How Idaho 'fraudster' wormed his way into Donald Trump's inner circle, 'scammed thousands of dollars in phony political donations' and even faked cancer treatment to swindle wealthy Mar-a-Lago members

An ex-lobbyist infiltrated Donald Trump’s inner circle, pocketed tens of thousands in a political donation scam, and even faked cancer treatment to swindle the rich and famous of Palm Beach, his alleged victims claim.

Former Idaho lobbyist Jesse Taylor, 38, has now been banned from all Trump properties and the former president’s lawyers have sent him a cease and desist letter, obtained by DailyMail.com.

The ex lobbyist met Trump several times, was close with top campaign officials, and even wheedled his way into parties at Donald Trump Jr. and fiancée Kimberly Guilfoyle’s house, multiple sources told DailyMail.com.

Charming, exuberant and well-connected, he gave members of the ritzy Mar-a-Lago club the impression he was a successful political consultant with a penchant for champagne and flying private – and a tragic ongoing battle with bladder cancer.

Former Idaho lobbyist Jesse Taylor, 38, was able to charm his way into Donald Trump's inner circle, and then allegedly scam potential donors to the ex president's campaign out of tens of thousands of dollars, his alleged victims claim

Taylor arranged for John Odom and his ex-wife Trashelle to meet Trump in 2021. They are with then-Lousiana Attorney General Jeff Landry, who is now the state's governor

Lawyers told Taylor: ‘You are promising donors a photo with President Trump in exchange for campaign contributions in the amount of $6,600, an offer you are not authorized to make, nor can you fulfill’

'Taylor would fly with us over to the condo, ride on the boat, hanging out with us. He never paid for a dinner,’ top Trump donor Greg Mosing told DailyMail.com 

Trump attorney David Warrington wrote a cease and desist letter to Taylor last month telling him he should refund all contributions he had ‘wrongfully appropriated’ calling his actions ‘shameless’ 

But in a twist worthy of AppleTV show Palm Royale, Taylor’s house of cards tumbled when sources close to the Trump campaign say he bounced a $25,000 donation check, and they discovered he had been selling photo opportunities with the hopeful US president for $6,600 and pocketing the proceeds.

He even allegedly offered ambassadorships in a future Trump administration to would-be donors – without the campaign’s knowledge – in exchange for up to $10,000 per month in consulting contracts, one source told DailyMail.com.

He convinced a lobbying client, drag racer John Odom of the reality TV show Street Outlaws, to pay him $60,000 for supposed cancer medical bills in 2022, Odom claimed. He got another $20,000 from top GOP donor Greg Mosing for the same.

The Mosings say they never thought that the request could be a scam. Photos Taylor texted to Greg’s wife Donna in October 2022 appeared to be of him from the waist down getting cancer treatment in a hospital bed.

But an investigation by DailyMail.com reveals that Taylor ripped the photo from a 2015 blog by a woman documenting her own cancer treatment, and passed it off as himself.

It is unclear whether Taylor has ever been treated for cancer.

Livid Odom says he will be pressing criminal charges.

‘I am meeting with the [Ada County, Idaho] District Attorney’s office soon and will be asking them to file charges of credit card fraud, grand theft and fraud against him,’ he said.

‘I hope that other individuals he has taken advantage of will do the same. I watched my mom die of cancer and to have someone lie about that for financial gain, there is a special place in hell for them.’

 Charming, exuberant and well-connected, Taylor gave members of the ritzy Mar-a-Lago club the impression he was a successful political consultant. He attended a Halloween party at the Palm Beach club (pictured second left) along with then-girlfriend Gillian Lieberman (third left)

Multiple sources said Taylor would brag and exaggerate the closeness of his relationship with the Trump family, here at an event with Kimberly Guilfoyle and Trump supporter Roseanne Barr 

Race car reality TV star John Odom said he hired Taylor in 2021 and gave him a credit card for business expenses, but after firing him in 2022 Taylor allegedly tried to use the card for a London hotel

Odom said he was dismayed when his new hire started billing tens of thousands of dollars to the account 

A March 15 ‘cease and desist’ letter from Trump’s lawyer to Taylor accuses him of ‘fraud and extortion’ and ‘shameless and manifest deceit’.

‘You are promising donors a photo with President Trump in exchange for campaign contributions in the amount of $6,600, an offer you are not authorized to make, nor can you fulfill,' the letter by Dhillon Law Group attorney David Warrington said.

 Warrington’s letter claimed Taylor promised donors positions in a future administration in exchange for consulting contracts, and that he ‘threatened’ campaign staff with leaking ‘sensitive information’

Taylor told DailyMail.com: ‘I categorically deny these allegations made and I will take steps to prove they are false.'

‘This is a hit job from several people and at best distorts the truth and at worst is outright lies,’ he said.

Taylor also arranged for his mother Brenda (right) to meet the former president

Taylor posted pictures on Instagram of his extravagant European trip including a luxury hotel room in the Swiss resort of St. Moritz overlooking the Alps

Taylor's phone picture: Taylor texted photos to Donna Mossing in October 2022 of what appeared to be him from the waist down getting cancer treatment in a hospital bed

The real picture:  The photo was doctored and actually showed a patient named Emily Breeden – as was clear from her hospital wristband.  He also cropped out the black nail polish on her thumb

Breeden, 33, posted the picture on her 2015 blog which documented her battle with an abdominal tumor

 ‘These allegations and rumors are absolutely unproven and made by three individuals who’ve set out to ruin me, my career and life.’

Taylor claimed that Odom and the Mosings will ‘stop at nothing to achieve their goal of ruining my life and career’.

According to his former confidants, Taylor had been racking up tens of thousands of dollars in debt to his Mar-a-Lago member friends since he moved to Florida last January, borrowing from one to pay the other, couch surfing and relying heavily on hospitality from his rich contacts to keep up appearances in Palm Beach.

Taylor's ex Gillian Lieberman attended a Mar-a-Lago halloween party dressed as a belly dancer

‘He was trying to live that champagne lifestyle on nickel beer money,’ said Lafayette oil baron Mosing. ‘As far as I’m concerned he was looking for victims.'

A former friend of Taylor’s told DailyMail.com that the ex-lobbyist was frequently seen with Trump’s family.

‘He was often with the family, whether he was at Mar-a-Lago, out for a dinner, or at their house,’ said the source, who asked to be anonymous. ‘He was somebody that was known to be connected to the Trumps.

‘He’s the Anna Delvey of Palm Beach,’ said a source close to the campaign, referring to the fake German heiress.  

‘It’s infuriating how he was able to access that inner sanctum in an election year. Although he wormed his way into our inner-circle, he never had unfettered access to President Trump.

‘Sadly, the only way to stop people like Jesse is to expose them.’

The Mosings first met Taylor in 2021 at a GOP fundraising event in Idaho, and he became close friends with them over the following months, joining them for trips on their $27 million private jet and staying for weeks in their Louisiana and Alabama homes.

Taylor posed with Odom, his then wife Trashelle and US Congressman Brian Babin of Texas in July 2021

Taylor posed with senior Trump advisor Lynne Patton, Kimberly Guilfoyle, Real America's Voice host Gina Loudon and MAGA influencer Alex Bruesewitz at Mar-a-Lago

‘I’d bring him up to Asheville [North Carolina]. He’d fly himself to Lafayette, he’d spend a few days with us, then fly to Washington with us, come back and spend a few more days. We didn’t put it together then, but he had no place to live.

Donna said Jesse told her he had cancer at 21, and again at ages 29 and 36.

‘He reaches out to the women, becomes better friends with them and pulls on their heartstrings,’ she said. ‘In the beginning he was sweet and I felt sorry for him. 

'He’d have these deep heart-to-heart chats with us about how he loved us. I think it was just a bunch of bull now.'

‘He said he was real sick but didn’t want to have the surgery again because it was grueling, he'd rather just live life to the fullest now, and if it's time to go, he goes.’

In text messages to Donna, obtained by DailyMail.com, Taylor wrote about trips to Maryland for a new experimental treatment.

On October 25, 2022 he texted a picture of what appeared to be him, wearing a medical gown and sitting on a hospital bed, the image showing only his legs.

Taylor took his former girlfriend Gillian Lieberman to events at Trump's Florida club Mar-a-Lago

In December 2023 Taylor and Lieberman took a trip to Switzerland at the time he was allegedly dodging debts to members of Trump's inner circle. Taylor sent this photo of the couple in Europe after buying expensive furs, to friends

 ‘Well more tests are required,’ he wrote. ‘Dior needs to make me a hospital gown or rob[e]!’

An internet reverse image search shows the picture is in fact of Emily Breeden, 33, from her 2015 blog documenting her battle with an abdominal tumor.

Taylor found the image online, cropped it to cut out her black nail polish and patient bracelet showing her name, then texted it to Donna.

The Mosings say Taylor waited until December 2023 to ask them for cash.

‘He came to us and said, “Look I’m in a bind, I need $200,000 to pay these medical bills tomorrow”,’ said Greg. ‘”I can pay you back by the end of the week. But if I don’t pay, I’m going to be hit with a huge charge in interest.”’

The couple say they offered to pay the hospital directly, but Jesse refused, so they agreed to wire him $20,000.

He then strung out excuses over the next month, dodged repayment and blamed his bank for delays, the Mosings said. Eventually he gave Greg a check, which later bounced.

It wasn’t his only debt. Three sources told DailyMail.com Taylor had befriended a Mar-a-Lago member, then charged $15,000 of dinners at the Palm Beach resort to their club account.

Texts show he only repaid the member $8,700 after receiving the wire from the Mosings.

Drag racer Odom (right), star of the reality TV show Street Outlaw, posed with Taylor (center) at the Bristol Motor Speedway in Tennessee in 2021 

‘He’s the Anna Delvey of Palm Beach,’ said a source close to the Trump campaign. ‘It’s infuriating how he was able to access that inner sanctum in an election year. Sadly, the only way to stop people like this is to expose them'

‘He wanted to live that lifestyle at Mar-a-Lago. It was almost like a pyramid scheme. He’d use one to pay the other back,’ said Greg.

As his debts grew, Taylor allegedly resorted to defrauding Republican donors.

One GOP fundraiser told DailyMail.com that in December 2023 Taylor offered her donors an unmissable deal: a photo with Trump, two nights at Mar-a-Lago, a black-tie dinner, and a round of golf at Trump International in West Palm Beach – all for $6,600 each.

‘Normally it’s a $25,000 fee just to get a picture with Trump,’ said the fundraiser, who asked to remain anonymous. ‘He was like, “I’m working on this thing with Kimberly Guilfoyle’s foundation, and it’s just a friends and family fundraising opportunity. This is the most unbelievable deal you’ll ever get".’

The fundraiser said she didn’t question the offer, having regularly seen Taylor at exclusive campaign fundraiser events, and believing he had the imprimatur of top officials.

But multiple sources said Taylor would brag and exaggerate the closeness of his relationship with the Trump family. 

‘He told people he worked on the Trump Campaign in 2016, he was best friends with Kimberly Guilfoyle, he could get access,’ the fundraiser said.

The fundraiser relayed the offer to a Trump-supporting midwestern couple looking for an anniversary trip, who jumped at the chance and wired the cash to Taylor that day.

‘A month goes by,’ the GOP fundraiser said. ‘My client was asking about it. I asked Jesse six or seven times. There was always some excuse.

‘I started asking around people I know who are very senior in the Trump Campaign. They said, “He did what?”’

People with knowledge of the Trump campaign’s activities  told DailyMail.com that staff had already been pursuing Taylor for his own $25,000 donation debt, after he promised the sum to attend an exclusive event with his girlfriend and get a photo with Trump.

‘I’d heard grumblings about him owing Mar-a-Lago members thousands of dollars in dinners. But once he started defrauding normal supporters, that was the last straw,’ one source said.

‘The campaign is furious. It’s a big hit for them. We don’t know how many people this affected. But he’s never setting foot on a Trump property again. They're considering further legal action.’

The source added that the midwestern couple will still get their anniversary celebration.

‘Kimberly and the campaign are making good on the photos. The donor, she practically burst into tears when they said they were going to honor it.’

Adding insult to injury, photos show Taylor continued to dodge his alleged debts while taking a lavish trip to Switzerland with his girlfriend in December.

The ex-lobbyist bought furs and posted pictures on Instagram sipping coffee in a robe at his luxury hotel room overlooking the Alps in St Moritz.

A former friend of Taylor’s said that when he began to be outed and accused of fraud, Taylor lashed out with comments that sounded like ‘threats’.

‘He said words to the effect of: “I’ll bring them and everyone else down. They don’t want to f*** with me, they don’t know what I have.”

‘It wasn’t said just once, he said it several times,’ the former friend added.

A source close to the Trump family said top staffers are still furious at Taylor’s alleged brazen fraud, after he gained access to top figures in Trumpworld.

‘A good charmer will start name-dropping, little names here and there who they know you know, and that makes you feel more comfortable,’ they said.

‘When he was at Don and Kimberly’s, he was the guest of a high-ranking campaign official. He was always around.’

However, one source close to the family downplayed Taylor’s access to Trumps.

‘This scammer was not well known by either Don or Kimberly. He apparently lied to donors about his access, which was literally no access,’ said the source.

Odom said he was impressed by Taylor’s access to Republican politicians when he met him in Idaho in 2021, and hired him as a lobbyist for prison reforms.

‘He introduced me to everybody,’ Odom said. ‘To Trump, Jeff Landry, who’s now governor of Louisiana. And to a bunch of attorney generals.’

Odom gave Taylor a credit card for expenses, but said he was dismayed when his new hire started billing tens of thousands of dollars to the account.

Taylor pleaded guilty to grand theft for stealing more than $1,000 of merchandise from an Idaho store age 18

Taylor posed for mugshots in both 2014 (left) and 2021 when he was stopped for DUIs

He took trips on Greg Mosing's $27million private plane, such as this one in December 2022. Mosing said he gave him $20,000 to help pay medical bills for the bladder cancer he claimed he was suffering

‘He started needing to fly people around,' said Odom. He billed a helicopter to the Hamptons. He billed a play or a show that was about $20,000. I came to find out later, he went with his friends.

‘It was just paying a bill for his fancy lifestyle.’

Odom said he fired Taylor in 2022 – but the lobbyist continued to put charges on his card, including a $1,200 Marriott hotel room on a trip to London.

Odom reported the charges as fraud to American Express. 

'I’ve called and made an appointment with the District Attorney. I’m going to file charges against him for credit card fraud.’

Taylor has a criminal record which began at an early age.

Bear Lake County, Idaho court records show that in 2003, 18-year-old Taylor stole more than $1,000 of merchandise from an Alco Discount Store storage container.

He pleaded guilty to the charge, but the judge allowed him to avoid a felony conviction and gave him 15 days in jail, served on weekends.

He was also convicted of two DUIs, in 2014 and 2021.