DEEP COVER Presents: Snowball
Podcast: Deep Cover
Host: Pushkin Industries
Episode: Deep Cover Presents: Snowball
Date: October 27, 2025

Episode Overview

This special crossover episode introduces "Snowball," a limited series from the Unravel Podcast team at the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). Hosted by Ollie Wards, "Snowball" tells the gripping, deeply personal story of how Ollie’s middle-class Kiwi family had their lives upended by a charming and enigmatic Californian con artist, Leslie Manookian. The episode promises a globe-trotting investigation as Ollie attempts to understand the master manipulator who infiltrated and destroyed his family's life, asking how she did it, why, and where she is now.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Con and Its Aftermath (00:06–03:00)

• Ollie Wards sets the stage as he explains how his brother, Greg, fell for an American woman he met while backpacking in London. This meeting unraveled into a chaos of deceit that cost his family everything:

  • Ollie: "My brother married an American con artist. I find myself in a murky world of con artists and swindlers. This isn't the kind of story you would expect to happen to a pretty average Kiwi family like mine." (00:06)
  • Impact: The Wards family lost over a million dollars and ended up homeless. Ollie describes their sense of devastation: “We just were destroyed.” (01:00)

• Greg’s relationship with Leslie Manookian is portrayed as fast, intoxicating, and suspiciously glamorous:

  • Greg is described as "an Americanophile, so he brought his American dream girl home to New Zealand." (01:30)
  • Leslie is introduced with striking charisma: "She has a laugh that could, you know, you hear it across the room... a confident, charismatic Californian... sophisticated female operative." (01:20–01:40)

2. The Vanishing Act (03:00–04:00)

• Leslie's abrupt disappearance: After a few months in New Zealand, she vanishes, never to be seen again by the family.
  • Ollie: "Within a few months, Leslie had taken off to the US and none of us ever saw her again." (03:29)

3. Ollie’s Quest for Truth (04:00–05:45)

• Ollie, a seasoned radio producer, turns the investigative spotlight on his own family’s tragedy:

  • “I normally work at an Australian radio station, helping other people tell stories. Now I'm going to investigate the story of my own.” (03:55)

• The investigation uncovers a web of lies and dramatic stories, with details escalating from financial loss to supposed mafia entanglements:

  • "She'd gone the wrong side of the local mafia. She witnessed... she might have got beaten up, murder. Or she got home invaded... They're gonna kill me tonight, dad." (04:30–04:50)
  • Anecdotes grow increasingly outrageous: “Parents had to pay for a private jet to come get her before the mafia killed her.” (04:53)

4. The Larger Pattern (05:45–07:10)

• Discovering a broader scope: Ollie learns that his family is not Leslie’s only set of victims:

  • "How did this happen? Why did this American woman con my family?... Who else has this happened to? Does the name Leslie Manookian mean anything to you? Oh, you bet. Never forget her." (05:53–06:12)

• Interviews with others scammed by Leslie reveal the same pattern of initial allure, mounting suspicions, and utter devastation:

  • "This woman's a bit kind of like, you know, not what she claims to be. And that was her allure... I don't think she ever thought she would actually get caught." (06:12–06:25)

5. The Anatomy of a Sociopath (07:10–09:15)

• Brief, surreal vignettes from different voices illustrate how Leslie operated—her seductions, manipulations, excuses, and the chaos she left in her wake:

  • “When I got home, there was a bongload, a martini, and a blowjob, and I just didn't think about it.” (07:33)
  • A voice challenges Leslie: “F off. Screw you. This is your karma.” (07:41)

• Questions about Leslie's real identity emerge—scammer or broken person? Ollie concludes:

  • “Like a part of me believes she's just, like—oh, the scammer. A really broken person. You'll never really know what was real or not.” (08:10–08:18)

6. The Investigation Tightens (09:15–10:30)

• Ollie’s determination to confront Leslie takes him across continents, even clashing with "big shot lawyers to the stars":

  • "To find answers, I'll have to get past her big shot lawyer to the stars... As your lawyer, I'm starting to make threats on also. Are you serious?" (08:22–08:40)
  • The stakes rise: "And I'm going to travel across the world to track Leslie down. What are we getting ourselves into?" (08:45)

• Showdown moment in public: Ollie and companions spot Leslie in a crowd.

  • “She’s walking just in front of you, bro." / "Where?" / "In the middle." / "Oh, yeah, I see her." (09:59–10:08)

7. Call to Action & Teaser (10:30–10:55)

• The episode closes with a cliffhanger and call to follow “Snowball” for the full story, underscoring the personal stakes and the wider web of deception.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “It all started when my bro Greg was a backpacker in London... He met Leslie Manookian.” (00:52)
• “When you marry someone, you feel like you really know them. Within a few months, Leslie had taken off to the US and none of us ever saw her again.” (01:41–01:56)
• “We just were destroyed. It was so weird... Smuggled out of Armenia. What? Whoa. Explain.” (02:00–02:20)
• “Oh, shit, she's done it again. Who else has this happened to? Does the name Leslie Manookian mean anything to you? Oh, you bet. Never forget her.” (05:53–06:06)
• “You'll never really know what was real or not.” (08:18)
• “She’s walking just in front of you, bro. Where? In the middle. Join me for Snowball... Oh, yeah, I see her... She’s getting in a car. Damn it.” (09:59–10:43)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:06–01:30 — Wards family background & initial meeting with Leslie
• 01:30–03:00 — Greg brings Leslie to New Zealand; whirlwind romance and shock
• 03:00–04:00 — Leslie’s disappearance
• 04:00–05:45 — Ollie’s decision to investigate; wild stories begin
• 05:45–07:10 — The scope widens: other victims, haunting questions
• 07:10–08:20 — Snapshots into the scammer’s world; emotional responses
• 08:22–09:15 — Legal obstacles & globe-trotting pursuit
• 09:59–10:43 — The tense moment of spotting Leslie in public

Episode Tone & Style

The episode uses a highly personal, conversational, and darkly humorous tone throughout. Ollie Wards’s narration blends incredulity with resolve, mixing moments of shock, disbelief, and wry reflection amid a mosaic of victim voices.

Summary:
The Deep Cover’s “Snowball” teaser immerses listeners in a real-life tale of betrayal, psychological gamesmanship, and relentless investigation. It invites the audience to join Ollie Wards as he cracks open his family’s trauma to hunt down a world-class con artist—and try to answer: Why does someone do this, how do they get away, and who is the real person beneath the lies?