logo
episode-header-image
Feb 2024
41m 38s

The Shark Tank Charlatan | 93

Wondery
About this episode

Nate Holzapfel is a natural salesman. When he goes on the television show “Shark Tank” in 2012, he wows investors with his line of ratchet-style belts, which he claims are “like a giant zip tie for your pants.” His company takes off, but Nate still isn’t satisfied – he wants to live even larger. That’s when he decides to take on a much darker business venture: defrauding the most powerless people he can find.


This episode contains descriptions of sexual violence and assault. If you or someone you know is a survivor of sexual assualt and would like to speak with an advocate who is trained to help, the U.S. National Sexual Assault Hotline can be reached at 1-800-656-HOPE.


Listen to Scamfluencers on the Wondery App or wherever you get your podcasts. You can listen early and ad-free on Wondery+. Join Wondery+ in the Wondery App, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Start your free trial by visiting wondery.com/links/scamfluencers/ now.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Up next
Jul 7
Phil Kitzer and the G Men | 166
Phil Kitzer was a globe-trotting scammer who spent more than a decade creating fake banks and insurance companies, ripping off customers to pay for his lavish lifestyle. By the late 70s, Phil’s scam is so prolific that the FBI authorizes the first-ever white collar undercover sti ... Show More
42m 39s
Jun 30
Earl Washington: A Rip Off the Old Block | 165
Singer-actor Earl Washington turns out to be a triple threat when he takes up carving wood blocks to make ends meet while hustling to make a life as an entertainer in Los Angeles. But just like any other artist, his wood carvings need a good origin story, so Earl creates a new id ... Show More
48m 16s
Jun 24
Listen Now: Liberty Lost
In Evangelical homes across the United States, sex outside of marriage is a sin against God. So, when Abbi becomes pregnant at 16, her devout parents hide her away at the Liberty Godparent Home, a little-known facility for pregnant teens on the campus of Liberty University. The H ... Show More
5m 38s
Recommended Episodes
Sep 2021
Donald Pee Wee Gaskins Part2
Donald "Pee Wee" Gaskins was a serial killer from Florence, South Carolina. Police know he had at least 14 confirmed victims, but, he confessed to as many as 100 murders. He has been called the meanest man in South Carolina.Join Mike and Gibby for this 2nd and last episode in the ... Show More
1h 12m
Jan 2020
Robert Leroy Anderson
On this episode, we're discussing South Dakota killer Robert Leroy Anderson. Anderson had sexual murderous fantasies that he decided to carry out. He even enlisted the help of his best friend to abduct women so that he could carry out his fantasies.Join Mike and Gibby as they dis ... Show More
1h 28m
May 2020
Darrell Keith Rich
Darrell Keith Rich terrorized Shasta County, in Northern California, over a 2-3 month period in the summer of 1978. He began his predatory ways by sexually assaulting a number of women and girls. But, very quickly he began murdering, using the very same M.O. that he used previous ... Show More
1h 17m
Jun 2017
The Killing Cousins
David Alan Gore and Fred Waterfield were cousins who formed a deadly serial killing duo in Florida in the 1980s. Their murderous ways would earn them the title of the "Killing Cousins. They would combine to commit numerous sexual assaults and murders over the years. Join Mike and ... Show More
1h 14m
Aug 2020
Kevin Coe "The South Hill Rapist" Part 1
During the late 1970s and early 1980s, there were a high number of sexual assaults in the South Hill section of Spokane, Washington. The authorities created a task force to catch this predator that the media dubbed "The South Hill Rapist." It would take some time but, eventually, ... Show More
1h 2m
Nov 2018
Byron David Smith
On Thanksgiving Day, 2012, Byron Smith shot and killed two teenagers who broke into his house. He was a decorated veteran of the Vietnam war and a retired US State Dept employee with a spotless record. But Smith was paranoid after his house had been burglarized a number of times. ... Show More
1h 30m
Nov 2023
Patrick Anthony Russo
In November 2001, 43-year-old Diane Holik was trying to sell her house in Austin, Texas. She had plans to move in with her fiance, Dennis, in Houston. What Diane didn't know was that there was a predator in the area posing as an interested home buyer. A fateful encounter with thi ... Show More
1h 10m
Jan 2019
Gretchen Carlson’s Fierce Stand
The former Fox News anchor fired the opening shot in MeToo when she brought down Fox titan Roger Ailes, and received a $20-million settlement with an apology to boot. Now she’s made a documentary about the women whose MeToo stories are not being told. Carlson, a Stanford and Oxfo ... Show More
36m 15s
Feb 2024
What if you discovered you were the enemy? [Rebroadcast #230]
Growing up with a sense of heroic duty, a man becomes a cop fighting the drug war, when the sobering realities of his job lead him to profound awakening.Today's episode featured Neil Woods. You can find out more about Neil by going to neilwoods.net, where you can also find links ... Show More
56m 8s