Afleveringen
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In October 2019, a crew wearing DEA vests, carrying badges, and driving a car with working police lights abducted a Naperville businessman from a parking lot while bystanders looked away — then spent the night torturing him for a $500,000 ransom.
This episode is built from 91 federal court documents: the indictment, trial testimony, the government's 33-page sentencing memorandum, and the signed judgment for United States v. Sedgwick Williams et al. (1:19-cr-00932, N.D. Illinois). The crew's organizer, Sedgwick Williams, is now serving 50 years in federal prison. The case closed in 2024. Three sets of DNA from inside the kidnapping car have never been matched to a name.
Court documents are sent exclusively to subscribers when episodes drop — subscribe now at https://truecrimeunheard.com/subscribe so you don't miss future case files.
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A true crime case built from a teenager's price list: $40 for a gas leak, $50 for a major police response, $75 for a bomb threat. Alan Winston Filion — online alias "Torswats" — ran a swatting-for-hire operation from his bedroom in Lancaster, California, starting at age 15. Over 18 months, he made more than 375 swatting calls targeting mosques, schools, historically Black colleges, the Pentagon, members of Congress, and a federal agent's home at 2:45 in the morning.
A private investigator infiltrated his encrypted channels. A gamer recognized his typing patterns from five years earlier. The FBI seized 13 devices — and Filion kept making calls.
In this episode of True Crime Cases You Haven't Heard, host Steve Rhode examines United States v. Alan Winston Filion using federal court documents, the plea agreement, sentencing memoranda, and investigative journalism from WIRED and Vice.
What you'll learn:
• How a 16-year-old built a criminal business with cryptocurrency, AI-generated voices, and caller ID spoofing
• Why it took 12 months from evidence to arrest — and what Filion did with those months
• The sentencing math: 375 calls, no deaths, four years — and whether that's proportional justice
This ethical true crime episode is built entirely from court documents and official records. Case files available exclusively on Substack — search True Crime Unheard.
TrueCrimeUnheard.com
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Zijn er afleveringen die ontbreken?
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Peter Karasev bombed two PG&E transformers in the middle of the night — then bicycled home to his partner and three young children.
A PhD from Georgia Tech. A senior ML engineer at Amazon's autonomous vehicle subsidiary. A $250,000 salary. And 300 pounds of explosive materials in the garage of a $1.5 million home, across the street from a high school.
Built from 167 research files and 78 court documents — including the government and defense sentencing memoranda, the indictment, and the judgment — this episode covers how a geofence warrant returned one device in a six-minute window, what investigators found inside 668 Potomac Court, and why fifteen households on life-sustaining medical equipment lost power before anyone knew it was deliberate.
Get the case files at https://truecrimeunheard.com/subscribe
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A $120,000 juror bribe in a butterfly-covered Hallmark bag — this true crime case exposed the desperation behind America's largest pandemic fraud.
Five co-conspirators in the $250 million Feeding Our Future fraud tracked a 23-year-old federal juror online, followed her home from the Minneapolis courthouse, and delivered $120,000 in cash with instructions to vote not guilty. She called 911 immediately.
Built from the federal indictment, five plea agreements, FBI affidavits, and sentencing memoranda filed in United States v. Farah (D. Minn.). Court documents are sent exclusively to subscribers when episodes drop — subscribe at https://truecrimeunheard.com/subscribe
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Craig Lang murdered a Florida couple to fund a mercenary trip to Venezuela — then fled to Ukraine, where he was celebrated as a war hero before being extradited and convicted in one of the rarest Neutrality Act prosecutions in US history.
Built from federal court documents, trial testimony, and international extradition records, this episode traces a dishonorably discharged Army veteran from a church parking lot ambush in Estero to the front lines in Irpin — and back into a Fort Myers courtroom six years later.
Lang is now serving two consecutive life sentences. Court documents are sent exclusively to paid Substack subscribers when episodes drop — subscribe at https://truecrimeunheard.com/subscribe so you don't miss future case files.
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Christina Chapman's North Korea laptop farm is one of the most unusual true crime cases we've covered. A homeless woman in Minnesota received a LinkedIn message that changed everything — and within three years, she was running 90 labeled laptops from her Arizona home, each one enabling a North Korean operative to work at an American company under a stolen name.
Built from 402 pages of federal court documents — including the 57-page indictment, sentencing transcript, and Chapman's personal letter to the judge — this episode traces how desperation became complicity, how $17.1 million flowed to North Korea's nuclear weapons program, and why Chapman was grateful when the FBI finally arrested her.
Court documents are sent exclusively to subscribers when episodes drop — subscribe now at https://truecrimeunheard.com/subscribe so you don't miss future case files.
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Hassan Elliott's murder of SWAT Sgt. James O'Connor is one of the most devastating true crime cases in Philadelphia history. Elliott fired 16 rounds through a closed bedroom door — killing a 23-year veteran he never saw.
Built from 544 pages of federal court documents, this episode traces four murders and nine shootings committed by the SG1700 gang over 15 months — and the 353-day gap between a murder warrant and the SWAT raid that cost a sergeant his life.
Elliott is now serving 900 months in federal prison. Court documents are sent exclusively to subscribers when episodes drop — subscribe now at https://truecrimeunheard.com/subscribe so you don't miss future case files.
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Joseph LaForte's Par Funding fraud is one of the most brazen true crime cases Merchant Cash Advance I've covered — $547 million raised under a stolen identity, then protected with violence.
LaForte — twice convicted for fraud before Par Funding existed — hid behind the alias "Joe Mack," registered the company in his wife's name, and convinced more than 1,200 investors to trust him with their savings. When his borrowers fell behind, he sent his brother James and an enforcer named Gioe to threaten, beat, and intimidate them into paying. The whole empire collapsed in July 2020 when the SEC arrived unannounced.
Built from 992 pages of federal court documents, including the amended RICO indictment and government sentencing memoranda, this episode traces the full arc — from LaForte's third financial crime scheme to his 15½-year federal sentence on March 26, 2025.
Court documents are sent exclusively to subscribers when episodes drop — subscribe now at https://truecrimeunheard.com/subscribe so you don't miss future case files.
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Dr. Phillip Jensen's theft of fentanyl from his own dental patients is one of the most methodical true crime cases we've covered. For eight months, the oral surgeon pierced sealed medication vials, extracted half the fentanyl, replaced it with saline, and glued the safety caps back shut—leaving 99 patients partially conscious through oral surgery.
Built from federal court documents in Case 3:22-cr-30005, this episode reveals the seven-step method Jensen executed every single time, the child who told their mother "felt everything," patient S.M. who was struck with a surgical instrument while fully awake on the table, and the stalking incident six weeks before trial that finally ended two and a half years of pretrial manipulation.
On December 18, 2024, Judge Colleen R. Lawless sentenced Jensen to 15 years in federal prison and asked from the bench: "If you cannot trust your doctor, who can you trust?"
Court documents are sent exclusively to subscribers when episodes drop — subscribe now at https://truecrimeunheard.com/subscribe so you don't miss future case files.
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The Fairhope sisters' murder-for-hire plot is one of the most morally complex true crime cases we've covered. Three Alabama sisters paid a five-time convicted felon to kill their brother-in-law — and she became the only person who did the right thing.
Built from 76 pages of federal court documents including the sentencing transcript, this episode reveals how a $500 vet bill became a murder contract, and what happened when the intended victim walked into court to thank the woman hired to kill him.
All five defendants have been sentenced. Court documents are sent exclusively to subscribers when episodes drop — subscribe now at https://truecrimeunheard.com/subscribe so you don't miss future case files.
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Lt. Sean Williamson's death in a Philadelphia building collapse is one of the most preventable true crime cases we've covered. The fire was out. He was inside checking the structure — then three stories came down on six people.
Built from 466 pages of federal court documents, this episode reveals how building owner Al-Ashraf Khalil set fire to his own pizza shop for an insurance payout, texted his accomplice "Bro one fireman died" at 5:25 AM, signed the insurance claim the same day, then boarded a plane to Jordan.
Khalil is now serving 40 years in federal prison. Court documents are sent exclusively to subscribers when episodes drop — subscribe now at https://truecrimeunheard.com/subscribe so you don't miss future case files.
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William Woods told the truth about his identity — and they put him in a psych ward. This true crime case begins at an Albuquerque hot dog cart in 1988, where a coworker stole Woods' wallet and spent the next 35 years living as him.
Built from 359 pages of federal court documents, this episode reveals how Woods was arrested, jailed for 428 days, committed to a mental hospital, and forcibly medicated — all for insisting he was himself. The man who stole his identity called prosecutors demanding his victim stay locked up.
Ian Mallory, a university police detective and a DNA paternity test finally proved what Woods had been saying all along. Court documents are sent exclusively to subscribers when episodes drop — subscribe now at https://truecrimeunheard.com/subscribe so you don't miss future case files.
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Putnam Richardson's kidnapping of attorney Mel Shelander is one of the most ironic true crime cases we've covered. At 79 years old, Richardson abducted his own former defense lawyer—the man who represented him on kidnapping charges 40 years earlier—and held him chained in a shed for 55 hours demanding $1 million ransom.
Built from 65 pages of federal court documents including the factual basis, plea agreement, and sentencing memorandum, this episode traces Richardson's 61-year criminal career from teenage car parts thief to repeat kidnapper.
The FBI rescued Shelander unharmed. Richardson was sentenced to 294 months. Court documents are sent exclusively to subscribers when episodes drop—subscribe now at https://truecrimeunheard.com/subscribe so you don't miss future case files.
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John Walker's aviation fraud is one of the deadliest true crime cases we've covered. He built "Frankenstein helicopters" from crashed remains, bribed an FAA inspector, and ran 48 shell companies from Guam—while pilots kept dying.
Built from 3,070 pages of federal court documents, this episode reveals how Walker's scheme killed 10 pilots, including one who died during his own trial. He's now serving 405 months in federal prison.
Court documents are sent exclusively to subscribers when episodes drop—subscribe at https://truecrimeunheard.com/subscribe so you don't miss future case files.
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Hunter Hudson Jr.'s check fraud case is one of the most self-incriminating true crime cases we've covered. The Montgomery rapper named his album "SWIPE GOD," gave a 27-minute interview titled "What You Know About Swiping," and coordinated his crimes through a Telegram group chat called "Fraud Academy"—while the FBI was already watching.
Built from 294 pages of federal court documents, this crime case reveals how corrupt postal workers and a bank teller enabled over $2 million in fraudulent check deposits. A 73-year-old yacht club teaching kids to sail noticed $75,000 missing—and triggered the investigation that brought it all down.
Ten defendants. 648 months combined prison time. Court documents sent exclusively to subscribers at episode release—subscribe at https://truecrimeunheard.com/subscribe before you miss the next case files.
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Eliud Montoya's murder is one of the fastest whistleblower retaliation true crime cases ever documented. He filed a federal complaint on Thursday exposing his supervisor's $3.5 million labor trafficking scheme—and was shot six times by Saturday afternoon.
Built from 3,090 pages of federal court records including trial transcripts, the getaway driver's 141-page confession, and the civil verdict that held Wolf Tree's parent company 90% responsible for his death, this episode reveals how a decade-long fraud operation silenced the one man who couldn't be controlled.
Three men received federal sentences totaling over 100 years. Court documents are sent exclusively to subscribers when episodes drop — subscribe now at https://truecrimeunheard.com/subscribe so you don't miss future case files.
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Cory Martin's murder of Brandy Odom is one of the most calculated true crime cases we've covered. He spent a year planning—taking out $200,000 in life insurance and studying Dexter daily to learn how to kill.
Built from 2,977 pages of federal court documents and trial testimony, this episode reveals how digital forensics and a co-conspirator's confession finally brought justice after the case went cold for two years.
Martin is now serving life in federal prison. Court documents are sent exclusively to subscribers when episodes drop — subscribe now at https://truecrimeunheard.com/subscribe so you don't miss future case files.
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True Crime Cases You Haven't Heard investigates the double life of Randy Constant, a Missouri farmer who committed the largest organic fraud in American history—$142 million.
He packed bags for hungry children. He led church mission trips. He also spent $360,000 on Las Vegas escorts and hid three secret relationships from his wife of 39 years. She learned everything when prosecutors read his bank statements in open court.
Three days after sentencing, he was dead.
All details from court documents, official records, and sworn testimony.
Subscribers get the actual case files—court documents, sentencing transcripts, and source materials—delivered as each episode drops. Subscribe free at TrueCrimeUnheard.com/subscribe
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The prosecutor reviewed everything and said something haunting: "I don't think Sasser knows why she wanted her dead either."
In 2023, Melody Sasser—a 47-year-old environmental compliance specialist from Knoxville, Tennessee—paid nearly $10,000 in Bitcoin to have a woman murdered. The target wasn't an ex-lover. Wasn't a rival. She was the fiancée of a man Sasser had hiked with a few times.
This episode traces how a Match.com connection turned into a dark web murder plot, the digital trail that led federal agents to her door, and the question that still has no answer: what turns a hiking friend into someone capable of ordering a hit?
True Crime Cases You Haven't Heard examines the psychology, the evidence, and the 100-month sentence that followed.
Subscribe at https://truecrimeunheard.com/subscribe to get the case files for this episode—federal complaints, court documents, and source materials delivered to your inbox.
All details in this episode come from court documents, official records, and sworn testimony. Full source links at TrueCrimeUnheard.com.
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Eli Weinstein defrauded investors of $275 million across three separate Ponzi schemes spanning two decades. He went to federal prison. He received presidential clemency. Within months, he was running another scheme.
This episode goes deep inside the mechanics of serial financial fraud—how these criminals build trust, move money, hide assets, and exploit the very systems designed to stop them. From Weinstein's origins as a used car salesman in New Jersey to his prosecution in 2025, this is a case study in how Ponzi schemes actually work—and why the same people keep getting away with it.
Subscribe to the email list at TrueCrimeUnheard.com to get exclusive access to the court documents and case files for each episode.
All details come from court documents, official records, and sworn testimony.
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