Katie Ring (0:06)

This is Crime House. Chandra Levy was a rising star in Washington. Smart, ambitious, and on the fast track to a successful career. Then, in 2001, the 24 year old intern vanished without a trace. Her apartment looked like she'd only stepped out for a moment. Her wallet was still inside. Her bags were half packed. But when her parents checked her phone records, one number appeared again and again. A sitting U.S. congressman. What followed became one of the biggest political scandals in America. A missing young woman, a powerful politician with a secret affair, and a mystery that would grip the entire nation. In this episode, I'm diving into the disappearance of Chandra, the secret relationship, the investigation that shook Washington, and the question that haunted the case for years. What really happened to Chandra Levy? Every crime tells a story about the people involved, the system that tried to stop it, and the nation that couldn't look away. Some cases are so shocking, so deeply woven into who we are, that decades later, we're still asking, how did this happen? I'm Katie Ring and this is America's Most Infamous Crimes. Every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, I'll take you deep into cases that have a lasting imprint on society and still haunt us today. I want to thank you for being part of the Crime House community. Please rate, review and follow America's Most Infamous Crimes wherever you get your podcasts and to get all episodes at once ad free. Subscribe to Crime House plus on Apple Podcasts. This is the first of three episodes on Chandra Levy, a 24 year old government intern who suddenly went missing in May of 2001. Her disappearance was a huge scandal because it was linked to a sitting U.S. congressman who Chandra was having an affair with. Today we'll talk about Chandra's unique childhood, her drive to succeed, and everything she did to chase it. We'll also talk about Congressman Gary Condit and the affair that could destroy both of their careers. One that had people around the world asking, how far would someone go to keep a secret? Foreign

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Katie Ring (2:53)

at first glance, you'd think Robert and Susan Levy were your average couple. They lived in Modesto, California, a quiet little city in the heart of California's Central Valley. Robert was an oncologist, while Susan ran the household and raised horses. But beyond their buttoned up appearances, Robert and Susan were full of surprises. Although they both practiced Judaism, the Levies blended their beliefs with other religions, like Pentecostal Christianity, Buddhism and Hinduism. And when their daughter was born on April 14, 1977, they named her Chandra, the Sanskrit word for moon. The Levies were known for living life to the fullest. They took Chandra and her little brother Adam on trips all around the world. They explored the African jungle in Tanzania, the ruins of Machu Picchu in Peru, the ancient temples of Jerusalem, and the rainforests of Costa Rica. And that's just the tip of the iceberg. It took a while for Chandra to warm up to all of that globetrotting. Growing up, she tended to be on the cautious side, like when she decided to sleep in the car during a trip to Yosemite because she was afraid of bears. But as the years went by, she learned to lean into her fears. When Chandra was 12, her mom made her sign up for a 10 day rock climbing camp. She wasn't really into it at first, but she stuck with it. And by the time the camp was over, she was the only girl who made it through all the way to the end. And when Chandra started high school, that resilience transformed into something else. Confidence. Chandra's teachers were blown away by her determination and focus. She didn't get pulled into any petty drama. All she cared about was building the foundations for a career in public service. For Chandra, that meant going into law enforcement. So she started volunteering as a police explorer with the Modesto pd. Most of the time, she was just doing office work, like delivering mail or answering phones. But every once in a while, she got to go on ride alongs. The thrill of working in the field made Chandra realize she wanted to be more than a local police officer. She was going to work for the FBI or CIA. Those experiences made Chandra feel older than many of the people around her. Dating boys her own age didn't really appeal to her. Instead, she found herself drawn to older men, sometimes much older. For reference, her celebrity crush was Harrison Ford, who was already in his 50s at the time. After Chandra graduated high school in 1995, she was more than ready to move on to bigger things. She decided to go to San Francisco State University, which wasn't too far from Modesto, but still far enough to get some independence. And she was just getting started. After graduating around 1999, Chandra set her sights on getting her Master's degree and was accepted to the University of Southern California School of Policy Planning and Development. Like always, Chandra impressed the faculty with her intense focus and determination. She also nabbed some major internships, first with the Mayor of Los Angeles and then with the Governor of California. Chandra loved working in politics. As always, she loved being close to action. And although it wasn't the same kind of thrill as police ride alongs, she got a front row seat to the high stakes deal making that went on at the highest levels of government. It was the kind of experience that can set a whole person's future in motion. And Chandra was no exception. She was especially moved by a trip to Folsom State Prison, where she went on a tour that included sitting in on a parole hearing. Folsom was one of the first maximum security prisons and housed some of the world's most notorious criminals like Charles Manson and Eric Menendez. So Chandra was coming face to face with some of the most dangerous people on the planet. It was another core memory for her and it set the wheels in motion for a decision that would have huge ramifications. In the summer of 2000, after her final semester of grad school, the 23 year old got one final internship. She needed to finish her degree with the Public Affairs Office of the Federal Bureau of Prisons. Any internship in Washington D.C. was a huge resume booster for an aspiring public servant. And this one was especially big for Chandra. It was a major step towards accomplishing her goal of working for the FBI or CIA. Chandra's entire life had been leading up to this moment, and like always, she was ready for anything that came her way. Shortly after arriving in D.C. in the fall, she made a surprising connection. In October of 2000, one of Chandra's friends, who was also in D.C. reached out to her. She was in the same graduate program and still needed that final internship for her degree. So she asked Chandra to go to Capitol Hill with her to put out some feelers. Chandra and her friends started visiting the offices of different congressmen and women in what they called political field trips. One of the field trips led them to the office of Chandra's representative from Modesto, Congressman Gary Condit. The Secretary told them to take a seat in the reception area till someone could talk to them. Chandra figured they'd have a quick meet and greet with an overworked staffer. So she was surprised when Congressman Condit personally came out from his office to say hi the second she saw him, Chandra couldn't help but feel drawn in. He was the exact kind of guy she was into. If you squinted, you could even see a resemblance to Harrison Ford. Not only that, but he was the kind of public servant she aspired to be. One who always took time out of their busy schedule to talk to constituents because not only did he sit down for a glass of grape juice with them, Condit took them on a personal tour around the Capitol building. As they headed back to Condit's office, he impressed Chandra again. When her friend asked him for help getting her an internship, Condit said he could do her one better and offered her a job in his office right then and there. And even though Chandra already had an internship, he also offered to help her however he could. Condit gave her his email address and phone number for his office and told her to call anytime for advice or anything else. To Chandra and her friend, their outing was a huge success. Her friend had a job and Chandra had a personal contact with a powerful man in Washington. And she was determined not to let that connection go to waste. So a few days later, she picked up the phone and called Condit's office. And it was that call that change both of their lives forever. Before we go further into the case, let's talk about Gary Condit for a minute. Throughout his career, he'd always been a bit of a renegade. He was the kind of politician who was more comfortable in blue jeans than a power suit. And even though he was a Democrat, he wasn't afraid to go against them if it wasn't in the best interest of his constituents. His popularity back home put Condit on the map, and he made it all the way to the US House of Representatives in 1989, when he was only 41 years old. By the time Chandra called his office in the fall of 2001, he was a respected member of Congress, the exact kind of mentor Chandra wanted. And Condit was more than happy to be a sounding board. But what started as a professional conversation about her career quickly turned into something more personal as they bonded over living in California's Central Valley. Before they hung up, Condit gave Chandra his private number. The implication was clear, and even though Condit was married, Chandra was going to take him up on it. She called him just before Thanksgiving, and Condit didn't waste any time. He invited Chandra to come over that night, and the affair took off from there. Before long, Chandra was spending the night at Condit's apartment. Two or three nights a week, he'd cook for her, or they'd order takeout, and then they'd watch a movie and go to bed together. Chandra seemed comfortable with the arrangement, but it took a lot of work to keep it secret. Even though Chandra had Condit's personal number, they rarely talked on the phone directly. She would leave a message and then would wait for him to call her back when he was somewhere he wouldn't be overheard. And if they ever went anywhere besides Condit's apartment, Chandra would get a cab. Then he'd follow her a few minutes later with a baseball cap pulled over his eyes. But Chandra didn't mind the cloak and dagger of it all. She was in love. And if that's what it took to be with Condit, then so be it. She started to plan her whole life around him, keeping her calendar clear just in case he got in touch with her. From what he was saying, it wouldn't be long before they could go public. Condit promised that when the time was right, he'd leave his wife, even give up his seat in Congress, just so he could be with Chandra and start a family with her. And Chandra believed him. She did a great job of keeping their relationship a secret, but it's hard to keep something like that to yourself. So Chandra decided to tell one person about her congressman boyfriend. Her aunt, Linda Zamski. The two of them were incredibly close. Chandra knew she could trust Linda with something as big as this, and Linda held up her end of the bargain. For months, Chandra and Condit kept their affair under wraps. And dating a Congressman, even in secret, came with certain perks. In January of 2001, Condit got Chandra a pair of tickets to George W. Bush's inaugural ball. Of course, he wouldn't be going with her because he had to take his wife, but he encouraged Chandra to bring a plus one. In fact, throughout their affair, Condit told Chandra she was free to date other men. It was his not so subtle way of telling her the affair wasn't that serious. Even with all the promises he was making, Chandra wasn't about to let the opportunity go to waste. But she also wasn't looking to date anyone else. So she invited one of her friends, a guy named Robert Kirchjean. Although once she got to the ball, she wasn't in the mood to party. The whole night, Chandra was in a funk. She didn't want to drink or dance. She just went up to the balcony and moped while she looked over all the other people having fun on the dance floor. Eventually, Robert had to find out what was going on. She sighed, turned to Robert and told him she was dating a congressman. Normally that kind of thing would be something to be excited about. Robert figured that whoever this congressman was, he was probably enjoying himself on that dance floor while his secret girlfriend was forced to wait in the shadows. Robert didn't like seeing his friend so sad. But he didn't push the issue any further. And after that night, she didn't mention it again. She probably knew she had to be more careful because Condit's career was about to take off in a big way. George W. Bush's inauguration was a huge opportunity for Condit. The margins in Congress were razor thin and the Republicans needed help from moderates like Condit to pass the legislation they wanted. And he was the ringleader of a conservative group of Democrats called the Blue Dogs, which essentially made him a swingboat for the new President's first major legislation. If Condit played his cards right, he could secure millions of dollars of benefits for his district in exchange for his vote. And in three months following the inaugural ball, both parties were pulling out all of the stops to get Condit on their side. But there was another side to that coin. All of that attention put Condit under a microscope. Everything he was doing was being watched, which motivated him even more to keep his affair with Chandra under wraps. But Condit could only control so much. And on the other side of the country, his secret was about to be exposed. Fast forward a few months to April 2001. Back in Chandra's hometown of Modesto, California. Spring was in full bloom. Chandra's mom, Susan was outside when she struck up a conversation with a man named Otis Thomas, who was a minister who did some part time gardening for the Levys. Susan had known Otis for years and the two of them loved to talk about their daughters who were both about the same age. Otis asked how Chandra was doing and Susan couldn't help but brag about how proud she was of her daughter. She told him about how busy Chandra was at her internship. The Bureau of Prisons was working on a high profile execution and Chandra had fielded a ton of calls about it. And things seemed to be going well in Chandra's personal life too. According to Susan's sister in law, Linda, Chandra was friends with a congressman, although that's all she knew. When Otis heard that, his entire demeanor changed. He said he might know who Chandra had become friends with because seven years earlier his his own daughter, who was 18 at the time, had become friends with the congressman. Too. And his name was Gary Condit.