Episodes

  • Tim Ballard: Unmasking a Hero

    Tim Ballard: Unmasking a Hero
    Oct 21 2024
    Listen to the new season of Opportunist, out now wherever you listen to podcasts. In the 10th season of "The Opportunist: Tim Ballard," Podcast One will explore controversy surrounding Tim Ballard, the celebrated founder of Operation Underground Railroad, an organization known for its mission to combat human trafficking. Hailed by some as a modern-day hero, Ballard's reputation is now tarnished by controversy as allegations of sexual misconduct have emerged - shaking the foundations of his crusade. Through exclusive interviews with victims and those who know him best, this podcast series aims to unravel the complexities of Ballard's dual persona- a savior to some, a predator to others. Join host Sarah James McLaughlin as she explores the rise and potential fall of a man whose actions have sparked a national conversation on trust, power, and accountability.
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    19 mins
  • Seraphine Warren: Long Walk to Justice

    Seraphine Warren: Long Walk to Justice
    Jul 15 2024
    Seraphine Warren rose to prominence as an advocate for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women – walking 2,400 miles from Arizona to Washington, D.C. to draw attention to her missing aunt Ella Mae Begay, who disappeared from a Navajo Reservation in 2021. But while she spoke out publicly against the decades-long wave of violence against indigenous people, Warren allegedly led a vigilante kidnapping similar to the violence she ferociously condemned.
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    32 mins
  • Chase Johnston: Prisoner v Predator

    Chase Johnston: Prisoner v Predator
    Jul 8 2024
    Chase Johnston is part of a growing trend of online citizen vigilantes who pose as underage kids and use social media to confront and capture would-be sexual predators. But when a sting operation goes bad, Chase Johnston finds himself the one arrested and behind bars.
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    32 mins
  • Byron David Smith: The Deer Hunter

    Byron David Smith: The Deer Hunter
    May 28 2024
    Byron Smith was tired of his home being burgled. He said it had been broken into at least a half dozen times. And he was determined not to let it happen again. So, Smith set a trap and laid in wait to protect his “castle.” When two teenage cousins broke into his house on Elm Street, it set off a true-life horror story.
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    39 mins
  • Ransom! Available now!

    Ransom! Available now!
    May 23 2024
    Ransom: Season 1 - Position of Trust is a story of greed and betrayal and how one’s outward appearance can be dangerously deceiving. Go to ransompodcast.com, or follow Ransom on your favorite podcast app. Twelve-year-old McKay Everett disappeared from his Texas home in September 1995. His father Carl returned from an Amway meeting to find the back door ajar and the telephone ringing. On the line, a woman with a raspy voice demanded $500,000. Over the next week, the FBI played a game of cat-and-mouse with the kidnappers, who used inside information to stay one step ahead of the investigation. Ultimately the FBI uncovered a series of crimes that started long before McKay was taken. Most shocking of all was the suspect. McKay had been betrayed by someone he trusted – a pillar of the community hiding a dark secret. But decades later, McKay’s mother, Paulette, still isn’t satisfied with the official story. She doesn’t think everyone involved has been brought to justice.
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    16 mins
  • James Fairbanks: A Hero and a Devil

    James Fairbanks: A Hero and a Devil
    May 21 2024
    James Fairbanks spent his career helping at-risk children. But their stories took a devastating toll on him. In 2020, Fairbanks said he witnessed a registered sex offender - Mattieo Condoluci - scouting out his next victim. Fairbanks vowed on the spot he wouldn’t allow another child to be abused. Taking justice into his own hands, Fairbanks confronted Condoluci, shooting him four times, and killing him. However, Condoluci's daughter praised Fairbanks for killing the man she said repeatedly raped her.
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    42 mins
  • Scambaiters: A Brilliant Game

    Scambaiters: A Brilliant Game
    Oct 24 2022

    "In a weird, fucked up way, you’re doing good."

    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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    38 mins
  • Rev. Raymond Broshears: Militant Priest

    Rev. Raymond Broshears: Militant Priest
    May 14 2024
    In the 1970s, San Francisco’s gay community was being terrorized. An unlikely hero emerged - Rev. Raymond Broshears. Determined to protect his flock, the gun-toting, controversial gay priest brought vigilante justice to San Francisco’s streets.
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    35 mins