エピソード

  • She Faked a Medical License: The Gail Weber Case

    She Faked a Medical License: The Gail Weber Case
    2026/09/10
    She Faked a Medical License: The Gail Weber Case

    A water meter reading of exactly zero at 14 Sycamore Trace started a chain that exposed a 26-year-old woman posing as a physician who had been treating patients in a small Illinois town for more than a year - but whose care, in measurable ways, had helped people. How did a meter reading lead to notebooks of pharmacological tables, spotless patient records, and a forged path into medicine?

    In this episode, we follow the timeline from the January 2011 meter reading through the months and years that produced Gail Weber’s medical identity, detailing where she worked, what investigators found in her notes, and the community’s reaction - and we ask whether the benefits she provided change how the fraud should be judged.

    Person: Gail Weber
    Location: Pallerton, central Illinois
    Date first arrived in Pallerton: October 2009
    Meter reading discovered: January 2011
    Previous employment: medical transcription in Bloomington and unlicensed medical assistant in Decatur emergency department

    - The water meter at 14 Sycamore Trace read exactly zero in January 2011.
    - Gail Weber arrived in Pallerton in October 2009 at age 26.
    - Investigators found several spiral notebooks filled with handwritten pharmacological interaction tables and patient self-assessments.
    - Sue Hatch, the clinic billing coordinator, reported Gail’s patient records had no corrections or missing entries.
    - Gail spent approximately three years working in a Decatur emergency department as an unlicensed medical assistant before leaving 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.
    続きを読む 一部表示
    24 分
  • She Wore a Real Seal - But Was She a Real Chaplain?

    She Wore a Real Seal - But Was She a Real Chaplain?
    2026/09/09
    She Wore a Real Seal - But Was She a Real Chaplain?

    A volunteer finds a credential number that looks legitimate but certifies work never done - a real seal, a real signature, and a ledger entry for certification that was never earned. How did Jean Zeller wear that credential for years while families and colleagues trusted her presence - and what happens when the truth surfaces?

    In this episode, we follow the paper trail and the people who watched Jean Zeller at work across two hospices, the small anomalies that went unpursued, and the single word that ended her career. Could competence and a genuine bedside presence mask an undocumented claim to authority?

    Person: Jean Zeller
    Event: Credential issued with number IFS-2004-0317 despite coursework never completed
    Location: Aldervale Hospice
    Date: December 11, 2019 (folder discovered); credential check traced to February 2004
    Case: Assistant chaplain hired 2004, worked at Aldervale 2013-2019

    - The credential carried the Interdenominational Fellowship of Sacred Ministry's actual seal and the director's actual signature.
    - Jean was hired at a Dayton hospice in 2004 and worked there for nine years before the facility closed.
    - Jean began at Aldervale Hospice in spring 2013 and served there for six years until 2019.
    - In 2015 a staff nurse, Keith Tully, noticed a denomination mismatch between Jean's badge and personnel file that was not investigated.
    - In March 2018 Frank Marshall heard Jean say she had no authority to administer sacraments under her ordination.

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

    © 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
    This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.
    続きを読む 一部表示
    21 分
  • She Built Truth from Ash - Stole a Dead Woman's Badge to Burn Bright

    She Built Truth from Ash - Stole a Dead Woman's Badge to Burn Bright
    2026/09/08
    She Built Truth from Ash - Stole a Dead Woman's Badge to Burn Bright

    A chill trust: a valid certification card, perfect fonts and navy logo, carried a member number belonging to a woman who had been dead for eleven years - and no one noticed for four. Kimberly Fitzgerald built a professional life from that single stolen number, landing twelve insurance contracts and a reputation as “better than sound”; how did a credential borrowed from microfiche and obituary archives let her burn so bright for so long?

    In this episode, we follow the timeline of Kimberly Fitzgerald’s career and the small, forensic details that sustained it, from the microfiche discovery to the Vizsla that unraveled her story. You’ll hear how a professional credential, precise reports, and a single suspicious number led to the question: was expertise enough to conceal identity and fraud?

    Person: Kimberly Fitzgerald
    Case: Use of decedent’s certification number
    Organization: National Association of Fire Investigators
    Counts: Twelve insurance contracts across three states
    Unraveling event: Dog pulling owner to drainage ditch led to discovery within 18 days

    - The certification card bore the official NAFI logo, navy blue color, and a member number printed in ten-point Helvetica.
    - Lisa Corbin earned her CFEI in 2002, used it for eleven months, and died in a car accident before NAFI digitized membership records.
    - Kimberly presented the borrowed certification to her first client in 2009 and by 2011 held twelve insurance contracts across three states.
    - A claims manager named Marie Hunter noticed the credential number format discrepancy in November 2011 and called NAFI, which confirmed the number belonged to Lisa Corbin.
    - The investigation unraveled from a muddy leather planner to an arrest in eighteen days after a newly adopted Vizsla named Coppice pulled its owner toward a drainage ditch on a cold November morning.

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

    © 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
    This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.
    続きを読む 一部表示
    22 分
  • He Faked Three Murders - The Press Pass at the Creek

    He Faked Three Murders - The Press Pass at the Creek
    2026/09/07
    He Faked Three Murders - The Press Pass at the Creek

    Near-danger curiosity: a laminated press card zip-tied to a trotline in a Tennessee creek belonged to a correspondent who was eating dinner in Indiana that same night - and three supposed murder victims from a popular podcast never existed. How did one man build a Peabody-nominated true-crime empire from fabricated names, faked voices, and real addresses until a dry, uncreased credential in a creek started to unravel everything?

    In this episode, we follow the timeline and concrete details behind Cold Ledger and its creator, showing how specific case numbers, property descriptions, and recorded interviews were used to convince millions - and what single physical trace forced authorities to re-evaluate the whole narrative. How far did the fabrication go, and did the creator ever believe his own stories?

    Person: John Kowalski
    Event: press credential found zip-tied to trotline in creek on October 14, 2022
    Location: Tennessee creek; credential entered into federal evidence then returned to Portsmith County Sheriff's substation
    Topic: Cold Ledger podcast seasons claiming three fabricated murders
    Organization: Ledger Audio (Delaware LLC) paid performers and ran Patreon earning approximately $31,000 per month

    - The press card read "JOHN KOWALSKI, SENIOR CORRESPONDENT" and was dry and uncreased despite being found in a creek.
    - John Kowalski launched Cold Ledger in January 2019 from a second bedroom outside Evansville.
    - Season One featured a 1998 death of "Donna Hale" in "Sutter Bend, Indiana," neither of which existed.
    - Ledger Audio's Patreon was clearing approximately $31,000 per month by the end of Season Two.
    - A white clapboard house described in Season Two matched Bob Finch's house at 414 Terrell Road though no Terrell Road exists in Aldine 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.
    続きを読む 一部表示
    18 分
  • The Hidden Diploma: How a Fake Psy.D. Haunted 17 Years of Care

    The Hidden Diploma: How a Fake Psy.D. Haunted 17 Years of Care
    2026/09/06
    The Hidden Diploma: How a Fake Psy.D. Haunted 17 Years of Care

    Fear that a trusted clinician might be a fraud: a hidden mahogany frame revealed a Psy.D. that never existed, and that forged credential quietly authorized seventeen years of child therapy across clinics, classrooms, and publications. How did a technically convincing fake diploma pass licensing and become everyday evidence of legitimacy-and who failed to look twice?

    In this episode, we tell the sequence of events from the diploma’s discovery to the record of Patterson’s education, employment, licensing, and public-facing practice, tracing the moments when knowledge substituted for credential and the systems that missed verification. What does the full record reveal about Harvey D. Patterson’s work, his deception, and the consequences that followed?

    Person: Harvey D. Patterson
    Date: September 14, 2019
    Location: Dunmore Road (vacant office crawl space)
    Education: BA in Psychology (May 1997); MA in Developmental Psychology (May 1999), both from Crestfield University
    Event: Discovery of fabricated doctoral diploma hidden behind a cinder block

    - The fake Psy.D. diploma was found wedged behind a cinder block in a mahogany frame with its gold seal intact on September 14, 2019.
    - Patterson earned a BA in Psychology in May 1997 and an MA in Developmental Psychology in May 1999 from Crestfield University.
    - After three doctoral program rejections in 1999, Patterson completed one unpaid one-week practicum that fall and no further documented supervised clinical work.
    - In spring 2001 Patterson submitted a provisional psychology license application including a self-fabricated doctoral diploma produced with desktop publishing, a laser printer, embossing tools, and matched paper stock.
    - Patterson opened a private practice in 2002 displaying three framed diplomas (BA, MA, fabricated doctorate) and had a waiting list within three years.

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

    © 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
    This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.
    続きを読む 一部表示
    21 分
  • The Arbitrator Who Stole a Twin's Life: Secrets in a Leather Portfolio

    The Arbitrator Who Stole a Twin's Life: Secrets in a Leather Portfolio
    2026/09/05
    The Arbitrator Who Stole a Twin's Life: Secrets in a Leather Portfolio

    A dry leather portfolio hidden beside a septic tank held a bar admission certificate, a laminated law diploma, and an index card that read "these go back to W after August" - and it sat undisturbed despite twice flooding that summer. How did a clerk with ten years' arbitration experience use a twin's credentials to become a lead arbitrator for three years, and what did that deception cost the people who trusted her?

    In this episode, we tell the sequence of events from the morning Jennifer Barnes found the portfolio on August 14, 2019, through the four-month investigation that unraveled a fraud built on borrowed credentials and careful silence. What exactly was inside the portfolio, how was it used to secure a senior arbitrator position, and why did it take years for the scheme to come to light?

    Person: Marcia Mueller
    Person: Warren Mueller
    Date: August 14, 2019
    Location: Tri-County Labor Relations Center, east wing
    Event: Four-month fraud investigation

    - The portfolio was found dry behind a panel beside the septic tank after that cavity had flooded twice earlier in the summer.
    - Inside the portfolio were Warren Mueller’s Ohio Supreme Court bar admission certificate and a laminated Alderton College of Law diploma.
    - Marcia photographed Warren’s credentials and had reproductions made, using his name and bar number on her application to Tri-County in 2016.
    - Marcia worked roughly ten years in labor-relations firms before applying and was hired as a senior arbitrator in 2016 despite not being bar-admitted.
    - Jennifer Barnes found the portfolio on August 14, 2019, photographed it, and brought it to Phil Ogden, triggering 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.
    続きを読む 一部表示
    24 分
  • The Sommelier Who Faked France: A 12-Year Wine Deception Uncorked

    The Sommelier Who Faked France: A 12-Year Wine Deception Uncorked
    2026/09/04
    The Sommelier Who Faked France: A 12-Year Wine Deception Uncorked

    A near-priceless 1996 Domaine Leflaive Bâtard-Montrachet, worth north of $1,800 and three-quarters full, was found upright in a restaurant recycling bin - weeks after a photo had already revealed the clue that finally unmasked a twelve-year imposture. How did a sommelier who had never been to France convince colleagues, chefs, and diners she carried elite French credentials for more than a decade?

    In this episode, we tell how the story unfolds from that Tuesday morning in the third week of July 2019 back through twelve years at Crestline, showing how a fabricated résumé, a laminated certificate, and an unverified purchasing system held together a deception - and what single photographic detail broke it open.

    Person: Erin Dempsey
    Location: Crestline restaurant, Short North, Columbus, Ohio
    Date found: third week of July 2019, Tuesday morning
    Bottle: 1996 Domaine Leflaive Bâtard-Montrachet, three-quarters full
    Duration: twelve years as Crestline sommelier

    - The bottle was found standing upright in a recycling bin behind Crestline in the third week of July 2019.
    - The wine was a 1996 Domaine Leflaive Bâtard-Montrachet with retail value north of $1,800.
    - Erin Dempsey was hired in spring 2007 at age thirty-one and worked as sommelier for twelve years.
    - Her résumé claimed a stage in Lyon, experience in Burgundy, and an Advanced Court of Master Sommeliers certification that did not exist in the registry.
    - Forty-one bottles and a foil detail visible in a photograph were central to unraveling the scheme.

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

    © 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
    This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.
    続きを読む 一部表示
    13 分
  • The Man Who Wrote Dead People's Lives - Alive and Unmasked

    The Man Who Wrote Dead People's Lives - Alive and Unmasked
    2026/09/03
    The Man Who Wrote Dead People's Lives - Alive and Unmasked

    A small-town obituary column became a ledger of invented deaths: 31 fabricated notices ran over twenty months, flowers delivered to nonexistent addresses, and one 71-year-old woman found her own obituary on the porch. Who was the young writer who bypassed verification and why did no one notice until a retired assessor and a surprised neighbor forced the truth into daylight?

    In this episode, we tell how a nineteen-year-old applicant joined the Carver Falls Courier and began filing obituaries that read like facts, how patterns of misdelivered sympathy flowers and unverified calls went unchallenged, and how a single mistaken notice finally led to an investigation. What did the paper’s routines and community habits allow to happen, and what was exposed when someone at last kept a careful record?

    Person: Marian Ostroff
    Age: 71
    Person: William Weaver
    Start Date at paper: spring of 2008
    Total fabricated obituaries: 31

    - Marian Ostroff found her obituary in the paper on June 7 despite being alive.
    - William Weaver was hired at age 19 after presenting a portfolio in spring 2008.
    - Investigators later identified 31 fabricated obituaries running over twenty months.
    - Approximately one in every five sympathy arrangements at Petal & Stem florist reached a wrong or nonexistent address starting in 2010.
    - Retired assessor Neil Barrett documented five suspicious cases over ten weeks before presenting his folder on June 14, 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.
    続きを読む 一部表示
    18 分