The Wannabe Pilot: Fish Swim, Birds Fly, and Randy Lies

Summary

Chameleon – "The Wannabe Pilot: Fish Swim, Birds Fly, and Randy Lies" July 16, 2026 | Podcast by Audiochuck & Campside Media | Host: Josh Dean

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Episode Overview

In this installment of Chameleon, host Josh Dean explores the astonishing saga of Randolph Waldron Jr., a consummate impostor whose web of lies and shifting personas have left a trail of bewildered, betrayed, and sometimes traumatized people across decades. Framed initially as the victim of his father’s identity theft, Randy’s story unravels into one of brazen manipulation, gaslighting, and an insatiable hunger for reinvention. Through gripping firsthand accounts and revealing investigations, Josh and his guests dissect not only the methods but the psyche behind one of the most audacious “chameleons” yet featured on the podcast.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The "Victim" Origin: The Stolen Identity Story

• Intro, 00:23–03:25
  • The episode opens with an old news segment featuring Randy Waldron Jr., recounting how his father put him $2.5 million in debt by using his Social Security number for years (00:40).
    • "A little bit over two and a half million dollars in debt by the time I was 13." – Randolph Waldron Jr. (00:40)
  • Josh Dean highlights statistics showing that family members are often behind identity theft cases—something that breeds trust and suspicion in equal measure.
  • The twist: The real “chameleon” isn’t Randy’s dad, but Randy himself (02:46).

2. Enter the Chameleon – Randy's Multiple Lives

• Aliases and Connections, 03:27–05:38
  • Randy’s list of aliases is staggering: Randall Olson, Randall McFly, Michael McLeod, Randolph Harris, among others.
  • Brad Rosenberg, a retired marine pilot, was first introduced to Randy (then a 10-year-old “airplane enthusiast”) through pen pal letters remarkable for their technical knowledge.
    • "He started writing me letters that were remarkably detailed." – Brad Rosenberg (04:29)
  • Their bond deepens over years—Brad would even serve as best man at Randy’s wedding, reflecting the depth of Randy’s social engineering.

3. Layers of Manipulation – The Personal Impact

• Randy’s Extended Stays and Lies, 06:10–14:04
  • In adulthood, Randy stays with Brad and wife Liz under the pretense of caring for his allegedly dying mother (06:19), complete with photos of renovations for her comfort.
    • "It was only supposed to be for a couple nights. So a couple nights went by, and then his girlfriend showed up with their dog..." – Liz (06:49)
  • Randy's girlfriend "Daniella" (pseudonym) describes meeting Randy online, highlighting how quickly she was drawn in by his intellect and charm (07:37).
  • Early signs of manipulation: Randy begins gaslighting Daniella, making her doubt her memory and mental state, including adjusting the sharpness on the TV to make her think her medication was affecting her vision (09:50–11:17).
    • "Randy had been adjusting the sharpness on the TV. This is literally gaslighting." – Josh Dean (11:17)

4. Gaslighting, Grifting, and Deeper Deceit

• Daniella Connects the Dots, 12:09–14:04
  • Daniella and Brad’s stories begin to intersect, exposing Randy’s double-life. Randy gives contradictory explanations to different people about their circumstances, keeping everyone siloed.
    • "He had nowhere to go." – Daniella (13:55)
  • Randy manipulates situations to keep people from speaking to each other, often by badmouthing supposed “friends" to preempt suspicion (15:31).
    • "He sort of took over the house. This is when we started to get uncomfortable." – Brad Rosenberg (14:31)

5. The Unraveling of Randy's Lies

• Confrontations, Escapes, and Fallout, 15:53–19:59
  • As suspicions mount, Randy’s behavior becomes erratic; he abruptly leaves Brad and Liz’s house, leaving behind clues (15:53–15:54).
  • Daniella finally realizes the depth of the deception and the danger, especially after a violent incident where Randy allegedly assaulted her and her dog (18:35).
    • "She tells me this wild story about Randy beat her up and strangled her dog and stole her money. And I'm going like this. It just blew my mind." – Brad Rosenberg (18:35)
  • Brad and Daniella both take action, warning others and filing charges (19:24–19:59).

6. Building Resistance: The Vigilante Facebook Group

• Grassroots Warnings, 21:24–25:31
  • Brad starts a Facebook page dedicated to exposing Randy to prevent future victims, soon receiving "scores and scores" of contacts from others who’d been conned (22:36–23:49).
    • "I just thought, somebody needs to shine a light on the cockroach because he's like this whirlwind of misery traveling around the world." – Brad Rosenberg (22:36)
  • Patterns emerge: Randy targets (mainly) vulnerable women, some gay men, and even old women—always skilled at mirroring their needs and desires (24:05).
    • "They read you and tell you the story you want to hear." – Brad Rosenberg (24:39)

7. The Faker’s Toolkit & Consistent Cons

• Pilot Fantasies and Real Credentials, 25:31–28:12
  • Randy often impersonated pilots or those in the aviation industry, complete with forged badges, uniforms, and even a photo of himself with Michael J. Fox claiming to be his personal pilot.
    • "He is licensed as a flight attendant. And at one time, he had a private pilot license, but he never had a commercial... He forged FAA licenses and temporary certificates, but they're all fake." – Brad Rosenberg (27:15)
  • Despite never flying commercially, Randy even benefited from TV shows (Montel Williams paid for his flight school at one point).

8. The Search for Accountability

• Justice Denied and Personal Pursuit, 29:04–31:38
  • Despite ample documentation and arrests, Randy repeatedly escapes serious consequences (32:01).
    • "He's like the poster boy for this revolving door of our justice system." – Brad Rosenberg (32:01)
  • Brad and Daniella’s experiences with official justice were disappointing—they had to gather evidence and push for warrants themselves, including extradition for theft charges (30:22–31:38).

9. Nature, Nurture, and the Root of Deceit

• Origins and Psychological Motives, 32:10–34:42
  • The episode grapples with the why: Did Randy’s father’s betrayal scar him and prompt him to replicate the pattern? Or is it a darker, inborn compulsion?
    • "Was it that Randy Jr. was in some way compelled by the trauma caused by his father to follow a similar path or to emulate him in some way?" – Josh Dean (33:49)
  • Differences in accounts: Brad doubts Randy’s initial "victim" narrative, while Daniella thinks it is rooted in real documents and trauma.

10. Escalation, Violence, and Where is Randy Now?

• Recent Crimes and (Minimal) Consequences, 35:10–37:45
  • Randy’s manipulations have recently escalated to violence: in 2023, after marrying John Harrah, he was charged with attempted murder (35:11).
    • "He slashed him a few times. He was trying to stab him. The guy got defensive knife wounds on his hands." – Brad Rosenberg (35:41)
  • Yet again, the legal result is minor: the most serious charges are dropped, replaced with a suspended sentence for lesser counts.
    • "The judge noted that the defendant was to, quote, stay out of trouble for one year. Will he? We'll have to see." – Josh Dean (36:20)

11. The Cycle Continues – Lessons & Warnings

• The Chameleon Remains, 37:34–37:45
  • Brad and Daniella are candid that, thanks to their efforts, Randy's schemes have become harder to pull off, but he continues—new victims keep contacting them, evidence that the cycle is ongoing.
    • "I do like to think I made his scams a little more difficult for him." – Brad Rosenberg (37:34)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Identity Theft: "In 25 to 50% of identity theft cases... the culprit was either a parent or other relative. I mean, you can see how easy it would be. You're hardly suspecting your own family." – Josh Dean (01:02)
• First Glimpses of Manipulation: "Randy had been adjusting the sharpness on the TV. This is literally gaslighting." – Josh Dean (11:17)
• Method to the Madness: "He would tell these very convincing stories... and I'm sure he was telling the same thing about me." – Brad Rosenberg (16:00)
• Exposure and Awareness: "Somebody needs to shine a light on the cockroach because he's like this whirlwind of misery traveling around the world." – Brad Rosenberg (22:36)
• On Con Artists: "They read you and tell you the story you want to hear." – Brad Rosenberg (24:39)
• Effort (Mis)invested: "If he had put like half the effort into becoming a pilot that he did into pretending to be a pilot, he would have been a pilot." – Liz (29:04)
• The System's Failure: "He's like the poster boy for this revolving door of our justice system." – Brad Rosenberg (32:01)

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Timestamps for Key Segments

| Timestamp | Segment | |---------------|------------------------------------------------------------| | 00:23–03:25 | News segment: Randy as "identity theft" victim | | 04:29 | Brad receives first letters from Randy | | 06:19–07:09 | Randy’s extended stay with Brad and Liz | | 09:50–11:17 | Daniella describes Randy’s gaslighting | | 13:55 | Discovery of Randy’s homelessness and lies | | 15:31–15:54 | Randy abruptly leaves after confrontation | | 18:35 | Daniella recounts physical abuse and warning to Brad | | 22:36 | Brad's founding of the Facebook warning group | | 24:05-24:39 | Analysis of Randy's victim selection and methods | | 27:15 | Investigation of Randy’s real/fake pilot credentials | | 29:04 | If only Randy had used conning effort for honest goals | | 32:01 | Justice system's failure to meaningfully prosecute | | 35:11–36:20 | Latest (most violent) charges and sentencing | | 37:34–37:45 | Randy still at large—impact of Brad’s and Daniella’s work |

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Tone, Language & Style

The episode combines matter-of-fact journalistic narration with the raw voices of those affected—wry, self-aware, often veering between disbelief and dark humor. Guests like Liz and Daniella provide candid commentary, occasionally with biting wit (“I don’t really like people that much, so I'm fairly wary of people”). Brad’s perspective vacillates from wounded friend to crusader. Josh Dean maintains a clear-eyed, empathetic approach, always looping back to broader truths about deception and trust.

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Conclusion: Themes & Takeaways

This riveting episode exposes the devastating impacts a skilled chameleon can have, from emotional scars to financial ruin. It also highlights how con artists exploit shame, trust, and systemic blindspots to evade justice. Randy Waldron Jr.’s story is cautionary: a reminder that “stranger-than-fiction” impostors could be anyone—even the friend who cooks your dinner or shares your childhood dreams. The ultimate lesson: stay vigilant, trust your instincts, and don’t be afraid to connect the dots or share your story.

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For listeners seeking support or a warning, Brad’s Facebook group stands as a rare beacon—proof that sometimes, pulling back the curtain is the only way to make a con artist’s life harder.

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Transcript

[Daniella]

Campsite Media.

[Josh Dean]

Hello.

[Brad Rosenberg]

What is. What do you want me to say? Chameleon, Chameleon, Chameleon Weekly.

[Josh Dean]

And now your hosts, Mike Jerrick and

[Randolph Waldron Jr.]

Juliet Huddy, you're about to meet. Was a victim of identity theft.

[Josh Dean]

And the culprit turned out to be his own father. You're listening to the morning show on WTTG TV out of Washington D.C. this morning, the hosts, Mike and Juliet are interviewing a man, Randy is his name, who's explaining to them how his identity has been stolen.

[Randolph Waldron Jr.]

A little bit over two and a half million dollars in debt by the time I was 13.

[Josh Dean]

And it obviously wasn't you out there spending, you know. No, I was.

[Randolph Waldron Jr.]

I really do, but it wasn't. It was my debt.

[Josh Dean]

Randolph Waldron discovered what his own father had apparently been doing in 1998 when he was applying to college.

[Randolph Waldron Jr.]

I'm gonna go to school, I'm gonna, you know, start my life like all of my other friends. And, you know, we send away for the college applications and fill out the financial aid paperwork.

[Josh Dean]

The reply back was stamped denied on the basis that he owed the IRS a lot. Turns out Randy's dad had been using his Social Security number and had never paid taxes since 1982 for 16 years. That's gotta add up. Ouch. Here's something that surprised me. According to the TV hosts, in 25 to 50% of identity theft cases, at least at that time, the culprit was either a parent or other relative. I mean, you can see how easy it would be. You're hardly suspecting your own family. And Randy's dad had the exact same name, minus the junior, which made things even easier for him. I'm not sure why the banks were allowing a 13 year old to take out loans, but anyway, check your credit ratings, folks. Randy Jr. Who lived out of state with his mother, explained how he tracked his father down at his restaurant in Palm Beach, Florida.

[Randolph Waldron Jr.]

We had to think like criminals where

[Josh Dean]

he confronted him and I said to

[Randolph Waldron Jr.]

him, hey, dad, how you doing? Nice to see you got these affidavits, need to sign them if you don't. This is my attorney. We're going to put you in jail. What's he say? He said, no, I wouldn't do anything like that to you. I didn't do this. This is just a mistake. Blah, blah, deny, deny, deny. And you know what? You can't deny the fact it's on criminal records, it's in court documents, it's on restaurant licenses. You can't deny it. Who's gonna do it? To their 10 year old kid.

[Josh Dean]

Randy's father did sign those papers, but the incident had done real damage. It caused problems for years after that,

[Randolph Waldron Jr.]

and it's still tough to this day. I bet it is.

[Josh Dean]

It's surprisingly hard to get a new Social Security number.

[Liz]

Have you thought about changing your name?

[Randolph Waldron Jr.]

I've thought about changing my name, but then changing my name. If I change my name, it makes him number one. I lose my entire identity. With who am I gonna be? Joe Smith.

[Josh Dean]

Here's the twist, though. The chameleon in our story isn't Randy's dad. It's Randy. This is Chameleon, the weekly show about people who live multiple lives. And I'm Josh Dean. This week, the unbelievable life of Randolph Waldron Jr. Aka Randall Olson, Randall o', Brien, Louise ladnar, Randall mcfly, Michael mcleod, Randolph Harris, and a whole lot of other possible names and aliases that have had many of the people around him fooled for years.

[Brad Rosenberg]

Chameleon, Chameleon, Chameleon.

[Josh Dean]

This is Chameleon weekly. A while back, we got an email from someone who said they had a story we might be interested in. They told us that listening to these tales of chameleons of various stripes really helped them process something that had happened to them in a previous relationship. This person didn't want to share their own story publicly. But once we had the tip, it wasn't hard to find others who'd encountered Randolph Waldron Jr. Like Brad Rosenberg.

[Brad Rosenberg]

Hello. Am I visible to you? I don't see my. Wait a minute.

[Josh Dean]

And his wife Liz.

[Daniella]

I'll be right there.

[Randolph Waldron Jr.]

Right here.

[Josh Dean]

Brad is a retired marine pilot. One day around 1990, Brad got a call from an old friend who just met a kid on a ferry in Massachusetts.

[Brad Rosenberg]

Called me up and said, like, this kid wants to be a pilot really badly and he's really intelligent. Can I give him your contact information?

[Josh Dean]

Randy was the kid's name, and he was a literal kid, no more than 10 years old.

[Brad Rosenberg]

He started writing me letters that were remarkably detailed. And he was asking me questions about my airplane that I couldn't answer without looking up. He was like, so into this. When I was a little kid, I was fascinated by airplanes. I would hang around at airports, and that's what I kind of saw. And I used to send him my squadron patches. And when we replaced aircraft manuals, I would send him the old manuals. All we did was exchange letters and hundreds of them. He was very prolific, very intelligent.

[Josh Dean]

The correspondence continued for around a decade. And then one day, this car pulls

[Brad Rosenberg]

into my Driveway, and this great big black dude gets out, and it's him. I always had this mental image of him as being a geeky little white kid with thick glasses.

[Josh Dean]

Randy told Brad that he was now a pilot himself. The two of them hit it off, and over time, they grew pretty close.

[Brad Rosenberg]

I met his family, his mother, and had dinner at his house. A few times. I went to work for an airline, and he would meet me on my airline layovers, like, in Honolulu. And he would tell me he was on a layover from Pan Am or wherever, and, you know, we would have dinner.

[Josh Dean]

And the two pilots got on so well, in fact, that Brad was best man at Randy's wedding. And Randy was there at Brad's wedding to Liz, too, which is where she met him for the first time.

[Liz]

He was just so fun and very funny and personable, and you wanted to hang out with him. Like, there was literally no red flags or signals popping up for me anyway. And I don't really like people that much, so I'm fairly wary of people. And that went on until. When did he come here that time?

[Josh Dean]

Neither Brad nor Liz can remember the exact date, but it was before COVID in the late 2000 and tens. Randy had called asking if he could stay for a few nights.

[Brad Rosenberg]

He told us his mother was dying of metastatic breast cancer, and he had taken a leave of absence from Pan Am. His company. Pan Am does still exist. A lot of people think it doesn't, but it does.

[Josh Dean]

To support his mom in her dwindling days, Randy told him he'd bought a new place near Brad and Liz where he could look after her.

[Brad Rosenberg]

He showed us pictures of all the renovation work being done to accommodate her.

[Josh Dean]

It just wasn't ready yet. So he needed someplace to stay just while he got things together.

[Liz]

And we were like, of course. Sure. We put Randy in Rudy's, my son's bedroom. And then we, like, made Rudy stay in, like, the storage room because it was only supposed to be for a couple nights. So a couple nights went by, and then his girlfriend showed up with their dog, and they were staying here.

[Josh Dean]

This extended stay with Brad and Liz is a pivotal point in our story. Things are about to go south quickly, but to understand this moment, I'm going to rewind a minute and hear from that girlfriend about her relationship with Randy and how she came with her fiance to be staying with Brad and Liz. This woman doesn't want to be named, but we're going to call her Daniella. This is not, by the way, the person Randy married, though. They did end up getting engaged.

[Daniella]

So I had met Randy online on one of the apps. I remember part of what impressed me about him was Randy was a very eloquent speaker, and I am as well. I like to read. I like to use big words that people don't know what it means. I like to tease people with Elizabethan English. And he kept up with that pace. You know, we hit it off, and we had good chemistry.

[Josh Dean]

Things moved quickly. And just a few months later, Daniella found herself at Randy's grandfather's funeral.

[Daniella]

It was a little uncomfortable. Cause I thought, this is a peculiar way to meet someone's family, but it's unexpected and whatever. So I, you know, shared my condolences, and I think we ended up having lunch with his mother a few weeks later.

[Josh Dean]

Randy was actually not very close to his family. And partly because of this, he had developed a chosen family of sorts instead. Mostly older people who had met him when he was a kid, people who'd grown to care for him, people just like Brad. And trips to visit this chosen family would become a regular part of Randy and Daniella's life together. Randy was just very comfortable moving around.

[Daniella]

He told me that he worked for a financial company in Boston. He was their pilot for their corporate jet. And so, you know, he would travel a lot.

[Josh Dean]

As we know very well on Chameleon at this point, A pilot is a perfect job for someone who has something to hide from their loved ones. It's the ideal excuse to be away for long periods. But at the time, this didn't register as a problem for Daniela. It worked well for her.

[Daniella]

In fact, on the days that he was home, Randy did most of the cooking and cleaning. It was kind of nice to have a wife for a little while. I had a charcuterie board when I came home and dinner was in the oven. He kept a nice clean house. I was busy. I was working all the time. And it was just living, really.

[Josh Dean]

And yet, looking back, there were other things that felt just not quite right about their life together.

[Daniella]

So I met Randy about a year after I was diagnosed with epilepsy. I had had a series of grand mal seizures. You know, it took about a year, year and a half to find the right medication.

[Josh Dean]

Daniela would sometimes feel woozy, disoriented, as she adjusted to the drugs that she would be taking for the next 14 years.

[Daniella]

There'd be moments where Randy would say, no. Remember you gave me that hundred dollars? When did I give you 100 bucks? The other day. Don't you remember?

[Brad Rosenberg]

No.

[Daniella]

Was I Like, running out the door. Like, how did I miss that? And he would do that to me a lot. Oh, don't you remember? Oh, don't you remember?

[Josh Dean]

Daniela blamed the medication for the memory lapses as well as other things.

[Daniella]

I was also having a hard time reading television like the guide on the cable channel. One day he sat me down and he said, you know, I'm looking at the side effects of all your medicine. Memory problems, vision problems.

[Josh Dean]

At the time, Daniella saw only the natural, caring actions of a partner concerned for her well being.

[Daniella]

I ended up paying, like, $5,000 to get a neuropsych exam because I was concerned about memory issues and vision issues. And my doctor's like, your eyes are fine. What are you talking about?

[Josh Dean]

Eventually, she worked out what she thought had been happening.

[Daniella]

Randy had been adjusting the sharpness on the tv.

[Josh Dean]

This is literally gaslighting. Not just the gaslighting. That's become an umbrella term for a lot of lying and manipulation.

[Daniella]

Like the movie, because that's what the movie was. The guy kept adjusting the light.

[Josh Dean]

The term comes from the 1944 film Gaslight, in which a man convinces his wife she's losing her mind by quietly dimming the lights and then flat out denying that he was doing it. Daniella didn't then have a name for what Randy was doing, but she was starting to suspect something. He was getting more erratic, and she felt the ground beneath her shifting.

[Daniella]

I just remember the last six to nine months just being utterly confused, literally all the time. All the time.

[Josh Dean]

The relationship had grown rocky, but there was one thing Daniella still looked forward to. Visiting Randy's old friend Brad. Like her, he was a dog lover.

[Daniella]

Brad has Great Danes, but, you know, we would bring my dog Oliver, and Oliver would play with his dogs. And it's a beautiful house on the lake.

[Liz]

Cool.

[Daniella]

Let's go meet Brad.

[Josh Dean]

This time, though, the trip had also become subject to Randy's increasingly warped and shifting way of explaining the world to her.

[Daniella]

He described Brad as this, like, philandering pig. And I was like, okay, Brad's kind of quirky, but I loved spending time there. We also don't need to stay here. They seem kind of hospitable. Being a little sensitive here. It was so confusing to. Because I was like, man, I don't get it.

[Josh Dean]

Daniella was confused by the way Randy talked about his old friend. He and Brad went way back.

[Daniella]

Brad was an American Airlines pilot that he worked with once, but that he had met when he was, like, in middle school, that his mother had arranged for him to meet Brad. And Brad was his pen pal for a long time. And Brad was the reason he joined the marines. And Brad helped him get into flight school.

[Josh Dean]

As attentive listeners will have noticed, this doesn't quite tally with what Brad has already told us about Randy. And I can tell you now, none of this is true, Although the lies do borrow from reality. Brad never worked with Randy as a commercial pilot. Their meeting wasn't arranged by his mother. Brad didn't get him into flight school. Randy was never a marine, Although he does have the tattoo. Actually, he was never a pilot. And then there's this.

[Daniella]

I was coming up because we were moving, and now I know Randy was fricking homeless. He had nowhere to go. He had nowhere to go.

[Josh Dean]

They were not in the process of building a house for Randy's dying mother, as Randy had told Brad. So how did Randy think this was going to play out? He's putting two people with totally different ideas about who he is and why he's there in the exact same place. Did he think they wouldn't talk? Brad's wife Liz picks up the story.

[Liz]

They were staying here. And then like one night he, like, had all of his friends over down at the fire pit.

[Brad Rosenberg]

He sort of took over the house. This is when the first time we started to get uncomfortable, I got uncomfortable.

[Liz]

He had no idea.

[Brad Rosenberg]

This is how you rationalize things to yourself. I go, his mother's dying.

[Liz]

I'm like, I don't care. He's like, in my son's bedroom. And my son needs his bedroom because he's in high school. He's got stuff to do. And this was like maybe a week or so later. And so I was like, how long are you guys going to be here? He was like, oh, why does Rudy want his bedroom back? And I was like, yeah, he does want his bedroom back. And then snap. His whole demeanor just changed.

[Daniella]

It was freaky.

[Brad Rosenberg]

I was not here for that.

[Liz]

It was totally freaky. He was like, come on, get your stuff, pack up, we're leaving. It was just crazy. I was bemused by it. I guess I didn't feel frightened.

[Daniella]

And then Brad's like, what did you do?

[Liz]

What did you do? I'm like, I didn't do anything. Like, because I'm like, very non confrontational to begin with.

[Brad Rosenberg]

So not with me, not with him. No.

[Liz]

I was just like, whoa.

[Josh Dean]

So Randy left.

[Liz]

So he packs up, but he leaves, like, weird stuff here. Who leaves their phone and doesn't come back for it? But apparently he had a Bunch of phones, you know, which is boom, boom, boom, red flag. While he was here, he was telling about us, about what a horrible pig his mother was and how he hated her and how she would, like, sit in her own feces and that.

[Brad Rosenberg]

He would come up with stories like this about all kinds of people, including the guy who introduced me to him.

[Josh Dean]

Just like Randy had done with Brad. He was telling stories about how these folks he was apparently close to were just horrible people.

[Brad Rosenberg]

And that was his method of keeping people from comparing notes about him. He would tell these very convincing stories about. My buddy's name was John. It's really sad because we've lost contact, and I've never been able to reestablish contact, but he told me, like, John has lost his mind. And he did this and this and this, and he was so believable. And I'm sure he was telling the same thing about me.

[Josh Dean]

And then the real kicker, we were

[Liz]

friends on Facebook, and his mom would pop up, and she was totally fine on Facebook. And so I was like, I just saw his mom's post, and she seems totally fine.

[Josh Dean]

Randy's mother did have cancer, we think, but she was still working, and she certainly wasn't being moved into the area by her caring son. If you're still wondering how Randy managed to sustain all these things, he was telling all these different people. Well, me too. I'm sure we're all wondering that. Daniela. Sure is.

[Daniella]

Can you believe that? The one thing that always shocked me is that never did I look at Brad and mention that Randy was once a Marine. Because Brad would have been like, what the hell are you talking about? Randy started to talk to Brad about someone they worked with, and Brad was like, who are you talking about? And Randy would just keep going. Come on. You remember that guy? Da, da, da. And he would just keep giving details until Brad. And I remember, like, randy's still talking. And I remember observing it and thinking, brad doesn't know who you're talking about. Like, move on. But he wouldn't. He kept talking until Brad said, oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. He would do that all the time.

[Josh Dean]

Randy hadn't been discovered yet, but he may have sensed that it was close or that he was overstaying his welcome. Either way, he stormed off in a huff.

[Brad Rosenberg]

He called me up and said, can I talk to you? And I said, yeah. So he drove over again, and. And he just broke down in tears about his mother dying, and she needed this bed that he couldn't pay for. And I look back now, and I go, like, how could I be so naive? But I was. He was hanging onto my legs, sobbing with his money problems and his dying mother.

[Liz]

Yeah, I wasn't there for that because he wouldn't do that if I had been there.

[Brad Rosenberg]

And I wrote him a check for

[Josh Dean]

a few thousand dollars.

[Brad Rosenberg]

He's like, thank you. Thank you. As soon as I get my paycheck from Pan Am, I'll reimburse you. And then the next day, I get this crazy phone call from his fiance, and she tells me this wild story about Randy beat her up and strangled her dog and stole her money. And I'm going like this. It just blew my mind.

[Josh Dean]

This is something we've confirmed with Daniella. It's a disturbing story. He allegedly assaulted her and her dog. And at this moment, she realized she was done with Randy. She needed to get out of the relationship. And in the aftermath, she needed people to know what had happened, partly, I imagine, to validate her own reality, something which she had been questioning for a while, thanks to Randy. She was also worried about her own safety, which is why she called Brad.

[Daniella]

It felt like he was taking the information in. He was supportive in the sense of, like, well, that shouldn't have happened to you, right? Like, whatever's going on shouldn't. Shouldn't be happening. And that, like, it felt very safe and supportive in that way. But Brad also needed to get his information.

[Josh Dean]

Daniella also suspected that Randy had been stealing from her.

[Daniella]

I am calling to inform you that this person is not who you think he is. Do with this information what you choose.

[Josh Dean]

Brad listened, and he also called someone else Daniella had suggested suggested who could corroborate a lot of what she had been saying about her now ex. Brad took it all in and decided he needed to address it with Randy directly.

[Brad Rosenberg]

Things got really weird. I called the bank and stopped payment on the check. Two lady already cashed it. And it turned out he. He took our money and headed for

[Josh Dean]

St. John's as in the Caribbean island.

[Brad Rosenberg]

That's when I put up that Facebook page.

[Josh Dean]

That Facebook page is how we found Brad. And we'll explain what that's all about after the break. Summer has a way of making everything feel a little more relaxed, especially when it comes to getting dressed. One thing I love about our hottest season is putting on those comfortable go anywhere pieces that effortlessly become everyday staples. That's where Quint's comes in. Their 100% European linen pants and shirts are incredibly breathable and easy to throw on, starting at just 34 bucks. And their ultra soft tees are perfect for these scorching days. Beyond elevated style, they also carry incredible premium home goods like organic cotton sheets and linen duvet covers. I've been so impressed with Quince's denim, too. The Slim fit jeans I just got are the perfect balance between a structured, durable fit and a remarkably soft feel. Make your summer wardrobe easier. Go to quince.comchameleon for free shipping on your order and 365 day returns. Now available in Canada too. That's Quincameleon for free shipping and 365 day returns. Quince.com Chameleon A Dog's Love Letter to His Squeaky Avocado Dearest Squeaky Avocado, my heart yearns to chew thee. Alas, I've devoured a small action figure and have taken ill, unable to partake in our jubilant so Squeakings. Worry not, as I am on the mend and Lemonade pet insurance covered 90% of the veterinarian's cost. I recommend all the cats and dogs of the land. Get a'@lemonade.com pet soon my tummy will be unburdened and we shall frolic once more. Yours, Jerry welcome back to Chameleon. In a very short space of time, the wool had fallen from Brad's eyes. One of his oldest friends, Randy, had been lying to him for years. He had seemingly asked for money under false pretenses, and it sure looked like he'd been doing similar and maybe worse things to others, too. Brad was angry, personally hurt, but he's also a man with a very strong sense of justice. That's where he got the idea for his Facebook page.

[Brad Rosenberg]

I just thought, somebody needs to shine a light on the cockroach because he's like this whirlwind of misery traveling around the world. I want people to Google his name when their spider sense starts tingling and read at least a heads up.

[Daniella]

Brad just did it. I think Brad and I were very much on the same page of understanding the optics of if I'm the one telling the story, I just look like an angry ex. You know, it's a tale as old as time, for God's sakes. It's half the problem with trying to get the police to give a crap.

[Josh Dean]

Both Daniella and Brad had filed charges against Randy, and they hoped the Facebook group would help their cases.

[Daniella]

You know, this was about trying to find a way for Randy to get prosecuted, held accountable in some way, and to make it a little bit harder for him to get away with it when now you can Google his name and this is what can come up.

[Josh Dean]

It didn't take long for Brad to start getting messages and posts to his new page.

[Brad Rosenberg]

Scores and scores of contacts from people who had been victimized by Randy. I kept finding out about all these aliases. It just, this whole world just opened up.

[Josh Dean]

The Facebook page has been up for 10 years now with many different people from all over the country sharing stories about their dealings with Randy. Through conversations with these people, Brad became a sort of expert on Randy's modus operandi. Clear patterns emerged.

[Brad Rosenberg]

He's very good at victims of selection. He preys almost exclusively on women with low self esteem and gay men with low self esteem and scares them all. And old women.

[Josh Dean]

Also, Randy seemed to be using people he was in close relationships with, often romantic ones.

[Brad Rosenberg]

I had no idea he was gay. And then all these gay dudes start contacting me and saying, yeah, he moved in with me and stole my money and stole my car.

[Liz]

He's a chameleon.

[Daniella]

Yeah, for sure.

[Josh Dean]

And that he possessed one critical skill.

[Brad Rosenberg]

They read you and tell you the story you want to hear.

[Josh Dean]

Brad estimates that he's heard from well over a hundred people who have encountered Randy.

[Brad Rosenberg]

One girl called me up and she's like, can I talk to you? And she's like whispering. She's asking me a lot of questions but doesn't want to give me much information. And finally she says, he's in my bedroom right now.

[Liz]

Like, didn't one like call you after they found their Social Security card?

[Brad Rosenberg]

And oh yeah, another one, I told her, go look in his suitcase, go look through his stuff. And what she found was photocopies of her and her son's personal documents, financial information, Social Security cards, and a one way ticket airline pass to London for the next day. It sounds like a bad movie, but that happened over and over and over.

[Josh Dean]

There was the author who wrote a book about being a bush pilot in South America in the 1950s.

[Brad Rosenberg]

Randy befriended her, did all of his research. She had some weird kind of cat or dog that she liked. What do you know? That's Randy's favorite critter. Also, she took him into her confidence and he pretended to be very wealthy and own a fleet of Gulfstream jets. And he took her on vacations with other people's money and charmed her and then stole everything she had. She broke down and told me all this and I was like, you know, we can stop him from doing this to anybody else. But she wouldn't do it.

[Josh Dean]

Which is again so common in these stories. People who are victimized by con artists typically feel a lot of shame, and con artists use that shame as a shield. There's also the obsession with air travel, a consistent theme in many of these stories.

[Brad Rosenberg]

He's always had this focus on airlines, either as a flight attendant or working for airlines or pretending to work for airlines. And again, like a bad movie, he had stolen airline uniforms, and he would have one fiance or girlfriend or boyfriend drop him off at the airport with his suitcase, and they'd wave goodbye, and he'd walk into the terminal, and then he would call another one and say, hey, I just landed from my trip to Lisbon. Can you pick me up? And he literally did that for years.

[Josh Dean]

One of my favorite details is that he has a picture of himself with the actor Michael J. Fox, and he told people he was Fox's personal pilot. The Federal Aviation Administration is the body that regulates both pilots and flight attendants. And Brad's a pilot, so he can access the FAA's data. What he found is very interesting.

[Brad Rosenberg]

I looked him up, and he is licensed as a flight attendant. And at one time, he had a private pilot license, but he never had a commercial or an airline transport pilot license. He made those up. He put on American Airlines letterhead, all kinds of things. And he forged FAA licenses and temporary certificates, but they're all fake.

[Josh Dean]

Daniella was fooled. She'd seen the licenses and timesheets just casually sitting out on his desk.

[Daniella]

He would call and say, can you go get that off the desk for me? And when I would go to the desk, there was printed out emails and his badge from his job. Like, who the hell? Questions that. Like, everyone was like, oh, how could you believe he was a pilot? Why would I not? The FAA pilot license was on the desk. He has the uniform and a badge. Why would they not live?

[Liz]

What?

[Daniella]

Like, do you honestly think Liz has ever driven to Logan Airport to watch Brad take off on a plane? Of course not. She sees his badge, his uniform, and off he goes.

[Josh Dean]

Randy had worked in the industry as a steward, an administrator, just never as a pilot. Though he did get close. He also once appeared on the Montel Williams show, again telling the story of how his dad had stolen his identity. Montel actually paid for flight school for Randy to achieve his lifelong dream. He didn't last long in school, but he obviously picked up a lot and then got more from Brad. So he played the part of pilot. Well, Daniella had seen him in simulators.

[Daniella]

I watched him fly in those simulators, though. That guy knows how to fly a plane.

[Liz]

Randy is Extremely charming and he's so smart. And if he had put like half the effort into becoming a pilot that he did into pretending to be a

[Daniella]

pilot, he would have been a pilot.

[Josh Dean]

Which, again, is a recurring sentiment on our show. You could cut and paste so many names in place of Randy's. And that exact same idea applies. If insert con artist's name had put in half the effort doing insert real life job aspiration that he put into insert type of con, he'd have a wildly different career. I did wonder whether Brad and Daniella, unlikely collaborators in many ways, were over exaggerating at all with their experiences. But the thing is, similar stories from others are all there to read on the Facebook group. We've spoken to some of these people. Brad and Daniella have also collected ample documentation to back up their claims. But one thing the two have failed to find is a sense of justice.

[Daniella]

The amount of rage is immeasurable. It's immeasurable.

[Josh Dean]

Daniella was disappointed by the outcome of her own domestic abuse case. Randy did no time. Brad is a doer. He wasn't satisfied to just wait for someone eventually to take Randy down.

[Brad Rosenberg]

I tracked him down and I found out he was living with a guy in Florida, right near where my dad lives. And I visited my dad, and I went there and knocked on his door, and that was going to be his. I was going to say, give me my money or else.

[Josh Dean]

Nobody was in. But Brad was now on a mission. He'd contacted the police about the $3,000 from the check he'd written under false pretenses. Detectives have a lot on their plates in the best of times. They told him not to expect much.

[Brad Rosenberg]

And I said, I'll do it. I educated myself. I have a couple lawyer buddies. And I basically went back there and said, here's your case, and actually got an extraditable warrant for him. And I tracked him down to a place in Florida. I called the sheriff's department down there and said, hey, you guys want to exercise a warrant? And Liz is going like, don't get involved in this. And I'm going like, no, I'm doing this. And so they went and kicked down the door and arrested him.

[Josh Dean]

Brad watched as Randy was ushered into a New Hampshire courtroom. It was the last time he'd seen him in person.

[Brad Rosenberg]

He would just glare at me.

[Liz]

Yeah, you can't intimidate Brad.

[Brad Rosenberg]

Yes, you can. She does.

[Daniella]

Well, except for me.

[Brad Rosenberg]

I just kept, like, a straight poker face, and he would like, you know, he was trying to do his intimidation act.

[Josh Dean]

Randy pled guilty to misdemeanor theft and got a one year suspended sentence. But these weren't the only charges or arrest on his record. In fact, there are lots. We've found records for arrests covering a variety of frauds, giving a false name to police, bank fraud, identity theft. It all fits the description we've heard for sure. But Randy has never faced serious jail

[Brad Rosenberg]

time and he always somehow just wiggles out of him. He's like the poster boy for this revolving door of our justice system.

[Josh Dean]

The question I'm sitting with is not so much the how, but the why. What makes someone who is seemingly smart and bright and well loved by many take advantage of those closest to him? One theory seems pretty obvious that it goes all the way back to his childhood and his father. Here's how Randy himself explained the situation to wttgtv.

[Randolph Waldron Jr.]

He left my mother and I when I was just an infant and I had no contact with him until I was 13 years old. He popped back into my life and for all accounts he was a great guy.

[Brad Rosenberg]

Why do you think he popped back into your life?

[Randolph Waldron Jr.]

I don't know. I don't know. I mean, you know, he does things to be a self serving type of individual.

[Josh Dean]

Randy's mom had originally met his dad in the Dominican Republic, but the relationship didn't last. After getting a visa to the US his dad dumped his mom and set himself up in Florida where he opened a restaurant. And that's where he presumably was until he contacted Randy. It seems unfair to suggest that it was only two to steal his son's Social Security number. And on this matter at least, we should say there are differing opinions. Brad thinks Randy made this story up. Daniella isn't so sure and claims to have seen the affidavit that Randy made his dad sign. In fact, she says she had it herself at one point but lost it in a move. However you look at it, it's fair to say that would be difficult for any child.

[Brad Rosenberg]

He does know his dad. His dad does not like him. From what I've been told by siblings

[Josh Dean]

and things, and for whatever reason, Randy's reunion with his dad seems like it was the beginning of a dramatic shift in his life.

[Brad Rosenberg]

People that I met through Facebook and I've actually gone and had dinners with them since then, told me that when he was about 14 he started stealing and lying.

[Josh Dean]

Was it that Randy Jr. Was in some way compelled by the trauma caused by his father to follow a similar path or to emulate him in some way? His relationship with Brad and Other father figures certainly points to him in some way longing for something he was lacking.

[Daniella]

Brad still being a better father to him than his parents ever were. Because what Randy needs is accountability, consequences and discipline.

[Josh Dean]

Daniella has her own theory that Randy's influence was a little more direct.

[Daniella]

What I believe to be the case is that somewhere along the way, Randy and his father worked on it together. But then somewhere along the way, Randy decided, hey, this would be great if I'm the victim here and I can just make him the villain. And then he, you know, was on TV and becoming a spokesperson.

[Josh Dean]

Are certain people just born this way or is their behavior informed by some deep seated trauma? As always, this is a complicated question, one that's impossible to answer. This is going to come as little or no consolation to the people who have described the ways in which their lives have been torn apart by Randy. Which brings me to the next question. Where is Randy now? Metro has a suspect in custody after an early morning barricade situation that sent

[Brad Rosenberg]

one person to the hospital.

[Daniella]

The incident in West Las Vegas started as domestic violence call. When police finally arrived at the scene,

[Josh Dean]

the suspect would just not come out of the home. The man eventually surrendered. And yes, that man is Randy now. Randy Hares after his marriage to the person he attacked, John Harrah. They've been married less than six months. In 2023, Randy was slapped with six charges, including attempted murder with use of a deadly weapon. Brad has seen the police report escalated

[Brad Rosenberg]

up the stairs into the bedroom and he slashed him a few times. He was trying to stab him. The guy got defensive knife wounds on his hands.

[Daniella]

This is not a hardcore criminal. This guy is not stepping out of the wire. I mean, like seriously, this is a little weevil who hides in bathrooms and lies his way out. He's escalating. He's also very smart, so he does not want to go to jail. If Randy is now committing crimes where he's definitely going to end up in jail, it's because he can't control himself.

[Josh Dean]

The court case in Nevada dragged on for two and a half years. And the end result, the charges were amended and Randy ultimately pleaded guilty to the lesser charges of domestic violence and obstructing a police officer. Just this past April, he was given a six month suspended sentence for each charge. The judge noted that the defendant was to, quote, stay out of trouble for one year, will he? We'll have to see. These recent charges are the most serious ones that Randy has faced. But he's a repeat offender and the legal system has so far been unable to connect the dots in a way that satisfies many of the people Randy has encountered. The patterns of someone who has wreaked havoc on many lives is just there to see. We do a lot of stories on Chameleon that you likely know or know of, but this one is probably new to you. It's often easy to be manipulated by people you love, who you believe also love you. It can be hard to understand what's happening and even harder to understand why. Harder still to admit that you've been fooled and come forward. Which is why Brad's Facebook group is so unusual. Because more often than not, these stories never come out. They never get told.

[Brad Rosenberg]

I do like to think I made his scams a little more difficult for him. He has to work harder for him. And I did hear from somebody just a couple days before I heard from you. So he's still out there doing stuff.

[Josh Dean]

And that's why this show could run and run, because there will always be people out there who want to take advantage of you, and it's increasingly clear that they're very hard to stop. Chameleon is a production of Campside Media and Audio Chuck. It's hosted by me, Josh Dean and was written by me and Joe Barrett. It was produced by Joe Barrett. Our associate producer is Emma Simonoff, sound design and mix by Tiffany Dimmack, themed by Ewin lytramuin and Mark McAdam. Our production manager is Ashley Warren. Campside's executive producers are Vanessa Gregoriadas, Matt Sher, and me, Josh Dean. And finally, if I can ask a few favors before sending you on your way today, please rate, follow and review Chameleon on your favorite podcast platforms to help spread the word. I know everyone says this, but it's true. Ratings and reviews really do help. If you have any feedback, tips or story ideas, you can email [e-mail] or leave us a message at a special number we've set up. 201-743-836. Add a plus one if you're outside North America. Thanks for listening. We'll see you next week.

[Daniella]

I think Chuck would approve.