Episodes

How do you say no to a girl who claims she survived the unthinkable? You don’t. You open your front door. When viral anti-trafficking advocate Coco Berthmann needed a place to stay, Becky McIntosh did what any compassionate mother would do—she took her in. Becky was ready to help a traumatized survivor heal. Instead, she invited a whirlwind of chaos directly into her family’s home. Within mere hours of moving in, the red flags started flying. From compulsive lying and emotional manipulation to ...

Coco Berthmann was the ultimate survivor. In 2020, she captivated Salt Lake City with a story so horrific it seemed impossible to ignore: a childhood spent as a victim of a high-end pedophile ring in Germany, allegedly orchestrated by her own mother. She claimed she had been raped as many as 50 times a day for 11 years before escaping to the United States to start a new life. The community didn’t just believe her—they championed her. Coco became a regular on the speaking circuit and even stood ...

In the late 1980s, the Los Angeles jewelry district was hiding a massive, dirty secret. It was the epicenter of the largest money laundering scheme in U.S. history, with the Andonian brothers washing hundreds of millions of dollars in illicit drug cash for the cartels. In this special Debrief episode of The Slippery, we go straight to the source. We sit down with former DEA Agent Selby Smith, one of the key investigators who helped spearhead the legendary takedown known as Operation Polar Cap. ...

Two immigrant brothers built a jewelry empire in the heart of Los Angeles, becoming the "Goldsmiths to the Stars." But beneath the sparkle of 24-karat chains lay "La Mina"—a massive gold-brokering front that funneled Colombian cocaine cash back to Pablo Escobar. This is the story of Nazareth and Vahe Andonian and the federal sting that ended with a record-shattering 505-year prison sentence. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It was the "crunch" heard ‘round the world. In 2005, a bowl of chili in San Jose, California, became the center of a media firestorm that nearly toppled a fast-food empire. This week on The Slippery Debrief, Scott and Nancy are joined by the man who was in the trenches of the investigation: Detective Jose Martinez of the San Jose Police Department. Detective Martinez walks us through the surreal journey of the "Chili Finger" case—an investigation that shifted rapidly from a public health nightm...

It’s one of the most stomach-churning urban legends of the 2000s, but the most shocking part wasn't the "ingredient"—it was the audacity of the lie. This week on Slippery, we’re diving into the infamous 2005 Wendy’s Chili Scam. When Anna Ayala claimed she bit into a human finger while dining at a San Jose Wendy’s, the news sent the fast-food giant into a tailspin, costing the company over $21 million in lost sales. But as investigators began to look closer, the "victim" started looking more lik...