The Binge Cases: Watching You
Episodes
Just Say You’re Sorry | 3. The Grand Canyon
15 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
It's Day 2 of Holland’s interrogation of Driskill. Over the course of several hours Holland uses a variety of extreme but legal tactics as he chases...
Just Say You’re Sorry | 2. The Word of God
08 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Chammah investigates the cop at the centre of the story – James Holland is so celebrated as an interrogator that he’s known in the media as ‘the...
Just Say You’re Sorry | 1. Not That I Recall
01 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Texas Ranger James Holland approaches Air Force veteran Larry Driskill and asks him for help with a murder case. These are the first moments in a psyc...
Introducing: Just Say You're Sorry
24 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Texas Ranger James Holland is celebrated as the ‘serial killer whisperer’, solving dozens of murders through his legendary interrogation skills. B...
Deadly Cure | 8. The Rattlesnake King
15 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Genesis II has recently gained a significant following in some South American countries, according to local reports. Hundreds of buyers have been lini...
Deadly Cure | 7. Doing Time
08 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
From prison in Colombia, to a detention facility in Texas to federal detention in Florida, the Grenons continue to fight for their freedom, and promot...
Deadly Cure | 6. The Raid
01 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In the summer of 2020, the government raided Grenon's compound and arrested two of Mark Grenon’s sons. But where in the world were Mark and his othe...
Deadly Cure | 5. Operation Quack Hack
22 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
As MMS continued its rise, so did the Federal Drug Administration’s attention on the so-called cure. But MMS would prove difficult to clamp down ...
Deadly Cure | 4. The Limelight
15 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Self-appointed archbishops Jim Humble and Mark Grenon begin hosting seminars around the world, and charging $450 per person to attend. But it wasn’t...
Deadly Cure | 3. The Martyr
08 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
What starts for Daniel Smith as an attempt to regain trust in medicine quickly becomes "Project Green Life" – a top distributor of MMS. Then, the fe...
Deadly Cure | 2. The Bleach Hunters
01 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Fiona O'Leary is a fearless firebrand, and mother of four autistic children. She is also an online vigilante who will stop at nothing to take down pro...
Deadly Cure | 1. Genesis
01 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Meet Mark Grenon, Jim Humble, and the Genesis II church. Mark Grenon, a missionary in the Dominican Republic, contracts MRSA. He discovers the Miracle...
Introducing: Deadly Cure
18 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Smoke Screen: Deadly Cure is a podcast about a family on the fringe who convinced tens of thousands of people across the globe to buy a miracle liquid...
A New Investigation: The Last Days of the NXIVM Sex Cult
05 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Behind every infamous news story is a journalist trying to hold power to account. Join reporters Vanessa Grigoriadis and Gabriel Sherman as they tak...
GOING UNDERCOVER
04 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Alex Schuman, host of Puppy Kingpin, spoke to Deborah Howard, the president of CAPS, the Companion Animal Protection Society, and an undercover invest...
A New Case: The Criminal Empire of Scam Calls
01 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Chameleon: Scam Likely host, Yudhijit Bhattacharjee, sits down with Alex Schuman to chat about the newest season of the blockbuster Chameleon franchis...
A Q&A with Smoke Screen host Alex Schuman
22 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Spectacle: True Crime host, Mariah Smith, sits down with Alex Schuman to chat all things about the newest season of Smoke Screen, Puppy Kingpin. She p...
Puppy Kingpin | 7. Consequences
21 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Jolyn Noethe faces a class action lawsuit that accuses her of a federal crime and might cost her up to 5 million. The puppy pipeline isn’t going to ...
Puppy Kingpin | 6. License to Sell
14 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The Iowa AG’s lawsuit against Jolyn comes to a conclusion as she faces challenges from multiple sides. Alex looks more closely at the USDA as a grow...
Puppy Kingpin | 5. Small Town Secrets
07 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Alex heads to Britt, Iowa where Jolyn Noethe grew up and her for-profit enterprise, J.A.K.’s Puppies, is headquartered. He discovers that a family d...
Puppy Kingpin | 4. A Kind of Identity Theft
30 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Multiple lawsuits now accuse Jolyn Noethe of creating rescues to sell commercially-bred puppies where they’ve been outlawed. Alex learns how the sch...
Puppy Kingpin | 3. Hobo K9
23 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Authorities learn of unusual “rescue puppies” starting to turn up in Chicago and begin an investigation. Soon, they are on the trail of the secret...
Puppy Kingpin | 2. Inside a Puppy Mill
16 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Alex sets out to learn more about Jolyn Noethe, but ends up getting an inside look at a puppy mill and how they operate legally. We’ll hear audio of...
Puppy Kingpin | 1. Follow the Puppies
16 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
When Mindi Callison finds out a local pet shop might be selling puppies from a puppy mill, she takes action. Soon, she’s tracking dogs being transpo...
Coming Soon: Puppy Kingpin
25 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Americans are used to being on the lookout for a scam, but authorities are warning of a new kind of fraud. Puppy Kingpin shines a spotlight on Jolyn N...
Bonus episode: Where's my money?
20 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Last year, as the final episodes of The Sellout aired, LA TACO got a tip from a listener: for years, Jose Huizar had been awarding flashy scholarships...
The Sellout | 9: There's A Fire
14 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Mariah talks to the Boyle Heights residents who watched as FBI agents raided Huizar’s home and offices. Three months into the pandemic, he’s arres...
The Sellout | 8: The Downfall
07 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Huizar’s carelessness starts to catch up with him. After more than a dozen all-expenses paid trips to Vegas with plenty of perks, Huizar gets played...
The Sellout | 7: The Coverup
30 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Huizar’s downfall started with a sexual harassment lawsuit. He didn’t have the hundreds of thousands of dollars to settle the suit on his own... s...
The Sellout | 6: The Heyday
23 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Gentrification comes in waves. Over years, a piece of downtown LA transformed from Skid Row, to a bastion for young artists, to a hipster neighborhoo...
The Sellout | 5: How Downtown Was Won
16 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
No man is an island. Huizar couldn’t have pulled off the alleged corruption scheme without help. Host Mariah Castañeda tells the story of how Huiza...
The Sellout | 4. Progress Over People
09 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
When fancy new developments like The Gold Line expansion get proposed, residents of Boyle Heights wonder if it’s actually for them, or if these new ...
The Sellout | 3. Red Flags
02 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Alvin Parra worked for Huizar when he first got elected. He saw early warning signs that Huizar wasn’t the man of the people he made himself out to ...
The Sellout | 2. Gentrification is Warfare
26 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
A militant organization called Defend Boyle Heights protests encroaching gentrification, by any means necessary. We dig into two origin stories: how H...
The Sellout | 1. The Gem of Boyle Heights
26 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
As a working-class Latinx neighborhood in Los Angeles faces gentrification, residents are ready to fight to defend their turf. Mariachis lead a rent s...
Introducing The Sellout and Smoke Screen Plus
22 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Jonathan Hirsch, Neon Hum CEO and host of I Am Rama, introduces this season of Smoke Screen (it's called The Sellout!) and our new paid subscription s...
Coming Soon: The Sellout
12 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Jose Huizar grew up in Boyle Heights – a working-class Latinx neighborhood in L.A. Eventually, he became their councilperson. And, for the most p...
I Am Rama | 10. Legacy
17 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we explore all that Rama left behind: students, a charitable foundation, music, books, and a complicated legacy. A Neon Hum Media ...
I Am Rama | 9. Conscience Bay
10 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Power trips to paradise and never-before shared knowledge -- were these golden times, or Rama’s way of saying goodbye? This episode explores the fin...
I Am Rama | 8. Public Opinion
03 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
As Rama’s image took a hit in the public sphere, his students circled the wagons around their teacher. In something of a last ditch effort to win ov...
I Am Rama | 7. Accused
27 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Multiple women accuse Rama of sexual misconduct and emotional manipulation. Many of Rama’s students defend their teacher. A Neon Hum Media and ...
I Am Rama | 6. Deprogramming
20 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Rama finds himself in the crosshairs of the Cult Awareness Network, a group dedicated to extricating people from what they consider to be cults by “...
I Am Rama | 5. Brenda
13 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
A young woman follows Rama to New York, and mysteriously vanishes, leaving behind many to wonder what happened. In this episode, people who knew and l...
I Am Rama | 4. Spiritual Contract
06 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Will Arntz is a man of many talents, from filmmaker to laser physicist. In this episode, Will relives the time he spent studying with Rama and how it ...
I Am Rama | 3. California Dreaming
29 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Rama’s growth as a spiritual teacher in the mid-80s starts in California but takes him and his students all over the country. Rama defines his doctr...
I Am Rama | 2. Becoming
22 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
This episode follows Frederick Lenz III from his early days and education through his introduction to spiritualism with his mentor, Sri Chinmoy, at th...
I Am Rama | 1. Golden Light
22 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Rama was a man of many faces: teacher, tech entrepreneur, friend - and to some, a scam artist. This episode introduces Rama, examining the world from ...
Coming Soon: I Am Rama
08 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Rama was a spiritual teacher in the 80s and 90s who inspired many of his students while helming what many of his detractors would describe as a cult. ...
Fake Priest | 9. How To Get Away With Fraud
08 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Until now, Father Ryan has mostly escaped punishment for stealing money from followers under false pretenses. What would it take for him to face a jur...
Fake Priest | 8. Origin Story
01 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Alex Schuman finally has his showdown with Father Ryan. But things don't go as planned because Father Ryan has something to confess about his past tha...
Fake Priest | 7. Two Dead Priests
24 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In his autobiography, Father Ryan connects himself to two priests who died suspiciously. One he accuses of molesting children. The other? He says he t...
Fake Priest | 6. No Good Deed Goes Unpunished
17 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The father-daughter investigator team discovers the cop who arrested Father Ryan may have an ulterior motive. They defend Father Ryan tooth and nail -...
Fake Priest | 5. Meet The Browns
10 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
A sheriff deputy arrests Father Ryan for taking more than $70,000 from an elderly follower. It's looking like he might get 7 years in prison, but then...
Fake Priest | 4. Llama Drama
03 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
After Father Ryan steals a follower's money, her property and even her husband's ashes, she hires a lawyer. A legal battle ensues over unpaid loans an...
Fake Priest | 3. The Teacher
27 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Even con artists need mentors. Meet the false prophet who teaches Father Ryan how to perfect his con. Father Ryan evades criminal charges again and Al...
Fake Priest | 2. Coming Home
20 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Alex tracks down Father Ryan’s son, Jonathan Brady, and discovers Father Ryan was a scammer and manipulator long before he wore a priestly robe. Tur...
Fake Priest | 1. An Unholy Priest
13 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Investigative reporter Alex Schuman hears about a guy accused of swindling millions who has travelled the Midwest for decades pretending to be a pries...
Introducing Smoke Screen: Fake Priest
31 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
For 30 years, a man claimed to be a priest. He performed baptisms and took confession. Every time he ran into trouble, Father Ryan would move on to an...