All language subtitles for American Greed s12e14 Online Dating Trap.eng

In this episode of American Greed,
Daylon Pierce loves to party. This guy

rolling deep in Scottsdale. Tony
nightclubs, Tony bars, going to strip

And the government ankle bracelet
doesn't slow him down.

It was like a superstar. Everybody knew
him.

He was greedy in every sense of the word
greed.

This Casanova con man convinces women
that he's a wildly successful

Dalen could sell someone a nickel for a
dollar.

He looks like the perfect catch.

He drove the nice car. He had the nice
luxury condo. The truth was... He had

spent the previous decade in prison.

And this charming ex -con has a
seductive pickup line.

He said, I do pharmaceutical
investments. I can help you with that

When lovestruck ladies fork over nearly
$2 million to his credit investment

group, he steals their hearts and drains
their savings.

Daly Pierce is a monster, manipulator,
and someone that just looks to ruin your

life. While the phony financial whiz is
making it rain.

Victims were left out in the cold. He
still has time for his favorite show.

fan of American Greed.

He binge -watched American Greed.
Sometimes money turns you into a devil,

turns me into a devil.

With time to search for soulmates at a
precious premium, 21st century dating

sites and applications cater to every
taste, from hookups to happily ever

In Arizona, Assistant Attorney General
Scott Blake prosecutes Internet crime,

including romance schemes.

A lot of people engage in online dating.

But you're dealing with total strangers.
And so I think that's one of the

reasons that it's ripe for potential
fraud.

In 2015, Sarah, who asked American Greed
to not use her last name, is a

recent college graduate and Midwestern
transplant to Phoenix.

She's a fan of dating sites.

I moved out there not knowing anyone. I
didn't want to be the person where I sat

at home and...

Didn't experience where I was living. It
was just mostly I wanted to just meet

people.

But seasoned scam artists are sitting at
home, and they're browsing online

dating profiles in search of vulnerable
victims.

Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich
explains the criminal appeal.

Now, instead of maybe using a ski mask
and a gun to rob somebody, you can sit

your computer and basically take
someone's entire life savings.

That's exactly what Arizona native
Daylon Pierce has in mind.

Pierce used technology to prey on women
who were in vulnerable situations.

Daylon Pierce played the role of a
successful stockbroker.

And the online persona that he
developed,

allowed him to cast a wide net in the
online world.

Right away, he was talking about, like,
what he did and did investments, and he

had this big house, these cars, and he
lived the lavish life to no other.

Pierce talks a big game, but this master
of finesse is an expert fraudster.

He was lying to these women and telling
them that if they gave them money, he

was going to invest it. He didn't have a
background or a license to engage in

any sort of financial planning. He can
be an ass, right?

He can convince anyone of anything.

That is the truth.

But there's more to Daylon Pierce than
meets the eye, says his closest friend,

Heather Williams.

At the end of the day, he's not a
malicious person. He's a guy who came

nothing and wanted to have a good time.

According to Pierce's former defense
attorney, Chris Duran, a traumatic

childhood contributes to his eventual
criminal path.

His mother was addicted to crack
cocaine.

At the age of one, his father was sent
to prison.

At the age of five, his mother
overdosed. And he actually, from my

understanding, saw her die.

In an exclusive phone interview with
American Greed, Daylon Pierce recalls

childhood.

When I was, you know, young, I
experienced my mother's death.

Growing up, my lifestyle was pretty much
unbearable wrong.

Shuffled between relatives for years,
young Daylon bonds with his father's new

wife.

He's 10. It's the night before they go
to see his dad. And some guy on drugs

breaks into the house, breaks his
stepmom, stabs her in front of him 41

and runs out the door and, you know,
leaves Daylon standing there.

You've lost your mom. You've witnessed a
murder. Let's get you in counseling.

Nobody's doing that.

A few years later, Pierce's father is
released from prison.

He had a new girlfriend.

He was out not very long, and the
girlfriend's old boyfriend came and shot

dad and killed him.

Despite Pierce's tragic childhood, He
presents himself as a carefree, preppy

suburban teenager.

When he showed up to my house as a 17
-year -old kid, he's driving this little

Jeep Cherokee and it's a khaki short
polo shirt.

Happy and funny and just, you know, one
of the guys.

But far from the happy -go -lucky
facade, Pierce is learning the laws of

street.

By 1998, he's leading a dubious double
life and scoring easy money.

as part of an ATM theft ring.

He drains thousands of dollars in cash
from multiple accounts before banks

eventually catch on.

He just fell into the criminal system.

By the age of 16, he was arrested for
his first crime.

Convicted for theft, a Class 3 felony,
as a first -time offender and a

Pierce catches a break.

He's sentenced to five years probation.

But first, he's ordered to serve three
months in jail and pay $64 ,000 in

restitution.

By

1999,

Pierce is back on the street, and he's
developed a knack for finding trouble.

basically stealing cars.

These were coming off car dealership
lots. And there was an undercover cop

day, you know, at this place where he
shows up to get people to buy the car.

Pierce is arrested for selling dozens of
stolen cars.

And police label him a gang member.

He's never admitted to being in a gang.
Did he make bad choices?

Absolutely. You know, but he's not one
of those kind of guys.

If it shows up in a police report, if
someone suspects you as being a part of

gang, then you get put into the system.
In Arizona, when you're listed as a gang

member, it's harsher in every aspect.

He's charged in March of 2000 with
assisting in a criminal syndicate,

trafficking in stolen property, and
theft.

Pierce has turned 18.

Now facing multiple Class 3 felony
counts, this time prosecutors throw the

at him.

In December 2000, Pierce pleads guilty
to six counts and is sentenced to 13

years in prison.

So he began to lie to himself. And
that's where I think all of this

could tell himself something and he
believed it. And if he believes it,

else is going to believe it.

So, you know, first he's looking at 11,
12 years and he tells people, I've only

got five years.

He believed it. He's making it into
something that he can believe, something

that he can handle.

Released in March 2011, after more than
11 years in prison, Dalen struggles for

a fresh start.

He tells American Greed... I learned so
much from doing it all the time that I

did do how much I didn't like the place
and how much I wanted to make a positive

impact on my life and just do what I had
to do legitimately to make ends meet.

But instead of turning over a new leaf,
it seems Pierce's fallback of choice is

inventing another brand new identity as
an investment expert.

On the dating websites, he would
indicate he's a stockbroker. It was

about, I'm going to help you. I'm going
to help you to get out of this financial

situation. I'm going to help you to get
a house.

When American Greed returns.

Daylon Pierce looks to online dating and
makes his play.

When he found that if he had money and
if he presented himself in a way that

bigger than life, all of a sudden, he
had everything he ever wanted.

By March 2011 in Phoenix, Arizona,

After more than 11 years behind bars in
a state prison, Daylon Pierce is

starting over.

I was just trying to live my life the
easiest way as possible without getting

trouble. He stays with his best friend,
Heather, and considers his options.

He spent 11, 12 years in prison, but the
life that he knows is 18 years old.

He was...

Petrifying. Of everything.

I don't want to be in trouble.

He wanted to play on the computer
because he had never done that before.

would go to the gym and, you know, mow
the lawn.

This is him when he first got out of
prison in our backyard doing yard work.

Pierce might act like a teenager, but he
looks like a bodybuilder.

He wasn't this big, fluffy guy anymore.
He was like Mr. Buff and, you know, all

grown up.

Well... Mr. Buff is ready to find that
special someone.

But where?

He's like, how do I meet people?

What do I do?

I'm like, oh, cool invention.

Match .com. Plenty of fish.

Like, you'll be a big hit.

And he's like, well, do you think girls
will like me?

I'm like, oh, yeah. They'll like you. So
armed with a keyboard, he dives into

the world of online dating.

He got all these messages, and he's
like, people like me.

I have so many messages.

Pierce quickly discovers that plenty of
women are willing to pony up thousands

in cash to a player who knows all the
right moves.

Women would buy me things to keep me
happy, and I start using that to my

advantage.

While still on parole, Pierce starts
living the life of a pampered prince.

dating women who supply him with
everything from designer shopping sprees

first -class vacations to cars.

I'm not a stockbroker. I'm just a guy
that you like. He was driving fancy

and he was dressed to the nines, and he
was eating fancy dinners, and this is

where it really started.

On dating sites like Match .com, Tinder,
and Plenty of Fish, he carefully

crafts alternate personas.

Sometimes they describe Daylon Pierce,
but also Daylon Jung.

He pleads, don't judge a book by the
cover.

Except this book isn't an autobiography.

He's writing romantic fiction.

The life he had thought up for himself
and told people was completely opposite

of what it actually was.

He boasts on his profiles that he's a
college graduate. He has a master's

degree. He's an entrepreneur.

He told me he went to the University of
Michigan and just played the role very,

very well.

Pierce explains the rationale behind his
lies.

I was not letting people understand the
background of where I truly came from. I

was trying to fit into society the best
way I could.

And what does he look for in his
romantic prospects?

Young, mature.

Athletic, curvy, big and beautiful.

He loves all the ladies.

Pierce's embellishments might be sleazy,
but they aren't uncommon.

And he lays it on thick.

I was using myself as pretty much bait.

And I didn't steal nothing from anybody.
Nobody was giving me anything they

didn't put in my hand.

Pierce presents himself as man candy and
says his payoff is sweet.

and technically legal.

Sometimes there's a blurry line between
Captain Nova or Sugar Daddy or Sugar

Mama and what is civil, what is
consensual, and what is criminal. But

sugar mamas start cutting him off, he
rewrites the rules.

How do I do this without someone
bankrolling this fancy life that all of

sudden I have and people like me? I'm a
stockbroker.

In September 2014...

Pierce registers Credit Investment Group
LLC with the Arizona Corporation

Commission and starts promoting himself
as a licensed stockbroker.

He crosses the line from opportunistic
ladies' man to criminal con artist.

If you're dating someone and they say,
go out and buy yourself a car, that's

essentially a gift.

But if someone tells you, I'm going to
invest money, can you please write me a

check so I can invest money for you? And
then you basically take that money for

yourself. spend on your lavish
lifestyle, then that's when it becomes a

He was after a body with a good credit
score.

I truly think that's all he was looking
for.

Though she's agreed to share her story,
one of Pierce's victims asked American

Greed to conceal her face and name.

We'll call her Gina.

In February 2015, looking for a fresh
start in Phoenix after a divorce, Gina

meets Pierce on Max .com.

He was someone I was attracted to. He
had a real long profile.

You're like, yeah, yeah, sure, sure. You
know, walks on the beach kind of thing.

But I did agree to meet him.

Within days, Pierce offers to help Gina
maximize the 401k portion of her divorce

settlement. He said, I do pharmaceutical
investment.

I can help you with that 401k. I said,
I'd like something where I could get

residual income from it maybe twice a
year.

And he said, that's exactly what I do
for people.

The pitch sounds appealing to Gina, who
has a $94 ,000 chunk of investment money

and a very respectable 780 credit score.

That form of compliments and agreeing
with people is what lends to his ability

to be able to sell and to connect with
people.

He was intelligent, make no mistake.

And the one way that I've always
described him is that Dalen could sell

a nickel for a dollar.

But according to Gina, Pierce also
resorts to guilt, pressure, and cruelty.

It moved from, here's how I can help
you, here's what I do, to have your 401K

transferred within two days. It was
quite quick, and I immediately balked,

he began to shame me.

Pierce's texts are a study in emotional
manipulation.

Thanks for making me feel like a lowlife
scum. You're going to wake up tomorrow

and realize you made the worst decision
of your life.

The one thing about a cod artist, they
know who to target. And he was targeting

people that might be a little more
vulnerable than other folks. You look at

over and over and over. I just finally
said, fine, I will take care of it on

Monday. I had it transferred to his
business bank account at Chase Bank.

When American greed returns.

If you read the indictment.

Every three months, basically, it was a
new victim.

Daylon Pierce convinces his victims to
take out millions in loans and invest

money in himself.

My name is on all those loans, so even
if he gets in trouble, it's still on me.

Suck the life out of us, victim.

Take us for whatever you can and fast.

That's what he did.

In the spring of 2015, Daylon Pierce's
online swagger is impressive, and he's

always on the lookout for a new lady.

He kept asking me, when are we going to
hang out? When are we going to hang out?

So I just finally kind of gave in and
went and actually met him.

According to Sarah, this Prince Charming
moves fast and knows how to hustle.

He wanted to meet at his house, so it
was a big house.

I felt weird being in the neighborhood.
Like, my car obviously does not match

what's going on right here.

We hung out, watched a movie.

He wanted to get physical right away.

Pierce, the successful stockbroker,
mentions a great opportunity to help

pay off $80 ,000 in student loan debt.

Being able to pay that off as soon as
possible would be probably the best

possible thing.

He brought up, I'd like to help you with
that.

The romance fizzles.

But Pierce assures her that, like scores
of other female clients, if she invests

with his LLC credit investment group, he
can put her on easy street.

When he talked about the LLC, he said it
was his job. He did this for a lot of

people. He's been doing this for years.

He didn't have any license to be a
stockbroker. He didn't work for any

institution. Credit investment group was
basically a shell company.

What he does have...

It is victim's trust.

There's one word that describes Daylon
Pierce's confidence.

From the very first date, the word that
Daylon has described it is he would wow

them. Pierce also has a talent for
convincing women that with his

prowess, he can make them rich,
regardless of their financial

There were two different classes of
women, one from inheritance or IRAs or

401ks.

And so when he told them about
investing, they would tap into that

give him the money to invest.

I think the more common was the second
category.

And those women didn't have money, but
they had good credit scores.

He asked me what my credit score was.

I told him. And he's like, oh, that's
actually really good. If they had a good

credit score, he'd say, take out these
loans, and then we can use the loans to

do investment.

Even if they carry substantial debt,
like Sarah, clients with excellent

can qualify for six figures in personal
loans.

What he pretty much told me was that he
would take loans out in my name. There

were maybe eight loans total and around
maybe $200 ,000.

All I had to do was sign and answer any
questions that they called me

to let them know that, yes, that I am
that person, blah, blah, blah. And then

there's women like Gina.

who has substantial resources, little
debt, and great credit. She's already

deposited $94 ,000 from her divorce
settlement to Pierce's account, but he

presses her to obtain almost $150 ,000
more in loans.

It was...

I have to get more money. I told them
you were investing $200 ,000.

He'd tell a lot of the victims, this
investment's not going to go through

there's $500 ,000 put into this
particular entity or this particular

And so you need to move fast.

He would do all the work for them on the
loan, do all the paperwork, do

everything. Pierce illegally alters bank
records and inflates the income on his

victim's applications to keep the loan
approvals and money churning in.

I never really even took a second look
at these applications.

It ended up being $245 ,000.

He fills out dozens of loan applications
for each victim and pushes them to

hurry when banks call to verify the
information.

He had me do everything probably within
a two -week period. He wanted it done

quick to get that money taken care of.
There's a reason for the rush.

So if they're done simultaneously, there
wouldn't be a paper trail for another

financial company to say, this person
already had these loans, we're not going

to loan money.

They would take that check directly to
Dalen.

Dalen would put it into his investment
company, Credit Investment LLC, and that

would be the end of it. And then he
would move on to the next person.

When the loans come due, Pierce has that
figured out too.

He had me fill out a sheet of paper that
said each loan, how much was due each

month, and he would transfer it to my
account so then I would pay all the

monthly balances.

He's still benefiting from all of the
money that he's receiving and paying the

minimum monthly payment on it. That way
the women aren't upset, they're not

calling the police, and they're waiting
for their investment to come in.

He was able to get...

Approximately $1 .8 million from these
victims. Every couple months, he'd have

new victim giving him over $100 ,000.

Up next, the superstar of Scottsdale.

A baller. He's a baller. He's a player.

For Daylon Pierce, life's a nonstop
party, living in the lap of luxury.

But hungry for more money, he steps up
the stakes.

He's a degenerate grifter. He is a smart
guy, and he's a very manipulative guy.

Maybe he should have gone into, like,
legitimate sales, or maybe he should

gone into Congress or something like
that. He was lying.

He was a liar.

In Phoenix, Arizona, Daylon Pierce is
making his dreams come true.

At least a dozen women have trusted him
with almost $2 million in investment

loans, and Pierce promises that their
money is in good hands, his.

He claims to be a club and talent
promoter and tells American Greed that

every intention of investing the funds
legitimately.

Initially, our hope is to get people's
investments back because we use people's

credit to invest.

and multicultural events that were
happening within the business.

Prosecutors say that's a lie.

This money wasn't being invested. It was
going directly to his lifestyle, going

directly to his personal benefit and
gain.

He's got his BMW Alpina, $180 ,000.

He's driving Lamborghinis. He's got a
Cadillac truck.

He's living in million -dollar houses.

You know, he lived it.

He was greedy in every sense of the word
greed.

I've never seen someone spend money so
quickly.

Every time he got a new place, come look
at my closet. And it was $2 ,500 pair

of tennis shoes.

Stacks of them up to the ceiling.

An entire length of closet of jeans.

Half of them had tags on them.

Racks and racks of hats.

Look at me now.

It was greedy.

He wanted to be respected and he wanted
to be successful.

And I think it plays into what he was
using the money for.

He wants people for the first time in
his life to look at him and go, I have

with you. Let's be friends.

Pierce's fun includes funneling his
victim's money out as fast as it comes

One of the victims, she gave him $190
,000 at the beginning of March of 2015.

Almost immediately, he went to the local
casino and spent $5 ,000.

He would put like $200 or $300 in each
machine on a long row.

He would run up and down the aisle,
slamming the buttons, going, come on,

on. And people would just, you know,
gather around, right? Two days later,

another $5 ,000.

Then he goes to a strip club and spends
$5 ,000.

Then he goes to another nightclub and
spends $2 ,000.

Then he goes to another strip club and
spends $2 ,000. He went through the

$194 ,000 in one month's time. And that
was consistent with pretty much all the

victims. Pierce is evasive when Heather
Williams questions the source of his

windfall. This is Dylan.

What's going on?

Where are you getting this money?

Right? And it was always, mind your
business.

You know, what he put these women
through morally and emotionally and

financially, absolutely wrong. Being a
good friend to me doesn't absolve him of

all of the things that he did to these
people.

But Pierce is having too much fun to
think about it.

His day basically consisted of going to
the gym and then having a Scottsdale

nightlife.

This desert dilettante's favorite haunts
are in trendy Old Town Scottsdale,

where he's the life of the party.

The big rock star of Old Town. Everybody
knew him.

Literally, it was like a superstar
walking into these clubs.

For his birthday, Pierce commissions his
own personal videographer.

And in his YouTube video premiere, he
buys VIP bottle service for an entire

club.

He spends thousands of dollars

each night.

And he's surrounded by an ever -growing
entourage, always ready to hang with DP.

Of course everyone wants to be his
friend. They go out.

It's 100 people.

There was no waiting in line.

Oh, you're with DP? Let's go. So these
clubs were letting him come in with all

these girlfriends' credit cards, never
asked him a thing.

They didn't care. It was money.

And I didn't know that he was going to
these clubs because he said, I don't

drink. But here, then I start getting
these things from the credit card

companies, and it's $3 ,500, $2 ,000
every night at different...

places in the club district.

You know, coming from being in prison
for 11 years and all of a sudden getting

big wad of money and then your
experience in this club is pretty weird.

luxury cars, luxury homes. When you
lived your life not being important and

finally you're important, it's hard to
say, hey, let me stop and not do this

anymore because everyone needs me now.

He took all this money for himself.

I was figuring out how to pay rent each
month.

Growing up in the environment that he
did and then going to prison, he was

probably told that that's all he could
ever amount to be.

And if nothing else, he proved people
wrong in the sense that even if it's in

criminal way, he could be more than
being in poverty his whole life.

Pierce steals his way out of poverty,
but he's a generous thief.

He was the guy that everybody turned to.
He wanted to change someone's life.

Because he knew what it was like to need
someone to change his life. Yeah, he's

taking care of your family with my
money.

By late 2015, Pierce is siphoning
millions from multiple unsuspecting

he can live it up 24 -7.

But dozens of loans are due.

Loans that Pierce has promised his
victims he'll pay.

Instead, he vaporizes their credit and
disappears.

He'll pay those first couple payments,
and then he'll basically just go crooked

from there. And hopefully you're ashamed
enough that you're never going to

report this to the police.

When American Greed returns, a day of
reckoning and Daylon Pierce is

I kept being more greedy and more
greedy, and I kept trying to dig myself

a hole, but I was digging myself worse
than a hole.

Daylon Pierce is a phony and
philandering investment impresario who

to have the ability to pay anybody back,
especially his victims.

I couldn't climb out of it because my
spending habits was too much. You know

saying, sometimes money turns you into a
devil, or it turned me into a devil.

When distraught victims beg or threaten
him to pay up, Pierce's answer is to

blame them for trusting him.

He would say essentially, well, you're
the one that gave me the money.

You're the one that put yourself in this
situation.

He figured that when and if they went to
go report this to the police, the

police would think they're crazy. You
met up with this guy that you met on an

online dating site, and you gave him
this huge amount of money, and then they

would have to admit that they...

did something wrong in terms of
verifying this inaccurate information

they're providing to loan companies.

Pierce's victims are desperate, drowning
in debt, and reeling from betrayal and

embarrassment. I feel so bad about
getting my family involved in this and

having them have to deal with this and
feel ashamed

about the mistakes I made. And that's
never going to take any of that back.

By late 2015, women began reaching out
to the Phoenix FBI, including Gina,

who meets Special Agent Suzanne Allen.

These women were strong. It took
courage. It took courage for them to

forward. I just handed over everything I
had, told them every single thing, gave

them every text.

I said, I will help you find him.

Sarah also asks Agent Allen for help.

She's like, we've actually had problems
with this.

person before and like you to come in
and talk. I thought I was the only

For nearly six months, agents aided by
an in -house forensic accountant map out

a follow the money analysis.

We also learned that he still was
maintaining an online dating profile.

We had enough evidence to move forward
with an arrest.

On May 25th, 2015, agents arrest Pierce.

He makes bail and shows up the next
morning at longtime friend Heather

house, wearing an ankle monitor.

According to Williams, Pierce is still
reinventing reality.

I kept saying, Daylon, are we looking at
something major when you get to court

here? And he's like, no, I haven't
broken any laws.

He swore up and down because he believed
it.

He hadn't told them he was a broker. No.

No, they gave me money because I was
their boyfriend.

In Phoenix, the Attorney General's
office issues a press release and

publicity campaign encouraging Pierce's
victims to contact authorities.

We had a flood of victims come forward,
and that was a great moment because it

meant that those women no longer felt
like they had to remain.

passive victims in his scheme.

FBI started contacting people, asking
for records, and they shut him down.

Dating sites blocked him. He'd sign up
with a new name and his picture? No.

Now Pierce is suddenly strapped for new
funds.

Because, as it turns out, beyond closets
full of expensive clothes, Pierce

doesn't actually own much.

He puts everything in other people's
names.

So technically he has no assets.

And I think he did that because he knew
if he ever got caught, you can't take

anything from him.

And as for the sacks of cold, hard cash
that Pierce was once known to carry,

agents have a long -shot theory.

Maybe he's hiding it.

During one of the search warrants, he
had a safe deposit box, and it was

that we could recover some funds, maybe
there was some cash.

But it was completely empty.

Pierce may seem down and out, but he's
still up for a good time.

And in October 2016, he's making more
bad decisions.

In Paradise Valley, Arizona, the
sumptuous Sanctuary Camelback Resort is

exclusive private haven with luxurious
rental villas.

And they've just been ripped off in a
credit card scam.

It was one of those cases that very
easily could have been a quick hit. It

have been very easy to look at the
initial suspect and then not dig any

It's a ghoulish but straightforward case
of identity theft, using a deceased

person's credit card as payment.

FBI agent Blake Barth is working as a
Paradise Valley police detective at the

time. This girl had been given a credit
card, and she went to Sanctuary Resort,

rented the place for the weekend, and
rang up a bill of about $9 ,500.

It's a raucous two -day bash.

It got to the point where they ended up
having to ask them to leave the

property. They were making so much noise
and the party was getting out of hand.

And right in the middle of it all...
Daylon is one of the individuals that

present at the party. In fact, there was
a photo of him with the ankle monitor

and bracelet placing him at the party.

That's Daylon.

Now, if there's ever a sure way to piss
off the FBI, it's to be on their own

ankle monitor. You're supposed to be
humbled.

and in trouble, and all you do is go to
the club and party. This is not the way

to make friends with the people who are
prosecuting you.

Investigators want to know who supplied
the stolen credit card.

That's when the name Daylon Pierce came
up.

When American Greed returns,
investigators link Daylon Pierce to a

credit card theft ring.

And Pierce's good times are about to
come to a screeching halt.

But he's going out in style.

It almost seemed like he knew at some
point that it was all going to come to

end. So I'm just going to live it up as
much as I can.

In late 2016,

Tempe and Paradise Valley police
detectives are investigating Daylon

role in a ghoulish credit card fraud
ring.

They were able to find people who had
recently been deceased, and then they

able to get the cards reissued.

A suspect who booked that weekend bash
at the swanky sanctuary resort using one

of the stolen credit cards tells
investigators that Daylon Pierce is the

gave her the credit card.

We were able to show that there was a
very good chance that he had handed the

card over to the female party who ended
up getting the room.

His involvement was...

deemed as simple as being in the
passenger seat of a car.

A guy that he knows taking a credit card
out of his wallet, handing it to Dalen,

Dalen handing it out the window, and
then driving away.

Pierce is arrested as a suspected
accomplice in January 2017.

Special Agent Blake Barth interviews
him.

The hotel, they think I put you on the
ID and the credit card.

Your job.

Dalen was a small piece of that, much
bigger scheme, but he was continuing to

commit similar types of offenses.

While

Pierce

isn't named as the ringleader of the
credit card scheme, he's still involved,

and prosecutors are confident they have
enough to make an example of it.

This was not only about sending a
message to Pierce. This was also,

about sending a broader message to con
artists, to crooks, to grifters, that if

you engage in that kind of behavior in
Arizona, we're not going to tolerate

kind of crap in our state.

What's past is prologue. And once again,
Daylon Pierce's prospects look grim.

And as for Pierce's entourage... They're
nowhere to be found.

And it kind of echoes his whole life,
right?

Your friends are only your friends when
you have a ton of money and you're this

big deal.

His victims are trying to rebuild their
incinerated credit scores and pick up

the pieces of their lives.

It's embarrassing that I was at a point
in my life where I fell for something

like this because I'm smarter than that
and I'm stronger than that and

I just, I know my life is going to be
affected.

Forever. He doesn't have to deal with
it.

I have to deal with it on a daily basis.

I completely understand how that feels
because I have beaten myself up about

this whole thing. That it's my fault
that I allowed this to happen.

That I should be ashamed when it's him
who did everything.

Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich
makes a point of attending Pierce's

sentencing.

I was right there with him, that there
was nothing to be embarrassed about, and

we're going to do everything we can to
kick ass on people, to take advantage of

people in vulnerable situations.

Pierce pleads guilty to one count of
fraudulent schemes.

On August 11, 2017, as he awaits the
judge's ruling, the women he financially

victimized crowd the courtroom.

He has no remorse for anything he has
done, and I want to be able to see him

the fullest sentence that he can,
because I have a feeling as soon as he

She'll be back at it again.

The judge hands Pierce a nearly 16 -year
sentence.

It is great. It feels like we kind of
won in a sense.

From Red Rock Correctional Center in
Eloy, Arizona, Pierce tells American

Greed... I'm guilty, and I sit here and
think about everything that I've done

wrong, and it's millions of dollars of
people's loss.

You know, it's my fault. I take the
responsibility, and I got to live with

I'm not stating that I'm innocent. I'm
just saying that my crime or what I

committed, I shouldn't have got 15 years
for this.

He was able to get approximately $1 .8
million from these victims because he

had prior convictions, but he could have
been looking at essentially a life

sentence for this conduct.

Heather Williams recalls discussions
she's had with Dalen while watching

American Greed.

Big fan of American Greed.

He binge -watched American Greed even
before he got in trouble.

Loved the show. Found it really
fascinating.

And so once we got into this, I've been
arrested, we're going to court.

I've seen these episodes.

These people steal more money than I
have and get less time. He's like, I

understand.

I don't get it. Pierce hopes he gets
another chance when he's released from

prison. But even with perfect behavior,
Pierce will be at least 50 years old

when he's paroled.

I know that I will stay out of here. I
know I will be happy. I will find

that will love me for who I am and I
will love them for who they are. And I

gain employment legally and keep my head
straight.

If I would pay for someone to meet with
him every week and talk through his

issues, that should be a possibility.

The man who gets out in 12 and a half
years has to be different in order to be

successful in society.

I'm not this devil of a person or this
bad, mean person they put me out to be.

I care about people tremendously, and
I'm not cold -hearted.

Daylon Pierce's victims are done with
giving him chances.

In 15 years, he's not going to have part
of his life, and 15 years to where I

can actually feel better about the fact,
like, okay, this guy...

is now in jail, it's so much more worth
going forward than staying quiet.

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