Cocaine Air

By day, TJ Dominguez ran the world’s largest Lamborghini dealership. By night, he was smuggling tons of cocaine into South Florida for Pablo Escobar. Now out of prison, he’s telling his story for the first time.

In this episode we meet the inimitable T.J. Dominquez, fresh out of Federal Prison. He sits down with Johnathan at a secret location, somewhere in Florida, and begins to unpack his unbelievable story. At the height of his cocaine career, adjusted for inflation, T.J. was making $100 million a month back in the 1980’s flying cocaine for Pablo Escobar. He had so much money (and so many Italian luxury sports cars) that each day he'd get up and get dressed, he'd match his Labmorghini to his shirt color. It's interesting, TJ got scammed by a couple of conniving con artists and turned it into a $500 million cocaine business. You probably know a con artist in your life right now. You just don't know they're a con artist because they haven't scammed YOU. Yet. Buy my book 'Anatomy of a Con Artist: The 14 Red Flags to Spot Scammers, Grifters and Thieves' anywhere books are sold. Or click this link for all major book sellers.  https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/745592/anatomy-of-a-con-artist-by-johnathan-walton/    

TJ is alone on his speed boat in the middle of the ocean buying hundreds of pounds of marijuana from professional drug dealers. And he's $5000 short. "There's no credit in this business." they yell at him with guns drawn. TJ's first big marijuana buy - could be his last. TJ got scammed by a couple of conniving con artists and turned it into a $500 million cocaine business. I got scammed by 'The Irish Heiress' and wrote: 'Anatomy of a Con Artist' for Penguin Random House to teach people how to spot the con artist in their lives BEFORE they get scammed.   You probably know a con artist in your life right now. You just don't know they're a con artist because they haven't scammed YOU. Yet. Buy my book 'Anatomy of a Con Artist: The 14 Red Flags to Spot Scammers, Grifters and Thieves' anywhere books are sold. Or click this link for all major book sellers.  https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/745592/anatomy-of-a-con-artist-by-johnathan-walton/

TJ buys an old airplane and crash lands learning how to fly it. He eventually gets it to Colombia and starts making mad money smuggling South American weed. But all hell breaks loose when TJ loses a couple shipments of marijuana worth nearly a million dollars and the Colombians kidnap him. TJ got scammed by a couple of conniving con artists and turned it into a $500 million cocaine business. I got scammed by 'The Irish Heiress' and wrote: 'Anatomy of a Con Artist' for Penguin Random House to teach people how to spot the con artist in their lives BEFORE they get scammed.   You probably know a con artist in your life right now. You just don't know they're a con artist because they haven't scammed YOU. Yet. Buy my book 'Anatomy of a Con Artist: The 14 Red Flags to Spot Scammers, Grifters and Thieves' anywhere books are sold. Or click this link for all major book sellers.  https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/745592/anatomy-of-a-con-artist-by-johnathan-walton/

TJ has 24 hours to get his hands on $800,000 cash or those Colombians who kidnapped him are going to kill him. And then kill his entire family. It's interesting, TJ got scammed by a couple of conniving con artists and turned it into a $500 million cocaine business. I got scammed by 'The Irish Heiress' and wrote: 'Anatomy of a Con Artist' for Penguin Random House to teach people how to spot the con artist in their lives BEFORE they get scammed. You probably know a con artist in your life right now. You just don't know they're a con artist because they haven't scammed YOU. Yet. Buy my book 'Anatomy of a Con Artist: The 14 Red Flags to Spot Scammers, Grifters and Thieves' anywhere books are sold. Or click this link for all major book sellers.  https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/745592/anatomy-of-a-con-artist-by-johnathan-walton/

From her sprawling Southern California mansion, Michelle Mack sends her team of 12 women - who authorities call 'The California Girls' - all over the country to steal tons of merchandise that she then sells on Amazon for millions and millions of dollars. And she deftly manages to hide her criminal lifestyle in plain sight, renting out her lavish hilltop mansion as a wedding venue. But this Queen of the Con's days are numbered...

In 1986 T.J. Dominguez is making $5 million a week - the equivalent of nearly $15 million in today’s money - smuggling cocaine for Pablo Escobar. But the Ft Lauderdale safehouse where TJ is hiding tons and tons of coke is suddenly surrounded by hundreds of federal agents. Could this be the end? It's interesting, TJ got scammed by a couple of conniving con artists and turned it into a $500 million cocaine business. I got scammed by 'The Irish Heiress' and wrote: 'Anatomy of a Con Artist' for Penguin Random House to teach people how to spot the con artist in their lives BEFORE they get scammed. You probably know a con artist in your life right now. You just don't know they're a con artist because they haven't scammed YOU. Yet. Buy my book 'Anatomy of a Con Artist: The 14 Red Flags to Spot Scammers, Grifters and Thieves' anywhere books are sold. Or click this link for all major book sellers.  https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/745592/anatomy-of-a-con-artist-by-johnathan-walton/

In April of 1988 dozens of Federal Agents armed to the teeth raid TJ’s South Florida mansion and arrest him. He is charged and convicted of smuggling tons and tons of cocaine into the U.S. and sentenced to more than a decade in Federal Prison. But TJ plans an elaborate escape from the confines of his cell - he buys a helicopter and hires a pilot to land it in the prison yard. It's interesting, TJ got scammed by a couple of conniving con artists and turned it into a $500 million cocaine business. I got scammed by 'The Irish Heiress' and wrote: 'Anatomy of a Con Artist' for Penguin Random House to teach people how to spot the con artist in their lives BEFORE they get scammed. You probably know a con artist in your life right now. You just don't know they're a con artist because they haven't scammed YOU. Yet. Buy my book 'Anatomy of a Con Artist: The 14 Red Flags to Spot Scammers, Grifters and Thieves' anywhere books are sold. Or click this link for all major book sellers.  https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/745592/anatomy-of-a-con-artist-by-johnathan-walton/

Executive producer Evan Goldsten and I fuss and discuss some of the wild and crazy T.J. stories that ended up on the cutting room floor. What was Pablo Escobar like? How can you offset the weight of 500 pounds of cocaine in your car trunk ? How do you unload a ton of cocaine from your boat to your waterfront mansion with your nosey neighbors are watching, while keeping them in the dark about what exactly is going on? It's interesting, TJ got scammed by a couple of conniving con artists and turned it into a $500 million cocaine business. You probably know a con artist in your life right now. You just don't know they're a con artist because they haven't scammed YOU. Yet. Buy my book 'Anatomy of a Con Artist: The 14 Red Flags to Spot Scammers, Grifters and Thieves' anywhere books are sold. Or click this link for all major book sellers.  https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/745592/anatomy-of-a-con-artist-by-johnathan-walton/

Welcome to The Ponzi Playbook, the podcast that exposes the dark underbelly of the financial world. Join hosts Neal McTighe and Javier Leiva as they take you on a journey through the seedy world of financial fraud, exploring the twisted minds of the people behind some of the most audacious Ponzi schemes in history.