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  • They Bought Hope - He Sold a Truck That Never Existed

    They Bought Hope - He Sold a Truck That Never Existed
    2026/10/28
    They Bought Hope - He Sold a Truck That Never Existed

    Fear that your generosity was stolen gets under the skin: a small town raised $219,400 for a hospital raffle for a Ford F-250 that was never owned, never donated, and whose pristine giveaway placard was found behind a dumpster four days before the drawing-so who actually took the money and why did no one stop it?

    In this episode, you will hear how a community fundraiser unfolded, the people who bought tickets believing they were helping the pediatric unit, and the paper trail that revealed the grand prize and donation were fabrications-what did the organizer admit in private emails that he never told the town?

    Person: Kevin Brooks
    Event: Kellerton Community Savings Drive raffle
    Date: August 11, 2009 (placard discovery) and raffle run through 2008-2009
    Amount: $219,400 collected
    Tickets sold: roughly 680 people

    - The laminated placard advertising the Ford F-250 was found pristine behind a dumpster on Brackett Street two blocks from the Savings Drive office four days before the drawing.
    - The fundraiser had collected $219,400 from roughly 680 people across Sable County.
    - Kevin Brooks registered the Kellerton Community Savings Drive in March 2007 and wrote in a November 2008 email calling the truck "the thing we're all pretending exists."
    - The operating account held less than $1,500 by November 2008 despite the raffle running for over a year.
    - Curtis Hewitt bought 30 tickets in May 2009 for $750; Ronald Armstrong bought 18 tickets in April 2009.

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

    © 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
    This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.
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    19 分
  • Buried Promises: 112 Funeral Contracts, One Town's Stolen Peace

    Buried Promises: 112 Funeral Contracts, One Town's Stolen Peace
    2026/10/27
    Buried Promises: 112 Funeral Contracts, One Town's Stolen Peace

    Half of a town of 608 people paid in full for funerals that never happened, and a metal filing cabinet full of 112 signed contracts was dug up from an embankment - but where did the money go and who profited? The buried cabinet, photographed and catalogued as evidence, kicked off a six-year question: how did a man selling “peace of mind” quietly become the center of a rural fraud scheme?

    In this episode, we follow the sequence of discoveries and documents that reveal what residents of Sutter Flats bought from a business called Serenity Passage, who sold the contracts, and the moment Michelle Mason realized the trust accounts and promised funeral services might be a lie. What unfolds from that single filing cabinet, and how do the contracts in it answer the question of missing funds?

    Person: Russell Cole
    Person: Michelle Mason
    Location: Sutter Flats
    Population: 608
    Date found: early July 2019

    - 112 signed prepaid funeral contracts were found in a metal filing cabinet buried along Route Nine.
    - Michelle Mason purchased two prepaid funeral contracts in autumn 2016 for $4,500 each.
    - Russell Cole opened Serenity Passage in spring 2013 at age 53 and was not a licensed funeral director.
    - Vera Hutchins bought a contract in 2014 for her husband Leonard, who died in 2016, and waited four months for payment that never arrived.
    - The contracts listed a partnering funeral home in Weller's Crossing and a trust account at Territorial Savings of Oreland 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.
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    18 分
  • Dry Box, Hundred Twelve Lies: How Millbrook's Trusted Banker Stole $1.24M

    Dry Box, Hundred Twelve Lies: How Millbrook's Trusted Banker Stole $1.24M
    2026/10/26
    Dry Box, Hundred Twelve Lies: How Millbrook's Trusted Banker Stole $1.24M

    Fear and betrayal: a dry cardboard box hidden in a soaked loading dock contained 112 fake financial statements that concealed $1,240,000 stolen from 31 town residents-how did a trusted local banker fabricate an entire private fund without anyone noticing? What two handwritten words ended the scheme for good?

    In this episode, you will hear the sequence of events that led from a routine discovery on June 4, 2019 to the unmasking of the Millbrook Circle, detailing how deposits were handled, who trusted the promoter, and the moment that cracked the case open. The episode follows the path of funds, the role of fabricated statements, and the unresolved question of why members accepted the documents without verification.

    Person: Alan Simpson
    Date: June 4, 2019
    Location: Suite 12B, Eastgate Commerce Center, Millbrook, Garfield County
    Amount: $1,240,000
    Victims: 31 people

    - 112 printed financial statements were found inside a dry cardboard box behind an electrical cabinet.
    - $1,240,000 was taken from 31 people who joined the Millbrook Circle.
    - The fraud ran for more than two years, starting in early 2017.
    - Simpson was 47 years old when he set up Garfield Wealth Partners in Suite 12B.
    - One operating account at a regional bank received all deposits and funded personal expenses, vacations, a truck, and a bathroom renovation.

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

    © 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
    This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.
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    17 分
  • The Hundred and Twelve Papers Under the Bridge: A Decimal Theft Revealed

    The Hundred and Twelve Papers Under the Bridge: A Decimal Theft Revealed
    2026/10/25
    The Hundred and Twelve Papers Under the Bridge: A Decimal Theft Revealed

    Fear that your town's payroll could be bleeding cents into a private pocket: a hundred and twelve weighted pages found under a bridge exposed a twenty‑year pattern that siphoned $274,000 by hiding fractions of a cent. How did two hundred and sixteen reports all end in ".00" and who finally saw the decimal that unmasked the scheme?

    In this episode, we lay out the discovery, the paperwork trail, and the small audit detail that triggered a full forensic review; what started as a routine compliance check became a criminal inquiry when a forensic accountant noticed an impossible pattern - could a string of zeros really hide a nineteen‑year theft?

    Person: Dennis Young
    Date: May 11, 2019
    Person: Dale Wallace
    Amount: $274,000
    Office: Garrow County Treasurer

    - 112 pages of spreadsheet records titled "Garrow County Treasury - Internal Reconciliation - Do Not Distribute" were found under a footbridge on May 11, 2019.
    - Forensic accountant Eric Christensen recorded 216 consecutive monthly financial reports spanning 19 years that each ended in exactly zero cents.
    - Bank statements from Millhaven Community Credit Union showed the bank balances were higher than Wallace's reports by between $0.12 and $0.49 each month.
    - The quiet accumulation of sub‑fifty‑cent discrepancies amounted to $214,000 before further layers were found, contributing to a total loss of $274,000.
    - The government recovered $11,000; the remainder of the $274,000 is unaccounted for.

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

    © 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
    This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.
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    18 分
  • The Contractor Who Sold Other People's Yards - 22 Victims Revealed

    The Contractor Who Sold Other People's Yards - 22 Victims Revealed
    2026/10/24
    The Contractor Who Sold Other People's Yards - 22 Victims Revealed

    Fear that the person you trusted to build your home was actually selling land he never owned starts with a single doormat and ends in a $1.3 million federal fraud case. A utility meter reader photographed a cracked green mat on Lot 22 after a dozen visits - how did that picture unravel twenty-two families’ savings and expose a contractor’s hidden debts?

    In this episode, we tell how a county contractor's reputation, manila folders, and signed-but-empty "land use agreements" convinced families to pay deposits for lots he did not own. We follow the timeline from first deposits to financial tracing by investigators and ask: what happens when local trust is weaponized to cover $240,000 in obligations?

    Person: Jerry Tillman
    Event: Federal fraud investigation
    Amount: $1.3 million
    Victims: 22 families
    Start date: April 2019 (doormat photograph)

    - A utility meter reader photographed a dark green welcome mat on Lot 22 at 7:15 AM on a Tuesday in April 2019 after his twelfth visit to the lot in twelve months.
    - Deposits from victims ranged from $15,000 to $22,000, with Doug and Patrice Hendricks paying an $18,000 deposit and Marie Mason writing a $20,000 check.
    - Between 2008 and 2015 Tillman completed work on more than 40 properties in Garver County and was listed on the Chamber of Commerce roster.
    - By spring 2015 Tillman carried roughly $240,000 in personal and business obligations after a speculative house sold at a loss and supplier credit went unpaid.
    - Investigators traced significant deposits through Tillman’s First Garver Bank business account, finding funds moved within two to four weeks to a personal credit union account and then to mortgage servicers, credit cards, and suppliers.

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

    © 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
    This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.
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    20 分
  • The Church Treasurer Who Stole a Million: The Wheelwriter Clue

    The Church Treasurer Who Stole a Million: The Wheelwriter Clue
    2026/10/23
    The Church Treasurer Who Stole a Million: The Wheelwriter Clue

    If a single mismatched typeface can unravel a scheme that stole $1.2 million from 41 parishioners, how long did the deception really run and who trusted whom? A retired typewriter, a bank branch closed in 2005, and the faint ribbon-fade on every capital letter became the clue that started to expose eight years of theft.

    In this episode, we follow the record of how a church retirement fellowship turned into a long-running fraud, how account statements were fabricated, and how one manila folder and one photocopy set a chain of discovery in motion - could the type on a single page point to the truth?

    Person: Jean Anderson
    Amount: $1,200,000
    Depositors: 41
    Location: Millhaven, Calhoun County
    Bank branch closed: 2005

    - The fellowship was proposed in the autumn of 2003 and blessed by Father Gerald Webb.
    - Holly Quinn’s statement showed a balance of $11,240 by 2008 after deposits made over roughly two years.
    - The fellowship account at First Meridian was negative $3,800 by January 2006.
    - Ryan Hughes received Holly Quinn’s photocopy in the first week of March 2009.
    - The First Meridian Millhaven branch had been closed in 2005, a detail on the statement that triggered scrutiny.

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

    © 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
    This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.
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    17 分
  • The Envelope on the Padlock: How One Ledger Broke a County's Trust

    The Envelope on the Padlock: How One Ledger Broke a County's Trust
    2026/10/22
    The Envelope on the Padlock: How One Ledger Broke a County's Trust

    In this episode, we lay out the sequence of events from the morning Wayne Zimmerman found the envelope to the ledger notes that revealed a $214,000 shortfall, tracing how receipts, a scale operator’s access, and a so-called harvest advance coordinator combined to produce a multi-year fraud. How did relationship-based lending, blank receipt access, and a private ledger let the scheme persist until one trail walk exposed it?

    Person: Wayne Zimmerman
    Person: Stanley Long
    Person: Eric Thorpe
    Person: Carolyn Prewitt
    Person: Dennis Farr

    - February 11, 2019: Zimmerman found an envelope taped to a padlock at the Alderton Annex containing four receipts for Lot 7-C.
    - Lot number: 7-C appeared on four separate warehouse receipts claiming the same physical grain.
    - Farm size: Stanley Long had been farming 620 acres in Fenwick County.
    - Account deposit: Carolyn Prewitt transferred $47,000 into a "harvest participation account."
    - Shortfall note: On September 3, 2018, Thorpe recorded a $214,000 shortfall with the word "bridge" beside 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.
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    19 分
  • The Laminated Certificate That Exposed $411,000 Church Scam

    The Laminated Certificate That Exposed $411,000 Church Scam
    2026/10/21
    The Laminated Certificate That Exposed $411,000 Church Scam

    A laminated donation certificate that survived a bonfire, a winter flood, and four years in a creek became the single physical clue that unlocked how $411,000 vanished from a small-town church building fund. Who took the money, where it went, and why the official newsletters never showed the truth are the questions that follow a napkin full of arithmetic and one paralegal's refusal to let the sums lie.

    In this episode, we follow how a simple document and routine estate work led a parishioner to question long-standing accounts, how those questions reached an attorney, and how a sheriff's office call began a formal inquiry into a decade-long discrepancy. How did routine donations totaling hundreds of thousands disappear from a fund everyone trusted?

    Person: Curtis Jones
    Person: Nicole Tucker
    Person: Agnes Pruett
    Event: discovery of donation discrepancies
    Amount: $411,000

    - The Building Fund launched around the year 2000 and ran for eleven years.
    - Howard Vance donated $6,000 in the second year and received a laminated certificate.
    - Agnes Pruett gave $80 per month for 17 years, totaling more than $16,000.
    - The account balance at the time of discovery was $940 while $411,000 had been deposited over time.
    - Nicole Tucker, a 32-year-old paralegal, found the discrepancy while closing her great-aunt Agnes's estate.

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

    © 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
    This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.
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    18 分