Lawless Planet: A Polygamist Cult-Leader’s Billion-Dollar Biofuel Scam
12/29/202550 min
We’ll be back soon with brand new episodes. In the meantime, we’re sharing an episode from our friends at Lawless Planet, hosted by Zach Goldbaum. Lawless Planet is a podcast about the scams, crimes, and cover-ups fueling the climate crisis, and the battle between those trying to save the planet…and those cashing in on its destruction.
Today’s episode tells the story of the biggest biofuel scam in U.S. history. An unlikely duo – a polygamist cult leader and an Armenian mobster – spotted massive loopholes in America’s clean-energy tax credits and exploited them for over one b...
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Transcript preview
First 90 secondsSpeaker 0· Host0:00
Hey, Scamfluencers listeners. If you're as hooked on these jaw-dropping schemes as we are, you'll love Wondery Plus. Think of it as your all-access pass to the world of scams. Ad-free episodes, early access, and exclusive deep dives that uncover even more shocking details. Don't just listen, immerse yourself in the chaos with Wondery Plus. We're doing something a little different on Scamfluencers this week. We're sharing an episode from our friends over at Lawless Planet, a show about the scams, murders, and cover-ups behind the climate crisis. Every week, host Zach Goldbaum tells a new story from the front lines of the battle between people who are either trying to save our world or destroy it.
Speaker 1· Host0:39
The episode we're dropping today is about an unlikely pair, a leader of a polygamous cult called The Order and an Armenian gangster known as The Lion. Together, they looked at a convoluted new system of tax credits for producing gasoline alternatives called biofuels and saw huge loopholes. Then they proceeded to exploit those loopholes to the tune of $1 billion. Yes, that is billion with a B.
Speaker 0· Host1:06
They thought they had concocted the perfect scam until the FBI and the EPA took them down with the help of a brave young woman who escaped The Order just before an arranged marriage to her first cousin.
Speaker 1· Host1:18
So here it is, Lawless Planet and a polygamous cult leader's billion-dollar biofuel scam.
Zach Goldbaum· Host1:25
Wondery.
Unknown speaker1:28
(instrumental music)