1: Jacob's Ladder

May 12, 202644 min

Summary

In the premiere episode of Kingdom of Fraud, investigative reporter Michele McPhee journeys to Salt Lake City to unravel the complex origins of Jacob Kingston. Raised as one of over a hundred children within an insular polygamist sect known as The Order, Jacob spent his early years driven by a desperate need to prove his worth to his family. This ambition led him to launch a high-stakes business venture that eventually spiraled into a world of illicit activity. Listeners will follow McPhee as she reconstructs Jacob’s formative years, examining the psychological and social factors that paved the way for his fateful encounter with a powerful Armenian oil tycoon known as The Lion. This episode sets the stage for a gripping exploration of how a life rooted in religious seclusion transformed into a massive criminal operation with global consequences.

Updated May 18, 2026

About This Episode

Jacob Kingston grew up in The Order, an insular polygamist sect in Utah. He is one of his father’s more than 100 children. On the quest to prove himself to his family, Jacob starts an ambitious new business. Then, he gets seduced by a life of crime.

Investigative reporter Michele McPhee travels to Salt Lake City to uncover Jacob’s early life and understand his path to meeting ‘The Lion’ – the fearsome Armenian oil tycoon who would change the course of his life.

Kingdom of Fraud is produced by Novel for iHeart Podcasts. For more from Novel, visit https://novel.audio/.

You can listen to new episodes of Kingdom of Fraud completely ad-free and 1 week early with an iHeart True Crime+ subscription, available exclusively on Apple Podcasts.

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More Episodes

Introducing: Kingdom Of Fraud

May 5, 20262 min

Summary

In this introductory episode of Kingdom of Fraud, investigative reporter Michele McPhee unveils an improbable and high-stakes criminal alliance between a devout polygamist from a secluded Utah sect and a shadowy Armenian tycoon from Los Angeles. This partnership spiraled into a billion-dollar tax fraud conspiracy, triggering the most extensive tax investigation in American history. Listeners will follow the complex trail of this operation, which involved transnational money laundering, corrupt law enforcement, and deep political ties. The narrative is anchored by Jacob Kingston’s desperate pursuit of status within The Order, a powerful polygamist organization based in Salt Lake City. Through expert storytelling and investigative depth, the series explores how these two men constructed a dangerous web of deceit, ultimately exposing the inner workings of a massive financial crime that reached from the heart of Utah to international borders.

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