1 00:00:00,010 --> 00:00:05,370 In this episode of American Greed, the numbers don't add up for this 2 00:00:05,370 --> 00:00:07,170 accountant. She's convincing. 3 00:00:07,370 --> 00:00:08,430 She's charming. 4 00:00:08,630 --> 00:00:13,530 She's confident. And she's chaotic. And you say, oh, that's just Lizzie. Social 5 00:00:13,530 --> 00:00:16,230 climber Lizzie Mulder appears to have it all. 6 00:00:16,590 --> 00:00:21,670 Money. She had money to spend on anything and everything she wanted. 7 00:00:21,890 --> 00:00:26,170 Status. The average home in this area, I would say it's about $5 million. 8 00:00:26,610 --> 00:00:27,610 And friends. 9 00:00:27,850 --> 00:00:30,910 We were close. It was like family. I trusted her wholeheartedly. 10 00:00:31,170 --> 00:00:34,710 But an upscale Laguna Beach looks can be deceiving. 11 00:00:34,930 --> 00:00:39,630 Welcome to the Orange County dream a real housewife is willing to steal for. 12 00:00:40,010 --> 00:00:44,130 Somebody that I believed was my friend was screwing us intentionally. 13 00:00:44,550 --> 00:00:47,450 Even if it means swindling her best friends. 14 00:00:47,830 --> 00:00:49,610 There's no justification for what she did. 15 00:00:50,110 --> 00:00:51,690 She's just a horrible person. 16 00:01:10,220 --> 00:01:13,080 Orange County, California is a surfside paradise. 17 00:01:13,640 --> 00:01:19,300 With its endless sunshine, golden beaches, and extravagant wealth, it 18 00:01:19,300 --> 00:01:21,940 lifestyle of luxury that borders on fantasy. 19 00:01:24,340 --> 00:01:30,080 Elizabeth Mulder's Orange County dream begins here in this stately house in the 20 00:01:30,080 --> 00:01:31,160 hills of Laguna Beach. 21 00:01:31,500 --> 00:01:35,660 But Mulder's Orange County dream will become a nightmare for her closest 22 00:01:35,660 --> 00:01:40,920 friends. 28 -year -old Lizzie, as she's known around Laguna, has an accounting 23 00:01:40,920 --> 00:01:44,620 practice that caters to small business owners with big dreams. 24 00:01:45,160 --> 00:01:49,420 Wine distributor Jay Avery is referred to Lizzie by a trusted friend. 25 00:01:50,880 --> 00:01:54,960 My friend told me, Lizzie, she's great, she's got a good personality, she's a 26 00:01:54,960 --> 00:01:59,580 hard worker, and she'll get done what needs to be done for your business. 27 00:02:00,560 --> 00:02:05,060 Jay meets Lizzie at her home office and is immediately impressed. 28 00:02:05,720 --> 00:02:07,140 It was a house in Laguna. 29 00:02:07,500 --> 00:02:11,740 On the hill, overlooking the ocean, and I thought, wow, this is pretty amazing. 30 00:02:11,920 --> 00:02:15,780 She must be pretty good at what she does. She had an office set up with 31 00:02:15,780 --> 00:02:19,000 screens, screens that go over books and projections. 32 00:02:19,320 --> 00:02:23,820 The degree was framed on the wall from Pepperdine. I was left thinking that 33 00:02:23,820 --> 00:02:28,520 having someone with her energy and her background is the best move I can make 34 00:02:28,520 --> 00:02:29,540 help build my company. 35 00:02:30,360 --> 00:02:35,140 Jay is the founder of Jack Wines. Even though the wine label launched only two 36 00:02:35,140 --> 00:02:38,850 years earlier, Jay has a heady vision for his boutique company. 37 00:02:39,790 --> 00:02:43,350 I wanted to go big. I didn't want to just be in California or the United 38 00:02:43,450 --> 00:02:44,950 I wanted to be all over the world. 39 00:02:45,570 --> 00:02:49,450 And Jay is willing to risk his own money to make it happen. 40 00:02:50,230 --> 00:02:52,330 My family, I come from the beer business. 41 00:02:52,550 --> 00:02:56,330 My dream was to go out on my own. With Jack Wines, I put my own money up. 42 00:02:56,670 --> 00:02:58,790 No investors. It was 100 % mine. 43 00:02:59,210 --> 00:03:04,690 But as Jay's business starts to grow, his personal life threatens everything. 44 00:03:05,610 --> 00:03:12,570 I got married young at 25, and it wasn't the healthiest relationship. 45 00:03:12,770 --> 00:03:18,390 And then I had a bunch of surgeries, about five in two years, and got 46 00:03:18,390 --> 00:03:22,350 to prescription pain medication. It was how I got through the day. 47 00:03:23,010 --> 00:03:27,970 Jay confides in Lizzie, whose younger brother is also struggling with drug 48 00:03:27,970 --> 00:03:30,350 abuse, until tragedy strikes. 49 00:03:30,890 --> 00:03:33,910 I got a phone call from Lizzie in the morning that her... 50 00:03:34,510 --> 00:03:40,350 Her brother had passed away from a heroin overdose, and we had a moment to 51 00:03:40,350 --> 00:03:44,290 she was crying and upset, and she told me I better not do that to her. 52 00:03:45,970 --> 00:03:50,890 Heeding Lizzie's advice, Jay checked himself into a treatment center, and one 53 00:03:50,890 --> 00:03:52,990 person was there for him through it all. 54 00:03:54,010 --> 00:03:59,210 While I was in treatment, Lizzie and I would talk daily, sometimes multiple 55 00:03:59,210 --> 00:04:00,210 times a day. 56 00:04:00,310 --> 00:04:02,030 It meant the world to me. 57 00:04:03,240 --> 00:04:08,120 Jay has so much faith in Mulder that while in recovery, he names his trusted 58 00:04:08,120 --> 00:04:11,780 confidant Chief Financial Officer of Jack Wines. 59 00:04:12,840 --> 00:04:17,839 I told Lizzy while I'm getting healthy, mentally and physically, that I'm going 60 00:04:17,839 --> 00:04:21,519 to need your help. I just gave her access to all the financials, to the 61 00:04:21,519 --> 00:04:25,520 account, to writing checks. I gave her signing authority. I mean, I gave her 62 00:04:25,520 --> 00:04:27,800 everything. And it pays off. 63 00:04:28,280 --> 00:04:35,180 With Lizzie's steady hand guiding the company, production ticks up 25%. Things 64 00:04:35,180 --> 00:04:40,980 go so smoothly that Mulder retains control of accounts even after Jay 65 00:04:40,980 --> 00:04:45,840 treatment. And just two months later, a big opportunity comes calling. 66 00:04:46,380 --> 00:04:52,300 Lizzie came to me with an amazing business opportunity with a company 67 00:04:52,300 --> 00:04:56,380 of China that invests in the small wineries and help them grow. Sent them 68 00:04:56,380 --> 00:05:01,920 samples. And within a month of the samples arriving there, she got a phone 69 00:05:01,920 --> 00:05:04,860 saying they were interested in investing into Jack Wines. 70 00:05:05,320 --> 00:05:11,000 The investors are called the Wine Trust, and Jay immediately gets on the phone 71 00:05:11,000 --> 00:05:13,140 with their CEO, Brent Harrison. 72 00:05:13,960 --> 00:05:17,580 Very nice guy, kind of soft -spoken, very direct. 73 00:05:17,800 --> 00:05:20,080 He had connections everywhere to help us grow our brand. 74 00:05:20,480 --> 00:05:23,960 Brent Harrison asked me questions about Lizzie and what she's like. 75 00:05:24,260 --> 00:05:27,760 I told him that, you know, she's amazing. She's a bright, young 76 00:05:28,960 --> 00:05:34,100 Brent says the wine trust will consider investing $2 million into Jay's 77 00:05:34,100 --> 00:05:38,020 business. But first, he wants to sample more wines. 78 00:05:38,740 --> 00:05:42,960 Once they got involved, we had to buy samples. And those samples needed 79 00:05:43,120 --> 00:05:47,080 and those samples needed cork. I mean, our expenses went up, I'd say, a couple 80 00:05:47,080 --> 00:05:49,120 hundred percent over a period of... 81 00:05:49,960 --> 00:05:51,460 six months once they got involved. 82 00:05:52,000 --> 00:05:58,000 And finally, Jay's investment pays dividends as the Wine Trust comes back 83 00:05:58,000 --> 00:06:00,020 the news Jay was hoping to hear. 84 00:06:00,380 --> 00:06:05,240 They love the name. They love the label. They love the wine. And they wanted to 85 00:06:05,240 --> 00:06:09,600 give us a chance to invest in us and grow us into a global brand. 86 00:06:09,860 --> 00:06:12,720 It was kind of a dream come true. 87 00:06:13,800 --> 00:06:18,960 After a year of emails and phone calls, Jay arranges to finally meet the 88 00:06:18,960 --> 00:06:21,000 investors in person to seal the deal. 89 00:06:21,240 --> 00:06:25,800 Brent Harrison will travel to Seattle to meet Jay, and Lizzie will faithfully be 90 00:06:25,800 --> 00:06:26,800 at Jay's side. 91 00:06:26,880 --> 00:06:32,360 But just before he's set to fly, Jay receives a worrying message from Brent. 92 00:06:32,720 --> 00:06:37,740 About five hours before I was supposed to board the flight, I got an email from 93 00:06:37,740 --> 00:06:40,440 Brent Harrison to do a background check. 94 00:06:41,229 --> 00:06:44,930 which I had already done previously. Shouldn't have had to take another one 95 00:06:44,930 --> 00:06:45,930 soon. 96 00:06:46,290 --> 00:06:51,010 Jay got a personal background check months ago to prove he's in good 97 00:06:51,010 --> 00:06:52,010 have a liquor license. 98 00:06:52,330 --> 00:06:57,230 But Brent is now requesting that Jay get a new background check on impossibly 99 00:06:57,230 --> 00:06:58,230 short notice. 100 00:06:58,510 --> 00:07:01,630 Jay immediately calls Lizzie to find a solution. 101 00:07:02,830 --> 00:07:06,690 She said, listen, I'll go up there. I'll meet with them. I said, no, I want to 102 00:07:06,690 --> 00:07:10,170 meet these people that I've been talking to for the last year. 103 00:07:10,810 --> 00:07:14,490 She then got upset with me. She said, well, you're going to make us look bad 104 00:07:14,490 --> 00:07:19,610 you go up there and meet with them and all of our affairs aren't taken care of. 105 00:07:19,810 --> 00:07:23,330 So we got in a verbal argument, hung up, and I just had a bad feeling. 106 00:07:23,690 --> 00:07:24,990 It just didn't make sense. 107 00:07:25,610 --> 00:07:29,330 And then shortly after that, I got an email from Brent saying that the 108 00:07:29,330 --> 00:07:33,050 meeting had been canceled, that he couldn't make it. I knew at that point 109 00:07:33,050 --> 00:07:34,710 all of this wasn't real. 110 00:07:34,930 --> 00:07:40,150 And I'm not a big crier, but I cried. I was upset. I was heartbroken. 111 00:07:40,720 --> 00:07:44,480 So Marla watched everything that I went through, and she went on a mission. 112 00:07:45,640 --> 00:07:50,820 Marla is Jay's new wife. The former model met Jay after he finished rehab. 113 00:07:51,580 --> 00:07:55,060 She's long been skeptical of Lizzie, but said nothing. 114 00:07:55,620 --> 00:08:01,540 I didn't want to tell Jay because he had already lost so much. He had this one 115 00:08:01,540 --> 00:08:05,320 friend left that was supporting him and being there for him and giving him hope. 116 00:08:05,440 --> 00:08:06,940 I couldn't take that away from him. 117 00:08:07,240 --> 00:08:12,840 With Jay's hope now shattered, Marla opens Jack Wine's bank records and sees 118 00:08:12,840 --> 00:08:16,440 huge sums of money have been sent directly to Lizzie. 119 00:08:17,040 --> 00:08:22,020 He sent her a text and basically told her that she didn't tell Jay everything 120 00:08:22,020 --> 00:08:27,300 and send us all the information that we needed that I would nail her ass to the 121 00:08:27,300 --> 00:08:29,000 wall. He never texts me back. 122 00:08:29,480 --> 00:08:34,659 Next on American Greed, the former Playboy model plays amateur detective. 123 00:08:35,280 --> 00:08:40,179 Jay deserved for somebody to fight for him. He deserved it. Until the actual 124 00:08:40,179 --> 00:08:41,280 police get involved. 125 00:08:41,799 --> 00:08:45,820 I said, okay, so I've got a recovering drug addict, a former Playboy Playmate, 126 00:08:46,000 --> 00:08:47,460 and a box of files. 127 00:08:58,500 --> 00:09:02,500 Lizzie Mulder fueled Jay Avery's dream of success. 128 00:09:03,320 --> 00:09:07,720 I genuinely trusted her as much as I probably ever trusted anybody at that 129 00:09:07,720 --> 00:09:08,679 in my life. 130 00:09:08,680 --> 00:09:10,500 Then burned it to the ground. 131 00:09:11,680 --> 00:09:15,980 Now Jay's wife, Marla, is taking matters into her own hands. 132 00:09:16,340 --> 00:09:21,400 She reviews Jack Wine's bank records and finds numerous checks written to Lizzie 133 00:09:21,400 --> 00:09:24,520 Mulder, one for as much as $18 ,000. 134 00:09:26,140 --> 00:09:29,940 I just took it upon myself to... 135 00:09:30,550 --> 00:09:34,510 go after and do everything I possibly could to get justice. 136 00:09:35,310 --> 00:09:40,310 Marla prints out three years of emails, text messages, and bank statements. 137 00:09:40,610 --> 00:09:44,370 She even finds suspicious invoices Lizzie sent to Jay. 138 00:09:44,930 --> 00:09:50,250 The invoices date back to when Jay entered rehab, leading Marla to believe 139 00:09:50,250 --> 00:09:54,850 while Lizzie was begging Jay to get clean, she was also robbing him blind. 140 00:09:55,890 --> 00:09:59,310 Marla thinks she has enough proof to take their case to the police. 141 00:10:00,590 --> 00:10:05,330 I was thinking that I officially nailed Lizzie to the wall. As I'm leaving the 142 00:10:05,330 --> 00:10:10,370 police station for the end of my shift, in walks Jay Avery with Marla. I hear 143 00:10:10,370 --> 00:10:13,250 Jay say, I need to speak with the fraud detective. 144 00:10:13,890 --> 00:10:19,450 I noticed he was holding a cardboard box full of files, and I just, I looked at 145 00:10:19,450 --> 00:10:23,450 the box, I looked at my watch, I looked at him, and I said, let's talk. 146 00:10:24,890 --> 00:10:29,450 Detective Jordan Merakian is the fraud detective at Laguna Beach Police 147 00:10:29,450 --> 00:10:34,630 Department. He started the conversation off by saying, I'm a recovering addict. 148 00:10:34,930 --> 00:10:39,110 And then he introduces me to Marla. Then it comes out that she's a former 149 00:10:39,110 --> 00:10:40,110 Playboy Playmate. 150 00:10:40,310 --> 00:10:44,810 I said, okay, so I've got a recovering drug addict and a former Playboy 151 00:10:44,810 --> 00:10:46,430 and a box of files. 152 00:10:47,170 --> 00:10:51,830 But once Jay and Marla tell their story, they quickly win over Detective 153 00:10:51,830 --> 00:10:53,190 Merakian's trust. 154 00:10:54,410 --> 00:10:59,770 Jay was sitting across from me, and he was saying, I've lost it all 155 00:11:00,130 --> 00:11:01,130 but I'm sober. 156 00:11:01,590 --> 00:11:07,030 But I can't let this die. I have to hold this person accountable. 157 00:11:07,630 --> 00:11:12,050 You try not to get personally involved, but at that point, I was invested. 158 00:11:13,170 --> 00:11:18,430 When Marla hands over her box of paperwork, Detective Merakian discovers 159 00:11:18,430 --> 00:11:19,890 roadmap to the fraud. 160 00:11:20,830 --> 00:11:27,210 Marla. had meticulously identified text messages, e -mails, bank statements. She 161 00:11:27,210 --> 00:11:29,310 had highlighted different wire transfers. 162 00:11:29,890 --> 00:11:33,150 It was at that time that I realized, I have a case. 163 00:11:33,830 --> 00:11:37,450 Detective Merakian starts to unpick Mulder's crime. 164 00:11:38,910 --> 00:11:41,630 Lindsay's scheme was simply a check fraud scheme. 165 00:11:42,230 --> 00:11:45,770 She was robbing Peter to pay Paul, but Paul was herself. 166 00:11:47,170 --> 00:11:51,550 Lizzie repeatedly sends fake invoices for Jack Wine's expenses. 167 00:11:51,830 --> 00:11:57,210 When Jay earmarks money to pay bills, Lizzie transfers it to her personal bank 168 00:11:57,210 --> 00:12:02,050 account, then covers her tracks with fraudulent receipts showing the expenses 169 00:12:02,050 --> 00:12:07,130 have been paid. But before Detective Merakian can finish his investigation, 170 00:12:07,130 --> 00:12:08,290 case takes a twist. 171 00:12:10,320 --> 00:12:14,360 I'm walking out the door at 5 o 'clock, and I hear, I need to speak with the 172 00:12:14,360 --> 00:12:15,259 fraud detective. 173 00:12:15,260 --> 00:12:20,500 Same with Jay. I look at my watch. I look at the gentleman at the counter, 174 00:12:20,500 --> 00:12:27,120 introduce myself as the fraud detective, and he is clearly distraught. And he 175 00:12:27,120 --> 00:12:31,600 begins to tell me this story about how his wife, she's an accountant, and she's 176 00:12:31,600 --> 00:12:34,600 been stealing money from small businesses throughout Orange County. 177 00:12:34,840 --> 00:12:38,280 It wasn't until about five minutes into the interview that I said, well, what's 178 00:12:38,280 --> 00:12:39,280 your wife's name? 179 00:12:39,530 --> 00:12:41,550 And he says, Lizzie Mulder. 180 00:12:43,310 --> 00:12:47,630 In the detective bureau, we called it Fukushima because it was like everything 181 00:12:47,630 --> 00:12:48,650 just exploded. 182 00:12:49,250 --> 00:12:52,990 In the simplest version of the story, I say, tell me more. 183 00:12:54,110 --> 00:12:59,510 Lizzie's husband, Jesse, shares a list of her clients. And Detective Merakian 184 00:12:59,510 --> 00:13:01,790 immediately gets in touch with their businesses. 185 00:13:02,690 --> 00:13:05,870 Every single one of them said, oh, not Lizzie. 186 00:13:06,170 --> 00:13:09,450 Anyone but Lizzie. And a couple of them hung up on me. 187 00:13:10,050 --> 00:13:16,610 And my response to all of them was, take a look at your bank statements and call 188 00:13:16,610 --> 00:13:17,610 me tomorrow. 189 00:13:17,810 --> 00:13:21,890 By the next day, I had seven people that had called me. 190 00:13:22,690 --> 00:13:27,250 Detective Merakian finds that many of Lizzie's clients also happen to be her 191 00:13:27,250 --> 00:13:28,330 closest friends. 192 00:13:29,530 --> 00:13:34,210 They would say, I had her in my house. She was at my kid's birthday party. She 193 00:13:34,210 --> 00:13:35,210 was at my wedding. 194 00:13:35,690 --> 00:13:40,130 I can't believe she'd do this. The only thing in this case that was consistent 195 00:13:40,130 --> 00:13:43,710 was that Lizzie used her charm to gain their trust. 196 00:13:44,530 --> 00:13:48,330 It all sounds painfully familiar to Jay Avery. 197 00:13:48,910 --> 00:13:53,350 I was relieved to find out that I wasn't the only gullible jackass in Orange 198 00:13:53,350 --> 00:13:55,370 County to fall for this. 199 00:13:56,170 --> 00:14:01,510 Next on American Greed, Lizzie Mulder traps her victims with manipulation and 200 00:14:01,510 --> 00:14:02,510 lies. 201 00:14:02,540 --> 00:14:03,800 Most of my victims were women. 202 00:14:04,260 --> 00:14:05,560 Most of them were entrepreneurs. 203 00:14:06,020 --> 00:14:09,220 She keeps her friends close, but her victims closer. 204 00:14:09,600 --> 00:14:12,840 She desperately wanted to be a part of that social circle. 205 00:14:26,990 --> 00:14:31,670 Detective Jordan Merakian's case against Lizzie Mulder takes a dramatic turn 206 00:14:31,670 --> 00:14:36,490 when he gets a tip from an unexpected source, Lizzie's own husband. 207 00:14:37,090 --> 00:14:41,690 Jesse Mulder has been so rocked by Lizzie's actions that before telling 208 00:14:41,690 --> 00:14:46,170 Detective Merakian about her fraud, he alerted some of the victims himself. 209 00:14:47,030 --> 00:14:50,530 Lauren Skacia is one friend who Jesse called. 210 00:14:50,870 --> 00:14:52,590 My first thought was she got in a car accident. 211 00:14:52,990 --> 00:14:56,230 and, like, something was bad, especially when Jesse said, Lauren, are you 212 00:14:56,230 --> 00:14:57,029 sitting down? 213 00:14:57,030 --> 00:15:00,430 And then what I heard next was, I think Lizzie's been embezzling from you and 214 00:15:00,430 --> 00:15:01,430 from others. 215 00:15:01,850 --> 00:15:08,650 And that, like, that's when everything, I don't know if it came together or fell 216 00:15:08,650 --> 00:15:10,050 apart. I don't know which one it is. 217 00:15:10,730 --> 00:15:15,370 Years before she became one of Lizzie's marks, Lauren was her friend. 218 00:15:16,230 --> 00:15:17,230 She's fun. 219 00:15:17,790 --> 00:15:20,270 She has a lot of charisma. 220 00:15:20,510 --> 00:15:21,650 She likes to laugh. 221 00:15:22,350 --> 00:15:27,390 It's an attractive personality to be near someone that's confident in their 222 00:15:27,390 --> 00:15:31,850 and has a good time. So it was easy to know her. 223 00:15:32,310 --> 00:15:37,390 Lauren was also Lizzie's hairdresser. With her friend in her chair, Lauren 224 00:15:37,390 --> 00:15:40,210 tell Lizzie about her dream to one day own a salon. 225 00:15:40,970 --> 00:15:46,450 Then in 2014, Lauren and her business partner, Geneva Burghorst, are offered a 226 00:15:46,450 --> 00:15:49,990 chance to franchise the luxury salon they've been managing. 227 00:15:50,839 --> 00:15:52,720 Lauren and I were like, what? 228 00:15:53,360 --> 00:15:56,220 Are you kidding me? I mean, this is a dream salon. 229 00:15:56,560 --> 00:15:59,280 Now we have the opportunity to own it? Of course. 230 00:15:59,980 --> 00:16:03,400 But they need a CPA to help them set up the business. 231 00:16:04,060 --> 00:16:08,000 Naturally, Lauren heads to the home of her good friend, Lizzie. 232 00:16:08,540 --> 00:16:13,740 Geneva and I drove to Laguna and get out of the car. We're like, damn, like, 233 00:16:13,820 --> 00:16:15,180 this is awesome. 234 00:16:15,400 --> 00:16:17,080 Like, where she lives is incredible. 235 00:16:17,640 --> 00:16:22,500 She made sure that we knew that her credentials were very high. She 236 00:16:22,500 --> 00:16:27,080 with honors from Pepperdine, and she passed it on the first time. 237 00:16:27,960 --> 00:16:31,020 She just said, you know, you need somebody you can trust. 238 00:16:31,520 --> 00:16:34,660 You can't afford me, but that's okay. I'll take care of you guys. 239 00:16:35,060 --> 00:16:40,160 Despite being a high -dollar CPA, Mulder offers to barter her services. 240 00:16:40,700 --> 00:16:43,460 Lizzie will handle the salon's bookkeeping and taxes. 241 00:16:43,900 --> 00:16:47,700 And in exchange, her family will get free treatments at the salon. 242 00:16:49,260 --> 00:16:53,520 Lizzie made sure that we knew how lucky we were to have her in our lives. 243 00:16:53,760 --> 00:16:54,760 And we felt it. 244 00:16:55,960 --> 00:17:00,880 Lizzie tells Lauren and Geneva to keep their hairdressers and clients happy and 245 00:17:00,880 --> 00:17:02,120 leave the rest to her. 246 00:17:02,900 --> 00:17:07,520 Everything that was happening, we were asking her permission if we could do it. 247 00:17:07,540 --> 00:17:10,780 But with the understanding of she knows where we are financially. 248 00:17:11,980 --> 00:17:16,380 As their business relationship grew, so did Lizzie and Lauren's friendship. 249 00:17:16,599 --> 00:17:21,300 When Lauren invites Lizzie to her wedding, Lizzie shocks her friend with a 250 00:17:21,300 --> 00:17:22,300 lavish present. 251 00:17:23,020 --> 00:17:28,500 She gifted us five grand in wine. It was actually Jack wine. And we just thought 252 00:17:28,500 --> 00:17:29,499 that was so generous. 253 00:17:29,500 --> 00:17:32,400 We're like, man, we are just really lucky to have her in our lives. 254 00:17:32,940 --> 00:17:36,120 But at the salon, issues are arising. 255 00:17:36,380 --> 00:17:40,340 A few months after opening, the salon is locked out of their online payroll 256 00:17:40,340 --> 00:17:45,830 system. Mulder sets up the payroll on a different platform, but come payday, no 257 00:17:45,830 --> 00:17:46,830 money arrives. 258 00:17:47,730 --> 00:17:52,030 We told our staff, yes, direct deposit's good, you're going to get your money on 259 00:17:52,030 --> 00:17:56,790 Thursday. So on Friday, when they didn't get their money the night before, they 260 00:17:56,790 --> 00:17:57,790 were already in a bad mood. 261 00:17:58,830 --> 00:18:04,630 Mulder explains direct deposit is pending approval, so she manually 262 00:18:04,630 --> 00:18:08,290 and cuts checks for all 45 of the salon's employees. 263 00:18:09,710 --> 00:18:10,710 Lizzy Wood. 264 00:18:10,810 --> 00:18:14,970 Rush into the salon with her bags, drop the bags, and start issuing these manual 265 00:18:14,970 --> 00:18:17,370 checks. You know, just in time to save the day. 266 00:18:17,650 --> 00:18:19,330 And she did, and we were grateful. 267 00:18:19,550 --> 00:18:21,590 Like, God, we're so lucky to have you. 268 00:18:22,610 --> 00:18:27,970 Two weeks later, it's payday again. This time, Lizzie assures them by forwarding 269 00:18:27,970 --> 00:18:31,130 a confirmation that direct deposit is on its way. 270 00:18:31,710 --> 00:18:34,090 But the exact same thing occurs. 271 00:18:35,110 --> 00:18:39,750 No checks would arrive, and we would have to manually write out 40 -some -odd 272 00:18:39,750 --> 00:18:43,600 check. Every two weeks for a period of about four months. 273 00:18:43,800 --> 00:18:46,640 It was chaos. It was absolute chaos every two weeks. 274 00:18:47,680 --> 00:18:52,140 Then one day, with the salon full of clients, the lights go out. 275 00:18:52,740 --> 00:18:54,860 The clients were making comments. 276 00:18:55,380 --> 00:18:57,260 You know, who didn't pay the bill? 277 00:18:58,180 --> 00:19:01,140 Lauren and Geneva immediately called Lizzie. 278 00:19:01,960 --> 00:19:07,560 So I called Lizzie and said, like, what the heck? Our electricity is out. What 279 00:19:07,560 --> 00:19:08,499 happened? 280 00:19:08,500 --> 00:19:09,500 I thought we were on auto pay. 281 00:19:09,870 --> 00:19:12,490 She goes, that's ridiculous. We are on auto pay. So she's like, I'm going to 282 00:19:12,490 --> 00:19:13,490 call them right now. 283 00:19:13,710 --> 00:19:17,590 A few minutes later, Geneva receives a call from an 800 number. 284 00:19:18,250 --> 00:19:22,390 On the other line is a woman who says she is from Southern California Edison, 285 00:19:22,690 --> 00:19:24,190 the electric company. 286 00:19:24,850 --> 00:19:28,370 And she said, I understand that you have just had your electricity shut off. 287 00:19:28,790 --> 00:19:32,450 And I said, yeah, what's going on? I thought we were on auto pay. She goes, 288 00:19:32,470 --> 00:19:33,590 ma 'am, you are on auto pay. 289 00:19:34,210 --> 00:19:36,850 We believe that this has been a fraudulent situation. 290 00:19:38,030 --> 00:19:42,450 And sure enough, less than an hour later, the lights flick on. 291 00:19:43,030 --> 00:19:48,810 But I told Lauren, I'm still a little, like, weirded out by the way that that 292 00:19:48,810 --> 00:19:52,930 call went. It seemed really muffled. It seemed like it was being placed at a 293 00:19:52,930 --> 00:19:55,190 call center in, say, China or something. 294 00:19:55,630 --> 00:19:59,730 Geneva checks her caller ID and Googles the 800 number. 295 00:19:59,950 --> 00:20:03,770 The number matches Southern California Edison's corporate office. 296 00:20:03,990 --> 00:20:07,310 But Geneva still can't shake the feeling something is off. 297 00:20:08,110 --> 00:20:10,170 So things like that started to happen. 298 00:20:10,390 --> 00:20:12,890 It just really became very fishy. 299 00:20:13,650 --> 00:20:18,570 Only one year after taking over the salon, Lauren and Geneva find that 300 00:20:18,570 --> 00:20:23,670 working hard and having strong revenue, their finances are running out. 301 00:20:24,630 --> 00:20:27,930 I started looking at her thinking, there's something not right. 302 00:20:28,150 --> 00:20:33,710 It came to a point where, you know, Geneva said, like, let's get through 303 00:20:33,710 --> 00:20:36,310 and let's find somebody else. And I said, okay. 304 00:20:37,320 --> 00:20:41,720 But before Lauren can part ways with Lizzie, she gets the call from her 305 00:20:41,840 --> 00:20:46,160 On the phone, Jesse Mulder tells Lauren to review their bank statements for any 306 00:20:46,160 --> 00:20:48,540 checks written to income tax payments. 307 00:20:48,800 --> 00:20:55,060 And Lauren and Geneva eventually find 82 of these checks totaling more than $290 308 00:20:55,060 --> 00:21:00,860 ,000. The scam began when the salon's payroll platform stopped working. 309 00:21:01,380 --> 00:21:05,600 It turns out that she was prolonging the process behind our back. 310 00:21:06,270 --> 00:21:11,970 to create more chaos in order to accomplish what she ended up 311 00:21:12,410 --> 00:21:18,150 The salon previously used their payroll system to calculate their income tax 312 00:21:18,150 --> 00:21:22,610 withholdings. But now, Mulder has access to this money. 313 00:21:23,030 --> 00:21:28,370 We would ask Lizzie, so the taxes are being recorded, right? And she goes, oh 314 00:21:28,370 --> 00:21:29,770 yeah, they're going to go on the next payroll. 315 00:21:30,290 --> 00:21:31,570 Don't worry, it's totally fine. 316 00:21:32,420 --> 00:21:36,480 Lizzie writes checks made payable to income tax payments. 317 00:21:36,920 --> 00:21:41,080 Lauren and Geneva are told these checks are being sent to the IRS. 318 00:21:41,380 --> 00:21:46,220 But in fact, Lizzie has opened a bank account under the same name, and the 319 00:21:46,220 --> 00:21:48,320 checks are going directly to her. 320 00:21:48,860 --> 00:21:52,920 She was my friend, and I trusted what she was discussing with us. 321 00:21:53,260 --> 00:21:58,240 She always seemed to have our best interest in mind, so I never questioned 322 00:21:59,180 --> 00:22:04,180 One day after receiving Jesse's phone call, Lauren makes a call of her own to 323 00:22:04,180 --> 00:22:05,360 Detective Merakian. 324 00:22:06,240 --> 00:22:11,340 In addition to Lauren and Geneva's salon, Detective Merakian finds a travel 325 00:22:11,340 --> 00:22:16,020 agency and a nearby Pilates studio that Mulder victimized. 326 00:22:16,220 --> 00:22:21,120 These businesses have one thing in common. They are all run by women who 327 00:22:21,120 --> 00:22:23,220 they are good friends with Lizzie. 328 00:22:23,980 --> 00:22:27,280 Who better to work with than Lizzie Mulder? 329 00:22:27,820 --> 00:22:29,460 She's a woman. She's an entrepreneur. 330 00:22:29,800 --> 00:22:31,180 She's a pillar of the community. 331 00:22:31,900 --> 00:22:35,160 And when the going got tough for them and they got stressed out, she would 332 00:22:35,160 --> 00:22:37,480 remind them that she was there to save the day. 333 00:22:37,760 --> 00:22:41,980 And so she had all these people really in her pocket. 334 00:22:42,400 --> 00:22:47,940 I absolutely think that Lizzie preyed upon my kindness, my kind nature. 335 00:22:49,140 --> 00:22:56,020 She just really focused on the relationship, and I think that made me 336 00:22:56,020 --> 00:22:57,020 feel good. 337 00:22:58,030 --> 00:23:00,930 So she capitalized on my weakness. 338 00:23:02,190 --> 00:23:06,730 Plastic surgery, Arabian horses, and Ocean View real estate don't come cheap. 339 00:23:07,790 --> 00:23:11,290 See, Mulder's friends discover where their money is going. 340 00:23:11,670 --> 00:23:14,270 Lizzie wanted to finance the Orange County dream. 341 00:23:28,970 --> 00:23:34,310 With their luxury yachts, sun -drenched beaches, and lavish lifestyle, Orange 342 00:23:34,310 --> 00:23:37,570 County residents have a reputation for living the good life. 343 00:23:37,770 --> 00:23:40,710 But affording the good life doesn't come easy. 344 00:23:41,050 --> 00:23:46,950 I think the driving force behind this entire fraudulent scheme was Lizzie 345 00:23:46,950 --> 00:23:48,910 to finance the Orange County dream. 346 00:23:50,130 --> 00:23:54,770 Detective Jordan Merakian has identified four small businesses who believe 347 00:23:54,770 --> 00:23:57,550 Lizzie Mulder is embezzling from them. 348 00:23:58,760 --> 00:24:02,300 If you look at these victims, they're all very attractive people. 349 00:24:03,060 --> 00:24:07,640 And there's a small part of me that thinks Lizzie was jealous of that. 350 00:24:08,160 --> 00:24:13,040 While the businesses struggle to make ends meet, Lizzie, her husband, and 351 00:24:13,040 --> 00:24:16,980 two children are living a high -end lifestyle on the victim's dime. 352 00:24:17,560 --> 00:24:21,300 There was an enormous amount of pressure because it seems like everyone is 353 00:24:21,300 --> 00:24:22,480 trying to one -up each other. 354 00:24:22,760 --> 00:24:26,240 Lizzie Mulder was an ugly duckling in a room full of beautiful people. 355 00:24:26,640 --> 00:24:32,580 And I think that's a big reason why she spent some of that money on plastic 356 00:24:32,580 --> 00:24:33,580 surgery. 357 00:24:34,560 --> 00:24:39,340 Long considered a hub for fashion and beauty, Orange County has also become 358 00:24:39,340 --> 00:24:44,120 known as a makeover mecca due to the numerous cosmetic surgery options 359 00:24:44,120 --> 00:24:45,120 available. 360 00:24:45,560 --> 00:24:51,260 Dr. Arian Malavi of Laguna Beach is a well -established plastic surgeon in the 361 00:24:51,260 --> 00:24:52,260 area. 362 00:24:52,660 --> 00:24:54,480 Everybody wants to fit in, right? 363 00:24:54,920 --> 00:24:59,280 So, you know, sometimes plastic surgery can help you get there. 364 00:25:02,760 --> 00:25:07,400 According to court records, Mulder received numerous plastic surgeries, 365 00:25:07,680 --> 00:25:13,300 including a common procedure in Orange County called the Mommy Makeover. 366 00:25:13,560 --> 00:25:19,100 The Mommy Makeover is intended for moms, and you're trying to reverse the time? 367 00:25:19,520 --> 00:25:24,720 All the weight gain and the stretching of their bellies and increased fat in 368 00:25:24,720 --> 00:25:29,900 their breasts and then the sagging. But for a full mommy makeover, you're 369 00:25:29,900 --> 00:25:32,720 looking at anywhere from $15 ,000 to $40 ,000. 370 00:25:33,500 --> 00:25:34,500 Dr. 371 00:25:34,940 --> 00:25:37,980 Malavi's most consistent clientele are moms. 372 00:25:38,360 --> 00:25:41,400 They make up 80 % of all the patients he sees. 373 00:25:42,560 --> 00:25:46,200 Looking better brings you more confidence, and I think it helps you be 374 00:25:46,200 --> 00:25:47,200 successful. 375 00:25:47,230 --> 00:25:49,750 And look, life is short, right? You got to make the best of it. 376 00:25:50,230 --> 00:25:53,110 For Mulder, the makeover is extensive. 377 00:25:53,550 --> 00:25:58,090 Her friend, Jen Rodriguez, says she never knew Lizzie's scale of 378 00:25:58,090 --> 00:26:03,150 until the day she finds an old photo hidden in Lizzie's home. 379 00:26:04,210 --> 00:26:09,210 When I went upstairs, I saw her picture of Lizzie and Jesse on their wedding 380 00:26:09,210 --> 00:26:15,250 day. And I was taken away because I could not believe how unrecognizable she 381 00:26:15,250 --> 00:26:21,680 was. I hate to say it, but she wasn't blonde and 110 pounds. She was Lizzie. 382 00:26:21,940 --> 00:26:26,940 And I think no matter how hard she tried, she could never fit in that mold. 383 00:26:27,140 --> 00:26:31,840 And possibly that's what fed the need to steal more and more and more to have 384 00:26:31,840 --> 00:26:32,840 more work done. 385 00:26:33,380 --> 00:26:39,020 Beyond her body work, Lizzie's most expensive habit is horseback riding. She 386 00:26:39,020 --> 00:26:42,480 regularly shared photos such as these with her friends. 387 00:26:43,400 --> 00:26:47,640 She would tell me she was doing these events, three -day events, and those are 388 00:26:47,640 --> 00:26:51,760 thousands of dollars, and boarding is thousands of dollars. 389 00:26:52,720 --> 00:26:58,820 Lizzie owns two Arabian horses from Elite Bloodlines. She uses them to 390 00:26:58,820 --> 00:27:00,220 in endurance competitions. 391 00:27:01,760 --> 00:27:07,300 Deanna Jones -Guinasso is a fellow endurance rider who lives upstate in 392 00:27:07,300 --> 00:27:08,300 California. 393 00:27:09,290 --> 00:27:14,490 Endurance riding is similar to marathon running. 394 00:27:14,710 --> 00:27:18,450 You have 24 hours to get 100 miles done. 395 00:27:19,090 --> 00:27:26,090 Arabian horses are the best suited for endurance because they had 396 00:27:26,090 --> 00:27:30,790 to survive in the wild, in the desert. It made them fit. 397 00:27:31,390 --> 00:27:37,510 Deanna's horse, named Big Dog, is an Arabian stallion from a storied 398 00:27:38,080 --> 00:27:41,560 Deanna has become a top ten writer on Big Dog's Back. 399 00:27:42,060 --> 00:27:47,780 In 2013, Deanna has to sell Big Dog's brother named Dandy. 400 00:27:48,880 --> 00:27:54,780 And a gal by the name of Lizzie Mulder called me from Southern California and 401 00:27:54,780 --> 00:27:57,280 said she would like to come up and take a look at him. 402 00:27:57,640 --> 00:28:01,060 Deanna sells Dandy to Mulder for $7 ,000. 403 00:28:01,440 --> 00:28:05,680 My name is Lizzie Mulder and this is my horse, Dandy. And Lizzie posts a video 404 00:28:05,680 --> 00:28:10,380 of Dandy on social media to market a nutritional supplement for horses. 405 00:28:12,140 --> 00:28:17,140 Deanna suspects that Lizzie is more interested in the status of owning a top 406 00:28:17,140 --> 00:28:19,080 horse than actually riding it. 407 00:28:19,340 --> 00:28:23,900 I have seen pictures of Dandy in jacuzzis. 408 00:28:24,410 --> 00:28:30,450 that Lizzie would share on Facebook with me. I can't even guess how much 409 00:28:30,450 --> 00:28:36,230 that it could cost to do that kind of thing with a horse. Way out of my realm. 410 00:28:37,890 --> 00:28:43,030 But no status symbol means more to Lizzie than her beautiful house in 411 00:28:43,030 --> 00:28:48,330 Beach. She openly flaunts the multi -million dollar price tag, even to 412 00:28:48,330 --> 00:28:50,370 who can't afford such luxury. 413 00:28:51,030 --> 00:28:53,150 Lizzie would make comments that would say, 414 00:28:53,880 --> 00:28:58,240 I can't believe you make so little. How do you survive on so little? I can't 415 00:28:58,240 --> 00:29:01,880 believe you still rent. Oh my God, you're in your 30s. You're still 416 00:29:02,720 --> 00:29:08,060 It felt like to me she was telling me, look, Jen, I'm so successful. I'm so 417 00:29:08,060 --> 00:29:11,400 established. But I just thought in my head, oh, Lizzie. 418 00:29:11,620 --> 00:29:16,520 Next on American Greed, Lizzie Mulder faces off against Detective Merakian. 419 00:29:16,880 --> 00:29:20,020 Do you think they want me to go to jail or do you think they want me to pay them 420 00:29:20,020 --> 00:29:24,600 back? And why did Lizzie's husband really turn her in? Because she's 421 00:29:24,600 --> 00:29:27,520 her clients or because she's cheating on him? 422 00:29:27,900 --> 00:29:30,920 And all of a sudden I come across this name of Jill Love. I thought, well, 423 00:29:31,000 --> 00:29:36,970 that's either a... A stage actor, a porn star, or, you know, I didn't know. I 424 00:29:36,970 --> 00:29:37,970 mean, Jill Love. 425 00:29:47,830 --> 00:29:53,370 Lizzie Mulder dominates her victims to accomplish her crime. And at home, she 426 00:29:53,370 --> 00:29:55,590 uses the same tactics with her husband. 427 00:29:56,030 --> 00:30:01,270 While Lizzie works as a high -earning CPA, Jesse is a parking valet. 428 00:30:02,320 --> 00:30:06,620 Lizzie liked to impress upon people that she was the breadwinner. She was the 429 00:30:06,620 --> 00:30:07,660 one that paid for everything. 430 00:30:08,080 --> 00:30:13,540 Jesse, either from being beaten down for so many years or just with his 431 00:30:13,540 --> 00:30:15,420 personality, just rolled with it. 432 00:30:16,560 --> 00:30:21,260 Jen Rodriguez and her husband go on a double date with Lizzie and Jesse where 433 00:30:21,260 --> 00:30:23,400 they witness their relationship up close. 434 00:30:24,080 --> 00:30:29,220 Jesse arrives at the restaurant late and angry because his ATM card has been 435 00:30:29,220 --> 00:30:33,840 declined. He accuses Lizzie of forgetting to deposit money into his 436 00:30:34,400 --> 00:30:35,580 Jesse was livid. 437 00:30:35,780 --> 00:30:36,820 He was pissed. 438 00:30:37,200 --> 00:30:43,380 And she brought in the case where, well, if you're so angry about it, go get a 439 00:30:43,380 --> 00:30:45,580 job. Calm down. You're fine. 440 00:30:45,860 --> 00:30:47,900 And made him look stupid. 441 00:30:49,640 --> 00:30:53,380 But in early 2016, Jesse does something for himself. 442 00:30:54,440 --> 00:31:00,440 After years working as a valet, Jesse achieves his lifelong dream of becoming 443 00:31:00,440 --> 00:31:06,500 firefighter. When Jesse comes to Detective Merakian, it's because he's 444 00:31:06,500 --> 00:31:09,560 Lizzie's actions could put his job at risk. 445 00:31:10,400 --> 00:31:13,980 You're given what's called a probationary period, and it's usually a 446 00:31:14,200 --> 00:31:15,900 And during that year... 447 00:31:16,120 --> 00:31:19,080 you can be terminated or let go without cause. 448 00:31:20,140 --> 00:31:25,260 Jesse explains he was in Lizzie's home office when he notices some mail on her 449 00:31:25,260 --> 00:31:26,720 desk from American Express. 450 00:31:27,360 --> 00:31:31,080 It's addressed to one of Lizzie's friends, who is also a client. 451 00:31:31,760 --> 00:31:36,660 When Jesse checks inside the envelope, he finds a credit card bill for tens of 452 00:31:36,660 --> 00:31:37,800 thousands of dollars. 453 00:31:38,380 --> 00:31:41,900 Growing suspicious, Jesse opens Lizzie's laptop. 454 00:31:42,520 --> 00:31:45,560 and finds her bank account for income tax payments. 455 00:31:46,420 --> 00:31:48,220 But that's not all he discovers. 456 00:31:49,620 --> 00:31:53,520 And at the same time, he learns that she's been having an affair. 457 00:31:54,100 --> 00:31:59,000 While Jesse is combing through the home office, Lizzie is on the road with a new 458 00:31:59,000 --> 00:32:01,400 friend, a cowboy named Joe Love. 459 00:32:01,820 --> 00:32:06,480 Lizzie thinks so highly of Joe, she's been sending her friends photos of their 460 00:32:06,480 --> 00:32:07,480 rides together. 461 00:32:07,740 --> 00:32:11,280 I mean, it really does sound like, you know, you're at... Thunder from Down 462 00:32:11,280 --> 00:32:15,180 Under in Vegas and, you know, Magic Mike and Joe Love. 463 00:32:15,880 --> 00:32:20,960 Joe Love is a fixture in the Orange County horse community where he runs a 464 00:32:20,960 --> 00:32:22,760 business transporting horses. 465 00:32:23,400 --> 00:32:27,860 There had been rumors that Lucy was having an affair with someone, and then 466 00:32:27,860 --> 00:32:33,100 started putting the dots that possibly the someone was Joe Love. I saw his name 467 00:32:33,100 --> 00:32:34,480 come up on her phone. 468 00:32:34,740 --> 00:32:39,320 When she picked up, she was always a little giggly. I also know that she 469 00:32:39,320 --> 00:32:40,299 attention. 470 00:32:40,300 --> 00:32:45,160 Lizzie and Joe would later deny having an affair, but the two have become close 471 00:32:45,160 --> 00:32:46,160 business partners. 472 00:32:46,540 --> 00:32:49,740 For several months, they've spent their weekends together in Northern 473 00:32:49,740 --> 00:32:54,660 California, laying plans for a new business they've launched called Love 474 00:32:54,660 --> 00:32:55,660 Livestock. 475 00:32:57,100 --> 00:33:01,640 Whereas with the other victims, she used her charm as a mother and as a wife and 476 00:33:01,640 --> 00:33:06,200 as an entrepreneur. With Joe Love, she did the oldest trick in the book. She 477 00:33:06,200 --> 00:33:07,200 flirted with him. 478 00:33:08,069 --> 00:33:14,810 Mulder persuades Joe to purchase $26 ,000 worth of cattle embryos. And she 479 00:33:14,810 --> 00:33:19,010 a realtor to take them on a helicopter tour of Napa Valley so they can buy 480 00:33:19,010 --> 00:33:21,150 property for their new livestock business. 481 00:33:22,890 --> 00:33:28,130 Lizzie is with Joe on the way back from Northern California when she receives a 482 00:33:28,130 --> 00:33:32,950 fateful call from Jesse. She begs Jesse to let her come home and explain. 483 00:33:33,310 --> 00:33:35,770 But as Lizzie races back to Orange County... 484 00:33:36,090 --> 00:33:37,310 Her phone starts buzzing. 485 00:33:37,790 --> 00:33:41,750 Jessie has called her friends and clients, and they want to know what's 486 00:33:41,750 --> 00:33:47,630 on. That there's some damaging rumors going around you, and she said that she 487 00:33:47,630 --> 00:33:50,290 had to get home because Jessie was freaking out. 488 00:33:50,970 --> 00:33:54,090 But Mulder never does make it home that night. 489 00:33:54,290 --> 00:33:58,950 Instead, Lizzie ends up here at Mission Hospital, where, according to Detective 490 00:33:58,950 --> 00:34:02,350 Merakian, she checks into the behavioral health wing. 491 00:34:03,560 --> 00:34:08,600 I think the real reason why Lizzie Mulder checked into a mental hospital is 492 00:34:08,600 --> 00:34:12,139 because she was trying to lay the groundwork for some sort of insanity 493 00:34:12,540 --> 00:34:16,219 She knew that the walls were closing in on her. She was caught. 494 00:34:17,139 --> 00:34:22,840 And after her voluntary 72 -hour stay, Lizzie makes another surprising visit. 495 00:34:23,199 --> 00:34:27,560 This case seemed to always explode as I was leaving. 496 00:34:27,780 --> 00:34:30,120 To meet with Detective Merakian. 497 00:34:30,980 --> 00:34:32,699 It's the end of a very long day. 498 00:34:33,560 --> 00:34:37,800 Packed up my stuff, and I'm walking out the door, and in walks Lizzie Mulder, 499 00:34:37,800 --> 00:34:40,739 and she says she wants to talk to me and provide a statement. 500 00:34:41,260 --> 00:34:46,719 His investigation isn't complete, but Merakian wants to seize his chance to 501 00:34:46,719 --> 00:34:48,040 down Mulder's story. 502 00:34:48,300 --> 00:34:51,239 So the quick -thinking detective improvises. 503 00:34:52,340 --> 00:34:57,980 So what I did is I created some boxes, some phony files, and I wrote the name 504 00:34:57,980 --> 00:34:58,980 Mulder on the outside. 505 00:34:59,660 --> 00:35:03,000 During the interview, she kept looking behind me at the boxes. 506 00:35:03,420 --> 00:35:10,320 I think she thought that what I had were bank records and real estate files and 507 00:35:10,320 --> 00:35:14,180 all of the things that I eventually learned during the course of this 508 00:35:14,180 --> 00:35:15,180 investigation. 509 00:35:15,820 --> 00:35:21,080 With the evidence seemingly stacked against her, Lizzie argues that she's 510 00:35:21,080 --> 00:35:22,080 victim. 511 00:35:26,190 --> 00:35:32,870 According to Lizzie, the $185 ,000 from Jack Wines was a reward for Lizzie doing 512 00:35:32,870 --> 00:35:33,950 all the work. 513 00:35:34,250 --> 00:35:37,330 He hired me as his bookkeeper and then, look, I just took over. 514 00:35:37,530 --> 00:35:38,630 Just like I do with everybody. 515 00:35:38,870 --> 00:35:42,730 I know that I'm smart and I can do stuff and I end up doing every single thing. 516 00:35:43,050 --> 00:35:44,610 And it's so stupid of me. 517 00:35:44,970 --> 00:35:50,590 But all those checks I wrote to Lizzie Mulder, he said... But while Mulder 518 00:35:50,590 --> 00:35:54,570 to rationalize her crimes, her body language betrays her. 519 00:35:54,790 --> 00:35:58,770 With Lizzie, I would ask her a question and she would shift in her chair. 520 00:35:59,310 --> 00:36:01,670 Sometimes she would cross her arms and look down. 521 00:36:02,470 --> 00:36:08,610 Sometimes she would get emotional. She was putting on a very amateur 522 00:36:08,610 --> 00:36:09,610 performance. 523 00:36:10,190 --> 00:36:14,910 And the detective isn't buying it, especially as Lizzie recounts her 524 00:36:14,910 --> 00:36:15,910 Jay Avery. 525 00:36:23,980 --> 00:36:25,700 And, you know, I didn't want him to do that, too. 526 00:36:26,200 --> 00:36:28,960 Lizzie put her head down and started to cry. 527 00:36:29,700 --> 00:36:34,800 And I looked at her very closely, and I noticed that there were no tears coming 528 00:36:34,800 --> 00:36:35,779 out. 529 00:36:35,780 --> 00:36:39,360 Unswayed, Detective Merakian soon has Mulder on her heels. 530 00:36:39,920 --> 00:36:44,740 Throughout the interview, I just let her talk, and I let her dig herself into an 531 00:36:44,740 --> 00:36:45,740 even deeper hole. 532 00:36:46,080 --> 00:36:49,220 And then I exposed her for the liar that she was. 533 00:36:49,560 --> 00:36:52,140 For one, she's not a certified public accountant. 534 00:36:58,900 --> 00:37:03,720 Her degree from prestigious Pepperdine University is a sham. 535 00:37:05,340 --> 00:37:09,920 And the Mulders don't own their beautiful house in Laguna Beach. They 536 00:37:11,400 --> 00:37:18,080 But the biggest surprise is that while running her fake accounting practice, 537 00:37:18,680 --> 00:37:23,060 Mulder has been holding down a full -time job selling fertilizer for an 538 00:37:23,060 --> 00:37:24,400 agricultural company. 539 00:37:24,660 --> 00:37:30,200 Or as Detective Merakian puts it, So Lizzie Mulder is full of crap and she 540 00:37:30,200 --> 00:37:31,200 sells. 541 00:37:31,440 --> 00:37:37,100 Next on American Greed, Lizzie's day in court arrives and Jay Avery still wants 542 00:37:37,100 --> 00:37:42,080 to know who is Brent Harrison and why would the wine investor never meet him 543 00:37:42,080 --> 00:37:45,400 person? The most sociopathic person I've ever met. 544 00:37:58,440 --> 00:38:04,220 When Jay and Marla Avery first visit Detective Merakian, they have no idea it 545 00:38:04,220 --> 00:38:06,260 only his second day as a detective. 546 00:38:06,800 --> 00:38:11,180 This is what a lot of detectives refer to as a career case. 547 00:38:11,440 --> 00:38:13,800 I was a fraud detective for all of two days. 548 00:38:14,600 --> 00:38:19,860 Detective Merakian is dealing with multiple victims and more than $1 549 00:38:19,860 --> 00:38:22,760 fraud, so he pitches the case to federal prosecutors. 550 00:38:23,480 --> 00:38:27,500 IRS Special Agent James Kim immediately signs on. 551 00:38:27,960 --> 00:38:31,560 Mulder's most damaging fraud is her income tax payment scheme. 552 00:38:32,140 --> 00:38:36,580 But in a stroke of irony, Lizzie never reported her stolen income. 553 00:38:37,920 --> 00:38:41,860 At the tax account, you would think you would need to report all your business 554 00:38:41,860 --> 00:38:42,980 income on your tax returns. 555 00:38:43,260 --> 00:38:48,780 But Lizzie didn't. I said, hey, the clear charge is tax fraud. 556 00:38:49,320 --> 00:38:54,880 Special Agent Kim takes the case to Assistant U .S. Attorney Scott Tenley, 557 00:38:54,880 --> 00:38:56,760 was motivated to prosecute Mulder. 558 00:38:57,120 --> 00:39:02,060 After hearing the victim's gut -wrenching stories... You hear in fraud 559 00:39:02,060 --> 00:39:06,680 lot about con men, people who gain the confidence of their victims, and that's 560 00:39:06,680 --> 00:39:07,558 what she did. 561 00:39:07,560 --> 00:39:11,440 Literally, a victim saying, Lizzie was my best friend. And it makes you a 562 00:39:11,440 --> 00:39:16,240 more motivated on the case because you feel like these are people who have 563 00:39:16,240 --> 00:39:19,700 been victimized at their core, not just in their bank account. 564 00:39:20,460 --> 00:39:25,500 With each victim, Lizzie customizes her scheme to target her clients' 565 00:39:25,720 --> 00:39:26,720 vulnerabilities. 566 00:39:27,280 --> 00:39:31,620 They were preyed upon. They were preyed upon by somebody who they thought was 567 00:39:31,620 --> 00:39:35,400 their friend, who they could trust, and it could have happened to anybody. 568 00:39:36,440 --> 00:39:39,240 Investigators discovered a common thread in Lizzie's con. 569 00:39:39,520 --> 00:39:43,380 The victims all suspect she had an accomplice. 570 00:39:44,320 --> 00:39:48,500 Oftentimes to keep these frauds alive, to keep them going, you need an 571 00:39:48,500 --> 00:39:53,300 accomplice to help you to validate that the fraudster is not stealing. They're 572 00:39:53,300 --> 00:39:54,360 working in your favor. 573 00:39:54,660 --> 00:39:58,300 In the case of Elizabeth, she didn't have an accomplice. She created them. 574 00:39:58,720 --> 00:40:03,900 In addition to creating numerous fake email accounts, Mulder creates fake 575 00:40:03,900 --> 00:40:04,900 personas. 576 00:40:05,430 --> 00:40:10,810 Lizzie owns phone software that allows her to disguise her voice and change the 577 00:40:10,810 --> 00:40:13,550 number that appears on people's caller ID. 578 00:40:13,950 --> 00:40:19,310 To actually impersonate somebody on the phone takes kind of an extra level of 579 00:40:19,310 --> 00:40:23,810 chutzpah, which is not something you see in many cases. In fact, I've never seen 580 00:40:23,810 --> 00:40:25,930 it done in a fraud case. 581 00:40:26,480 --> 00:40:31,320 Over the years, Mulder impersonates the electric company, the payroll service, 582 00:40:31,700 --> 00:40:36,000 the bank, the IRS, and yes, even Brent Harrison. 583 00:40:36,760 --> 00:40:41,120 I had no idea that the Brent Harrison I was talking to on the phone wasn't a 584 00:40:41,120 --> 00:40:44,560 man. When I found out it was Poop Software, it was like something out of a 585 00:40:44,560 --> 00:40:48,800 movie. I could not, I just didn't know people were capable of this kind of 586 00:40:48,800 --> 00:40:49,800 stuff, and especially her. 587 00:40:50,600 --> 00:40:56,120 Facing overwhelming evidence against her, Lizzie Mulder pleads guilty to one 588 00:40:56,120 --> 00:40:58,720 count of wire fraud and one count of tax fraud. 589 00:40:59,420 --> 00:41:06,160 On October 16, 2017, she's sentenced to 63 months in federal prison 590 00:41:06,160 --> 00:41:10,100 and is ordered to pay restitution for more than $1 .5 million. 591 00:41:11,860 --> 00:41:17,060 While the victims celebrate, Lizzie sits stone -faced through it all. 592 00:41:17,600 --> 00:41:23,260 She was completely emotionless. It was shocking. Or maybe it was all the Botox 593 00:41:23,260 --> 00:41:24,260 she had. 594 00:41:25,100 --> 00:41:29,140 Lizzie Mulder declined American Greed's request to speak with her. 595 00:41:29,920 --> 00:41:34,380 Joe Love, seen by Lizzie's side in this photo she shared with her friends, is 596 00:41:34,380 --> 00:41:38,160 never accused by law enforcement of being involved in Lizzie's fraud. 597 00:41:38,740 --> 00:41:43,400 Ultimately, Joe loses all the money he has invested in their livestock 598 00:41:44,430 --> 00:41:49,330 The victims of this cold -hearted manipulator are still left picking up 599 00:41:49,330 --> 00:41:50,370 pieces of their lives. 600 00:41:51,010 --> 00:41:55,390 Many of their businesses are shuttered, and they've all suffered profound 601 00:41:55,390 --> 00:41:56,510 financial losses. 602 00:41:57,190 --> 00:42:02,110 Meanwhile, Lizzie's Orange County dream ends behind bars. 603 00:42:02,830 --> 00:42:09,530 My hope is that the victims at least can sleep at night knowing that Lizzie 604 00:42:09,530 --> 00:42:10,810 Mulder is being held accountable. 605 00:42:11,030 --> 00:42:12,410 She's a convicted felon. 606 00:42:13,820 --> 00:42:18,040 I don't think Lizzie ever grieved. I think the only time Lizzie has ever felt 607 00:42:18,040 --> 00:42:24,100 remorse is when she's alone at night in her little cell in federal prison.