Podcast
Deep Cover
Hosted by Pushkin Industries · EN
Deep Cover is a show about people who lead double lives. Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Jake Halpern reveals webs of deception and dark underworlds, through interviews with federal agents and convicted criminals.
Deep Cover: The Family Man: Elise and Marissa grew up in a seemingly normal house in the suburbs of St. Louis, but it was a house built on secrets. There were things their father never told them—like how he really made his money. One night, the police showed up, raided their house, and seized boxes of evidence. Hours later, the sisters turned on the TV and saw something surreal: their father’s car, in the aftermath of a police chase. The local news identified him as “The Boonie Hat Bandit.” The girls were stunned. They struggled to accept the truth: Dad had been living a double life. How long had he been lying to them? What had he done? And who, exactly, was their father? Deep Cover: The Family Man is a story about the way parents deceive their children and the crimes a desperate father will commit to save his family. It’s also a story about justice—and the question of what punishment these crimes deserve.
Deep Cover Presents: Snowball. A special limited series from the Unravel Podcast team at the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Ollie Wards' family lost everything after their brush with a charming Californian con woman. As he embarks on a quest to find out how she did it, why she did it, and where she is now, he opens the door on a mystery that spans decades and across continents.
In the sixth season of Deep Cover: The Truth About Sarah, Jake Halpern and acclaimed investigative journalist Jess McHugh unravel an epic six-year deception that upended lives of countless people. Sarah Cavanaugh was many things: A decorated veteran. A Marine who saved her comrades. A young woman fighting cancer. She was stoic, humble, tough. In short: a hero. Sarah was everything people wanted her to be—until she wasn’t. Turns out, no one knew the real Sarah. Not her comrades. Not her wife. No one. Jake and Jess interview all of the key sources—including Sarah, herself—to tell this sprawling tale.
Season five covers the rise and fall of George Santos, the former Republican Congressman from New York, and the stories—many of which were not true—he told about his life and credentials.
Season four, The Nameless Man, tells the epic tale of two federal agents who investigate a rumor about a murder that supposedly took place 15 years prior. It is also the story of a family searching for answers about why their brother was killed. These two storylines collide in a courtroom in Philadelphia, where murder, memory, and morality go on trial.
Season three, Never Seen Again, tells the story of two women living on opposite sides of the country, who went missing in the summer of 1999. Seven years later, their stories collided when a small...
51episodes
Episodes
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Preview: The Pain of Others
Apr 1400:04:52Summary readyHere’s an excerpt from a new Pushkin audiobook, The Pain of Others by Miguel Ángel Hernández. In a quiet town in the Spanish countryside, Miguel Ángel Hernández’s best friend murdered his sister and took his own life by jumping off a cliff. No one ever knew why. The investigation was closed, and the crime forgotten. Twenty years later, when time has dulled the shock but not the questions, Miguel returns home, putting himself in the shoes of a detective, in an attempt to reconstruct the tragic night that marked the end of his adolescence. But the investigation will awaken ghosts that he thought he had left behind: a childhood marked by sin and guilt; the constant presence of illness and death; the oppressive, closed world from which he managed to escape. Based on true events, The Pain of Others is a chilling audiobook that blends police thriller, investigative reporting, and literary suspense—an unflinching reckoning with violence, memory, and the question that still haunts the author: Did he fail to see the warning signs that his best friend was capable of this horrific crime? Find The Pain of Others on Audible, Spotify, pushkin.fm/audiobooks or wherever you get audiobooks.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Bad Women Presents Stolen Sister: Elizabeth Plunkett
Mar 3000:29:08Tap to summarizeHere's a preview of a podcast we think you'll enjoy, Bad Women Presents Stolen Sister, a special limited series from RTÉ. The story of Elizabeth Plunkett – a 23 year old woman from Dublin who was murdered by Ireland’s first serial killers. On the last weekend of summer in 1976 Elizabeth Plunkett went on a night away with friends, to Brittas Bay in county Wicklow before she was abducted by John Shaw and Geoffrey Evans. Now, almost 50 years later, Elizabeth’s family are finally trying to get their sister some justice. Binge all episodes of Bad Women Presents Stolen Sister early and ad-free with a Pushkin+ subscription. Sign up at pushkin.fm/plus or on the Bad Women Presents Stolen Sister show page on Apple Podcasts. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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From The Kink Machine: The Secret Power Behind Porn
Feb 1000:31:30Summary readyStreamed by millions every day, porn is everywhere. It shapes our culture, our relationships, and even technology. Yet, nobody seems to know who really controls the business. The power brokers tend to lurk in the shadows, while their performers remain quite literally exposed. In Pushkin's new audiobook, The Kink Machine: The Hidden Business of Adult Entertainment, two Financial Times journalists, Patricia Nilsson and Alex Barker, start digging into the porn industry and following where the money flows. Their reporting uncovers a shadowy power structure that includes billionaires, tech geniuses, and the most powerful finance companies in the world. A gripping exposé of how power operates behind the most taboo corner of the internet, Nilsson and Barker unravel a story about control, influence, and an industry with staggering cultural reach that no one really wants to talk about—until now. Find The Kink Machine on Audible, Spotify, pushkin.fm, or wherever you get audiobooks.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Introducing Valley of Shadows: Corruption in California’s Mojave Desert
Jan 1200:46:23Summary readyValley of Shadows is a new Pushkin true crime podcast that digs into a nearly 30-year old secret buried in the California desert. On June 11, 1998, Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department deputy Jon Aujay went for a run in California’s Devil’s Punchbowl park...and never came back. Nearly 30 years later, the mystery surrounding his disappearance has only deepened. Some say Aujay is just another missing hiker, claimed by the inhospitable landscape of the Southern California desert. Some say he took his own life out there. But there’s another theory that many of Aujay’s friends and LASD colleagues are convinced is true—that he was the victim of foul play, and that his own department is covering it up. Through exclusive interviews, revealing wiretaps, and buried police files, investigative reporters Hayley Fox and Betsy Shepherd uncover vestiges of the Wild West in a small California town, where outlaw biker gangs crank out methamphetamine and local cops operate on both sides of the law. (00:01:04) Find Valley of Shadows wherever you get podcasts. Binge the entire season of Valley of Shadows, ad-free, by subscribing to Pushkin+. Sign up on the Valley of Shadows show page on Apple Podcasts or at Pushkin.fm/plus.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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The Truth About Sarah Revisited (LIVE at WBUR)
Dec 2900:52:33Summary readyJake sits down with his Season 6 co-host Jess McHugh at WBUR CitySpace for a live conversation. They discuss the value of trust, share some never-before-heard tape, and give an update on what’s happened with Sarah since our season ended. If you’d like to support Patrol Base Abbate (https://www.pbabbate.org), follow this link: https://donate.pbabbate.org/give/373840/#!/donation/checkout.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Shame, Scams, and The Stories We Tell Ourselves (with Ollie Wards)
Dec 2200:44:28Summary readyJake sits down with Snowball creator Ollie Wards to discuss how a family mystery became an international hit. They trace Ollie’s journey from the first recorded conversation with his dad – recorded under a hotel duvet – to the heart-pounding moment he found himself face-to-face with the con artist herself: Lezlie Manukian. Along the way, they touch on the challenges of reporting on family, the psychology of scammers and their victims, and the strange kind of closure that comes when truth is messier than justice. Listen to Deep Cover Presents: Snowball ad-free with a Pushkin+ subscription. Find Pushkin+ on the Deep Cover show page in Apple Podcasts or at pushkin.fm/plus.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Snowball - Episode 7: The Morning After
Dec 1500:23:36Summary readyAfter the confrontation in the supermarket carpark, Ollie is left feeling confused — has he beencharmed just like everyone else in this story? Lezlie left promising Ollie she would meet for a proper interview the next day. Will she turn up... orleave him and his family hanging? More details come to life about the consequences of Lezlie's reckless lifestyle and how little she hasprospered. Ollie asks himself if he should be feeling sorry for her. Listen to Deep Cover Presents: Snowball ad-free with a Pushkin+ subscription. Find Pushkin+ on the Deep Cover show page in Apple Podcasts or at pushkin.fm/plus.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Snowball - Episode 6: Stakeout
Dec 800:42:14Summary readyOllie and Simon have criss-crossed California to find themselves parked in their American muscle carstaking out exits from a supermarket they think Lezlie works in. They may only have one shot to talk toher and finally get some answers. In preparation, Ollie speaks with psychologist and professional poker player Maria Konnikova, who tells him the real meaning of the term "con artist". Her most potent tip is to beware the charm offensive...and be prepared to use it in return. Listen to Deep Cover Presents: Snowball ad-free with a Pushkin+ subscription. Find Pushkin+ on the Deep Cover show page in Apple Podcasts or at pushkin.fm/plus.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Snowball - Episode 5: Black Widow
Dec 100:45:06Summary readyOllie and Simon follow the trail of broken dreams and failed restaurants to Paso Robles, California. Ollie discovers his former sister-in-law has manufactured an image of a successful restauranteur in Hawaii, Lake Tahoe and New Zealand. Her exotic CV and exciting stories pull a new family into her web... with disastrous consequences. Finally, they get a tip-off that might lead them directly to Lezlie. Her lies may be about to catch up toher. Listen to Deep Cover Presents: Snowball ad-free with a Pushkin+ subscription. Find Pushkin+ on the Deep Cover show page in Apple Podcasts or at pushkin.fm/plus.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Snowball - Episode 4: Charmed
Nov 2400:41:26Summary readyOllie turns to Lezlie's emails for clues of her whereabouts. Here, he uncovers a bizarre story involving a book deal, a ghost writer and a famous actress. Could this web of lies reveal Lezlie's motivations as a scammer? Ollie and Simon then take a flight to California and hit the road. When the trail runs cold, they decide to chase down a lead at Lezlie's first restaurant in the resort town of Lake Tahoe. If you can’t wait to find out what happens, binge episodes of Deep Cover Presents: Snowball early and ad-free with a Pushkin+ subscription. Find Pushkin+ on the Deep Cover show page in Apple Podcasts or at pushkin.fm/plus.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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