PRETEND

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.

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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.

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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

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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.

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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.

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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.

✔ 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

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

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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.

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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, and Javaid Perwaiz have betrayed their patients, mutilated bodies, and destroyed lives—all under the guise of medical care.

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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 critical care specialist, began questioning Weiner’s practices, he faced pushback, intimidation, and threats.

But Weiner’s case isn’t unique. Across the country, doctors like Farid Fata, Jorge Zamora-Quezada, and Michael Swango have been caught exploiting patients for profit, exposing just how broken the U.S. healthcare system truly is.

In this episode, we dive into:

✔️ How financial incentives reward doctors for prescribing unnecessary treatments

✔️ The loopholes in insurance billing that allow fraud to go undetected for years

✔️ The whistleblower who risked everything to expose the truth

✔️ The cult-like following that still defends Dr. Weiner

🔍 Sources & Additional Reading:

https://www.propublica.org/article/thomas-weiner-montana-st-peters-hospital-oncology

🎧 Next Time on Pretend:

Meet a patient who underwent three years of cancer treatments—for cancer she never had.

🔔 Subscribe on Patreon or Pretend Plus for early access to Part 2:

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PRETEND+ on Apple Podcast:

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/channel/pretend/id6443456985

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💬 Have thoughts on this episode? Leave a review or send us a message—we’d love to hear from you!

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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.

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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 to his wrongful imprisonment for 10 months on charges of sexual assault. We also revisit the story of Janyce Boynton, a former FC facilitator who now warns against the practice after witnessing its harmful effects firsthand.

Featured guests in this episode:

Kevin Plantin: Sharing his personal story of wrongful imprisonment.

Janyce Boynton: Former FC facilitator and advocate against the practice.

Additional Resources:

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