{"podcast":{"title":"PRETEND","slug":"pretend-888499","podcast_index_feed_id":888499,"rss_url":"https://feeds.megaphone.fm/ADV1293150108","website_url":"http://www.pretendradio.org","image_url":"https://megaphone.imgix.net/podcasts/d1194664-ec48-11e8-879b-cbb0584e3baa/image/040442e608423a0a46b99b03497edb3a.png?ixlib=rails-4.3.1&max-w=3000&max-h=3000&fit=crop&auto=format,compress","author":"Javier Leiva","episode_count":311,"summary":"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 storytelling. Featured in lists of the best podcasts about con artists and scams, PRETEND investigates crimes of persuasion, trust, and betrayal. New episodes drop regularly with stories that reveal how manipulation shapes modern life, both online and off. PRETEND is produced by Creative Babble, LLC. © 2026 Creative Babble LLC [CLAIM:B6BT3XC4]","last_synced_at":"2026-07-21T18:22:21.960053+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/pretend-888499"},"episode":{"title":"Chain of Command: An Inside Man Speaks","slug":"chain-of-command-an-inside-man-speaks","published_at":"2026-07-21T09:00:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/pretend-888499/chain-of-command-an-inside-man-speaks","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/pretend-888499","url":"https://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/pdst.fm/e/pscrb.fm/rss/p/tracking.swap.fm/track/GShUDppPATUMmMhYllkv/pfx.vpixl.com/h54wi/traffic.megaphone.fm/IMP4769179781.mp3","audio_url":"https://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/pdst.fm/e/pscrb.fm/rss/p/tracking.swap.fm/track/GShUDppPATUMmMhYllkv/pfx.vpixl.com/h54wi/traffic.megaphone.fm/IMP4769179781.mp3","summary":"Darnell Emanuel spent years inside Rony Denis's inner circle at the House of Prayer Christian Church. His name is on documents. His credit was used to buy houses he never lived in. But when the fraud finally caught up with the church, Darnell wasn't indicted. In this bonus, Darnell walks us through the burner phones, the code names, and how the whole scheme worked. Plus, an update on Marjorie Denis. And what's happening at NTCC since the series aired. The next two episodes are available right now on Patreon and PRETEND+ on Apple Podcasts. Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/pretendradio Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/channel/pretend/id6443456985 Follow @pretendpod: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@pretendpod TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@pretendpod Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pretendpod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices","meta_description":"Darnell Emanuel spent years inside Rony Denis's inner circle at the House of Prayer Christian Church. His name is on documents. His credit was used to buy…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":1708,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/pretend-888499/episodes/chain-of-command-an-inside-man-speaks/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/pretend-888499/chain-of-command-an-inside-man-speaks.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}