Deep Cover
Pushkin Industries
Deep Cover is a show about people who lead double lives. Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Jake Halpern reveals webs of deception and dark underworlds, through interviews with federal agents and convicted criminals.
Deep Cover: The Family Man: Elise and Marissa grew up in a seemingly normal house in the suburbs of St. Louis, but it was a house built on secrets. There were things their father never told them—like how he really made his money. One night, the police showed up, raided their house, and seized boxes of evidence. Hours later, the sisters turned on the TV and saw something surreal: their father’s car, in the aftermath of a police chase. The local news identified him as “The Boonie Hat Bandit.” The girls were stunned. They struggled to accept the truth: Dad had been living a double life. How long had he been lying to them? What had he done? And who, exactly, was their father? Deep Cover: The Family Man is a story about the way parents deceive their children and the crimes a desperate father will commit to save his family. It’s also a story about justice—and the question of what punishment these crimes deserve.
Deep Cover Presents: Snowball. A special limited series from the Unravel Podcast team at the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Ollie Wards' family lost everything after their brush with a charming Californian con woman. As he embarks on a quest to find out how she did it, why she did it, and where she is now, he opens the door on a mystery that spans decades and across continents.
In the sixth season of Deep Cover: The Truth About Sarah, Jake Halpern and acclaimed investigative journalist Jess McHugh unravel an epic six-year deception that upended lives of countless people. Sarah Cavanaugh was many things: A decorated veteran. A Marine who saved her comrades. A young woman fighting cancer. She was stoic, humble, tough. In short: a hero. Sarah was everything people wanted her to be—until she wasn’t. Turns out, no one knew the real Sarah. Not her comrades. Not her wife. No one. Jake and Jess interview all of the key sources—including Sarah, herself—to tell this sprawling tale.
Season five covers the rise and fall of George Santos, the former Republican Congressman from New York, and the stories—many of which were not true—he told about his life and credentials.
Season four, The Nameless Man, tells the epic tale of two federal agents who investigate a rumor about a murder that supposedly took place 15 years prior. It is also the story of a family searching for answers about why their brother was killed. These two storylines collide in a courtroom in Philadelphia, where murder, memory, and morality go on trial.
Season three, Never Seen Again, tells the story of two women living on opposite sides of the country, who went missing in the summer of 1999. Seven years later, their stories collided when a small town detective got a tip and became convinced that if he could solve one mystery, he’d solve the other.
Season two, Mob Land, is about a high-rolling lawyer who joins forces with the feds to try to bring down one of the most powerful criminal syndicates in the country.
Season one, The Drug Wars, tells the story of an FBI agent who goes undercover with a biker gang, and follows a trail of clues that eventually leads to the US invasion of a foreign country.
Deep Cover drops on Mondays. To hear episodes early and ad-free, subscribe to Pushkin+ in Apple Podcasts or at pushkin.fm/plus.
iHeartMedia is the exclusive podcast partner of Pushkin Industries.
Deep Cover: The Family Man: Elise and Marissa grew up in a seemingly normal house in the suburbs of St. Louis, but it was a house built on secrets. There were things their father never told them—like how he really made his money. One night, the police showed up, raided their house, and seized boxes of evidence. Hours later, the sisters turned on the TV and saw something surreal: their father’s car, in the aftermath of a police chase. The local news identified him as “The Boonie Hat Bandit.” The girls were stunned. They struggled to accept the truth: Dad had been living a double life. How long had he been lying to them? What had he done? And who, exactly, was their father? Deep Cover: The Family Man is a story about the way parents deceive their children and the crimes a desperate father will commit to save his family. It’s also a story about justice—and the question of what punishment these crimes deserve.
Deep Cover Presents: Snowball. A special limited series from the Unravel Podcast team at the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Ollie Wards' family lost everything after their brush with a charming Californian con woman. As he embarks on a quest to find out how she did it, why she did it, and where she is now, he opens the door on a mystery that spans decades and across continents.
In the sixth season of Deep Cover: The Truth About Sarah, Jake Halpern and acclaimed investigative journalist Jess McHugh unravel an epic six-year deception that upended lives of countless people. Sarah Cavanaugh was many things: A decorated veteran. A Marine who saved her comrades. A young woman fighting cancer. She was stoic, humble, tough. In short: a hero. Sarah was everything people wanted her to be—until she wasn’t. Turns out, no one knew the real Sarah. Not her comrades. Not her wife. No one. Jake and Jess interview all of the key sources—including Sarah, herself—to tell this sprawling tale.
Season five covers the rise and fall of George Santos, the former Republican Congressman from New York, and the stories—many of which were not true—he told about his life and credentials.
Season four, The Nameless Man, tells the epic tale of two federal agents who investigate a rumor about a murder that supposedly took place 15 years prior. It is also the story of a family searching for answers about why their brother was killed. These two storylines collide in a courtroom in Philadelphia, where murder, memory, and morality go on trial.
Season three, Never Seen Again, tells the story of two women living on opposite sides of the country, who went missing in the summer of 1999. Seven years later, their stories collided when a small town detective got a tip and became convinced that if he could solve one mystery, he’d solve the other.
Season two, Mob Land, is about a high-rolling lawyer who joins forces with the feds to try to bring down one of the most powerful criminal syndicates in the country.
Season one, The Drug Wars, tells the story of an FBI agent who goes undercover with a biker gang, and follows a trail of clues that eventually leads to the US invasion of a foreign country.
Deep Cover drops on Mondays. To hear episodes early and ad-free, subscribe to Pushkin+ in Apple Podcasts or at pushkin.fm/plus.
iHeartMedia is the exclusive podcast partner of Pushkin Industries.
Episodes
Mentioned books
Oct 1, 2026 • 35min
Episode 1 | From American Nightmares: Canal Murders
Phoenix’s canals hide a disturbing trail of unsolved murders. The investigation begins with Angela Brasso’s disappearance and the horrifying discovery of her remains, then widens to other women killed or found near the waterways. Police examine forensic clues, suspicious circumstances, and a crime scene that suggests extraordinary boldness, as questions grow about whether a single predator was hiding in plain sight.
Aug 17, 2026 • 33min
The Gypsy Rose Obsession | From PRETEND
Gypsy Rose Blanchard, a public figure whose life became known through a notorious abuse and murder case, discusses the online “Gypsyverse” surrounding her story. The conversation explores rival narratives about her childhood, internet harassment, fame, media deals, parasocial fandom, and the starkly different fates of Gypsy and Nick Godejohn. Hidden evidence, prison calls, and unanswered questions add fresh tension to a story the public thought it understood.
16 snips
Jul 6, 2026 • 39min
The 14-Year-Old Bank Robber | From Heavyweight
John Paul, who at 14 committed an armed bank robbery and later rebuilt his life, shares his story and quest for reconciliation. The conversation covers his troubled childhood, the planning and execution of the heist, arrest and rehabilitation, decades of change, and his attempt to apologize to those harmed. Tense moments and long-sought closure drive the narrative.
9 snips
Jun 29, 2026 • 46min
The Limits of Manifesting Success with James Forman, Jr.
James Forman, Jr., law professor and Pulitzer-winning author who studies mass incarceration, joins to unpack legal strategy and sentencing. He discusses why silence matters, how mitigation is built from life stories, dual state-federal prosecutions, timing risks in pleas, prosecutors’ political incentives, media harm, and restorative approaches for victims.
8 snips
Jun 22, 2026 • 27min
My Oldest, Dearest Friend
Mike Walton, a childhood friend from Florissant, Missouri, remembers growing up alongside Keith Giammanco and the shock of learning Keith was the Boonie Hat Bandit. He recounts strange moments like spotting stacks of cash and loaning Keith money. The conversation explores why longtime familiarity can blind you to hidden lives and how loyalty, shock, and unanswered questions linger.
9 snips
Jun 15, 2026 • 43min
The Release | Episode 6
Keith Giamanco, a former bank robber who spent decades behind bars, reflects on his crimes, prison life, and reintegration. The conversation covers his relationships with daughters Elise and Marissa. It explores family reckonings, recovery, a visiting-room wedding, and the emotional moment of release and reunion.
9 snips
Jun 8, 2026 • 37min
The Trial | Episode 5
A tense courtroom narrative about a man who rejects plea deals and forces a jury to decide his fate. Bank employees describe fear and lasting trauma from a robbery. Family members plead for mercy while prosecutors push for harsh punishment. The trial pivots from guilt to sentencing and the heavy consequences for everyone involved.
12 snips
Jun 1, 2026 • 30min
The Downfall | Episode 4
Elise Giamanco, one of the twin daughters at the center of the Family Man story, shares first-person recollections of her parents' deceptions and keeping the household together. She recounts facing reporters after a national arrest. She remembers a coached TV appearance, her mother’s fraught return and theft, and the siblings’ unraveling amid addiction, parties, and legal chaos.
14 snips
May 25, 2026 • 34min
The Confession | Episode 3
A methodical bank-robbery routine unravels into a dramatic chase and arrest. Recorded interrogation reveals motive, notes, and a surprising confession. Teen daughters confront their father’s double life and map robberies onto family moments. One sister quickly organizes a survival plan while visits behind glass surface love, denial, and shifting family fractures.
17 snips
May 18, 2026 • 41min
The Gamble | Episode 2
Keith Giammanco, once a suburban dad turned Boonie Hat Bandit, recounts the choices that led to a life of bank robberies and his quiet rebuild in an Ozarks cabin. He describes juggling parenting, financial collapse, researching robberies, the calm of his first hits, and the gambler’s promise that escalated his crimes. Short, tense stories of desperation, disguises, and a family upended.
