1 00:00:01,000 --> 00:00:03,840 Speaker 1: This email right here. Hello, my name is Nicholas. I 2 00:00:03,880 --> 00:00:06,440 Speaker 1: was scammed out of nearly one thousand dollars in bitcoin. 3 00:00:06,440 --> 00:00:09,360 Speaker 1: I Jonathan, and aunt of mine passed away. Going through 4 00:00:09,360 --> 00:00:12,280 Speaker 1: her financial records, it's become clear that she was scammed 5 00:00:12,280 --> 00:00:17,040 Speaker 1: out of nearly one million dollars. Jonathan, Hi then wanting 6 00:00:17,040 --> 00:00:19,480 Speaker 1: an email, Just don't know where to begin. I'm out 7 00:00:19,520 --> 00:00:23,000 Speaker 1: almost thirty thousand dollars after meeting a broke, narcissist con 8 00:00:23,079 --> 00:00:26,680 Speaker 1: artist who has done this to many people. Since going 9 00:00:26,720 --> 00:00:29,720 Speaker 1: public with my story of how I got con by 10 00:00:29,760 --> 00:00:32,839 Speaker 1: Mayor Smith, Dear Jonathan, I got conned by a lifelong 11 00:00:32,880 --> 00:00:35,839 Speaker 1: family friend and his mother out of three hundred thousand 12 00:00:35,840 --> 00:00:41,239 Speaker 1: dollars literally hundreds and hundreds of victims and almost victims. Jonathan, 13 00:00:41,280 --> 00:00:43,800 Speaker 1: my name is Antoinette. I want to thank you for 14 00:00:43,880 --> 00:00:47,160 Speaker 1: saving me from making a horrible mistake. Have been contacting 15 00:00:47,200 --> 00:00:51,199 Speaker 1: me sharing their insane stories of how they got conned. 16 00:00:52,159 --> 00:00:54,320 Speaker 1: So a widow she gets scammed out a two hundred 17 00:00:54,320 --> 00:00:56,640 Speaker 1: thousand dollars by a con artist who works in the 18 00:00:56,680 --> 00:01:00,000 Speaker 1: mayor's office. There's this Los Angeles Botoks doctor. She could 19 00:01:00,000 --> 00:01:02,440 Speaker 1: scammed out of a hundred and sixty dollars in gold 20 00:01:02,440 --> 00:01:05,680 Speaker 1: and precious metals. The con artist was pretending that her 21 00:01:05,680 --> 00:01:08,960 Speaker 1: money was growing every month, and he'd photoshops statements and 22 00:01:09,000 --> 00:01:12,360 Speaker 1: mail them to her, so she think her gold is appreciating, 23 00:01:12,400 --> 00:01:15,760 Speaker 1: but there was no gold, just photoshop and a devious 24 00:01:15,800 --> 00:01:18,640 Speaker 1: con artists. And there's this French con artist. She moves 25 00:01:18,680 --> 00:01:21,240 Speaker 1: to Beverly Hills and she scams two million dollars out 26 00:01:21,240 --> 00:01:23,880 Speaker 1: of people under the guise of starting a dog rescue. 27 00:01:25,040 --> 00:01:27,240 Speaker 1: Itunds like that French voice just kind of lures you 28 00:01:27,280 --> 00:01:30,240 Speaker 1: in that accent. You know, yes, the French art cunning. 29 00:01:30,760 --> 00:01:34,280 Speaker 1: My buddy Evan Goldstein is fascinated by it all, and 30 00:01:34,440 --> 00:01:37,920 Speaker 1: truth be told, So am I. You know, after getting 31 00:01:37,920 --> 00:01:40,800 Speaker 1: conned by maryor Smith, I thought I was unique. I 32 00:01:40,840 --> 00:01:43,520 Speaker 1: thought Mayor Smith, like that's a one in a lifetime 33 00:01:43,600 --> 00:01:47,160 Speaker 1: kind of situation. But that's not true at all. Con 34 00:01:47,280 --> 00:01:49,960 Speaker 1: artists are everywhere because like you're the only one I 35 00:01:50,080 --> 00:01:53,480 Speaker 1: personally know that has been con and most victims don't 36 00:01:53,520 --> 00:01:55,960 Speaker 1: go public like I do, so most people don't know 37 00:01:56,040 --> 00:01:58,480 Speaker 1: it's a thing. But Jesus, I've been getting hundreds and 38 00:01:58,520 --> 00:02:01,720 Speaker 1: hundreds of emails from spirit victims asking for help with 39 00:02:01,760 --> 00:02:04,520 Speaker 1: their con artists, you know, like inspired by what I 40 00:02:04,560 --> 00:02:06,960 Speaker 1: did with Mayor, Like they want that for their conn 41 00:02:07,200 --> 00:02:09,320 Speaker 1: Maybe there's less shame going to you because you're just 42 00:02:09,400 --> 00:02:11,200 Speaker 1: in the same boat. Yeah, I'm another victim. Yeah, you're 43 00:02:11,200 --> 00:02:13,960 Speaker 1: another victim. Yeah that's a good point. So what's one 44 00:02:14,000 --> 00:02:16,239 Speaker 1: of the most interesting cases that you're looking into. Now, 45 00:02:17,919 --> 00:02:21,239 Speaker 1: there's this this woman named Lizzie Mulder. She lives in 46 00:02:21,280 --> 00:02:24,800 Speaker 1: Orange County. She scams her circle of friends out of 47 00:02:24,840 --> 00:02:29,040 Speaker 1: one point five million dollars using every technique that Mayor 48 00:02:29,120 --> 00:02:32,640 Speaker 1: used on me, and then other techniques that I've never 49 00:02:32,680 --> 00:02:37,080 Speaker 1: even heard of. It is truly truly insane. So she's good. Oh, 50 00:02:37,080 --> 00:02:39,640 Speaker 1: she gives Mayor a run for her money. Really, Yeah, 51 00:02:39,800 --> 00:02:53,679 Speaker 1: it's hard to do. I'm Jonathan Walton and this is 52 00:02:53,800 --> 00:02:58,679 Speaker 1: Queen of the Con The o C Savior, Episode one 53 00:02:59,440 --> 00:03:09,280 Speaker 1: of Faith Somebody. Orange County, California is a place you 54 00:03:09,400 --> 00:03:13,240 Speaker 1: got to see to believe. You've probably heard of Orange County, 55 00:03:13,440 --> 00:03:16,520 Speaker 1: or the o C as it's known by locals. It's 56 00:03:16,560 --> 00:03:18,960 Speaker 1: a unique part of the Golden State that boasts the 57 00:03:19,000 --> 00:03:25,240 Speaker 1: wealth and grandeur of Beverly Hills, only bigger, much, much bigger. 58 00:03:25,840 --> 00:03:28,519 Speaker 1: It's about thirty miles south of Los Angeles, and the 59 00:03:28,680 --> 00:03:35,040 Speaker 1: encompasses more than two dozen municipalities, cities like Newport Beach, Anaheim, 60 00:03:35,040 --> 00:03:40,920 Speaker 1: where the original Disneyland is located, Happy Plo, and the 61 00:03:41,040 --> 00:03:45,560 Speaker 1: ever posh Laguna Beach, where the average income is kids 62 00:03:45,600 --> 00:03:49,360 Speaker 1: you not two hundred and seven thousand dollars a year. 63 00:03:52,640 --> 00:03:55,040 Speaker 1: It's everything you think you want to be a part of. 64 00:03:55,320 --> 00:03:59,720 Speaker 1: It's u beautiful cars, beautiful homes, beautiful people. It started 65 00:03:59,760 --> 00:04:03,520 Speaker 1: off as a suburban neighborhood of Los Angeles. Orange County 66 00:04:03,520 --> 00:04:07,000 Speaker 1: started to grow and it became a tech hub, which 67 00:04:07,040 --> 00:04:09,200 Speaker 1: brought a lot of money, and it just got wealthier 68 00:04:09,200 --> 00:04:12,120 Speaker 1: and wealthier by the day. There's everything you can imagine. 69 00:04:12,200 --> 00:04:15,560 Speaker 1: Every single stores here, every single restaurant is here. They 70 00:04:15,560 --> 00:04:21,320 Speaker 1: really catered to people that are are well off. There's 71 00:04:21,360 --> 00:04:24,920 Speaker 1: no theft, there's no what are they called the people 72 00:04:24,920 --> 00:04:27,920 Speaker 1: that steal your packages from your porch pis pirates. Yeah, 73 00:04:27,920 --> 00:04:31,160 Speaker 1: there's none of that. It really is otherworldly here because 74 00:04:31,279 --> 00:04:33,799 Speaker 1: I went to get coffee at the Coffee Bean before 75 00:04:33,800 --> 00:04:37,719 Speaker 1: I got here, and everyone, all the other customers said 76 00:04:37,760 --> 00:04:40,200 Speaker 1: good morning to me. Not the people who work there, 77 00:04:40,600 --> 00:04:43,080 Speaker 1: just other people waiting on good morning. Good morning, like 78 00:04:43,080 --> 00:04:44,600 Speaker 1: like it took me on surprise, like why are you 79 00:04:44,640 --> 00:04:47,400 Speaker 1: all being nice to me? In l A? Nobody talks 80 00:04:47,440 --> 00:04:49,960 Speaker 1: to you lest they want something. I yeah, I'd never 81 00:04:50,000 --> 00:04:54,920 Speaker 1: hear greats. Even though Orange County is only about an 82 00:04:54,920 --> 00:04:58,760 Speaker 1: hour's drive south of l A without traffic. It's a 83 00:04:58,839 --> 00:05:03,559 Speaker 1: whole other universe out here, a truly spectacular place. Laguna Beach, 84 00:05:03,680 --> 00:05:06,320 Speaker 1: which was a show on MTV. I think that's when 85 00:05:06,360 --> 00:05:09,440 Speaker 1: people really started to notice. Kate Casey is host to 86 00:05:09,480 --> 00:05:12,960 Speaker 1: the hit podcast Reality Life with Kate Casey, and she's 87 00:05:13,000 --> 00:05:16,720 Speaker 1: got a PhD in Everything o C. She's been living 88 00:05:16,720 --> 00:05:19,600 Speaker 1: here for the past nineteen years. Then there was the 89 00:05:19,640 --> 00:05:22,160 Speaker 1: show The o C, which was a scripted series, and 90 00:05:22,200 --> 00:05:25,160 Speaker 1: then you had The Real Housewives of Orange County. I 91 00:05:25,200 --> 00:05:28,400 Speaker 1: think that Sarah should take her bony little butt out 92 00:05:28,400 --> 00:05:30,720 Speaker 1: of my fake and pretentious home. I'll buy you a 93 00:05:30,800 --> 00:05:37,920 Speaker 1: new I'm bored with it. And that show really kind 94 00:05:37,920 --> 00:05:40,000 Speaker 1: of showcase what it would be like to live in 95 00:05:40,160 --> 00:05:43,839 Speaker 1: suburban Orange County. But what you see on TV isn't 96 00:05:43,920 --> 00:05:46,600 Speaker 1: always what it's cracked up to be. I think normal 97 00:05:46,680 --> 00:05:51,799 Speaker 1: people come here with good intentions, and it's very easy 98 00:05:51,839 --> 00:05:54,960 Speaker 1: for people to get caught up living here is like 99 00:05:55,120 --> 00:06:00,440 Speaker 1: being in the middle of smoking mirrors. Everyone presents themselves 100 00:06:00,640 --> 00:06:04,400 Speaker 1: as one way, and invariably you find out it's not 101 00:06:04,480 --> 00:06:07,560 Speaker 1: the truth. You will have somebody who will drive a 102 00:06:07,600 --> 00:06:12,680 Speaker 1: Maserati but live in an apartment, and to normal people 103 00:06:12,960 --> 00:06:15,640 Speaker 1: you think, why would you do that? But it's because 104 00:06:15,839 --> 00:06:18,320 Speaker 1: I think that normal people come here and they see 105 00:06:18,400 --> 00:06:21,960 Speaker 1: excessive wealth and they think that in order to make 106 00:06:22,000 --> 00:06:26,320 Speaker 1: it here socially and financially, you have to present yourself 107 00:06:26,360 --> 00:06:29,240 Speaker 1: as somebody who has an enormous amount of money. And 108 00:06:29,279 --> 00:06:31,640 Speaker 1: it sounds like everyone's running their own kind of scam 109 00:06:31,720 --> 00:06:34,880 Speaker 1: in a weird way. It is to a degree because 110 00:06:35,080 --> 00:06:38,320 Speaker 1: you never really know what their intentions are and what 111 00:06:38,440 --> 00:06:42,400 Speaker 1: their true authentic self is. The interesting thing about living here, too, 112 00:06:42,480 --> 00:06:45,320 Speaker 1: is that people don't ask a lot of questions. So 113 00:06:45,360 --> 00:06:48,000 Speaker 1: someone like myself from the East Coast, I ask a 114 00:06:48,000 --> 00:06:50,400 Speaker 1: lot of questions where did you go to school, where 115 00:06:50,400 --> 00:06:51,960 Speaker 1: are you from, what do you do for a living? 116 00:06:52,240 --> 00:06:55,279 Speaker 1: The questions here are much more surface. Where do you 117 00:06:55,320 --> 00:06:57,760 Speaker 1: like to vacation? Do you go to the yacht club? 118 00:06:58,040 --> 00:07:00,440 Speaker 1: So it's very easy for a con to make their 119 00:07:00,480 --> 00:07:03,359 Speaker 1: way here because no one's really asking questions that would 120 00:07:03,400 --> 00:07:06,880 Speaker 1: reveal the truth behind someone's persona. Yeah, it sounds like 121 00:07:06,960 --> 00:07:11,320 Speaker 1: Orange County is an ideal breeding ground for con artists. 122 00:07:11,560 --> 00:07:21,040 Speaker 1: Absolutely to those who know her in, Lizzie Mulder is 123 00:07:21,080 --> 00:07:25,680 Speaker 1: a super successful certified public accountant c p A. She 124 00:07:25,800 --> 00:07:27,720 Speaker 1: came in and she said all the right things. She 125 00:07:27,800 --> 00:07:30,960 Speaker 1: had the right look, like wow, we could never afford 126 00:07:30,960 --> 00:07:33,160 Speaker 1: a c p A like that. She was a big 127 00:07:33,160 --> 00:07:35,480 Speaker 1: part of helping me get organized, and when I started 128 00:07:35,480 --> 00:07:37,760 Speaker 1: the wine business, it seemed like she was doing a 129 00:07:37,800 --> 00:07:44,280 Speaker 1: good job. She's a thirtysomething, articulate, blonde, confident, well connected, 130 00:07:44,440 --> 00:07:49,680 Speaker 1: and extremely social, with a rugged firefighter husband, two adorable 131 00:07:49,760 --> 00:07:52,679 Speaker 1: young daughters, and a gorgeous two and a half million 132 00:07:52,720 --> 00:07:57,239 Speaker 1: dollar home overlooking the Pacific Ocean and exclusive no poor 133 00:07:57,320 --> 00:08:01,119 Speaker 1: people allowed Laguna Beach. How does she present herself to people? 134 00:08:01,120 --> 00:08:04,960 Speaker 1: What were your impressions? Lizzie definitely wanted to be somebody 135 00:08:05,000 --> 00:08:09,080 Speaker 1: that was seen. She was very charismatic. She definitely wanted 136 00:08:09,120 --> 00:08:13,360 Speaker 1: to be popular, to be liked. She wore really nice clothes, 137 00:08:13,600 --> 00:08:17,120 Speaker 1: definitely had more of like a cowboy aesthetic to her 138 00:08:18,200 --> 00:08:21,000 Speaker 1: is she liked riding horses and stuff. So she'd come 139 00:08:21,040 --> 00:08:23,440 Speaker 1: in and you could tell that she lived in Laguna, 140 00:08:23,520 --> 00:08:25,360 Speaker 1: so they have a different look to them. They're a 141 00:08:25,360 --> 00:08:29,400 Speaker 1: little bit more laid back. Geneva Mendoza is what Disney's 142 00:08:29,400 --> 00:08:32,520 Speaker 1: Little Mermaid would look like if she took human form, 143 00:08:32,760 --> 00:08:37,760 Speaker 1: refined features, eyes that sparkle, and her red hair. Oh 144 00:08:37,800 --> 00:08:41,960 Speaker 1: my god, and your hair is like out of a movie. Well, 145 00:08:41,960 --> 00:08:44,320 Speaker 1: thank you? Did you do that special for me? Because 146 00:08:44,360 --> 00:08:50,000 Speaker 1: I'm gay? But your hair it's like red and shiny, 147 00:08:50,160 --> 00:08:52,439 Speaker 1: and it's wavy and flow. It's like it's like I'm 148 00:08:52,480 --> 00:08:54,440 Speaker 1: on a movie set and you're ready for your close up. 149 00:08:54,520 --> 00:08:58,400 Speaker 1: I feel like hair dressers need to always look. Our 150 00:08:58,400 --> 00:09:00,720 Speaker 1: clients are coming to us to have of the best look, 151 00:09:00,800 --> 00:09:03,079 Speaker 1: so we're looking shabby. That's not gonna work. Do women 152 00:09:03,120 --> 00:09:05,280 Speaker 1: come to you and be like, I want your hair? Yeah, 153 00:09:05,760 --> 00:09:08,040 Speaker 1: all the time. I can see that. Yeah, it's very like. 154 00:09:08,320 --> 00:09:09,839 Speaker 1: And then you have to break their hearts and let 155 00:09:09,880 --> 00:09:11,480 Speaker 1: them know that you know, there's there's going to be 156 00:09:12,120 --> 00:09:16,040 Speaker 1: several thousands of dollars to get you there, And Geneva 157 00:09:16,160 --> 00:09:19,360 Speaker 1: should know. She's a co owner of the Salon powered 158 00:09:19,360 --> 00:09:23,480 Speaker 1: by Tonian Guy, high end Newport Peach establishment, cutting and 159 00:09:23,559 --> 00:09:26,200 Speaker 1: quaffing the hair of some of the most wealthy and 160 00:09:26,280 --> 00:09:31,800 Speaker 1: glamorous people in the world fortune, five hundred CEOs, actors, models, 161 00:09:32,200 --> 00:09:36,080 Speaker 1: and well healed c p A s like Lizzie. How 162 00:09:36,160 --> 00:09:40,600 Speaker 1: did Lizzie Mulder first enter your life? So? Lizzie was 163 00:09:40,640 --> 00:09:44,040 Speaker 1: a client of my business partner, Lauren. She and Lizzie 164 00:09:44,040 --> 00:09:46,360 Speaker 1: went to school together, although Lauren didn't know her when 165 00:09:46,400 --> 00:09:52,160 Speaker 1: they went to school. They reconnected in Poisano at Italy 166 00:09:52,240 --> 00:09:57,400 Speaker 1: at a wedding posts Atano is a tiny little cliff 167 00:09:57,440 --> 00:10:00,240 Speaker 1: side town on southern Italy, is a malfi cu most 168 00:10:00,760 --> 00:10:05,840 Speaker 1: pebbled beach fronts frame steep, narrow cobblestone streets lined with 169 00:10:06,000 --> 00:10:11,240 Speaker 1: old world boutiques and cafes. The houses whimsically stack atop 170 00:10:11,320 --> 00:10:15,120 Speaker 1: each other, precariously going up and down the mountain side 171 00:10:15,520 --> 00:10:19,520 Speaker 1: painted every single color of the rainbow. If you've seen 172 00:10:19,559 --> 00:10:23,480 Speaker 1: that Matt Damon movie The Talented Mr Ripley, I always 173 00:10:23,520 --> 00:10:26,240 Speaker 1: thought it would be better to be a fake somebody 174 00:10:26,520 --> 00:10:30,600 Speaker 1: they don't nobody, then you know the scenery. It was 175 00:10:30,679 --> 00:10:34,280 Speaker 1: filmed in Positano, Italy, because it's one of the most 176 00:10:34,360 --> 00:10:38,560 Speaker 1: beautiful places on earth and the perfect location for a 177 00:10:38,559 --> 00:10:46,040 Speaker 1: wedding or an elaborate Cohn so Lauren went out there, 178 00:10:46,200 --> 00:10:49,480 Speaker 1: and you know, it's a small wedding because it's international 179 00:10:49,480 --> 00:10:50,960 Speaker 1: and not that many people are going to show up, 180 00:10:51,000 --> 00:10:53,079 Speaker 1: and so there was a few people and one of 181 00:10:53,120 --> 00:10:55,880 Speaker 1: those people was Lizzie and she was there with Jesse, 182 00:10:56,040 --> 00:11:00,400 Speaker 1: her husband, and they had a great time. She approached 183 00:11:00,440 --> 00:11:03,520 Speaker 1: Lauren and she was just over the top, you know, 184 00:11:03,679 --> 00:11:06,840 Speaker 1: having a good time and bringing Lauren into and introducing 185 00:11:06,840 --> 00:11:08,880 Speaker 1: her to the people. You know, she was really showy 186 00:11:08,960 --> 00:11:14,720 Speaker 1: that way. So Lauren quickly became friends with her, and 187 00:11:14,760 --> 00:11:17,440 Speaker 1: then she became Lauren's client at the salon and she 188 00:11:17,480 --> 00:11:20,520 Speaker 1: started doing Lizzie's husband, Jesse's hair and the girl's hair. 189 00:11:22,000 --> 00:11:24,240 Speaker 1: So when you first saw her, she was a client. 190 00:11:26,160 --> 00:11:28,880 Speaker 1: And Lauren had introduced me several times, as she does, 191 00:11:28,960 --> 00:11:31,120 Speaker 1: and you know, when we have longtime clients, we'd like 192 00:11:31,200 --> 00:11:33,800 Speaker 1: to introduce ourselves. And this is my business partner and 193 00:11:33,840 --> 00:11:37,200 Speaker 1: my best friend, Lauren and Geneva, you know, so I 194 00:11:37,240 --> 00:11:39,280 Speaker 1: had seen her several times in there, and Lauren was 195 00:11:39,280 --> 00:11:43,120 Speaker 1: just trimming her hair. At this point in Geneva and 196 00:11:43,200 --> 00:11:46,680 Speaker 1: Lauren are working as hairdressers for Tony and Guy. But 197 00:11:46,880 --> 00:11:50,760 Speaker 1: soon the entrepreneurial bug bites and they want to open 198 00:11:50,800 --> 00:11:54,800 Speaker 1: their own franchise together. When we decided to be lawn owners, 199 00:11:55,240 --> 00:11:58,280 Speaker 1: we needed to start doing the due diligence of getting 200 00:11:58,280 --> 00:12:01,439 Speaker 1: all the paperwork, finding a bookkeeper, finding a c p A, 201 00:12:03,240 --> 00:12:05,680 Speaker 1: finding people that are just going to get us where 202 00:12:05,720 --> 00:12:08,959 Speaker 1: we need to go. The next step. We approached one 203 00:12:09,160 --> 00:12:11,560 Speaker 1: firm that was sent to us by another client, and 204 00:12:11,640 --> 00:12:13,960 Speaker 1: we showed up there and they were there one moment. 205 00:12:14,040 --> 00:12:15,959 Speaker 1: The next time we showed up, they weren't there. They 206 00:12:15,960 --> 00:12:17,800 Speaker 1: were wanted by the I R S. You know, they 207 00:12:17,800 --> 00:12:20,120 Speaker 1: were doing some kind of weird fraud, and they were gone, 208 00:12:20,400 --> 00:12:22,600 Speaker 1: oh my god. Yeah, And it was weird because they 209 00:12:22,640 --> 00:12:24,640 Speaker 1: set up the appointment for us to show up and 210 00:12:24,679 --> 00:12:27,120 Speaker 1: they weren't there. And I told my client that referred me, 211 00:12:27,160 --> 00:12:29,120 Speaker 1: I said, did you know that so and so is 212 00:12:29,280 --> 00:12:31,000 Speaker 1: wanted by the I R S. You need to check 213 00:12:31,040 --> 00:12:34,199 Speaker 1: your your business stuff with them because they could have 214 00:12:34,280 --> 00:12:37,680 Speaker 1: stole some money from you. So at this point it 215 00:12:37,679 --> 00:12:43,480 Speaker 1: would seem the universe is protecting you from Thank goodness, right, 216 00:12:44,080 --> 00:12:48,559 Speaker 1: little do you know who's waiting in the wings. Yeah, 217 00:12:48,960 --> 00:12:50,959 Speaker 1: but at that point, you don't have a c p A. 218 00:12:51,080 --> 00:12:53,400 Speaker 1: So you're looking, we're looking, and so Lauren calls her 219 00:12:53,480 --> 00:12:58,080 Speaker 1: friend Lizzie and says, you will never guess what happened. 220 00:12:58,160 --> 00:12:59,839 Speaker 1: We set up this pointment with the c P A 221 00:13:00,040 --> 00:13:02,000 Speaker 1: firm and we showed up and they're not there. And 222 00:13:02,440 --> 00:13:04,720 Speaker 1: Lizzie's like, oh my gosh, that does happen all the 223 00:13:04,760 --> 00:13:06,800 Speaker 1: time I hear about that. You know, they just don't 224 00:13:06,800 --> 00:13:09,120 Speaker 1: know why they get this in their head that they 225 00:13:09,120 --> 00:13:14,079 Speaker 1: need to steal people's money. She said that. So Laurence 226 00:13:14,080 --> 00:13:16,200 Speaker 1: set up an appointment with her at her home office 227 00:13:16,240 --> 00:13:21,760 Speaker 1: in Laguna and she had this really great front office 228 00:13:21,800 --> 00:13:26,680 Speaker 1: with ocean views, was beautiful, and she had this placard 229 00:13:26,679 --> 00:13:29,000 Speaker 1: on the wall that said she went to Pepperdine. Oh 230 00:13:29,040 --> 00:13:30,760 Speaker 1: so she had like a degree on the wall, a 231 00:13:30,880 --> 00:13:36,760 Speaker 1: degree from Pepperdine her name on it. Pepperdine University is 232 00:13:36,800 --> 00:13:39,920 Speaker 1: a prestigious school that sits on eight hundred and thirty 233 00:13:39,960 --> 00:13:46,679 Speaker 1: acres in ultra exclusive Malibu, California. Pepperdines neighbors include people 234 00:13:46,760 --> 00:13:52,920 Speaker 1: like Jeffrey Katzenberg, Barbara's Trisand and Leonardo DiCaprio. A four 235 00:13:53,000 --> 00:13:56,400 Speaker 1: year degree from Pepperdine costs nearly a quarter of a 236 00:13:56,480 --> 00:14:01,160 Speaker 1: million dollars. Their alumni include some of them heavy hitting 237 00:14:01,200 --> 00:14:04,400 Speaker 1: movers and shakers in the business world. The head of 238 00:14:04,440 --> 00:14:07,640 Speaker 1: the New York Stock Exchange went to Pepperdine, as did 239 00:14:07,640 --> 00:14:12,120 Speaker 1: the CEO of United Airlines. So a frame degree from 240 00:14:12,160 --> 00:14:16,440 Speaker 1: Pepperdine University says a lot about Lizzie Mulder. We looked 241 00:14:16,480 --> 00:14:19,240 Speaker 1: at it. We're like, wow, that's that's really awesome. You 242 00:14:19,240 --> 00:14:21,320 Speaker 1: know that you went to Pepperdine. We know how prestigious 243 00:14:21,320 --> 00:14:26,040 Speaker 1: that school is expensive. I would be remiss if I 244 00:14:26,040 --> 00:14:30,240 Speaker 1: didn't point out here the striking parallels between accounting whiz 245 00:14:30,480 --> 00:14:34,760 Speaker 1: Lizzie Mulder with her frame degree from Pepperdine University and 246 00:14:34,840 --> 00:14:38,160 Speaker 1: my con artist Mayor Smith, who, if you recall from 247 00:14:38,160 --> 00:14:41,840 Speaker 1: season one, frequently showed off her frame copy of the 248 00:14:41,880 --> 00:14:46,680 Speaker 1: Irish Constitution signed by her great uncle, firmly establishing her 249 00:14:46,760 --> 00:14:51,920 Speaker 1: as Irish Royalty. Professionally framed documents really do lend an 250 00:14:51,960 --> 00:14:56,480 Speaker 1: air of legitimacy to whatever stories being told. Mayor Smith 251 00:14:56,840 --> 00:15:01,240 Speaker 1: easily convinced people she was a wealthy Irish heiress. Lizzie Maulder, 252 00:15:01,840 --> 00:15:05,600 Speaker 1: a successful Pepperdine graduate with the world on a string 253 00:15:14,000 --> 00:15:17,320 Speaker 1: Laguna Beach c p A. Lizzie Malder loves to tell 254 00:15:17,320 --> 00:15:21,160 Speaker 1: her prospective clients just how lucky they are to have her. 255 00:15:22,040 --> 00:15:24,760 Speaker 1: She always let you know how great she was, how 256 00:15:24,840 --> 00:15:27,640 Speaker 1: much money she made, how she just was so busy. 257 00:15:27,920 --> 00:15:29,880 Speaker 1: But what she kept on selling to us was what, 258 00:15:29,960 --> 00:15:32,200 Speaker 1: you guys are a small business, I can handle. You'll 259 00:15:32,240 --> 00:15:34,680 Speaker 1: just do that on the side, you know, as a 260 00:15:34,720 --> 00:15:38,200 Speaker 1: favorite to you as a favorite, you know, don't worry 261 00:15:38,240 --> 00:15:40,280 Speaker 1: about it. All you have to do is just let's 262 00:15:40,280 --> 00:15:42,960 Speaker 1: trade in hair. She gets lots of hair treatments and 263 00:15:43,000 --> 00:15:47,040 Speaker 1: things that are very expensive at our salon, so she said, 264 00:15:47,160 --> 00:15:50,320 Speaker 1: let's just do like a barter system. So in exchange 265 00:15:50,320 --> 00:15:52,880 Speaker 1: for you guys doing her hair, she was going to 266 00:15:52,960 --> 00:15:54,880 Speaker 1: be your c p A and do the books for 267 00:15:54,920 --> 00:16:00,520 Speaker 1: your new salon. And that arrangement works out great at first, 268 00:16:01,200 --> 00:16:05,320 Speaker 1: but as the weeks turned into months, Lizzie's involvement in 269 00:16:05,360 --> 00:16:10,320 Speaker 1: the salon's finances becomes ubiquitous. What she would do would 270 00:16:10,480 --> 00:16:14,080 Speaker 1: create this thing where we actually really needed her. Every 271 00:16:14,120 --> 00:16:17,240 Speaker 1: little business decision she took control of. Any time we 272 00:16:17,280 --> 00:16:19,200 Speaker 1: would listen we would talk to any of the vendors, 273 00:16:19,240 --> 00:16:21,400 Speaker 1: any anything, even the I R S or anything, she 274 00:16:21,440 --> 00:16:22,960 Speaker 1: would be like, put me on the call. I want 275 00:16:22,960 --> 00:16:26,400 Speaker 1: to talk to them. So she got so invested in 276 00:16:26,480 --> 00:16:29,160 Speaker 1: every little part of our business that at one point 277 00:16:29,160 --> 00:16:30,920 Speaker 1: I was even asking, or can I pay down the 278 00:16:30,920 --> 00:16:33,320 Speaker 1: credit card because it's getting a little high, and I don't. 279 00:16:33,520 --> 00:16:35,920 Speaker 1: I don't like that, you know, I hate debt. So 280 00:16:35,960 --> 00:16:38,240 Speaker 1: she'd be like, I already sent them a check, just 281 00:16:38,400 --> 00:16:40,240 Speaker 1: leave it alone, and I'll I want to run it 282 00:16:40,240 --> 00:16:41,720 Speaker 1: through quick books. I don't want to have all these 283 00:16:41,720 --> 00:16:44,640 Speaker 1: little little things that you're doing. I want to do 284 00:16:44,680 --> 00:16:47,800 Speaker 1: all of it. She always had a plausible reason that 285 00:16:47,840 --> 00:16:51,280 Speaker 1: made sense. Yes, of course, and not long after Lizzie 286 00:16:51,280 --> 00:16:54,800 Speaker 1: takes over the salon's books, a never ending string of 287 00:16:54,880 --> 00:16:58,880 Speaker 1: unfortunate events begins to punctuate the lives of Geneva and 288 00:16:58,960 --> 00:17:02,600 Speaker 1: her business partner Warman. Or what was the payroll problem? 289 00:17:02,800 --> 00:17:06,240 Speaker 1: Payroll problem? We were going through a DP and there 290 00:17:06,280 --> 00:17:09,240 Speaker 1: was a problem with our tax i d. A d 291 00:17:09,440 --> 00:17:13,240 Speaker 1: P is the company Lizzie hires to run the salon's payroll. 292 00:17:13,400 --> 00:17:17,320 Speaker 1: So they had a wrong name and they couldn't create 293 00:17:17,480 --> 00:17:22,000 Speaker 1: a actual direct deposit because the wrong name and the 294 00:17:22,040 --> 00:17:25,240 Speaker 1: tax i D We're not sinking up and the direct 295 00:17:25,240 --> 00:17:27,400 Speaker 1: deposit was going to be done, but every two weeks 296 00:17:27,720 --> 00:17:30,400 Speaker 1: it never happened. She would even set us emails saying 297 00:17:30,480 --> 00:17:32,879 Speaker 1: see they said that it was set up, and we 298 00:17:33,040 --> 00:17:37,400 Speaker 1: get all these emails from a DP. So every two weeks, 299 00:17:37,440 --> 00:17:40,720 Speaker 1: the salon's employees are supposed to get their paychecks direct 300 00:17:40,720 --> 00:17:44,920 Speaker 1: deposited into their bank accounts, but it never actually happens, 301 00:17:45,480 --> 00:17:50,760 Speaker 1: never ever, And the employees are piste. You know, she'd 302 00:17:50,760 --> 00:17:52,840 Speaker 1: come in at two o'clock, they're off at two o'clock. 303 00:17:53,040 --> 00:17:55,280 Speaker 1: They're all waiting in the break room for their check, 304 00:17:55,560 --> 00:17:58,320 Speaker 1: and here we are just all frantic, creating a whole 305 00:17:58,320 --> 00:18:01,840 Speaker 1: bunch of distrust. It was o chaotic. Every two weeks. 306 00:18:01,880 --> 00:18:04,760 Speaker 1: It gave me so much anxiety even go into work 307 00:18:04,880 --> 00:18:09,000 Speaker 1: because here are wonderful staff started getting upset because why 308 00:18:09,080 --> 00:18:11,560 Speaker 1: was it so chaotic? Why couldn't direct deposit go in? 309 00:18:11,760 --> 00:18:13,919 Speaker 1: And all we were able to rely was what Lizzie 310 00:18:13,920 --> 00:18:16,680 Speaker 1: was telling us. For the ones that were really mad, 311 00:18:16,720 --> 00:18:19,200 Speaker 1: she would have one on one conversations with them about 312 00:18:19,200 --> 00:18:22,240 Speaker 1: what was going on, like take them into her confidence. Yes, 313 00:18:25,320 --> 00:18:28,840 Speaker 1: there was some heated conversations, but she always acted like 314 00:18:28,920 --> 00:18:32,040 Speaker 1: she knew more. She would be schooling them on on 315 00:18:32,119 --> 00:18:35,399 Speaker 1: business and and still trying to, you know, put the 316 00:18:35,440 --> 00:18:37,960 Speaker 1: flames out a little bit, right because she went to Pepperdine. Yeah, 317 00:18:38,480 --> 00:18:40,760 Speaker 1: she knows more about this stuff than they do. They're 318 00:18:40,760 --> 00:18:44,399 Speaker 1: just hair dressers. And Lizzie ironically becomes sort of a 319 00:18:44,480 --> 00:18:48,040 Speaker 1: hero to all these hair dressers because every time the 320 00:18:48,119 --> 00:18:52,919 Speaker 1: direct deposits don't show up, Lizzie does and sits down 321 00:18:53,119 --> 00:18:57,320 Speaker 1: and manually cuts checks to every single employee and gets 322 00:18:57,320 --> 00:19:02,640 Speaker 1: them paid. In their eyes, she's a problem solver, a savior. 323 00:19:03,040 --> 00:19:06,720 Speaker 1: But soon other strange problems start popping up in the 324 00:19:06,760 --> 00:19:14,720 Speaker 1: salon that leave everyone in the dark. Literally. So you're 325 00:19:14,720 --> 00:19:17,800 Speaker 1: in the salon, the electricity goes out. What happened? Did 326 00:19:17,800 --> 00:19:20,640 Speaker 1: you not pay your electric bill? That's what all your 327 00:19:20,640 --> 00:19:23,440 Speaker 1: clients were saying. Did you not pay the electric pay 328 00:19:23,480 --> 00:19:27,520 Speaker 1: the electric bill. Meanwhile, you're probably dying inside because like, 329 00:19:27,560 --> 00:19:30,359 Speaker 1: how embarrassing your You own the salon and there's no power. 330 00:19:30,800 --> 00:19:33,560 Speaker 1: Well that's the thing is that there is actually this weird, 331 00:19:33,680 --> 00:19:37,400 Speaker 1: fraudulent scam from people pretending to be Edison or any 332 00:19:37,480 --> 00:19:40,959 Speaker 1: kind of electric company, but specifically Edison. And even if 333 00:19:41,000 --> 00:19:43,840 Speaker 1: you go on their website, they say, beware people walking 334 00:19:43,880 --> 00:19:46,080 Speaker 1: in pretending to be Edison. We're not going to shut 335 00:19:46,080 --> 00:19:49,040 Speaker 1: off your power. This you know this and that, so 336 00:19:49,160 --> 00:19:52,200 Speaker 1: there's a scam where people dressed up like the power 337 00:19:52,280 --> 00:19:55,239 Speaker 1: company people. They show apout your place of business and 338 00:19:55,280 --> 00:19:58,480 Speaker 1: what they demanded money, Yes, they say, give us some money, 339 00:19:58,520 --> 00:20:00,600 Speaker 1: we're gonna shut your power. Yeah. And it's so silly 340 00:20:00,640 --> 00:20:06,120 Speaker 1: that sometimes they say, well we'll take gift cards. You, oh, 341 00:20:06,240 --> 00:20:08,960 Speaker 1: seven fifty dollars and we'll take it in gift cards. 342 00:20:09,400 --> 00:20:12,680 Speaker 1: Where to cheesecake factory? Where would you like at Amazon? 343 00:20:14,080 --> 00:20:16,240 Speaker 1: So that had happened a few times anyway, I mean, 344 00:20:16,440 --> 00:20:20,560 Speaker 1: it happens, It happened, happened. Oh I didn't know that 345 00:20:20,600 --> 00:20:24,760 Speaker 1: twice before within even like a couple of years. Ms 346 00:20:25,440 --> 00:20:28,240 Speaker 1: And they hand over this brochure that they got from 347 00:20:28,280 --> 00:20:31,959 Speaker 1: somebody's front porch. Is an official Edison brochure and it 348 00:20:32,040 --> 00:20:36,840 Speaker 1: has a description of not paying payments and things. So 349 00:20:36,920 --> 00:20:40,400 Speaker 1: this is a normal scam. I'm on my way into work. 350 00:20:40,840 --> 00:20:44,240 Speaker 1: The electricity goes off. My staff calls me saying the 351 00:20:44,240 --> 00:20:48,320 Speaker 1: electricity is off, and I'm like what. So I start 352 00:20:48,359 --> 00:20:50,200 Speaker 1: looking on my phone for Edison's number and I get 353 00:20:50,200 --> 00:20:53,680 Speaker 1: a number started calling in so I answered it and 354 00:20:53,720 --> 00:20:56,040 Speaker 1: it was very muffled. It sounded really strange, and they said, 355 00:20:56,359 --> 00:20:59,399 Speaker 1: is this Mrs Mendoza and yeah, yeah, so this is 356 00:20:59,520 --> 00:21:03,000 Speaker 1: Edison Long. We heard that you've got your electricity shut off. 357 00:21:03,520 --> 00:21:05,280 Speaker 1: We wouldn't do that. We wouldn't come and just shut 358 00:21:05,320 --> 00:21:07,359 Speaker 1: your electricity off. We would send a notice that you 359 00:21:07,440 --> 00:21:10,160 Speaker 1: were your bill was due. But you're actually on auto pay, 360 00:21:10,200 --> 00:21:12,359 Speaker 1: so there's no reason why that would happen. This is 361 00:21:12,400 --> 00:21:15,320 Speaker 1: this is a fraudulent action. So we're gonna send somebody 362 00:21:15,520 --> 00:21:18,080 Speaker 1: down there within an hour to turn you back on. 363 00:21:18,160 --> 00:21:19,800 Speaker 1: I said, no, we need it to be turned on now, 364 00:21:20,280 --> 00:21:22,480 Speaker 1: like now. And they said, okay, well we do see 365 00:21:22,480 --> 00:21:24,960 Speaker 1: that there is some past bill and we just need 366 00:21:24,960 --> 00:21:27,520 Speaker 1: that to be paid. And I said, just turn the electricity. 367 00:21:27,880 --> 00:21:30,760 Speaker 1: I have a whole salon full of clients in there. 368 00:21:31,560 --> 00:21:34,160 Speaker 1: So they said, we understand that, we'll get somebody within 369 00:21:34,200 --> 00:21:36,880 Speaker 1: the hour. So we hang up. I called Lauren immediately. 370 00:21:36,920 --> 00:21:39,600 Speaker 1: I said, Lauren, this is weird. This person called me 371 00:21:40,080 --> 00:21:42,240 Speaker 1: out of the blue telling me that this is a 372 00:21:42,280 --> 00:21:45,800 Speaker 1: fraudulent activity. They didn't shut it off. So then Lizzie 373 00:21:45,880 --> 00:21:47,520 Speaker 1: calls me. She said, I just talked to Edison. Did 374 00:21:47,520 --> 00:21:50,320 Speaker 1: they call you too, And I said yeah. She said yeah, 375 00:21:50,320 --> 00:21:52,679 Speaker 1: Well I'm just gonna pay the bill. Let's do But 376 00:21:52,760 --> 00:21:54,400 Speaker 1: you are on auto pay, so I don't know why 377 00:21:54,400 --> 00:21:56,080 Speaker 1: that didn't go through. Just we're just gonna do that 378 00:21:56,119 --> 00:21:59,919 Speaker 1: in the power will come back on. So that all 379 00:22:00,040 --> 00:22:05,680 Speaker 1: got handled. The power came back on. I walked in. 380 00:22:06,160 --> 00:22:08,840 Speaker 1: I'm so embarrassed, my head kind of low, and I'm like, 381 00:22:08,880 --> 00:22:11,480 Speaker 1: don't want to look at anybody, especially not the clients. 382 00:22:11,480 --> 00:22:14,560 Speaker 1: You know. I go in my office and some of 383 00:22:14,560 --> 00:22:16,440 Speaker 1: my managers come and talk to me, and they said, 384 00:22:16,960 --> 00:22:18,720 Speaker 1: was it the same kind of thing? How those people 385 00:22:18,760 --> 00:22:20,760 Speaker 1: come in and they just scam us? And I said, 386 00:22:21,119 --> 00:22:23,320 Speaker 1: I think so. I think that's what it was. Because 387 00:22:23,359 --> 00:22:25,440 Speaker 1: I got a call from medicine saying they didn't do it, 388 00:22:26,000 --> 00:22:28,680 Speaker 1: so you know, they're a little sketched out, and I thought, 389 00:22:29,080 --> 00:22:32,520 Speaker 1: what the heck. So of course nobody came from medicine, 390 00:22:33,000 --> 00:22:37,200 Speaker 1: not all day, not all night. So I was just 391 00:22:37,240 --> 00:22:40,439 Speaker 1: so irked and so weird it out that I told Lauren, like, 392 00:22:40,600 --> 00:22:43,320 Speaker 1: I don't think that was real. For some reason, it 393 00:22:43,400 --> 00:22:47,320 Speaker 1: sounded like muffling. It sounded from a different country, and 394 00:22:47,359 --> 00:22:50,200 Speaker 1: it just didn't seem legit. What accent did the voice 395 00:22:50,359 --> 00:22:52,920 Speaker 1: you talk to you have in America? What's really an accent? 396 00:22:52,960 --> 00:22:56,800 Speaker 1: I couldn't really hear it. It was so faint that 397 00:22:56,880 --> 00:23:00,000 Speaker 1: I could not actually a woman. It was a woman, 398 00:23:00,359 --> 00:23:03,919 Speaker 1: but not a voice you've heard no telling you that 399 00:23:03,960 --> 00:23:05,880 Speaker 1: it's not the power company that shut your power off. 400 00:23:05,920 --> 00:23:08,399 Speaker 1: It's a scam of some sort. And did the power 401 00:23:08,440 --> 00:23:10,919 Speaker 1: come back on? The power came back on, and Lizzie 402 00:23:11,000 --> 00:23:14,200 Speaker 1: said she paid it and that we would just owe her. 403 00:23:16,080 --> 00:23:19,560 Speaker 1: So that's what that happened. And she's and so she said, 404 00:23:19,560 --> 00:23:22,320 Speaker 1: you are on auto pay. Well, we were so delinquent 405 00:23:22,400 --> 00:23:25,880 Speaker 1: with that bill that they cut us off of even 406 00:23:25,920 --> 00:23:28,919 Speaker 1: doing auto pay. So I had to go to the 407 00:23:29,160 --> 00:23:32,000 Speaker 1: store down the road from my house to pay our 408 00:23:32,000 --> 00:23:34,840 Speaker 1: bill every month. And even that felt sketchy to me. 409 00:23:34,880 --> 00:23:37,960 Speaker 1: I was already so frazzled with all of this, the 410 00:23:38,000 --> 00:23:39,840 Speaker 1: fact that I would go and pay the electric bill 411 00:23:39,880 --> 00:23:44,320 Speaker 1: at at a liquor store. Why is this even a thing? 412 00:23:44,440 --> 00:23:46,800 Speaker 1: I know? Yeah, you're a new Port Pach salon owner 413 00:23:47,040 --> 00:23:48,200 Speaker 1: and I have to go to a liquor store to 414 00:23:48,240 --> 00:23:57,960 Speaker 1: pair of electric bill because we're a delinquent. As the 415 00:23:58,000 --> 00:24:02,119 Speaker 1: months passed, Geneva and Lauren are chasing their tails running 416 00:24:02,119 --> 00:24:05,960 Speaker 1: a salon, dealing with forty employees and working in the 417 00:24:06,000 --> 00:24:10,320 Speaker 1: salon as hair dressers themselves. It's not long before the 418 00:24:10,320 --> 00:24:14,560 Speaker 1: salon's finances begin to eclipse every other issue they're having. 419 00:24:15,160 --> 00:24:18,840 Speaker 1: Then pretty soon c p A Lizzie Malder finds herself 420 00:24:18,920 --> 00:24:23,200 Speaker 1: in Geneva's crosshairs. There was a lot of questions I 421 00:24:23,200 --> 00:24:27,159 Speaker 1: would always have that were never being answered, and she 422 00:24:27,200 --> 00:24:30,439 Speaker 1: would disappear for two or three days. Come Monday, she 423 00:24:30,480 --> 00:24:32,440 Speaker 1: wouldn't answer. We were all in a group text and 424 00:24:32,480 --> 00:24:34,399 Speaker 1: I would say, Lizzie, what about this, this and this? 425 00:24:34,920 --> 00:24:36,720 Speaker 1: Did you pay this bill? Did you did you talk 426 00:24:36,760 --> 00:24:38,919 Speaker 1: to the I R S? Did you talk to Cox Cable? 427 00:24:39,280 --> 00:24:42,359 Speaker 1: They said they haven't been paid for three months? Oh, 428 00:24:42,359 --> 00:24:44,240 Speaker 1: I already talked to them. I'll get back. I'll get 429 00:24:44,280 --> 00:24:47,720 Speaker 1: back to you. It was always like I was chasing 430 00:24:47,760 --> 00:24:51,040 Speaker 1: after her, and it was just so disheveled that it 431 00:24:51,160 --> 00:24:53,600 Speaker 1: really made me frustrated because I try to be very 432 00:24:53,680 --> 00:24:57,639 Speaker 1: organized when it comes to especially bill pay. Lizzie is 433 00:24:57,680 --> 00:25:03,159 Speaker 1: the salon c p A for two years from and 434 00:25:03,200 --> 00:25:08,200 Speaker 1: in that time, the salon inexplicably hemorrhage's money. I mean, 435 00:25:08,480 --> 00:25:10,760 Speaker 1: they have a lot of clients, and they have a 436 00:25:10,840 --> 00:25:14,200 Speaker 1: lot of repeat clients, and the salon is bringing in 437 00:25:14,359 --> 00:25:18,560 Speaker 1: a lot of cash but somehow they're spending more than 438 00:25:18,640 --> 00:25:21,679 Speaker 1: they're taking in and it just doesn't make any sense. 439 00:25:24,280 --> 00:25:27,080 Speaker 1: But it's about to what was the straw that broke 440 00:25:27,080 --> 00:25:30,159 Speaker 1: the camel's back. Well, there was a point of true 441 00:25:30,160 --> 00:25:33,280 Speaker 1: breaking point where there was this ten thousand dollar check 442 00:25:33,720 --> 00:25:37,159 Speaker 1: that she said she had this blank check that Lauren 443 00:25:37,200 --> 00:25:40,520 Speaker 1: had already signed in her bag and it was for 444 00:25:40,600 --> 00:25:42,959 Speaker 1: some bill. And at the time she because we had 445 00:25:43,040 --> 00:25:48,119 Speaker 1: run out of money, she was in negotiations with different banks, 446 00:25:48,160 --> 00:25:50,600 Speaker 1: and at the time it was Farmers. She said to 447 00:25:50,840 --> 00:25:52,520 Speaker 1: get a line of credit. That was the only way 448 00:25:52,520 --> 00:25:54,760 Speaker 1: we were going to be able to stay afloat because 449 00:25:54,800 --> 00:25:56,800 Speaker 1: we had run out of all the money. And of 450 00:25:56,800 --> 00:25:59,479 Speaker 1: course she said it was our franchise fees, it was 451 00:25:59,520 --> 00:26:02,600 Speaker 1: the payroll taxes were too high. All these things were 452 00:26:02,720 --> 00:26:05,000 Speaker 1: the reason why we had no more money in our account. 453 00:26:05,400 --> 00:26:08,400 Speaker 1: So she was negotiating a line of credit for us, 454 00:26:08,520 --> 00:26:11,320 Speaker 1: and she hit me up one night and she said, Hey, 455 00:26:11,480 --> 00:26:13,560 Speaker 1: I have this check. I've been talking to this guy 456 00:26:13,600 --> 00:26:15,680 Speaker 1: from from Farmers and he said, you need to pay 457 00:26:15,720 --> 00:26:18,760 Speaker 1: down this credit card and so I'm gonna pay it 458 00:26:18,800 --> 00:26:20,840 Speaker 1: down with the ten thousand dollars and I'm gonna cash 459 00:26:20,880 --> 00:26:23,320 Speaker 1: that you know, for that, And she's like, I just 460 00:26:23,359 --> 00:26:25,080 Speaker 1: talked to you about this stuff because I know that 461 00:26:25,640 --> 00:26:27,840 Speaker 1: that Lauren doesn't get it all the time, and I 462 00:26:27,880 --> 00:26:29,879 Speaker 1: know that you're always, you know, looking at that, and 463 00:26:29,920 --> 00:26:32,000 Speaker 1: I was. Again, she was playing, She started playing us 464 00:26:32,000 --> 00:26:35,320 Speaker 1: against each other. She could see that, you know, I 465 00:26:35,359 --> 00:26:38,679 Speaker 1: was irritated with her and that she wouldn't even answer me. 466 00:26:38,960 --> 00:26:40,679 Speaker 1: The way that Lauren would get her to have a 467 00:26:40,720 --> 00:26:43,080 Speaker 1: conversation with us is she would open it up with 468 00:26:43,320 --> 00:26:46,119 Speaker 1: how are the kids doing? How is Jesse doing? So 469 00:26:46,440 --> 00:26:49,480 Speaker 1: eventually Lizzie would answer and then we could circle back 470 00:26:49,480 --> 00:26:53,399 Speaker 1: to business. So anyway, so she wrote this ten thousand 471 00:26:53,440 --> 00:26:55,040 Speaker 1: dollar check. I saw it come out of the account. 472 00:26:55,160 --> 00:26:57,000 Speaker 1: And the thing is she knew I was always looking. 473 00:26:57,400 --> 00:26:59,600 Speaker 1: That's why she did that. So this ten thousand dollar 474 00:26:59,720 --> 00:27:02,720 Speaker 1: check em out the count the credit card didn't go down, 475 00:27:03,520 --> 00:27:07,199 Speaker 1: so she was supposed to use that to get us 476 00:27:07,200 --> 00:27:10,920 Speaker 1: this letter of credit and it never happened. So three 477 00:27:11,000 --> 00:27:13,800 Speaker 1: or four days later, she's disappeared. You know, we didn't 478 00:27:13,800 --> 00:27:16,280 Speaker 1: talk to her. She's on some trip. So we hit 479 00:27:16,280 --> 00:27:18,080 Speaker 1: her up where I said, Lizzie, where's this ten thousand 480 00:27:18,080 --> 00:27:20,240 Speaker 1: dollars for the check? She says, I paid it down. 481 00:27:20,280 --> 00:27:23,440 Speaker 1: It should hit on Friday. So Friday comes, it doesn't hit. 482 00:27:23,960 --> 00:27:27,200 Speaker 1: She disappears Friday through Monday. Monday, I said, Lizzie, it 483 00:27:27,320 --> 00:27:33,359 Speaker 1: still hasn't cleared. So I go into the bank and 484 00:27:33,400 --> 00:27:36,200 Speaker 1: I asked them, I saw this ten thousand dollars come out. 485 00:27:36,240 --> 00:27:38,040 Speaker 1: Where was it taken out? And they said, oh, it 486 00:27:38,119 --> 00:27:41,040 Speaker 1: was handled in Laguna Beach, And I said, does it 487 00:27:41,119 --> 00:27:44,040 Speaker 1: show that it's going to our credit account. We're sitting 488 00:27:44,040 --> 00:27:45,600 Speaker 1: in the bank and we get a call at the 489 00:27:45,640 --> 00:27:49,080 Speaker 1: same time, and we are talking to Lizzie telling her 490 00:27:49,160 --> 00:27:51,439 Speaker 1: we're trying to find this ten thousand dollars, you know, 491 00:27:51,880 --> 00:27:56,320 Speaker 1: because it's missing. At this point, Laurens still like, I 492 00:27:56,359 --> 00:27:59,760 Speaker 1: wonder where they lost it. That's so weird. And I'm like, well, 493 00:27:59,800 --> 00:28:04,040 Speaker 1: that's freaking weird. Yeah, it's strange. So we get a call, 494 00:28:05,480 --> 00:28:07,480 Speaker 1: goes to one of the tellers that we're talking to, 495 00:28:07,920 --> 00:28:10,440 Speaker 1: one of the bank tellers, and they say, oh, yeah, 496 00:28:10,480 --> 00:28:15,280 Speaker 1: they're in here right now. They said, we're creditors, we 497 00:28:15,359 --> 00:28:18,719 Speaker 1: work for US Bank and we're handling the credit card thing, 498 00:28:18,760 --> 00:28:20,879 Speaker 1: and yes, we did see it hit the account. It's 499 00:28:20,920 --> 00:28:23,399 Speaker 1: going to clear in a couple of days. So the 500 00:28:23,480 --> 00:28:26,000 Speaker 1: lady we were talking to. She said, send that call 501 00:28:26,040 --> 00:28:28,320 Speaker 1: over to me. I want to talk to them. The 502 00:28:28,400 --> 00:28:33,119 Speaker 1: phone line drops, So I was like looking at Lauren, like, 503 00:28:33,320 --> 00:28:37,120 Speaker 1: are you serious? Really? So let me understand. Another bank 504 00:28:37,240 --> 00:28:40,360 Speaker 1: supposedly called the bank you were at, the credit card company. 505 00:28:40,440 --> 00:28:44,200 Speaker 1: The credit card company somehow new were you were there? Yeah, 506 00:28:44,240 --> 00:28:46,160 Speaker 1: and they were calling because they saw that we were 507 00:28:46,160 --> 00:28:51,040 Speaker 1: looking into it. Yeah, So it was just super fishy, 508 00:28:51,400 --> 00:28:55,600 Speaker 1: but still Geneva and Lauren accept that explanation and move on. 509 00:28:56,440 --> 00:29:01,120 Speaker 1: Days later, though, a bomb drops and nothing will ever 510 00:29:01,200 --> 00:29:06,520 Speaker 1: be the same ever again. We went on a business trip. 511 00:29:06,720 --> 00:29:09,640 Speaker 1: We were going to Scottsdale and you're about to leave 512 00:29:09,840 --> 00:29:11,720 Speaker 1: to come back home after the business trip, and we 513 00:29:11,760 --> 00:29:15,280 Speaker 1: get a call from Jesse Mulder and which is Lizzie's husband, 514 00:29:15,480 --> 00:29:20,280 Speaker 1: and he said, Lauren, are you sitting down? And Lauren, 515 00:29:20,640 --> 00:29:23,480 Speaker 1: because she's like the kindest person in the world, she 516 00:29:23,600 --> 00:29:26,400 Speaker 1: starts kind of hyperventilating. She's like, oh my god, is 517 00:29:26,440 --> 00:29:29,240 Speaker 1: Lizzie okay? What was Why would you be calling me? 518 00:29:29,800 --> 00:29:32,240 Speaker 1: And Jesse said, just just sit down and listen to me. 519 00:29:33,200 --> 00:29:35,720 Speaker 1: And I'm just sitting there on the bed like what 520 00:29:37,040 --> 00:29:39,960 Speaker 1: you know. At this point, anything goes She this woman 521 00:29:40,000 --> 00:29:43,959 Speaker 1: has come up with so many reasons of something, and 522 00:29:44,040 --> 00:29:49,160 Speaker 1: so Jesse tells Lauren that he was getting suspicious of 523 00:29:49,200 --> 00:29:51,840 Speaker 1: some of activities that she was doing. So he started 524 00:29:51,880 --> 00:29:55,000 Speaker 1: rummaging through her stuff and he found all of these 525 00:29:55,000 --> 00:29:59,320 Speaker 1: accounts that said income tax payments. He said, I want 526 00:29:59,400 --> 00:30:01,280 Speaker 1: you guys to go through your accounts. It looks like 527 00:30:01,320 --> 00:30:03,160 Speaker 1: she's been stealing money from you, and she's been doing 528 00:30:03,200 --> 00:30:07,000 Speaker 1: it for about a year and a half, so please 529 00:30:07,000 --> 00:30:09,080 Speaker 1: look through all this stuff. I'm going to take everything 530 00:30:09,120 --> 00:30:13,120 Speaker 1: I found to the Laguna Beach Police Department. Apparently there's 531 00:30:13,160 --> 00:30:16,160 Speaker 1: a detective there that's been looking into her, and I 532 00:30:16,160 --> 00:30:18,360 Speaker 1: want to make sure that he gets all this information. 533 00:30:19,040 --> 00:30:21,400 Speaker 1: And Jesse was crying himself on the phone. He was 534 00:30:21,440 --> 00:30:23,640 Speaker 1: crying and he said, I don't know what I'm gonna do. 535 00:30:23,920 --> 00:30:26,560 Speaker 1: We have these two little girls, and I'm just I'm 536 00:30:26,600 --> 00:30:30,240 Speaker 1: afraid and I'm sad for them because their mother has 537 00:30:30,280 --> 00:30:33,440 Speaker 1: done this and she's done it to several businesses that 538 00:30:33,480 --> 00:30:42,880 Speaker 1: I'm finding. Coming up this season on Queen of the 539 00:30:42,960 --> 00:30:46,400 Speaker 1: Con the O C Savior, they say, in my line 540 00:30:46,400 --> 00:30:48,600 Speaker 1: of work, you shouldn't take things personal, but I made 541 00:30:48,640 --> 00:30:53,400 Speaker 1: it personal. Just the arrogance of Lizzie Molder. It made 542 00:30:53,400 --> 00:30:56,080 Speaker 1: it easier for me to go after her because I 543 00:30:56,120 --> 00:30:59,760 Speaker 1: just didn't like her. She created a website numbers. She 544 00:31:00,000 --> 00:31:04,560 Speaker 1: created two personalities as young something and a guy named 545 00:31:04,560 --> 00:31:07,640 Speaker 1: Brent Harrison. And I'm thinking, I'm talking to a guy 546 00:31:07,720 --> 00:31:11,719 Speaker 1: overseas that wants to invest into my winery. And really, 547 00:31:11,800 --> 00:31:15,200 Speaker 1: I'm talking to that woman in Orange County that is 548 00:31:15,280 --> 00:31:17,960 Speaker 1: just scamming me the whole time. And it sounded like 549 00:31:18,000 --> 00:31:20,840 Speaker 1: a man, it did, it sounded it sounded just like 550 00:31:20,880 --> 00:31:24,640 Speaker 1: a man. Lizzie actually used a service that was a 551 00:31:24,640 --> 00:31:27,120 Speaker 1: phone service where you could change your voice. Well, there's 552 00:31:27,280 --> 00:31:32,040 Speaker 1: so much more about Lizzie that goes into the level 553 00:31:32,440 --> 00:31:39,680 Speaker 1: of diabolical sociopathic behavior. Oh, it's to go up and 554 00:31:39,680 --> 00:31:41,400 Speaker 1: do the I r s audit in l A with 555 00:31:41,440 --> 00:31:43,800 Speaker 1: her and one of her assistants. And there never wasn't 556 00:31:43,800 --> 00:31:47,720 Speaker 1: audit that, there wasn't audit, complete fabrication. Wow. I'm walking 557 00:31:47,720 --> 00:31:51,360 Speaker 1: out of the station and in walks Jesse Moulder. I 558 00:31:51,440 --> 00:31:53,600 Speaker 1: need to talk to a detective and he says, I'm 559 00:31:53,600 --> 00:31:57,360 Speaker 1: a firefighter and I think my wife is scamming her 560 00:31:57,400 --> 00:32:00,600 Speaker 1: clients out of money. She got me for to eight 561 00:32:01,040 --> 00:32:06,720 Speaker 1: five altogether, she took eighteen thousand dollars out of my business. 562 00:32:07,120 --> 00:32:10,280 Speaker 1: She took a little over twenty out of my parents. 563 00:32:10,360 --> 00:32:12,800 Speaker 1: How much money did your boss end up? Losing? Millions 564 00:32:13,320 --> 00:32:16,120 Speaker 1: every single day as a struggle to keep our business open, 565 00:32:16,360 --> 00:32:19,640 Speaker 1: we almost lost our own homes. We are facing bankruptcy 566 00:32:19,720 --> 00:32:23,320 Speaker 1: because of her. She crippled us. She crippled us badly. 567 00:32:23,520 --> 00:32:26,680 Speaker 1: Elizabeth Mulder is a predator. I lost my twenty year marriage. 568 00:32:26,880 --> 00:32:29,640 Speaker 1: The number of people she has hurt, the amount of 569 00:32:29,680 --> 00:32:32,680 Speaker 1: time she has done it, and the callus and cruel 570 00:32:32,680 --> 00:32:35,120 Speaker 1: manner in which she abused the trust of at least 571 00:32:35,120 --> 00:32:38,640 Speaker 1: sixteen victims and probably more. I think, if she's not 572 00:32:38,720 --> 00:32:42,760 Speaker 1: already scamming people, I think she's concocting her next scamp. 573 00:32:42,760 --> 00:32:55,520 Speaker 1: I agree, Queen of the con The O C Savior 574 00:32:55,760 --> 00:32:58,080 Speaker 1: is a production of a y R Media and I 575 00:32:58,200 --> 00:33:03,360 Speaker 1: Heart Media, hosted by me Jonathan Walton, executive producers Jonathan 576 00:33:03,360 --> 00:33:07,960 Speaker 1: Walton for Jonathan Walton Productions and Eliza Rosen for a 577 00:33:08,160 --> 00:33:14,120 Speaker 1: y R Media. Written by Jonathan Walton, Consulting producer Evan Goldstein, 578 00:33:14,880 --> 00:33:20,800 Speaker 1: Senior Associate producer Eric Newman, Sound design by baked ZD Media, 579 00:33:21,800 --> 00:33:26,520 Speaker 1: Mixed and mastered by Cameron Taggy, sound editing, audio and 580 00:33:26,560 --> 00:33:30,720 Speaker 1: studio engineering by Matt Jacobson. Legal counsel for A y 581 00:33:30,800 --> 00:33:36,480 Speaker 1: R Media, Gianni Douglas, Executive producer for iHeart Media. Maya 582 00:33:36,560 --> 00:33:37,000 Speaker 1: Howard