Betrayal Season 5, Episode 9: "Rehabilitation | Saskia’s Story"

Original air date: March 26, 2026
Host: Andrea Gunning

Episode Overview

This episode of Betrayal explores the aftermath of Saskia Inwood’s personal and financial devastation following the shocking discovery of her husband Mike Levengood’s secret life and criminal conviction for sexual assault. The focus shifts from the impacts on her life to the ways her ex-husband and his business partner, both convicted felons, found financial and social rehabilitation through launching a prison consulting business. The episode critically interrogates the prison consulting industry, questions who is allowed to recover and profit after a crime, and draws stark contrasts between the experiences of victims and offenders in the American justice system.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Saskia’s Financial Fallout and Recovery

• Financial devastation post-divorce:
  Saskia discusses the enormous financial strain caused by her divorce from Mike, forced to raid her retirement savings.

  "I'd always learned you never touch your 401k...I had to kind of throw that out the window to fight this. I remember the first withdrawal I made was for $60,000, and that was just for attorneys bills up to that point." (06:20)

• Ongoing consequences:
  The divorce cost about $100,000, leaving Saskia in a prolonged financial hole.

2. Mike Levengood’s Post-Prison Path

• Professional background:
  Before conviction, Mike was highly successful: "He was very smart. He had a master's degree. He was working as vice president of marketing for Bank of America. So, I mean, he made a good salary." (07:25)
• Social support despite crime:
  Despite pleading guilty to second-degree rape, peers and colleagues continued to vouch for Mike’s character—

  "He's not only a tremendous professional, he's also a person of integrity, kindness, and old school values." (Trey Morgan quoting a colleague, 07:55) – illustrating the cognitive dissonance surrounding "good people" who commit serious crimes.

• Rehabilitation as business:
  Instead of re-entering corporate life, Mike quickly set up a prison consulting firm—Smith and Good Associates—shortly after release (09:20). This LLC allowed clients to use his expertise without the stigma of direct association.

3. The Prison Consulting Industry: A Murky Landscape

• Industry snapshot:
  Hosts introduce the concept and function of prison consultants—often former inmates, now guiding new defendants on navigating prison and strategizing for lighter sentences (04:32).
• Ethical gray areas and scams:
  John Fuller, veteran consultant, exposes systemic lack of ethics and outright scams:

  "What 90% of these other prison consultants are doing, they'll make promises and tell you that they can save your life." (11:51)
  Describes a common scam: charging desperate clients huge fees to fake addiction histories for sentence reductions (12:15).

4. Mike’s Business Partner: The Gary Smith Case Study

• Background and legal history:
  Gary Smith, a decorated Army Ranger, became Mike’s business partner. Gary’s past included a controversial conviction for reckless endangerment in the shooting death of his friend Michael McQueen, after initially facing a murder charge (20:29).
• Stories and shifting narratives:
  The episode walks through three different stories Gary gave police about what happened (23:35, 24:26, 25:08), none aligning perfectly with forensic evidence.
• Legal technicalities:
  Ultimately, Gary entered an Alford plea—legalese for "saying you didn't do it but acknowledging enough evidence for conviction." He received time served and soon became a law clerk at the office that had defended him.

  "Every saint has a past and every sinner has a future.” (Andrew Jezick, Gary’s boss, 29:16)

• Teaming up with Mike:
  Both men shared a narrative of maintaining their innocence and swiftly leveraged their experiences into consulting careers.

5. Legal, Ethical, and Social Questions

• Who profits from crime?
  Andrea and producer Trey Morgan engage in a frank discussion about ex-offenders profiting from their crimes, especially when the only "qualification" is having committed the offense.

  “One of the pitfalls and problems with the industry is your qualification for this job is the fact that you committed a crime.” (Trey Morgan, 36:40) There is essentially no regulatory oversight or certification process (37:09).

• Concerns about recidivism and contact:
  Maryland’s correctional authorities advise limiting post-release contact between offenders, precisely what Mike and Gary ignored by partnering in business (37:51).
• Impact on victims:
  Andrea repeatedly contrasts the support available to ex-offenders with the lifelong struggles of victims like Saskia and the family of Michael McQueen.

6. The Victim’s Perspective: Saskia Reacts

• Learning about Mike’s business:
  Saskia was unaware that Mike had started a prison consulting company until the podcast’s investigation.

  “I can't say that I was really surprised, but I just thought it was really a low, shameful thing to do…Instead of making something good out of it, he decides to capitalize on it. He's like, basically laughing at everything that he put me through.” (Saskia, 40:28)

• Lack of accountability and remorse:
  Saskia sees no evidence that Mike has tried to minimize harm or make amends.

  “There was no regret, no accountability taken immediately. Right away, the only thing he cared about was saving his face.” (Saskia, 42:54)

• Ongoing trauma and loss of trust:

  "I'll never be the same. I'll never be able to assume that because I'm a good person that I'll get treated as one." (Saskia, 42:10) “I don’t think that I can ever trust anybody…I was so sure he was a good person and that he loved me. How can I ever get to the point where I truly don’t fear that?” (Saskia, 45:09)

7. Attempted Dialogue with Mike

• Producer Trey calls Mike:
  Trey reports a stiff, guarded exchange with Mike, who wanted to separate his “business” from his personal life and refused comment.

  “What does my business have to do with my personal life? What does my business have to do with Saskia?” (Trey paraphrasing Mike, 44:02)

• Narrative closure:
  The episode stresses the unsettling dynamic of someone capitalizing on a crime’s aftermath, while the victim continues to struggle and carry emotional burden.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On financial cost to victims:

  "I'd always learned you never touch your 401k...I had to kind of throw that out the window to fight this." —Saskia (06:20)

• On cognitive dissonance around offenders:

  "He's not only a tremendous professional, he's also a person of integrity, kindness, and old school values." —Colleague, read by Trey Morgan (07:55)

• On scammy side of prison consulting:

  “What 90% of these other prison consultants are doing, they'll make promises and tell you that they can save your life.” —John Fuller (11:51)

• On the principle behind Alford pleas:

  "The whole entire goal of an Alford plea is that the person's found guilty, but the person themselves doesn't have to say it. But ultimately it is a conviction." —Defense Attorney Max Frizzolone (27:13)

• On lack of industry oversight:

  "Almost every other industry that deals with our criminal justice system has some sort of licensing and some sort of board...but for some reason, we have decided that this one doesn't need oversight." —Trey Morgan (37:09)

• Victim’s mother at sentencing:

  "There must be concern for victims and for my son, who, under no reason, was murdered and killed by someone who he considered a friend...Where is the fairness for him?" —Michael McQueen’s mother (41:29)

• On lasting trauma:

  "I'll never be the same. I'll never be able to assume that because I'm a good person that I'll get treated as one." —Saskia (42:10)

• On offender rehabilitation as business:

  “What does my business have to do with my personal life? What does my business have to do with Saskia?” —Mike (reported by Trey Morgan, 44:02)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Saskia’s Financial Aftermath: 06:00–07:00
• Mike’s Career Before and After Conviction: 07:25–09:20
• Prison Consulting Industry Explained: 09:20–12:00
• Shady Consultant Practices/John Fuller on Ethics: 12:00–13:52
• Launch of Smith and Good Associates: 14:25
• Gary Smith’s Backstory and Legal Proceedings: 20:29–27:33
• Alford Plea Legal Explanation: 26:55–27:33
• Consultants as Unregulated Industry: 36:40–37:32
• Concerns about Ex-Offenders in Consulting: 37:32–38:12
• Victim/Offender Support Discussion: 38:12–40:51
• Saskia Reacts to Mike’s Business: 40:28–42:23
• Mike’s Call with Producer Trey: 43:22–44:53
• Final Reflection on Trust and Recovery: 45:09

Final Reflection

Through Saskia’s story, this episode questions our cultural priorities: why do we have robust systems to support convicted offenders’ transitions, yet so often overlook the enduring needs of their victims? It shows the disturbing reality that not only can perpetrators move forward, they can even profit from their experiences, while victims like Saskia and the McQueen family must forever negotiate the aftermath.

Support resources:
RAINN’s National Sexual Assault Hotline
Text HOPE to 64673 or call 1-800-656-HOPE
rainnn.org/betrayal

For more from the Betrayal team, follow on Instagram @betrayalpod or join the Substack at betrayal.substack.com.

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