Jess Jiang

Just a quick warning, this episode talks about sex and sex work. It's an economic show, after all.

Just a quick warning, this episode talks about sex and sex work. It's an economic show, after all.

Just a quick warning, this episode talks about sex and sex work. It's an economic show, after all.

On the morning of October 30th, 2024, Mark Longo was doing what he does most mornings. He was at his animal sanctuary on a farm in upstate New York, feeding the several hundred horses and goats and pygmy donkeys he's rescued, many of which he and his wife have saved from the slaughterhouse. So where were you when the raid began?

On the morning of October 30th, 2024, Mark Longo was doing what he does most mornings. He was at his animal sanctuary on a farm in upstate New York, feeding the several hundred horses and goats and pygmy donkeys he's rescued, many of which he and his wife have saved from the slaughterhouse. So where were you when the raid began?

On the morning of October 30th, 2024, Mark Longo was doing what he does most mornings. He was at his animal sanctuary on a farm in upstate New York, feeding the several hundred horses and goats and pygmy donkeys he's rescued, many of which he and his wife have saved from the slaughterhouse. So where were you when the raid began?

That is when Mark saw something strange and menacing approaching the property. A convoy of SUVs with New York state government decals on the door. They're from an agency called the DEC. What does DEC stand for? Department of Environmental Conservation.

That is when Mark saw something strange and menacing approaching the property. A convoy of SUVs with New York state government decals on the door. They're from an agency called the DEC. What does DEC stand for? Department of Environmental Conservation.

That is when Mark saw something strange and menacing approaching the property. A convoy of SUVs with New York state government decals on the door. They're from an agency called the DEC. What does DEC stand for? Department of Environmental Conservation.

One of these Department of Environmental Conservation officers gets out of the car and tells Mark they'd come to his farm in order to take somebody into custody. And then he produced a search warrant. But the warrant wasn't for Mark or his wife or any of the people on the farm. The warrant was for a squirrel named Peanut.

One of these Department of Environmental Conservation officers gets out of the car and tells Mark they'd come to his farm in order to take somebody into custody. And then he produced a search warrant. But the warrant wasn't for Mark or his wife or any of the people on the farm. The warrant was for a squirrel named Peanut.

One of these Department of Environmental Conservation officers gets out of the car and tells Mark they'd come to his farm in order to take somebody into custody. And then he produced a search warrant. But the warrant wasn't for Mark or his wife or any of the people on the farm. The warrant was for a squirrel named Peanut.

What was going on here was that Mark's pet squirrel, Peanut, had become one of the most famous squirrels in the world. Thanks to social media, Peanut had reached the status of animal influencer. He had over a million followers on Instagram and TikTok. But as the DEC officers reminded Mark, it is illegal in the state of New York to keep wildlife as a pet without a special permit.

What was going on here was that Mark's pet squirrel, Peanut, had become one of the most famous squirrels in the world. Thanks to social media, Peanut had reached the status of animal influencer. He had over a million followers on Instagram and TikTok. But as the DEC officers reminded Mark, it is illegal in the state of New York to keep wildlife as a pet without a special permit.

What was going on here was that Mark's pet squirrel, Peanut, had become one of the most famous squirrels in the world. Thanks to social media, Peanut had reached the status of animal influencer. He had over a million followers on Instagram and TikTok. But as the DEC officers reminded Mark, it is illegal in the state of New York to keep wildlife as a pet without a special permit.

a permit that Mark did not have. The DEC said they'd received several complaints, and based on dozens of extremely popular and frankly quite adorable videos on Peanut's social media page, the officers had determined that both Peanut and a relatively newly acquired raccoon named Fred were somewhere on the premises.

a permit that Mark did not have. The DEC said they'd received several complaints, and based on dozens of extremely popular and frankly quite adorable videos on Peanut's social media page, the officers had determined that both Peanut and a relatively newly acquired raccoon named Fred were somewhere on the premises.

a permit that Mark did not have. The DEC said they'd received several complaints, and based on dozens of extremely popular and frankly quite adorable videos on Peanut's social media page, the officers had determined that both Peanut and a relatively newly acquired raccoon named Fred were somewhere on the premises.

Over the next several hours, DEC officers made Mark and his wife stand by as they scoured the property in search of Mark's celebrity squirrel.

Over the next several hours, DEC officers made Mark and his wife stand by as they scoured the property in search of Mark's celebrity squirrel.