The Road From Conned to Cupid
Infamous senior producer Lily Houston Smith reflects on a trip to visit Kami Verne, whose life was turned upside down when her husband was arrested for fraud
This is part of Inside the Tent, a series going behind the scenes of Campside’s award winning podcasts and business.
Our long-running weekly show, Infamous, recently featured a multipart series about a scam that happened on Philadelphia’s Main Line, among the one percent. It’s called Infamous: From Conned to Cupid, and features Kami Verne, the wife who was pulled into the scandal. Vanessa Grigoriadis, our co-host, started talking to Kami months ago about her experience. Vanessa then asked me, a senior producer on the show, to travel to Philadelphia to interview Kami in person.
In March, I traveled from New York to a townhouse that’s tucked into a quiet, green, suburban neighborhood. It’s not fancy, but it’s calm and safe. Inside, there are big crystal geodes on the shelves, huge art pieces on the walls, and a massive sectional sofa that could probably sleep four adults comfortably. You can tell it cost a fortune. In fact, everything looks like it cost a fortune. At least at first. Look a little closer, and you’ll notice the quiet collapse—how the sectional sofa is fraying a bit at the seams.
Once married to a high-flying tech entrepreneur, Kami lived an extravagant life. That is, until her husband Josh was arrested in a major federal fraud case.
Overnight, the money vanished. And with two young daughters, a long résumé gap, and suspicion from friends and family—many of whom were Josh’s victims—Kami had to rebuild from scratch.
She moved the furniture out of their mansion and into this new, humbler home, where she’s now struggling to make rent.
When I arrived, I thought we’d jump straight into our interview, but instead she had a surprise planned: she was going to teach me how to make challah. Known for her inclusive, celebratory Shabbat dinners, Kami used to be “the challah lady,” she told me, but lately, the dough hadn’t been rising quite right. She’d gotten used to the luxury kitchen in her old house, with its two multi-thousand dollar ovens and high-end everything. This new oven—just one oven—she can’t quite figure out.
We said prayers over the dough, baked off-and-on throughout the day, and when I left—after almost eight hours of interviewing and walking her tiny dogs around the neighborhood—she sent me home with two loaves. “One for you; one to give away.” But they were both a little dense and chewy, not at all fluffy and light the way challah usually is. More than once, she apologized for how it was turning out. I could tell she was getting frustrated.
Kami doesn’t expect pity. She knows there are plenty of people who will hear her story and roll their eyes. From a mansion to a townhome? From two ovens to one? But I feel for her.
Reinventing yourself isn’t noble or cinematic. It’s mostly logistical—a tighter budget, a tighter schedule, an oven that doesn’t quite work. That’s what starting over looks and feels like for most of us: not quite like progress, and a lot like less.
Thanks for reading. Email us with questions or comments: questions@campsidemedia.com.
We hope to see you inside the tent again soon. Subscribe now for updates on Infamous and all of Campside’s hit shows.