PRETEND

From cult leaders to con artists and undercover FBI agents, PRETEND exposes those pretending to be someone they're not.

True Crime
Technology
Society & Culture
226
S406: The Bounty Hunter Part 2
40 min
227
S405: The Bounty Hunter Part 1
34 min
228
S404: The Soccer Mom
35 min
229
S403: The One Who Got Away
51 min
230
S402: The Shawcross Letters
45 min
231
S401: The Commander
28 min
232
S311: The Prophet – Matthew Fenner vs. the Word...
What does being gay mean at the Word of Faith Fellowship?
34 min
233
S310: The Prophet – Matthew Fenner vs. the Word...
Who will take over the Word of Faith Fellowship when Jane Whaley is gone?
29 min
234
S309: The Prophet – Inside the Mind of Cult Lea...
In a secret recording, Jane Whaley admits withholding a child sexual abuse allegation because of penitent privilege.
46 min
235
S308: The Prophet - Meet Cult Leader Jane Whale...
The world first learned about the Word of Faith Fellowship cult after an Inside Edition exposé  in 1995. The investigation, led by the Trinity Foundation, revealed accusations of abuse within the church.  Watch the Inside Edition story:...
43 min
236
S307: The Prophet - Meet Jane Whaley Part 2
Previously on Pretend Radio, I came face-to-face with pastor Jane Whaley of the Word of Faith Fellowship. When I arrived, we met in her office for a few minutes before the church service began. I was surprised by everyone's friendliness. Suddenly, the...
51 min
237
S306: The Prophet - Meet Cult Leader Jane Whale...
As far as I know, I'm the first journalist who has ever interviewed pastor Jane Whaley. Heck, I might be the only member of the media to have attended church service. How was I able to pull this off? The short answer is, I have no idea. In fact, when...
30 min
238
S305: The Prophet - Brazil and the Word of Fait...
Did you know that the Word of Faith Fellowship has nearly 2,000 members internationally? They have affiliate churches all over the world including Brazil, Sweden, Scotland, and other countries. I don’t get it. Why would Jane Whaley want to branch...
32 min
239
S304: The Prophet - Allegations of Cult Abuse a...
When Nancy Burnette was appointed by the courts to be a guardian ad litem, she knew her job wasn’t going to be easy. A guardian ad litem is someone who represents kids in the foster care system. It’s her job to place children in homes with the...
33 min
240
S303: The Prophet - Former Cult Members Speak Out
On April 7th, 2018, more than a dozen former Word of Faith Fellowship members reunited at the Spindale House in Rutherford County, North Carolina. It was an opportunity for former members to answer lingering questions for the citizens in the...
25 min
241
S302: The Prophet - Who is cult leader Jane Wha...
Who is Jane Whaley? Jane Whaley is the pastor at the Word of Faith Fellowship—a conservative, charismatic Christian church. Those who have left the church describe her as a ruthless cult leader. But, we don't know much about her. Where did she come...
33 min
242
S301: The Prophet - Word of Faith Fellowship Cu...
Season 3: The Prophet - Word of Faith Fellowship Revisited I’m back with a whole new season of Pretend Radio. But this time it’s going to be a little different. Instead of telling you a different story each episode, I decided to do a serialize...
58 min
243
S213: The Hijacker, Part 2 - Martin McNally
Martin McNally needed some cash, so what did he do? He hijacked an American Airlines flight with 90 passengers on board. If you haven’t listened to part one, check that out first. Today’s episode, picks up where we last left off. It’s 1972, and...
43 min
244
S212: The Hijacker, Part 1 - Martin McNally
Martin McNally is going to hijack this plane and nobody, not even the FBI, is going to stop him.   In today’s episode, Martin McNally recounts his 1972 hijacking of an American Airlines flight heading to Tulsa, Oklahoma. His plan was...
42 min
245
S211: The Jolly Roger Social Club
You may remember Sharon McConnell-Dickerson from episode 8 titled “The Sculptor.” You know, the blind artist who casts the faces of dying blues musicians. When we first recorded that episode, she told me a story that quite frankly was hard to...
37 min
246
Pretend Radio Anniversary Bonus Episode
Guess what? Pretend Radio turns one year old this month. So I thought it would be cool to replay some old guest interviews I've done on other shows.    (01:00) Generation Why Podcast Interview - I talk about Vester Flanagan, the reporter who...
37 min
247
S210: The Babalawo - Secrets of Santeria
Today's episode "The Babalawo" is about Santeria… the faith, not the song. Unlike the pop tune, not a lot of people know about this mysterious religion. Santería, also known as Regla de Ochá, La Regla de Ifá, or Lucumí, is an Afro-Cuban religion...
45 min
248
S209: The Good Cop, Bad Cop
How does a good cop turn bad? For Ruben Palomares, a former corrupt LAPD Rampart division officer, the process was slow. He went from receiving LAPD’s highest honor to becoming one of the most corrupt cops in US history.   Officer Palomares’...
38 min
249
S208: The Stranger
A lie is only powerful if you choose to believe it. So why do we fall for it every time? In this episode, we’ll hear four different stories. Each describes a tall tale, so persistent, that it’s hard to imagine someone keeping all the lies straight...
33 min
250
S207: The Gambler Part 2 - Art Schlichter
Previously on Pretend Radio, we learned how Art Schlichter’s gambling habits destroyed Anita Barney life. She went from being the wealthy widow of a Wendy’s CEO to becoming broke and struggling to pay her light bill.   It started out with a...
20 min