The Slippery

The Lexi CON is a new limited series from hosts Nancy Moscatiello and Scott Eldridge. The audio only, Tru Con series debuts October 19 wherever you get your podcasts.

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From 2012 to 2021, Jen Shah orchestrated a nationwide telemarketing fraud scheme that targeted vulnerable, elderly, and working-class victims under the guise of selling legitimate online business management services. Publicly presenting herself as a self-made tech entrepreneur while starring on The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City, Shah generated millions of dollars by selling worthless lead lists and bogus services—such as coaching, website building, and tax preparation—that drove thousands of victims into severe financial distress. In the episode, co-hosts Scott and Nancy break down the mechanics of the scheme, illustrating how Shah's operation systematically systematically stripped victims of their life savings.

Federal court records, law enforcement investigations, and internal communications established that Shah was a mastermind at the top of the fraudulent pyramid. Her dramatic scandal unfolded directly in front of reality television cameras, capturing the moment federal agents descended on the set to arrest her. Highlighting the human cost, Scott and Nancy detail the trail of destruction through a series of devastating victim statements submitted to the court—exposing how targets lost their retirement funds, lost their homes, and suffered severe emotional trauma. Faced with overwhelming evidence compiled by Homeland Security Investigations and the Department of Justice, Shah pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud. She's already out of prison, but will justice ever really be served?

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In this debrief episode, Josh Koffman, a former co-executive producer at Bellum Entertainment pulls back the curtain on what it was truly like working under owner Mary Carole McDonnell. While Bellum publicly presented itself as a thriving syndication powerhouse, the guest reveals a high-pressure environment built on operational shortcuts, extreme cost-cutting, and continuous misdirection to keep high-volume television churning out. Over time, subtle red flags escalated into systemic financial exploitation, as employees were routinely persuaded to work on credit through promises of future payouts and false assurances that delayed paychecks were on their way.

Koffman details the company's unraveling and the ultimate betrayal: McDonnell’s sudden departure, which left her dedicated staff, producers, and crew stranded without millions of dollars in earned wages and contractually owed compensation. Reflecting on the aftermath, the former producer breaks down the personal and professional toll this deception took on the team, highlighting how loyalty was weaponized right up until the final exit, and examining the lasting industry fallout surrounding Bellum Entertainment's collapse.

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What do you do when your low-budget true crime production company is hemorrhaging cash, your employee paychecks are bouncing higher than a trampoline, and lenders start knocking on the door? If you’re Bellum Entertainment CEO Mary Carole McDonnell, you don't file for bankruptcy or try to salvage the business—you simply invent a brand-new persona as a high-flying aerospace heiress. Armed with nothing but unearned confidence, forged documents, and a fictional lineage linking her to the massive McDonnell Douglas fortune, Mary turned fake inheritance into a full-time financing model, using her imaginary millions as collateral to secure loan after astronomical loan.

While Mary was out collecting over $30 million from gullible lenders, the reality on the ground at Bellum Entertainment was considerably less glamorous. Her staff was left scrounging and praying that their paychecks wouldn't bounce yet again, completely oblivious to the fact that the company’s entire balance sheet was built on a delusion. As the financial house of cards grew taller and the walls began closing in, Mary started looking for an exit strategy, setting the stage for a desperate final act that would shock her staff, her lenders, and even her own family.

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In this episode of The Slippery Debrief, Nancy and Scott welcome former FBI profiler Julia Cowley to dissect the mind of wannabe master criminal Natalie Cochran.

From childhood sweetheart to the "Ponzi Killer Mom," Cochran spun a web of government contracts, fake tactical gear deals, and stolen millions—before taking the ultimate step to protect her secrets. Julia Cowley breaks down the behavioral psychology behind high-stakes fraudsters, highlighting the subtle red flags and telltale signs of a scammer. Together, they explore what drives someone to escalate from financial fraud to murder, the chilling dynamics of greed and control, and how a seemingly normal life collapsed into a lethal cover-up.

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They had the life everyone in town envied: high school sweethearts turned local royalty. She was a trusted pharmacist; he was a beloved baseball coach and local businessman. But behind the suburban perfection, an obsession with fast wealth took root—sparking a high-stakes pivot into defense contracts, millions in military tactical gear, and lavish spending.

As the money rolled in, so did the lies. When the fake empire began to crumble, the secrets didn't just unravel—they turned lethal.

In this episode, we chart the rise and terrifying fall of Natalie Cochran, exploring how a picture-perfect family fell down a rabbit hole of greed, betrayal, and a cover-up that ultimately cost a life.

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In this episode of The Slippery Debrief, Scott and Nancy sit down with veteran Los Angeles Times investigative reporter Richard Winton, who has been embedded inside the Los Angeles courtroom covering the high-stakes legal battles surrounding former OnlyFans model and influencer Adva Lavie. She's known as "Mia Ventura," to many, but Lavie faces a web of felony charges tied to an alleged high-end dating app theft spree across Southern California.

Winton breaks down the bizarre, fast-evolving courtroom dynamics, detailing Lavie's dramatic appearances—from outbursts and limping in court to her re-arrest after allegedly cutting off her electronic ankle monitor.

The episode dives into the swirling questions surrounding who is funding Lavie's top-tier legal team. Winton weighs in on the complex dynamics between Lavie and her former billionaire fiancé, Stephen Cloobeck—who was himself charged with witness intimidation—and explores whether anonymous backers or former benefactors are footing her hefty legal bills.

The trio also unpacks the defense's strategy to secure a mental health diversion program. Winton offers expert analysis on why a judge recently denied the initial diversion request, how a subsequent declaration of doubt regarding her mental competency has temporarily halted proceedings, and whether this legal maneuver has any realistic chance of keeping her out of prison.

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Scott and Nancy dig into the wild, heavily filtered saga of Adva Lavie—the stunning Israeli ex-soldier turned El Al flight attendant turned high-end menace to society. Leveraging her mile-high glam on social media, Adva built a massive online following that opened the doors to LA’s most exclusive zip codes. But as it turns out, serving drinks at 30,000 feet was just a warm-up for her real passion: serving up major doses of charm to vulnerable, ultra-wealthy older men. Using alias after alias, she swiped her way into the lives—and multi-million-dollar mansions—of unsuspecting dates, routinely making off with cash, luxury designer gear, and high-end watches while her victims were left wondering what hit them.

Just when it seemed like her luck was running out amid a string of felony burglary charges and Los Angeles Sheriff's Department warrants, Adva pulled off the ultimate play: securing a Valentine’s Day proposal from 64-year-old timeshare billionaire Stephen Cloobeck. Yet, true to the Slippery rulebook, the higher you fly, the harder you crash land. 

Buckle up folks—this is the tale of a master seductress whose ambition knew no bounds, right up until the exact moment the law caught up with her baggage.

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In this exclusive debrief episode of The Slippery, Scott and Nancy welcome defense attorney Gloria Rodriguez, who represented Tim Norman during his high-profile, federal, murder-for-hire trial. While the public and prosecutors viewed Norman as the mastermind behind his nephew's murder, Rodriguez breaks down the defense’s perspective, why she firmly maintains her client's innocence, and the crucial turning points in the courtroom that ultimately tipped the scales toward a guilty verdict.

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In this episode, The Slippery examines the dark reality behind Welcome to Sweetie Pies, the hit OWN reality show where Tim Norman reigned as a central star. Charismatic and larger-than-life, Norman positioned himself as an aspiring restaurant mogul, musician, and talent manager trying to scale his family’s soul food empire. But as the cameras rolled, a desperate greed took hold—leading Norman to orchestrate a murder for hire scheme that no one saw coming, targeting his own 21-year-old nephew, Andre. A complex, multi-year investigation involving federal agencies—including the FBI, ATF, and local police departments untangled a sprawling web of burner phones, cell tower ping records, fraudulent insurance filings, and paid accomplices across multiple states.

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