Fraudsters

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TRUE CRIME
WEEKLY SERIES

Fraudsters is a true-crime comedy docuseries. Comedians Seena Ghaznavi, JD, Justin Williams, PhD, and Ariel Leaty bring you the scams you love from the fraudsters we hate. Our show merges the chat-cast and the deep-dive to take a humorous look at fraudsters that abuse trust, distort reality, and take advantage of vulnerable people financially. Subscribe to SiriusXM Podcasts+ on Apple Podcasts to listen to ad-free new episodes.

EPISODE 1

The War Before The War on Drugs

We’re back and better than ever baby! We’re shaking things up this time around and dedicating this entire season to breaking down the systemic fraud that is The War on Drugs. Would you believe us if we told you that this “war” has cost over a trillion dollars?? AND has ruined the lives of many in countless ways?! But before we get there, jump into the Introduction to Season 5 where our guest, Professor Anne Foster, author of “The Long War on Drugs,” helps us wade through the historical context of it all. It turns out people have been using drugs for medicinal aid and as a means of discrimination and control for thousands of years! Who would’ve thought!!

33 min
EPISODE 2

Harry Anslinger Part I - Meet Our First Villain

Harry Anslinger has now entered the chat. Meet the villainous mind who helped get us to where we are today in this one-sided “war” on drugs. This guy’s got it all: a strong anti-drug stance likely related to childhood trauma, racist tendencies and he’s a failed jazz musician – throw in some intense xenophobia and you’ve got the first commissioner of the Federal Bureau of Narcotics! Tune into this episode to hear more about this man’s hobbies, like his obsession with racehorse doping and manipulating the media to spread misinformation.

47 min
EPISODE 3

Harry Anslinger Part II - For All My Dogs

We’re wrapping up the story on Harry Anslinger with the help of some incredible guests this week. We’ve got the voices of Harry Anslinger (J-L Cauvin), Dr. Woodward (Ryan Feyk), Representative McCormack (Marcus Parks), and Dr. Munch (Henry Zebrowski) to help us get across the absurdity that was the Marijuana Tax Act hearing. Let’s just say it involved a lot of talk about injecting weed into the brains of dogs. The Marijuana Tax Act furthered Harry’s anti-drug agenda which also involved him manipulating science and the media for decades and included a friendship with Joseph McCarthy. How does he do it all?! We also have the one and only, Montel Williams, host of the Let’s Be Blunt podcast, on to help us fill in the gaps with more context alongside Professor Anne Foster, and Dr. Sheila Vakharia. This one’s a doozy; you'll have to hear it to believe it!

40 min
EPISODE 4

George Hunter White Part I - The Ox with Piercing Blue Eyes

In this week’s episode, we’re talking all things George Hunter White – an agent at the Federal Bureau of Narcotics and a monster! Maybe the two are synonymous… He infiltrated drug syndicates, tested truth serums, and eventually found his passion venturing into mind control and interrogation techniques for the government. We’ll get into the twists and turns of George Hunter White’s life – from being a crime-chasing journalist to a narcotics agent to an OSS trainer, to coming to terms with the fact that he wasn’t a Chinese man, this guy’s lived a life and done some horrible things along the way!

42 min
EPISODE 5

Mind Control, LSD, and the CIA - George Hunter White Part II

In this week’s episode, we dive deeper into the sick and twisted mind of George Hunter White. We’re talking Operation Midnight Climax and everything that led up to the CIA’s most disturbing experiments. And of course, this includes a primer on “Poisoner in Chief” Sidney Gottlieb, who also enjoyed conducting LSD experiments on unsuspecting patients. They sprayed harmful chemicals over San Francisco and dosed prisoners for months, permanently altering the lives of many, including the Unabomber. And that’s all before we even get to Operation Midnight Climax – a freaky experiment to study mind control and sex. Nothing pervy going on here…

47 min
EPISODE 6

Billie Holiday vs. The Haters

God Bless the Child that tunes into Fraudsters this week! In this episode, we’re diving deep into the story of Billie Holiday. Using three pivotal arrests from her life, we explore how systemic racism and unjust drug enforcement left Billie Holiday as a public target amidst Harry Anslinger and George Hunter White’s war on drugs. From her traumatic childhood to struggles with addiction, Billie’s fight for survival reflected larger issues of government surveillance, a general sense of apathy towards addiction, and the harsh realities of being a Black artist during this era.

57 min
EPISODE 7

Playboy Panel: The Drug Revolution Remix (Fraudsters Edition)

In this week’s episode, we bring to life a 1970 panel discussion hosted by Playboy magazine, where key figures from law enforcement, academia, medicine, and counterculture clash over cannabis. The debate features Harry Anslinger (J-L Cauvin), William Burroughs (Jim Taylor), Baba Ram Dass (Grant Gordon), John Finlator (Holden McNeely), Joel Fort (Greg Carere), Alan Watts (Ryan Feyk), Joseph Oteri (Jack Stansbury), and our Playboy Moderator (Amber Nelson). They really get into it and address claims that cannabis causes psychosis, and talk through its religious significance, the spread of drug disinformation, and so much more. Alongside segments from the original Playboy conversation, Seena, Ariel, and Justin chime in with modern commentary, turns out this decades-old debate is still extremely relevant! Turn on, tune in, drop out!!

47 min
EPISODE 8

Frank Serpico and the Terrible, No Good, Very Corrupt NYPD

This week we’re diving deep into the sick and twisted and well, corrupt underbelly of the NYPD during the 1960s and 70s. It was a simpler time when cops and criminals were one and the same. And the best part? Everyone knew about it and almost no one cared! That is until Frank Serpico came around. He was an idealistic young officer who refused to play along and take part in petty bribes, payoffs, and organized protection rackets and narcotics schemes. His desire to do the right thing is what led to the Knapp Commission and almost cost him his life. He’s not like other cops! Tune in and we’ll tell you all about it!!!

53 min

See All Season 5 (15)

TRAILER

Season 5 - Trailer: The War on Drugs

August 20th we're beginning our latest season - all on the War on Drugs! Subscribe now to get all the latest episodes!

S5

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2 min

Fraudsters is a true-crime comedy docuseries. Comedians Seena Ghaznavi, JD, Justin Williams, PhD, and Ariel Leaty bring you the scams you love from the fraudsters we hate. Our show merges the chat-cast and the deep-dive to take a humorous look at fraudsters that abuse trust, distort reality, and take advantage of vulnerable people financially. Subscribe to SiriusXM Podcasts+ on Apple Podcasts to listen to ad-free new episodes.