PRETEND
From cult leaders to con artists and undercover FBI agents, PRETEND exposes those pretending to be someone they're not.
Episodes
Who's Afraid of LaDonna Humphrey part 17
LaDonna Humphrey has spent years trying to overturn a $3.57 million judgment. But in a rare legal move, her right to appeal was sold in bankruptcy court — to the very person she was fighting, Anthony Christopher. In this episode, you'll hea…
"Nobody Should Believe Me" — When the Advocate Is the Abuser
This week on PRETEND, we’re bringing you something special: a feed drop from Nobody Should Believe Me, an award-winning investigative true crime podcast created by author Andrea Dunlop. With over 15 million downloads and a spot on The New Y…
2203: The Playwright part 3
Melanie dies. Jayson takes control of her estate. Then he moves in with her mother. Her children are stunned. They suspect something isn’t right, especially as questions about Melanie’s will and health begin to surface. Jayson was the last …
Listen Now: Business Wars
In the year 2000, the merger of AOL and Time Warner seemed like the moment that the pendulum shifted from offline to online media. But the megamerger went off script fast. In-fighting, cooked books and incompatible corporate cultures would …
The Playwright part 2
In Part 2 of The Playwright, we shift focus to the show at the center of it all: The History of Now. Written and directed by Jason Bartlett, the play was billed as a bold, political drama. It was a plan meant to honor a woman he claimed to…
The Playwright part 1
In this episode, we investigate the mysterious Jayson Bartlett and the many women whose lives he upended. Emma was a single mother in England who fell for Bartlett’s charm and artistic persona. At first, everything seemed perfect. But soon,…
BONUS: The Digital Trail to Epstein’s Island
What if your phone could place you at the scene of a crime—years later? In this bonus episode of PRETEND, we uncover how nearly 200 mobile devices that visited Jeffrey Epstein’s private island left behind invisible data trails. Using just …
The Pale Faced Lie Revisited
David Crow says he was his father's criminal accomplice. In today's episode, we delve into the extraordinary story of David Crow, author of the book titled "The Pale-Faced Lie." It's the story of a father and son entangled in a life of crim…
The Stalker - New Charges part 21
Rick Fernandez—yes, the same Rick who thought he’d escaped six felonies—just got slapped with brand-new criminal charges in Phoenix Municipal Court. I flew in a court-runner to watch the hearing, dug through fresh police files, and pieced t…
Listen Now: The Rise & Fall of Diddy: The Federal Trial
Opening statements rock the courtroom as federal prosecutors accuse Sean “Diddy” Combs of running a decades-long criminal enterprise built on violence, sex trafficking, and power. The defense hits back hard, painting it all as a toxic relat…
Cocaine Air
This week on PRETEND, we're doing something different. I’m bringing on my friend Johnathan Walton, the mastermind behind Queen of the Con, to share the premiere episode of his brand-new podcast series: Cocaine Air. Jonathan isn’t just a vic…
The Internet Saves the Bachelor part 4
In part 4 of 'The Internet Saves the Bachelor,' we examine the growing cracks in Laura Owens’ story as her pregnancy timeline collapses under scrutiny. At one hearing, she claims to be 24 weeks pregnant. In another, she says she miscarried…
The Internet Saves the Bachelor part 3
In Part 3 of The Internet Saves the Bachelor, the truth—or at least, what remains of it—is put on trial. Laura Owens takes the stand. Under oath, she admits to altering the ultrasound she submitted as evidence. Her pregnancy timeline, once…
The Internet Saves the Bachelor part 2
The story isn’t over. In Part 2, we dig deeper into the chaos that followed Laura Owens’ accusations against Bachelor star Clayton Echard. Internet sleuths start pulling court records, police reports, and medical documents. Their findings …
The Internet Saves the Bachelor part 1
After a one-night hookup with a fan-turned-client, former Bachelor star Clayton Echard faced an unexpected legal battle — and public accusations that threatened to ruin his life. In this episode, we unpack the early timeline of Clayton’s ex…
The Man Who Stole 200 Million Identities
In this episode of PRETEND, recorded live at the GISEC cybersecurity conference in Dubai, I spoke with Hieu Minh Ngo, once one of the most prolific identity thieves in the world. Operating out of Vietnam, Hieu stole and sold personal data …
2104: The Digital Pickpocket Revisted
While speaking at a hacker conference in Dubai, Javier revisits a conversation with professional pickpocket and entertainer James Freedman. James reveals how a childhood scuffle led to a lifelong obsession with the art of pickpocketing, evo…
LaDonna's Easter Egg Hustle
How LaDonna Humphrey Used a Children's Event to Funnel Money Through Oasis of Northwest Arkansas. What happens when a glow-in-the-dark Easter egg hunt turns into a glowing red flag? In this bonus episode of PRETEND, host Javier Leiva expo…
Faking Insanity
Can you really fake being insane—and get away with it? In this episode of PRETEND, host Javier Leiva sits down with forensic psychologist Dr. Tristin Engels to pull back the curtain on the high-stakes world of mental health evaluations in t…
My Wife, the Ponzi Schemer
Interview with a man convicted of a Ponzi scheme. Bill Livolsi says he was just trying to help his wife, Linda—the ringleader of a multi-million dollar investment scam.In this episode of PRETEND, Bill opens up about how he got roped into th…
I Married a Narcissist part 3
Trigger warning: This episode contains graphic discussions of emotional, financial, sexual, and physical abuse. Listener discretion is strongly advised. When Lindsay first met him, he was charming, successful, and convincing—a financial adv…
I Married a Narcissist part 2 Listener Reactions
After publishing the story of a woman trapped in a marriage with a narcissist, I wasn't sure how it would land. It wasn’t flashy. It didn’t end in violence or arrest. But the response was overwhelming. Listeners wrote in to say, “That was m…
The Sham: I Married a Narcissist
In this episode of PRETEND, we meet “Ashley”—not her real name—who recorded hours of arguments with her husband in an effort to understand what was happening inside her marriage. From the outside, it looked like petty spats over groceries o…
The Keepsake Scandal
It started with a missing breast milk keepsake. But when Cheyna Lee joined an online group of frustrated customers, she uncovered something much bigger—hundreds of victims, stolen mementos, and a scam artist hiding in plain sight. This is t…
The Gambler Revisited
Episode Summary:While working on the new season of Pretend, I wanted to bring back an episode from 2018 that’s worth another listen. It’s the story of Art Schlichter, a former Ohio State football star whose gambling addiction wrecked his li…
Licensed to Kill part 2
n part two of Licensed to Kill, we continue the shocking investigation into doctors who exploit their patients for profit. This episode follows Patty Hester, a fitness instructor who was misdiagnosed with a rare blood cancer and nearly subj…
Licensed to Kill part 1
What if your doctor wasn’t trying to save you, but trying to cash in on you?In this episode of Pretend, we uncover the shocking case of Dr. Thomas Weiner, an oncologist accused of prescribing years of brutal chemotherapy treatments to patie…
Operation Cock Block
A group of women, all with eerily similar stories, say they were deceived—emotionally and financially—by the same man: William Sullivan. But instead of staying silent, they took matters into their own hands. They formed Operation Cock Block…
The Telepathy Tapes B-side part 3
Facilitated Communication is marketed as a miraculous tool for non-speaking autistic children. But what happens when this controversial method leads to devastating consequences? In this episode, we hear from Kevin Plantin, a father who was …
The Telepathy Tapes B-Side part 2
A mother kills her autistic son. Why? Because he asked her to.The mother claims he used facilitated communication to ask her to help him die. This case is just one of many tied to the controversial method that claims to give a voice to non-…
The Telepathy Tapes B-Side part 1
The Telepathy Tapes podcast shot to the top of the charts, making bold claims about telepathic abilities in non-verbal autistic children. But are the claims rooted in science—or something else entirely? In this episode of PRETEND, we take a…
Criminal Conduct S5: The Life and Death of Buffalo Jim
Hello PRETENDERS! I'm excited to announce that the new season of my other podcast, Criminal Conduct Season, is here! To listen to the rest of the story, search for Criminal Conduct and subscribe.____________________Buffalo Jim Barrier was a…
Nobody Should Believe Me: Sophie Saves Zambia
Today on PRETEND, we’re featuring the season 5 premiere of Nobody Should Believe Me, a compelling podcast hosted by author Andrea Dunlop that explores Munchausen by proxy abuse. Dunlop’s investigative storytelling sheds light on a complex a…
DNA Deception
DNA evidence is often seen as the gold standard in criminal investigations—a scientific fingerprint that can definitively prove guilt or innocence. But what happens when the science behind it is mishandled or manipulated? In this episode of…
Drone Hysteria
People panicked when a swarm of mysterious drones appeared in New Jersey’s night skies. Were they military? Foreign spies? Aliens? But buried under all the hysteria was one theory that refused to die: Birds Aren't Real. Yeah, that old inter…
BONUS: Grapes, Grifts, and Gavel
As a holiday treat, Amanda of Wine & Crime, Javier of PRETEND, and Whitney of Navigating Advocacy sit down to chat true crime, being in the podcasting industry, cases that haunt us, dream collaborations, and more! Enjoy this bonus conversat…
The Christmas Con Revisited
In today's Christmas episode, we delve into the story of David Ellisor, a man whose grand Christmas scheme left the city of Miami in disbelief. Ellisor, a real-life Grinch, planned to host "Christmas From Around the World," a supposed once-…
BONUS: Affirmative Pretend Bullsh**
The true crime podcasting community has come together for the holiday season to discuss all things true crime podcasting. Over the next two weeks, ten shows will be dropping bonus episodes sharing these conversations. In this episode, I'm j…
Love and Taxes Revisited
When the IRS knocked on John Coutu's door, demanding $80,000, his girlfriend, Jennifer Mitchell, offered to help with his taxes. It seemed like a simple gesture of support.But John would soon find himself caught in a troubling situation. Un…
The Maury Povich Olive Lady - Revisited
So, I've got to tell you about this crazy rabbit hole I slipped into. It's about that bizarre olive lady from the Maury show. Remember her? Olives freaked out Sally because they reminded her of, get this, dead people's eyes. Wild, right?I a…