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 apart.

Stayed tuned for part 2 and 3 of the "Internet Saves the Bachelor." Be the first to listen on Patreon and PRETEND+ on Apple Podcast.

Credits:

Hosted, Produced: Javier Leiva

Written by: Mackenzie Aimes

Additional Reporting: The Dating Detectives Podcast

References:

https://justiceforclayton.com/wiki/index.php/Laura_Michelle_Owens_-_Court_Case_History

https://www.reddit.com/r/JusticeForClayton/

https://victimsoflauraowens.com/coverage/

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 legal access to massive data broker networks.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 2
Click here for The Digital Pickpocket, Part 2 →

💬 Connect with Javier on social
Instagram/Twitter/TikTok: @pretendpod

🛡 Stay safe:
Learn how to defend yourself against modern pickpockets — both analog and digital.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 glow-in-the-dark Easter experience. According to the Facebook ad, attendees were told to:

“Embark on an egg-citing adventure under the starry sky..." “Search high and low for luminescent treasures..." “Watch the park come alive with a kaleidoscope of vibrant colors..." “A plethora of prizes and surprises await..."

But in reality, it was more like the FYRE Festival of Easter egg hunts.

One parent described the event as “no different than any free egg hunt at a church”—except this one cost $50 per family.

Instead of a kaleidoscope of vibrant colors, this event featured crying kids, confused parents, and a nonprofit operating in the dark, literally and figuratively.

👀 New LaDonna episodes are in the works — featuring new fake accounts, missing persons cases, and a sheriff caught in the crossfire. Stay tuned.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 Mad Bomber), Ted Bundy, and Ed Kemper to examine how psychology—and its blind spots—played a role in their investigations.

Guest:

Dr. Tristin Engels is a licensed clinical and forensic psychologist, published author, and co-host of the podcast Killer Minds.

👉 If you want more criminal psychology deep-dives, check out Dr. Engels’ podcast Killer Minds, where she breaks down infamous cases through the lens of a forensic expert.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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. She’s the sister of the woman who tried to steal Elvis Presley’s Graceland—something we covered in a previous episode of PRETEND. Yeah, this story just got a whole lot weirder.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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. She walks us through the early warning signs she missed, the love bombing tactics used to win her over, and the slow, calculated process of control that followed.

💬 If you or someone you know is experiencing abuse, help is available. Call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 800-799-7233 or visit thehotline.org.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 Richards to understand how abuse often hides in plain sight—through gaslighting, coercive control, and emotional manipulation. And we ask: what happens when the narcissist isn’t a partner—but a parent? Or when the survivor is a man?

This bonus episode is about the quiet kind of abuse—the kind people are afraid to talk about but desperately need to hear.

🔊 Featuring: Laura Richards and listeners who bravely shared their experiences

⚠️ Trigger warning: discussions of abuse, addiction, and coercive control

🛑 Warning Signs of Narcissistic Abuse:

• Love-bombing followed by emotional withdrawal or cruelty
• Gaslighting: making you doubt your memory, emotions, or reality
• Blaming you for their self-harm threats or emotional instability
• Constant criticism or belittling over mundane issues
• Financial control or sabotage
• Isolating you from family or friends
• Guilt-tripping, triangulation, or passive-aggressive threats
• Refusing accountability or twisting facts during arguments

📌 If you’re in a similar situation, here are resources that can help:

• National Domestic Violence Hotline (U.S.): 800-799-7233 or thehotline.org — 24/7, free, confidential
• Psychology Today Therapist Finder: psychologytoday.com
• SAMHSA National Helpline: 1-800-662-HELP (4357) – for substance abuse and mental health support
• Domestic Shelters: domesticshelters.org – helps identify resources near you
• One Mom’s Battle: onemomsbattle.com – for navigating high-conflict custody and divorce
• Love is Respect: loveisrespect.org – support for young people in abusive relationships

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 suicide threats to control her, drained her financially, and isolated her from support. And yet, as is often the case with narcissists, everyone else thought he was the victim.

This is not one of the most outrageous stories we’ve told on PRETEND—but it’s one of the most common. It’s a story many people quietly live through and struggle to name. This is what emotional abuse sounds like.

🛑 Warning Signs of Narcissistic Abuse:

• Constant criticism or belittling (often about “small” things like chores or tone of voice)
• Love-bombing followed by extreme withdrawal or cruelty
• Gaslighting: making you question your memory, reality, or emotions
• Isolation from friends, family, or support systems
• Walking on eggshells to avoid setting them off
• Financial control or sabotage
• Using guilt, blame, or self-harm threats to manipulate behavior
• Alternating between praise and punishment
• Jealousy of your attention—especially toward children

📌 If you’re in a similar situation, here are resources that can help:

• National Domestic Violence Hotline (U.S.): 800-799-7233 or thehotline.org — Free, confidential, 24/7
• Psychology Today Therapist Finder: psychologytoday.com
• Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services (SAMHSA) Helpline: 1-800-662-HELP (4357)
• Narcissist Abuse Recovery Support: DomesticShelters.org – Includes emotional abuse filters
• One Mom’s Battle: onemomsbattle.com – Focused on divorcing narcissists and protecting children
• Love is Respect (for younger listeners): loveisrespect.org

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 fraud, deception, and a woman willing to do anything to cover her tracks.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 and bank account, one small ask at a time.

Topics Covered:

✔ How Art Schlichter went from an NFL draft pick to a convicted con artist

✔ The way he pulled Anita Barney into his schemes

✔ How quickly financial fraud can spiral out of control

Resources & Links:

📖 Quarterback Sneak – Anita Barney’s book about what happened

📌 Follow Pretend on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pretendpod/

📌 Join our Facebook group

Have a Story to Share?

If someone you trusted took advantage of you, I’d like to hear your story. Send a voice memo to [email protected].

💡 Rate & Review! If you liked this episode, leave a review and share Pretend with a friend.

🎧 Subscribe & Stay Tuned – More episodes coming soon.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices