88 episodes

Smoke Screen is an investigative documentary series on people with complex motives and morals. Follow characters on the fringes of society — con artists, cult leaders, corrupt politicians — as they seduce their marks and bend communities to their will. Join us as we unravel their stories and bring justice to the people they’ve deceived.

SEASON 8: My Fugitive Dad
Ashley’s Dad was her favorite person in the world. He drove fast cars and sold them for a living. He was a scratch golfer and the love of her Mum’s life. Ashley thought she knew him better than anyone. But at 38, she found out he wasn’t who he said he was. Inspired by his favorite movie the Thomas Crown Affair, he had pulled off a robbery in Cleveland then disappeared. It turns out he evaded the authorities for half a century, living in their sleepy Massachusetts town.

His secret upended his family’s life, but another family’s too. Because from the moment this 20-year-old vault teller escaped with $215,000 in 1969, Deputy U.S. Marshal John Elliott made it his life’s mission to bring him to justice. After he retired, his son even took up his mantle. For this six episode podcast, host Jonathan Hirsch teams up with Ashley Randele to unravel the mystery of how her Dad got away with it, and ultimately, why he left behind everyone and everything to start over.

Unlock all episodes of Smoke Screen, ad-free, by subscribing to The Binge. Plus, get binge access to brand new stories dropping on the first of every month. Just click ‘Subscribe’ on the top of the Smoke Screen show page on Apple Podcasts or visit GetTheBinge.com to get access wherever you listen.

SEASON 7: Betrayal on the Bayou
For almost two decades, DEA Special Agent Chad Scott ruled the streets just North of New Orleans. He controlled a network of snitches by convincing people he arrested to work for him as informants. Chad would stop at nothing to put drug dealers behind bars. His successes won awards at the DEA, but his willingness to bend the rules earned him a terrifying reputation on the streets. Some called him the Golden Boy. Others called him the White Devil. But when one of guys on Chad's team is caught dealing drugs, Chad’s life is overturned. His right-hand men betray him and confess everything to the FBI. Investigators go over his career with a fine-toothed comb, asking the question: is Chad Scott the greatest DEA Agent in the South, or is he a criminal? 

SEASON 6: Just Say You're Sorry
Texas Ranger James Holland is celebrated as the ‘serial killer whisperer’, solving dozens of murders through his legendary interrogation skills. But how far does he go to get confessions? And has he put innocent people in prison along the way? Smoke Screen: Just Say You're Sorry uses shocking police tapes to reveal the psychological drama behind one murder case, and uncovers something rotten at the heart of the justice system.

SEASON 5: Deadly Cure
Smoke Screen: Deadly Cure is a podcast about a family on the fringe who convinced tens of thousands of people across the globe to buy a miracle liquid made of poison, the international conspiracy they ignited, and the people who fought to take them down. Produced in collaboration with Bloomberg.

SEASON 4: Puppy Kingpin
Americans are used to being on the lookout for a scam, but authorities are warning of a new kind of fraud. Puppy Kingpin shines a spotlight on Jolyn Noethe, a secretive businesswoman from Iowa who is accused of laundering puppies much like drug money. Investigative reporter Alex Schuman exposes the scheme and an underground part of the industry bringing us the pets we love.

SEASON 3: The Sellout
SEASON 2: I Am Rama
SEASON 1: Fake Priest

Smoke Screen: My Fugitive Dad The Binge

    • True Crime
    • 4.0 • 2.3K Ratings

Listen on Apple Podcasts
Requires subscription and macOS 11.4 or higher

Smoke Screen is an investigative documentary series on people with complex motives and morals. Follow characters on the fringes of society — con artists, cult leaders, corrupt politicians — as they seduce their marks and bend communities to their will. Join us as we unravel their stories and bring justice to the people they’ve deceived.

SEASON 8: My Fugitive Dad
Ashley’s Dad was her favorite person in the world. He drove fast cars and sold them for a living. He was a scratch golfer and the love of her Mum’s life. Ashley thought she knew him better than anyone. But at 38, she found out he wasn’t who he said he was. Inspired by his favorite movie the Thomas Crown Affair, he had pulled off a robbery in Cleveland then disappeared. It turns out he evaded the authorities for half a century, living in their sleepy Massachusetts town.

His secret upended his family’s life, but another family’s too. Because from the moment this 20-year-old vault teller escaped with $215,000 in 1969, Deputy U.S. Marshal John Elliott made it his life’s mission to bring him to justice. After he retired, his son even took up his mantle. For this six episode podcast, host Jonathan Hirsch teams up with Ashley Randele to unravel the mystery of how her Dad got away with it, and ultimately, why he left behind everyone and everything to start over.

Unlock all episodes of Smoke Screen, ad-free, by subscribing to The Binge. Plus, get binge access to brand new stories dropping on the first of every month. Just click ‘Subscribe’ on the top of the Smoke Screen show page on Apple Podcasts or visit GetTheBinge.com to get access wherever you listen.

SEASON 7: Betrayal on the Bayou
For almost two decades, DEA Special Agent Chad Scott ruled the streets just North of New Orleans. He controlled a network of snitches by convincing people he arrested to work for him as informants. Chad would stop at nothing to put drug dealers behind bars. His successes won awards at the DEA, but his willingness to bend the rules earned him a terrifying reputation on the streets. Some called him the Golden Boy. Others called him the White Devil. But when one of guys on Chad's team is caught dealing drugs, Chad’s life is overturned. His right-hand men betray him and confess everything to the FBI. Investigators go over his career with a fine-toothed comb, asking the question: is Chad Scott the greatest DEA Agent in the South, or is he a criminal? 

SEASON 6: Just Say You're Sorry
Texas Ranger James Holland is celebrated as the ‘serial killer whisperer’, solving dozens of murders through his legendary interrogation skills. But how far does he go to get confessions? And has he put innocent people in prison along the way? Smoke Screen: Just Say You're Sorry uses shocking police tapes to reveal the psychological drama behind one murder case, and uncovers something rotten at the heart of the justice system.

SEASON 5: Deadly Cure
Smoke Screen: Deadly Cure is a podcast about a family on the fringe who convinced tens of thousands of people across the globe to buy a miracle liquid made of poison, the international conspiracy they ignited, and the people who fought to take them down. Produced in collaboration with Bloomberg.

SEASON 4: Puppy Kingpin
Americans are used to being on the lookout for a scam, but authorities are warning of a new kind of fraud. Puppy Kingpin shines a spotlight on Jolyn Noethe, a secretive businesswoman from Iowa who is accused of laundering puppies much like drug money. Investigative reporter Alex Schuman exposes the scheme and an underground part of the industry bringing us the pets we love.

SEASON 3: The Sellout
SEASON 2: I Am Rama
SEASON 1: Fake Priest

Listen on Apple Podcasts
Requires subscription and macOS 11.4 or higher

    My Fugitive Dad | 1. Becoming Thomas Crown

    My Fugitive Dad | 1. Becoming Thomas Crown

    The summer of 1968 one of the most iconic heist movies ever made came out. The Thomas Crown Affair starred Steve McQueen as a clever businessman who pulls off an elaborate robbery. Ted Conrad, a kid from Cleveland, admired this film so much he walked out of Society National Bank with hundreds of thousands of dollars in a paper bag. Some say he stole the money for the same reasons Crown did: to see if he could get away with it. But Ashley wonders, what was his real motive?



    Subscribe to The Binge to get all episodes of Smoke Screen: My Fugitive Dad, ad-free right now. Click ‘Subscribe’ at the top of the Smoke Screen: My Fugitive Dad show page on Apple Podcasts or visit GetTheBinge.com to get access wherever you get your podcasts.



    A Neon Hum Media & Sony Music Entertainment production.



    Find more great podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts and follow us @sonypodcasts
    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    • 41 min
    My Fugitive Dad | 2. The Hunt

    My Fugitive Dad | 2. The Hunt

    Introducing the Elliotts, the father-son pair who spent the better part of their lives with the singular mission of finding Ted Conrad. From the very start of this case, John Elliott made Ted his nemesis. It turns out the Deputy Marshal had his reasons to despise him. Hosts Jonathan and Ashley discover a letter her Dad wrote in the weeks after the heist.



    Subscribe to The Binge to get all episodes of Smoke Screen: My Fugitive Dad, ad-free right now. Click ‘Subscribe’ at the top of the Smoke Screen: My Fugitive Dad show page on Apple Podcasts or visit GetTheBinge.com to get access wherever you get your podcasts.



    A Neon Hum Media & Sony Music Entertainment production.



    Find more great podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts and follow us @sonypodcasts
    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    • 30 min
    My Fugitive Dad | 3. The Last Randele

    My Fugitive Dad | 3. The Last Randele

    At a social security office in Boston, Ted Conrad is reborn as Thomas Randele. It was the first time this surname was ever recorded. Then he went about making friends and making excuses for why he didn’t have to work. Ashley sifts through her Dad’s past trying to figure out what he told her is actually true and what isn’t. She interviews her Mum, Kathy, who reveals that her Dad hadn’t wanted kids when they first met.



    Subscribe to The Binge to get all episodes of Smoke Screen: My Fugitive Dad, ad-free right now. Click ‘Subscribe’ at the top of the Smoke Screen: My Fugitive Dad show page on Apple Podcasts or visit GetTheBinge.com to get access wherever you get your podcasts.



    A Neon Hum Media & Sony Music Entertainment production.



    Find more great podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts and follow us @sonypodcasts
    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    • 46 min
    My Fugitive Dad | 4. The Ringer

    My Fugitive Dad | 4. The Ringer

    Tom was a scratch golfer. Good enough he could have gone pro. So why didn’t he? How did being a wanted man shape the seemingly perfect life he had? He ended up in the car business with a posse of car guys who adored him but could see he was a bit of fish out of water. When tragedy strikes, Tom makes a decision that will come back to haunt him.



    Subscribe to The Binge to get all episodes of Smoke Screen: My Fugitive Dad, ad-free right now. Click ‘Subscribe’ at the top of the Smoke Screen: My Fugitive Dad show page on Apple Podcasts or visit GetTheBinge.com to get access wherever you get your podcasts.



    A Neon Hum Media & Sony Music Entertainment production.



    Find more great podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts and follow us @sonypodcasts
    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    • 40 min
    My Fugitive Dad | 5. Tom's Very Last Round

    My Fugitive Dad | 5. Tom's Very Last Round

    Ashley realizes her Dad has been hiding a diagnosis from her and her mother. Time is running out for him to tell the truth. Hosts Jonathan and Ashley go back to the house on Carter Road, her childhood home - where her Dad dropped the bombshell that changed everything. And Pete Elliott helps his father face the fact that he may never catch Ted Conrad.



    Subscribe to The Binge to get all episodes of Smoke Screen: My Fugitive Dad, ad-free right now. Click ‘Subscribe’ at the top of the Smoke Screen: My Fugitive Dad show page on Apple Podcasts or visit GetTheBinge.com to get access wherever you get your podcasts.



    A Neon Hum Media & Sony Music Entertainment production.



    Find more great podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts and follow us @sonypodcasts
    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    • 33 min
    My Fugitive Dad | 6. Settling Accounts

    My Fugitive Dad | 6. Settling Accounts

    Tom’s identity is discovered by the world. The press mobs their home. And the U.S. Marshal Pete Elliott ends up on Ashley’s doorstep. Their fathers spent their lives at odds with one another. But once Pete shows up, the unexpected happens. Why Ashley’s Dad stole the money and left Cleveland is revealed and Ashley and her Mum discover one last surprise.



    Subscribe to The Binge to get all episodes of Smoke Screen: My Fugitive Dad, ad-free right now. Click ‘Subscribe’ at the top of the Smoke Screen: My Fugitive Dad show page on Apple Podcasts or visit GetTheBinge.com to get access wherever you get your podcasts.



    A Neon Hum Media & Sony Music Entertainment production.



    Find more great podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts and follow us @sonypodcasts
    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    • 50 min

Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5
2.3K Ratings

2.3K Ratings

golferpoet ,

Interesting yet prolonged

This is a fascinating story. However, if it was shortened to 3 or 4 it would have maintained a greater degree of fascination.

Jax1234xoxo ,

Skip the daughter’s part

Why is the daughter talking so fake as if this wasn’t real life or her real father. She’s trying too hard to sound quirky or interesting but she sounds like a extremely fake hired actress. The host should not have invited her - “my mum” 😏

Tia E. P. ,

Daughter, please.

The story was interesting but the daughter is unlikeable. I did not enjoy listening to her. Could have quoted some things she said and let that be enough. He didn’t want his story told and she refused to honor his wishes. She’s the real villain here. I’m still mad she openly told this.

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