James Cromitie, a low-level marijuana dealer earning $14,000 a year, was pursued for months by informant Shahed Hussain. Despite Cromitie's initial inability to find co-conspirators, he eventually agreed to the plot after Hussain offered a $250,000 payout. The hosts emphasize that the FBI essentially "cooked up" the conspiracy, providing the targets, the plan, and the financial motivation to a man who was otherwise a "big talker" with no actual means to commit terrorism.