What would you do if you got a mysterious letter promising to restore your health and vitality? Doreen Robinson wrote back and sent money to the French psychic named Maria Duval who’d written to her. As their relationship deepened, Doreen had no idea that she wasn’t the only one. In fact, hundreds of thousands of people had gotten a Duval letter, and gave an estimated $175m. How was this possible? Unlock all episodes of The Greatest Scam Ever Written, ad-free, right now by subscribing to The Bin...
Aug 01, 2024•40 min•Ep 1•Transcript available on Metacast What would you do if one handwritten letter promised to change your life forever? All of us want magic, to feel like there is some sort of exterior force guiding our next steps, to believe our fate is written in the stars. This is the story of 1 million hopeful Americans, the global scam that took $200m from them, and the mastermind who managed it all by sending out thousands of letters a week. Investigative journalist Rachel Browne takes us through the facts of the fraud, from its brilliantly s...
Jul 25, 2024•4 min•Transcript available on Metacast Despite promises made by the police, the killer faces the death penalty for his crimes. Donna confesses that she is terrified her father will find a way to avoid the death penalty, get out of prison, and come after her. As time goes on, Donna and Steve reckon with the aftershocks of her father’s crimes, the mistakes Steve made as a young journalist, and the damage the killer inflicted on his victims… both living and dead. This episode will be released for free on July 8th. Unlock all episodes of...
Jul 08, 2024•37 min•Ep 6•Transcript available on Metacast In the present day, Steve tracks down Donna, the killer’s daughter, who he first met when she was 12. Nearly fifty years later, Donna describes the harsh reality of growing up the daughter of a serial killer who she loved. This episode will be released for free on July 1st. Unlock all episodes of Smoke Screen: My Friend, the Serial Killer, ad-free, right now by subscribing to The Binge. Plus, get binge access to brand new stories dropping on the first of every month thats all episodes, all at on...
Jul 01, 2024•45 min•Ep 5•Transcript available on Metacast Steve secures his exclusive interview with the killer, who reveals what he considers the “real reasons” his victims died. While digging into this investigative lead, Steve tracks down a former social worker, who has a stunning revelation for Steve that will completely change his understanding of the case. This episode will be released for free on June 24th. Unlock all episodes of Smoke Screen: My Friend, the Serial Killer, ad-free, right now by subscribing to The Binge. Plus, get binge access to...
Jun 24, 2024•40 min•Ep 4•Transcript available on Metacast On the strangest road trip ever, the confessed killer leads detectives, a prosecutor, and a medical examiner on a grim quest to unearth the bodies he claims to have buried in remote parts Louisiana and Mississippi. This episode will be released for free on June 17th. Unlock all episodes of Smoke Screen: My Friend, the Serial Killer, ad-free, right now by subscribing to The Binge. Plus, get binge access to brand new stories dropping on the first of every month thats all episodes, all at once, all...
Jun 17, 2024•32 min•Ep 3•Transcript available on Metacast Steve dives deeper into the details of the killer’s life, reaching out to his wife and daughter in an attempt to secure an exclusive interview with the killer in prison. Meanwhile, the Florida police dig into the grisly details of the killer’s crimes… but if they want to hold the killer accountable, they are going to need evidence. This episode will be released for free on June 10th. Unlock all episodes of Smoke Screen: My Friend, the Serial Killer, ad-free, right now by subscribing to The Binge...
Jun 10, 2024•32 min•Ep 2•Transcript available on Metacast Steve Fishman is an intern at his local Connecticut newspaper and a regular hitchhiker. When one of his hitched rides comes to an unnerving conclusion, Steve shrugs it off—until weeks later, when the news breaks that the driver he rode with has confessed to being a serial killer who preys on hitchhikers. Steve sees the chance to get the scoop of a lifetime: a killer’s story, Who better to tell it than someone who almost became one of his victims? Unlock all episodes of Smoke Screen: My Friend, t...
Jun 03, 2024•35 min•Ep 1•Transcript available on Metacast What would you do if someone you knew turned out to be a serial killer? In the 1970s, Steve Fishman was an intern at his local newspaper, when one day he hitched a ride back from Boston with Robert Carr III, better known as “Red.” Red seemed trustworthy enough, but he was hiding a secret: by the time he had picked up Steve, he had already killed three people—and all of his prior victims were hitchhikers themselves. This narrow brush with death is only the beginning of Steve’s relationship with R...
May 28, 2024•3 min•Transcript available on Metacast In the 1970s, John Todd exploded onto the evangelical scene with a shocking claim: a secret group of devil-worshiping elites called the Illuminati were planning a violent world takeover, and Christians needed to arm themselves against them to protect their families and way of life. But none of it was true—so why did the idea spread so quickly? Dive into John Todd’s dark and distorted world with journalist Paul Murphy on Cover Up: The Conspiracy Tapes. Featuring sensational tales of witchcraft an...
May 06, 2024•4 min•Transcript available on Metacast The wives and daughters of Dubai’s ruler live in unbelievable luxury. So why do the women in Sheikh Mohammed’s family keep trying to run away? The New Yorker staff writer Heidi Blake joins In the Dark’s Madeleine Baran to tell the story of the royal women who risked everything to flee the brutality of one of the world’s most powerful men. In four episodes, drawing on thousands of pages of secret correspondence and never-before-heard audio recordings, “The Runaway Princesses” takes listeners behi...
Feb 02, 2024•14 min•Transcript available on Metacast Tom’s identity is discovered by the world. The press mobs their home. And the U.S. Marshal Pete Elliott ends up on Ashley’s doorstep. Their fathers spent their lives at odds with one another. But once Pete shows up, the unexpected happens. Why Ashley’s Dad stole the money and left Cleveland is revealed and Ashley and her Mum discover one last surprise. Subscribe to The Binge to get all episodes of Smoke Screen: My Fugitive Dad, ad-free right now. Click ‘Subscribe’ at the top of the Smoke Screen:...
Jan 08, 2024•51 min•Ep 6•Transcript available on Metacast Ashley realizes her Dad has been hiding a diagnosis from her and her mother. Time is running out for him to tell the truth. Hosts Jonathan and Ashley go back to the house on Carter Road, her childhood home - where her Dad dropped the bombshell that changed everything. And Pete Elliott helps his father face the fact that he may never catch Ted Conrad. Subscribe to The Binge to get all episodes of Smoke Screen: My Fugitive Dad, ad-free right now. Click ‘Subscribe’ at the top of the Smoke Screen: M...
Jan 01, 2024•34 min•Ep 5•Transcript available on Metacast Tom was a scratch golfer. Good enough he could have gone pro. So why didn’t he? How did being a wanted man shape the seemingly perfect life he had? He ended up in the car business with a posse of car guys who adored him but could see he was a bit of fish out of water. When tragedy strikes, Tom makes a decision that will come back to haunt him. Subscribe to The Binge to get all episodes of Smoke Screen: My Fugitive Dad, ad-free right now. Click ‘Subscribe’ at the top of the Smoke Screen: My Fugit...
Dec 25, 2023•40 min•Ep 4•Transcript available on Metacast At a social security office in Boston, Ted Conrad is reborn as Thomas Randele. It was the first time this surname was ever recorded. Then he went about making friends and making excuses for why he didn’t have to work. Ashley sifts through her Dad’s past trying to figure out what he told her is actually true and what isn’t. She interviews her Mum, Kathy, who reveals that her Dad hadn’t wanted kids when they first met. Subscribe to The Binge to get all episodes of Smoke Screen: My Fugitive Dad, ad...
Dec 18, 2023•46 min•Ep 3•Transcript available on Metacast Introducing the Elliotts, the father-son pair who spent the better part of their lives with the singular mission of finding Ted Conrad. From the very start of this case, John Elliott made Ted his nemesis. It turns out the Deputy Marshal had his reasons to despise him. Hosts Jonathan and Ashley discover a letter her Dad wrote in the weeks after the heist. Subscribe to The Binge to get all episodes of Smoke Screen: My Fugitive Dad, ad-free right now. Click ‘Subscribe’ at the top of the Smoke Scree...
Dec 11, 2023•31 min•Ep 2•Transcript available on Metacast The summer of 1968 one of the most iconic heist movies ever made came out. The Thomas Crown Affair starred Steve McQueen as a clever businessman who pulls off an elaborate robbery. Ted Conrad, a kid from Cleveland, admired this film so much he walked out of Society National Bank with hundreds of thousands of dollars in a paper bag. Some say he stole the money for the same reasons Crown did: to see if he could get away with it. But Ashley wonders, what was his real motive? Subscribe to The Binge ...
Dec 04, 2023•42 min•Ep 1•Transcript available on Metacast Ashley’s Dad was her favorite person in the world. He drove fast cars and sold them for a living. He was a scratch golfer and the love of her Mum’s life. Ashley thought she knew him better than anyone. But at 38, she found out he wasn’t who he said he was. Inspired by his favorite movie the Thomas Crown Affair, he had pulled off a robbery in Cleveland then disappeared. It turns out he evaded the authorities for half a century, living in their sleepy Massachusetts town. His secret upended his fam...
Nov 17, 2023•2 min•Transcript available on Metacast How far would you go to save the world from itself? Dr. Eugene Mallove believed that a new form of world-changing free energy — cold fusion — was just around the corner. Even when his work was pushed to the fringes, he dreamed of a brighter future. But before Dr. Mallove could usher in that future, he was found dead in the driveway of his childhood home. Everyone had their own ideas of who killed him, and investigators were looking in all the wrong places. From QCODE and Faceplant, in associatio...
Nov 08, 2023•3 min•Transcript available on Metacast Chad is charged on a long list of counts related to corruption. He isn’t just going to plead guilty. He’s going to trial. In court, he’ll face his informants and his right-hand men who betrayed him. But whether or not Chad gets what he deserved remains an open question. Is Chad a bad apple or is the DEA a rotten orchard? Subscribe to The Binge to get all episodes of Smoke Screen ad-free right now. Click ‘Subscribe’ at the top of the Smoke Screen: Betrayal On The Bayou show page on Apple Podcasts...
Sep 18, 2023•47 min•Ep 8•Transcript available on Metacast FBI Agent Chip Hardgrave and Chad Scott have a lot in common – they even went to the same high school in Baton Rouge – but now it’s Chip’s job to investigate the DEA’s star agent. This time, Chad’s misconduct isn’t going to get swept under the rug. His powerful allies can’t protect him. The FBI will take down Chad and anybody they catch along with him. Subscribe to The Binge to get all episodes of Smoke Screen ad-free right now. Click ‘Subscribe’ at the top of the Smoke Screen: Betrayal On The B...
Sep 11, 2023•44 min•Ep 7•Transcript available on Metacast This is the story of how Chad’s team gets caught. Rose Graham is a grandmother who becomes Johnny’s unlikely peddler for the drugs he’s been stealing from evidence. One fateful night, Rose goes to a lakeside restaurant and tries to sell cocaine to an undercover State Trooper. Soon, Chad’s team turns on him. Subscribe to The Binge to get all episodes of Smoke Screen ad-free right now. Click ‘Subscribe’ at the top of the Smoke Screen: Betrayal On The Bayou show page on Apple Podcasts or visit GetT...
Sep 04, 2023•48 min•Ep 6•Transcript available on Metacast Boobie is an informant for Chad but all the while he’s making over $300,000 a month dealing cocaine. Some people say Chad lets him get away with it. When Boobie meets Chad at a Houston Doubletree, Chad puts Boobie on notice: he wants contacts, or Boobie’s freedom is over. Subscribe to The Binge to get all episodes of Smoke Screen ad-free right now. Click ‘Subscribe’ at the top of the Smoke Screen: Betrayal On The Bayou show page on Apple Podcasts or visit GetTheBinge.com to get access wherever y...
Aug 28, 2023•39 min•Ep 5•Transcript available on Metacast Chad’s luck is finally running out. The beginning of Chad’s downfall centers around Frederick “Boobie” Brown. He’s a high level drug trafficker who drives a $240,000 Bentley and provides dope to dealers all over the South. Chad says he’ll let Boobie walk free… if Boobie does exactly what Chad wants. Subscribe to The Binge to get all episodes of Smoke Screen ad-free right now. Click ‘Subscribe’ at the top of the Smoke Screen: Betrayal On The Bayou show page on Apple Podcasts or visit GetTheBinge....
Aug 21, 2023•40 min•Ep 4•Transcript available on Metacast Ron Woods is a Black DEA supervisor who landed in New Orleans and found himself in the perils of the swamp. He’s the agent who could have stopped Chad Scott before things got out of hand. Chad has always courted controversy. In fact, for his first big assignment for the DEA, Chad was toe-to-toe with none other than hip-hop legend James Prince. Subscribe to The Binge to get all episodes of Smoke Screen ad-free right now. Click ‘Subscribe’ at the top of the Smoke Screen: Betrayal On The Bayou show...
Aug 14, 2023•48 min•Ep 3•Transcript available on Metacast Meet the A-Team, that’s what Chad called his ragtag group, also known as a DEA Task Force. Karl Newman is a real likable country dude with no moral quandaries. Johnny Domingue is the protege, fresh out of college, with a knack for making drug busts. Chad handpicked this team, and commanded them during operations. But little did he know that they were far out of his control. Subscribe to The Binge to get all episodes of Smoke Screen ad-free right now. Click ‘Subscribe’ at the top of the Smoke Scr...
Aug 08, 2023•43 min•Ep 2•Transcript available on Metacast Chad Scott made an incredible number of cases by getting drug dealers to work for him as informants. His phone number was written on jailhouse walls because Chad was the guy who could get you out of a tough situation – if you give him what he wants. That if is what this whole story is about. We hear from Virgil Ard, a former drug dealer who navigated streets riddled with Chad’s snitches. Virgil would face a choice: a long prison sentence, or work for Chad. Subscribe to The Binge to get all episo...
Aug 01, 2023•44 min•Ep 1•Transcript available on Metacast For almost two decades, DEA Special Agent Chad Scott ruled the streets just North of New Orleans. He controlled a network of snitches by convincing people he arrested to work for him as informants. Chad would stop at nothing to put drug dealers behind bars. His successes won awards at the DEA, but his willingness to bend the rules earned him a terrifying reputation on the streets. Some called him the Golden Boy. Others called him the White Devil. But when one of guys on Chad's team is caught dea...
Jul 18, 2023•3 min•Transcript available on Metacast You may have heard of the abortion pill, especially in the wake of the overturning of Roe v. Wade last year. But the story of how the pill became legal in America is closer to an action film than to a courtroom drama—with covert operations, heists, and even murder. On the new season of Cover Up: The Pill Plot, travel back to the ‘90s and join the ragtag group that plotted an international drug smuggling scheme and set up a secret lab to get the abortion pill to America. Get a front row seat to t...
Jul 10, 2023•8 min•Transcript available on Metacast Driskill’s lawyers discover that he is theoretically eligible for parole after serving seven years of his sentence. But this is a long shot — it's notoriously difficult to get released whilst still maintaining your innocence. Chammah talks to a leading cold case prosecutor to ask how interrogations like Holland’s can be justified. And he seeks to understand the pain that Bobbie Sue Hill’s family will be confronted with if Driskill is cleared. Everyone is waiting for the parole board’s decision. ...
Jun 05, 2023•49 min•Ep 6•Transcript available on Metacast 
