Michele McPhee – The Polygamist, the Criminal, and Their Multibillion-Dollar Scam

Michele McPhee – The Polygamist, the Criminal, and Their Multibillion-Dollar Scam

August 19, 2026 · 1h 5m

About this episode

Meagan and Lola interview investigative reporter Michele McPhee about a massive fraud scheme involving Jacob Kingston and Levon Termendzhyan.

This week, Meagan and Lola sit down with Michelle McPhee, investigative reporter and host of podcast Kingdom of Fraud, to discuss how Jacob Kingston, a fundamentalist Mormon from the secretive polygamist sect known as the Kingston clan, or the “Order,” teamed up with a shadowy Armenian tycoon nicknamed “the Lion” to commit one of the largest fraud schemes in U.S. history. She’ll explain how Jacob’s drive to prove himself as one of over 100 siblings within the insular Kingston hierarchy got him in over his head with Levon Termendzhyan, his unlikely partner in the massive scheme they embarked on: it involved renewable fuel tax credits, international money laundering, powerful political connections, and billions of dollars. Plus, how they finally got caught–with the help of a couple of Trust Me’s previous guests. SOURCES Kingdom of Fraud See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

People in this episode

Hosts: Meagan, Lola

Guest: Michele McPhee

Topics covered

Keywords

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Kingdom of Fraud, Trust Me, iHeartPodcasts, Exactly Right

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