He Was "Roy Coleman": How a Curator Lost $311,000 to a Ghost Mentor

He Was "Roy Coleman": How a Curator Lost $311,000 to a Ghost Mentor Fear that the person who knows you best is a lie: a curator wired $311,000 over 14 months to a man who never existed, then woke to a manila envelope on his doorstep saying the account and the man were gone-who left it eleven blocks away and why? This episode follows the slow, expert grooming that turned professional trust into a $311,000 loss and asks how fabricated paperwork and stolen photos can make deception feel inevitable. In this episode, we follow the timeline from a single networking message to daily intimacy, gifts, and increasingly urgent financial requests that culminated in multiple international wire transfers, and we consider the unanswered question the envelope posed: who delivered that note and what did they know? Person: Mark Mitchell Age: 48 Location: 214 Bellhaven Drive Case: $311,000 lost over 14 months Detective: Charles Schmidt, 44, Claremont PD - The first contact came in August when “Roy Coleman” sent a connection request on a professional networking platform used by museum staff. - A printed wire confirmation for $42,000 to an account in Cyprus arrived inside a manila envelope left at 6:47 AM on October 9. - Over 14 months, Mark transferred a total of $311,000 out of his accounts after liquidating inherited investments, a house, and savings. - The impersonated “Roy Coleman” profile used stolen photographs from a real retiree in Boise who had reported the theft to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center two years earlier. - Detective Schmidt noted the envelope was slid into the storm door with no stamp or return address and that it had been placed from eleven blocks away, near the Meridian Suites on Commerce Street. To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com. © 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved. This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: [email protected].