Midnight in Manila

Summary

Podcast Summary: RISK! – Midnight in Manila

Date: September 23, 2025
Host: Brad Lawrence (Guest Hosting for Kevin Allison)
Storyteller: Scott McMahon
Conversation Partner: Dawn Fraser

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Overview

In this gripping episode of RISK!, guest host Brad Lawrence and story coach Dawn Fraser bring listeners “Midnight in Manila,” a harrowing, first-person account by Scott McMahon of being falsely accused, imprisoned, and surviving five and a half years in the Philippine penal system. The episode navigates through friendship, betrayal, systemic corruption, psychological trauma, and ultimate survival against nearly insurmountable odds.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Setting the Stage: Life in Manila and Newfound Friendship

• Scott McMahon, an American, is living in Manila with his Filipino wife and children, working long hours at a construction company in 2009.
• Forms a friendship with Jan, a fellow foreigner (Belgian expat), whom he meets while buying beer.
• Jan confides in him about marital suspicions and they discover his wife, Dolores, may have scammed him into a fraudulent marriage using forged documents.
  • Scott (07:04): “He opens up his closet, and there's all these passports. Like 40. 50 passports of girls. Women. Not young girls, but it's 18 to 25…”
• The intricate scam involves forged marriage certificates and a fake priest, highlighting endemic corruption in some corners of Manila.
  • Scott (08:31): “Recto is like the forgery capital of the world. You can go to Recto and get anything—a Harvard degree, if you want.”

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2. The Betrayal and Orchestrated Arrest

• When Jan confronts Dolores, a bitter feud erupts, resulting in Jan staying with Scott’s family intermittently.
• Unexpectedly, Dolores orchestrates a public arrest of Jan on false domestic violence charges, with the police, immigration, and national TV descending on Scott’s home.
  • Scott (11:01): “They came to the house, they raided the house and arrested him—with national tv.”
• Dolores begins harassing and threatening Scott’s wife and children, causing severe psychological trauma, notably to Scott’s young son, prompting Scott to seek help from a psychologist.

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3. Retribution & The Trap Is Sprung

• Scott files child abuse charges against Dolores, who is briefly jailed but quickly posts bail.
• In a shocking reversal, Dolores files false rape charges against Scott, leading to his own arrest—again, in front of TV cameras and in full view of his family.
  • Scott (16:30): “And they walk right up to our table and are you Scott's McMahon? We've got a warrant for your arrest. I said, for what? They said, rape. Stand up, you're under arrest. You're going with us.”

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4. Five and a Half Year Nightmare: The Philippine Jail Experience

• Brutal Conditions: Scott is held in a maximum-security cell with 300 inmates in an 880 square foot space (“like a can of sardines”), with appalling hygiene and barely any food or medical care.
  • Scott (23:21): “Everybody sat on their butt. And the person in front of you sat his butt on your feet and your hands were on his shoulders.”
• Gang Leader Politics: The “mayor” (gang boss) controls the cell; Scott’s survival is only possible by befriending him using vital resources (money and food).
  • Scott (30:06): “He built me a bed right next to his… and that was my world for five and a half years.”
• Corruption & Extortion: Police and officials offer “help” in exchange for exorbitant bribes (starting at $125,000, eventually any amount for “the boys”) and routinely sabotage his hearings.
  • Scott (34:06): “You pay 5 million pesos, you drop your case against her, and you’re going home.”

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5. Psychological Toll & Moments of Near-Despair

• PTSD and Psychological Abuse: Scott’s son suffers severe PTSD due to Dolores’ threats, and Scott himself nearly collapses under mental torture, especially after extortion threats to his family’s safety.
  • Scott (13:50): “[My son] drew himself very, very small… and the monster, which was Dolores, hovering above him… I was the only one that could save the little boy. But I was never there.”
• Isolation: Scott recounts five agonizing days convinced his family has been harmed due to a police threat—until, to his immense relief, they finally appear during visiting hours.
  • Scott (43:41): “Visitors are there, and nothing. Well, after about 15 minutes of that, they said, scott, you have a visitor… it’s your wife… they’re alive… And then I got really pissed. I get back there, I'm like, where the have you been, man?”

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6. Paralysis of Justice: Prolonged Pre-trial Detention

• Scott describes an endless cycle of postponed court dates (56 scheduled, only 7 or 8 actually held over five years), maintained by a corrupt system to pressure him for bribes.
  • Scott (35:01): “We go to court and, sorry, no hearing today… the judge is on vacation or the prosecutor sick… they just want the money.”

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7. Release & Aftermath

• International Pressure: Media attention, US-based NGOs, and the UN finally draw attention to his case, shaming the system into giving him a trial.
  • Scott (45:21): “[NGO rep] looked at my case and said, this is the first case I've seen where there was so much evidence in his favor.”
• Acquittal & Return to Family: After five and a half years, Scott is acquitted but faces the emotional hurdles of reunification and the lingering effects of trauma on his family.
  • Scott (48:47): “Kids do Daddy, Daddy, you know, hugs. And it was totally different… they’re kind of standoffish…”

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Filipino Legal Doctrine:

  • Scott (19:36): “Rape. And all they have to do is point you and say, he raped me. And that’s considered strong evidence by the court because of a law they have called the Maria Clara Doctrine. And that basically says a Filipino woman would not lie.”

• On Jail Conditions:

  • Scott (23:21): “You just sat. The only time you got out is if you had a visitor. And if you didn’t have a visitor, you stayed in the cell.”

• On the Full Extent of Corruption:

  • Scott (37:23): “I stick my finger [through the bars] and I'm like, fucking, one peso. Fuck you right in his face.”

• On the Psychological Toll:

  • Scott (42:19): “I just sit in my little bed and, you know, I didn't have any pillows, but I had, like, T shirts. And I just covered my face because I didn't want people to see me crying. Yeah, because they all thought I was a psycho, you know? Of course, the crazy white dude, you know, So I didn't want him to see me crying.”

• On Survival:

  • Scott (30:59): “But I'll send him [the gang leader] 40 bucks every few months just to—because without him, I'd be dead. Without him and my wife, I wouldn't have made it.”

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• 05:02 — Scott introduces life in Manila and meeting Jan
• 07:04 — Discovery of forged documents and wife’s scam
• 11:01 — Jan is arrested on live TV; threats to Scott's family begin
• 14:06 — Psychologist evaluates impact on Scott’s son
• 16:30 — Scott is arrested on rape charges
• 22:20 — Arrival in maximum-security cell (300 men, 880 sq ft)
• 29:03 — Standoff with cellmates; first contact with gang leader
• 33:54 — Police extortion attempts for release
• 35:01 — Court sabotages: endless delays and canceled hearings
• 41:54 — Days of torment, convinced his family has been murdered
• 45:07 — International organizations and media attention lead to trial
• 47:06 — Acquittal after five and a half years
• 48:47 — Emotional return home; family struggles to reconnect

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Tone & Takeaways

The tone throughout is raw, honest, and sometimes desperate, balanced by gallows humor and candid observation. Scott’s story is a chilling exploration of vulnerability and resilience in the face of unthinkable injustice. The conversational format, guided skillfully by Dawn Fraser, allows for moments of reflection and contextual inquiry, while never straying from the emotional heart of the story.

Dawn Fraser’s contributions leverage her expertise in wrongful incarceration, grounding Scott’s experience in broader struggles against miscarriages of justice. As Brad notes in the outro, the episode is “an amazing story of resilience and terror and, you know, endurance.”

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Final Thoughts

This episode stands as a testament to the importance of sharing hard, true stories and the life-or-death consequences of corruption and injustice—while also highlighting how personal connection, resourcefulness, and unbreakable will can sometimes lead even the lost back from the edge.

If you are an editor or publisher interested in Scott’s full memoir, RISK! encourages you to reach out.

Transcript

[Scott McMahon]

Hey, folks, this is Kevin.

[Brad Lawrence]

In case you haven't heard, I am.

[Scott McMahon]

In the middle of moving to Thailand.

[Brad Lawrence]

When I'm recording this little bit right here. I'm still in my New York apartment.

[Scott McMahon]

But about to break my recording equipment.

[Dawn Fraser]

Down for a couple weeks.

[Brad Lawrence]

So today I give you over to.

[Scott McMahon]

Risk story coach and master storyteller Brad.

[Brad Lawrence]

Lawrence from our staff to guest host for me today.

[Scott McMahon]

So I will see you on the other side.

[Brad Lawrence]

And here is Brad.

[Dawn Fraser]

Hey, folks. Oh, sorry. You know, I. I will say I cried. How's that sound? Should I head back to the script now?

[Brad Lawrence]

Okay.

[Scott McMahon]

All right, here we go.

[Dawn Fraser]

Hey, folks, this is Risk. How was.

[Scott McMahon]

Sam?

[Dawn Fraser]

Hello, folks, this is Risk, the show where people tell true stories they never thought they'd dare to share. I'm Brad Lawrence, and this is one of our conversation story episodes where someone tells us a story and then we chat about it. Simple as that. Today we're sharing a story that Scott McMahon told Don Fraser, who's one of our fellow story coaches here at Risk and who's told stories on Risk many times about her history as a college athlete, as well as her relationship with her developmentally challenged twin brother and on her work in the social justice arenas. And as you'll soon see, dawn brings some of that additional specialized expertise to this conversation. This story that Scott McMahon told us, we're calling it Midnight in Manila. I was actually the coach on this story. It was a shocking story to hear, describing things that I personally found almost unsurvivable. I had never heard anything like it. I'd never heard anyone, you know, sort of going into an experience like this. I'm trying to sort of capture how shocking it was for me to hear without giving anything away. So first thing, we're going to take a quick break and then we'll be hearing Scott's story.

[Brad Lawrence]

This episode is brought to you by State Farm. Checking off the boxes on your to do list is a great feeling. And when it comes to checking off coverage, a State Farm agent can help you choose an option that's right for you. Whether you prefer talking in person on the phone or using the award winning app, it's nice knowing you have help finding coverage that best fits your needs. Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there.

[Scott McMahon]

Go all in on fall with Abercrombie kids. Their newest drop of on trend outfits are ready for everything from the bus.

[Dawn Fraser]

Stop to family bonfires.

[Scott McMahon]

And it wouldn't be fall without football. Gear up the kids with officially licensed NFL tees and sweatshirts.

[Dawn Fraser]

Shop Abercrombie kids This season in the.

[Scott McMahon]

App online and in store. When did making plans get this complicated? It's time to streamline with WhatsApp, the secure messaging app that brings the whole group together. Use polls to settle dinner plans. Send event invites and pin messages so no one forgets mom 60th and never miss a meme or milestone. All protected with end to end encryption. It's time for WhatsApp message privately with everyone.

[Brad Lawrence]

Learn [e-mail] this episode is brought to you by Greenlight. Get this, Adults with financial literacy skills have 82% more wealth than those who don't. From swimming lessons to piano classes, us parents invest in so many things to enrich our kids lives. But are we investing in their future financial success? With Greenlight, you can teach your kids financial literacy skills like earning, saving and investing. And this investment costs less than that. After school treatment, start prioritizing their financial education and future. Today with a risk free [e-mail] Spotify greenlight.com Spotify we're back.

[Dawn Fraser]

So here's dawn now with Scott McMahon with a story we call Midnight in Manila.

[Scott McMahon]

I was living in Manila, Philippines, 2009 when this all started happening. I was living in a subdivision with my wife, my daughter, my son working for a construction company. Long hours, leave early morning, come home late at night. I met another white guy in our subdivisions. We were the only two. I met him when I was going to the store to buy some beer. And he was this Belgian guy named Yan. When he sees me, he goes, oh, you drink beer? Yeah, I drink beer. Oh, for this we will drink. His English was horrible and he thought it was so good and so like, okay. So we start having some beers and he was cool, dude, he says, yeah, I just live over here in the other street and I'm married and yada, yada. So that's cool. So we had a few beers and you know, I went home and we would see each other probably every other day, you know, because they live two streets over, so we don't, you know. And he didn't work. So whenever I come in, he's always there at the store drinking beer because I passed that way to go to my house. So he'd see me and he'd flag me down, you know, Scott, Scott, Scott. So I'd be like, wait, yeah, I gotta go home first. So I'd go home and then walk back and.

[Brad Lawrence]

So were you living by yourself or you had family?

[Scott McMahon]

With my wife and my, my daughter and my son.

[Brad Lawrence]

Your wife's Filipino?

[Scott McMahon]

Yeah.

[Brad Lawrence]

Yeah.

[Scott McMahon]

And so I would go back and we would hang out. And he's married, and he met her in a bar in South Korea when he was working over there. He's a mechanical engineer, and she was a waitress. And they ended up, you know, falling in love or whatever, and they got married and came back here. And so here he was. After about a month, he starts confiding to me that he says, you know, there's something not right with Dolores. So what's not right? He says, well, come here. We go to his house, and he opens up his closet, and there's all these passports. Like 40. 50 passports of girls. Women. Not. Not young girls, but it's 18 to 25 some, you know.

[Brad Lawrence]

40 to 50 passports?

[Scott McMahon]

Yeah. And I'm like, what is this? He goes, I don't know. I'm like, dude, this ain't right. And he goes, yeah. And I found this. And he shows me a marriage certificate with her name on it and another guy's name on it.

[Brad Lawrence]

Oh, no.

[Scott McMahon]

And this is 20 years old. And there's no divorce in the Philippines, there's no divorce. As in, there's no divorce. Once you're married, you're married. There's no divorce. You can get an annulment, but it takes years.

[Brad Lawrence]

So he was maybe married, maybe not married to this woman?

[Scott McMahon]

Yeah, well, that's the. Yeah, that's. That's the question. I says, well, if this marriage certificate's real, your marriage isn't real. He goes, no, we. We got married with a priest, and I have my marriage certificate. He shows me his marriage certificate. So I said, what do you want to do? He goes, I don't know. He goes, can we. Can we find out if. If it's real? I said, yeah, we can go down to the nso, National Statistics. We went down there, and sure enough, it was real. Well, then we checked his marriage certificate with her. That was submitted also.

[Brad Lawrence]

And was it real?

[Scott McMahon]

Well, it was submitted and stamped, but it wasn't real.

[Brad Lawrence]

It wasn't valid.

[Scott McMahon]

It wasn't valid? Yeah. And I said, dude, she's scamming you. I said, where did you get married? He goes, oh, in Recto. This place called Recto. Recto is like the forgery capital of the world. You can go to Recto and get anything. Harvard degree, if you want. Seriously.

[Brad Lawrence]

And I wasted my time.

[Scott McMahon]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. And so they went down there, and what happened was she rented an office space for 30 minutes, hired a fake priest for 30 minutes, got all fake documents, had a little ceremony and went and submitted it to the statistics office.

[Brad Lawrence]

Oh, my God.

[Scott McMahon]

Because they're not going to check if she's married to someone else or not.

[Brad Lawrence]

Right.

[Scott McMahon]

They just want the money.

[Brad Lawrence]

Right.

[Scott McMahon]

So I said, dude, you're being scammed. And when she found out, because he confronted her and she went ballistic. And they had a big fight. And he came to my house and said, can I stay here? Yeah, yeah, yeah, you stay here. Sure, of course.

[Brad Lawrence]

So he had no other friends or he had no other.

[Scott McMahon]

No, he didn't know. He didn't know anybody but me.

[Brad Lawrence]

Okay.

[Scott McMahon]

Nobody could understand him. I had a hard time understanding him.

[Brad Lawrence]

Right? Oh, no.

[Scott McMahon]

So I said, yeah, yeah, sure, no problem. And he stayed for a week. And she came over a couple times and they talked to work things out. And he went back. Two weeks later, he came back, Scott, for this I cannot stand. Sigurd was horrible. What happened? He goes. He goes, she's just crazy. She's crazy. I'm finished. I finished. I'm done. Okay. So he comes back and stays for another week. And I was, you know, I would leave early morning, I'd leave at 5. I'd get home 10 at night. We'd work our eight hours. But you had to plan in three, four hours just for travel time. Just because of the traffic. The traffic is so horrible. I mean, the job site's 10 miles away, but it takes two hours to get there and three hours to get home.

[Brad Lawrence]

What?

[Scott McMahon]

Yeah. Some of the worst traffic in the world, actually. Wow. So I get home, it'd be 10 o' clock at night. I'm tired, everybody's sleeping. So I just go to bed. I had no idea what had been going on until one night I came home and everybody's up. My wife's look on her face was, she's frazzled looking. And I said, where's Jan? She says, he was arrested. I said, what happened? She says, they came to the house, they raided the house and arrested him with national tv. I said, no shit? Yeah. And the kids were in the room. They weren't out in the living room. I said, where's the kids? She's in the room. I went in the room and My son was 5. My daughter was 2. My daughter was sleeping. My son was just trembling.

[Brad Lawrence]

Oh, my God. Who raided you?

[Scott McMahon]

Philippine National Police, Bureau of Immigration and National Television. She had it all coordinated.

[Brad Lawrence]

Oh, my God.

[Scott McMahon]

She filed a complaint saying that he would make her mix cement out on the sidewalk and burn her face with cigarettes.

[Brad Lawrence]

What?

[Scott McMahon]

But yet she had no marks on her face.

[Brad Lawrence]

And so this is how she got him arrested.

[Scott McMahon]

This is how she got him arrested. Domestic violence.

[Brad Lawrence]

Domestic violence.

[Scott McMahon]

But why was the Bureau of Immigration there? They shouldn't have been there. She had it all set up. And they took him to the immigration jail, not regular jail. So he's off in immigration jail. My son's just sitting in the corner, trembling. He didn't even sleep that night. So the next morning, I said, okay, I'm not gonna go to work. And I told him, I said, let's get you ready for school and take you to school. He says, I don't want to go, Papa. I said, why? The monster's there. The monster, which I found out later was her. So her sister lived right across the street from us. And during the week, she would stay at her sister's house and wait for them to come outside, and she would threaten them, especially my wife. She said, you should have never got involved in our problems. You're gonna pay.

[Brad Lawrence]

My gosh.

[Scott McMahon]

You're gonna wish you never got involved in my problems.

[Brad Lawrence]

She was torturing these children?

[Scott McMahon]

Yep. Just your son and my daughter and my wife.

[Brad Lawrence]

And your wife, yeah. And your wife didn't say anything?

[Scott McMahon]

Didn't say nothing.

[Brad Lawrence]

Why?

[Scott McMahon]

She scared?

[Brad Lawrence]

Oh, my God.

[Scott McMahon]

She was afraid she'd get beat up. So this all hits me at once, you know, it's like a bam. So I'm pissed, of course. I called a friend of mine, and he recommended a psychologist, and he was one of the best in the country, really well known, and got me an appointment for that day. So I took my son. We got there and I said I had a problem. Something happened last night. He says, whoa, whoa, whoa. I don't want to hear it. He goes, let me talk to your son first. So we took him in the room probably a half hour, hour. Came back out and said, okay. The secretary says, he'll see you now. It's okay. So my son went out, I went in, I closed the door, and he goes, what the fuck happened? And I was like, well, I was trying to tell you. He goes, well, I didn't want to hear it from you. He goes, who's the monster? And I said, I don't know. Who is the monster? He says, dolores is the monster. Dolores is Yan's wife. I said, okay. And so he starts showing me these tests that he gave him. The one I really remember was the tree person test. My son drew a big tree, which we had in our front yard. And then he drew himself very, very small and curled up, hiding. And then he drew a picture of the monster, which was Dolores hovering above him. And then in the back behind the tree was a really big person who he said was me. And I was the only one that could save the little boy from the monster. But I was never there.

[Brad Lawrence]

Oh, my God.

[Scott McMahon]

And I was like. Broke my heart, man. So he said, you know, he has chronic post traumatic stress disorder because of what happened, because of her. So, you know, he made his report. I got his report, got an attorney. We filed a complaint against her for child abuse.

[Brad Lawrence]

What was your intent with the filing?

[Scott McMahon]

Get her arrested, put her in jail for what she did, you know, to get back at her. That's. That's, you know, here in the States, that's what we do there. Apparently, you don't do that.

[Brad Lawrence]

Okay.

[Scott McMahon]

Yeah, I know. It's a Filipino way. So he files the complaint, and the legal system over there takes forever. We give a little extra money to get it read faster, to get it processed faster, not necessarily to make it in our favor, just to get it going. That works. And they found probable cause. They issued a warrant of arrest. They arrested her?

[Brad Lawrence]

They arrested her?

[Scott McMahon]

Yeah, but it's a bailable offense. Okay, so she posted bail, got out, and then I noticed she wouldn't be at her sister's house anymore. So I'm thinking, oh, okay, she knows what's up. You know, her time's coming.

[Brad Lawrence]

She's staying away.

[Scott McMahon]

Well, she was staying away because she was filing her case against me. So when we got to court, which was like a year and a half later.

[Brad Lawrence]

Oh, my God.

[Scott McMahon]

Yeah, we're down in the. There's a McDonald's at the bottom of the court. Court's on the second floor. And we're just sitting there waiting. It's like 8am we left that morning. I told the kids of me and Mommy have a meeting. The babysitter came, we'll be back at noon. Then we'll all go to the mall, have fun, ride the roller coasters. They love the roller coasters, man. So they're like, yeah, yay. I never came home for five and a half years.

[Brad Lawrence]

What?

[Scott McMahon]

Didn't come home?

[Brad Lawrence]

Wait, wait, wait, wait. Well, back me up. What do you mean? What happened?

[Scott McMahon]

We got to the court, and we're waiting for the court to open upstairs. We're in the McDonald's. She walks in, looks at us, and walks out. So I'm thinking, oh, boy, she's scared. Right after that, the door opens and we see this bright light. It's a television camera. Five cops and then a cameraman. And they walk In, I'm thinking, I looked at my wife and I wonder who they're going to get.

[Brad Lawrence]

Did you think that they might be there for your case?

[Scott McMahon]

No, I thought they were there for someone else until they started walking towards us and I'm like, okay. And they walk right up to our table and are you Scott's McMahon? We've got a warrant for your arrest. I said, for what? They said, rape. Stand up, you're under arrest. You're going with us.

[Brad Lawrence]

Oh, my God.

[Scott McMahon]

And I look at my wife and my wife's kind of hiding, you know, her face because she didn't want to be on the camera, right?

[Brad Lawrence]

Yeah, of course.

[Scott McMahon]

So I stood up, we walked outside, right? As we walked outside, she was standing out there. When she saw me, she says, you think you're gonna rape me? That you can get away with it? You'll never get away with it.

[Brad Lawrence]

Nobody said anything about the fact that this woman and I are going to court right now.

[Scott McMahon]

I told the police, I go, listen, we have a court date right now. Yeah, you know, I have a case against her. And they said, so we have a warrant. You're coming with us.

[Brad Lawrence]

Oh, my God.

[Scott McMahon]

I just got in the car and the jail's 10 minute drive from there. It's 3, 400 yards.

[Brad Lawrence]

So they're taking you directly to jail?

[Scott McMahon]

Well, they took me. They went the opposite way. I said, I'm like, where are we going? They're like, don't worry about it. About an hour later, we pull into a place called Camp Krame, which is the headquarters for the national police, the main headquarters. And I'm like, okay, this ain't good, Stop. We get out and they said, let's go inside. And their main chief meets me and says, bring him in here. We go in his office and he says, these are some serious charges against you. I didn't do anything wrong. I didn't rape anybody. He goes, well, doesn't look like it. I said, I didn't rape anybody. And he goes, I'll tell you what, I can help you. Then I'm thinking, oh, shit. Okay, here it comes. Here comes the money. They want money. He says, you know, we can work this out and you can go home today. And I said, no way. I said, I ain't paying. He says, you know, you might want to take some time and think about it. And he left for like an hour. So I'm just sitting in there, then one of the officers comes in and goes, do you want something to eat or something to drink? I'm like, no, I'm good. No way, man. And then they'd bring in the good cop and he'd be like, she's crazy, huh? Man, that just doesn't seem right. I'm like, yeah, yeah, she's crazy all right. And then the bad cop would come in, man, you're going down, dude.

[Brad Lawrence]

Oh, my gosh.

[Scott McMahon]

So chief comes in after an hour and says, change your mind? I said, no. I said, I didn't do anything wrong, man. I'm not paying. It's okay. You're going to jail. So they took me to Jill. We get there and they're not ready for me. Paperwork wasn't finished, so we have to wait outside.

[Brad Lawrence]

And you haven't been in contact with your wife or.

[Scott McMahon]

She was down there waiting for me.

[Brad Lawrence]

Oh, she was? Okay.

[Scott McMahon]

So she knew at some point that we were going to go there. Hopefully. We pulled in, I saw her there, I was like, all right, thank God. I'm thinking, maybe she's got good news, you know, maybe I'm going home. But when I saw her and the look on her face, I'm like, there's no good news.

[Brad Lawrence]

So this is an offense where you cannot post bail.

[Scott McMahon]

Non bailable offense, yes. Rape. And all they have to do is point you and say, he raped me. And that's considered strong evidence by the court because of a law they have called the Maria Clara Doctrine. And that basically says a Filipino woman would not lie.

[Brad Lawrence]

Ooh.

[Scott McMahon]

So we're sitting out there, and this jail, it's pink and it's chain link fencing on the outside. So it kind of looks like a unkept dog kennel. So we're sitting out there waiting, and the warden comes out and he introduces himself, shakes my hand and says, who's that over there? Is that your wife? I go, it's my wife. So he says, ma', am, come here. Of course they're doing all this in Tagalog, but what they didn't know is I could understand fluently and speak fluently. So he's telling her, you know, you can bring him food three times a day, you can bring him water because he won't be able to drink the water. And then he looks at me in English, he says, you see that guy sitting inside there? There's a little Filipino dude in a Led Zeppelin T shirt. I said, yeah, yeah. He goes, well, he's the mayor and he runs the inside, so, you know, I suggest you become friends with him because you're going to be here a while and I'll even Introduce you?

[Brad Lawrence]

Oh, my God.

[Scott McMahon]

And he says, any questions? I said, yeah, one. He says, what's that? What's the mayor of the city doing in jail? I mean, how does that work? He just laughed at me like I was dumb. He goes, what do you Americans call it? Gang leader. He's the gang leader. I was like, oh, okay, now I get it. And he looks over at my wife and says, ma', am, don't forget to bring him food and water, because if not, he'll die.

[Brad Lawrence]

Oh my God.

[Scott McMahon]

They said, let's go. And we go inside and once we get inside, I have to sign a couple papers. And then we go to this hallway which is about 10ft long. And right as we got to the hallway, there was a stench, nasty stench, like shit and piss and vomit. I mean, it was nasty. It's the best way I can explain it.

[Brad Lawrence]

So you're walking into the hallway and the cells are to your sides.

[Scott McMahon]

There's no cells yet. The hallway is like 10ft long. And then there's stairs that go up and they're like ship stairs, they're like that steep. And there's one cell to the left, and that's maximum security. And we look and it's just a sea of people. And they open the door and I go like, I ain't going in there. Gave me a push and I went, and maximum security?

[Brad Lawrence]

Maximum security with how many other people?

[Scott McMahon]

300.

[Brad Lawrence]

300 people in. In one room.

[Scott McMahon]

880 square feet.

[Brad Lawrence]

Oh, my God.

[Scott McMahon]

With two toilet bowls.

[Brad Lawrence]

Yikes.

[Scott McMahon]

So four cells, cell A, B, C, D. Cell A was where you went if you were sick and dying or you were in trouble. They had a toilet bowl. Cell B, cell C, no toilets. Cell D, which is where I was. One toilet bowl. So if you had to piss, they'd pass you a two liter bottle. You urinate in the two liter bottle. They'd dump it in a five gallon bucket. Five gallon bucket gets full, they get one of the low level peons to take the five gallon bucket, cell A, and dump it in the toilet bowl.

[Brad Lawrence]

Could you easily go in between each cell?

[Scott McMahon]

There's no room, no room to move. Everybody sat on their butt. And the person in front of you sat his butt on your feet and your hands were on his shoulders.

[Brad Lawrence]

Oh my God.

[Scott McMahon]

And when you slept it, you know, it's like open a can of sardines. That's the way people slept. Not on their back, on their side.

[Brad Lawrence]

And during the day, could you walk around?

[Scott McMahon]

Is there nowhere to walk?

[Brad Lawrence]

Oh my God.

[Scott McMahon]

So you just Sat. The only time you got out is if you had a visitor. And if you didn't have a visitor, you stayed in the cell.

[Brad Lawrence]

And what about your food?

[Scott McMahon]

500 calories a day.

[Brad Lawrence]

Where do you eat it? Or how are people eating it?

[Scott McMahon]

So they would. In the morning, it's like rice with hot chocolate mixed in it. And they'd bring a five gallon bucket for each cell. Didn't matter how many people were in there. A five gallon bucket. And that was it. Everybody get one scoop. That was breakfast. Lunch would be three quarters of a cup of rice and a little four inch piece of dried fish. And dinner would be three quarters of a cup of rice and a little hard boiled egg. Or they'd alternate it between lunch and dinner like that. It was nasty. You couldn't eat it. So the people that didn't have support from their families would starve to death. Die.

[Brad Lawrence]

Like literally just die.

[Scott McMahon]

You know, it had to go over like three, four month time period. You see pictures of the World War II concentration camps.

[Brad Lawrence]

Yeah.

[Scott McMahon]

Where there was just a skin hanging off of their bones.

[Brad Lawrence]

Yeah.

[Scott McMahon]

And their feet. That's what they looked like. And there's no medical care, no dental care. So the only way you can go to the hospital is if you have a court order from a judge, which would take years. Or it's a life or death situation. And a life or death situation is when they can't get a reading on the blood pressure apparatus. When they take your BP and they can't get a reading. Okay. It's life or death situation. Take them in. Well, pretty much dead at that point.

[Brad Lawrence]

They're dead? Yeah, they're dead.

[Scott McMahon]

Yeah.

[Brad Lawrence]

Yeah.

[Scott McMahon]

So these guys at the end, they would. Their tongues would be sticking out of their mouth and their eyes would be rolling back in their head and their ankles were like the size of apples, just swollen. And they would be in the bathroom on a plastic chair because they'd shit themselves and piss themselves. And so they do that and someone would dump water and wash them off. And that's how they spent their days until they go. That was, that was a hard one to digest because they would all be begging for food. You know, I'd be eating and they're like, give us food. I'd throw my chicken bones away and boom. They're just fighting for them. So I would share food with them.

[Brad Lawrence]

You had more food than, than most people.

[Scott McMahon]

Yeah, because my wife would bring it every day. So the gang leader one day says, why are you feeding these guys? They're hungry. I mean, they're dying. He goes, exactly like, I don't get it. He goes, don't you see what you're doing? You're prolonging their misery. What do you mean? He goes, they're gonna die. Plain and simple, they're gonna die. So all you're doing is making it take longer. And I'm like, I couldn't fathom that, you know? And he goes, you know, every day you give them food, they're going to stay alive a little bit longer, but that doesn't matter because they're going to die. I thought I was being cool. You know what I mean? I thought I was helping. And he says, you know, look at yourself, man. He goes, you're getting skinny. You're losing weight. He goes, do you want to be like them? Hell, no. He goes, well, better them than you, right? I'm like, right.

[Brad Lawrence]

Do you still want to feed other people regardless of what he's saying, or are you thinking, not after that, no.

[Scott McMahon]

I'm like, hey, man, better you than me. Sorry. I got a family to get home to. You know, it was a big eye opener. Life means nothing. So I had to change and change my whole mentality, because better them than me, right? And better than me. I always had to remember that. Better you than me. Sorry, dude, but better you than me. So being in there, you know, I. I didn't speak to God for, like, a week because at least I could know what they were saying about me, right? But they didn't know that I knew. So when I finally decided to speak, there were five guys that were going to jump me. And I could hear them talking. Hey, let's. Let's jump the white guy. And the gang leader wasn't in the cell.

[Brad Lawrence]

He was out, okay?

[Scott McMahon]

He could go out whenever he wanted. So I hear him planning that, you know, let's beat him. Let's jump him. That's the time when I told him, I said, hey, let's do it. They're like, oh. So I back into the corner. I said, no, they can't get behind me, you know, so they can hold my own for a little bit, but it's only a matter of time. And so I said, can I say one thing before we get started? And they're like, what? I'm like, there's five of you, there's one of me. So I'm going to lose. I know that. But three of you motherfuckers are going with me, man. So which three you think it's going to be?

[Brad Lawrence]

Oh, snap.

[Scott McMahon]

Because I'm scared shitless, actually. I'm backed into the corner, man, ready to go. And one guy looks at the other one goes, instead of Ulusa, means he's fucking crazy. They start to walk forward, and this Jon Bon Jovi song is going through my head. Blaze of glory. You know that song? Yes, Dan. And I'm thinking to myself, I'm getting ready to die. Why is this song going through my head? You know?

[Brad Lawrence]

Oh, my gosh.

[Scott McMahon]

All of a sudden, they're walking towards me. And I'm in the corner, fist up. And you hear this.

[Brad Lawrence]

Hey.

[Scott McMahon]

And it's the gang leader. Somebody had tipped him off of what was going on. Oh, he comes walking and he's pissed. He's like, you know, I got any detail, you know, what's going on here? So I talked to him and I was like, listen, man, you guys are going to jump me. And I was just telling him that three of them are going to go with me, you know? And he goes, you speak Tagalog? I was like, dude, no disrespect. That's the only thing I had, you know, So I hope you understand. And he looks at those guys and he hits them all, each one of them right in the head. Whap, whap, whap, whap, whap. Sends them all to cell A for a week. Cell A was where you went if you were sick and dying or if you were in trouble. And he goes, come here. He had this area probably 6 by 12. You know, that was just his area, and that's a big space in there. And he's like, you know, he goes, I wanted to talk to you, but I don't speak English. And I was like, yeah. Like, you know, sorry again. Just trying to protect myself.

[Brad Lawrence]

Yeah.

[Scott McMahon]

And he goes, yeah. He goes, is there anything I can do for you? And I said, yeah. I go, I would love a place to sleep. And I got money. I said, I got 15,000 pesos, 300 US I can have it here tomorrow. That'd be like having three grand here. He goes, bring the money tomorrow and I'll have you a bed built. So he built me a bed right next to his. Six feet off the ground, six feet long, four feet wide. And that was my world for five and a half years.

[Brad Lawrence]

What?

[Scott McMahon]

And of course, every holidays would come, I would donate. I'd pay him rent, $20 every month he needed anything, you know, I'd be there to give money, you know, so.

[Brad Lawrence]

So he was like, your celly?

[Scott McMahon]

He was my bro after that, huh? Yeah. I still talk to him to this day.

[Brad Lawrence]

You're kidding. Is he still in there?

[Scott McMahon]

He's out. But then he's back in now for something different.

[Brad Lawrence]

Oh, boy.

[Scott McMahon]

But I'll send him 40 bucks every few months just to. Because without him, I'd be dead. Without him and my wife, I wouldn't have made it.

[Brad Lawrence]

Why do you think that he wanted to befriend you?

[Scott McMahon]

I think he just liked me. He was a nice guy. He's a cool dude. You know, we just got along well. And he liked the fact that he had an American friend.

[Brad Lawrence]

I can imagine. I can imagine.

[Scott McMahon]

I was the only white guy in the whole jail, so.

[Brad Lawrence]

Right.

[Scott McMahon]

So he thought that was pretty cool. Then he'd always be like, you know, Scott, in America, is it like this? Are the sidewalks really made out of gold? It's like, shh. No, dude. Only in Disney.

[Brad Lawrence]

Yeah.

[Dawn Fraser]

Hey, folks, another quick break and then we'll hear the rest of Scott's story.

[Scott McMahon]

Your teen adjective used to describe an individual whose spirit is unyielding, unconstrained.

[Brad Lawrence]

One who navigates life on their own terms, effortlessly.

[Scott McMahon]

They do not always show up on time, but when they arrive, you notice an individual confident in their contradictions. They know the rules, but behave as if they do not exist. The new fragrance by Miu Miu, defined by you. Hi, I'm Nancy Cartwright. You may know me better as the voice of Bart Simpson on Simpsons Declassified. We're diving into the mysteries that keep the Simpsons forever ever young. Have you ever wondered how the Simpsons regularly predicts future events? Who better to ask than the show's creators, performers and writers? The celebrity guests? Be sure to follow and listen to Simpsons declassified wherever you get your podcasts. Mint is still $15 a month for premium wireless. And if you haven't made the switch yet, here are 15 reasons why you should. One, it's $15 a month. Two, seriously, it's $15 a month. Three, no big contracts. Four, I use it. Five, my mom used to say, are you. Are you playing me off? That's what's happening, right? Okay, give it a try. @mintmobile.com Switch upfront payment of $45 for three month plan.

[Brad Lawrence]

$15 per month equivalent required. New customer offer first three months only, then full price plan options available, taxes and fees extra. See mintmobile.com I give my daughter smarty pants vitamins to support her brain health. So her science fair project sounds more like and less like. And while I may say it's not a competition, of course it f ing is choose Smarty Pants vitamins to support your kid's brain health. Shop on Amazon, smartypantsvitamins.com or at Target. Today brain health support from Key Nutrients. This statement has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

[Scott McMahon]

We are back. So then the, you know, the extortion started. The police would come, come to the jail, and it'd be. Every six weeks or so, a different one would come to check on you. Yeah. To help me. So to speak.

[Brad Lawrence]

What?

[Scott McMahon]

So the first time it happened, they said, someone's at the gate for you. I go out there and there's a police officer there, and he's like, scott's party, you know, party's like, bro. You know, he pretends like we're good buddies.

[Brad Lawrence]

How are you?

[Scott McMahon]

Fine. He's like, I want to help you. Then I'm like, oh, I get it. I get it. You want to help me. Okay. He goes, you pay 5 million pesos. It's $125,000. Pay 5 million pesos, you drop your case against her, and you're going home.

[Brad Lawrence]

You dropped your case against her?

[Scott McMahon]

Yeah.

[Brad Lawrence]

So your case is still active.

[Scott McMahon]

Yep. But I said, pay you 5 million pesos and drop my case against her, so no fucking way. Okay. And then six weeks later, another one would come, you know, hey, Scott. And it was the same thing. Same thing every time. I was, no way, man. I'm not going to pay. Well, in the meantime, I'd have all these court hearings scheduled, and I would think, okay, I got this date scheduled. This date scheduled. This date scheduled. We're going to get everything laid out, and I'm out of here. I'm out of here in a month.

[Brad Lawrence]

Right, Right.

[Scott McMahon]

And we go to court and, sorry, no hearing today. I'll deliver it. The prosecutor was in on it. The judge was in on it.

[Brad Lawrence]

Wait, what?

[Scott McMahon]

Yes.

[Brad Lawrence]

So every time that you went, you were just thinking, why isn't this happening?

[Scott McMahon]

And they get you all the way to the court, and you get in the holding cell and you're waiting to go in. And they'd be like, okay, let's go back. There's no court today. Why? Well, the judge is on vacation or the prosecutor sick.

[Brad Lawrence]

How many times did this happen over how long a period?

[Scott McMahon]

Oh, God. I had. Think I had 56 hearings scheduled in five years, and maybe seven or eight of them went through.

[Brad Lawrence]

Wow.

[Scott McMahon]

So that kept going on. Every six weeks, another cop would come in, five million pesos dropped. And I Said, ain't happening. Ain't happening. Well, then they'd start lowering the price. 4 million pesos. Drop your case against her. No, ain't happening. Ain't happening. The times that we did have a hearing that would go through, my wife would go to the court. When we'd leave, she'd be leaving and the prosecutor would be conveniently sitting outside, standing against the rails, just giving her a big smile, just waiting for her to approach him. Let's settle this thing right? I said, don't, Don't.

[Brad Lawrence]

Just waiting for the money to fall.

[Scott McMahon]

Yeah. They all knew I was innocent. They all knew, you know, of course they just want the money, of course. So as the price starts to drop at the four year mark, it went down to zero. Don't pay any money. Just drop your case against her. Oh, now she's getting desperate because she thinks I'm going to pay. It's clear I'm not going to pay. So what they said is, no money. Drop your case against her and just give something for the boys. For the boys is a term there. Just give us some money for, you know, facilitating everything. He goes, you don't have to pay anything. Just drop your case and just, you know, give something for the boys. You're never going to get out. You'll never get out of here. You're going to get convicted. You're going to go to prison. I go, you know what, man? You're right. I'm like, I want to go home, man. I'm tired of this place. This place sucks. He goes, now you're talking. I go, but the thing is, I don't know how much money to give, you know? And he goes, just, you know, whatever you think is good for the boys, don't you? We've been working hard on this, okay? I said, okay. I go, wait, I got it. I know how much I'm gonna give. And he goes, oh, good. He goes, how much?

[Brad Lawrence]

Oh, no.

[Scott McMahon]

And like, it's rebar. The doors rebar. I stick my finger and I'm like, fucking, one peso. Fuck you right in his face. I'm giving you shit. And this dude turned so red, he was pissed. He was like. He goes, you're gonna die in here. And I point to this guy, I'm like, I don't know, man. I got a pretty good bodyguard, you know. Four years, I was doing pretty good. So he turns around and walks off, and I'm thinking, I got you. It was just like a movie. He gets to the hallway, where the hallway would start and he puts his finger up in the air and he goes, what's your pretty wife's name? Marnelli. I was like, well, you cocksucker. And then he turns around and he goes, and little Nicole, right? Nicole's what, five or six now? And I was like, you motherfucker. And he goes, and let's not forget Scott Jr. Now he's got my attention. I go. And he goes, you never know. Rape, murder. People come missing all the time, man. I was scared then. Fucking scared. My heart's going, there's nothing I could do. I said, but I'll tell you what. Here's what I know. And now he's cocky. He's like, what? Like, well, you're here because you want money. That means you ain't got no money. What I'm going to do is I'm going to hire your best friend. If anything happens to my family, one hair is harmed. Him. I'm going to hire your best friend to rape your wife and kill your fucking son and kill your daughter and kill. And your dogs and your cats and whatever else is in your house. And he just looks at me and he goes, is what he said, means you're dead. I said, yeah, you get out of here. He turned around and walked off, and my heart's a pound. And he walks out. And I'm just like. And there's some other guys on the hallway that. That heard everything. They said, you're crazy, dude. You. You are nuts. I'm like, oh, whatever. I was scared. My heart's pounding right now. So I go back to my little world, my bed. And Leo, the gang leader, he goes, what'd you do that for? I'm like, what else am I supposed to do? And he goes, you're crazy, dude. That was dumb. I'm like, okay, whatever. So the next day comes visiting time. My wife doesn't show up. And I'm like, okay, maybe she's sick or something. Something happened. They can't make it today. But she's always there every day, so, okay, that's fine. I thought about it through the night, you know, what if, what if, what if? But, like, no, no, no, no, no. He's just bluffing. And the next day came, visiting hours come, she doesn't show up, then I'm worried. I'm going, fuck, man. Are they dead? You know? Did I just get them killed me in my mouth? And that night I didn't sleep. That's all I could think about, you know, what was going through my head was pictures of them. Getting killed. Pictures of them getting raped, you know, just going all through my head. Pictures of them just laying on the ground in blood, and it was like. It was torture. So next day comes, they don't show up. That's day three. And now I'm going, they're dead. They probably did what they said they were going to do.

[Brad Lawrence]

You know, at this point, you had seen them every single day. Yeah, for the past four years now.

[Scott McMahon]

Yep. And I don't have food, but that part didn't really bother me because I was too worried to eat. Anyways, so I. I had a guy I knew, I said. I asked him, can you have your. Your wife call my wife and find out what's going on, because they haven't been here. He said, yeah, sure. But I had to wait till the next day, visiting time to get news. And I had to wait for him to come back from visiting hours after it was over to get. To get the news because I couldn't go up because I didn't have a visitor. So when he came back, I go and find him. I said, hey, what'd she say? He goes, she called her, but the phone is not in service. And I was just like, for sure they're gone.

[Brad Lawrence]

My God.

[Scott McMahon]

Dead. And again, the images, just them being killed. They have a thing, it's called Snowvage, and it's where they pick them up. They take them out to the rural area where the train tracks are, and they kill them and they just leave them on the tracks. The police do that?

[Brad Lawrence]

Police do this?

[Scott McMahon]

Yeah, the police do that. Couldn't stop crying, man, because it's all that would go through my head. And I just sit in my little bed and, you know, I didn't have any pillows, but I had, like, T shirts. And I just covered my face because I didn't want people to see me crying. Yeah, because they all thought I was a psycho, you know? Of course, the crazy white dude, you know, So I didn't want him to see me crying. And then the gang leader would be like, hey, man, there's nothing you can do. As if he's confirming that they're gone. And I go, so they're dead. And he goes, oh, I don't. He goes, I don't know, but, I mean, it don't look good. And I'm just the worst thing ever been through in my life. Mental torture is the worst, man. I'd rather be physically tortured than mentally tortured like that. So another sleepless night. Day five comes around. Visitors are there, and nothing. Well, after about 15 minutes of that, they said, scott, you have a visitor. I said, okay. But usually when they say, scott, your wife's here. So, Scott, you have a visitor, I said, okay, who is it? We don't know. And I'm just going, fuck.

[Brad Lawrence]

At this point. Had you eaten in five days?

[Scott McMahon]

No. No.

[Brad Lawrence]

Okay.

[Scott McMahon]

No. So I'm thinking, okay, it's someone coming to give me the news that they're dead. So I try to compose myself. I get my shirt on, get ready to go up, and then they come back and go, oh, hey, it's your wife. I was like, what? You know, they open the door, and I get up. I get upstairs, the third floor to the visiting area, and I see them way back in the corner, and I'm like, wow, here they are. You know, they're alive.

[Brad Lawrence]

That mean your son, your daughter? And your wife?

[Scott McMahon]

And my wife, Yep. All three of them. And then I got really pissed. I get back there, I'm like, where the have you been, man?

[Brad Lawrence]

What?

[Scott McMahon]

It's been five days, you know? And she's just like, they've been sick, kids had the flu. I'm like, oh, right, yeah, okay. Yeah, gotcha. You know, the whole time I'm thinking, they're dead and they've been murdered. And I never told them about what had happened until a couple years ago. It was just horrible. And eventually, I got acquitted after five and a half years.

[Brad Lawrence]

Wow. They found you not guilty and just were able to let you go.

[Scott McMahon]

Well, it gets better. There was a lot of media attention on the case. My mom got with an organization. I don't want to say their name. They specialize in Americans that are imprisoned in foreign countries.

[Brad Lawrence]

Okay.

[Scott McMahon]

And she got a hold of this guy, the owner, and he looked at my case and said, this is the first case I've seen where there was so much evidence in his favor. And he ended up taking my case on for free. And they charge a lot of money to do a case.

[Brad Lawrence]

Yeah.

[Scott McMahon]

And all we had to do was pay the phone bill, the phone calls and stuff like that. He got the California Innocence Project involved, and they came to the Philippines, and they started attending my hearings. And once there started becoming more media attention, and then the UN got involved. They investigated it. They wrote the Philippine government a letter, said, there's no evidence against this guy, and you've had him in pretrial detention for five years. Then they had to give me a trial, right?

[Brad Lawrence]

A global story.

[Scott McMahon]

It was becoming embarrassing for them. US Embassy wouldn't help me at all.

[Brad Lawrence]

Why?

[Scott McMahon]

They came to the jail and said, sorry, there's nothing we can do for you. Here's a list of lawyers you can hire. I'm like, wait, I'm innocent. They said, we can't get involved. They wouldn't do nothing.

[Brad Lawrence]

Wow.

[Scott McMahon]

Yeah.

[Brad Lawrence]

Thank you.

[Scott McMahon]

Yeah, thanks a lot, Uncle Sam. Right, because you think that especially if you're been framed up, your government's going to help you.

[Brad Lawrence]

Yeah, right, exactly.

[Scott McMahon]

Ain't happening. And they wouldn't even attend my hearings. Nothing. They wouldn't do anything. Well, after the media attention started coming out, well, they started showing up to the hearings.

[Brad Lawrence]

Oh, interesting. Convenient.

[Scott McMahon]

Yeah, yeah. So the judge gave me a trial. They couldn't hide it anymore.

[Brad Lawrence]

Right, right.

[Scott McMahon]

You know, there's too much media attention, so they gave me a trial at five years based on the facts, in five years and four months, I was acquitted.

[Brad Lawrence]

And so I'm assuming when you got home, you packed up shop.

[Scott McMahon]

When I got acquitted, I came back to the jail and they said, okay, get your stuff. You're going to leave in three hours. So, okay, well, the three hour mark comes. It was actually about the two hour mark. And I told Leo, the gang leader, I said, I said, hey, I was thinking, why don't I just go home tomorrow, you know, and then we'll just kind of hang out tonight so we can like, hang out one last time. Da, da, da. And I'll just leave tomorrow. And he goes, you're crazy. He goes, no, get out of here. Well, the truth was I was scared to go out because I'd been there so long, you know, I was institutionalized. I was used to life in there going out, scary. But I did, I had to leave. And I hadn't seen my wife or the kids in about a year, a year and three months, because they left about the four year mark.

[Brad Lawrence]

She left to go back to the United States?

[Scott McMahon]

No, she left to go back to the province. She had a nervous breakdown. And, you know, she had a lot. She had to deal with all everything.

[Brad Lawrence]

Who was feeding you?

[Scott McMahon]

By that time, I was established enough where I could get people to buy me food and bring me stuff. And my uncle would send somebody once a week.

[Brad Lawrence]

Okay, you could find your way. Yeah, got it.

[Scott McMahon]

So I got out the next day. It was international news because I was the longest American detained in a foreign country without a trial. They came up that night, my wife and my son and my daughter. They got in late, it was about midnight. But when they got to the house, I'm thinking, you know, it's going to be great.

[Brad Lawrence]

Right.

[Scott McMahon]

Kids do Daddy, Daddy, you know, hugs. And it was totally different.

[Brad Lawrence]

Yeah, I can imagine.

[Scott McMahon]

When they walk through the door, my daughter's kind of like, looking around, my son's kind of like, okay, oh. I'm like, hey, like, come here. And they're kind of standoffish a little bit.

[Brad Lawrence]

Yeah. I'm sure they didn't know how to engage with you at first.

[Scott McMahon]

Right, right. So I said, okay, come upstairs. And I took him upstairs. And when we got upstairs the closest, I started tickling them and then they were like, laughing and then everything was cool. So we were good.

[Brad Lawrence]

Nice.

[Dawn Fraser]

And that was Midnight in Manila with Scott McMahon in a conversation with Dawn Fraser. One thing that may not have been clear in the finished recording that happened off mike is it turns out that dawn actually did a lot of work in the world of people who are falsely accused of crimes and falsely incarcerated. And in conversation with Scott off mic, it became obvious that they actually knew people in common from that world. And while dawn had never heard about Scott's story, there were reference points in it that she clearly understood and responded to and allowed her to take the conversation in directions that I would not have known to. So I really gotta thank dawn for stepping in and being that fresh set of ears that we thought the story needed. There was a lot of things in that recording, the initial recording, that did not make it into the final edit because there's just so much to this. But Scott has actually completed a book on this experience. This experience goes much beyond what you heard in this recording today. So if you are an editor or a publisher out there and you have heard this episode and you're like, that was an amazing story of resilience and terror and, you know, endurance. What did I already say? Endurance. I'll say it again. Endurance. So if you are out there and you're an agent or an editor or a publisher and you are thinking, that is amazing, I want to dig into this deeper. There's a lot more to dig into and you should reach out to us and we will hook you up with Scott. Please, if that's you, get in touch. And if you want to support risk, which is inherently expensive to operate and regularly struggles to even just break even, consider joining our Patreon, which comes with tons of perks, ad free episodes and bonus stories like the one we've just put up this week from Andy Picard, that'[e-mail] risk or. Or if you'd rather send us a one time donation at PayPal, MerisksShow let us what you think of this and any of these conversation stories we've been having at the Risk Podcast Fans Discussion Group on Facebook or post on the r riskpodcast subreddit. Or you can email us directly at KevinRisk Show. If you've got a story about being wrongfully imprisoned for five years or longer that you'd like to tell us, just go to risk-show.com submissions and send us your pitch. Because, folks, today's the day.

[Scott McMahon]

Take a Risk.