Once Upon A Con

Two years after her own experience, Caroline meets another one of David Bloom's victims. Sean Kushner was a sleep-deprived, new father who was promised a house in a trust, luxury trips, and even a meeting with the President. The impact from the experience is significant, and ultimately leads Sean to refocus on what truly matters.

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Caroline speaks at a press conference with CA District Attorney George Gascon after David Bloom is charged with 18 felonies. Caroline and L.A. Times writer James Queally discuss everything about the case, from how slow the process is to what a possible plea bargain could be. Caroline and James hope their publicization of Bloom’s crimes puts an end to his trail of deception. But will this con artist ever change?

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David Bloom, forcefully accompanied by a group of his victims, goes to the bank to retrieve a fraction of what he owes. Despite bilking hundreds of thousands of dollars from his friends and neighbors, David only manages to come up with $20,000 to partially pay them all back. Police are called, and David gets arrested. But he quickly makes bail and is released from custody. And to everyone's surprise: David is not charged with any crime.

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Caroline and a group of David Bloom’s most recent victims knock on his apartment door. He greets them, with an egregiously calm demeanor. There's yelling, there's crying. Caroline unloads all the pain and fury she's been harboring against the man she once considered a mentor and friend. David is soft-spoken and apologetic, and claims the accusations have all been a misunderstanding. He promises to return everyone's money.

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Caroline is shocked to learn that not only was she scammed by David Bloom, but many of her neighbors in their apartment building were also ripped off by the con man. Nearly out of funds and desperate to find answers, Caroline organizes for a group of David's victims to come together and confront the "Wall Street Whiz Kid." 

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Nancy Ozeas was married to David Bloom for nine years. They enjoyed an extravagant lifestyle together, residing in their $1.6 million loft in Venice Beach and taking exorbitant vacations all over the world. David paid for everything. Or at least, that’s what he led Nancy to believe. But one day when she finds a stack of bills from creditors demanding payment from her, Nancy suddenly realizes - David Bloom had actually stolen her identity to fund their entire life together.

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Caroline and her business partners begin to wrap their heads around David Bloom’s real occupation: Full-time Scammer. He’s been a con artist ever since he was a teenager. He scammed his parents. He scammed his friends. He scammed everyone with fake investments that were nothing more than Ponzi schemes to fund his exorbitant lifestyle. No one would know better than David's ex-wife, who suddenly surfaces with a truly shocking account of what it was like to be married to a charlatan. 

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Caroline and her business partners arrive in Austin, excited to have their first meeting with Whole Foods CEO A.C. Gallo the very next morning. Caroline’s already talked to him during a phone call set up by David, and she’s giddy with anticipation. But suddenly, the meeting gets pushed. And then it gets pushed again. And again. And again. Five days later, Caroline makes a shocking discovery about David and the man she met on the phone.

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David Bloom is a silver-haired father figure type. He quickly develops a close bond with Caroline after moving into her storied Hollywood apartment complex. He presents himself as a real titan of industry and very, very wealthy. Caroline is strapped for cash so David offers her an investment opportunity she can't pass up. He also offers to help get Caroline's organic Pizza Girl sauce onto the shelves of Whole Foods supermarkets across the country. After all, he says he's good friends with the CEO. So Caroline and her business partners fly out to Texas with plans to meet the CEO and secure a life-changing deal.

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Caroline D’Amore has spent her life on the periphery of stardom. She’s done small roles in TV shows and movies. But struggles with drugs, a messy divorce, and even a run-in with notorious sex abuser Jeffrey Epstein have kept her fighting to eke out an existence for herself. Then suddenly, a friendly new neighbor enters the picture offering to help Caroline with EVERYTHING.

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