Whale Hunting
Episodes
The Man Stealing 10 Billion Dollars from the US Economy, Mauerberger's Spiderweb | Whale Hunting
24 Apr 2026
Contributed by Lukas
This episode of Whale Hunting explores the intricate web of illicit activities surrounding Benjamin Mauerberger, a South African involved in high-stak...
From A Curious Worldview: How did MBS rise to power?
18 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Thanks for listening to season three of Whale Hunting. We've heard from the biographer of the world’s most secretive billionaire, the man running a ...
How did federal agents infiltrate the world’s dirtiest bank?
11 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
A rare opportunity arises when global financial institutions implode: a brief window into how the world really works. There’s an opportunity to lear...
Why does Elon Musk need private spies?
04 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
For the right price, a billionaire can buy almost anything in the private intelligence industry. Investigators will covertly dig through bins, pose as...
What does Iran achieve by outsourcing assassination attempts in the West?
27 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Iran’s war with Israel and the U.S. has been waged through numerous proxies — Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houthis in Yemen — but more recently, the Is...
Do Hezbollah's booby-trapped pagers herald a new era of warfare?
20 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Conventional warfare no longer exists. Drones, offensive hacking techniques and even sonic weaponry is upending how conflict is waged — and the rece...
Why was the FBI fascinated by the artist Mark Lombardi?
13 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Mark Lombardi was on the cusp of international success with his provocative artwork. So why was the 48-year-old found dead, and his death ruled a suic...
How did the FSB infiltrate one of Sweden’s biggest banks?
06 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Honeypot operations are one of the oldest tricks in the espionage playbook — get access to sensitive information through a wily femme fatale. Scand...
How did Credit Suisse become the most scandal-ridden bank of all time?
30 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Swiss banking has long been synonymous with secrecy, a harbinger of two things in the financial world: opportunity and risk. And Credit Suisse struggl...
How do you stop Putin’s war machine?
23 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
When Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, Western economies scrambled to coordinate an offensive of their own: sanctions. They weaponized economic...
Is Masayoshi Son the richest man you’ve never heard of?
16 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
For a few days in the early 2000s, Masayoshi Son — nicknamed Masa — was the richest man in the world. A few days later, it all came tumbling down....
Are hidden jurisdictions rewriting the rules of power?
09 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Imagine a world where there are two maps. The regular one that everyone sees — one divided by land borders and nation states. The other, a hidden gl...
How does a secretive Catholic sect influence global finance?
02 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
When journalist Gareth Gore began investigating the collapse of Spain’s Banco Popular in 2017, he expected a predictable tale of bad investments and...
How has Popular Front changed war reporting?
25 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
For the last five years, Popular Front has been shaking up the way many of us view reporting from conflict zones. It gives its followers an up-close-a...
What’s it like to run a TV network under the Taliban?
18 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
When the Taliban were first toppled in 2001, there was hope among some Afghans that it could mark the start of a new Afghanistan. President Bush promi...
How did 1MDB cash end up in Kim Kardashian’s pockets?
11 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
On Monday, Malaysia’s High Court heard how a staggering $2.4 million made its way from the coffers of the Malaysian sovereign wealth fund, 1MDB, int...
Is the art market a haven for dirty money?
04 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
You’ve probably heard of blood diamonds, but what about blood antiquities? Today, most trappings of wealth – like cash, diamonds or gold – are s...
From The Lever: Who Broke The Economy?
21 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Thanks for listening to season two of Whale Hunting! The podcast will be back very soon with brand new episodes on everything from cultural racketeeri...
Why is London the libel capital of the world?
14 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
A furious letter from a smartly-named law firm is almost par for the course for journalists on the crime and corruption beat. From oligarchs and dicta...
Who is Li Fangwei, the Chinese phantom?
07 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In recent years, Philipp Grüll has spent almost all his time reporting on arms deals. He’s considered something of a specialist, so when his collea...
How do kleptocrats and dictators launder their reputation in the US?
31 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In the US, all American citizens have the constitutional right to lobby their representatives in Washington DC. It’s a right that has come in handy ...
Are journalists con artists?
24 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
"Every journalist who is not too stupid or too full of himself to notice what is going on knows that [...] he is a kind of confidence man, preying on ...
Betrayal, Insurgency, and Understanding Afghanistan
17 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
No nation faced more devastating consequences in the aftermath of 9/11 than Afghanistan. At least, that’s what Sune Rasmussen observed in his six ye...
Sudden Russian Death Syndrome
10 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
It’s a precarious time for the Russian elite. Caught up in the invasion of Ukraine and an immovable dictator, the noblesse russe have to tip-toe thr...
The Grab: Food Wars, Water Crises and China's Plan
03 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In 2013, US-based Smithfield Foods – the world's largest pork producer – was bought by a Chinese firm for nearly $5 billion. But was it just a ru...
The Secret Mission to Overthrow the North Korean Regime
26 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
This week on Whale Hunting, we're bringing you a special episode from Project Brazen's archives that asks: How did an Ivy League activist become a glo...
Dark Web, MLMs, and a Missing Cryptoqueen
19 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Dr Ruja Ignatova has been on the run since 2017 after orchestrating one of the biggest scams in history. This week on Whale Hunting, Bradley chats to ...
Girl Bosses: Cartels, Narcas and Untold Stories
12 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Think of your favorite mafia movie or narco show. Then think of its female characters. How many of them fall into the following categories? 1) long su...
FBI Calling: Organized Crime, Encrypted Phones and Anom
05 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Gangsters of the past may have headed to their nearest payphone to make risky calls, but modern day criminals have a much more convenient option: encr...
Old Crimes, New Tech: Mixers, Crypto and Dirty Money
29 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Like night needs day, criminals have always needed money launderers. But how is the digital revolution changing the laundering business? This week on ...
Fur and Loathing: Trolls, Terrorism, and Chlorine Gas
22 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Many journalists have that one story they just can't let drop. For Nicky Woolf, it was this one. In December 2014, at the Hyatt Regency hotel in Rose...
K Street: How to Buy Friends and Influence People
15 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Once upon a time, in a land far away, corporate interests didn't rule the political roost. It's hard to imagine today, when Big Oil, Big Tech and Big ...
China and the US: Nukes, Tech and Hot Competition
08 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
We’re back and we’re kicking off season two with a bang! This week on Whale Hunting, host Tom Wright is joined by Jane Perlez, long-time Beijing b...
From 404 Media: The ‘Com World War’
24 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Thanks for listening to season one of Whale Hunting! The podcast will be back very soon with brand new episodes on everything from President Xi of Chi...
1MDB Updates: Jho Low, a Swiss Trial and Testimony in Malaysia
17 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The consequences of Jho Low's colossal fraud continue to be felt on several continents. In Malaysia, the trial of former Malaysian prime minister Naji...
Covert Diplomacy: Democracy, Death Threats and Hostage Negotiations
10 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
If your loved one was kidnapped by a terror group like ISIS, your first instinct might be to scream for help from the rooftops. This, Daniel Levin say...
Sam Bankman-Fried: FTX, Regrets, and a 25 year prison sentence
03 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Lewis A. Kaplan has been a district court judge for almost 30 years, but even he was staggered by the audacity of Sam Bankman-Fried. “When he wasn’...
Bumper Harvests: Data, Privacy, and State Surveillance
27 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
We all know that advertisers are snapping up our digital data: what we buy, the websites we visit, the content we consume – even where we are at any...
Cyber Crimes: Stuxnet, Sabotage and Digital Warfare
20 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Imagine a digital virus that could destroy your computer. Not crash its system, but actually wreck the physical hardware – say, melt the motherboard...
Red Alert: Interpol, Autocrats, and a Leadership Race
13 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Hollywood movies would have you believe Interpol is something like the world’s police force. The reality is quite different. This week on Whale Hunt...
Ridouan Taghi: Drugs, Death, and a Mega Trial
06 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Most of the time, drug wars happen in the shadows, in underworld deaths and disappearances. But when journalists and lawyers start getting gunned down...
Treasure Islands: Secrecy, Shell Companies, and Sunny Tax Havens
28 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
How fast can you set up a shell company? We bet Jason Sharman can do it quicker. A Cambridge academic, author, and an expert witness, Professor Sharma...
Making Movies: Johnny Depp, MBS, and a Blockbuster Bromance
21 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Picture the scene: you’re luxury glamping in the Saudi desert, the darkening sky already awash with stars above you. You’re about to enjoy all the...
Jan Marsalek: Wirecard, Lies and Bulgarian Spies
14 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The man at the heart of the German Wirecard scandal, Jan Marsalek was once believed to be a straightforward fraudster. Recent reporting, however, has ...
Dark Dubai: Sheiks, Escapes and Runaway Princesses
07 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
When the Sheik of Dubai’s daughters tried to escape their father, world powers turned a blind eye. But investigative reporter Heidi Blake was determ...
Fighting Talk: Russia, Resilience, and Reporting War
31 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Yaroslav Trofimov is a seasoned war correspondent whose career spans the tumultuous events of the early 21st century, from Iraq to Afghanistan and the...
Flying Low: Data, Dictators, and Private Planes
24 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
If there’s one thing dictators and autocrats hate, it’s transparency. If they got it their way, they’d step onto private jets and vanish from al...
Fat Leonard: Ports, Pay Offs, and a Prisoner Swap
17 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Leonard Francis executed a naval corruption scheme like no other – plying admirals and officers with booze, parties and prostitutes in return for lu...
Private Surveillance: Are you being watched?
10 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
How can journalists, activists, dissidents and even lawyers and business leaders protect themselves from the threat of private surveillance? That’s ...
Evan Gershkovich: The US reporter held in Putin’s Russia
03 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
It’s been more than nine months since Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich was wrongfully detained on espionage charges. Just a few weeks a...
Risky Assets: Spooks, Yachts, and Social Games
20 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This week on Whale Hunting, Bradley Hope is joined by Alex Finley, former CIA operations officer and author of the Victor Caro book series. While rese...
Spy Fiction: Lies, Life Writing, and John le Carré
13 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This week on Whale Hunting, Tom Wright and Bradley Hope dive into the life and works of legendary spy novelist John le Carré. After le Carré's death...
Dirty Pictures: The Mafia, Stolen Art, and Mediocre Seascapes
06 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This week on Whale Hunting, Tom Wright is joined by Simon Willis, journalist and host of new podcast, The Professor. The series unravels the story of ...
Bad Lawyers: 1MDB, Pras Michel, and Artificial [Un]intelligence
29 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
How did the Ghetto Superstar rapper Pras Michel become locked in an international financial fraud case — and did his AI-loving lawyer stitch him up?...