Episode 6: The Defendant

Summary

Deep Cover: Episode 6 – "The Defendant"

Release Date: June 9, 2025
Host: Pushkin Industries
Episode Title: The Defendant

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Introduction

In the final installment of the six-part series, "The Truth About Sarah," hosts Jake Halpern and Jess McHugh delve deep into the unraveling of Sarah Kavanaugh's elaborate six-year deception. This episode, titled "The Defendant," focuses on Sarah's legal battles, her confrontation in court, and the profound impact of her actions on the lives she intertwined with her lies.

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The Legal Battle Begins

As federal investigators intensify their case against Sarah Kavanaugh, they amass a comprehensive portfolio of evidence, including texts, emails, forged documents, witness testimonies, and intriguingly, a country ballad titled "Let's Go Back." This song, crafted through Sarah's collaboration with Nashville songwriters under the Creative Vets program, becomes a pivotal piece of evidence revealing her fabricated heroism.

[02:35] Sarah Kavanagh: "As the feds built their case against Sarah, they collected all kinds of evidence... even a country ballad."

The revelation of the song's true origins marks the beginning of Sarah's undoing. Following a thorough search of her residence, Sarah confesses to her wife, Nicole, about her cancer lies, leading to their marital dissolution and subsequent divorce.

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Facing the Charges

Sarah faces multiple criminal charges, including wire fraud, aggravated identity theft, and fraudulent use of military medals. Recognizing the grave nature of her situation, Sarah seeks legal representation from Kensley Barrett, Esquire, a seasoned veteran and defense attorney.

[07:05] Ken Barrett: "I didn't necessarily have any second thoughts about representing Ms. Gavin."

Initially, Sarah downplays the scale of her fraud, but as Ken reviews the evidence, he acknowledges the strength of the prosecution's case, estimating that Sarah has embezzled over $250,000. Given the public's emotional investment in the case—particularly sentiments surrounding her deception of fellow veterans—the prognosis for a favorable trial outcome appears bleak.

[08:11] Ken Barrett: "This case was really like hitting the third rail... involves dogs or animals and the military, simply put."

Faced with the likelihood of a severe sentence, Ken advises Sarah to consider a plea deal to mitigate potential prison time. Sarah struggles to comprehend the consequences, reflecting a possible detachment from reality.

[09:11] Ken Barrett: "Sarah had expressed concern that she couldn't do two years in prison or any jail time."

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The Sentencing Hearing

The sentencing takes place at the U.S. District Court in Providence, Rhode Island—a setting steeped in a history of fraud and corruption. The courtroom is packed, necessitating an overflow room to accommodate the spectators, many of whom are veterans directly affected by Sarah's deceit.

[12:20] Jake Halpern: "The prosecution had arranged to have several of Sarah's victims be there in person to read their victim impact statements."

Prominent among the victims is Justin Richmond, a 20-year Navy veteran battling stage 4 lung cancer. Justin recounts how Sarah exploited his vulnerable state by accessing his medical records and soliciting over $5,000 under the guise of securing private insurance for his treatment.

[17:00] Justin Richmond: "She knew the suffering my family and I were going through, yet she took money from us anyway."

The emotional weight of Justin's testimony profoundly affects both the courtroom and Sarah's defense attorney, Ken Barrett, who realizes the depth of Sarah's betrayal.

[18:29] Ken Barrett: "I knew after hearing Justin speak that no matter what I said, it wasn't going to make an ounce of difference to the judge why my client was deserved of mercy."

Judge John J. McConnell, Jr., moved by the testimonies, sentences Sarah to seventy months in prison, three years of supervised release, and orders her to pay restitution exceeding $280,000.

[19:19] Judge McConnell: "You just gave of what you had... obtained through fraud is the worst kind of victimization."

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Incarceration and Confrontation

A year and a half into her sentence at the Federal Correctional Institution in Danbury, Connecticut, Jake and Jess meet with Sarah. Their visit is marked by intense emotions as they grapple with understanding Sarah's motivations.

[22:27] Jess McHugh: "I was enjoying being around them. It felt good to be the center of attention."

Sarah attempts to present her narrative, suggesting a misunderstanding led to her deception. However, inconsistencies emerge, such as letters of support from individuals like Sam's mother, which Sarah admits to authoring. This revelation deepens the complexity of her manipulation and the extent of her deceit.

[31:10] Jake Halpern: "Wow."

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Impact on Victims and Reflection

The series explores the profound emotional and psychological toll on Sarah's victims. Justin continues to support fellow veterans despite his ongoing battle with cancer, embodying resilience and forgiveness.

[42:56] Justin Richmond: "I did a lot of introspection and said, well, what gives me energy, and that's what gives me energy is to help people, especially fellow veterans."

Conversely, others like Sam's mother confront the betrayal but strive to maintain compassion, encapsulating the episode's exploration of forgiveness amidst deception.

[41:04] Sarah Kavanagh: "There's no closure before you get to forgive somebody. You have to fully eat the cost."

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Conclusion: The Aftermath and Broader Implications

Sarah's story transcends individual deceit, highlighting systemic vulnerabilities within organizations like the VA. Her ability to exploit trust-oriented frameworks underscores the delicate balance between goodwill and due diligence.

[39:14] Jake Halpern: "It's tempting to look at Sarah's story as a unicorn, as a freak occurrence... but her scams revealed a much deeper problem."

The episode concludes with reflections on empathy, forgiveness, and the enduring impact of Sarah's actions on her victims' lives. Despite her incarceration, Sarah remains a complex figure—capable of self-analysis yet embodying the pain and betrayal inflicted upon others.

[35:22] Sarah Kavanagh: "When you live two separate lives for so long, it feels normal, right?"

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Closing Thoughts

"The Defendant" serves as a poignant finale to the series, weaving together narratives of deception, justice, and the human capacity for both betrayal and forgiveness. Through intimate interviews and powerful testimonies, the episode encapsulates the far-reaching consequences of Sarah Kavanaugh's double life, leaving listeners to ponder the intricate dynamics of trust and empathy in the aftermath of profound deceit.

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Notable Quotes with Timestamps:

• Sarah Kavanagh: "[02:35] As the feds built their case against Sarah, they collected all kinds of evidence... even a country ballad."
• Ken Barrett: "[07:05] I didn't necessarily have any second thoughts about representing Ms. Gavin."
• Justin Richmond: "[17:00] She knew the suffering my family and I were going through, yet she took money from us anyway."
• Judge McConnell: "[19:19] You just gave of what you had... obtained through fraud is the worst kind of victimization."
• Justin Richmond: "[42:56] I did a lot of introspection and said, well, what gives me energy..."
• Sarah Kavanagh: "[41:04] There's no closure before you get to forgive somebody. You have to fully eat the cost."

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Produced by: Amy Gaines McQuaid and Tali Emlyn
Additional Production Support: Sonya Gerwitt
Edited by: Karen Shakurji
Executive Producer: Jacob Smith
Mastering: Jake Gorski
Original Scoring: Luis Guerra
Show Art Designed by: Sean Carney
Fact-Checking by: Annika Robbins

Special Thanks to: Izzy Carter, Daphne Chen, Lucy Sullivan, and many others who contributed to the depth and authenticity of this series.

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For more in-depth storytelling and investigative journalism, subscribe to Pushkin+ on Apple Podcasts or visit pushkin.fm/plus.

Transcript

[Jake Halpern]

Pushkin.

[Jess McHugh]

This is an iHeart podcast.

[Jake Halpern]

This is Justin Richmond from Broken Record. The three things I love about summer are pool days, blaring, all the new summer songs that come out, and endless refreshing iced drinks from Starbucks. Even better, my favorite summer drink has returned to Starbucks. The Summer Berry Refresher is available now. A mix of berry flavors shaken with ice and poured over raspberry flavored pearls. It's light, vibrant and just as refreshing as the summer fun you'll be having. So queue up your playlist and head over to Starbucks to check out their summer menu. There's something for everyone. From creamy cold brews to ice cold refreshers. Your Summer Berry Refresher is ready at Starbucks. Hey, this is Jake. You're about to listen to episode six, our final episode. And just a reminder, this is a six part series, so if you haven't heard the earlier episodes, I encourage you go back and listen before you hear this one. You'll get a lot more out of it. Also, just so you know, you can hear more ad free episodes from this season of Deep Cover before they're released to the public by signing up for Pushkin plus. You'll also get bonus episodes, full audiobooks and binges from your favorite Pushkin hosts and authors. Find Pushkin plus on the Deep Cover show page on Apple Podcasts or at Pushkin FM plus. Okay, let's get into it.

[Sarah Kavanagh]

Previously on Deep Cover. I remember sitting on her couch and like me like telling her, asking her, is this real? Is this real?

[Jess McHugh]

Is this real? Is this real?

[Sarah Kavanagh]

You know? And she was like, no, no, no, no, no.

[Justin]

What immediately occurred to me was that as soon as I told her I had cancer, even though she was telling me it was okay, in her back of her mind she was thinking, I can take advantage of this.

[Sarah Kavanagh]

Laying in bed in the dark, kind.

[Jess McHugh]

Of like pillow talk. I asked her one more time, do you have cancer? When you live two separate lives for so long, it feels normal, right? I had to be someone else in front of other people when I was a child. And that was normal.

[Sarah Kavanagh]

As the feds built their case against Sarah, they collected all kinds of evidence. Texts, emails, forged paperwork, witness interviews, and even a country ballad. I kid you not.

[Jake Halpern]

The sun was warm and didn't burn.

[Sarah Kavanagh]

Boots on the ground covered in Afghan.

[Jake Halpern]

Dirt This song, it's called let's Go Back. It's all about this tragic war hero who's still reliving the pain of what happened in Afghanistan. I smell the soul, I feel the warmth of blood and I'll Never forget.

[Sarah Kavanagh]

How heavy the silence was. Let's go back.

[Jake Halpern]

The inspiration for this song, the hero that it's all about. Yeah, you guessed it. Sarah Kavanagh. She's not the one singing. That's a country music artist. Sarah collaborated with some songwriters down in Nashville to create this song as part of a program called Creative Vets.

[Sarah Kavanagh]

This is a coveted program with limited spots. It gives veterans an opportunity to work through their feelings and traumas through music. So when Sarah faked her way in, she took away the chance for some healing for actual veterans.

[Jake Halpern]

The only reason that we even know about this song is because of federal investigators. After they searched Sarah's house, they began picking through Sarah's entire life. This is when everything began to really unravel for her. After the search, she admitted to her wife Nicole, that she'd been lying about having cancer. Nicole was like, I'm out of here. She left the next morning, and eventually she filed for divorce.

[Sarah Kavanagh]

Sarah's story was all over the local news. Sarah says she got death threats, she left her position at the va, and she took a string of low wage jobs. None of them lasted very long. Once her employers caught wind of her story, Sarah says she was fired.

[Jake Halpern]

Meanwhile, she was facing a host of criminal charges, including wire fraud, aggravated identity theft, and fraudulent use of military metals. It seemed as though everything was finally catching up to Sarah Kavanaugh. So many questions swirled. Would her victims confront her? Would she express remorse? And would she be held accountable? I'm Jake Halpern.

[Sarah Kavanagh]

And I'm Jess McHugh.

[Jake Halpern]

And this is Deep Cover. Season 6 the Truth of About Sarah Episode 6 the Defendant. To fight the charges against her, Sarah needed a lawyer. And a good one. Enter Kensley Barrett, Esquire. A veteran who'd served 11 years in the Coast Guard before becoming a lawyer. He goes by Ken. And one of the first things I asked Ken was whether as a veteran, he had any misgivings about representing Sarah. Ken said a lot of people were bewildered. They took this case.

[Ken Barrett]

My perspective was that I represent people who are accused of heinous crimes, you name it. Murder, sex, assault, everything in between.

[Jake Halpern]

Ken says that if he started declining cases due to some kind of moral aversion, as he put it, well, then what kind of criminal defense lawyer would he be?

[Ken Barrett]

I didn't necessarily have any second thoughts about representing Ms. Gavin.

[Jake Halpern]

All.

[Ken Barrett]

If anything, it was more of intrigue as to how she ended up in the situation that she was in.

[Jake Halpern]

When Sarah walked into his office, Ken's first question was about the financial impact of her fraud. He wanted to know how many victims were involved and what was the dollar amount. Ken says initially, Sarah downplayed the whole thing. It would take Ken some time to get a clearer picture, but eventually, as he reviewed the evidence, he understood it was not a small dollar amount. The prosecution claimed Sarah had stolen over $250,000 worth of money and services. Ken needed to know if the allegations were true. And after reviewing the evidence, he was pretty concerned. The evidence against Sarah, he says, was strong, and he worried about the impact that it would have on a jury.

[Ken Barrett]

This case was really like hitting the third rail. And I guess anything that involves dogs or animals and the military, Simply put.

[Jake Halpern]

You mess with certain types of people or certain types of four legged animals, and you've instantly turned the jury against you.

[Ken Barrett]

Those two crimes in particular always elicit a very strong visceral reaction.

[Jake Halpern]

All of this led Ken to believe that a trial, It'd be a disaster because if she lost, she could be hit with a sentence of up to 24 years. Seemed like the best strategy. The only strategy, really, was for Sarah to take a plea.

[Jess McHugh]

It became very clear to me from my lawyer that if I wanted to kind of survive this, I was going to have to take whatever they were going to give.

[Jake Halpern]

Ken told Sarah that even with a plea, best case scenario, she was looking at a minimum two years in prison.

[Ken Barrett]

And Sarah had expressed concern that she couldn't do two years in prison or any jail time. And when I tried to convey to her that two years would be like a gift, her reaction was kind of like, why me? Like, why should I go to prison for two years? And I was kind of taken aback. That was the one time in our entire time together Where I was truly like, she doesn't get it.

[Jake Halpern]

We asked Sarah about this, and she agreed with Ken's assessment.

[Jess McHugh]

I didn't get it. No. Like, I remember him saying to me once, the only thing worse you could have done is kill. Kill puppies. Right? And I remember him saying that and being like, what? And not. But now I see, yes, like, I can see the gravity of it and.

[Jake Halpern]

All of that, but at the time, she didn't see it. And this made Ken wonder about Sarah's mindset, Because in that moment, he says, her thinking seemed, quote, detached from reality. Ken believes that Sarah was motivated by a deeply misguided need to find comfort and belonging, because to him, simple greed didn't explain everything.

[Ken Barrett]

I'll die tomorrow believing that it was not all financially motivated. I truly believe that maybe I'm wrong.

[Sarah Kavanagh]

Sarah eventually agreed to forego a trial and plead guilty. At this point, Ken says, they had to pivot. Now it was all about minimizing jail time. To do this, they needed to establish mitigating factors, basically things that might help a judge understand why Sarah did what she did and then maybe show some mercy. Sarah told Ken that during her childhood, a man had sexually abused her. This trauma had apparently fueled her drinking and depression. To Ken, these were mitigating factors that he could present to a judge. The problem, of course, was Sarah. Her credibility was, well, pretty much non existent at this point. But on this claim, she had some backup. In official documents submitted to the court, Sarah's mother attested that the claims of sexual abuse were true. Ken also asked Sarah to gather letters from friends that might humanize her or speak to the good things that she had done. Sarah provided several such letters to Ken, and he submitted them to the court.

[Jake Halpern]

Sarah's sentencing hearing took place at the U.S. district Court in Providence, Rhode Island. Picture, dark wood paneling and heavy green drapes which let in just enough light to glint off the polished floors and faded brass handrails. Very 1930s. You'd half expect to see some old timey gangster played by James Cagney dragged in in handcuffs.

[Sarah Kavanagh]

The place was packed. The gallery was filled with spectators, many of them veterans. So many people were in attendance that they actually had to set up an overflow room.

[Jake Halpern]

The prosecution had arranged to have several of Sarah's victims be there in person so that they could read their victim impact statements, including some of the people you've heard from in this series. Dave Ainslie, the commander of the vfw, Michelle, the Jim buddy who was Sarah's primary shoe tire. And of course, Justin was there too. Justin told me he was nervous about the whole thing. He'd never made a statement in court before, and he hadn't actually seen Sarah since he'd learned about her lies.

[Justin]

Honestly, it was kind of disconcerting because when we went into the courtroom, when we went into the lobby, she came in like behind me. Like I turned around and she was there. And that was kind of. It was almost like getting hit by lightning. Kind of like just kind of like this fight or flight response.

[Jake Halpern]

Justin slowly made his way into the gallery and here he found some company, some other people who were also there to speak.

[Justin]

When I got there and found all these, you know, started meeting these other people that were making statements and they were telling me what she had done to them. And I hate to say it, but it made me feel A little better that I wasn't the. I wasn't the only one that she had victimized so many people that, that. That we were all in this together.

[Sarah Kavanagh]

The prosecutor in this case was a guy named Ron Gendron. He's an old hand. For 30 years, he's been prosecuting criminals, Ron. Murderers, gang members, white collar embezzlers. He's seen everything. And when he walked in, looked around and sized up the crowd, he took it as a good sign.

[Jake Halpern]

I was, quite frankly, exhilarated to see that turnout because you toil away in your office and you don't really have any contact with people during that process. You have an idea of how it impacted people, but you don't know until you walk a courtroom and you see those people there.

[Sarah Kavanagh]

In some ways, this case was a perfect fit for this courthouse. Providence, Rhode island, it's actually infamous for its history of mobsters, scam artists, and corrupt public officials. Courtrooms like this one have long fed themselves on a steady diet of fraud cases. All of that being said, Ron says this case involving Sarah, it was special.

[Jake Halpern]

I've seen a lot of stuff over 30 years, you know, some very despicable crime and things that are kind of tough to wrap your head around. And this ranks right up there in the pantheon of Rhode island fraudsters. For Ron, the argument that Sarah should receive a lighter sentence due to her trauma just didn't hold weight. The argument that my trauma caused me to do this, it doesn't fly with me. I mean, I've been doing this for in excess of 30 years. And trauma and facing adversity are part of the human condition. Every defendant comes before a court having had some sort of loss or trauma in their life. Every human has such things, but not every human goes out and commits crime. Sarah's fraud was so extensive. But for Ron, the worst of it, the gut punch, was what she had done to Justin. When the time came, Justin rose to his feet and faced the judge. Then he read his victim impact statement. When I interviewed Justin, I asked if he'd read it to me.

[Justin]

My name is Justin. I'm a member of VFW Post 152. The post where Sarah conned her way into becoming the commander. I'm also the victim referred to in the charges as JH I'm a 20 year Navy veteran. I have stage 4 lung cancer from exposure to the burn pits while in combat. And Sarah Kavanaugh legally accessed and copied my medical records for her own personal gain.

[Jake Halpern]

He went on to describe how he believed that Sarah had cancer and how he couldn't stand by and let another veteran suffer if he had the power to help. So he gave her over $5,000, believing he was helping her secure private insurance to get treated at Dana Farber just like he had.

[Justin]

She knew the suffering my family and I were going through, yet she took money from us anyway. Money that could have been used to pay for my own treatment or take care of my family in our time of need. I don't know what kind of person can do that to someone with a terminal illness. I know that at some point, my cancer will catch up with me. When that happens, I hope my consolation will be that she is paying to the maximum extent possible for what she did to me, my family, and countless others. The mental anguish she has caused me and my family cannot be measured in money or time in prison. But I guess it will have to do.

[Jake Halpern]

When Justin was done speaking, Sarah's lawyer, Ken Barrett, gathered himself.

[Ken Barrett]

I knew after hearing Justin speak that no matter what I said, it wasn't going to make an ounce of difference to the judge why my client was deserved of mercy.

[Jake Halpern]

Ken told me that it was more than just that. He says it wasn't until this moment that he truly understood the nature of Sarah's crime. The feeling was so acute, he says, it was almost like an out of body experience. That's how he put it. As if for a moment, he was no longer himself, no longer Sarah's lawyer. He was just an observer of another man's pain.

[Sarah Kavanagh]

The judge in this case was a man named John J. McConnell, Jr. And when it came time to render his sentence, Judge McConnell remarked that he, too, was deeply moved by Justin's story. Addressing Justin directly, he said, you just gave of what you had. And to know that that love was destroyed and that that love was obtained through fraud is the worst kind of victimization. It's really awful when somebody betrays the human love that you showed. I hope in your healing, you don't lose that compassion. With those words hanging in the air, he delivered his sentence. Seventy months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release. Sarah was also ordered to pay restitution totaling over $280,000. She was taken directly from the courtroom into custody.

[Jake Halpern]

It says, we're one mile away on a perfect November day. Okay.

[Sarah Kavanagh]

The first time we met Sarah, she was a year and a half into her sentence that she was serving out at the federal correctional institution in Danbury, Connecticut.

[Jake Halpern]

That is crazy. Yeah. So it's two fences of circular barbed wire.

[Sarah Kavanagh]

Yeah. On the bottom Middle and top.

[Jake Halpern]

It doesn't look so minimum security.

[Sarah Kavanagh]

Yeah, no. This place, by the way, it has something of a reputation as a prison for the stars. Kind of like Club Fed. This is the facility that inspired the TV show Orange is the New Black. This is where Leona Helmsley, Lauryn Hill, and Real housewife Teresa Giudice all serve their time. The first time we came here, a prison official walked us up this hill to a small building for visitors. And then they just left us on our own in this windowless room with a crayon marked table. The visiting room was for family visits. There was a mural of mermaids on one wall and doll parts scattered in the corner.

[Jake Halpern]

On that first visit, we waited for a while, until finally a woman strolled in on her own. She was dressed in a gray sweatshirt and olive green pants. Her blonde hair was pulled into a low ponytail. Her entrance was so casual, I thought maybe she was a prison employee, A groundskeeper, perhaps. But no, this was Sarah.

[Sarah Kavanagh]

Okay, so, yeah, maybe we always just kind of start with, can you introduce yourself?

[Jess McHugh]

Okay, I'm Sarah Cavanaugh. I currently am in prison, so I don't have a real job. Before this, I was a social worker for the VA in Providence, and I'm originally from Rhode Island.

[Jake Halpern]

We talked for hours. We kept saying, you want to stop? You need a break? No. She was tireless. And through it all, there was really just one question on our minds. Why.

[Sarah Kavanagh]

Sarah's version, basically, is that it all started with a big misunderstanding.

[Jess McHugh]

I was invited to an event, and when I walked in, I realized it was only veterans. And I realized right then and there, okay, they think I'm a veteran. But I didn't deny it, right? I didn't stand up and say, yes, here's where I served and all of these things. It hadn't started at that point that dramatically yet. But I definitely didn't say, oh, no, there's a misunderstanding.

[Jake Halpern]

Why not?

[Jess McHugh]

I was enjoying being around them.

[Sarah Kavanagh]

Sarah says that she never intended to become a celebrated war hero, but that explanation just doesn't make sense to me. You said you don't want to be the public face, but there are these photos of you, you know, in uniform, next to the governor. How does that happen?

[Jess McHugh]

Yeah, it's like spirals, out of control, right? It just became this monster that I had lost control of, and I didn't know how to stop it, because I think I was always just like, get through the moment. Be there. Be what people want you to be. Get through it. You know, take the pictures, move on.

[Sarah Kavanagh]

Though surely she wouldn't have done this for six years if she was just getting through it. Why do it in the first place?

[Jess McHugh]

It did feel good to be noticed. It felt good to be the center of attention.

[Sarah Kavanagh]

It.

[Jess McHugh]

Those aren't really great things to say about myself, but I. I know now that those are true, that I did enjoy those moments, not just push through them.

[Sarah Kavanagh]

As she tells it, the main benefit of these lies was the love and admiration she received. And the services and money were just a fringe benefit. But just for the record, Sarah started defrauding the Wounded Warrior project in 2016, the same year she joined the VFW. If there's one part of this story that seems to really weigh on Sarah, it's her relationship with Justin. She brought him up again and again.

[Jess McHugh]

Justin is particularly. There are, like, a few people who I really feel. Who I really feel were hurt more than most. And he is. He is one of. He is one of those people because he really cared for me. He really, really cared for me.

[Sarah Kavanagh]

You can hear the emotion in her voice, the sadness. It felt really convincing. So we asked, okay, if that's the case, why steal Justin's money and his private medical paperwork?

[Jess McHugh]

I knew he had that diagnosis.

[Jake Halpern]

Right?

[Jess McHugh]

He was a patient. I knew his last name. I knew he was enrolled in care there. Those aren't excuses. That's not right. But those are facts that I knew which made it reliable to go to that document.

[Sarah Kavanagh]

You say it like it sounds obvious.

[Jess McHugh]

I think it was just a way to make the lie more convincing. It was merely to use the correct language. Right? It was so, like, this impersonal, detached decision that I made.

[Sarah Kavanagh]

We were baffled. She had been crying, visibly upset over hurting Justin, and now she seemed really cold, annoyed.

[Jake Halpern]

Even sitting there, I still didn't feel like she'd answered the question, why did she take Justin's money in the first place? Over $5,000. There's a part of me that feels like you accepting that money from Justin is almost like proof to yourself. The money is proof to yourself that he cares about you.

[Jess McHugh]

No, no. Him giving me that money was not proof that he cared about me. I knew he cared about me long before that money. No.

[Jake Halpern]

Honestly, I was kind of taken aback by this. I was searching for a more heartfelt explanation. I was kind of offering it up to her, and she was just like, no. There are still moments when Sarah voices uncertainty about herself, almost doubts her own ability to see things clearly. She'll say things like, am I seeing that correctly? And at one point, I Just pressed her on this.

[Jess McHugh]

I mean, am I seeing that in a skewed way?

[Jake Halpern]

That's interesting. Why you? Why do you ask me that?

[Jess McHugh]

Because I think sometimes I'm not. I didn't see what I was doing wrong at the time as wrong, and I certainly did not have the insight I had now. And is my insight still not correct? Is it still not accurate?

[Jake Halpern]

It's as though she's seeking reassurance, still wrestling with the challenge of seeing things as they truly are, which seems credible and sympathetic and also really convenient, because you can't fully hold someone accountable if they're still lost in a fog. And this raises a really thorny question, one that I've been grappling with throughout this story. How do you think about someone who's done something really terrible and seems to be struggling with their mental health? I bounced around on this a lot, and I do feel empathy for Sarah, but I also know she's honed the art of weaponizing such empathy.

[Sarah Kavanagh]

Even after her deception was revealed, Sarah still drew empathy from some people, including Sam, the physical therapist she'd been romantically involved with. If you recall, at her sentencing, there were letters submitted to the court. One of those came from Sam. Sam's letter seemed to reflect a deep belief that beneath all the lies, Sarah was still worthy of sympathy. Honestly, I wasn't expecting this, but what really surprised me was was that Sam's mother also wrote a letter of support. She's in her 80s and is battling ovarian cancer. And if you recall, Sarah had used her medical bills and passed them off as her own.

[Jake Halpern]

We want to read you one line from that letter. Quote, though Sarah hurt me with her lies, I have forgiven her and will continue to support her regardless of her legal outcome for the remainder of my life.

[Sarah Kavanagh]

I still remember the first time I read this letter. It struck me that despite it all, Sam's mother seemed capable of seeing something deeply kind and redeeming in Sarah. This really moved me. But when we visited Sam, we learned that there was more to this story. She dropped a bomb on us. How did you and your mother decide to write these letters in support of Sarah leading up to her sentencing? Sarah wrote those letters.

[Jess McHugh]

What?

[Jake Halpern]

Yep. Wow.

[Sarah Kavanagh]

Mm. Did you know? I knew that she wrote one for me. I didn't know that she wrote one for my mother. Okay, so two bombs, really? Sam told us that she gave Sarah her blessing to basically ghostwrite her letter. She explained that at the time, she was still on good terms with Sarah and wanted to help her. It's A little hard to imagine why Sam would agree to this. And our producer Amy, gently nudged Sam on this. I think it's hard if I'm trying to put myself in your shoes. It's very hard.

[Jess McHugh]

That I don't feel.

[Sarah Kavanagh]

Comfortable enough with her trying to channel what I'm feeling after.

[Jess McHugh]

There's been so much betrayal, right?

[Sarah Kavanagh]

Yeah. I don't know. I think I was still kind of under her spell. Does that make sense? I know that sounds really weird, but that's how I feel. Like. Like she had this power over me. I don't know how to say it. And I'm a really, really strong person. Really strong person. Mentally, physically, all of it. And it's really weird that this happened.

[Jake Halpern]

And yet I see it. It's one thing to spot a lie, but untangling yourself from the liar, that's something else entirely. Especially when their web of deception is. Has knotted your lives together.

[Sarah Kavanagh]

The part of this that was really shocking was a letter from Sam's mom. We got in touch with her, and she told us, no, I didn't send any letter. She went on to say, at that time, I didn't want to think about her. She created havoc. We talked to Sarah about all of this. She said she helped Sam with her letter, but categorically denied writing one for Sam's mother. She was insistent about this. This was a tricky bit to report. It was an uncomfortable conversation with Sarah, and I told her it's really hard to give her the benefit of the doubt here. As far as we can tell, at the very moment Sarah faced culpability at sentencing, this letter seems like proof that Sarah was still lying. And not just lying, but yet again, pretending to be someone else. This time a woman. She victimized a cancer patient whose bills she used, pleading in someone else's voice for mercy. According to Sarah, she's in a much better place than she once was. She's been in therapy, and she says she's done a lot of reflection.

[Jake Halpern]

In fact, she talked about how she thinks of herself compared to some of the other people she's met in prison. She says her crime stands out from the others.

[Jess McHugh]

It might be worse, right, than, like, insurance fraud or mortgage fraud. Like, you don't know those people. They don't come to your house, and they don't have holidays with you or come to your wedding, but these people did, and they shared their lives with me. And that's. I mean, that's the worst part.

[Sarah Kavanagh]

Sarah seems to have this awareness that what made her crime so heinous to many people was not just the dollar amount, it was the intimacy of it all. How wrapped up it was in her life and the lives of so many other people.

[Jess McHugh]

It's really hard to think about people like Justin or Samantha or Nicole, people who. Who are inherently good and who. Our relationship was so significant and so deep, and yet, like, I did this to them.

[Sarah Kavanagh]

When she talks like this, you see the social worker side of her. Someone capable of deep analysis of herself, including her own needs.

[Jess McHugh]

When I think about greed and wanting more, for me, that feeling was like being important to these people. When I reflect now and think of the greed like that was what it was to me. And I. I understand that the money is not inconsequential to the people that it came from, but the emotional loss is much more significant than the financial loss. And I caused that emotional loss. I took those things. I wanted them, right? I yearned for them. I wanted more of, you know, to feel important, to feel loved, to feel all those things. And that's greed, right? That's greed.

[Sarah Kavanagh]

As she said these last words, she had tears in her eyes. There was no plexiglass separating us from Sarah, no handcuffs. We all leaned in close together, Jake and I sharing a mic. We were close enough to reach out and pass her a tissue. And in the silence after she said this, the only sounds we heard were her sniffling and the clanging radiator. It was in moments like this one that I felt acutely aware that Sarah is an exceptional storyteller. That she's telling us a story, one in which she's more than the worst thing she's ever done. And for some people, the more forgiving types, she is more than that. But to so many of the people she's harmed, she's precisely that. No more and no less. And the reasons why she did those things, they're just reasons. Words, more stories. When Sarah's released, she'll be in her mid-30s. She still has her whole life in front of her. What will that life look like?

[Jess McHugh]

I know I'll never lie on this scale. I know I'll never create a fake life or pretend I'm someone I'm not. But that doesn't mean that I. I'm not gonna. Not ever hurt someone again, right? Like. And I don't wanna do that anymore.

[Sarah Kavanagh]

Soon after this, a prison guard knocked on the door to tell us it was time to go. Sarah had to check into her prison block, the one overlooking the mountains. The next day, she would wake up here again and watch the Sunrise. But we understood that one morning soon, she would wake up somewhere else, on the outside. Once again, Sarah Kavanagh would start a new life. One where she's not Sarah the social worker, not Sarah the war hero. She will be something else entirely.

[Jake Halpern]

It's tempting to look at Sarah's story as a unicorn, as a freak occurrence involving a very skilled liar. But in fact, her scams revealed a much deeper problem. The VA is bogged down by bureaucracy and limited resources. As a result, a network of charities has emerged to jump in and help vets right away. They operate on trust, good faith, and speed, and Sarah exploited this.

[Sarah Kavanagh]

In con stories, the victims or Marx are often depicted as naive, greedy, or just dumb. But this story, it shows how wrong that is. People fell for Sarah's scam because they were open hearted, generous, hopeful, ready to help a near stranger. That's a rare and beautiful thing in contemporary America. But what are you supposed to do when all of your goodwill just blows up in your. Many of the people we spoke with for this story expressed a sense of shame that they'd been tricked and said they'd be slow to trust strangers again. But they all also said they didn't want this whole nasty business to change their outlook on life. They didn't want the lesson here to be don't trust someone claiming to be a vet or don't help a cancer patient. Dex, one of the female Marines who met Sarah in Montana, shared her take on this with me. I think we struggle with forgiveness because.

[Jess McHugh]

You have to eat the cost.

[Sarah Kavanagh]

There's no closure before you get to forgive somebody. If something requires you to forgive another person, you have to. You have to fully eat the cost. Whatever wrong they did you, you have to expect no repayment. You can't expect it to be made whole.

[Jess McHugh]

You have to be okay with it not being whole.

[Sarah Kavanagh]

People wrong you. And you. You know, if you're really going to.

[Jess McHugh]

Forgive somebody, you have to be okay.

[Sarah Kavanagh]

With fixing it yourself. This is a definition of forgiveness I'd never heard before. And it's one I really like. The idea being all the things that people gave to Sarah, their money, their time, their friendship, their love, those things are lost. Those things are gone. Yeah, sure, some people may get some money back, but the rest of it is not coming back. And when Dex says you have to be okay with fixing it yourself, I like to think of all the ways in which all the people we met in this story continue to fix it themselves. Many of our interviewees continue to help others to give of themselves to make small fixes to broken systems. Dex became staff at PB Abate retreats. Tom Schumann hasn't stopped running those retreats in Montana. We're trying to help people, and Michelle is still teaching boot camps at a gym in Rhode Island.

[Jake Halpern]

As for Justin, even though he's retired now and still battling cancer, in his spare time, he coaches veterans trying to help them as they look for jobs. When I sat down with Justin for our interview this past winter, we talked about this, about how he'd found his way back to giving of himself.

[Justin]

I did a lot of introspection and said, well, what gives me energy, and that's what gives me energy is to help people, especially fellow veterans. And so, you know, if I lose that, you know, what do I have?

[Jake Halpern]

Justin's words made me think again about the meaning of empathy. It's more than just a feeling. It's a mysterious human magic, a synergy that crackles between friends and and strangers alike. It always seems to conjure a flicker of pain and a breath and a choice. Deep cover. The Truth About Sarah was produced by Amy Gaines McQuaid and Tali Emlyn. Additional production support by Sonya Gerwitt.

[Sarah Kavanagh]

Our show is edited by Karen Shakurji. Our executive producer is Jacob Smith. Mastering by Jake Gorski.

[Jake Halpern]

Original scoring and our theme were composed by Luis Guerra. Our show art was designed by Sean Carney. Fact checking by Annika Robbins.

[Sarah Kavanagh]

Special thanks to Izzy Carter, Daphne Chen, Lucy Sullivan, Eric Sandler, Morgan Ratner, Kira Posey, Amy Hagedorn, Owen Miller, Jordan McMillan, Sarah Bruguerre, Jake Flanagan, Christina Sullivan, Sarah Nix and Greta Cohen.

[Jake Halpern]

Additional thanks to Jim Rosenberg, Amanda Simmons, Katie Lee, Jonathan Nellermo, Daniel Daniel Potter, Darwin Lamb, Sabrina Moore, the Fund for Investigative Journalism, Evan Krask, Anna Sproul Latimer, Travis Dunlap, Charlotte Sims, Hillary Zeitz, Michael, Jackie and Joe Gilleran, Jason McQuaid, the McHugh family. Lyon, Marie Hetherington, Matt Brown, Kasha Sebel, Sebastian, Lucien and milo.

[Sarah Kavanagh]

I'm Jess McHugh.

[Jake Halpern]

And I'm Jake Halpern. Hey, it's Jake. And look, I got a little favor to ask. If you like the show, please just take one minute and review us on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Honestly, it really helps new listeners find the show, which in turn helps us continue making these stories for you. Thanks a lot.

[Jess McHugh]

This is an iHeart podcast.