Seems like this could have been a piece on Commissioners Kliavkoff and Scott. They both pulled the same sort of scam on the Conference but were successful in that they got away with it!
It would be awesome what could be achieved. But unfortunately that same charisma and charm ends up like the Jonestown Massacre. Which incidentally left its church here in Ukiah when they left for Guyana. Needless to say this doesn’t get talked about here.
Exactly. By the time you’ve figured out you’re a victim, the damage has already been done. To make things worse, the victim often times is treated like the criminal. I can only imagine what a nightmare that must be.
I vaguely remember you telling the original story years ago. Sadly, there are people who won't take the time to research fraudsters--it's very easy to google someone's name and determine where they're alleged claims are legit or not. I've worked in fraud protection and it's a blast to report scammers!
If I may digress quickly to your Wingstop story from yesterday. I hope that you pursue the case with the DOJ. In my humble opinion, you owe it to all the future people who may be a victim of this scam. I believe there is a valid case here. The items you mentioned regarding your visit are:
- You arrived in the evening. Most store managers don't work past bankers hours, so who knows how long this employee was doing this with no supervision. The manager may not have any clue.
- I wouldn't be surprised if the employee knew of an internal process to pocket the money without showing evidence in their systems.
- Just because this employee is working a retail job, don't think he doesn't have mad hacking skills.
Thank you for sharing another intriguing story, John....I hope you'll update us in the future on how the Wingstop saga gets resolved.
My contention is all the world is perception whichever name you give it. My contention is religion is the most subtle form of child abuse there is. What say U?
Seems in line with "stolen valor" people that act like they were in combat zones in the military. I have run into many of these types, all pretty much have the same thing... They have not accomplished anything themselves, they personally over glorify the individuals they are copying wanting to be them, and have extremely low self esteem if you get to peel back all the onion layers. That is why they protect from the layers being peeled... It's not about being caught or trying to out smart others, they are hiding thier inadequacies from themselves.
I do find it sad when someone feels the need to invent a life instead of just putting in the work and feel good about themselves.
A really nice column, John. Psychopaths can be very convincing and fool a lot of people. Malcom Gladwell, in one of his books, talks about we humans needing to trust other humans in order to function as a society. Bernie Madoff was very convincing to federal agents who suspected something was wrong with his investments, but did not go further because he seemed like such a nice, honest guy. The one person who was on to him, an accountant, ended up feeling very paranoid after trying to get important information about Madoff to the New York state attorney general. He was afraid all the very rich people who invested with Madoff would come after him for revealing the truth. So I'm not surprised that so many people have been taken in by this Jacobsen.
Good column John. But I’m not surprised. We’ve got political candidates who are scam artists looking for their next sucker. Seems to be the norm these days. Sad
Expensive suit, great hair cut, nice smelling cologne and a million dollar smile and you too can be a con artist. Throw in some impressive name dropping along with get rich quick story and you are in business. Don’t forget to open a bank account because you are going to need a place to store all the
Money people will be begging you to invest for them. The recipe is there…. So just follow it
John, speaking of charisma, years ago we hosted a dinner party. The guest of honor was Neal Goldschmidt and his wife Diane. I will tell you he had more charisma than any other person I have ever met in my life
How anyone is so heartless as to con elderly people is beyond belief.And likewise given how often such a con hits the news, unbelievable more don’t know to hangup the phonr
The bad side met up with the hood side apparently. It was late. He was hungry. The lagoon of the Hwy looked doable. The other car was upside down across the Hwy anyway. He just grabbed his camping gear and hightailed deep into the woods
I have an uncle -- my mom's only sibling -- who is just like this guy, but he has a history of trading on actual stolen valor because of how long he's worked with people active in the military and/or their kids. That there are so many of these kinds of people is both infuriating and lamentable...
John, Did not know the FBI ever contacted anyone about Jake. I have a copy of his job application which includes his use of Larry Paul Jacobson's credentials, a photo of Chet Pipken's plane he stole. I also have a copy of the sales contract for the jeep he stole and sold then stole again, all were taken across state lines from Idaho to Oregon to Washington.
That was a suprise topic John. You never cease to amaze....
Thanks Al.
I love him like Carpazo did
Seems like this could have been a piece on Commissioners Kliavkoff and Scott. They both pulled the same sort of scam on the Conference but were successful in that they got away with it!
White collar crime academy.
I just love getting lost in the comments wondering what am I am I doing here?
Michael, didn't you play with Blinn JC, win a title then went to K-State & the NFL? You could do the same thing as L.L. Jacobsen with that name
Lol
Barry, aren't you the twin brother of Dan Fouts? But lack the passing yards of your twin 🤔?
They are on my list you just watch. History comes in two different directions.
These people can be relentless. Maybe his next gig will be a mega church.
Can you imagine that charisma, brain power, and work ethic channeled in a positive direction?
It would be awesome what could be achieved. But unfortunately that same charisma and charm ends up like the Jonestown Massacre. Which incidentally left its church here in Ukiah when they left for Guyana. Needless to say this doesn’t get talked about here.
I met a guy, years ago, who adopted a girl out of Jones'es clutches. The couple were super grateful for a daughter, and that avoided that destination.
That’s wonderful for the family and the daughter. There were many people/kids who tried to escape and were killed.
Watch the video on Hulu June 17 or the National Geographic documentary shortly.
Steve your completely out of control your emotions need to be refined
Bless you Bishop
Her name was?
That was over 40 years ago when I met the couple, I don't remember.
Steve, the Jim Jones project is in my estimation is not apprapo or Germaine to this convo. Don’t drive…
Thank you for your opinion, Bishop. Everyone has one
PT BARNUM once said, "there is a sucker born every minute ".
There is... but I have a hard time blaming people who believe in others.
I’m easing into this side
U make a great point. No one is exempt from being conned. We are human and aren't perfect.
He also invented 2 for 1
Identity theft is definitely one of my biggest fears…and it happens all the time. It has to be a nightmare for the victims.
Larry Jacobson was not happy that someone was pretending to be him. Insidious.
No hilarious
Exactly. By the time you’ve figured out you’re a victim, the damage has already been done. To make things worse, the victim often times is treated like the criminal. I can only imagine what a nightmare that must be.
A sad tale
For sure.
It’s nuanced perfectly courtesy Canzano. His intentions or the inflections is ours, there in lies the rub.
John, the interview with Mike Aresco that you & Wilner did was great. He was a great guest.
Thank you. Thought it was amazing, too.
Wow! And I thought a con couldn't con a con. BTW, great read today and got my stiff neck loosened up shaking my head in amazement. Cheers!
The prison letter... from a guy who desperately wanted to believe that he hadn't been conned... poetic.
Absolutely
Thanks john! A good reminder!
I vaguely remember you telling the original story years ago. Sadly, there are people who won't take the time to research fraudsters--it's very easy to google someone's name and determine where they're alleged claims are legit or not. I've worked in fraud protection and it's a blast to report scammers!
If I may digress quickly to your Wingstop story from yesterday. I hope that you pursue the case with the DOJ. In my humble opinion, you owe it to all the future people who may be a victim of this scam. I believe there is a valid case here. The items you mentioned regarding your visit are:
- You arrived in the evening. Most store managers don't work past bankers hours, so who knows how long this employee was doing this with no supervision. The manager may not have any clue.
- I wouldn't be surprised if the employee knew of an internal process to pocket the money without showing evidence in their systems.
- Just because this employee is working a retail job, don't think he doesn't have mad hacking skills.
Thank you for sharing another intriguing story, John....I hope you'll update us in the future on how the Wingstop saga gets resolved.
Good points. I am a person of principle. It bugged me to lose the $20.88.
Gambling losses should be deductible
My contention is all the world is perception whichever name you give it. My contention is religion is the most subtle form of child abuse there is. What say U?
Seems in line with "stolen valor" people that act like they were in combat zones in the military. I have run into many of these types, all pretty much have the same thing... They have not accomplished anything themselves, they personally over glorify the individuals they are copying wanting to be them, and have extremely low self esteem if you get to peel back all the onion layers. That is why they protect from the layers being peeled... It's not about being caught or trying to out smart others, they are hiding thier inadequacies from themselves.
I do find it sad when someone feels the need to invent a life instead of just putting in the work and feel good about themselves.
They must get something out of it, for sure.
An ego boost
He couldn’t get there.
A really nice column, John. Psychopaths can be very convincing and fool a lot of people. Malcom Gladwell, in one of his books, talks about we humans needing to trust other humans in order to function as a society. Bernie Madoff was very convincing to federal agents who suspected something was wrong with his investments, but did not go further because he seemed like such a nice, honest guy. The one person who was on to him, an accountant, ended up feeling very paranoid after trying to get important information about Madoff to the New York state attorney general. He was afraid all the very rich people who invested with Madoff would come after him for revealing the truth. So I'm not surprised that so many people have been taken in by this Jacobsen.
I had not thought in depth about the psychology of it. Great point.
A tell take sign is does the person possess the yawning reflex? If they don’t ur on to something you be looking for
Good column John. But I’m not surprised. We’ve got political candidates who are scam artists looking for their next sucker. Seems to be the norm these days. Sad
A lot of that going on in business and politics.
Expensive suit, great hair cut, nice smelling cologne and a million dollar smile and you too can be a con artist. Throw in some impressive name dropping along with get rich quick story and you are in business. Don’t forget to open a bank account because you are going to need a place to store all the
Money people will be begging you to invest for them. The recipe is there…. So just follow it
It's just amazing to me that people with smarts, charisma and passion... use it for such terrible things.
John, speaking of charisma, years ago we hosted a dinner party. The guest of honor was Neal Goldschmidt and his wife Diane. I will tell you he had more charisma than any other person I have ever met in my life
He was convicted of taping a 14 girl. 1983
It’s just another brick in the road
How anyone is so heartless as to con elderly people is beyond belief.And likewise given how often such a con hits the news, unbelievable more don’t know to hangup the phonr
The bad side met up with the hood side apparently. It was late. He was hungry. The lagoon of the Hwy looked doable. The other car was upside down across the Hwy anyway. He just grabbed his camping gear and hightailed deep into the woods
I was I court for five different appearances. They thought I was my attorney and where is your client Mr. Bishop? Right here your honor!
Dear Michael,
Not in anyway excusing Goldschmidt’s action. A child’s innocence is sacred.
My point is the guy was a charmer to even adults so what chance did a 13 year old have.
I have an uncle -- my mom's only sibling -- who is just like this guy, but he has a history of trading on actual stolen valor because of how long he's worked with people active in the military and/or their kids. That there are so many of these kinds of people is both infuriating and lamentable...
Ugh.
Fred?
Name
John, Did not know the FBI ever contacted anyone about Jake. I have a copy of his job application which includes his use of Larry Paul Jacobson's credentials, a photo of Chet Pipken's plane he stole. I also have a copy of the sales contract for the jeep he stole and sold then stole again, all were taken across state lines from Idaho to Oregon to Washington.