PRETEND
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PRETEND
PRETEND is an investigative true crime podcast about real people who lie for a living — con artists, scammers, and the victims caught in their web. Hosted by journalist Javier Leiva, PRETEND exposes the human psychology behind deception and fraud. Each episode follows a real case of manipulation —...
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How Edward Smog Scammed a Retired Nurse Out of $150K
My friend Joe sells real estate. He called me about one of his clients, a retired nurse who was selling her house, because something about her story w...
The Greatest Footballer Who Never Played Revisited
We've covered a lot of PRETENDers on this show. But the guy in this one might take the prize.
Carlos Henrique Raposo, better known as Kai...
Chain of Command: An Inside Man Speaks
Darnell Emanuel spent years inside Rony Denis's inner circle at the House of Prayer Christian Church. His name is on documents. His credit was used to...
Javier Stops by the Hot Mess Happy Hour Podcast 🍸
This week, Javier stops by the Hot Mess Happy Hour Podcast and it didn't disappoint. It was a hot mess!
About Hot Mess Hap...
Introducing: 'Hardcore Con' with Johnathan Walton
My friend Johnathan Walton just launched a new show called Hardcore Con, and I had to share it with you.
Each episode, he breaks down a c...
Chain of Command part 7
Federal prosecutors say the man known as Rony Denis isn't Rony Denis at all.
The arrest finally came in the fall of 2025. Three years aft...
Chain of Command part 6
In Part 6, the FBI comes knocking.
Rony Denis and his top associates allegedly defrauded the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and mili...
Chain of Command part 5
Rony Denis wasn't just the spiritual leader at the House of Prayer Christian Church... He was their god.
In Part 5, former members start...
The Lottery Curse with Murder: True Crime Stories
I teamed up with Carter Roy for a special guest collaboration on Murder: True Crime Stories and this one is something else. For the full episode, foll...
Chain of Command part 4
Note: This episode contains graphic descriptions of sexual abuse and psychological manipulation.
It started with a revolt. Thirty ministe...
Chain of Command part 3
In part three of Chain of Command, we hear from those who grew up in the New Testament Christian Churches of America. From Victor Johanson, a former A...
Chain of Command part 2
Part one was about control. Part two is about the money.
Behind the soul-winning and the sermons and the bylaws, the New Te...
The Raid | From Deep Cover: The Family Man
Deep Cover is a true crime show about double lives, brought to you by our friends at Pushkin Industries.
Their new season, The Family Man...
Chain of Command part 1
In 1996, Sarah DeJonghe was a 20-year-old Navy Seabee stationed in Okinawa, Japan. Two guys in uniform approached her on base and invited her to churc...
Operation Cockblock Revisited
A Colorado businessman with a criminal record, no credit, and a gift for charm somehow convinced dozens of women to finance his cars, his home, and hi...
The Greatest Podcast Episodes Ever Made (Bonus)
Somebody went through hundreds of Reddit comments asking what the greatest podcast episode of all time is, then actually listened to all of them. That...
I Beg Your Pardon part 6: The MAGA Granny
On January 6th, 2021, Pam Hemphill followed the Proud Boys to the Capitol, got trampled by the mob, was carried out by a police officer named Joe, and...
I Beg Your Pardon part 5
My cousin spent 23 years in an Illinois prison for a crime she says she didn't know she was committing. She was 33 when a judge handed down a 60-year...
I Beg Your Pardon part 4
Content Warning: This episode contains detailed descriptions of nursing home neglect, including accounts of residents found in unsanitary conditions....
Introducing Season Seven of Nobody Should Believe Me
Introducing Season Seven of Nobody Should Believe Me. Andrea revisits the case of Maya Kowalski—the story at the center of the Netflix film Take Care...
I Beg Your Pardon part 3
You know that little bottle of 5-Hour Energy sitting on the counter of almost every gas station in America? Someone was faking it. Millions of bottles...
I Beg Your Pardon part 2
Twelve days. That’s how long David Gentile spent in federal prison for a $1.8 billion fraud that wiped out the retirement savings of 17,000 people.
I Beg Your Pardon part 1
Jerry Bush was a plumber from Virginia with fourteen employees, a wife battling cancer, and a business his father built from nothing. When a big const...
Who's Afraid of LaDonna Humphrey Revisited
CONTENT WARNING: Graphic content. Listener discretion is advised.
Who’s Afraid of LaDonna Humphrey — Revisited
Update on “The Hand That Held Me”
I want to share a quick update about the "Hand That Held Me" series.
Due to some recent developments, I’ve made the decision to postpone...
The Pests part 3 & 4 Revisited
We conclude one of the most disturbing series ever covered on this podcast. Here are parts 3 and 4 of the Pests.
Learn more about...
The Pests part 1 & 2 Revisited
This week, we're revisiting one of the most terrifying series ever produced for PRETEND. It's about a gang-stalking internet group known as The Pests....
2505: State of Corruption: The School That Didn't Exist
Look, I'm not anti-private school. You want your kid to learn in an environment that matches your beliefs? Cool. To each their own. But should your ne...
Introducing Everything They Missed
Hey guys, it's Javier here with a new recommendation! I've come across a true crime podcast that I just had to share with you all. It's called 'Everyt...
2504: How to Spot a Fake ICE Agent
Criminals have been impersonating ICE agents, using fake badges to rape, rob, kidnap, and terrorize communities across America. These imposters have c...
Listener Reaction: Didn't See It Coming Part 3
Patreon supporter Kenito Wills joins Javier to break down the finale of the "Didn't See It Coming" series.
They talk through Susanne Wils...
Didn't See It Coming (Part 3)
The sting is set. The bait is in place. Six skeptics are logged into a Zoom call, pretending to be grieving siblings. They've paid $1,400 for a privat...
Listener's Reactions: Didn't See It Coming part 2
Patreon supporter Christine Harnos (not the Star Trek actress, the other one) joins Javier to break down Part 2 of the "Didn't See It Coming" series b...
2502: Didn't See It Coming (Part 2)
In Part 1, we watched skeptic Susan Gerbic dissect a celebrity psychic's cold reading techniques. But cold reading is the little leagues of the psychi...
Listener's Reaction: Didn't See That Coming Part 1
Longtime Patreon supporter Rebecca Catalfu joins Javier to unpack her firsthand experience going undercover at Matt Fraser's psychic readings.
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2501: Didn't See It Coming (Part 1)
Skeptic Susan Gerbic invited PRETEND inside one of her psychic sting operations. In Part 1 of this three-part series, we go inside "Operation Gobble G...
2408: PRETEND Live AMA
PRETEND's first live YouTube AMA, co-hosted by Patreon supporter Katie Watson. The conversation covers listener questions about the making of PRETEND,...
2407-Licensed to Kill Revisited
A Montana oncologist allegedly treated patients for cancer they never had and made millions doing it. We're re-releasing our two-part investigation in...
2406: The Real Life Grinch
'Tis the season for true crime chaos! Hosts Kristen Seavey from Murder, She Told, Javier Leiva from PRETEND, and Shaun from Sins & Survivors join forc...
Bonus Episode: Listener Reaction - Matthew Fenner vs. Ted Bell
This bonus episode features Kim, a Patreon supporter who connected with the Matthew Fenner story...but not for the reasons you might expect.