How long would you tolerate thieves breaking into your home to steal your precious jewels? For years, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has been getting away with doing just that by orchestrating the theft of cutting-edge technologies and intellectual property– the crown jewels of the United States economy and its national security. Chinese companies controlled by the CCP have been embedding themselves into the heartland of American business by systematically investing in and buying U.S. companies. It’s not like a bank robbery with alarms going off. It’s a silent crime spree that costs America ..read more

This true crime story is not about a heist pulled off by a notorious bank robber or a cunning scam artist—but an audacious act of bureaucratic theft that spans generations.  It’s an audacious act of bureaucratic theft that spans generations.  Picture this: over $30 billion in matured U.S. savings bonds, investments made with trust and patriotism, are sitting unclaimed.  The rightful heirs, families like mine and maybe even yours, are stonewalled by the very institution that promised to safeguard these assets.  The U.S. Treasury, armed with meticulous records of bondholders ..read more

In the shadow of Texas' heartland, a clandestine cult flourished under the guise of dark rituals and methamphetamine production. Known as the Devil Lovers, this group of middle-aged men and women from prominent Waco families engaged in sinister ceremonies, pledging allegiance to their enigmatic leader, David Russell Zell. Their twisted journey from occult gatherings to running the state's largest illicit meth lab in the late 1980s unfolded a tale stranger than fiction. Join investigative reporter Robert Riggs and former federal prosecutor Bill Johnston as they delve into the spine-chilling cas ..read more

Former NCIS Special Agent Joe Kennedy established the first federal cold case homicide unit.  Starting in 1986 with the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS), Kennedy investigated crimes involving sailors and marines worldwide.  In this episode of the True Crime Reporter® Podcast, I take you inside the crime scene tape to hear about cold cases from a legendary agency member popularized by Hollywood. Although he is retired from NCIS, Joe Kennedy lends his cold case experience to small law enforcement agencies that seek help. He serves on the Cold Case Coalition, a non-profit vol ..read more

Jerry "Animal" McFadden Pastor Wayne Whiteside says, “there are people that seem to be hell-bent on being held bound.” Whiteside knows of what he preaches after ministering to prison inmates for thirty-nine years. He spent the last 24 years talking with death row inmates in Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Mississippi. Whiteside says he has looked evil in the eye and seen nothing but empty souls. He has come face to face with the worst of the worst of serial killers who inflicted unimaginable pain and suffering on their victims. Whiteside holds an unusual perspective on capital punish ..read more

In the blood-soaked pantheon of Depression-era gangsters, one killer stood apart - not for his height, but for his face.  Witnesses consistently described him as looking like "an angel," with bright blue eyes and features so youthful that bank tellers often mistook him for a teenage messenger boy.  That angelic countenance masked the soul of perhaps the most efficient killer in gangster history.  Baby Face Nelson didn't just rob banks - he hunted FBI agents for sport, kept a list of their license plates, and giggled like a schoolboy while gunning them down.  He was a member ..read more

We used to fear sexual predators stalking our neighborhoods, ready to snatch our children off the streets.  We called it “Stranger Danger”. But “Stranger Danger” has moved online with Sextortion schemes on the social media platforms and gaming apps our children use daily.  Organized crime rings now prowl the internet, tricking teenagers into sharing explicit images through these familiar channels.  Once they have those images, the nightmare begins. These criminals blackmail their victims, threatening to expose the photos and videos to friends, family, and the public unless they ..read more

Mike Cox’s name is synonymous with Texas crime reporting.  Cox spent decades covering grisly crimes, working as a police beat reporter and later as the Chief of Media Relations for the Texas Department of Public Safety and authoring books about the Texas Rangers.  His latest book, Getting Away with Murder: Learning from Dateline and Other True Crime Shows, blends his sharp wit with his vast experience in law enforcement, offering readers a tongue-in-cheek take on crime and the often bizarre ways criminals get caught.  During our interview, Cox reflects on his lifelong immersion ..read more

True Crime Reporter® presents a story that straddles the line between horror and history. Mike Cox, a veteran police beat reporter and former chief of media relations for the Texas Department of Public Safety, spent his life documenting murder cases and bringing clarity to chaos.  From unraveling the disturbing confessions of serial killer Henry Lee Lucas to sorting out the facts for the press at the Luby’s Cafeteria massacre, Cox's career has been one immersed in blood and ink.  In this episode, we examine one of Cox’s most sensational stories: serial killer Henry Lee Lucas.  L ..read more

Juan David Ortiz, a U.S. Border Patrol supervisor, wore the uniform of a trusted protector.  But he lived a double life -- husband, father, war veteran, and respected agent. Yet beneath this facade of normalcy lay a monster. Over the course of twelve days in 2018, Ortiz unleashed his dark urges on the streets of Laredo, Texas, brutally ending the lives of four vulnerable women. What drove a man like Ortiz to commit such heinous acts? I explore that question through the eyes of Lyzza Janette, an unlikely observer who dared to confront the killer face-to-face.  As she unraveled the dua ..read more