Deep Cover: George Santos

George Santos pleaded guilty in federal court this week. Amy Gaines McQuade was in the courtroom. Amy and Jake discuss the proceeding and where things go from here.

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George Santos takes office. His communications director, Naysa Woomer, walks us through her five months with Congressman Santos as she tries to manage the chaos and sort  fact from fiction. Author Mark Chiusano unpacks some of the most complicated allegations surrounding Santos’ personal narrative.

For more on Mark’s reporting on George Santos, check out his book: The Fabulist - The Lying, Hustling, Grifting, Stealing and Very American Legend of George Santos. 

For more on how 9/11 has impacted first responders, and those who lived around Ground Zero, listen to Amy Gaines McQuade’s Frontline Dispatch episode: “The Weight of Dust.”

Note: George Santos is now expected to plead guilty, as first reported by Talking Points Memo.

This is a developing story. We will update listeners as more information becomes available.

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George Santos runs for Congress and wins. Then the stories he told on the campaign trail start to fall apart. Semafor’s Kadia Goba wants to figure out where his money is coming from. Saurav Ghosh, of the Campaign Legal Center, finds the Santos filings suspicious. As Santos’ criminal trial approaches, Producer Amy Gaines McQuade walks Jake Halpern through the moment when the cracks began to show.  

Note: George Santos is now expected to plead guilty, as first reported by Talking Points Memo.

This is a developing story. We will update listeners as more information becomes available.

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George Santos, the former Republican Congressman from New York, told a lot of stories about his life and his credentials. Many of which, it turns out, were not true. And now–in just a few weeks–Santos is scheduled to face a criminal trial. 

Deep Cover Producer Amy Gaines McQuade, who grew up in Santos’ congressional district, speaks with insiders and experts to try to answer the question: Who is George Santos… really? 

Welcome to Deep Cover: George Santos. Coming August 19th

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We'll have new episodes of Deep Cover soon, but until then, enjoy this preview from The Burden: Empire on Blood.

The podcast reached #1 on the charts when it was released six years ago. Empire on Blood is set In the Bronx, NY, in the early 90s, when two young drug dealers ruled an intersection known as “The Corner on Blood.” The boss, Calvin Buari, lived large. He and a protege swore they would build an empire on blood. Then the relationship frayed and the protege accused Calvin of a double homicide which he claimed he didn’t do. But did he? 

Award-winning journalist Steve Fishman spent years trying to untangle this dark intrigue. Then one day, his phone rang. It was the protege. Empire on Blood is one man’s last chance to overturn his life sentence. But someone’s gotta pay. If you want to hear more, find the show wherever you listen to podcasts.

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Jake Halpern speaks with Jerri Williams, former FBI agent and host of the podcast, FBI Retired Case File Review about the case at the center of our series, The Nameless Man. Then, Beth Wilson Devlin, a founding partner at Edge Litigation Consulting, joins the show to analyze the verdict and discuss what prosecutors and defense attorneys look for when choosing a jury. 

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Jake Halpern speaks with James Forman Jr., story consultant on Deep Cover’s fourth season, The Nameless Man. James Forman Jr. is the J. Skelly Wright Professor of Law at Yale Law School, and the author of Locking Up Our Own. We recommend listening to this episode after you’ve heard the whole series. 

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Our season finale. What the jury decided and how the verdict sits with the federal agents, jurors, and Wood family today. 

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Witnesses testify. A vigorous defense is mounted. What will the jury decide?

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An assistant prosecutor in Philadelphia prepares the case to be heard by a grand jury. Is there enough evidence to make an arrest, and bring the case to trial? 

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After nearly 20 years with no answers, the Wood family learns that police are investigating a new lead in Aaron’s death. 

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The alleged accomplice confesses. Investigators try to piece together who the victim might be from the scant details he remembers.

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Two federal agents investigate a rumor about a decades old murder. 

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How do you solve a murder case when you don’t know who the victim is?

Deep Cover: The Nameless Man launches April 22, with new episodes weekly. Subscribe to Pushkin+ to hear the whole season at once. Find Pushkin+ on the Deep Cover show page in Apple Podcasts, or at pushkin.fm/plus.

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In 2022, we released a series called Camouflage Bias that told the story of Ronnie Carrasquillo– a man who was loosely connected to a trial we covered in Deep Cover Season Two: Mob Land. At 18 years old, Ronnie was sentenced to 200-600 years in prison for the murder of a police officer. Today, we’re releasing this special episode with an update on Ronnie’s case, because after being incarcerated for nearly 50 years, there is some big news.  

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This episode originally ran in 2022. We’re rereleasing it today along with an update on Ronnie’s story.

2022. After Ronnie Carrasquillo exhausts his appeals, he faces the Illinois Prisoner Review Board. But it seems each time Ronnie comes up for parole, he can’t escape the notoriety of his past. For a transcript of this episode, click here.

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This episode originally ran in 2022. We’re rereleasing it today along with an update on Ronnie’s story.

1978. A few months after the Aleman trial wraps up, the presiding judge, Frank Wilson, sentences a young man named Ronnie Carrasquillo to 200-600 years in prison for murder. But Ronnie’s lawyer claims there’s much more to the story. For a transcript of this episode, click here.

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In July of 1999, a young woman named Brooke Henson went missing from Travelers Rest, South Carolina. In this follow up episode to Deep Cover: Never Seen Again, Jake Halpern talks to Ben Ford, the chief of police in Travelers Rest about what we know and don’t know about her case, as the search continues. 

If you have any new information at all that might be helpful, please contact him at ford@trpolice.com.

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In this special episode of Deep Cover, recorded live at Littlefield in Brooklyn, host Jake Halpern and his friend and fellow journalist Emily Bazelon (of New York Times Magazine and Political Gabfest) talk all things crime reporting. They talk about the ways female offenders have been portrayed in the media, the complicated ethics of telling these stories, and Jake gives the inside scoop on season three: “Never Seen Again.”

For more about Emily’s reporting on Noura Jackson’s case, check out her New York Times Magazine article and her book Charged. 

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Esther's past catches up with her, as investigators in South Carolina seek answers about what happened to Brooke Henson. In our season finale, we bring you the latest details on the fates of both women.   

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Esther’s sister has been looking for her for nearly a decade without any luck. A US Marshal is brought in to track Esther down. One of them will eventually find her. 

Subscribe to Pushkin+ to hear all of Deep Cover Season 3 right now. Find Pushkin+ on the Deep Cover showpage in Apple Podcasts, or at pushkin.fm/plus using this link:bit.ly/3HeCERO. 

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When Esther flees New York, she inadvertently ignites a media firestorm. Reporters and TV producers rush to tell the story of the Ivy League imposter: the so-called “brazen brunette beauty” and “klepto brainiac.” Unaware of the media circus, Esther holes up in motels across the country – until the story catches up with her. 

Subscribe to Pushkin+ to hear all of Deep Cover Season 3 right now. Find Pushkin+ on the Deep Cover showpage in Apple Podcasts, or at pushkin.fm/plus using this link:bit.ly/3HeCERO.

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A woman named Esther Reed has been living in New York, but attending college under a different identity: Brooke Henson. When the NYPD tries to learn more, she flees. In this episode, Esther starts to tell her side of the story – and why she is on the run.   

Subscribe to Pushkin+ to hear all of Deep Cover Season 3 right now. Find Pushkin+ on the Deep Cover showpage in Apple Podcasts, or at pushkin.fm/plus using this link:bit.ly/3HeCERO. 

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Detective Jon Campbell wants more information about the woman – at Columbia University – claiming to be Brooke Henson. He enlists the help of the Secret Service to get his hands on a treasure trove of documents. More leads, more aliases, more clues. Who is this mystery woman? 

Subscribe to Pushkin+ to hear all of Deep Cover Season 3 right now. Find Pushkin+ on the Deep Cover showpage in Apple Podcasts, or at pushkin.fm/plus using this link:bit.ly/3HeCERO.  

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Brooke Henson disappears from her home in Travelers Rest, South Carolina. No one can find her. She’s presumed dead. Then, seven years later, police receive a startling tip. 

Subscribe to Pushkin+ to hear all of Deep Cover Season 3 right now. Find Pushkin+ on the Deep Cover showpage in Apple Podcasts, or at pushkin.fm/plus using this link: bit.ly/3HeCERO.

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A small town detective gets a tip that leads him on an epic search.  He believes he's uncovered an imposter. A fraud. A highly-trained chameleon.  A foreign spy.  The federal government gets involved. A nationwide manhunt commences. No one can find her. Now, she's telling her story to Jake Halpern for Deep Cover Season 3: Never Seen Again. 

Deep Cover Season 3: Never Seen Again, launches January 30th with new episodes weekly. Subscribe to Pushkin+ to hear the whole season at once. Find Pushkin+ on the Deep Cover showpage in Apple Podcasts, or at pushkin.fm./plus.  

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2022. After Ronnie Carrasquillo exhausts his appeals, he faces the Illinois Prisoner Review Board. But it seems each time Ronnie comes up for parole, he can’t escape the notoriety of his past. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

1978. A few months after the Aleman trial wraps up, the presiding judge, Frank Wilson, sentences a young man named Ronnie Carrasquillo to 200-600 years in prison for murder. But Ronnie’s lawyer claims there's much more to the story. 

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September 1997.Bob’s wiretap evidence culminates in two major trials and the downfall of a mafia kingpin. But was it all worth it for Bob?  

Tickets to my upcoming digital experience on true crime storytelling are on sale at momenthouse.com/dclh

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November 1989. Bob’s undercover work has some serious consequences for an old friend. His days as an operative end suddenly when he flees Chicago.

Tickets to my upcoming digital experience on true crime storytelling are on sale at momenthouse.com/dclh

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April 1989. Bob goes after his most important target: Pat Marcy. But as he works his way up the criminal ladder, he risks being discovered.

Tickets to my upcoming digital experience on true crime storytelling are on sale at momenthouse.com/dclh

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December 1988. Bob wires up. He and the FBI set their sights on three targets: a mobbed-up car salesman, a bookie, and… a poet. 

Voice acting in this episode by Michael Imperioli.

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February 1986. Bob Cooley represents a bodybuilder who brutally assaulted a female police officer. Then Bob makes a decision that will change his life forever.

This episode comes out for free on February 14th and is available now for Pushkin+ subscribers.

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July 1973. Who can stem the tide of corruption in Chicago? In this episode: two attempts to clean up the courts. And where they fell short. 

This episode comes out for free on February 7th and is available now for Pushkin+ subscribers.

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July 1942. How did Bob Cooley, an Irish ex-cop from a family of cops and lawyers, become Bob Cooley, criminal defense lawyer and fixer for the Chicago Outfit?   

This episode comes out for free on January 31st and is available now for Pushkin+ subscribers.

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May 1977. After a witness decides to speak out, a hitman named Harry Aleman stands trial for the murder of William Logan. Bob Cooley is asked to “handle it.” The case is make-or-break for Cooley’s career, and possibly his life.

This episode comes out for free on January 31st and is available now for Pushkin+ subscribers.

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September 1972. A teamster named William Logan is gunned down outside his home, in what’s widely thought to be a mob hit. The Logan family is determined to get justice, but it may not be so easy.

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March 1986. A high-rolling lawyer named Bob Cooley walks into a federal prosecutor’s office and says that he has information that could bring down the mob.

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Who was Bob Cooley? 

Deep Cover Season Two launches on January 24th. Listen to the whole season early and ad-free by subscribing to Pushkin+.

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The launch of Deep Cover Season 2 is just a month away. Until then, we bring you a conversation between host Jake Halpern and screenwriter/author James Coyne about the genesis of Ned’s novel and the role it played in Jake’s writing of season one. Also, in this episode–a sneak peek of Deep Cover season 2: Mob Land.

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Jake delves into one piece of the puzzle that he didn’t quite get into in season one but has continued to intrigue him: the source. In this episode, you’ll meet Tommy Powell, a former smuggler who guides us through the import side of the marijuana industry. Starting out as a small time dealer in Michigan, Tommy winds up in Colombia inspecting marijuana crops and working as a liaison between farmers and other smugglers. Eventually, Tommy claims, he became one of the first smugglers to bring in really big loads of Colombian weed to the United States.

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Ned gets too close with a female source, a dangerous move that stands to end his marriage and perhaps even his career at the FBI. Meanwhile, tensions between the U.S. and Noriega ramp up. President Bush calls for an invasion of Panama. The final act in our saga ends with a full blown war.  

The first version of Ned’s unpublished novel was written by James Coyne and edited by Andrea McLaughlin. Voice acting by Walton Goggins.

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Word gets out that the smugglers have a silent partner who is none other than Manuel Noriega – the ruler of Panama, a close ally, and a top CIA asset. The three kingpins (Leigh Ritch, Mike Vogel, and Steven Kalish) all testify before Congress. Noriega is indicted in federal court. Meanwhile, Ned gets a call from a Colombian woman who says she can give him intel about suppliers. Ned thinks he finally has a shot at the source.

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This is the story of Leigh Ritch’s escape. It begins with his friends, Tommy Lee and Heather Locklear, visiting the Cayman Islands on their honeymoon. They start fighting, make a ruckus, and Leigh eventually takes them to Jamaica. From there, Leigh hopes to flee to Portugal, but the FBI has something else in mind. Meanwhile, back in Detroit, Ned helps lead a raid on Mike Vogel’s mansion.

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As Ned is in Grand Cayman working undercover to investigate Leigh Ritch, he hears talk about a “general” sometimes called “Pineapple Face.” That can only be the Panamanian dictator Manuel Noriega, who, it turns out, has effectively become the syndicate's launderer and protector. The FBI realizes it’s on to something serious, especially when the CIA comes knocking and starts asking all kinds of suspicious questions. The little investigation that began with bikers in Detroit has now implicated the Panamanian dictator – a valuable CIA asset.

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The kingpin of the smuggling syndicate – Leigh Ritch – is safely out of reach in the Cayman Islands. But he’s worried. One of his partners, the Gentleman Smuggler, is in custody. Leigh’s network may soon be exposed. He grows more paranoid, thinking his house is bugged. The syndicate's security guy, Shine, says he knows a guy who can sweep Leigh’s house. His name is Ed Thomas. (Yep, that’s Ned). So, Ned gets special permission to do undercover work abroad and sets off to Grand Cayman with Shine in tow.

The first version of Ned’s unpublished novel was written by James Coyne and edited by Andrea McLaughlin. Voice acting by Walton Goggins.

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Shine takes Ned to Beaufort, North Carolina, where an abandoned boat full of marijuana had been discovered years prior. Locally, that case had gone cold, but Shine knows all about it. It was the work of an activist turned marijuana importer named Steven Kalish AKA Skip AKA the Gentleman Smuggler, a nickname earned because of his charismatic personality and distaste for violence.

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Ned makes his move on Shine by baiting him into a chili cook-off. It turns out Shine is also looking for an out, as he’s come under suspicion from his boss, a massive drug distributor named Mike Vogel. Shine runs security for Vogel’s operation, but Vogel comes to suspect that Shine is a traitor. After Shine gets shot, he’s willing to cooperate with Ned.

The first version of Ned’s unpublished novel was written by James Coyne and edited by Andrea McLaughlin. Voice acting by Walton Goggins.

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As Ned goes deeper undercover with Toby, making busts and infiltrating biker gangs, his wife Kathy begins to worry that things are going too far. But Ned is hooked, hearing chatter about a smuggling syndicate, a massive drug warehouse, and a source nicknamed Shine, who might have intel on the whole operation. Meanwhile, down in Louisiana, an abandoned smuggling barge turns up, and local authorities find a single clue: the name Shine, etched into a notepad belonging to the smugglers.

The first version of Ned’s unpublished novel was written by James Coyne and edited by Andrea McLaughlin. Voice acting by Walton Goggins.

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Detroit FBI agent Ned Timmons busts Toby Anderson, a violent criminal who also fancies himself a budding country music star. Ned flips Toby and goes undercover as a biker, but Toby quickly goes out of control. He uses the newfound protection of the FBI to commit robberies and perhaps far worse. Most agents would give up, and send Toby to jail, but Ned has a feeling Toby might be his key to the criminal underworld.

The first version of Ned’s unpublished novel was written by James Coyne and edited by Andrea McLaughlin. Voice acting by Walton Goggins.

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Marijuana, motorcycles, and mayhem. Deep Cover is the true story of an FBI agent in Detroit who goes undercover in an outlaw motorcycle gang and makes a series of bizarre discoveries that inadvertently lead to the US invasion of foreign country. Hosted by Pulitzer Prize winning journalist Jake Halpern. Launching July 13th.

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