For almost five years, the Fernandez family told me their doctor's husband was terrorizing them. Threatening messages, unpaid pizza deliveries, police at the door for crimes that never happened.

Three weeks ago, Peoria police surrounded their house with a search warrant and seized every device inside. Nobody was arrested that day. Then this week, one of the Fernandez children was booked into a Maricopa County jail on more than thirty counts, including stalking, making a terrorist threat, and sexual exploitation of a minor.

All charges are allegations. No one has been convicted, and the case is ongoing.

Catch up on the full series here: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/41KG24W8b5Lz0dzHsU3LoP?si=3aaeef5a367d4c2d

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Gypsy Rose Blanchard is the most beloved convicted murderer in America. Half the country sees a victim. The other half thinks she conned everyone, including her mother.

I spent months trying to figure out which side is telling the truth. Then I emailed Gypsy. A few hours later, we were on a call.

Chapters (00:00) The Most Beloved Convicted Murderer In America (01:35) The Short Version (02:53) It's All A Lie (03:41) Inside Her Medical Records (05:26) Allergic To Sugar (06:10) The Community That Flipped The Narrative (07:48) Andrea Dunlop Interviews Gypsy (09:41) Then I Read The Comments (11:20) Straight To The Source (11:52) Welcome To The Gypsyverse (13:04) The Internet Does What The Internet Does (15:35) Is Gypsy Rich? (17:22) What Are They A Fan Of? (19:22) Famous vs. Well-Known (20:12) Billboards, Flyers, And A Minor Child (23:14) Nick Godejohn Is Still In Prison (24:18) The Demona Clips (25:54) Would You Answer Uncomfortable Questions? (27:47) Next Time On Pretend (28:24) Update: The Prison Calls (30:28) What I Will And Won't Play

Binge the first three episodes now, ad-free, on Patreon (patreon.com/pretendpodcast) or PRETEND+ on Apple Podcasts.

Leave a comment. I want to know what you think.

Written by Javier Leiva.

Edited by Puneeth Shenoy with the Podcast Pundits.

Theme music by Joe Basile, thechicken.net.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Gypsy Rose Blanchard is America's most beloved convicted murderer. The media told us she spent 23 years in a wheelchair, with a feeding tube, a breathing machine, and a diagnosis list that never ended. None of it was real. Her mother made it all up. And then Gypsy had her mother stabbed to death. When she walked out of prison in December 2023, not everyone was celebrating. A community formed online working together to dismantle her new life. So yeah. America's sweetheart is also a convicted murderer. And depending on who you ask, she's either the most sympathetic person alive, or the most dangerous woman on the internet. This is The Gypsy Rose Obsession. Coming August 11th on PRETEND podcast. Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2vaCjR7UvlN9aTIzW6kNCo?si=b3549d886084412a

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

William Ruzich's father stole his identity while he was deployed in Afghanistan. He came home from war at 21 to find bills, liens, and creditors in his own name. He turned his own dad in for fraud.

Then he went to work catching people just like him.

William is a private intelligence operative now, tracking down scammers, fraudsters, and people who vanish with other people's money.

Coming August 11th: The Gypsy Rose Obsession, a new free series from PRETEND. Watch the trailer and subscribe:

https://youtu.be/9fcD0os3aG8

Kingdom Forge, a book by Anders Edwards that teaches kids about online safety, Diary of a Wimpy Kid meets Ready Player One. Check it out:

https://a.co/d/0hpgdcYx

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

My friend Joe sells real estate. He called me about one of his clients, a retired nurse who was selling her house, because something about her story wasn't sitting right with him. She'd lost her savings to a man named Edward Smog. Found her online, quoted her scripture, told her he was her way out of debt.

By the time I got involved, she was out a hundred and fifty grand. Now a new scammer is coming after her. She believes he's an offshore oil rig worker, and they're going to get married. I'm trying to stop him before he takes any more of her money.

If you or someone you love is being targeted, here's where to go.

• To report it, the FBI runs the Internet Crime Complaint Center at ic3.gov, and the FTC takes reports at reportfraud.ftc.gov.
• If you want to talk to a real person for free, call the National Elder Fraud Hotline run by the Department of Justice at 833-372-8311, seven days a week, 6am to 11pm Eastern. You can also reach the AARP Fraud Watch Network Helpline at 877-908-3360.

Tips for your elderly parents:

• No real grant, agency, or lottery ever asks you to pay a fee to get money.
• Gift cards, wire transfers to strangers, and crypto are how scammers get paid. Full stop.
• If you've never met someone in person on a live video call, assume you don't know who they are.
• Ask for that video call right now, not later. Take a screenshot of their photos and run a reverse image search. The excuses will tell you everything.
• And before any money moves, tell one person who loves you. Out loud. The scam only survives in the quiet.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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

We've covered a lot of PRETENDers on this show. But the guy in this one might take the prize.

Carlos Henrique Raposo, better known as Kaiser, fooled the entire professional soccer world in Brazil for 26 years. He signed with more than 30 clubs. He partied with George Michael. He got protected by Rio's most dangerous crime boss. He once punched a fan in the face rather than actually step on the field. And through all of it, he barely played a single real game.

This week we're revisiting one of our favorite conversations: an interview with Louis Myles, director of the 2015 documentary "Kaiser! The Greatest Footballer Never to Play Football." Myles and his team spent 18 months in Rio chasing down the truth, or something close to it, behind Brazil's greatest football legend who never actually played football.

Watch the documentary:

"Kaiser! The Greatest Footballer Never to Play Football" (2015) is streaming on Amazon Prime.

Also from Louis Myles:

"Mighty Penguins," following the Brentford Penguins, a football team made up of players with Down syndrome, as they prepare to serve as guard of honour at a Premier League match. It premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2023 and is currently on the festival circuit.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week, Javier stops by the Hot Mess Happy Hour Podcast and it didn't disappoint. It was a hot mess!

About Hot Mess Happy Hour:

Are you always running late? Do you leave things on top of your car and drive off? You might be a hot mess too so this podcast is for you! Laugh along as we share crazy hot mess stories during our weekly happy hour with yours truly. We'll also share tips and tricks for those affected by ADHD like your host, Susan Cokas! So grab a cocktail and get ready to laugh! It's Hot Mess Happy Hour!

Check out the Hot Mess Happy Hour:

https://hotmesshappyhour.buzzsprout.com/

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

My friend Johnathan Walton just launched a new show called Hardcore Con, and I had to share it with you.

Each episode, he breaks down a con story and the specific psychological tactics scammers use to pull it off. And this episode gets at something I think about a lot: it doesn't matter how smart you are.

Subscribe to Hardcore Con on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0mXtr05OjD4wk4M8JrvLPy

Or search "Hardcore Con" wherever you listen.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Federal prosecutors say the man known as Rony Denis isn't Rony Denis at all.

The arrest finally came in the fall of 2025. Three years after the FBI raids. But the church is still operating. So my friend Jared Smith from the Heliocentric YouTube channel and I drove down to Fayetteville to attend a Sunday service and see what's left of the House of Prayer Christian Church.

And the whole sermon, it turned out, felt aimed at two specific people in the pews.

This is the final chapter of the Chain of Command series. But it ain't over yet.

Watch Jared's Atheist Church Audits on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@HeliocentricOfficial

Written and Produced by Javier Leiva Edited by Puneeth Shenoy | Podcast Pundits https://www.podcastpundits.com/ Music by Joe Basile | thechicken.net

Get early access and bonus content

PRETEND+ on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/channel/pretend/id6443456985

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/pretendradio

© 2026 Creative Babble LLC

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In Part 6, the FBI comes knocking.

Rony Denis and his top associates allegedly defrauded the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and military veterans out of more than $23.5 million. The House of Prayer Bible Seminary looked like a school. Veterans used their GI Bill benefits to enroll, paying the church hundreds of dollars a month for classes that led nowhere and credits worth nothing outside these walls.

Rony Denis is still a free man. But not for long.

Written and Produced by Javier Leiva

Edited by Puneeth Shenoy | Podcast Pundits https://www.podcastpundits.com/

Music by Joe Basile | thechicken.net

Get early access and bonus content

PRETEND+ on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/channel/pretend/id6443456985

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/pretendradio

© 2026 Creative Babble LLC

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices