The Binge Cases: Baby Broker

Our host writes a handwritten letter to the mastermind behind the Duval letters in 2023. He’s impressed and reaches out. He’s never spoken to a journalist before. They start exchanging emails and calls. Eventually she visits him behind bars. Soon, a jury will decide his fate. What will he reveal to her? And how can Rachel be sure it’s the truth? 

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The mastermind behind the Maria Duval scam is revealed. Who is he and how did he operate one of the biggest scams in U.S. history? Investigative reporter Rachel Browne discovers this wasn’t his first mail-order operation and that Terry Polevoy, an amateur scam-buster, had helped expose that scheme. Rachel discovers the mastermind’s M.O.  

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An ITN Productions & Sony Music Entertainment production.

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U.S. Postal Inspector Clayton Gerber discovers that the letters are entering the country via Albany, NY, and that they’re originating from a company in Montreal. Locating criminals across the border for extradition is no simple task, but eventually Clayton finds two of the scam’s top lieutenants. Can he get them to give up the name of their boss, the true mastermind of the scheme?  

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To find out how the scheme is operating in the present, we go back to how it all started. We know that two Swiss businessmen had bought Maria’s name and image to add legitimacy to their mailing scheme and launch letters across Europe. But who were these men? What motivated them to cheat hundreds of thousands of people out of their life savings? And where are they today?

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The Maria Duval letter scam began in Europe—so how did it make its way to America? U.S. Postal Inspector Clayton Gerber begins to unravel the threads of the scam when he discovers an address on Long Island, where victims are sending their replies to Duval. They also send intimate items like locks of their hair, hoping for the psychic’s help. Clayton’s team goes dumpster diving on Long Island and finds bags of return letters – proof Duval herself wasn’t getting the replies. Why were their replies ending up here, of all places? And who’s responsible?   

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Who was Maria Duval? Her son says she had a gift, an ability to see people’s futures. She helped locate missing people and worked with the French elite, befriending Jacques Chirac and Brigitte Bardot. In the late 80s, when two businessmen approached Maria Duval with a life-changing deal, her name becomes synonymous with one of the greatest scams ever written. 

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What would you do if you got a mysterious letter promising to restore your health and vitality? Doreen Robinson wrote back and sent money to the French psychic named Maria Duval who’d written to her. As their relationship deepened, Doreen had no idea that she wasn’t the only one. In fact, hundreds of thousands of people had gotten a Duval letter, and gave an estimated $175m. How was this possible? 

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What would you do if one handwritten letter promised to change your life forever?

All of us want magic, to feel like there is some sort of exterior force guiding our next steps, to believe our fate is written in the stars. This is the story of 1 million hopeful Americans, the global scam that took $200m from them, and the mastermind who managed it all by sending out thousands of letters a week.

Investigative journalist Rachel Browne takes us through the facts of the fraud, from its brilliantly simple conception to the revelation and imprisonment of the fraudster themselves. Speaking through letters from behind bars, the con artist maintains their innocence, saying:  ‘Maybe it's not moral, maybe it's bullshit, but it doesn’t mean it's fraud.’

And that is the question at the heart of The Greatest Scam Ever Written: What happens if you want to believe that sending $50 to a psychic will change the course of your destiny? Are you a victim, or a willing participant?

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Just click subscribe on the top of the Smoke Screen show page on Apple Podcasts or visit GetTheBinge.com to get access.

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Despite promises made by the police, the killer faces the death penalty for his crimes. Donna confesses that she is terrified her father will find a way to avoid the death penalty, get out of prison, and come after her. As time goes on, Donna and Steve reckon with the aftershocks of her father’s crimes, the mistakes Steve made as a young journalist, and the damage the killer inflicted on his victims… both living and dead.  

This episode will be released for free on July 8th.  

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An Orbit Media & Sony Music Entertainment production in association with Rhyme Media.  

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In the present day, Steve tracks down Donna, the killer’s daughter, who he first met when she was 12. Nearly fifty years later, Donna describes the harsh reality of growing up the daughter of a serial killer who she loved.  

This episode will be released for free on July 1st.  

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An Orbit Media & Sony Music Entertainment production in association with Rhyme Media.  

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Steve secures his exclusive interview with the killer, who reveals what he considers the “real reasons” his victims died. While digging into this investigative lead, Steve tracks down a former social worker, who has a stunning revelation for Steve that will completely change his understanding of the case.  

This episode will be released for free on June 24th.  

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An Orbit Media & Sony Music Entertainment production in association with Rhyme Media.  Find out more about The Binge and other podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts and follow us @sonypodcasts

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On the strangest road trip ever, the confessed killer leads detectives, a prosecutor, and a medical examiner on a grim quest to unearth the bodies he claims to have buried in remote parts Louisiana and Mississippi.  

This episode will be released for free on June 17th.  

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Steve dives deeper into the details of the killer’s life, reaching out to his wife and daughter in an attempt to secure an exclusive interview with the killer in prison. Meanwhile, the Florida police dig into the grisly details of the killer’s crimes… but if they want to hold the killer accountable, they are going to need evidence.  

This episode will be released for free on June 10th.   

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Steve Fishman is an intern at his local Connecticut newspaper and a regular hitchhiker. When one of his hitched rides comes to an unnerving conclusion, Steve shrugs it off—until weeks later, when the news breaks that the driver he rode with has confessed to being a serial killer who preys on hitchhikers. Steve sees the chance to get the scoop of a lifetime: a killer’s story, Who better to tell it than someone who almost became one of his victims?

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An Orbit Media & Sony Music Entertainment production in association with Rhyme Media.

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What would you do if someone you knew turned out to be a serial killer?  

In the 1970s, Steve Fishman was an intern at his local newspaper, when one day he hitched a ride back from Boston with Robert Carr III, better known as “Red.” Red seemed trustworthy enough, but he was hiding a secret: by the time he had picked up Steve, he had already killed three people—and all of his prior victims were hitchhikers themselves.  

This narrow brush with death is only the beginning of Steve’s relationship with Red. When Red is eventually arrested by the police and confesses to a slew of gruesome murders, Steve sees the journalistic opportunity of a lifetime. It’s exactly the career break that Steve has been looking for—but is it too good to be true?  

Featuring exclusive interviews and never-before-heard tape, Steve goes inside a serial killer’s mind. He examines not only the details of Red’s crimes, but turns the scrutiny on his own coverage to ask: did he get the story right? And if not, what can he do now to set the record straight?  

Subscribe now to unlock all shows on The Binge and you'll be the first to access Smoke Screen: My Friend, the Serial Killer as soon as it drops on June 1st.  

An Orbit Media & Sony Music Entertainment production in association with Rhyme Media.  

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In the 1970s, John Todd exploded onto the evangelical scene with a shocking claim: a secret group of devil-worshiping elites called the Illuminati were planning a violent world takeover, and Christians needed to arm themselves against them to protect their families and way of life. But none of it was true—so why did the idea spread so quickly?

Dive into John Todd’s dark and distorted world with journalist Paul Murphy on Cover Up: The Conspiracy Tapes. Featuring sensational tales of witchcraft and human sacrifice from recorded tape of John Todd’s original testimony, this story unravels the threads of Todd’s deceptions, and traces his legacy as an originator of modern day conspiracy theories.

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The wives and daughters of Dubai’s ruler live in unbelievable luxury. So why do the women in Sheikh Mohammed’s family keep trying to run away? The New Yorker staff writer Heidi Blake joins In the Dark’s Madeleine Baran to tell the story of the royal women who risked everything to flee the brutality of one of the world’s most powerful men. In four episodes, drawing on thousands of pages of secret correspondence and never-before-heard audio recordings, “The Runaway Princesses” takes listeners behind palace walls, revealing a story of astonishing courage and cruelty.

“The Runaway Princesses” is a four-part narrative series from In the Dark and The New Yorker. To keep listening, follow In the Dark wherever you get your podcasts.

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Tom’s identity is discovered by the world. The press mobs their home. And the U.S. Marshal Pete Elliott ends up on Ashley’s doorstep. Their fathers spent their lives at odds with one another. But once Pete shows up, the unexpected happens. Why Ashley’s Dad stole the money and left Cleveland is revealed and Ashley and her Mum discover one last surprise.

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Ashley realizes her Dad has been hiding a diagnosis from her and her mother. Time is running out for him to tell the truth. Hosts Jonathan and Ashley go back to the house on Carter Road, her childhood home - where her Dad dropped the bombshell that changed everything. And Pete Elliott helps his father face the fact that he may never catch Ted Conrad.

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Tom was a scratch golfer. Good enough he could have gone pro. So why didn’t he? How did being a wanted man shape the seemingly perfect life he had? He ended up in the car business with a posse of car guys who adored him but could see he was a bit of fish out of water. When tragedy strikes, Tom makes a decision that will come back to haunt him.

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At a social security office in Boston, Ted Conrad is reborn as Thomas Randele. It was the first time this surname was ever recorded. Then he went about making friends and making excuses for why he didn’t have to work. Ashley sifts through her Dad’s past trying to figure out what he told her is actually true and what isn’t. She interviews her Mum, Kathy, who reveals that her Dad hadn’t wanted kids when they first met.

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A Neon Hum Media & Sony Music Entertainment production.

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Introducing the Elliotts, the father-son pair who spent the better part of their lives with the singular mission of finding Ted Conrad. From the very start of this case, John Elliott made Ted his nemesis. It turns out the Deputy Marshal had his reasons to despise him. Hosts Jonathan and Ashley discover a letter her Dad wrote in the weeks after the heist.

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The summer of 1968 one of the most iconic heist movies ever made came out. The Thomas Crown Affair starred Steve McQueen as a clever businessman who pulls off an elaborate robbery. Ted Conrad, a kid from Cleveland, admired this film so much he walked out of Society National Bank with hundreds of thousands of dollars in a paper bag. Some say he stole the money for the same reasons Crown did: to see if he could get away with it. But Ashley wonders, what was his real motive?

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Ashley’s Dad was her favorite person in the world. He drove fast cars and sold them for a living. He was a scratch golfer and the love of her Mum’s life. Ashley thought she knew him better than anyone. But at 38, she found out he wasn’t who he said he was. Inspired by his favorite movie the Thomas Crown Affair, he had pulled off a robbery in Cleveland then disappeared. It turns out he evaded the authorities for half a century, living in their sleepy Massachusetts town.

His secret upended his family’s life, but another family’s too. Because from the moment this 20-year-old vault teller escaped with $215,000 in 1969, Deputy U.S. Marshal John Elliott made it his life’s mission to bring him to justice. After he retired, his son even took up his mantle. For this six episode podcast, host Jonathan Hirsch teams up with Ashley Randele to unravel the mystery of how her Dad got away with it, and ultimately, why he left behind everyone and everything to start over.

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How far would you go to save the world from itself?

Dr. Eugene Mallove believed that a new form of world-changing free energy — cold fusion — was just around the corner. Even when his work was pushed to the fringes, he dreamed of a brighter future. But before Dr. Mallove could usher in that future, he was found dead in the driveway of his childhood home. Everyone had their own ideas of who killed him, and investigators were looking in all the wrong places.

From QCODE and Faceplant, in association with No Smiling, Crime Waves: Cold Truth is a story about one man's quest to expose the truth, the lengths he would go to save the world, and how his dream caught up with him.

Visit qcodemedia.com for more information.

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Chad is charged on a long list of counts related to corruption. He isn’t just going to plead guilty. He’s going to trial. In court, he’ll face his informants and his right-hand men who betrayed him. But whether or not Chad gets what he deserved remains an open question. Is Chad a bad apple or is the DEA a rotten orchard?

Subscribe to The Binge to get all episodes of Smoke Screen ad-free right now. Click ‘Subscribe’ at the top of the Smoke Screen: Betrayal On The Bayou show page on Apple Podcasts or visit GetTheBinge.com to get access wherever you get your podcasts.

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FBI Agent Chip Hardgrave and Chad Scott have a lot in common – they even went to the same high school in Baton Rouge – but now it’s Chip’s job to investigate the DEA’s star agent. This time, Chad’s misconduct isn’t going to get swept under the rug. His powerful allies can’t protect him. The FBI will take down Chad and anybody they catch along with him.

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This is the story of how Chad’s team gets caught. Rose Graham is a grandmother who becomes Johnny’s unlikely peddler for the drugs he’s been stealing from evidence. One fateful night, Rose goes to a lakeside restaurant and tries to sell cocaine to an undercover State Trooper. Soon, Chad’s team turns on him.

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Boobie is an informant for Chad but all the while he’s making over $300,000 a month dealing cocaine. Some people say Chad lets him get away with it. When Boobie meets Chad at a Houston Doubletree, Chad puts Boobie on notice: he wants contacts, or Boobie’s freedom is over.

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Chad’s luck is finally running out. The beginning of Chad’s downfall centers around Frederick “Boobie” Brown. He’s a high level drug trafficker who drives a $240,000 Bentley and provides dope to dealers all over the South. Chad says he’ll let Boobie walk free… if Boobie does exactly what Chad wants.

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Ron Woods is a Black DEA supervisor who landed in New Orleans and found himself in the perils of the swamp. He’s the agent who could have stopped Chad Scott before things got out of hand. Chad has always courted controversy. In fact, for his first big assignment for the DEA, Chad was toe-to-toe with none other than hip-hop legend James Prince.

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Meet the A-Team, that’s what Chad called his ragtag group, also known as a DEA Task Force. Karl Newman is a real likable country dude with no moral quandaries. Johnny Domingue is the protege, fresh out of college, with a knack for making drug busts. Chad handpicked this team, and commanded them during operations. But little did he know that they were far out of his control.

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A Neon Hum & Sony Music Entertainment production.

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Chad Scott made an incredible number of cases by getting drug dealers to work for him as informants. His phone number was written on jailhouse walls because Chad was the guy who could get you out of a tough situation – if you give him what he wants. That if is what this whole story is about. We hear from Virgil Ard, a former drug dealer who navigated streets riddled with Chad’s snitches. Virgil would face a choice: a long prison sentence, or work for Chad.

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For almost two decades, DEA Special Agent Chad Scott ruled the streets just North of New Orleans. He controlled a network of snitches by convincing people he arrested to work for him as informants. Chad would stop at nothing to put drug dealers behind bars. His successes won awards at the DEA, but his willingness to bend the rules earned him a terrifying reputation on the streets. Some called him the Golden Boy. Others called him the White Devil. But when one of guys on Chad's team is caught dealing drugs, Chad’s life is overturned. His right-hand men betray him and confess everything to the FBI. Investigators go over his career with a fine-toothed comb, asking the question: is Chad Scott the greatest DEA Agent in the South, or is he a criminal?

Smoke Screen: Betrayal on the Bayou is part of The Binge – a channel on Apple Podcasts. Browse all the shows included in your subscription here: apple.co/thebinge 

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A Neon Hum Media & Sony Music Entertainment production.

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You may have heard of the abortion pill, especially in the wake of the overturning of Roe v. Wade last year. But the story of how the pill became legal in America is closer to an action film than to a courtroom drama—with covert operations, heists, and even murder. On the new season of Cover Up: The Pill Plot, travel   back to the ‘90s and join the ragtag group that plotted an international drug   smuggling scheme and set up a secret lab to get the abortion pill to America. Get a front row seat to the epic struggle facing activists who battled presidents, the Supreme Court, militant anti-abortionists and so much more.

Subscribers to The Binge can listen to all episodes of Cover Up: The Pill   Plot right now, completely ad-free.

Catch new episodes of Cover Up: The Pill Plot every week wherever you get your podcasts or subscribe to The Binge and unlock all episodes ad-free today.
Just click ‘Subscribe’ on the top of the Cover Up show page on Apple Podcasts or visit GetTheBinge.com to get access wherever you listen.

A Sony Music Entertainment production.

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Driskill’s lawyers discover that he is theoretically eligible for parole after serving seven years of his sentence. But this is a long shot — it's notoriously difficult to get released whilst still maintaining your innocence.

Chammah talks to a leading cold case prosecutor to ask how interrogations like Holland’s can be justified. And he seeks to understand the pain that Bobbie Sue Hill’s family will be confronted with if Driskill is cleared.

Everyone is waiting for the parole board’s decision.

Subscribe to The Binge to get all episodes of Smoke Screen: Just Say You’re Sorry ad-free right now. Click ‘Subscribe’ at the top of the Smoke Screen show page on Apple Podcasts or visit GetTheBinge.com to get access wherever you get your podcasts.

A Somethin’ Else, The Marshall Project & Sony Music Entertainment production.

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A young law student called Ashely is the first to read Driskill’s letter and becomes obsessed with his story. The Innocence Project of Texas take his case and begin working to find evidence that could clear his name.

Chammah hunts down crucial leads throwing serious doubt on the informant’s story and on the forensic sketch that led Holland to Driskill in the first place.

Holland's star, though, is still rising. He takes on a case that will make him famous, drawing dozens of confessions from America’s most prolific serial killer, Samuel Little.

Subscribe to The Binge to get all episodes of Smoke Screen: Just Say You’re Sorry ad-free right now. Click ‘Subscribe’ at the top of the Smoke Screen show page on Apple Podcasts or visit GetTheBinge.com to get access wherever you get your podcasts.

A Somethin’ Else, The Marshall Project & Sony Music Entertainment production.

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Driskill is in jail ahead of a potential court case when an informant comes forward with information that seems to blow a hole in his claims of innocence.

Meanwhile James Holland moves on to his next case. It’s a story with eerie similarities to Driskill’s. Another veteran, Christopher Ax, is being investigated for the murder of a woman. But this time, things turn out very differently for Holland, and the first cracks start to appear in his legend. Driskill is desperate for help and writes a hail-Mary letter to the Innocence Project of Texas.

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A Somethin’ Else, The Marshall Project & Sony Music Entertainment production.

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It's Day 2 of Holland’s interrogation of Driskill. Over the course of several hours Holland uses a variety of extreme but legal tactics as he chases a confession. He lies to Driskill about the evidence they have against him and feeds the veteran a story to explain how he might have come to murder Bobbie Sue Hill. Holland is relentless and the interrogation stretches on, with no lawyer present. How long can Driskill resist?

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A Somethin’ Else, The Marshall Project & Sony Music Entertainment production.

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Chammah investigates the cop at the centre of the story – James Holland is so celebrated as an interrogator that he’s known in the media as ‘the serial killer whisperer.’ He’s a leading member of that legendary and storied police force, the Texas Rangers. Chammah traces Holland’s steps as he starts trying to close a cold case which has gone unsolved for more than a decade: the murder of a woman named Bobbie Sue Hill.

The trail is faint but Holland follows it doggedly: a dead-end suspect, a single witness, and finally a forensic sketch which leads him to Driskill’s door.

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A Somethin’ Else, The Marshall Project & Sony Music Entertainment production.

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Texas Ranger James Holland approaches Air Force veteran Larry Driskill and asks him for help with a murder case. These are the first moments in a psychological battle that will end in Driskill confessing to a brutal killing. All while swearing he doesn’t remember the crime.

Incredibly, the whole thing is caught on tape. Through Holland's recordings, journalist Maurice Chammah follows the men into the interrogation room...

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A Somethin’ Else, The Marshall Project & Sony Music Entertainment production.

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Texas Ranger James Holland is celebrated as the ‘serial killer whisperer’, solving dozens of murders through his legendary interrogation skills. But how far does he go to get confessions? And has he put innocent people in prison along the way? Smoke Screen: Just Say You're Sorry uses shocking police tapes to reveal the psychological drama behind one murder case, and uncovers something rotten at the heart of the justice system.

Subscribe now to unlock all shows on The Binge — All Episodes. All at Once… and you’ll be the first to access Smoke Screen: Just Say You're Sorry as soon as it drops on May 1st.

A Sony Music Entertainment production.

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Genesis II has recently gained a significant following in some South American countries, according to local reports. Hundreds of buyers have been lining up outside makeshift MMS distribution centers in poor rural communities as the pace of Covid vaccination falls behind that of major cities.

What does the story of MMS tell us about the future of public health in the U.S. and abroad? How we can foster informed, trusted dialogue around science and health globally?

Want the full story? Unlock all episodes of Smoke Screen, ad-free, right now by subscribing to The Binge. Plus, get binge access to brand new stories dropping on the first of every month — that’s all episodes, all at once, all ad-free.

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A Neon Hum Media, Bloomberg, & Sony Music Entertainment production.

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From prison in Colombia, to a detention facility in Texas to federal detention in Florida, the Grenons continue to fight for their freedom, and promote their product.

Meanwhile, Mark Grenon remains defiant. MMS, he insists, will never stop.

Want the full story? Unlock all episodes of Smoke Screen, ad-free, right now by subscribing to The Binge. Plus, get binge access to brand new stories dropping on the first of every month — that’s all episodes, all at once, all ad-free.

Just click ‘Subscribe’ on the top of the Smoke Screen show page on Apple Podcasts or visit GetTheBinge.com to get access wherever you listen.

A Neon Hum Media, Bloomberg, & Sony Music Entertainment production.

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In the summer of 2020, the government raided Grenon's compound and arrested two of Mark Grenon’s sons. But where in the world were Mark and his other son?

This episode traces the Grenons’ moves around the world, and examines both how they rose to international stardom … and how they were ultimately brought down.

Want the full story? Unlock all episodes of Smoke Screen, ad-free, right now by subscribing to The Binge. Plus, get binge access to brand new stories dropping on the first of every month — that’s all episodes, all at once, all ad-free.

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A Neon Hum Media, Bloomberg, & Sony Music Entertainment production.

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As MMS continued its rise, so did the Federal Drug Administration’s attention on the so-called cure.

But MMS would prove difficult to clamp down on. Between eBay and Amazon, sales of the vials were reaching the millions. In 2019, a special agent with the FDA began buying MMS, gaining information on the church and its founders.

But the Genesis II Church would receive a major boost in March 2020, when the Covid-19 pandemic rattled the world. Unapproved Covid cures were rampant, leading to the formation of the FDA’s Operation Quack Hack. The operation targeted 700 groups accused of fraud and Genesis II was one of them. It seemed as though the government was gaining on the Grenons. Until the man inside the Oval Office tacitly endorsed their miracle solution.

Want the full story? Unlock all episodes of Smoke Screen, ad-free, right now by subscribing to The Binge. Plus, get binge access to brand new stories dropping on the first of every month — that’s all episodes, all at once, all ad-free.

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A Neon Hum Media, Bloomberg, & Sony Music Entertainment production.

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Self-appointed archbishops Jim Humble and Mark Grenon begin hosting seminars around the world, and charging $450 per person to attend. But it wasn’t just locals expressing interest in the so-called cure: now, national media was catching wind of the group, thrusting the Genesis II Church further into the limelight.

Want the full story? Unlock all episodes of Smoke Screen, ad-free, right now by subscribing to The Binge. Plus, get binge access to brand new stories dropping on the first of every month — that’s all episodes, all at once, all ad-free.

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A Neon Hum Media, Bloomberg, & Sony Music Entertainment production.

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What starts for Daniel Smith as an attempt to regain trust in medicine quickly becomes "Project Green Life" – a top distributor of MMS. Then, the feds catch wind of his operation, hoping to take him down.

The Grenons use Daniel's prosecution as a rallying cry for the Genesis II church, claiming that their church status is what would insulate them from future attempts by the feds to shut them down.

Want the full story? Unlock all episodes of Smoke Screen, ad-free, right now by subscribing to The Binge. Plus, get binge access to brand new stories dropping on the first of every month — that’s all episodes, all at once, all ad-free.

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A Neon Hum Media, Bloomberg, & Sony Music Entertainment production.

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Fiona O'Leary is a fearless firebrand, and mother of four autistic children. She is also an online vigilante who will stop at nothing to take down proponents of MMS. She's part of a loosely affiliated group of keyboard warriors known as "The Bleach Hunters.” Her Nemesis is Kerri Rivera, a former real estate agent who created something called "The Autism Protocols", which promote using MMS as a "cure" for autism. Meanwhile, a tragic death in the South Pacific of someone using MMS alerts the FDA that something might be terribly wrong.

Want the full story? Unlock all episodes of Smoke Screen, ad-free, right now by subscribing to The Binge. Plus, get binge access to brand new stories dropping on the first of every month — that’s all episodes, all at once, all ad-free.

Just click ‘Subscribe’ on the top of the Smoke Screen show page on Apple Podcasts or visit GetTheBinge.com to get access wherever you listen.

A Neon Hum Media, Bloomberg, & Sony Music Entertainment production.

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Meet Mark Grenon, Jim Humble, and the Genesis II church. Mark Grenon, a missionary in the Dominican Republic, contracts MRSA. He discovers the Miracle Mineral Solution, and claims that it has miraculously cured him of numerous ailments.

This takes him to the founder of MMS, Jim Humble, a man who claims to be a billion-year-old god from the Andromeda galaxy, and has treated thousands of people with what he calls "my malaria solution.” Together, they start the Genesis II Church of Health and Healing.

Want the full story? Unlock all episodes of Smoke Screen, ad-free, right now by subscribing to The Binge. Plus, get binge access to brand new stories dropping on the first of every month — that’s all episodes, all at once, all ad-free.

Just click ‘Subscribe’ on the top of the Smoke Screen show page on Apple Podcasts or visit GetTheBinge.com to get access wherever you listen.

A Neon Hum Media, Bloomberg, & Sony Music Entertainment production.

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Smoke Screen: Deadly Cure is a podcast about a family on the fringe who convinced tens of thousands of people across the globe to buy a miracle liquid made of poison, the international conspiracy they ignited, and the people who fought to take them down.

Want the full story? Unlock all episodes of Smoke Screen, ad-free, right now by subscribing to The Binge. Plus, get binge access to brand new stories dropping on the first of every month — that’s all episodes, all at once, all ad-free.

Just click ‘Subscribe’ on the top of the Smoke Screen show page on Apple Podcasts or visit GetTheBinge.com to get access wherever you listen.

A Neon Hum Media, Bloomberg, & Sony Music Entertainment production.

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Behind every infamous news story is a journalist trying to hold power to account. Join reporters Vanessa Grigoriadis and Gabriel Sherman as they take an in-depth look at the most explosive scandals of this century. From high-profile divorces to sex cults to the lies that started a war, they’ll guide you through the juiciest, most outrageous, celeb-filled stories of the last two decades, and give you a behind-the-scenes look at what it takes to shine an unflattering light on the world’s most powerful people.

A Campside Media & Sony Music Entertainment production.

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Alex Schuman, host of Puppy Kingpin, spoke to Deborah Howard, the president of CAPS, the Companion Animal Protection Society, and an undercover investigator who goes by the pseudonym Pete Paxton. In this bonus episode, they discuss the patterns they see breeders using to skirt laws, why the USDA falls short, and Deborah and Pete defend their use of undercover videos to expose what's happening on the ground.

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Chameleon: Scam Likely host, Yudhijit Bhattacharjee, sits down with Alex Schuman to chat about the newest season of the blockbuster Chameleon franchise. The duo dig into another scam you should be wary of - telefraud. Ordinary citizens all around the U.S. have lost their life savings to scam callers, many originating from India. These fraudsters often target especially vulnerable populations, including immigrants and the elderly. Listen as Yudhijit shares the jaw-dropping story of how a small team of investigators went on the hunt to dismantle the shadowy multinational mob behind the con in what became the biggest telefraud case in U.S. history.

From Neon Hum Media and Sony Music Entertainment, listen to Smoke Screen: Puppy Kingpin and other seasons wherever you get your podcasts.

Chameleon is a Campside Media & Sony Music Entertainment production.

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Spectacle: True Crime host, Mariah Smith, sits down with Alex Schuman to chat all things about the newest season of Smoke Screen, Puppy Kingpin. She puts host Alex Schuman in the hot seat and they dig into true crime – how we report these stories, why we’re so fascinated with them and what this fascination says about us. Mariah gets juicy behind-the-scenes bits from Alex about reporting Smoke Screen: Fake Priest and Puppy Kingpin. Plus, Mariah tells Alex about the new season of Spectacle, which is a dissection of our messy obsession with true crime. 

From Neon Hum Media and Sony Music Entertainment, listen to Spectacle: True Crime wherever you get your podcasts.

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Jolyn Noethe faces a class action lawsuit that accuses her of a federal crime and might cost her up to 5 million. The puppy pipeline isn’t going to change overnight, but Alex meets with a breeder who has nothing to hide and hears about a movement among breeders to go above and beyond USDA requirements.

A Neon Hum Media and Sony Music Entertainment production.

Unlock all episodes of Smoke Screen, ad-free right now by subscribing to The Binge. Plus, get binge access to brand new stories dropping on the first of every month — that’s all episodes, all at once, all ad-free.

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The Iowa AG’s lawsuit against Jolyn comes to a conclusion as she faces challenges from multiple sides. Alex looks more closely at the USDA as a growing number of breeders and animal rights activists think a USDA license doesn’t mean much anymore.

A Neon Hum Media and Sony Music Entertainment production.

Unlock all episodes of Smoke Screen, ad-free right now by subscribing to The Binge. Plus, get binge access to brand new stories dropping on the first of every month — that’s all episodes, all at once, all ad-free.

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Alex heads to Britt, Iowa where Jolyn Noethe grew up and her for-profit enterprise, J.A.K.’s Puppies, is headquartered. He discovers that a family dispute is part of the reason she started her own brokering business.

A Neon Hum Media and Sony Music Entertainment production.

Unlock all episodes of Smoke Screen, ad-free right now by subscribing to The Binge. Plus, get binge access to brand new stories dropping on the first of every month — that’s all episodes, all at once, all ad-free.

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Multiple lawsuits now accuse Jolyn Noethe of creating rescues to sell commercially-bred puppies where they’ve been outlawed. Alex learns how the scheme reaches beyond the Midwest and meets Lizette Chanock. She claims her rescue’s name is being used to sell unhealthy puppies.

A Neon Hum Media and Sony Music Entertainment production.

Unlock all episodes of Smoke Screen, ad-free right now by subscribing to The Binge. Plus, get binge access to brand new stories dropping on the first of every month — that’s all episodes, all at once, all ad-free.

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Authorities learn of unusual “rescue puppies” starting to turn up in Chicago and begin an investigation. Soon, they are on the trail of the secretive businesswoman responsible.

A Neon Hum Media and Sony Music Entertainment production.

Unlock all episodes of Smoke Screen, ad-free right now by subscribing to The Binge. Plus, get binge access to brand new stories dropping on the first of every month — that’s all episodes, all at once, all ad-free.

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Alex sets out to learn more about Jolyn Noethe, but ends up getting an inside look at a puppy mill and how they operate legally. We’ll hear audio of the day authorities descended on the farm of Barbara Kavars, an Iowan breeder who got in way over her head.

A Neon Hum Media and Sony Music Entertainment production.

Unlock all episodes of Smoke Screen, ad-free right now by subscribing to The Binge. Plus, get binge access to brand new stories dropping on the first of every month — that’s all episodes, all at once, all ad-free.

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When Mindi Callison finds out a local pet shop might be selling puppies from a puppy mill, she takes action. Soon, she’s tracking dogs being transported from state to state and stumbles onto a company that hides the source of puppies.

A Neon Hum Media and Sony Music Entertainment production. 

Unlock all episodes of Smoke Screen, ad-free right now by subscribing to The Binge. Plus, get binge access to brand new stories dropping on the first of every month — that’s all episodes, all at once, all ad-free.

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Americans are used to being on the lookout for a scam, but authorities are warning of a new kind of fraud. Puppy Kingpin shines a spotlight on Jolyn Noethe, a secretive businesswoman from Iowa who is accused of laundering puppies like drug money. Over the course of 7 episodes, investigative reporter and host Alex Schuman exposes the scheme and an underground part of the industry bringing us the pets we love.

From Neon Hum Media and Sony Music Entertainment. Smoke Screen: Puppy Kingpin is available June 16th. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts to binge all episodes or listen weekly wherever you get your podcasts. 

Smokescreen: Puppy Kingpin is part of The Binge -  a new podcast channel from Sony Music Entertainment.

The Binge: All Episodes, All at Once. Coming Soon.

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Last year, as the final episodes of The Sellout aired, LA TACO got a tip from a listener: for years, Jose Huizar had been awarding flashy scholarships to college-bound students from Boyle Heights and East LA. But some of those students say they never got the scholarship money promised to them. Was Huizar really stiffing high school students from his own neighborhood? After months of investigating, we're ready to share what we found out.

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Mariah talks to the Boyle Heights residents who watched as FBI agents raided Huizar’s home and offices. Three months into the pandemic, he’s arrested and pleads not guilty. The residents of CD14 are left in limbo. We look at what the FBI investigation reveals about Los Angeles’s housing and homelessness crisis.

A Neon Hum Media and Sony Music Entertainment production.

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Huizar’s carelessness starts to catch up with him. After more than a dozen all-expenses paid trips to Vegas with plenty of perks, Huizar gets played by one of his own. A businessman turned FBI informant gives Huizar an envelope with $15,000 in cash, and then tells the Feds all about it.

A Neon Hum Media and Sony Music Entertainment production.

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Huizar’s downfall started with a sexual harassment lawsuit. He didn’t have the hundreds of thousands of dollars to settle the suit on his own... so the Feds say he relied on a new friend. A developer who had plans to build a 77-story hotel in downtown LA.

A Neon Hum Media and Sony Music Entertainment production.

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Gentrification comes in waves. Over years, a piece of downtown LA transformed from Skid Row, to a bastion for young artists, to a hipster neighborhood with some of the highest rents in the city. By 2018, Huizar was allegedly collecting bribes from developers planning a luxury high rise just a couple blocks from where some of his constituents were getting evicted.

A Neon Hum Media and Sony Music Entertainment production.

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No man is an island. Huizar couldn’t have pulled off the alleged corruption scheme without help. Host Mariah Castañeda tells the story of how Huizar allegedly built the criminal enterprise the FBI would eventually arrest him for. It all started when downtown was reassigned to his district.

A Neon Hum Media and Sony Music Entertainment production.

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When fancy new developments like The Gold Line expansion get proposed, residents of Boyle Heights wonder if it’s actually for them, or if these new new things are meant to attract future residents... a.k.a. gentrifiers. A mechanic is harassed by the city of Los Angeles after he refuses to sell his land to make way for construction. And Huizar's re-election campaign against Rudy Martinez gets petty.

A Neon Hum Media and Sony Music Entertainment production.

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Alvin Parra worked for Huizar when he first got elected. He saw early warning signs that Huizar wasn’t the man of the people he made himself out to be. Parra tried to warn people about what he saw behind closed doors, but most of them weren’t ready to listen. He ends up doing something drastic to try to expose Huizar.

A Neon Hum Media and Sony Music Entertainment production.

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A militant organization called Defend Boyle Heights protests encroaching gentrification, by any means necessary. We dig into two origin stories: how Huizar emigrated at the age of 4 and ended up at Berkeley and Princeton, and how Boyle Heights has had a history of resistance and displacement.

A Neon Hum Media and Sony Music Entertainment production.

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As a working-class Latinx neighborhood in Los Angeles faces gentrification, residents are ready to fight to defend their turf. Mariachis lead a rent strike and ask their councilman Jose Huizar for help. But what they don’t realize is that he’s allegedly been taking bribes from developers building luxury housing right across the river, in downtown LA.

A Neon Hum Media and Sony Music Entertainment production.

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Jonathan Hirsch, Neon Hum CEO and host of I Am Rama, introduces this season of Smoke Screen (it's called The Sellout!) and our new paid subscription service, Smoke Screen Plus.

If you buy a paid subscription on Apple Podcasts, you’ll get three episodes of bonus content throughout the season. You’ll also get each episode without ads, and 24 hours early. And, if you don’t subscribe… that’s fine! You’ll still get access to all the episodes, free.

The first two episodes of The Sellout drop on October 26th. It's the story of a politician dogged by allegations of corruption, harassment and pathological pettiness.

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Jose Huizar grew up in Boyle Heights – a working-class Latinx neighborhood in L.A. Eventually, he became their councilperson.

And, for the most part, people trusted Huizar... until the day the FBI raided his home and offices, looking for evidence of corruption. The Feds would go on to say that Huizar led a criminal enterprise based in city hall. He stands accused of taking bribes from luxury developers as his constituents were displaced from their homes.

This season of Smoke Screen is a collaboration with grassroots media organization L.A. TACO. In this 9-part investigative series, journalist and host Mariah Castañeda investigates how Huizar got the power to do what he did, and how the community that raised him paid the price. 

A Neon Hum Media and Sony Music Entertainment production.

Coming October 26th. Listen & follow on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, Stitcher or wherever you get your podcasts.

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In this episode, we explore all that Rama left behind: students, a charitable foundation, music, books, and a complicated legacy.

A Neon Hum Media and Sony Music Entertainment production.

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Power trips to paradise and never-before shared knowledge -- were these golden times, or Rama’s way of saying goodbye? This episode explores the final years leading of Rama's life. 

A Neon Hum Media and Sony Music Entertainment production.

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As Rama’s image took a hit in the public sphere, his students circled the wagons around their teacher. In something of a last ditch effort to win over the media, Rama accepts an invitation to appear on Dateline. 

A Neon Hum Media and Sony Music Entertainment production.

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Multiple women accuse Rama of sexual misconduct and emotional manipulation. Many of Rama’s students defend their teacher. 

A Neon Hum Media and Sony Music Entertainment production.

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Rama finds himself in the crosshairs of the Cult Awareness Network, a group dedicated to extricating people from what they consider to be cults by “deprogramming” them. But Rama’s students tell a much different story.

A Neon Hum Media and Sony Music Entertainment production.

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A young woman follows Rama to New York, and mysteriously vanishes, leaving behind many to wonder what happened. In this episode, people who knew and loved Brenda Kerber piece her story back together. 

If you have any information about the death of Brenda Kerber that wasn’t reflected in this episode, please contact the White Plains Police Department in New York at https://whiteplainspublicsafety.com/submit-a-tip/ or 914-422-6111. 

A Neon Hum Media and Sony Music Entertainment production.

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Will Arntz is a man of many talents, from filmmaker to laser physicist. In this episode, Will relives the time he spent studying with Rama and how it changed his life. 

A Neon Hum Media and Sony Music Entertainment production.

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Rama’s growth as a spiritual teacher in the mid-80s starts in California but takes him and his students all over the country. Rama defines his doctrine, turning his attention to the potential of the computer industry. But for his students, it’s not always easy to keep up with their teacher, or stay in his good graces. 

A Neon Hum Media and Sony Music Entertainment production.

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This episode follows Frederick Lenz III from his early days and education through his introduction to spiritualism with his mentor, Sri Chinmoy, at the dawn of the New Age. Young Freddie  becomes “Atmananda,” a recruiter for his mentor, until it becomes time to strike out on his own, as Zen Master Rama. 

If you want to know more about Rama’s early years, you can read more from the people who we interviewed for this episode. Liz Lewinson’s book is called “American Buddhist Rebel The Story of Rama, Dr. Frederick Lenz.” Mark Laxer's books is called “Take Me For a Ride, Coming of Age in a Destructive Cult.” 

A Neon Hum Media and Sony Music Entertainment production.

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Rama was a man of many faces: teacher, tech entrepreneur, friend - and to some, a scam artist. This episode introduces Rama, examining the world from which he came, the way he shaped those who entered his orbit for better and for worse, and the mysterious circumstances around his demise. 

A Neon Hum Media and Sony Music Entertainment production.

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Rama was a spiritual teacher in the 80s and 90s who inspired many of his students while helming what many of his detractors would describe as a cult. He defied society’s archetypal vision of a New Age leader, eschewing minimalism for wealth and celebrity. He was also a man ahead of his time, encouraging his students to develop careers in computer science before that was mainstream.

For some, following Rama's lead worked out spiritually, and financially too. But for others, Rama's actions contradicted his cool persona; some eventually came forward with accusations of abuse, others vanished, whistleblowers went to the media, and the group began to shrink and splinter. 

In this 10-part investigative series, Jonathan Hirsch explores the life, death and impact of Rama. "I Am Rama" drops June 22. 

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Until now, Father Ryan has mostly escaped punishment for stealing money from followers under false pretenses. What would it take for him to face a jury of his peers?

A Neon Hum Media and Sony Music Entertainment production.

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Alex Schuman finally has his showdown with Father Ryan. But things don't go as planned because Father Ryan has something to confess about his past that sheds light on why he wanted to become a "priest" in the first place.

A Neon Hum Media and Sony Music Entertainment production.

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In his autobiography, Father Ryan connects himself to two priests who died suspiciously. One he accuses of molesting children. The other? He says he teamed up with to publicly shame pedophile priests. What's the truth?

A Neon Hum Media and Sony Music Entertainment production.

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The father-daughter investigator team discovers the cop who arrested Father Ryan may have an ulterior motive. They defend Father Ryan tooth and nail - until they get a troubling surprise of their own.

A Neon Hum Media and Sony Music Entertainment production.

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A sheriff deputy arrests Father Ryan for taking more than $70,000 from an elderly follower. It's looking like he might get 7 years in prison, but then he meets a father-daughter pair of private investigators who change everything.

A Neon Hum Media and Sony Music Entertainment production.

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After Father Ryan steals a follower's money, her property and even her husband's ashes, she hires a lawyer. A legal battle ensues over unpaid loans and a herd of llamas that Father Ryan leaves high and dry.

A Neon Hum Media and Sony Music Entertainment production.

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Even con artists need mentors. Meet the false prophet who teaches Father Ryan how to perfect his con. Father Ryan evades criminal charges again and Alex learns about an unspoken reason prosecutors could let many criminals go free.

A Neon Hum Media and Sony Music Entertainment production.

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Alex tracks down Father Ryan’s son, Jonathan Brady, and discovers Father Ryan was a scammer and manipulator long before he wore a priestly robe. Turns out he had plenty of practice committing fraud before he opened his first church in Wisconsin. 

A Neon Hum Media and Sony Music Entertainment production.

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Investigative reporter Alex Schuman hears about a guy accused of swindling millions who has travelled the Midwest for decades pretending to be a priest. Alex starts his journey talking to two people who have long tried to expose the truth. Alex is hoping to finally figure out why anyone would try to pull off such an elaborate con.

A Neon Hum Media and Sony Music Entertainment production.

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For 30 years, a man claimed to be a priest. He performed baptisms and took confession. Every time he ran into trouble, Father Ryan would move on to another small Midwestern town and start his scheme all over again. Followers who once worshiped him, now accuse him of exploitation, fraud and abuse. In season one of Smoke Screen, join Alex Schuman as he unravels this con and gets answers from this white-collar criminal himself.

A Neon Hum Media and Sony Music Entertainment production.

Coming August 13th. Listen & follow on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, Stitcher or wherever you get your podcasts.

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