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THE CRIME: SWEEPSTAKES SCAM Ryan Inzana Mary was a widow in her 70s who taught financial planning courses but was now leading a quiet life. But when a letter from American Sweepstakes came

in telling her she’d won almost $5.5 million, she thought that was about to change. She was urged to contact a man named Robert Carson to make arrangements to receive the prize. She called

Robert, who congratulated her, while adding a little detail: She needed to pay about $25,000 in taxes before receiving the funds. She was skeptical, but Robert was persuasive. Even so, as

she sent him the money she issued a warning: “Robert, if this is a scam, I’m going to tell you now, if it’s the last breath I have, buddy, you’re going to get caught, and you’re going to

serve prison time.” From some people that would be an idle threat. But Mary didn’t make promises she didn’t intend to keep. And when it did indeed prove to be a scam, she’d find a powerful

ally: FBI agent Frank Gasper. Gasper worked in the New York office for years, chasing after organized crime gangs there. In 2010, he and his wife wanted a change, so they moved to North

Dakota, where he worked in a small FBI bureau in Bismarck. From that unlikely spot, Gasper soon found himself investigating a massive sweepstakes scam linked to a gang in Jamaica. It was the

same crew that stole Mary’s money. Gasper worked the case for several years, interviewing over 90 victims, including Mary. Their losses ranged from $199 to $850,000. One committed suicide

after being cheated. It was a tough one to crack. But Gasper got a break — a lead on a money mule named Melinda Bulgin who was interrogated after attempting to board a flight to Jamaica

carrying $15,000 in cash to gang members. That helped the FBI identify dozens of criminals running a JOLT scam — Jamaican operations linked to telemarketing. In the end, 27 suspects were

arrested. Mary testified at their trial. “I’m determined that these kind of people are going to pay the price,” she said. Four years after Mary got that letter, the kingpin, Lavrick

Willocks, 29, was sentenced to six years in a federal prison. Bulgin was sentenced to four years. Gasper, who recently retired from the bureau, said, “If people like these call you, you

haven’t won anything; hang up the phone. Don’t be nice, just hang up the phone.” THE CRIME: ELDER FRAUD SCAM On the blissful Hawaiian island of Oahu, few people were more respected by local

residents than Honolulu Police Chief Louis Kealoha and his wife, Katherine, the deputy prosecutor in the city. The pair were not shy about advertising their success, as with the extravagant

breakfast they threw to celebrate Louis’ appointment as top cop. The party cost $23,000, but no one among the revelers questioned the tab that day. Those questions would come later. The

seemingly perfect life the Kealohas had built in paradise began unraveling one day in 2013 over an odd incident: The couple reported their mailbox was stolen. The man swiftly arrested for

the crime was Gerard Puana — Katherine’s  uncle. The evidence, much of it supplied by Chief Kealoha, seemed overwhelming. But when Puana went to trial, the case ended in a bizarre mistrial

after Chief Kealoha blurted out prejudicial remarks from the witness stand. That caught the attention of reporters. How could a veteran police chief make such a rookie mistake? Nosing around

by journalists produced some suspicious details: Florence Puana — Gerard’s mother and Katherine’s grandmother — was embroiled in a civil lawsuit with the Kealohas. The woman, in her 90s,

claimed the couple had betrayed her trust and financially abused her, milking her property to fund their lavish lifestyle. Alexander Silvert, who was the public defender for Gerard Puana in

the mailbox case, suspected the police chief intentionally created the mistrial to avoid scrutiny after he realized his scheme to frame Gerard for stealing the mailbox — and thereby

discredit his testimony in the civil case — was going off the rails. Silvert dug into the case and learned that Katherine manipulated Florence into taking out a $500,000 reverse mortgage on

the home she shared with Gerard, then pocketed the proceeds of the mortgage. Silvert passed along his findings, and federal agents launched an investigation. Two years later, the Kealohas

were indicted for financial crimes. When their case went to trial in 2019, 99-year-old Florence Puana gave a four-hour video deposition. The evidence she provided was devastating. “What

happened to your money?” she was asked. “[Katherine] spent it all,” she said. “Did you spend over $23,000 at the Sheraton Waikiki?” She answered, ”No, Katherine did. That was for her

husband’s breakfast.” A jury quickly convicted both Kealohas on federal conspiracy charges. Katherine was sentenced to 13 years in prison. Louis got seven years. Two other Honolulu police

officers were convicted of conspiracy in the mailbox frame-up. Florence lived long enough to see the convictions, and to celebrate her 100th birthday. Her testimony was critical to exposing

the corruption within the police department — and to the downfall of Honolulu’s power couple. _Bob Sullivan, the host of the podcast _The Perfect Scam_, is a veteran journalist and the

author of five books, including the _New York Times_ best sellers _Stop Getting Ripped Off! _(2010) and _Gotcha Capitalism _(2008)._ ​​​​​​