Tax Crime Junkies

Tax Crime Junkies The true crime podcast for people who love taxes, scandals, and stories too outrageous to deduct. 🎉 Over 50,000 downloads and counting! 🏆 Ranked #5 on Feedspot’s “30 Best White Collar Crime Podcasts Worth Listening to in 2025.” Hey there, Tax Crime Junkies! This is the true crime podcast where taxes meet temptation...and the numbers don’t always add up. Hosted by Dominique Molina, CPA, MST , CTS and Tom Gorczynski, EA, USTCP , CTP we follow the money trail through cases of fraud, embezzlement, tax evasion, and even homicide to uncover the shocking truth hiding behind the spreadsheets. As tax experts and practitioners, we go beyond the headlines to explain how these crimes happen, why they go undetected for so long, and what ultimately exposes them. From financial schemes gone wrong to greed-fueled co

Tax Crime Junkies is a business podcast hosted by Dominique Molina, with 63 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80. PitchCentric scores this show on Booking Probability, Listen Score, and live audience signals refreshed every 24 hours.

Dominique Molina hosts Tax Crime Junkies, a business show with 63 episodes published.

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  Episode #86

  The Au Pair, The Affair and the Lie That Fell Apart

  Apr 23, 202625 min

  After unpacking one of the wildest cases we’ve ever covered on Tax Crime Junkies, Dom needed to do what we all do after hearing something unbelievable… Call her best friend and say: “Girl… you are not going to believe this.” In this Fine Line Files episode, Dom is joined by her lifelong best friend Aubree (aka “the normal person”) for a real, unfiltered breakdown of the Brendan Banfield case—the IRS agent, the au pair, the fake online identity, and the murder plot that fell apart because of one detail that didn’t add up. This isn’t the documentary version. This is the group chat version. 💬 What We’re Talking About: The audacity of secret trips while Christine was working ICU shifts The Instagram posts… and the emoji face that fooled no one The chilling moment when “normal behavior” completely disappears Why the timeline and setup just don’t make sense The emotional reality of what happened to Joseph Ryan The role of manipulation, control, and calculated planning And the detail that ultimately helped expose the truth Some people don’t snap. They plan. And sometimes the most dangerous part isn’t the crime itself… it’s how normal everything looked right before it happened. 🎧 Listen If You Love: True crime conversations that feel like a late-night chat with friends Breaking down the “wait… WHAT?” moments in real cases Psychology, relationships, and the choices that change everything A little humor… in the middle of something very dark 💛 Special Guest: Featuring Dom’s best friend Aubree from French class to raising kids together to empty nesters… and now processing true crime like it’s a group text thread. 📢 Join the Conversation: What part of this case stuck with you the most? Come tell us on Instagram or X @TaxCrimeJunkies Every crime has a trail… …and sometimes it starts with a simple, “Girl, something about this is not right.”

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  Episode #85

  The IRS Boss That Solved a Murder — The Brendan Banfield Case

  Apr 16, 202642 min

  This episode has everything: a double murder, a secret affair, a fabricated online identity, and a crime scene that didn’t quite add up. When IRS Criminal Investigation Special Agent Brendan Banfield reported that he had shot an intruder attacking his wife, it initially appeared to be a tragic case of self-defense. But as investigators dug deeper, a disturbing story began to emerge—one involving a fake FetLife profile, a carefully constructed digital trail, and a plan that may have been designed to deceive even the most seasoned investigators. At the center of it all? A detail so small it could have been overlooked… a meeting that never existed. In this episode, Dominique and Tom break down how a trained federal investigator allegedly used the very tools of his profession to stage a crime—and how one overlooked detail helped unravel the entire story. Because in tax… and in crime… the truth is always in the details. 🔍 What We Cover: The shocking events of February 24, 2023 Brendan Banfield’s role as an IRS Criminal Investigation agent The mysterious death of Christine Banfield and Joseph Ryan The discovery of a fake FetLife profile and digital trail The alleged affair between Banfield and the family’s au pair Forensic evidence that suggested the crime scene was staged The role of IRS Criminal Investigation (yes… they carry guns) The detail that changed everything: a meeting that never happened How one IRS agent’s memory became a critical piece of evidence The trial, testimony, and ultimate verdict 🧠 Key Takeaway: Criminals can manipulate evidence. They can create stories. They can even fabricate entire digital identities. But they can’t control every detail. And sometimes… it’s the smallest inconsistency—a calendar entry, a missing meeting, a timeline that doesn’t fit—that leads investigators straight to the truth.

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  Episode #83

  The Man Behind the Camera

  Apr 9, 202644 min

  What happens when the person documenting a fraud has no idea he’s filming evidence? In this episode of Tax Crime Junkies, Dominique sits down with Steve Beal, the videographer who spent years capturing the rise of DC Solar from the inside. Steve was hired to film the success story: the NASCAR sponsorships, the lavish holiday parties, the green-energy branding, and the larger-than-life image Jeff and Paulette Carpoff built around the company. But after the FBI raided DC Solar in December 2018, Steve’s footage took on a whole new meaning. This episode explores what it was like to be one of the people inside the company who believed in the mission, trusted the leadership, and only later realized he had been standing in the middle of one of the biggest renewable energy frauds in U.S. history. Dominique and Steve talk about the emotional side of fraud that rarely gets attention: the employees, contractors, and insiders who were not masterminds, not investors, and not whistleblowers — just people who believed they were helping build something real. Along the way, Steve shares how a traumatic experience at the Las Vegas Route 91 shooting deepened his bond with the DC Solar team, how the company culture discouraged questions, and what it felt like to slowly piece together the truth after everything collapsed. By the end, this becomes more than a fraud story. It becomes a story about belief, loyalty, hindsight, and what happens when the camera keeps rolling long after the illusion starts to crack. In this episode, we cover: How Steve came to work for DC Solar The emotional impact of surviving the Route 91 shooting while traveling with the DC Solar team Why that experience deepened trust and loyalty inside the company The “stay in your lane” culture at DC Solar The warning signs Steve noticed before the collapse What happened when the FBI raided the company The personal fallout for employees left in the dark How Steve’s footage later became useful to investigators Why his documentary project, Fireball , tells a side of the story most people never hear Why this episode matters Fraud stories often focus on the architects of the scheme or the dollars lost. This episode focuses on the people caught in the middle — the employees who showed up to work, did their jobs, trusted the wrong people, and had their lives upended overnight. It’s a powerful reminder that when something looks wildly successful from the outside, the truth underneath may be something very different. Featured in this episode Dominique Molina Steve Beal, videographer and creator of Fireball - find it on youtube https://www.youtube.com/@fireballseries Mentioned in this episode DC Solar Jeff and Paulette Carpoff Fireball documentary project on YouTube The Las Vegas Route 91 Harvest Festival shooting DC Solar’s NASCAR sponsorships and holiday party culture Listen if you love: true crime white collar crime tax fraud stories behind-the-scenes documentary storytelling stories about the people left behind after financial scandal Closing thought Sometimes the people closest to the story do not realize what they are looking at until it is already over. And sometimes the camera captures more truth than anyone intended.

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  Episode #82

  Your Call Is Very Important to Us (April Fool’s Special)

  Apr 1, 20268 min

  In today’s special April Fool’s episode, Dominique and Tom take on one of the most universal experiences in tax practice… calling the IRS. If you’ve ever sat on hold, faxed the same POA three times, refreshed transcripts that don’t exist, or explained to a client (again) why nothing has changed in 48 hours… this one’s for you. No case study. No tax crime. Just the most accurate IRS phone call you’ve never heard. Hang in there, busy season is almost over.

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  Episode #81

  The Carpoffs: Solar, Lies, and the Tax Credit Trap

  Mar 27, 202642 min

  What starts as a rags-to-riches story—a mechanic turned clean-energy entrepreneur—quickly spirals into one of the largest tax fraud schemes in U.S. history. Jeff Carpoff built DC Solar into a billion-dollar empire fueled by lucrative federal tax credits, investor hype, and a story people wanted to believe. But behind the scenes? Fake generators, fabricated lease revenue, and a Ponzi scheme hiding in plain sight. In this episode, Dom and Tom break down the rise and fall of DC Solar—and ask the uncomfortable question: 👉 Was this all Carpoff’s doing… or did the professionals around him help build the machine? ⚖️ What You’ll Learn How solar tax credits became the perfect hook for investors Why “too good to be true” tax strategies often are How a sale-leaseback structure can be legitimate… or completely abused The mechanics of a Ponzi scheme disguised as renewable energy investing The role of lawyers, accountants, and advisors in complex fraud cases Why “placed in service” rules are a major risk area in tax credit deals How investor demand—not product demand—kept the scheme alive 🧠 Key Takeaways 💡 Tax credits can create powerful incentives—but also blind spots 💰 When investors chase tax savings, due diligence often disappears 🧾 Paperwork can look perfect—even when the underlying business is fiction 🏎️ Sometimes fraud isn’t just about money… it’s about identity and ego ⚠️ If the returns are high, guaranteed, and complex—it’s time to slow down and ask questions 🕵️ The Scheme, Simplified Investors bought mobile solar generators for huge tax credits + depreciation Those generators were leased back through related entities Lease income? Mostly fake—funded by new investors Equipment? Often didn’t exist or wasn’t in service Result: Nearly $1 billion raised in a massive Ponzi scheme 🎭 The Bigger Question This case isn’t just about one man. It raises a deeper issue for the tax and financial world: When deals are structured, marketed, and blessed by professionals… Where does responsibility actually lie? 🏁 The Fallout $912M+ raised from investors ~17,000 generators sold (many nonexistent) 95% of lease revenue = circular cash flow Jeff Carpoff: 30 years in prison Paulette Carpoff: 11 years Advisors? Many settled… but avoided criminal charges 🎬 What’s Coming Next… Just when you think this story couldn’t get stranger… 🎥 Someone was filming everything. Next episode: The videographer who captured the rise and fall of DC Solar—and helped expose the truth. 🎧 Listen If You Love: True crime with a financial twist Tax strategy gone wrong Ponzi schemes and white-collar fraud Stories that make you say: “Wait… how did no one catch this sooner?”

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