logo
episode-header-image
Jun 2024
54m 6s

The Enron Scandal Pt. 1

SPOTIFY STUDIOS
About this episode
Whether you know the full story or not, you’ve probably heard the name Enron before. In the summer of 2000, the energy company, renowned for their innovation, was on top of the world with a market value of almost $70 billion. But a year later, they filed for what was, at the time, the largest bankruptcy in American history. What happened? And why? Conspiracy ... Show More
Up next
Today
The Guardian Tape: UFO Caught on Camera, or Hoax?
In 1992, UFO researcher Bob Oeschler received a strange package in the mail. It contained documents, purportedly stolen from some top-secret Canadian project, alleging a vast alien cover-up. The envelope contained something else: a VHS tape. The sender – identified only as “Guard ... Show More
47m 37s
May 27
The Marconi Mystery: 22 Scientists Die Mysterious Deaths in Britain
In 1986, two young British defense scientists died under mysterious circumstances, sparking theories of foul play. Not only because both specialized in underwater defense systems; they also worked for the same company, Marconi Electronic Systems. Which was one of several defense ... Show More
45m 14s
May 20
Peter Bergmann, the Mystery Man of Sligo
On June 16th, 2009, a dead body washes ashore on Rosses Point beach, Ireland. The Irish police force learns the deceased’s name is Peter Bergmann. Or is it? Because everything “Peter” did while alive seemed shrouded in secrecy. He gave his hotel a fake name, a fake address, and h ... Show More
41m 45s
Recommended Episodes
Oct 2021
Enron, Ep 1: Potemkin Village
In 2001, energy company Enron was at the height of its power. Then, out of the blue, CEO Jeffrey Skilling resigned-just six months after he took the reins of a company he had helped turn into an innovation machine. Why? In this episode, we dive into the first cracks in the Enron ... Show More
28m 51s
Dec 2024
The Enron Illusion
Enron—the seventh-largest company in the U.S.—filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on 2nd December, 2001, marking the dramatic end of a business empire once hailed as unstoppable.  What once looked like a financial juggernaut turned out to be a house of cards built on illusory profit ... Show More
13m 3s
Nov 2025
America's Worst Con Man - The Barry Minkow Story
Barry Minkow was a teenage entrepreneur who founded the carpet-cleaning company ZZZZ Best in the 1980s and became a Wall Street sensation- until it was revealed to be one of the biggest Ponzi schemes of its time. Minkow fabricated fake restoration projects and used forged documen ... Show More
9m 3s
Oct 2025
How a billionaire pub baron wound up with just $3
Investors who poured millions into the Public Hospitality Group are unlikely to recoup their cash after founder Jon Adgemis declared bankruptcy. Today: how this former billionaire built - and lost - an empire. You can read more about this story, plus see photos, videos and additi ... Show More
10m 59s
Aug 2025
How it Felt Running a $700 Million Bank Fraud
In 2003, a Wall Street trader named John Rusnak was convicted of bank fraud and sentenced to more than seven years in prison. In this episode, John explains how a series of bad bets snowballed into one of the biggest white-collar crimes in US history and why he kept doubling down ... Show More
1h 3m
Aug 2024
The Greatest Scam Ever Written | 2. Psychic to the Stars
Who was Maria Duval? Her son says she had a gift, an ability to see people’s futures. She helped locate missing people and worked with the French elite, befriending Jacques Chirac and Brigitte Bardot. In the late 80s, when two businessmen approached Maria Duval with a life-changi ... Show More
38m 33s
Feb 2025
The rise and fall of Long Term Capital Management
There's this cautionary tale, in the finance world, that nearly any trader can tell you. It's about placing too much confidence in math and models. It's the story of Long Term Capital Management.The story begins back in the 90s. A group of math nerds figured out how to use a math ... Show More
27m 36s
Apr 2022
This Is What Happened to the Meme Stock Mania
Spring of 2021 was peak meme mania. GameStop was going nuts. AMC was going nuts. And in general, the big cohort of traders that entered the market in early 2020 was riding high. Since then, though, things have turned south. Volumes have dipped significantly. The memes came back t ... Show More
54m 26s