked 11 years as the staff accountant at Harlan County Grain Cooperative and reconciled ledgers every Friday without exception.
- Investigators later identified 29 receipts marked as voided in the cooperative's log that bore signatures Bob Fenwick said were not his.

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/the-treasurer-who-built-a-fake-church-1-26m-11-years-hidden-room--73071626
Cold, patient betrayal hid behind hymnals: $1,263,000 vanished over eleven years while a fake “building fund” sign stood in the gravel parking lot and a secret climate‑controlled room hummed behind an unpermitted wall. How did a trusted treasurer convert donations from 112 families into a decade‑long fraud that he even documented in 41 labeled boxes?

In this episode, you’ll hear how routine meter readings and a county accountant’s cross‑check exposed discrepancies between permits and power usage, leading investigators to a concealed room and detailed records that revealed the scale and timeline of the scheme. What exactly was inside that hidden room, and how did this deception persist for more than a decade?

Person: Jerry Sanders
Age: 59
Total amount: $1,263,000
Donor households: 112
Documented boxes: 41

- The scheme ran for 11 years with a building fund total of $1,263,000.
- One donor, Roy Tipton, gave $31,000 over eight years from his farm’s operating account.
- Marguerite Flood donated $22,000, the entirety of an inheritance.
- Dennis and Sharon Okafor contributed $18,000 across nine years in small increments.
- The hidden room’s climate was kept at about 68 degrees year‑round, detected by a lineman on a January morning at 11°F.

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/73071626Mon, 20 Jul 2026 17:19:11 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Treasurer Who Built a Fake Church - $1.26M, 11 Years, Hidden Room Cold, patient betrayal hid behind hymnals: $1,263,000 vanished over eleven years while a fake “building fund” sign stood in the gravel parking lot and a secret climate‑controlled...
Cold, patient betrayal hid behind hymnals: $1,263,000 vanished over eleven years while a fake “building fund” sign stood in the gravel parking lot and a secret climate‑controlled room hummed behind an unpermitted wall. How did a trusted treasurer convert donations from 112 families into a decade‑long fraud that he even documented in 41 labeled boxes?

In this episode, you’ll hear how routine meter readings and a county accountant’s cross‑check exposed discrepancies between permits and power usage, leading investigators to a concealed room and detailed records that revealed the scale and timeline of the scheme. What exactly was inside that hidden room, and how did this deception persist for more than a decade?

Person: Jerry Sanders
Age: 59
Total amount: $1,263,000
Donor households: 112
Documented boxes: 41

- The scheme ran for 11 years with a building fund total of $1,263,000.
- One donor, Roy Tipton, gave $31,000 over eight years from his farm’s operating account.
- Marguerite Flood donated $22,000, the entirety of an inheritance.
- Dennis and Sharon Okafor contributed $18,000 across nine years in small increments.
- The hidden room’s climate was kept at about 68 degrees year‑round, detected by a lineman on a January morning at 11°F.

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