PRETEND

Twelve days. That’s how long David Gentile spent in federal prison for a $1.8 billion fraud that wiped out the retirement savings of 17,000 people.

On Thanksgiving 2025, President Trump signed a one-page clemency grant, commuting Gentile’s seven-year sentence to time served and erasing a $15 million restitution order in the process.

In this episode, we talk to one of those 17,000 victims, CarolAnn Tutera, a 70-year-old still working because she can’t afford not to. We also talk to securities fraud attorney Adam Gana and Ponzi Playbook co-host Neal McTighe about how the scheme worked, what the pardon means, and what it says about the current climate for white collar crime.

CarolAnn Tutera

GPB Capital investor and CEO of Tutera Medical

tuteramedical.com

Adam Gana

Securities fraud attorney, Gana LLP

ganalawfirm.com/adam-gana

Neal McTighe

Co-host, Ponzi Playbook podcast

Ponzi Playbook on Spotify

The Conviction and Sentencing

DOJ Press Release

justice.gov

The Blueprint of the Fraud

SEC Civil Complaint

sec.gov

The White House Response

Forbes Breaking News — search: “Karoline Leavitt Asked About Trump’s Commutation Of Private Equity CEO’s Fraud Sentence”

00:00  CarolAnn’s Story

04:06  David Gentile’s Promise

04:38  I Beg Your Pardon

07:02  How a Ponzi Scheme Works

14:21  The Smoking Gun Emails

15:47  CarolAnn’s $400K

16:42  The Takedown

18:38  The Verdict

19:22  The Pardon

20:06  The White House Response

23:12  Restitution Wiped Out

29:51  The Pay-to-Play Pattern

33:41  The Perfect Storm

GuestsResourcesChapters36:44  Ponzi Playbook Returns

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Jerry Bush was a plumber from Virginia with fourteen employees, a wife battling cancer, and a business his father built from nothing. When a big construction job left him waiting on $350,000 he'd already earned, he did what you'd probably do. He looked for a loan.

The man who picked up the phone was named Jonathan Braun.

Before Braun found Jerry, he was running a half-billion dollar international drug smuggling operation. After he found Jerry, he froze his bank account, drained his father's retirement, took money from his 16-year-old son, and told Jerry his only way out was to win the lottery or die.

And then things got worse.

By the time it was over, Jerry Bush had lost his business, his savings, and nearly his life. Jonathan Braun had a Ferrari, a Lamborghini, a personal butler, and a very powerful friend.

What happens next will make you question everything you think you know about who the justice system is actually designed to protect and who it leaves behind.

I Beg Your Pardon is a new investigative series from PRETEND.

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CONTENT WARNING: Graphic content. Listener discretion is advised.

Who’s Afraid of LaDonna Humphrey — Revisited

A lot of people ask: where should I start if I just discovered PRETEND? The answer is always LaDonna.

It’s been almost two years since the first episode of Who’s Afraid of LaDonna Humphrey dropped — and this one is still mind-blowing. Whether you’re a first-time listener or coming back to revisit, this is the place to start.

In this episode, we’re replaying Part One. It’s a hell of an introduction.

🎧 Want the full series? We’ve put together a Spotify playlist with all the episodes and updates, tidied up in one place. Check it out below.

➡️ Listen to the full LaDonna Humphrey playlist on Spotify

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2LOnqAGe8D4JQ4bAwjGn9P?si=54f21cbedfb640f8

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I want to share a quick update about the "Hand That Held Me" series.

Due to some recent developments, I’ve made the decision to postpone the release. I know many of you were expecting it, and I’m sorry for the change. These situations can be complex, and I want to make sure I handle the story the right way.

This also leaves an unexpected three-week gap in the schedule while I prepare the next series. I appreciate your patience as I work to queue up what’s coming next.

Thank you, as always, for listening and for trusting the work.

— Javier

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We conclude one of the most disturbing series ever covered on this podcast. Here are parts 3 and 4 of the Pests.

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This week, we're revisiting one of the most terrifying series ever produced for PRETEND. It's about a gang-stalking internet group known as The Pests.

Content Advisory: This episode is disturbing and includes language and topics not suitable for all audiences.

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Look, I'm not anti-private school. You want your kid to learn in an environment that matches your beliefs? Cool. To each their own. But should your neighbors be paying for it? North Carolina is funneling half a billion dollars into private schools with almost zero oversight. 87% of new voucher money is going to families who were already paying for private school. Meanwhile, public schools are losing funding and teachers are getting paid near the bottom in the country. In this episode, I talk to a former student, a policy researcher, and a reporter who couldn't find a school that was cashing state checks. Spoiler: it took her seven addresses to track it down.

Stephen Cordes — Former student at the Word of Faith Christian School in Spindale, NC

Kris Nordstrom — Senior Policy Analyst, NC Justice Center Education & Law Project https://www.ncjustice.org/author/kris-nordstrom/

Blair Reeves — Executive Director, Carolina Forward https://carolinaforward.org/about/

Ann Doss Helms — Former Education Reporter, WFAE (Charlotte's NPR station). 22 years covering education in Charlotte. https://www.wfae.org/people/ann-doss-helms

Kris Nordstrom's voucher discrepancy analysis (NC Justice Center) https://www.ncjustice.org/analysis-nc-private-school-voucher-program/

Ann Doss Helms' reporting on TAS Academy (WFAE):

Charlotte private school had more vouchers than students: https://www.wfae.org/education/2023-06-27/charlotte-private-school-had-more-vouchers-than-students-and-wheres-the-building

The elusive voucher school — some answers and lingering questions: https://www.wfae.org/education/2023-08-01/charlottes-elusive-voucher-school-some-answers-and-lingering-questions

Elusive voucher school has a new address in Harrisburg: https://www.wfae.org/education/2024-03-07/elusive-voucher-school-has-a-new-address-in-harrisburg-and-students-are-there

Carolina Forward https://carolinaforward.org

NC Justice Center — Education & Law Project https://www.ncjustice.org

PRETEND Season 3 — Word of Faith Fellowship https://www.pretendradio.org

If you live in North Carolina and you have an opinion about how your tax dollars are being spent on private school vouchers, let your legislators know. They work for you.

Find your NC state representative and senator: https://www.ncleg.gov/findyourlegislators

Call the NC General Assembly directly: 919-733-4111 (ask to speak to your representative or senator)

Public Schools First NC also has a full contact list with emails for every member of the General Assembly, including education committee members: https://publicschoolsfirstnc.org/engage/contact-elected-officials/

You don't have to live in North Carolina to care about this. If your state has a voucher program, find out where the money's going. Ask the questions nobody else is asking.

Got a story idea? Hit me up: [email protected]

GuestsResources & Further ReadingMake Your Voice HeardContact

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Hey guys, it's Javier here with a new recommendation! I've come across a true crime podcast that I just had to share with you all. It's called 'Everything They Missed' and it's hosted by Stephanie Tinsley. This podcast dives deep into the possible wrongful conviction and police mishandling of the Danny Harris case, a particularly gruesome murder that was mishandled from the get-go. What sets this podcast apart is Stephanie's dedication to uncovering the truth, including hiring her own private investigator

https://www.everythingtheymissed.com/

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Criminals have been impersonating ICE agents, using fake badges to rape, rob, kidnap, and terrorize communities across America. These imposters have conducted workplace raids, street stops, and home invasions.

They wear tactical gear, drive unmarked vehicles, and ask "Are you a U.S. citizen?" Our investigation documented 13 cases spanning from 2016 to last week.

We also talk with Laura Jadeed, a reporter who received a job offer from ICE despite skipping most of the application process.

Content Warning: This episode contains descriptions of sexual assault, police violence, and the deaths of U.S. citizens. Listener discretion is advised.

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Patreon supporter Kenito Wills joins Javier to break down the finale of the "Didn't See It Coming" series.

They talk through Susanne Wilson calling off the reading at the last minute. Did she know it was a sting? Did she just have a bad feeling? Javier shares a detail that got cut from the episode: Suzanne actually arranged for the fake family to get a reading with another medium in Europe, which suggests she wasn't 100% sure it was a setup.

Plus: Kenito and Javier swap palm reading stories from college. Kenito was told he'd have five kids (he didn't). Javier was told he'd meet the love of his life right after a bad breakup (he did).

The takeaway isn't that psychics aren't real or that you can't grieve however you want. It's that if someone mentions Reynolds Wrap and your maiden name is Reynolds, maybe ask some questions.

Susan Gerbic's YouTube channel "Psychics Explained" has dozens of videos documenting Operation Banana Cream Pie and other investigations. Link in the show notes.

Watch the full videos of Operation Banana Cream Pie on Susan Gerbic's YouTube page:

https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLcSfdioxwHQGkyFZ68maphdIJuYcb8xln

Want to see more psychic stings?

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