“Trying to murder my father, this was the thing that put me on the path.” That’s Joe Loya and his path was bank robbery. Joe was one of California’s most daring bank robbers. He used disguises, body doubles, speeding getaway cars…and stole hundreds of thousands of dollars, even as the FBI was closing in. Joe was also a soul searcher, driven by a dark rage he set out to understand. To do that, he must understand why trying to murder his father felt so good. Listen to The Burden wherever you get y...
May 13, 2025•4 min
Into the Madness is a new Audible Original from Trevor Aaronson and Western Sound. On July 4, 2022, a shooter climbed onto a rooftop in Highland Park, Illinois, and opened fire on a Fourth of July parade below, killing seven people and wounding dozens more. Prosecutors charged Robert “Bobby” Crimo III with the mass shooting. But this attack was part of something even more insidious. Bobby had created an elaborate game—complete with cryptic videos, a book of numbers, and an eerie online presence—...
Feb 20, 2025•38 min•Season 2Ep. 11
Pulse: The Untold Story is a new Audible podcast from Western Sound. The Pulse nightclub attack in 2016 is among the deadliest mass shootings in American history. Forty-nine people lost their lives and another 53 were injured. In the aftermath, the FBI and the media embraced a story — that the attacker was a secretly gay Islamist extremist who targeted the LGBTQ+ community. But most of what you know about the shooting is wrong. This false narrative has obscured the truth and concealed the FBI’s ...
Jul 11, 2024•39 min
The ACLU is suing the FBI. Zebb Hall has a recording to share. And I found Mickey Windecker. Lots more information coming on Trevor's substack: https://trevoraaronson.substack.com/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Feb 13, 2024•3 min
Flaviu says he tried to be a good American. He wanted to help the United States. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Jul 27, 2023•37 min•Season 2Ep. 10
After their arrests, Flaviu, Cristian, and Massimo are extradited to New York. Flaviu soon finds that everyone has an agenda. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Jul 24, 2023•36 min•Season 2Ep. 9
The arms deal is taking shape. But Flaviu and Cristian need one more person to bring everything together: a flamboyant Italian politician named Massimo Romagnoli. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Jul 20, 2023•33 min•Season 2Ep. 8
Flaviu recruits Cristian Vintila, a Romanian government official, to help him facilitate the arms deal for Juan. But Cristian has some concerns. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Jul 17, 2023•32 min•Season 2Ep. 7
Juan isn’t who he says is. He’s made millions pretending to be someone he’s not. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Jul 13, 2023•36 min•Season 2Ep. 6
Flaviu is talking to a wide-bellied Colombian named Juan about a deal to sell weapons to the FARC, a paramilitary group. But the arms deal hits a snag in Italy. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Jul 10, 2023•30 min•Season 2Ep. 5
With Flaviu’s help, the FBI busts an organized crime ring in Las Vegas. But a death threat causes him to flee to Europe. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Jul 06, 2023•34 min•Season 2Ep. 4
Is Flaviu a trusted source for the U.S. government? In 2001, while living in Las Vegas, Flaviu became a longtime “friend” to the FBI. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Jul 03, 2023•33 min•Season 2Ep. 3
After being approached to procure weapons for Colombian rebels, Flaviu calls the CIA. “I have information for you,” Flaviu tells the agent. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Jun 29, 2023•33 min•Season 2Ep. 2
Flaviu Georgescu is arrested by DEA agents in Montenegro for brokering an illegal weapons deal on behalf of rebels in Colombia. But there’s a wrinkle the arresting agents didn’t consider: Flaviu claims he’s working for the CIA. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Jun 26, 2023•36 min•Season 2Ep. 1
Alphabet Boys, Season 2 is “Up In Arms.” An international weapons deal to arm rebels in Colombia tangles up the DEA, the CIA, and the FBI in the same case. But who’s the good guy? And who’s the bad guy? This spy story is not at all what it seems. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Jun 20, 2023•3 min
Lost Hills investigates the dark side of Malibu, California. Beneath a seductive facade, this city of billionaires, celebrities, and surf bums is hiding something menacing. Season 3 takes a deep dive into the surf world to explore the legacy of Malibu’s Dark Prince: Miki Dora. A surfer known for his style, grace and aggression, he ruled Malibu from the 1950s to the 1970s. Celebrated for his rebellious spirit, he was also a conman who led the FBI on a 7-year manhunt around the world. To many he’s...
Jun 12, 2023•11 min
When the FBI closes its net, several activists are arrested. And Zebb enters a criminal justice system that’s stacked against him. But has the FBI ignored a much bigger, much more real threat to America? And finally, Trevor tracks down the man in the silver hearse. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Apr 04, 2023•40 min•Season 1Ep. 10
Mickey takes Zebb to a Bass Pro Shop to buy a gun. Everything seems to be going to plan. But then, Mickey is exposed as an informant by a group in Colorado Springs. With Zebb’s help, Mickey creates a bizarre video railing against the group. Zebb begins to question what’s going on with his friend. But is it too late? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mar 28, 2023•31 min•Season 1Ep. 9
The FBI’s investigation into activists spreads beyond Denver. In Colorado Springs, a provocatively dressed woman with pink hair shows up to volunteer at a left-wing nonprofit organization. And just like Mickey, she’s taking orders from the FBI. But after several activists are arrested, the pink-haired woman’s cover is blown. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mar 21, 2023•34 min•Season 1Ep. 8
Another mystery man, nicknamed Red, comes to town. He’s Mickey’s so-called “outlaw biker buddy.” Red takes activist Bryce Shelby for a drive to scope out the home of Colorado’s attorney general as part of a budding assassination plot. But Red lets something slip that makes Bryce suspicious. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mar 14, 2023•31 min•Season 1Ep. 7
Mickey now has two targets: activist Zebb Hall and a verbal bomb-thrower named Bryce Shelby. Mickey takes Zebb and Bryce out to lunch and tells them both that he’s got a guy who can help them do something big. Really big. Will Zebb and Bryce take the bait? https://alphabetboys.xyz/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mar 07, 2023•30 min•Season 1Ep. 6
Alongside a couple of activists with the Young Democratic Socialists of America, Mickey infiltrates the Denver protest scene. He also starts spreading rumors that a leader of the demonstrations is a snitch. Meanwhile, the protests in Denver are becoming increasingly violent as Mickey leads the way in his silver hearse. https://alphabetboys.xyz/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Feb 28, 2023•32 min•Season 1Ep. 5
Mickey is obsessed with The Punisher, the Marvel Comics antihero who delivers his own brand of arbitrary, violent justice. In this episode, we talk to Casandra Windecker, Mickey’s ex-wife. Cassie met Mickey through the Denver Hearse Association, a community where Mickey was well known for his participation in zombie apocalypse cosplay events and a bit part in a locally produced grindhouse movie. But their relationship quickly turned toxic, and Cassie began to wonder where Mickey was getting thou...
Feb 21, 2023•39 min•Season 1Ep. 4
Today, the FBI has more than 15,000 registered informants, and in the summer of 2020, Mickey is one of them. He’s getting paid a lot of money to expose crimes committed by activists. But his official motivation? “To fight terrorists.” The FBI thinks the same way — that racial justice activists are “anti-government extremists.” https://alphabetboys.xyz/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Feb 14, 2023•32 min•Season 1Ep. 3
Michael Adam Windecker II, or Mickey, returns to Denver after fighting ISIS in the Middle East. Mickey claims he trained real antifa warriors, that he represents the Kurdish government, and that he has diplomatic immunity. He puts himself right in the middle of the Denver protests. Activist Zebb Hall is enthralled with Mickey’s message — that the fight against racism needs to escalate. “If that's what you want,” Mickey tells Zebb, “I can make it happen.” https://alphabetboys.xyz/ See omnystudio....
Feb 07, 2023•34 min•Season 1Ep. 2
It’s the summer of 2020. After the brutal killings of unarmed Black Americans by law enforcement, the nation is a tinderbox of anger. The pandemic is raging. Protestors and police are violently going toe-to-toe in cities across America. Denver sees some of the most intense protests. Amid the clashes, a new guy rolls into town. He’s got a cigar dangling from his lips and he’s driving a silver hearse filled with guns. https://alphabetboys.xyz/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Feb 07, 2023•33 min•Season 1Ep. 1
Alphabet Boys takes you inside the secret investigations that federal agents never wanted you to know about. At the center of this podcast is one disturbing question: Are America’s top cops catching criminals -- or creating them? https://alphabetboys.xyz/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Jan 30, 2023•3 min
