American Greed Podcast

Promising enormous returns on a "work from home" opportunity selling their TelexFree phone service, Carlos Wanzeler and James Merrill entice close to one million people around the world to spend, and then lose an extraordinary $1.7 billion in the largest pyramid scheme ever prosecuted in the US. (Original television broadcast: 06-25-2018) Want to binge watch your Greed? The latest episodes at: https://www.cnbc.com/american-greed/

A Casanova conman steals hearts and drains bank accounts.

Dr. Larry Bates may sell books and DVDs preaching the value of silver and gold but his clients are the ones in peril.

John Rogers is amassing one of the biggest and most impressive photo archive collections in the world. But the business he claims is worth $32 million is rooted in fraud.

Carlos Rafael owns one of the largest commercial fishing businesses on the east coast, but will his big mouth get him hooked in an IRS sting? (Original television broadcast: 9-24-2018) Want to binge watch your Greed? The latest episodes at: https://www.cnbc.com/american-greed/

The case of the landlord from hell. Steven Croman rules a Manhattan real estate empire but prosecutors have other accommodations in mind for him. (Original television broadcast: 9-17-2018) Want to binge watch your Greed? The latest episodes at: https://www.cnbc.com/american-greed/

When the winner of a $16 million jackpot refuses to identify himself, officials suspect a rigged game. It turns into the biggest lottery scam in American history. (Original television broadcast: 9-17-2018) Want to binge watch your Greed? The latest episodes at: https://www.cnbc.com/american-greed/

The feds link Joseph Jose Banks to 20 bank robberies totaling millions of dollars in losses. But from a cell in a high-rise jail, he shows the world he won't be caged. (Original television broadcast: 9-15-2016) Want to binge watch your Greed? The latest episodes at: https://www.cnbc.com/american-greed/

Dr. Farid Fata tells his patients they have cancer but the dangerous infusions Fata provides serve only one purpose...making him millions of dollars. (Original television broadcast: 9-15-2016) Want to binge watch your Greed? The latest episodes at: https://www.cnbc.com/american-greed/

Lieutenant Joseph Gliniewicz is a small-town cop gunned down in the line of duty. When the investigation hits a dead-end, all eyes turn to the officer himself. (Original television broadcast: 2-6-2017) Want to binge watch your Greed? The latest episodes at: https://www.cnbc.com/american-greed/

L.A. doctor Lisa Tseng is no run of the pill mill "Dr. Feelgood". She's a cold-hearted murderer in a lab coat. (Original television broadcast: 3-13-2017) Want to binge watch your Greed? The latest episodes at: https://www.cnbc.com/american-greed/

A con man hatches a scheme full of shadowy government contracts and million-dollar paydays—then sets sail for murder. (Original television broadcast: 3-13-2017) Want to binge watch your Greed? The latest episodes at: https://www.cnbc.com/american-greed/

A counterfeit wine dealer dominates the fine wine scene, making millions selling his cheap basement blends through elite auction houses. (Original television broadcast: 7-24-2015) Want to binge watch your Greed? The latest episodes at: https://www.cnbc.com/american-greed/

When the FTC fines Infomercial kingpin Kevin Trudeau $37.6 million for all of his get-rich-quick schemes, Trudeau hatches his most shameless scheme by claiming he's flat broke; Remington Financial Group's nightmare "advance fee" scam has cost small business owners their dreams and millions of dollars. (Original television broadcast: 7-10-2015) Want to binge watch your Greed? The latest episodes at: https://www.cnbc.com/american-greed/

A man claims to be reformed after serving seven years in prison for turning his carpet cleaning company into a multimillion-dollar scam. (Original television broadcast: 2-19-2015) Want to binge watch your Greed? The latest episodes at: https://www.cnbc.com/american-greed/

A man sets his sights on strip clubs, real estate, Iraqi currency, diamonds and even mind control technology. (Original television broadcast: 2-12-2015) Want to binge watch your Greed? The latest episodes at: https://www.cnbc.com/american-greed/

After golf, millionaire Gary Triano puts the keys into the ignition and is killed instantly by a car bomb, uncovering a bizarre murder-for-hire plot hatched by his ex-wife and her lover that's revealed in a series of recorded conversations. (Original television broadcast: 02-05-15) Want to binge watch your Greed? The latest episodes at: https://www.cnbc.com/american-greed/

At the helm of a company called Clean Green Fuel, Rodney Hailey claims to make biodiesel from recycled restaurant grease and takes part in an Environmental Protection Agency program meant to boost the production of renewable fuel and cut the U.S.'s dependence on foreign oil. And it pays well. He uses private planes for vacations and buys more than a dozen luxury cars. The problem: Hailey's producing zero biofuel and is merely generating fake information and passing it off to unsuspecting buyers. (Original television broadcast: 1-29-15) Want to binge watch your Greed? The latest episodes at: https://www.cnbc.com/american-greed/

Tim Durham lives in a 30,000-square-foot Shangri La on the outskirts of Indianapolis, has a $6 million yacht and parties with Playboy models. He claims to have made his fortune as a king of the leveraged buyout, with his company Obsidian Enterprises buying stakes in struggling manufacturing companies, turning them around, and flipping them for big profits. Problem is, the profits that Durham claims to make as a fix-it-and-flip-it king are bogus and he's burning through investor money. (Original television broadcast: 1-22-15) Want to binge watch your Greed? The latest episodes at: https://www.cnbc.com/american-greed/

A man and his brothers run a massive $40 million rare coin con until they're caught and embark on a grisly revenge plan. (Original television broadcast: 1-15-2015) Want to binge watch your Greed? The latest episodes at: https://www.cnbc.com/american-greed/

T.R. Wright -- the architect of what's been called the wildest insurance fraud scheme Texas has ever seen -- shares his almost-too-crazy-to-be-true story with American Greed. (Original television broadcast: 06-21-2021) Want to binge watch your Greed? The latest episodes at: https://www.cnbc.com/american-greed/

Karl Karlsen is a hardworking man with what seems to be a terrible streak of bad luck, as his wife and son both die in accidents nearly 20 years apart; Karl has a secret: their suspicious deaths have been keeping his bank account full. (Original television broadcast: 07-12-2021) Want to binge watch your Greed? The latest episodes at: https://www.cnbc.com/american-greed/

In North Dakota, an arrogant businessman hires a sloppy hitman and his budding empire comes crashing down. (Original television broadcast: 7/17/2017) Want to binge watch your Greed? Full episodes and the latest news at: https://www.cnbc.com/american-greed/

Captain Darryl Wright has a Purple Heart and isn't afraid to show it. As a wounded warrior, Wright collects more than $700,000 in government benefits until an undercover investigation unravels his story. Wright's victims are veterans who feel that their sacrifices have been tarnished by his lies and their valor stolen. (Original television broadcast: 3/26/2018) Want to binge watch your Greed? Full episodes and the latest news at: https://www.cnbc.com/american-greed/

Businessman Seth Gillman cares for the most vulnerable, while raking in millions. His healthcare company is booming, but the source of his success is criminal. When a super sleuthing nurse stands up to him, his healthcare empire may be on life support. (Original television broadcast: 4/9/2018) Want to binge watch your Greed? Full episodes and the latest news at: https://www.cnbc.com/american-greed/

All hail the Polka King! Jan Lewan isn't content with just being a flashy showman and music star, he has bigger plans. Lewan's American Dream is built on the backs and bank accounts of his biggest fans when he rips them off. It's an outrageous tale that even gets Hollywood's attention. (Original television broadcast: 3/19/2018) Want to binge watch your Greed? Full episodes and the latest news at: https://www.cnbc.com/american-greed/

American's are dying by overdose in record numbers, victims of the worst opioid addiction epidemic in history. In Mobile, Alabama two doctors are serving up heavy doses of the dangerous drugs. One drug the doctors prescribe is 50 times more potent than heroin and the multi-billion dollar drug company that makes it is paying them to push it. While both the drug maker and these doctors are unrelenting in turning patients' pain into enormous profits, some families of those who die hold the doctors responsible. (Original television broadcast: 3/5/2018) Want to binge watch your Greed? Full episodes and the latest news at: https://www.cnbc.com/american-greed/

Martin Shkreli became a household name when he jacked up the price of a lifesaving HIV drug 5,000 percent. This quickly earned the former hedge fund manager, investor and pharmaceutical CEO the title of "The most hated man in America." But it's his shady accounting and internet trolling that lands the "Pharma Bro" in hot water. This is the story of Martin Shkreli. (Original television broadcast: 2/26/2018) Want to binge watch your Greed? Full episodes and the latest news at: https://www.cnbc.com/american-greed/

When a prominent family in a small Oklahoma town is found murdered, their son is the only suspect. Troubled trust fund kid Alan Hruby starts his white collar crimes early. But when the money runs out, is he willing to go even further to satisfy his hunger for cash? (Original television broadcast: 4/9/2018) Want to binge watch your Greed? Full episodes and the latest news at: https://www.cnbc.com/american-greed/

Attorney Eric Conn is the king of disability law. A shameless self-promoter, Conn makes millions securing disability payments for his clients. But after government whistleblowers uncover a half billion dollars’ worth of lies, Conn turns fugitive, leaving desperate clients to face tragic consequences. Everyone is asking, "Where is Eric Conn?" (Original television broadcast: 4/2/2018) Want to binge watch your Greed? Full episodes and the latest news at: https://www.cnbc.com/american-greed/

Infamous stockbroker Jordan Belfort, a.k.a. “The Wolf of Wall Street”, pleads guilty to fraud and does jail time. When Hollywood turns his life of sex, drugs, and crime into a blockbuster, his victims feel cheated again. This is the true story. (Original television broadcast: 3/5/2015)

Dangerous curves ahead… sex for sale inside an iconic Chicago community. Dentist Gary Kimmel launders money for sex traffickers by purchasing cars that keep pimps rolling in style and sneaking sex workers in for after-hours repairs. What brings the dentist down? His own big mouth. (Original television broadcast: 2/27/2017)

Rico Vendetti’s lucrative online stolen goods operation is exposed when he hires the wrong delinquent to do his dirty work. Their scheme to steal an elderly man’s valuable comic book collection turns deadly. (Original television broadcast: 2/27/2017)

In the middle of the night on November 10, 2012, an explosion wreaks havoc in a quiet neighborhood in the Indianapolis suburb Richmond Hill. The blast is so powerful that it moves the needle of an earthquake sensor 26 miles away. The massive explosion destroys homes and takes lives. But this is no accident. As they pick apart this insurance fraud gone wrong, investigators close in on suspects Monserrate Shirley and her conman boyfriend, Mark Leonard. When the law closes in, Leonard calls for more violence. (Original television broadcast: 8/14/17)

Update: On Friday, March 28th, 2025, the White House confirmed that President Donald Trump has pardoned Trevor Milton, founder of the electric vehicle startup Nikola. Milton, who was sentenced to four years in prison for overstating his company's technology, could now avoid paying hundreds of millions in restitution to defrauded investors due to the pardon. According to the Federal Election Commission, Milton and his wife donated more than $1.8 million to a Trump re-election campaign fund less than a month before the November election. Original Episode Description: Serial entrepreneur Trevor Milton founds the electric vehicle company Nikola, which suggests it will be the next Tesla, but for long-haul trucks. (Original airdate 10/04/2022)

A man claims to own half of Facebook and says he has the contract to prove it. (Original air date: 6/30/2016)

Bars, strip clubs and nightclubs shell out millions to an insurance company founded by a bouncer. (Original air date: 10/22/2018)

Ephren Taylor preaches his "safe" investments at church seminars and on the internet. (Original air date: 9/10/2018)

Vitaly Borker sells designer knock-off eyewear as genuine; complaining customers are threatened. (Original air date: 6/18/2018)

When a sexy Florida former escort plots to take her husband's money and his life, her lover tips off the police and her deadly plan gets caught on tape. (Original air date: 3/12/2018)

A man burns through $52 million from a trust he was hired to protect, buying helicopters, fighter jets, rocket launchers, and a fleet of WWII bombers to feed his fantasy of running "black ops" for the CIA. (Original air date: 9/4/2017)

Heartless crooks use photos of real military men to lure women into sending them love and money. (Original air date: 8/28/2017)

A school supply vendor steals millions from Detroit public schools by enlisting shady school officials. (Original air date: 8/28/2017)

Memorabilia legend Bill Mastro rigs bids to scam collectors and sellers. (Original air date: 8/21/2017)

A man steals millions from rich wine clients, and spends the money on fast cars and faster hookups. (Original air date: 8/7/2017)

Musician Donald "Ski" Johnson uses his Jazz for Life foundation to make empty promises to donors. (Original air date: 7/31/2017)

Former OSU quarterback Art Schlichter's gambling addiction turns him into a con artist. (Original air date: 7/24/2017)

A man convinces people that he is a movie producer and money management professional while collecting millions to promote his own image. (Original air date: 7/10/2017)

Cancer charities that raise millions but gives only three percent to patients and families. (Original air date: 6/26/2017)

A femme fatale with a way of getting men to do what she wants sets a trap for a multi-millionaire divorcee. (Original air date: 1/23/2017)

Hosted by CNBC Senior Washington Correspondent Eamon Javers, this is the secret story of a young Russian oligarch who hacked his way to an illicit $93 million fortune...and the FBI team who finally brought him to justice. For generations, insider trading on Wall Street has been a crime of the American rich: the stereotype of corporate executives passing stock tips at country clubs was not far off. But new cyberwarfare techniques, and an aggressive anti-Western Putin regime in Moscow have turned this kind of insider corruption into an attack from the outside on the American economy itself, with profound implications for all of us who have retirement accounts, investments, or work in corporate America. Follow and listen to "The Crimes of Putin's Trader" wherever you get your podcasts or by visiting https://link.chtbl.com/greedputinstrader

A once $100 million publishing fortune creates tension between mother and son when he's accused of squandering millions on sex, diamonds, and fraud. (Original air date: 9/22/2016)

Two Chicago-area bank robbers repel 17 stories to escape the Metropolitan Correctional Center. (Original air date: 9/8/2016)

Wanna-be wise guy Dom Rabuffo enters witness protection only to start a new life of crime in mortgage fraud. (Original air date: 8/25/2016)

A fraudster in promises to build a medical glove factory and steals millions from investors. (Original air date: 8/18/2016)

New York stockbroker Mark Hotton allegedly swindles millions of dollars from investors. (Original air date: 8/11/2016)

A neighborhood ice cream parlor in West Roxbury, Mass., lands the Palladino family in fraud. (Original air date: 8/4/2016)

Twin brothers make millions from the illicit sale of oxycodone and other drugs out of their South Florida pain clinics. (Original air date: 6/30/2016)

A luxury car salesman faces accusations of pocketing car loans and selling cars he doesn't own. (Original air date: 6/30/2016)

Doug Cassity sells fake prearranged funeral contracts, amounting to $500 million, with the help of sexy saleswomen. (Original air date: 6/23/2016)

Law enforcement apprehends criminals featured on the show with the help of vigilant viewers. (Original air date: 6/9/2016)

A mother and son score millions in the Bay Medical Clinic scam. (Original air date: 5/26/2016)

Four people become paralyzed after receiving knockoff Botox Cosmetic injections to treat wrinkles. The poisonous potion is sold as a cheaper alternative to pump up profits. (Original air date: 4/28/2016)

"Nurse" Tracey Lynn Garner gives illegal silicone injections to enhance clients' curves. When one patient dies, she's charged with murder facing life in prison. (Original air date: 4/28/2016)

Florida teenagers cash in on the opioid crisis, then they expand their operation, jeopardizing their lives of sex, drugs and money. (Original air date: 10/8/2018)

A wannabe art dealer sells fake works by American masters of Abstract Expressionism in an $80 million scam, fooling rich collectors and pocketing millions. (Original air date: 8/20/2018)

A CEO knowingly ships peanut products tainted with salmonella, killing nine and sickening thousands. (Original air date: 7/3/2017)

A family brings in millions shoplifting in a nationwide crime spree caught on camera. (Original air date: 6/26/2017)

New York socialite Dina Wein Reis bilks companies out of millions in a grey market selling scheme. (Original air date: 9/8/16)

Darren Berg of Seattle scams several investors, procuring himself two yachts, a private jet and a lakeside mansion. (Original air date: 9/8/16)

Daniel Rigmaiden is a young hacker who steals millions from the government. (Original air date: 8/25/16)

Gigapix collects millions from would-be movie producers before being revealed as a fraud. (Original air date: 5/26/16)

Criminals use call centres in Jamaica to flood the US with lies about millions won by unsuspecting victims. U.S. law enforcement teams up with Jamaican authorities to try to shut them down. (Original air date: 7/14/16)

A phony psychic scams a wealthy but lonely timber baron out of millions while her devious daughter pretends to be in love with him. (Original air date: 5/12/16)

Russian gangsters use beautiful women to seduce amorous men in nightclubs out of their money and jewelry. (Original air date: 5/19/16)

A financial fraudster seeks deadly revenge after being placed behind bars for propositioning his assistant's daughter. (Original air date: 4/21/2016)

A man, appearing to be nothing more than a wealthy surfer, allegedly commits murder and robs an armored car, leading the FBI on a chase spanning multiple states. (Original air date: 4/7/2016)

Phony oil tycoon Gary Milby guarantees gushers of money to investors from his Kentucky oil wells. (Original air date 7/31/2015)

An Indianapolis attorney helps desperate families recover money after serious injuries cost them dearly, but pockets the winnings of widows and orphans. (Original air date 7/31/2015)

A US Military contractor loots his company of $190 million and goes on a wild spending spree, including a reported $10 million party for his teenage daughter and a $100,000 diamond-encrusted belt buckle. (Original air date 7/31/15)

An ex-IRS agent is caught in a $13 million accounting fraud and uses taxpayer money plotting to murder those who know too much. (Original air date: 7/17/15)

A promoter steals musical artists' money and dreams. (Original airdate 7/17/15)

An international crook steals more than 40 million dollars from investors and the US government through a sham computer company and bogus plots to build homes for the poor. (Original air date 2/26/15)

The former New Orleans Mayor exploits the tragedy of Hurricane Katrina by accepting bribes and corrupting the rebuilding process. (Original airdate 3/31/16 )

Crowdfunded charities are a modern way to raise funds for a good cause, but do you know where the money really goes? (Original television broadcast: 02-22-2021) Want to binge watch your Greed? The latest episodes at: https://www.cnbc.com/american-greed/

A brash New York stock broker gets sober and re-invents himself as an international power player. (Original television broadcast: 11-06-2015) Want to binge watch your Greed? The latest episodes at: https://www.cnbc.com/american-greed/

A private security contractor promises to help win the freedom of detained oil executives and claims he can find out who abducted Madeleine McCann. (Original television broadcast: 10-30-2015) Want to binge watch your Greed? The latest episodes at: https://www.cnbc.com/american-greed/

Personal injury attorney Tom Girardi is a legal legend and courtroom shark. He claims he’s a champion for the little guy, winning hundreds of millions in settlements for widows, orphans, and scores of vulnerable victims. But jilted clients and co-counsel cry foul when they discover that he’s stiffing them for millions in settlement money. Facing hundreds of millions of dollars in lawsuits for fraud, Girardi’s famous namesake law firm goes bankrupt and the disgraced and recently disbarred Girardi is facing an ongoing divorce from third wife, “Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” star Erika Jayne, and potential criminal charges. (Original air date 3/7/23)

Jason Van Eman is a b-list actor from Oklahoma who decides to seek fame and fortune as a Hollywood producer. When he teams up with a Miami financier named Benjamin McConley, the partners build an impressive roster of credits in the indie film world. But when they sign on to fund and produce the movie INSIDE GAME, the secret to their success is revealed - a corrupt banker who turns out to be enabling their fraudulent scheme. (Original air date 2/28/23)

With his long beard, ponytail, and ubiquitous advertising, Jamie Balagia — AKA “The DWI Dude” — is well-known in Texas as flamboyant defense attorney who can get drunk driving defendants out of a jam. But when he makes a fraudulent promise, telling the biggest and most dangerous cocaine cartel in Colombia that he can pay off U.S. judges for a cool $1.5 million, making their cases disappear, the FBI is recording with a hidden camera. And “The Dude" is about to go down for money laundering and obstruction. (Original air date 2/21/23)

As a bonus for American Greed listeners, we’re sharing a special preview of Letters from Sing Sing, a new original podcast from NBC News Studios. Letters from Sing Sing tells the story of a man convicted of murder, his fight for justice, and how the letters he sent NBC News producer Dan Slepian sparked a 20-year investigation that changed both of their lives. Listen to the first two episodes now: https://link.chtbl.com/lfss_fdlw

Reality show couple Marlon and LaShonda Moore are accused of exploiting vulnerable people during the pandemic and convinced thousands of their fans to invest in their illegal gifting pyramid scheme “Blessings in No Time,” aka “BINT.” Preaching BINT investment returns of 800 percent, regulators claim the Moore’s “blessed” themselves to the tune of tens of millions of dollars, while most BINT members are losing money at a time they can least afford it. (Original air date 2/14/23)

Joumana Kidd and DJ Sixsmith discuss the American Greed episode called “VIP Schemers” where influencer Tracii Hutstona, a convicted fraudster and identity thief, stole thousands of dollars after being hired as a nanny.

Influencer Tracii Show Hutstona, was all over social media, sporting towering heels and clingy couture, living the lux life with her former football pro husband. In hundreds of posts and on her own Youtube reality series, she plugged their chain of restaurants and VIP client services. But when one high profile client discovers more than a million dollars missing from her bank accounts – funds that investigators say were found to have passed through Tracii’s flawlessly manicured hands – Tracii, a convicted fraudster and identity thief, is once again up on federal charges -– and set to star in the hottest criminal case sequel of the season. (Original air date 1/31/23)

Adam Bowen and James Monsees are two Silicon Valley entrepreneurs who say they want to save millions of smokers’ lives with their “safe” e-cigarette JUUL. But when an epidemic of teenage nicotine addiction breaks out across the country, some people ask, are JUUL’s founders intent on saving lives or greedy enough to make a killing by targeting the next generation? (Original airdate 1/24/23)

Stacy Keach has been the voice of American Greed since its beginning. The legendary actor joins CNBC's DJ Sixsmith for a special edition of American Greed to discuss Greed and his career.

Lobsang Dargey, a Tibetan Buddhist Monk, escapes Chinese oppression and claws his way to freedom in the U.S. Uneducated and broke, but rich with ambition, Dargey catapults from odd jobs to real estate development. He collects millions from investors for a Seattle skyscraper, but then violates his Buddhist principles —and the law— by misappropriating $17 million from a U.S. government “green card” program to fund his personal ventures and lavish spending. Now out on parole after three years in federal prison, Dargey has returned to real estate development. (Original airdate 12/20/22)

A sprawling investigation into the prominent and powerful Murdaugh family uncovers years of unchecked power and privilege that has allegedly resulted in years of fraud, conspiracy, corruption and even murder. As the investigators dig deeper, Alex Murdaugh’s secrets are exposed and he is now being investigated for a web of complex criminal charges. (Original airdate 12/13/22)

A well-respected lawyer from a prominent family is accused of stealing millions from the suffering clients who turn to him for help. The family secrets all start to unravel when a deadly boat crash involving Alex Murdaugh’s son threatens to upend the alleged schemes and places scrutiny on his family’s powerful legacy. The disgraced patriarch is now being investigated for a web of complex criminal charges, including allegedly murdering his own family members. (Original airdate 12/6/22)