logo
episode-header-image
Mar 2023
25m 32s

The alleged Ponzi scheme that preyed on ...

THE WASHINGTON POST
About this episode

Today on the show, the $500 million alleged Ponzi scheme that preyed on Mormons.


Read more:


Las Vegas investigative reporter Jeff German was killed outside his home in September; a Clark County official he had investigated is charged in his death. To continue German’s work, The Washington Post teamed up with his newspaper, the Las Vegas Review-Journal, to complete one of the stories he’d planned to pursue before he was killed. A folder on German’s desk contained court documents he’d started to gather about an alleged Ponzi scheme that preyed upon hundreds of people many of them Mormon over the course of five years. Post reporter Lizzie Johnson began investigating. Today on Post Reports, we look at how more than 900 people invested an estimated total of $500 million into an alleged Ponzi scheme, and why the men who allegedly ran this operation are still walking free. 

Up next
Aug 23
Deep Reads: A last lifeline in ‘detention alley’
Christopher Kinnison, 46, worked at his own one-man law firm in the central Louisiana city of Alexandria, putting him within a two-hour drive of the state’s nine ICE facilities, the highest number of any state other than Texas. Most of his clients were detainees, and his business ... Show More
30m 6s
Aug 22
Trump's peacemaking dreams and D.C. pizza party
This week, President Donald Trump claimed he’s ended six — or maybe even seven — wars. But his efforts to bring about peace in Ukraine, three years after Russia’s invasion, appear stalled.Guest host Cleve Wootson speaks with White House reporter Cat Zakrzewski and White House cor ... Show More
28m 59s
Aug 21
The Texas-California showdown over redistricting
With a vote of 88 ayes and 52 nays, the Texas House passed a controversial new election map on Wednesday night. If approved in the state Senate, the redrawn lines would create five new congressional districts that lean heavily red.The Texas House vote comes a few weeks after Texa ... Show More
26m 9s
Recommended Episodes
May 6
How a CEO’s Faked Results Led to a $300 Million Wipeout
In late 2018, five years after launching fish-feeding company eFishery, Gibran Huzaifah found himself all out of cash. To save his business, the CEO started plugging fake numbers into financial reports. The brighter picture drew hundreds of millions of investor dollars. But his h ... Show More
16m 39s
Aug 2024
Las Vegas Reporter Brutally Murdered: Jeff German's Assassination
Jeff German, an investigative reporter for the Las Vegas Review-Journal, was deeply dedicated to his work—a commitment that might have ultimately cost him his life. Jeff was a well-known figure in the community, celebrated for his fearless coverage of notorious mobsters, corrupt ... Show More
1h 36m
Jun 12
One Survivor, Hundreds Dead in Air India Plane Crash
P.M. Edition for June 12. Details emerge from the Air India Boeing 787 Dreamliner crash today that killed hundreds. The incident is putting Boeing and its safety record back in the spotlight. WSJ reporter Sharon Terlep joins to discuss what the crash could mean for the company. P ... Show More
12m 15s
Jan 2025
Nice to meet you, I'm a scammer.
On Hacking Humans, Dave Bittner, Joe Carrigan, and Maria Varmazis (also host of N2K's daily space podcast, T-Minus), are once again sharing the latest in social engineering scams, phishing schemes, and criminal exploits that are making headlines to help our audience become aware ... Show More
52m 58s
Mar 2024
The Suspect Detective
In 2010, Milique Wagner was arrested for a murder he says he had nothing to do with. The night of the shooting, Wagner was picked up for questioning and spent three days in the Philadelphia Police Department’s homicide unit, mostly being questioned by a detective named Philip Nor ... Show More
50m 56s
Jan 2025
Fraudsters Stole Billions in Jobless Benefits. They Might Get Away With It
P.M. Edition for Jan. 16. Fraudsters stole billions via government jobless claims during the pandemic. WSJ U.S. economy reporter Paul Kiernan tells us why time is running out to prosecute them. And, TikTok’s CEO plans to attend Donald Trump’s inauguration, news that comes days be ... Show More
13m 49s
Feb 2025
The 911 call in the Hollywood hairdresser murder. And investigators explore links between six violent deaths and a group called the Zizians.
In a Los Angeles courtroom, prosecutors play police interviews with a woman accused of conspiring to kill her celebrity hairstylist husband. NBC News investigative reporter Rich Schapiro shares his reporting on a Bay Area-based group that investigators believe may be tied to deat ... Show More
29m 6s
Dec 2024
Is Hawk Tuah Girl's cryptocurrency a scam?
Headlines: Women launch class action against BHP and Rio Tinto over alleged decades of sexual harassment, Anthony Albanese supports exclusion zones near houses of worship, Saudi Arabia chosen to host FIFA world cup, and HECS balances will be slashed from today. Deep Dive: A viral ... Show More
21m 48s
Jul 2024
Millionaire husband allegedly tried to poison wife with fentanyl before hiring hit men to kill her
This Week on True Crime News The Podcast: A wealthy developer worth over $150 million is accused of hiring multiple murder crews to kill his estranged wife before he was found dead in an FBI raid. Gerald Griggs joins host Ana Garcia. To learn more about listener data and our priv ... Show More
56m 48s
Jun 2023
What Ben McKenzie Learned When He Started Investigating Crypto
When the pandemic struck in 2020, the actor Ben McKenzie (who you might know from The OC and Gotham) had a lot of time on his hands. And like a lot of people, he suddenly got interested in crypto when an old friend of his pushed him to buy some Bitcoin. But unlike a lot of other ... Show More
50m 2s