Deep Cover

Deep Cover

Host: Pushkin Industries

Deep Cover is a show about people who lead double lives. Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Jake Halpern reveals webs of deception and dark underworlds, through interviews with federal agents and convicted criminals.  Deep Cover Presents: Snowball. A special limited series from the Unravel Podcast team at the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Ollie Wards' family lost everything after their brush with a charming Californian con woman. As he embarks on a quest to find out how she did it, why she did it, and where she is now, he opens the door on a mystery that spans decades and across continents. Binge episodes o...

Episodes

Deep Cover Presents: Snowball
01October 27, 2025 4:00am

Deep Cover Presents: Snowball

In 2006, Greg Wards was your average Kiwi backpacker on an overseas adventure in the UK, working hard, playing harder — and falling head-over-heels in love. After a whirlwind international romance, Greg married Lezlie Manukian in New Zealan…

Episode 5: Santos Released From Prison
02October 24, 2025 4:00am

Episode 5: Santos Released From Prison

Last week, President Trump commuted George Santos’ prison sentence — a decision that’s prompted both surprise and reflection. Producer Amy Gaines McQuade walks Jake Halpern through the news and checks back in with people who knew Santos to …

Deep Cover Live in Boston on December 19
03October 23, 2025 4:00am

Deep Cover Live in Boston on December 19

If you've ever wondered what goes into making an episode of Deep Cover, now's your chance. Join Jake Halpern and Jess McHugh for a live bonus taping of Deep Cover: The Truth About Sarah at WBUR's Boston CitySpace on December 19. Listen to n…

From Revisionist History: The Alabama Murders
04October 02, 2025 4:00am

From Revisionist History: The Alabama Murders

Here's a preview from the new season of Malcolm Gladwell's Revisionist History podcast, The Alabama Murders. Florence, Alabama. 1988. A preacher has an affair. A woman is murdered. One death cascades into more, stretching across decades and…

Introducing The Chinatown Sting: Lucky Bird
05September 23, 2025 4:00am

Introducing The Chinatown Sting: Lucky Bird

Here’s a preview of a new Pushkin podcast, The Chinatown Sting, that I'm really excited about. In the late 1980s, a group of women connected through the mahjong parlors in Manhattan’s Chinatown were caught in a massive undercover drug bust.…

Introducing Charlie’s Place: Who Was Charlie Fitzgerald?
06July 20, 2025 11:01pm

Introducing Charlie’s Place: Who Was Charlie Fitzgerald?

Today, we’re sharing an episode of Charlie’s Place, a new podcast that explores the unbelievable true story of Charlie Fitzgerald, a mysterious Black businessman whose nightclub became an unlikely site of integration in 1940s Myrtle Beach. …

Warlords, Espionage, and Disinformation | Introducing Hot Money: Agent of Chaos
07June 29, 2025 11:01pm

Warlords, Espionage, and Disinformation | Introducing Hot Money: Agent of Chaos

In 2020, the Financial Times exposed a 2 billion euro fraud at Wirecard, a high-flying German fintech. Many thought that was the end of the story. But for reporter Sam Jones, it was just the beginning. This season on Hot Money: Agent of Cha…

Rosemarie’s Story
08June 23, 2025 4:00am

Rosemarie’s Story

Rosemarie Coffey helped Sarah Cavanaugh for years. As a community support specialist, her services were paid for by the Wounded Warrior Project. Rosemarie spent countless hours inside Sarah’s home. We wondered - what did Rosemarie see? And …

Seth’s Story
09June 16, 2025 4:00am

Seth’s Story

Seth Cole believed Sarah Cavanaugh was a wounded veteran, seeking healing through creative outlets. He believed her, in part, because that was his reality. Get early, ad-free access to more episodes of Deep Cover: The Truth About Sarah by …

Episode 6: The Defendant
10June 09, 2025 4:00am

Episode 6: The Defendant

As the walls close in, Sarah finds herself alone—abandoned by friends, facing federal charges, and scrambling for a defense. She hires a lawyer, a fellow veteran, to make her case; but the evidence is overwhelming. In our series finale, Jak…

Episode 5: The Wife
11June 02, 2025 4:00am

Episode 5: The Wife

One overlooked detail in Sarah’s story: she was married. Her wife, Nicole, never spoke to the press or the feds. She remained a mystery—until now. Get early, ad-free access to more episodes of Deep Cover: The Truth About Sarah by subscribi…

Episode 4: The Suspect
12May 26, 2025 4:00am

Episode 4: The Suspect

A former Marine and media personality asks questions and publicly challenges Sarah Cavanaugh’s credentials. Behind the scenes, law enforcement is already investigating Sarah; but the surge of media attention forces their hand. Fearing she m…

Episode 3: The Confidante
13May 19, 2025 4:00am

Episode 3: The Confidante

Jess and Jake speak with Sarah and learn about her past life. As a social worker, she really knew how to listen to people. But when Jake and Jess interview two of Sarah's former friends, a darker picture emerges. Get early, ad-free access …

Episode 2: The Poster Child
14May 11, 2025 10:50pm

Episode 2: The Poster Child

In her home state of Rhode Island, Sarah builds her reputation as a celebrated war hero. But as her public profile grows, so do the quiet doubts. Get early, ad-free access to more episodes of Deep Cover: The Truth About Sarah by subscribin…

Episode 1: The Warrior
15May 11, 2025 10:45pm

Episode 1: The Warrior

A mysterious handwritten letter arrives from Sarah Cavanaugh. In it, she asks: What do you think of my crime? Get early, ad-free access to more episodes of Deep Cover: The Truth About Sarah by subscribing to Pushkin+ on Apple Podcasts or P…

Introducing Deep Cover: The Truth About Sarah
16May 05, 2025 5:00am

Introducing Deep Cover: The Truth About Sarah

Sarah was everything people wanted her to be—until she wasn’t.  Deep Cover: The Truth About Sarah is available wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe to Pushkin+ to binge the entire season, ad-free. Find Pushkin+ on the Deep Cover show …

Introducing Underbelly: Killing Kurt
17April 28, 2025 5:00am

Introducing Underbelly: Killing Kurt

We’re sharing a trailer from season three of the Underbelly podcast: Killing Kurt. Kurt Calabrese grew up in the shadow of his father, Frank “The Breeze” Calabrese Sr., a feared hitman for the Chicago Outfit. In a home ruled by violence and…

Introducing Spotlight: Snitch City
18March 31, 2025 4:00amExplicit

Introducing Spotlight: Snitch City

We’re sharing the first episode of the brand new podcast Spotlight: Snitch City, produced by The Boston Globe's award-winning Spotlight team. In this specific episode, you’ll find yourself on the docks of New Bedford, hearing whispers about…

Episode 4: The Donor
19August 28, 2024 5:00am

Episode 4: The Donor

Amy Gaines McQuade sits down with GOP donor and former Santos supporter Cathy Soref. Then Amy and Jake Halpern discuss some of the most serious charges that George Santos faced, and pled guilty to in federal court. See omnystudio.com/listen…

Episode 3: The Plea
20August 21, 2024 2:22pm

Episode 3: The Plea

George Santos pleaded guilty in federal court this week. Amy Gaines McQuade was in the courtroom. Amy and Jake discuss the proceeding and where things go from here.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode 2: The Congressman
21August 19, 2024 5:15am

Episode 2: The Congressman

George Santos takes office. His communications director, Naysa Woomer, walks us through her five months with Congressman Santos as she tries to manage the chaos and sort  fact from fiction. Author Mark Chiusano unpacks some of the most comp…

Episode 1: The Campaign
22August 19, 2024 5:00am

Episode 1: The Campaign

George Santos runs for Congress and wins. Then the stories he told on the campaign trail start to fall apart. Semafor’s Kadia Goba wants to figure out where his money is coming from. Saurav Ghosh, of the Campaign Legal Center, finds the San…

Deep Cover: George Santos
23August 15, 2024 5:00am

Deep Cover: George Santos

George Santos, the former Republican Congressman from New York, told a lot of stories about his life and his credentials. Many of which, it turns out, were not true. And now–in just a few weeks–Santos is scheduled to face a criminal trial. …

Unpacking the Verdict
24July 29, 2024 5:00am

Unpacking the Verdict

Jake Halpern speaks with Jerri Williams, former FBI agent and host of the podcast, FBI Retired Case File Review about the case at the center of our series, The Nameless Man. Then, Beth Wilson Devlin, a founding partner at Edge Litigation Co…

Behind the Scenes of The Nameless Man
25July 01, 2024 5:00amExplicit

Behind the Scenes of The Nameless Man

Jake Halpern speaks with James Forman Jr., story consultant on Deep Cover’s fourth season, The Nameless Man. James Forman Jr. is the J. Skelly Wright Professor of Law at Yale Law School, and the author of Locking Up Our Own. We recommend li…

Episode 6: The Verdict
26May 27, 2024 5:00am

Episode 6: The Verdict

Our season finale. What the jury decided and how the verdict sits with the federal agents, jurors, and Wood family today. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode 5: The Trial
27May 20, 2024 5:00am

Episode 5: The Trial

Witnesses testify. A vigorous defense is mounted. What will the jury decide?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode 4: The Grand Jury
28May 13, 2024 5:00am

Episode 4: The Grand Jury

An assistant prosecutor in Philadelphia prepares the case to be heard by a grand jury. Is there enough evidence to make an arrest, and bring the case to trial? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode 3: The Yearning
29May 06, 2024 5:00am

Episode 3: The Yearning

After nearly 20 years with no answers, the Wood family learns that police are investigating a new lead in Aaron’s death. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode 2: The Confession
30April 29, 2024 5:00am

Episode 2: The Confession

The alleged accomplice confesses. Investigators try to piece together who the victim might be from the scant details he remembers.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode 1: The Rumor
31April 21, 2024 11:01pm

Episode 1: The Rumor

Two federal agents investigate a rumor about a decades old murder. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Nameless Man: Deep Cover Season 4
32April 10, 2024 6:00am

The Nameless Man: Deep Cover Season 4

How do you solve a murder case when you don’t know who the victim is? Deep Cover: The Nameless Man launches April 22, with new episodes weekly. Subscribe to Pushkin+ to hear the whole season at once. Find Pushkin+ on the Deep Cover show pag…

Camouflage Bias: Part 3
33February 12, 2024 6:00am

Camouflage Bias: Part 3

In 2022, we released a series called Camouflage Bias that told the story of Ronnie Carrasquillo– a man who was loosely connected to a trial we covered in Deep Cover Season Two: Mob Land. At 18 years old, Ronnie was sentenced to 200-600 year…

Camouflage Bias: Part 2
34February 12, 2024 5:55am

Camouflage Bias: Part 2

This episode originally ran in 2022. We’re rereleasing it today along with an update on Ronnie’s story. 2022. After Ronnie Carrasquillo exhausts his appeals, he faces the Illinois Prisoner Review Board. But it seems each time Ronnie comes u…

Camouflage Bias: Part 1
35February 12, 2024 5:50am

Camouflage Bias: Part 1

This episode originally ran in 2022. We’re rereleasing it today along with an update on Ronnie’s story. 1978. A few months after the Aleman trial wraps up, the presiding judge, Frank Wilson, sentences a young man named Ronnie Carrasquillo t…

The Search for Brooke Henson
36April 13, 2023 4:00am

The Search for Brooke Henson

In July of 1999, a young woman named Brooke Henson went missing from Travelers Rest, South Carolina. In this follow up episode to Deep Cover: Never Seen Again, Jake Halpern talks to Ben Ford, the chief of police in Travelers Rest about what…

Deep Cover Live with Emily Bazelon
37March 26, 2023 11:00pm

Deep Cover Live with Emily Bazelon

In this special episode of Deep Cover, recorded live at Littlefield in Brooklyn, host Jake Halpern and his friend and fellow journalist Emily Bazelon (of New York Times Magazine and Political Gabfest) talk all things crime reporting. They t…

Episode 6: A Shared Name
38March 06, 2023 5:00amExplicit

Episode 6: A Shared Name

Esther's past catches up with her, as investigators in South Carolina seek answers about what happened to Brooke Henson. In our season finale, we bring you the latest details on the fates of both women.   See omnystudio.com/listener for pri…

Episode 5: The Searchers
39February 27, 2023 5:00amExplicit

Episode 5: The Searchers

Esther’s sister has been looking for her for nearly a decade without any luck. A US Marshal is brought in to track Esther down. One of them will eventually find her.  Subscribe to Pushkin+ to hear all of Deep Cover Season 3 right now. Find …

Episode 4: A Very Sophisticated Gal
40February 20, 2023 5:00amExplicit

Episode 4: A Very Sophisticated Gal

When Esther flees New York, she inadvertently ignites a media firestorm. Reporters and TV producers rush to tell the story of the Ivy League imposter: the so-called “brazen brunette beauty” and “klepto brainiac.” Unaware of the media circus…