Cassie Chadwick was a career criminal who conned her way into high society and spent money like she was a Carnegie...which she claimed she was. What happened next was a $20 million swindle that collapsed a bank.

This episode also features a guest appearance from Javier Leiva from Pretend Radio, a documentary style podcast telling stories of real people pretending to be someone else.

Sources

Wikipedia — "Cassie Chadwick"

Karen Abbot — "The High Priestess of Fraudulent Finance" via Smithsonian, June 27, 2012

Music

Fabrizio Paterlini — Untitled (Lost Letters) Myuu — Don't Die on Me Dana Boule — Grace Dexter Britain — Dance for One

Illusion is written and produced by Brian Earl. Follow Illusion on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts, and please consider leaving a review. It's a quick and painless way to show support, and it helps more people find the show.