Rosemarie’s Story
Rosemarie Coffey helped Sarah Cavanaugh for years. As a community support specialist, her services were paid for by the Wounded Warrior Project. Rosemarie spent countless hours inside Sarah’s home. We…
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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.
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.
Lies tend to be fragile, temperamental things. Small ones may flourish, but the big ones die, wilting under their own weight—except in this case. The bigger it grew, the more real it became.
Pulitzer Prize-winning writer Jake Halpern and acclaimed investigative journalist Jess McHugh unravel an epic six-year deception that upended lives of countless people.
To this day, much of this story is shrouded in mystery. There was never a trial and most of the people involved, including victims and investigators, have never spoken publicly in any depth. In the sixth season of Deep Cover, Jake and Jess interview all of the story’s major characters—including Sarah, herself—to tell this sprawling tale.
Most Recent Episode
Rosemarie’s Story
Rosemarie Coffey helped Sarah Cavanaugh for years. As a community support specialist, her services were paid for by the Wounded Warrior Project. Rosemarie spent countless hours inside Sarah’s home. We…
Seth’s Story
Seth Cole believed Sarah Cavanaugh was a wounded veteran, seeking healing through creative outlets. He believed her, in part, because that was his reality. Get early, ad-free access to more…
Episode 6: The Defendant
As the walls close in, Sarah finds herself alone—abandoned by friends, facing federal charges, and scrambling for a defense. She hires a lawyer, a fellow veteran, to make her case;…
Episode 5: The Wife
One overlooked detail in Sarah’s story: she was married. Her wife, Nicole, never spoke to the press or the feds. She remained a mystery—until now. Get early, ad-free access to…
Episode 4: The Suspect
A former Marine and media personality asks questions and publicly challenges Sarah Cavanaugh’s credentials. Behind the scenes, law enforcement is already investigating Sarah; but the surge of media attention forces…
Episode 3: The Confidante
Jess and Jake speak with Sarah and learn about her past life. As a social worker, she really knew how to listen to people. But when Jake and Jess interview…
Episode 2: The Poster Child
In her home state of Rhode Island, Sarah builds her image / reputation as a celebrated war hero. But as her public profile grows, so do the quiet doubts. Get…
Episode 1: The Warrior
A mysterious handwritten letter arrives from Sarah Cavanaugh. In it, she asks: What do you think of my crime? Get early, ad-free access to more episodes of Deep Cover: The…
Introducing Deep Cover: The Truth About Sarah
Sarah was everything people wanted her to be—until she wasn’t. Deep Cover: The Truth About Sarah begins on May 12, available wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe to Pushkin+ to…
Episode 4: The Donor
Amy Gaines McQuade sits down with GOP donor and former Santos supporter Cathy Soref. Then Amy and Jake Halpern discuss some of the most serious charges that George Santos faced,…
Episode 2: The Congressman
George Santos takes office. His communications director, Naysa Woomer, walks us through her five months with Congressman Santos as she tries to manage the chaos and sort fact from fiction.…
Episode 1: The Campaign
George Santos runs for Congress and wins. Then the stories he told on the campaign trail start to fall apart. Semafor’s Kadia Goba wants to figure out where his money…
Deep Cover: George Santos
George Santos, the Republican Congressman from New York told a lot of stories about his life and his credentials… many of which, it turns out, were not true. And now…
Unpacking the Verdict
Jake Halpern speaks with Jerri Williams, former FBI agent and host of the podcast, FBI Retired Case File Review about the case at the center of our series, The Nameless…
Behind the Scenes of The Nameless Man
Jake Halpern speaks with James Forman Jr., story consultant on Deep Cover’s fourth season, The Nameless Man. James Forman Jr. is the J. Skelly Wright Professor of Law at Yale…
Episode 6: The Verdict
Our season finale. What the jury decided and how the verdict sits with the federal agents, jurors, and Wood family today.
Episode 4: The Grand Jury
An assistant prosecutor in Philadelphia prepares the case to be heard by a grand jury. Is there enough evidence to make an arrest, and bring the case to trial?
Episode 3: The Yearning
After nearly 20 years with no answers, the Wood family learns that police are investigating a new lead in Aaron’s death.
Episode 2: The Confession
The alleged accomplice confesses. Investigators try to piece together who the victim might be from the scant details he remembers.
Episode 1: The Rumor
Two federal agents investigate a rumor about a decades old murder. A hate crime.
The Nameless Man: Deep Cover Season 4
How do you solve a murder case when you don’t know who the victim is? Deep Cover: The Nameless Man launches April 22, with new episodes weekly. Subscribe to Pushkin+…
The Search for Brooke Henson
In July of 1999, a young woman named Brooke Henson went missing from Travelers Rest, South Carolina. In this follow up episode to Deep Cover: Never Seen Again, Jake Halpern…
Deep Cover Live with Emily Bazelon
In this special episode of Deep Cover, recorded live at Littlefield in Brooklyn, host Jake Halpern and his friend and fellow journalist Emily Bazelon (of New York Times Magazine and…
Episode 6: A Shared Name
Esther's past catches up with her, as investigators in South Carolina seek answers about what happened to Brooke Henson. In our season finale, we bring you the latest details on…
Episode 5: The Searchers
Esther’s sister has been looking for her for nearly a decade without any luck. A US Marshal is brought in to track Esther down. One of them will eventually find…
Episode 4: A Very Sophisticated Gal
When Esther flees New York, she inadvertently ignites a media firestorm. Reporters and TV producers rush to tell the story of the Ivy League imposter: the so-called “brazen brunette beauty”…
Episode 3: The Imposter
A woman named Esther Reed has been living in New York, but attending college under a different identity: Brooke Henson. When the NYPD tries to learn more, she flees. In…
Episode 2: The Star Man
Detective Jon Campbell wants more information about the woman – at Columbia University – claiming to be Brooke Henson. He enlists the help of the Secret Service to get his…
Episode 1: The Dark Corner
Brooke Henson disappears from her home in Travelers Rest, South Carolina. No one can find her. She’s presumed dead. Then, seven years later, police receive a startling tip. Subscribe to…
Never Seen Again: Deep Cover Season 3
A small town detective gets a tip that leads him on an epic search. He believes he's uncovered an imposter. A fraud. A highly-trained chameleon. A foreign spy. The federal…
Camouflage Bias: Part 3
In 2022, we released a series called Camouflage Bias that told the story of Ronnie Carrasquillo– a man who was loosely connected to a trial we covered in Deep Cover…
Camouflage Bias: Part 2
2022. After Ronnie Carrasquillo exhausts his appeals, he faces the Illinois Prisoner Review Board. But it seems each time Ronnie comes up for parole, he can’t escape the notoriety of…
Camouflage Bias: Part 1
1978. A few months after the Aleman trial wraps up, the presiding judge, Frank Wilson, sentences a young man named Ronnie Carrasquillo to 200-600 years in prison for murder. But…
Episode 10: The Witness
September 1997. Bob’s wiretap evidence culminates in two major trials and the downfall of a mafia kingpin. But was it all worth it for Bob?
Episode 9: The Vanishing
November 1989. Bob’s undercover work has some serious consequences for an old friend. His days as an operative end suddenly when he flees Chicago.
Episode 8: The Big Fish
April 1989. Bob goes after his most important target: Pat Marcy. But as he works his way up the criminal ladder, he risks being discovered.
Episode 7: The Philosopher King ft. Michael Imperioli
December 1988. Bob wires up. He and the FBI set their sights on three targets: a mobbed-up car salesman, a bookie, and… a poet. Voice acting in this episode by…
Episode 6: The Breaking Point
February 1986. Bob Cooley represents a bodybuilder who brutally assaulted a female police officer. Then Bob makes a decision that will change his life forever.
Episode 5: The Babe in the Woods
July 1973. Who can stem the tide of corruption in Chicago? In this episode: two attempts to clean up the courts. And where they fell short.
Episode 4: The Favorite Son
July 1942. How did Bob Cooley, an Irish ex-cop from a family of cops and lawyers, become Bob Cooley, criminal defense lawyer and fixer for the Chicago Outfit?
Episode 3: The Fix
May 1977. After a witness decides to speak out, a hitman named Harry Aleman stands trial for the murder of William Logan. Bob Cooley is asked to “handle it.” The…
Episode 2: The Murder
September 1972. A teamster named William Logan is gunned down outside his home, in what’s widely thought to be a mob hit. The Logan family is determined to get justice,…
Episode 1: The Walk-In
March 1986. A high-rolling lawyer named Bob Cooley walks into a federal prosecutor’s office and says that he has information that could bring down the mob.
Deep Cover Season Two Trailer
Who was Bob Cooley? Deep Cover Season Two launches on January 24th. Listen to the whole season early and ad-free by subscribing to Pushkin+.
Bonus: The Origin of Ned’s Novel, Plus a Sneak Peek of Deep Cover Season Two
The launch of Deep Cover Season 2 is just a month away. Until then, we bring you a conversation between host Jake Halpern and screenwriter/author James Coyne about the genesis…
Bonus: The Supply Side
Jake delves into one piece of the puzzle that he didn’t quite get into in season one but has continued to intrigue him.
9: 1989
Ned gets too close with a female source. Meanwhile, tensions between the U.S. and Noriega ramp up.
8: The Political Shitstorm
Leigh Ritch, Mike Vogel, and Steven Kalish all testify before Congress. Manuel Noriega is indicted in federal court.
7: The Honeymoon is Over
This is the story of Leigh Ritch's escape. It begins with his friends, Tommy Lee and Heather Locklear, visiting the Cayman Islands on their honeymoon.
6: The Silent Partner
As Ned is in Grand Cayman working undercover to investigate Leigh Ritch, he hears talk about a “general,” sometimes called “Pineapple Face.”
5: A Different Kind of Animal
The kingpin of the smuggling syndicate — Leigh Ritch — is safely out of reach in the Cayman Islands. But he's worried ...
4: The Gentleman Smuggler
Shine takes Ned to Beaufort, North Carolina, where an abandoned boat full of marijuana had been discovered years prior. Locally, that case had gone cold, but Shine knows all about…
3: El Dorado
Ned makes his move on Shine by baiting him into a chili cook-off. It turns out Shine is also looking for an out, as he's come under suspicion from his…
2: What Will the Neighbors Think?
As Ned goes deeper undercover with Toby, making busts and infiltrating biker gangs, his wife Kathy begins to worry that things are going too far.
1: The Masked Man
Detroit FBI agent Ned Timmons busts Toby Anderson, a violent criminal who also fancies himself a budding country music star.
Introducing Deep Cover
Marijuana, motorcycles, and mayhem. Deep Cover is the true story of an FBI agent in Detroit who goes undercover.
The Host
Jake Halpern
Jake Halpern is a journalist, bestselling author, and winner of the 2018 Pulitzer Prize. His first book, Braving Home, was a main selection for the Book of the Month Club…
