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Scamanda

Introducing: The Lexi CON

Season 1
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Lexi Thomas was the quintessential girl-next-door: a beloved baby sister from a devout, respected family, educated at Catholic school and Baptist Bible College, and adored by everyone in her orbit. But in 2012, her idyllic life took a tragic turn when a sudden bout of Hyper Eosinophilia led to a devastating diagnosis.


What followed was a harrowing, decade-long fight for survival. For more than ten years, Lexi beat aggressive cancers multiple times, suffered organ failure, died during a T-Cell reaction for 20 minutes, and buried friend after friend from her cancer support groups. Through her viral blog, Romans 8:28, she captivated her community, rallying hundreds of thousands of dollars in donations and inspiring countless followers with her unyielding faith.


Her family grieved every setback. Her friends rallied to her side. But when a nurse noticed critical medical discrepancies in Lexi’s photos, she fired off a tip to investigative producer Nancy Moscatiello (Scamanda).


What Nancy uncovered was an intricate, jaw-dropping house of cards: fake relationships with well known doctors she'd never met, manufactured medical crisis after crisis, and a terrifying web of deceit designed to manipulate everyone who loved her.


From The Slippery, The Lexi CON is the unbelievable true story of a woman who conned her friends, her family and her entire community—and the relentless investigation that exposes a potential predator hiding behind a warm smile and a Bible verse.

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  • Meet Scamanda

    03:27|
    Amanda is a wife. A mother. A blogger. A Christian.A charming, beautiful, bubbly, young woman who lives life to the fullest.But Amanda is dying, with a secret she doesn’t want anyone to know.She starts a blog detailing her cancer journey, and becomes an inspiration, touching and captivating her local community as well as followers all over the world. Until one day investigative producer Nancy gets an anonymous tip telling her to look at Amanda’s blog, setting Nancy on an unimaginable road to uncover Amanda’s secret. Award winning journalist Charlie Webster explores this unbelievable and bizarre, but all-too-real tale, of a woman from San Jose, California whose secret ripped a family apart and left a community in shock.  Scamanda is the true story of a woman whose own words held the key to her secret. New episodes every Monday.Follow Scamanda on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
  • 1. Chapter 1 — Amanda is Dying

    36:30||Season 1, Ep. 1
    Meet Amanda. Her world is about to be shattered by some life-changing news during the birth of her first child. She’s dying. Or at least, that’s what she tells the world in her brand new blog. Scamanda is a Lionsgate Sound podcast: http://lionsgatesound.comHosted by Charlie Webster.Listen to another Lionsgate Sound podcast hosted by Charlie Webster, Died & Survived: https://link.chtbl.com/diedandsurvived?sid=sc
  • 2. Chapter 2 — Roaring Goddess

    35:30||Season 1, Ep. 2
    Amanda’s good news doesn’t last long. Her mother, Peggy, the ‘Roaring Goddess,' posts a guest blog to keep Amanda’s followers updated. Her family launches a donation website for #TeamAmanda to donate directly to the cause. The custody battle rages on.Scamanda is a Lionsgate Sound podcast: http://lionsgatesound.comHosted by Charlie Webster.Listen to another Lionsgate Sound podcast hosted by Charlie Webster, Died & Survived: https://link.chtbl.com/diedandsurvived?sid=sc
  • 3. Chapter 3 — No Coincidences

    57:25||Season 1, Ep. 3
    Despite everything, Amanda falls pregnant with her second child - the miracle baby. Amanda’s rockstar status is cemented at church, but not before getting the most devastating news yet - her cancer has progressed to Stage Four.Scamanda is a Lionsgate Sound podcast: http://lionsgatesound.comHosted by Charlie Webster.Listen to another Lionsgate Sound podcast hosted by Charlie Webster, Died & Survived: https://link.chtbl.com/diedandsurvived?sid=sc
  • 4. Chapter 4 — Terminal. Miracle.

    41:38||Season 1, Ep. 4
    Amanda’s journey with cancer is like a rollercoaster that never ends. Her friend Lindsey explains that it was a constant back and forth of terminal, miracle, terminal, miracle. Nancy continues looking into whether Amanda is really faking it all. Amanda drops a bombshell on her friends Lisa and Steve.Scamanda is a Lionsgate Sound podcast: http://lionsgatesound.comHosted by Charlie Webster.Listen to another Lionsgate Sound podcast hosted by Charlie Webster, Died & Survived: https://link.chtbl.com/diedandsurvived?sid=sc
  • 5. Chapter 5 — Faith in the Truth

    54:40||Season 1, Ep. 5
    Convinced Amanda is lying about her cancer, Nancy enlists the support of San Jose Detective Jose Martinez. Amanda’s birthday brings a massive rally of support, including a #TeamAmanda video that gets the attention of thousands, set to the tune of Rachel Platten’s Fight Song.Scamanda is a Lionsgate Sound podcast: http://lionsgatesound.comHosted by Charlie Webster.Listen to another Lionsgate Sound podcast hosted by Charlie Webster, Died & Survived: https://link.chtbl.com/diedandsurvived?sid=sc
  • 6. Chapter 6 — High As Hell

    57:57||Season 1, Ep. 6
    Amanda lands a new job as a middle school teacher. But while #TeamAmanda continues to grow in popularity, there’s an ever-growing Team Nancy. Detective Martinez and Nancy team up and bring the IRS into the fold, launching a federal investigation into Amanda. Scamanda is a Lionsgate Sound podcast: http://lionsgatesound.comHosted by Charlie Webster.Listen to another Lionsgate Sound podcast hosted by Charlie Webster, Died & Survived: https://link.chtbl.com/diedandsurvived?sid=sc
  • 7. Chapter 7 — This Lady Royally Sucks

    37:59||Season 1, Ep. 7
    Amanda moves to Gilroy for a huge promotion - to Principal of a local Christian School. Nancy is still making trouble for her. In an attempt to get Nancy off her back, Amanda takes Nancy to court to get a restraining order against her. An explosive piece of evidence is submitted to the court.Scamanda is a Lionsgate Sound podcast: http://lionsgatesound.comHosted by Charlie Webster.Listen to another Lionsgate Sound podcast hosted by Charlie Webster, Died & Survived: https://link.chtbl.com/diedandsurvived?sid=sc
  • 8. Chapter 8 — Finale: Indicted

    01:25:58||Season 1, Ep. 8
    Nancy’s eight year long obsession culminates in the indictment of Amanda C. Riley for wire fraud. It sends a shockwave through the local community. Amanda reads a statement to the court, and the judge gives her verdict.The Amanda C. Riley case is the only one of its kind in IRS history. Amanda is currently serving the longest federal prison sentence in history for soliciting donations for faking cancer. Thanks so much for listening to Scamanda. This might be the official end to the series, but we're not quite finished yet. Stay tuned for some very interesting bonus content, and a few surprises, that will start dropping in your feed on Wednesdays and Mondays, starting June 28th and continuing for the next two weeks.Scamanda is a Lionsgate Sound podcast: http://lionsgatesound.comHosted by Charlie Webster.Listen to another Lionsgate Sound podcast hosted by Charlie Webster, Died & Survived: https://link.chtbl.com/diedandsurvived?sid=sc