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PODCAST

PRETEND

Creative Babble, LLC

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 — from financial scams and Ponzi schemes to digital hoaxes and emotional cons. PRETEND explains how and why deception works without shaming victims, combining ethical journalism with cinematic

true crime

All Episodes

42:00

2107: The Internet Saves the Bachelor part 2

PRETEND ·

2025/05/20

The story isn’t over. In Part 2, we dig deeper into the chaos that followed Laura Owens’ accusations against Bachelor star Clayton Echard.Internet sleuths start pulling court records, police reports, and medical documents. Their findings are wild — fake identities, stolen ultrasounds, and a pregnancy that might never have happened. Laura pushes back. She sues YouTuber Dave Neal and threatens to sue other podcasters for even discussing the case. In court, she testifies under oath. But her

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33:48

2106: The Internet Saves the Bachelor part 1

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2025/05/14

After a one-night hookup with a fan-turned-client, former Bachelor star Clayton Echard faced an unexpected legal battle — and public accusations that threatened to ruin his life.In this episode, we unpack the early timeline of Clayton’s explosive case with Laura Michelle Owens, who claimed she was pregnant with his twins… despite his insistence they never had sex. But Clayton wasn’t her first target. When no one else believed him, the internet showed up and started pulling Laura’s story

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28:30

2105: The Man Who Stole 200 Million Identities

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2025/05/10

In this episode of PRETEND, recorded live at the GISEC cybersecurity conference in Dubai, I spoke with Hieu Minh Ngo, once one of the most prolific identity thieves in the world. Operating out of Vietnam, Hieu stole and sold personal data on over 200 million Americans. We're talking names, birth dates, Social Security numbers—everything you’d need to become someone else. But he didn’t hack his way in. Instead, he used open-source intelligence and even impersonated a private investigator to gain

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30:09

2104: The Digital Pickpocket Revisted

PRETEND ·

2025/05/06

While speaking at a hacker conference in Dubai, Javier revisits a conversation with professional pickpocket and entertainer James Freedman. James reveals how a childhood scuffle led to a lifelong obsession with the art of pickpocketing, evolving from swiping coins to mastering social engineering and even digital fraud. 🔗 Listen to Part 2Click here for The Digital Pickpocket, Part 2 → 💬 Connect with Javier on social Instagram/Twitter/TikTok: @pretendpod 🛡 Stay safe: Learn how to defend

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22:20

2103: LaDonna's Easter Egg Hustle

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2025/04/29

How LaDonna Humphrey Used a Children's Event to Funnel Money Through Oasis of Northwest Arkansas. What happens when a glow-in-the-dark Easter egg hunt turns into a glowing red flag? In this bonus episode of PRETEND, host Javier Leiva exposes a so-called family event that promised “magic,” but delivered mayhem — all tied to LaDonna Humphrey and her questionable nonprofit, Oasis of Northwest Arkansas. Held at Mt. Hebron Park on April 12, 2025, the event was marketed as an unforgettable

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41:16

2102: Faking Insanity

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2025/04/22

Can you really fake being insane—and get away with it? In this episode of PRETEND, host Javier Leiva sits down with forensic psychologist Dr. Tristin Engels to pull back the curtain on the high-stakes world of mental health evaluations in the criminal justice system.We explore how some criminals try to game the system, what psychologists look for when evaluating claims of mental illness, and why even experts can be fooled. Plus, we revisit infamous cases like Richard Speck, George Metesky (aka The

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36:19

2101: My Wife, the Ponzi Schemer

PRETEND ·

2025/04/15

Interview with a man convicted of a Ponzi scheme. Bill Livolsi says he was just trying to help his wife, Linda—the ringleader of a multi-million dollar investment scam.In this episode of PRETEND, Bill opens up about how he got roped into the scheme, ignored every red flag, and ultimately landed in prison. He describes fake hedge funds, imaginary employees, and a key investor who also happened to be a self-proclaimed witch and lottery winner. But here’s the twist: Linda isn’t just any con artist

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52:17

2013: I Married a Narcissist part 3

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2025/04/08

Trigger warning: This episode contains graphic discussions of emotional, financial, sexual, and physical abuse. Listener discretion is strongly advised. When Lindsay first met him, he was charming, successful, and convincing—a financial advisor with all the right answers. What started as a storybook marriage quickly spiraled into a nightmare of manipulation, gaslighting, and escalating violence. In this episode of PRETEND, Lindsay opens up for the first time in a raw, unfiltered conversation

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16:11

2012: BONUS: Listener Reactions to ‘I Married a...

PRETEND ·

2025/04/01

After publishing the story of a woman trapped in a marriage with a narcissist, I wasn't sure how it would land. It wasn’t flashy. It didn’t end in violence or arrest. But the response was overwhelming. Listeners wrote in to say, “That was me.” Some still carry the trauma years later. Others are just now realizing what they went through was abuse. In this episode, we hear from listeners who saw their own relationships reflected in Ashley’s story. We also speak with criminal behavior analyst Laura

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55:03

2011: The Sham: I Married a Narcissist

PRETEND ·

2025/03/25

In this episode of PRETEND, we meet “Ashley”—not her real name—who recorded hours of arguments with her husband in an effort to understand what was happening inside her marriage. From the outside, it looked like petty spats over groceries or laundry. But when you hear the audio, you realize this was something darker.Ashley’s husband was emotionally abusive, manipulative, and battling addiction. It wasn’t until COVID lockdowns that his mask slipped and she could see who he really was. He used

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35:05

2010: The Keepsake Scandal

PRETEND ·

2025/03/21

It started with a missing breast milk keepsake. But when Cheyna Lee joined an online group of frustrated customers, she uncovered something much bigger—hundreds of victims, stolen mementos, and a scam artist hiding in plain sight. This is the story of Destiny Magoon, a small business owner who promised sentimental jewelry made from ashes, hair, and even breast milk—but left heartbreak in her wake. What followed was an online investigation that played out like a true crime documentary, exposing

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43:28

2009: The Gambler Revisited

PRETEND ·

2025/03/11

Episode Summary:While working on the new season of Pretend, I wanted to bring back an episode from 2018 that’s worth another listen. It’s the story of Art Schlichter, a former Ohio State football star whose gambling addiction wrecked his life—and the lives of others. One of those people was Anita Barney, the widow of a Wendy’s CEO, who lost everything after trusting the wrong person. This isn’t just a story about gambling. It’s about how someone can slowly gain control over another person’s life

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42:31

2007: Licensed to Kill part 1

PRETEND ·

2025/02/25

What if your doctor wasn’t trying to save you, but trying to cash in on you?In this episode of Pretend, we uncover the shocking case of Dr. Thomas Weiner, an oncologist accused of prescribing years of brutal chemotherapy treatments to patients who may not have even had cancer. We follow the story of Scott Warwick, a man who was told he had stage 4 lung cancer and endured 11 years of toxic treatments—only to later learn there was no biopsy confirming his diagnosis. When Dr. Randy Sasich, a pulmonary

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34:13

2008: Licensed to Kill part 2

PRETEND ·

2025/02/25

n part two of Licensed to Kill, we continue the shocking investigation into doctors who exploit their patients for profit. This episode follows Patty Hester, a fitness instructor who was misdiagnosed with a rare blood cancer and nearly subjected to years of unnecessary chemotherapy—all at the hands of Dr. Farid Fata, a Michigan oncologist who built his fortune by treating healthy patients for diseases they never had.But Fata isn’t alone. Across the country, doctors like Thomas Weiner, Ian Paterson,

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51:32

2006: Operation Cock Block

PRETEND ·

2025/02/19

A group of women, all with eerily similar stories, say they were deceived—emotionally and financially—by the same man: William Sullivan. But instead of staying silent, they took matters into their own hands. They formed Operation Cock Block, a coordinated effort to expose what they claim were Sullivan’s deceptive tactics and warn others before they fell victim. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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39:08

2005: The Telepathy Tapes B-side part 3

PRETEND ·

2025/02/11

Facilitated Communication is marketed as a miraculous tool for non-speaking autistic children. But what happens when this controversial method leads to devastating consequences? In this episode, we hear from Kevin Plantin, a father who was falsely accused of assault based solely on messages typed with the help of a facilitator.Despite the evidence, some courts and institutions still give FC credibility—with tragic consequences. In this episode, Kevin Plantan recounts how a letter typed via FC led

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50:15

2004: The Telepathy Tapes B-Side part 2

PRETEND ·

2025/02/04

A mother kills her autistic son. Why? Because he asked her to.The mother claims he used facilitated communication to ask her to help him die. This case is just one of many tied to the controversial method that claims to give a voice to non-speaking autistic individuals. But what if the voice wasn’t theirs at all? Share Your Thoughts: Have you listened to The Telepathy Tapes? What do you think about the claims it makes? We want to hear from you! Send a voice memo with your thoughts to

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46:57

2003: The Telepathy Tapes B-Side part 1

PRETEND ·

2025/01/28

The Telepathy Tapes podcast shot to the top of the charts, making bold claims about telepathic abilities in non-verbal autistic children. But are the claims rooted in science—or something else entirely? In this episode of PRETEND, we take a closer look at the phenomenon, the controversies, and the skepticism surrounding these extraordinary claims.We’ll discuss: ➜ The premise of The Telepathy Tapes and the experiments it presents. ➜ Scientific skepticism surrounding telepathy claims. ➜ Ethical

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32:45

Criminal Conduct S5: The Life and Death of Buffalo Jim

PRETEND ·

2025/01/21

Hello PRETENDERS! I'm excited to announce that the new season of my other podcast, Criminal Conduct Season, is here! To listen to the rest of the story, search for Criminal Conduct and subscribe.____________________ Buffalo Jim Barrier was a wrestling promoter, mechanic, and Las Vegas icon. He faced off against Rick Rizzolo, a powerful strip club owner with alleged mob ties. Their feud lasted decades. Days after Rizzolo’s release from house release, Buffalo Jim was found dead under mysterious

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47:50

Nobody Should Believe Me: Sophie Saves Zambia

PRETEND ·

2025/01/14

Today on PRETEND, we’re featuring the season 5 premiere of Nobody Should Believe Me, a compelling podcast hosted by author Andrea Dunlop that explores Munchausen by proxy abuse. Dunlop’s investigative storytelling sheds light on a complex and deeply troubling form of abuse, offering listeners both empathy and insight.Season 5 kicks off with an in-depth look at Sophie Hartman’s 2016 memoir, Crowns of Beauty, where Hartman recounts her experiences in Zambia and her journey to becoming the adoptive

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