Gangster Capitalism

On September 3, 2018, a rancher in Laredo, Texas, discovered a woman’s body shot execution-style on the side of the road. When investigators identified her as a local sex worker, their search for the killer took them into the darkest corners of the city. Then, after days of false starts and dead-ends, another body turned up, terrifying residents and leading law enforcement to conclude a serial killer is at large. More would die before a survivor finally came forward and identified the killer… but his motives proved as confounding as his crimes.   To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jane Doe 15 tells her story. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

More survivors of sexual violence at Liberty speak for the first time, revealing yet again how deeply the coverup culture on campus is rooted. Our reporting has led to a lawsuit against Liberty, in which the women featured in episode 3, those in this episode, and others have joined. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Liberty University strayed far from its mission under the leadership of Jerry Falwell Jr, but even in the wake of his departure, the future of the school may be determined by those who enabled him. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Atypical Liberty students face enormous and sometimes dangerous pressure on campus. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It pays to be connected to the Falwells.  To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

From the Liberty Police Department, to the student newspaper, to faculty, staff, and administration, loyalty was constantly tested, and enforced. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jerry Falwell Sr founds Liberty University in 1971. Amid financial turmoil, Jerry Falwell Jr takes over in 2007. Business booms, but at what cost? To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Liberty has failed to address, and even covered up the stories of women who have been sexually harassed and assaulted on campus. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Giancarlo Granda, AKA “The Pool Boy” reveals the predatory nature of the Falwells. Exclusive audio reveals another side, and another character in the middle of this story. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A never-before told story details Jerry and Becki Falwell’s behavior at the height of their power. And a favor comes with big enough strings attached to change the course of an election.  To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The C13Originals Peabody nominated series is back for Season Three: Jerry Falwell Jr. and Liberty University. A sex scandal rocks one of the world’s largest Christian universities, and the man at the center of it. But that scandal is just the beginning. The award-winning Gangster Capitalism team spoke with more than 80 former and current Liberty students, faculty, staff, high-ranking administrators, and those with intimate knowledge of Falwell Jr. What emerges is the inside story of how the university, and the family who founded it, have been rocked by power, greed, hypocrisy, and of course money.  To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Following the last episode of Season 2, the creators of Gangster Capitalism received a tip about a secret scheme to keep Wayne LaPierre in power.   To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A former Ackerman employee explains how expenses were hidden. Leaked audio of Wayne LaPierre lets people know the real damage under his watch. Where will the NRA go from here? To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Board members are receiving money directly from the NRA. A fundraiser and a major donor decide they’ve seen enough. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Could this be more than business? Could it be personal? A deeper look at the NRA attorney at the center of everything.  To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The NRA has a new program to help lift them out of financial despair, and a fresh face to run it. But both turn out to be disasters. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A dream job slowly becomes something very different for a former NRA fundraiser, as ethical questions come to light. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A financial surplus becomes a deficit once Wayne LaPierre is elevated to EVP, and he is questioned about the relationship with Ackerman McQueen, more than 20 years ago. An old friend with a clever maneuver helps to keep the status quo. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Lines are drawn, as Wayne LaPierre’s supremacy is tested, and the rift spills out into public. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A show of strength and unity kicks off the 2019 Annual Convention, but behind the scenes, the NRA is nearing a civil war. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

From C13 Originals, Gangster Capitalism, Season 2 explores The National Rifle Association and the allegations swirling around the nonprofit organization. Andrew Jenks hosts. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

With sentences starting to be handed out to those who’ve plead guilty in this scandal, some cases are coming to a close. Others who’ve plead not guilty may have an uphill battle, despite their potential argument that Rick Singer followed the steps of any good con, which are explained in this episode. Any real sense of closure and long term change will require changing the narrative, both for the parents and for the academic system at large.  To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

An argument is made that just because we are repelled by the indicted parents’ behavior, that doesn’t make it criminal. In fact, one opinion is that the parents may face no punishment. Some solutions are presented, but a mother and a son show us that any real change must come from within. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A Singer parent negotiates a deal for her son to have the ACT taken for him, without him even being in the same state, and a college admissions insider reveals the a la carte menu that wealthy parents have when donating to schools, also known as “The Backdoor.” But as it turns out, paying top dollar for access to admissions offices can start as far back as preschool. This episode looks at the legal ways in which parents get their kids into college, no matter how dubious they may seem. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A best friend, a mentee, and a former coworker provide an intimate account of Rick Singer’s transition from the boy determined to transform himself, to the coach who refused to accept failure, to the man whose obsession with wealth would be his ultimate undoing. These people, and their stories are being heard for the first time, and a new picture of who Rick Singer really is, finally emerges. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Federal agents make an arrest for securities fraud, and get much more than expected. They are offered information that leads to a man they’d never heard of - Rick Singer, and the biggest scandal in education history. Once Singer is caught, he brings everybody else with him through conversations that shed light on the world of those involved, and their sense of entitlement. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Rick Singer’s “Side Door” has another, more expensive option that clients like actor, Lori Loughlin opt for. The scam? $500,000 to get your kids accepted to college as Division 1 athletes - even if they never actually played the sport. Race and status are explored, as this scandal forces all of us to confront uncomfortable subjects.  To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Through transcriptions of wiretapped conversations between Rick Singer, Felicity Huffman, and others, Episode 1 brings to life just how dirty these schemes were. We also hear from a student who cheated on his SAT, a psychologist who deals with students and parents trying to game the system to get more time to take the SAT and ACT, and Jenks breaks news by finding the ringleader, Rick Singer, in an unlikely place. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

With exclusive interviews and thought-provoking discussion, Andrew Jenks examines the people involved and the larger debate around higher education in America. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices