“The Wolf Den” hosted by Dan David

Welcome to "The Wolf Den," in this episode we venture into the heart of the American opioid epidemic, exposing the dark underbelly of pharmaceutical sales and the devastating impact it has had on countless lives. In this special feature, we invite you to join us for an exclusive and emotionally charged interview with Alec Burlakoff, a former top executive at Insys Therapeutics.

As we unravel the shocking details, brace yourself for Burlakoff's candid revelations, which lay bare the unethical practices that fueled the crisis. Insys Therapeutics, the Arizona-based manufacturer of the powerful opioid painkiller Subsys, faced bankruptcy after a groundbreaking criminal case brought to light a reckless conspiracy to illegally boost profits from the drug. Burlakoff, along with other executives, faced prison sentences, marking a significant turning point in holding pharmaceutical leaders accountable for their role in the epidemic.

Join us as we delve into Burlakoff's tumultuous journey at Insys Therapeutics. Driven by personal struggles with illness and depression, Burlakoff initially sought to make a positive impact in the pharmaceutical industry. However, he found himself entangled in a ruthless world where success often came at the expense of moral integrity.

In this emotionally charged interview, Burlakoff unveils the aggressive tactics employed to justify the sales of opioids, even amid legal controversies surrounding their marketing. His insider account paints a chilling picture of the unscrupulous practices that permeated the pharmaceutical industry during his tenure at Insys.

Throughout the conversation, Burlakoff doesn't shy away from confronting his own culpability, acknowledging the insidious nature of greed and its impact on ethical decision-making. His raw and heartfelt introspection offers listeners a rare glimpse into the moral dilemmas faced by those within the pharmaceutical world.

"The Wolf Den" doesn't just shed light on the devastation caused by the opioid crisis; it also raises crucial questions about the accountability of pharmaceutical executives and the role of regulatory bodies like the FDA. Burlakoff's emotionally charged testimony serves as a powerful reminder of the urgency for transparency, ethical conduct, and compassionate healthcare practices.

Join us for a riveting exploration of the opioid epidemic and the individuals who played a part in perpetuating it. "The Wolf Den" presents this thought-provoking interview, encouraging us all to confront the harsh realities and seek meaningful solutions to combat the opioid crisis affecting communities nationwide. Get ready for an impactful journey that will leave a lasting impression on your understanding of this critical issue.

This week The Pack is joined by a man who needs no introductions to anyone in the world of finance. Barry Jay Minkow, former American businessman, pastor, and 2x convicted felon, is now turned, fraud hunter.  

 At 16, Minkow founded ZZZZ Best, an immensely successful carpet cleaning and restoration company. However, it was a front to attract investment for a massive mafia-funded Ponzi scheme. ZZZZ Best collapsed in 1987, costing investors and lenders $100 million in one of the largest investment frauds ever perpetrated by a single person and one of the largest accounting frauds in history. It is often used as a case study of accounting fraud.

After being released from jail, Minkow became a pastor and fraud investigator in San Diego and spoke at churches and schools about ethics. This ended in 2011 when he admitted to helping deliberately drive down the stock price of homebuilder Lennar and was ordered back to prison for five years. Three years later, Minkow admitted to defrauding his church and was sentenced to an additional five years in prison. He is subject to restitution requirements totaling $612 million.

 With his sidekick from prison, "The Big Homie," Minkow now uses his abilities to expose fraud and launches a new podcast called “Fraud Factor” Sit back and enjoy some tales from a HOF of financial scams and a bad guy turned good. 

This Week The Pack is joined by Winston Sterzel, (on Twitter @serpentza) also known by his  YouTube pseudonym SerpentZA. We talk about his time in China, his need to flee, How China has changed, and the chilling effect they have on free speech in the US.  Russia, Ukraine, and Vietnam and how China has its hand in global events.  

He lived in Shenzhen in the Guangdong province of China for fourteen years. His videos cover a variety of topics relating to life in China from a Westerner perspective. He moved to China to work as an English teacher after first visiting on business in 2005. In 2015, he was one of twelve South Africans in China profiled by China Radio International. He started uploading videos in China in 2007 and became a full-time vlogger in 2016. His videos primarily focus on life in China as viewed from a Western perspective.

Sterzel has also made videos about motorcycle trips through China. With fellow YouTuber Matthew Tye (who goes by Laowhy86) and other friends, he has taken extended journeys and produced documentary series titled Conquering Southern China and Conquering Northern China. He and Tye operate the YouTube channel ADVChina, a motorcycle travel vlog. Sterzel was also co-founder of a small, China-based custom motorcycle business, Churchill Custom Motorcycles, that is no longer in business. In late 2018, he said he desired to create "positive content" about China, but that a negative interaction with the Chinese police spurred him to move out of China.

In 2019, Sterzel moved to Los Angeles because he felt he would lose his life or be incarcerated in China following threats by ultranationalist Internet users, who accused Sterzel's wife of being a spy and a threat to national security. Sit back have a drink and let's talk about China since we can't go there. 

https://www.youtube.com/c/ADVPodcasts

https://www.youtube.com/@serpentza

https://twitter.com/serpentza

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winston_Sterzel

This week The Pack is joined by an American business icon.  David Sokol, David is the director and chairman of Atlas. David founded three companies in his career to date, taken three companies public, and as Chairman and CEO of MidAmerican Energy Holdings Company, he sold the company to Berkshire Hathaway, Inc. in 2000. David continued with Berkshire Hathaway, Inc. until he retired in March 2011, when he left in order to manage his family business investments, Teton Capital, LLC, as Chairman and CEO. Teton Capital, LLC is headquartered in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and is a family-holding company that oversees investments in the banking, manufacturing, consumer products, energy, real estate, and technology businesses.

https://www.amazon.com/America-Perspective-Defending-American-Generation/dp/1637588135

https://atlascorporation.com/leadership/

https://www.breitbart.com/podcast/2022/07/17/exclusive-david-sokol-explains-the-forces-behind-woke-capital/

This week The Pack is joined by friends to remember one of the teams, a remarkable and unique individual, someone who was always behind the scenes helping but a person who will always be at the forefront of our thoughts...

Author, Poet, Artist, Investigator, Marine,  and my friend   

https://www.linkedin.com/in/matt-farrell-74492199/

https://dailyprogress.com/news/stony-point-slaying-victim-was-author-and-arts-provocateur/article_571176f4-5574-11ed-badd-87dc80cd98cb.html

https://www.institutionalinvestor.com/article/b1f6yg8n93jyfh/The-Ruthless-Secretive-and-Sometimes-Seedy-World-of-Hedge-Fund-Private-Investigators

This week The Pack is joined by  Dr. Art Laffer. (on Twitter @LafferCenter) His economic acumen and influence in triggering a worldwide tax-cutting movement in the 1980s earned him the distinction in many publications as “The Father of Supply-Side Economics.” The Laffer Curve is one of the primary theoretical constructs of supply-side economics, illustrating the tradeoff between tax rates and actual tax revenues.

We talk about politics, Taxes - his new book Taxes Have Consequences.  Why Michigan sits above Ohio and more.  Dr. Laffer tells stories from the past and how it relates to where we are now.   Sit back have a drink and call the accountant.  

Links

https://laffercenter.org/

https://twitter.com/LafferCenter

This week The Pack is joined by Lars Emmerich (Twitter @Lars_Emmerich), Lars is an American thriller, crime, and mystery author who enjoys reading a good story as much as he does writing it. He was a fighter pilot before going full-time into writing. Then came Crypto, Lars became a miner and investor in some of our favorite non-fiat currencies. Almost like a character from one of his books, there is nothing that this guest can not do well.

We dig into everything from his best-selling books, China & Russia, Crypto, Celebrity Alcohol, Some of the worst pilot "call signs" and why he won't watch Top Gun Maverick.  Sit back have a drink and make sure that enemy MIG does not get tone.  

Links

@Lars_Emmerich

This week the Pack is joined by Attorney Zachary Greenberg, Senior Program Officer, Student Organizations, Campus Rights Advocacy at FIRE, the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression.  Their mission is to defend and sustain the individual rights of all Americans to free speech and free thought. The Pack discusses why every college professor believes the exact same thing and why you need to be a liberal to work at any state university in California. Sit back, have a drink, and enter our free speech zone.

LINKS 

https://www.thefire.org/

https://twitter.com/TheFIREorg

https://www.youtube.com/thefireorg

This week the Pack is joined by Nick Reid, a film producer and executive vice president of the Moving Picture Institute a production company and talent incubator that creates high-impact films designed to entertain, inspire, and educate audiences with captivating stories about human freedom. Nick is responsible for fundraising and working on MPI Original productions, and serving as a member of the executive team. His executive producer credits include MISS VIRGINIA, PINBALL: THE MAN WHO SAVED THE GAME, A PIECE OF CAKE (Official Selection Tribeca Film Festival 2020, Nominated for Best Narrative Short), THE PERFECT ONE, and MPI’s forthcoming Original feature documentary PROJECT HOME: 3D PRINTING THE FUTURE. Nick is currently executive producing MPI's forthcoming narrative features FREEDOM HAIR and KEMBA.

Sit back have a drink and put some extra butter on the popcorn.

LINKS 

https://www.thempi.org/ 

This week the Pack is joined by Retired General Paul Kern, who wisely avoids social media. We discuss Russia's military prowess, vital rare earth minerals and the CCP eyeballing Taiwan.  

General Paul Kern graduated from West Point in 1967 with a Bachelor of Science degree. He holds master’s degrees in civil and mechanical engineering from the University of Michigan and was elected to the National Academy of Engineering in 2006. He was a National Security Fellow at the J.F. Kennedy School, Harvard University and was a member of the Defense Science Board for 15 years.

General Kern commanded operational units as a platoon leader in the Blackhorse Regiment in Vietnam receiving the Silver Star for valor and three Purple Hearts.  He retired after 38 years with the US Army as the Commanding General of the Army Materiel Command. The command of more than 50,000 personnel has worldwide responsibility for supply and maintenance support to the Department of Defense, manages the Army depot system, and conducts research for all the ground and rotary wing equipment. In June 2004, the Secretary of Defense tapped General Kern to lead the military's internal investigation into the abuses at the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq.

He has a unique career which blends technical expertise, combat operations, program management, policy development, and advisor to senior political leaders. He currently serves as a Senior Counselor at The Cohen Group and serves on multiple advisory boards including US Rare Earth LLC, a company focused on developing domestic supplies of strategic materials.

Sit back, have a drink and mine your back yard for lithium. 

SHOW LINKS

https://cohengroup.net/who-we-are/team/paul-j-kern