It’s a story that many have loved through interesting podcasts, but new audiences are just now learning about it.
And they have questions.
“Scamanda,” a four-part documentary series based on the #1 hit podcast of the same name, introduced the world to Amanda Riley this week. She’s a wife, mother, and blogger who is currently sitting behind bars after stealing $100k from friends, family, and even strangers.
The documentary will take an in-depth look at the heinous lies Amanda told for money and attention, and delve a little deeper into her family’s current situation.
Because even though the podcast answered a lot of fans’ questions, many are still trying to figure out how much her husband knew — and whether he was in on the scheme with her.
“Scamanda” Podcast Story
In Brief: The podcast and now documentary explores the story of former Northern California teacher and principal Amanda Riley. In 2012, Amanda revealed to her loved ones that she had been diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma. She then started a blog to “document” her journey fighting the disease. This went on for about 7 years, during which time many of her friends, family, and online followers raised a total of over $105,000 to cover the medical expenses.
Problem? Amanda never had cancer. According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, she “used her presence on these sites to ‘document’ her non-existent medical condition and allegedly aggressively solicit donations to cover her medical expenses.”
He even shaved his head and falsified medical records. The finale of the podcast began in the summer of 2023, a year after Amanda was sentenced in May to five years in federal prison for wire fraud in the scheme, to which she pleaded guilty.
So now, what about her husband?
what corey riley knew
Podcast fans have flooded Reddit with theories about how much Amanda’s husband Corey Riley did or didn’t know.
From the podcast, we know that close family members, including Corey, helped him set up a website to receive donations and contributed posts to his blog. However, no charges were ever filed against anyone else in the family.
We also know via the podcast that while Amanda was faking cancer, Corey Riley was fighting his ex-wife Aletta Riley in court for custody of their daughter Jessa.
He even cited his wife’s “diagnosis” and medical expenses to gain custody of Jessa and get his child support payments reduced.
How much he knew still remains a mystery — unless you’re listening carefully, creator and podcast host Charlie Webster teases. She was asked directly if she thought Corey knew what was going on.
“So I would answer it this way,” she said glamour“If you listen carefully to the podcast – and there are four bonus episodes coming after the last episode – if you listen very carefully to the nuances of what was said, it will give you answers. People are smart. I was really careful to make sure I stuck to the facts, but also show you the facts so you can decide.
Where is Corey now?
Amanda is still in prison, and Corey has not been charged in connection with his crimes, he is a free man.
According to Charlie, Corey “is taking care of their two children in Texas, where Amanda is serving her sentence.”
Yes, let’s not forget the kids. The couple have two young boys, both of whom believed their mother was dying during the ordeal.
When you scan Reddit for fans discussing the podcast, this is the topic they’re most vocal about.
“I truly believe there is no way her husband and mother (at least, possibly her brothers too) don’t know,” one commenter posted. “Sadly, the people who were least likely to know it was a lie were her two boys, who were psychologically too young to understand what a person who actually had cancer would look like. And how one will behave, and to what extent a cancer patient’s life will be dominated by appointments, medical equipment, etc.”
Only time will tell if the documentary will reveal more about Corey and the boys’ lives. Since he does not have any social media account, it is very difficult to tell anything more than what has already been discussed.
But we will keep updating as we get more information.