Deep Cover

"Here it is. The Holy Grail." John Reznikoff makes his living spotting fakes. So when his close friend, a polished Navy war hero, turned up hundreds of secret documents tying John F. Kennedy to Marilyn Monroe -- a storied affair that had never been confirmed in hard evidence -- John knew he had his work cut out for him. He checked them with the best experts in the field. All of whom said they were...

What happens when you learn your family is not your own? In 1951, Mary Kaye Miller gave birth to a baby girl. But when she brought the infant home, she suspected something was wrong. 43 years later, she broke the news: her baby had been switched at the hospital. And the girl she'd raised actually belonged to a family living just a few towns away. Deep Cover host Jake Halpern first reported this st...

American Nightmares is a true crime series from Gamut Podcast Network that investigates disturbing crimes and the people, places, and unanswered questions behind them. In its new season, Canal Murders , American Nightmares investigates a chilling series of murders connected by a common thread: victims discovered in and around the canals of Phoenix, Arizona. What initially appeared to be separate c...

For most of her life, Gypsy Rose Blanchard was in a wheelchair. She had a feeding tube, an oxygen tank, and a list of diagnoses long enough to fill a binder. Then, in 2015, her mother was found stabbed to death in their home, and the world found out Gypsy could walk.  The story became a documentary, a TV series, a household name. Case closed.  But did she fake it all?  In this new s...

If you liked this past season of Deep Cover, The Family Man, you'll enjoy this episode from another Pushkin podcast, Heavyweight. It's a great companion to our bank robbery story from this season. Heavyweight, hosted by Jonathan Goldstein, creates space for difficult conversations and resolving long-standing regrets and unanswered questions. In this episode: A young man had just turned 14 when he...

When Keith Giammanco started robbing banks in 2007, he sought to minimize his legal risk. Keith says he never carried a weapon, and he confessed to the authorities the same day he was arrested.  But, ultimately, he faced two prosecutions - federal and state. And he served nearly two decades in prison. Jake sits down with legal scholar James Forman, Jr. to unpack how this all unfolded, why a l...

Mike Walton was shocked to learn his lifelong friend, Keith, had been living a double life as the Boonie Hat Bandit. He’d seen reports about the serial bank robber on the news, but never recognized him. Jake speaks with Mike about their friendship and why, sometimes, it’s hard to see the thing right in front of you. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Keith’s daughters, Elise and Marissa, face new trials on their own while Keith serves his time. After decades in custody, Keith nears his release date, and the Giammanco family grapples with the past and the choices they’ve made.  To learn more about Keith’s story, check out Bank Notes Revisited , co-written with Caroline Giammanco.  See omnystudio.com/listener for priv...

Federal and county prosecutors all want to hold Keith accountable for his crimes. Against the advice of his counsel, Keith takes his case to trial, hoping a jury will show him and his family some mercy. In the courtroom, his victims tell their side of the story.  Subscribe to Pushkin+ to binge the entire season, ad-free. Find Pushkin+ on the Deep Cover show page in Apple Podcasts or at Pushki...

Keith’s arrest makes national news, forcing Elise and Marissa to defend their dad to the world. Their mother makes a surprise reappearance, moving in and bringing new troubles along with her. Subscribe to Pushkin+ to binge the entire season, ad-free. Find Pushkin+ on the Deep Cover show page in Apple Podcasts or at Pushkin.fm . See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Boonie Hat Bandit robs a 12th bank. And things don’t go according to his plan. His teenage daughters, Elise and Marissa, are left to pick up the pieces. They wonder: how had he managed such an elaborate deception? And what’s going to happen to their family now? Subscribe to Pushkin+ to binge the entire season, ad-free. Find Pushkin+ on the Deep Cover show page in Apple Podcasts or...

In 2008, Keith Giammanco, also known as the Boonie Hat Bandit, went on a crime spree. Today, he lives in a remote cabin somewhere in the Ozarks. What choices led him here? And what was the original gamble that set it all in motion? Subscribe to Pushkin+ to binge the entire season, ad-free. Find Pushkin+ on the Deep Cover show page in Apple Podcasts or at Pushkin.fm . See omnystudio.com/listener fo...

One night in 2008, Elise and Marissa Giammanco were home, wondering where their dad was and why he hadn’t answered any of their texts. Then the police showed up. Suddenly, the seventeen-year-old twins had to question everything they thought they knew about their father.  Subscribe to Pushkin+ to binge the entire season, ad-free. Find Pushkin+ on the Deep Cover show page in Apple Podcast...

Every family has its secrets. On the new season of Deep Cover, Jake Halpern tells the story of the crimes one man committed in the name of fatherhood–and what happened when his daughters discovered he was living a double life.  New episodes drop May 18. Subscribe to Pushkin+ to binge the entire season, ad-free. Find Pushkin+ on the Deep Cover show page in Apple Podcasts or at Pushkin.fm...

Jake 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/checko...

Jake 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...

After the confrontation in the supermarket carpark, Ollie is left feeling confused — has he been charmed 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... or leave him and his family hanging? More details come to life about the consequences of Lezlie's reckless lifestyle and how little she has prospered....

Ollie and Simon have criss-crossed California to find themselves parked in their American muscle car staking out exits from a supermarket they think Lezlie works in. They may only have one shot to talk to her 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 m...

Ollie 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...

Ollie 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 Lak...

The stories Lezlie Manukian has told people about her time in Hawaii usually end with murderous local mobsters running her off the island. But this is also coming from the tall tale telling Californian trickster we've heard can even swindle a bank. When Lezlie left New Zealand, never to be seen again, it seemed like the only way for Greg Wards to understand who he really married was to ask the Haw...

What looks like a dream marriage for Ollie Wards' brother Greg soon morphs into a nightmare. With the whole family drawn into the mess, his parents go from a comfortable retirement to being homeless and squatting in the basement at his Aunty's house. Even though she was on a tourist visa in New Zealand, Greg's American wife had secured a massive loan from the country's state-owned b...

Ollie Wards was MC at his brother's wedding. "It was a fun party," he recalls, "kind of rowdy. But inside I had a sense of unease. I couldn't explain it." He ignored the feeling. Greg met his bride while backpacking in London. He was in his twenties and partying hard. But he always had his eye on America. He loved everything to do with the place. So, when he met a dark-haired, older...

In 2006, Greg Wards was your average Kiwi backpacker on an overseas adventure in the UK, working hard, playing harder — and falling head-over-heels in love. After a whirlwind international romance, Greg married Lezlie Manukian in New Zealand. Their new life started out by setting up a small business north of Auckland. But a snowball had started to roll the day Greg met Lezlie Manukian. It wa...

Last week, President Trump commuted George Santos’ prison sentence — a decision that’s prompted both surprise and reflection. Producer Amy Gaines McQuade walks Jake Halpern through the news and checks back in with people who knew Santos to hear their reactions. For more on Mark’s reporting on George Santos, check out his book:  The Fabulist - The Lying, Hustling, Grift...