The Sound of Pursuit

Someone created Bitcoin. We know what they wrote in the famous white paper. We know their pseudonym: "Satoshi Nakamoto." We know what they built and what motivated them. We know roughly when they appeared in the public sphere, and we know when they vanished. What we don't know is who they are.

For four years, Tyler Maroney helped chase that question through the strange world of cryptographers, cypherpunks, accidental billionaires, true believers, and people who would prefer to stay out of the limelight. The result is the excellent documentary, "Finding Satoshi."

Tyler is also a friend of Pursuit, an author, a fellow investigator, and the co-founder of the investigations firm, Quest Research & Investigations (QRI). In this episode, we talk with Tyler about how he and his team tracked Bitcoin's creator for this documentary. How do you find someone when they have evaporated into mist and myth? And more importantly, how will you know if you've found them?

Watch "Finding Satoshi" here.

See Tyler's company site: QRI

Buy Tyler's book, The Modern Detective.

See our previous interview with him.

Host: Hal Humphreys

Guest: Tyler Maroney

Music provided by Jason White, who composed our theme.

Special thanks to Kim Green, who produced this episode.

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Pursuit Magazine and PI Education are part of StoryboardEMP, a media and education company in Nashville, TN. Pursuit, a free online magazine for private investigators, explores all things investigative, from gumshoe techniques and surveillance tech to industry news and crime in media. PI Education, its sister brand, provides online continuing education for licensed PIs. Pursuit and PIed are owned and edited by husband-wife team Hal Humphreys, a PI, and Kim Green, a writer and radio producer.

In this podcast, you'll find episodes that dive deep into the work and the business of private investigations. And at PI Education's YouTube channel, you can dive even deeper into the knowledge pool of this fascinating profession, with regular briefings and webinars. Subscribe to stay up to date!

Pursuit Magazine: https://pursuitmag.com/​
PI Education: https://pieducation.com/​
Our channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/PIEducation​

As a criminal defense investigator and the author of five acclaimed literary mysteries, it's Rene Denfeld's job to make juries — and readers — feel invested in the stories she's telling and the humans involved. In this episode, we'll hear about Denfeld's fact and mitigation investigative work, her fiction writing, and the secret to telling stories that make people care.

Buy Rene Denfeld's new book: https://www.harpercollins.com/products/the-talking-bone-rene-denfeld?variant=44413756178466

See her author site: https://www.renedenfeld.com/

Host: Hal Humphreys

Guest: Rene Denfeld

Sponsored by: TLOxp®

Music provided by Jason White, who composed our theme.

Special thanks to Kim Green, who produced this episode.

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Pursuit Magazine and PI Education are part of StoryboardEMP, a media and education company in Nashville, TN. Pursuit, a free online magazine for private investigators, explores all things investigative, from gumshoe techniques and surveillance tech to industry news and crime in media. PI Education, its sister brand, provides online continuing education for licensed PIs. Pursuit and PIed are owned and edited by husband-wife team Hal Humphreys, a PI, and Kim Green, a writer and radio producer.

In this podcast, you'll find episodes that dive deep into the work and the business of private investigations. And at PI Education's YouTube channel, you can dive even deeper into the knowledge pool of this fascinating profession, with regular briefings and webinars. Subscribe to stay up to date!

Pursuit Magazine: https://pursuitmag.com/​
PI Education: https://pieducation.com/​
Our channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/PIEducation​

How do you manufacture a bogus drought? Rainfall is a measurable fact: it rains or it doesn’t. Ten inches fall, or twenty. It’s not open to debate. Or so I thought.

Full disclosure: agriculture fraud is a category that was not really on our radar — until we spotted this fantastic headline in Farm Journal: RAIN ROBBERS: How Four Farmers Faked a Drought and Stole Millions in Crop Insurance. The tagline gets even better: “Dust became dollars in one of the wildest agriculture crimes on record.”

Our guest Chris Bennett wrote that headline — and this buck-wild story, worthy of a full Coen Brothers treatment. His bio says, "Writing from the level land of the Delta just outside of Clarksdale, Mississippi, Bennett has blogged for several years on agriculture, surrounded by cotton and plenty of cottonmouths." We can't do better than that, so we won't try. Listen in to hear an incredible scam story from high-plains farm country, told by a guy who's been called "the best storyteller in agriculture."

"Rain Robbers" in Farm Journal: https://www.agweb.com/news/business/rain-robbers-how-four-farmers-faked-drought-and-stole-millions-crop-insurance

Chris Bennett's archive: https://www.agweb.com/authors/chris-bennett

Host: Hal Humphreys

Guest: Chris Bennett

Sponsored by: TLOxp®

Music provided by Jason White, who composed our theme.

Special thanks to Kim Green, who produced this episode.

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Pursuit Magazine and PI Education are part of StoryboardEMP, a media and education company in Nashville, TN. Pursuit, a free online magazine for private investigators, explores all things investigative, from gumshoe techniques and surveillance tech to industry news and crime in media. PI Education, its sister brand, provides online continuing education for licensed PIs. Pursuit and PIed are owned and edited by husband-wife team Hal Humphreys, a PI, and Kim Green, a writer and radio producer.

In this podcast, you'll find episodes that dive deep into the work and the business of private investigations. And at PI Education's YouTube channel, you can dive even deeper into the knowledge pool of this fascinating profession, with regular briefings and webinars. Subscribe to stay up to date!

Pursuit Magazine: https://pursuitmag.com/​
PI Education: https://pieducation.com/​
Our channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/PIEducation​

Capital cases are criminal prosecutions where a defendant may face the death penalty. These trials have two phases: In the guilt phase, a jury decides whether a defendant is guilty or innocent. In the penalty phase, the jury hears arguments about aggravating or mitigating factors and decides on a sentence.

Elizabeth Vartkessian plays a huge but little-known role on defense teams in capital cases: As a mitigation specialist, it’s her job to spend hundreds of hours visiting with defendants and their families, teachers, neighbors, and friends — to get a fuller picture of the person’s life, including past abuse, trauma, and mental illness. The stories she collects might save her clients’ lives.

Vartkessian is also founder and director of Advancing Real Change, a national nonprofit dedicated to conducting life history investigations in criminal cases. And she’s the author of THE DESERVING: WHAT THE LIVES OF THE CONDEMNED REVEAL ABOUT AMERICAN JUSTICE, which came out in January. In this episode, we talk about how she does her work, why she wrote this book, and her abiding belief in the law.

Elizabeth Vartkessian's author site: https://www.elizabethvartkessian.com/

Buy the book: https://geni.us/thedeserving

Advancing Real Change: https://advancechange.org/

Host: Hal Humphreys

Guest: Elizabeth Vartkessian

Sponsored by: TLOxp®

Music provided by Jason White, who composed our theme.

Special thanks to Kim Green, who produced this episode.

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Pursuit Magazine and PI Education are part of StoryboardEMP, a media and education company in Nashville, TN. Pursuit, a free online magazine for private investigators, explores all things investigative, from gumshoe techniques and surveillance tech to industry news and crime in media. PI Education, its sister brand, provides online continuing education for licensed PIs. Pursuit and PIed are owned and edited by husband-wife team Hal Humphreys, a PI, and Kim Green, a writer and radio producer.

In this podcast, you'll find episodes that dive deep into the work and the business of private investigations. And at PI Education's YouTube channel, you can dive even deeper into the knowledge pool of this fascinating profession, with regular briefings and webinars. Subscribe to stay up to date!

Pursuit Magazine: https://pursuitmag.com/​
PI Education: https://pieducation.com/​
Our channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/PIEducation​

Somewhere out there is an heir who has no idea they're about to inherit something. Or a family that's been looking for a lost relative for decades. Finding them takes a lot more than a Google search. It's deep detective work into family trees and DNA databases.

Harvey Morse has spent 60 years doing exactly that. He’s President of Locaters International and Chairman of Morse Genealogical Services, the family business his grandfather started back in 1939. And he's had a huge role in shaping this profession. He served ten consecutive terms as Chair of Florida's Division of Licensing Advisory Board, a record nobody can touch. And he founded the Florida Association of Private Investigators.

In our conversation, we'll get into forensic genealogy. We’ll talk about what's changed over the past half century — and what hasn't changed — about how we do this work. And we’ll consider what the industry’s future might look like — and how to mentor the next generation of investigators.

Locaters International, Inc: https://www.bestpi.com/harveyemorse

Morse Genealogical Services: https://www.findanheir.com/

Host: Hal Humphreys

Guest: Harvey Morse

Sponsored by: TLOxp®

Music provided by Jason White, who composed our theme.

Special thanks to Kim Green, who produced this episode.

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Pursuit Magazine and PI Education are part of StoryboardEMP, a media and education company in Nashville, TN. Pursuit, a free online magazine for private investigators, explores all things investigative, from gumshoe techniques and surveillance tech to industry news and crime in media. PI Education, its sister brand, provides online continuing education for licensed PIs. Pursuit and PIed are owned and edited by husband-wife team Hal Humphreys, a PI, and Kim Green, a writer and radio producer.

In this podcast, you'll find episodes that dive deep into the work and the business of private investigations. And at PI Education's YouTube channel, you can dive even deeper into the knowledge pool of this fascinating profession, with regular briefings and webinars. Subscribe to stay up to date!

Pursuit Magazine: https://pursuitmag.com/​
PI Education: https://pieducation.com/​
Our channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/PIEducation​

Twelve strangers walk into a courtroom. By the end of the trial, they decide whether someone walks free or loses everything. The lawyers spend months building a case. But who's been studying the twelve people who decide the verdict?

That’s jury research. It’s one of the more interesting specialties a private investigator can get into, and the work can shape how a trial turns out. Our guest, Vicki Maran, does this for a living. She's a co-founder of IntelliSeek Investigations, an Atlanta firm focused on open-source digging in background investigations. In this episode, we'll hear about her work helping attorneys pick juries in cases with very high stakes.

IntelliSeek Investigations: https://www.intelliseekinvestigations.com/

Host: Hal Humphreys

Guest: Vicki Maran

Sponsored by: TLOxp®

Music provided by Jason White, who composed our theme.

Special thanks to Kim Green, who produced this episode.

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Pursuit Magazine and PI Education are part of StoryboardEMP, a media and education company in Nashville, TN. Pursuit, a free online magazine for private investigators, explores all things investigative, from gumshoe techniques and surveillance tech to industry news and crime in media. PI Education, its sister brand, provides online continuing education for licensed PIs. Pursuit and PIed are owned and edited by husband-wife team Hal Humphreys, a PI, and Kim Green, a writer and radio producer.

In this podcast, you'll find episodes that dive deep into the work and the business of private investigations. And at PI Education's YouTube channel, you can dive even deeper into the knowledge pool of this fascinating profession, with regular briefings and webinars. Subscribe to stay up to date!

Pursuit Magazine: https://pursuitmag.com/​
PI Education: https://pieducation.com/​
Our channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/PIEducation​

How did a 40-year-old wrongful conviction go from a lost cause to a feature documentary watched by millions?

This is the story of a closeted priest brutally murdered in Odessa, Texas and a young Apache man found guilty of a crime he did not commit. It’s about racism. It’s about homophobia. Shame. And false confessions.

James Reyos spent years in prison for something he didn’t do. Couldn’t have done. And our guest, Allison Clayton is a post-conviction attorney who fought to prove his innocence. They’re both featured in a new documentary called “Night in West Texas, as part of Texas Monthly's Reel South series. (For now, you can watch the film on PBS.)

Hear about Clayton's strategy — which in cases like these is often as much about PR and politics as it is about facts, evidence, or the law.

"Night in West Texas" site: https://www.nightinwesttexas.com/

Host: Hal Humphreys

Guest: Allison Clayton

Sponsored by: TLOxp®

Music provided by Jason White, who composed our theme.

Special thanks to Kim Green, who produced this episode.

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Pursuit Magazine and PI Education are part of StoryboardEMP, a media and education company in Nashville, TN. Pursuit, a free online magazine for private investigators, explores all things investigative, from gumshoe techniques and surveillance tech to industry news and crime in media. PI Education, its sister brand, provides online continuing education for licensed PIs. Pursuit and PIed are owned and edited by husband-wife team Hal Humphreys, a PI, and Kim Green, a writer and radio producer.

In this podcast, you'll find episodes that dive deep into the work and the business of private investigations. And at PI Education's YouTube channel, you can dive even deeper into the knowledge pool of this fascinating profession, with regular briefings and webinars. Subscribe to stay up to date!

Pursuit Magazine: https://pursuitmag.com/​
PI Education: https://pieducation.com/​
Our channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/PIEducation​

The “prosperity gospel:" It’s a controversial movement among some charismatic Christians who believe that if people have faith, God will reward them with health and riches. In the middle of the last century, some prosperity gospel preachers discovered the power of television to help them reach more believers — and more donors. Televangelists like Kenneth Copeland became multimillionaires, while many of their donors live well below the poverty line.

Is it fraud if people believe wholeheartedly and donate willingly? Let's ask our guest, Pete Evans. He leads the Trinity Foundation, an organization that has spent decades investigating televangelists who spend their congregations’ donations on lavish mansions and private jets.

Since its founding in the 1970s, the Trinity Foundation has been part faith community, part homeless shelter, part televangelism watchdog and investigative firm. In this episode, you'll find out how Evans and the Trinity Foundation expose religious fraud and excess, using investigative techniques like real estate public records research, aircraft tracking, and trash pulls.

The Trinity Foundation website: https://trinityfi.org/

Host: Hal Humphreys

Guest: Pete Evans

Sponsored by: TLOxp®

Music provided by Jason White, who composed our theme.

Special thanks to Kim Green, who produced this episode.

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Pursuit Magazine and PI Education are part of StoryboardEMP, a media and education company in Nashville, TN. Pursuit, a free online magazine for private investigators, explores all things investigative, from gumshoe techniques and surveillance tech to industry news and crime in media. PI Education, its sister brand, provides online continuing education for licensed PIs. Pursuit and PIed are owned and edited by husband-wife team Hal Humphreys, a PI, and Kim Green, a writer and radio producer.

In this podcast, you'll find episodes that dive deep into the work and the business of private investigations. And at PI Education's YouTube channel, you can dive even deeper into the knowledge pool of this fascinating profession, with regular briefings and webinars. Subscribe to stay up to date!

Pursuit Magazine: https://pursuitmag.com/​
PI Education: https://pieducation.com/​
Our channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/PIEducation​

Your smart TV is watching you. Your fitness tracker knows your heart rate. Your doorbell has a camera. Your car logs everywhere you go.

IoT, the Internet of Things, is everywhere. And those connected devices are priceless sources of digital evidence for investigators. The question is: Do you know how to get to the data those devices collect?

Our guest Amber Schroader is a proud Trekkie and a self-taught, self-styled "computer nerd" who's been doing digital forensics for over 30 years. She's founder of Paraben Corporation, a software company specializing in digital forensics. And she's one of the people pushing this field to think bigger about what devices can tell investigators in all kinds of cases — and how to legally capture that information.

Paraben's website: https://paraben.com/

FInd Amber Schroader on LinkedIn.

Host: Hal Humphreys

Guest: Amber Schroader

Sponsored by: TLOxp®

Music provided by Jason White, who composed our theme.

Special thanks to Kim Green and Stephanie Mitchell, who produced this episode.

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Pursuit Magazine and PI Education are part of StoryboardEMP, a media and education company in Nashville, TN. Pursuit, a free online magazine for private investigators, explores all things investigative, from gumshoe techniques and surveillance tech to industry news and crime in media. PI Education, its sister brand, provides online continuing education for licensed PIs. Pursuit and PIed are owned and edited by husband-wife team Hal Humphreys, a PI, and Kim Green, a writer and radio producer.

In this podcast, you'll find episodes that dive deep into the work and the business of private investigations. And at PI Education's YouTube channel, you can dive even deeper into the knowledge pool of this fascinating profession, with regular briefings and webinars. Subscribe to stay up to date!

Pursuit Magazine: https://pursuitmag.com/​
PI Education: https://pieducation.com/​
Our channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/PIEducation​

On a spring day in 1999, Russell Maze called 911, frantic: his son Alex, just five weeks old, had stopped breathing. At the hospital, doctors noticed bruises on Alex’s head and abdomen. They quickly deduced that his injuries could only have been caused by “shaken baby syndrome.”

Over a year later, Alex died. Russell Maze was convicted of killing his son.

More than two decades later, the Nashville District Attorney’s office took the extraordinary step of asking the court to vacate Maze’s conviction. The medical examiner who helped convict him now believes Alex’s injuries were caused by an illness, not abuse.

In her closing arguments, an attorney with the DA’s office said, “The state got this wrong.”

Our guest today is that attorney. Sunny Eaton is senior director of the Conviction Review Unit and an assistant district attorney in the Nashville DA’s office. In this episode, Sunny talks about how a conviction review unit works and why her office chose the Russell Maze case to review. And she speaks candidly about the life-and-death stakes of her work and why pursuing actual innocence cases matters so much to her.

Read Pam Colloff's ProPublica/NYTimes feature on Russell Maze's case and Sunny Eaton's work to prove his innocence:

He Was Sent to Prison for Killing His Baby. What if He Didn’t Do It?

Host: Hal Humphreys

Guest: Sunny Eaton

Sponsored by: TLOxp®

Music provided by Jason White, who composed our theme.

Special thanks to Kim Green, who produced this episode.

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Pursuit Magazine and PI Education are part of StoryboardEMP, a media and education company in Nashville, TN. Pursuit, a free online magazine for private investigators, explores all things investigative, from gumshoe techniques and surveillance tech to industry news and crime in media. PI Education, its sister brand, provides online continuing education for licensed PIs. Pursuit and PIed are owned and edited by husband-wife team Hal Humphreys, a PI, and Kim Green, a writer and radio producer.

In this podcast, you'll find episodes that dive deep into the work and the business of private investigations. And at PI Education's YouTube channel, you can dive even deeper into the knowledge pool of this fascinating profession, with regular briefings and webinars. Subscribe to stay up to date!

Pursuit Magazine: https://pursuitmag.com/​
PI Education: https://pieducation.com/​
Our channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/PIEducation​

How do you identify online threats before they turn into disasters?

Our guest Chris Nyhuis specializes in shielding clients from cyberattacks. As co-founder and CEO of Vigilant, a cybersecurity company in Cincinnati, he’s developed defenses for the food supply chain and telecom — protecting the kind of infrastructure that, when it gets hit, makes national news. Nyhuis teaches about cyberwarfare and holds multiple patents in threat analysis. And perhaps most impressive of all: The company gives 25% of their profit to organizations fighting child trafficking and supporting orphans around the world. It's built into their business model.

Listen to find out what's going on in the world of cybersecurity, who's getting hit, and how to take practical steps to keep yourself and your business safer.

Viligant's website: https://vigilantnow.com/

FInd Chris Nyhuis on LinkedIn.

Host: Hal Humphreys

Guest: Chris Nyhuis

"Blood Will Tell" podcast: On Apple | On Spotify | On Audible

Sponsored by: TLOxp®

Music provided by Jason White, who composed our theme.

Special thanks to Kim Green and Stephanie Mitchell, who produced this episode.

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Pursuit Magazine and PI Education are part of StoryboardEMP, a media and education company in Nashville, TN. Pursuit, a free online magazine for private investigators, explores all things investigative, from gumshoe techniques and surveillance tech to industry news and crime in media. PI Education, its sister brand, provides online continuing education for licensed PIs. Pursuit and PIed are owned and edited by husband-wife team Hal Humphreys, a PI, and Kim Green, a writer and radio producer.

In this podcast, you'll find episodes that dive deep into the work and the business of private investigations. And at PI Education's YouTube channel, you can dive even deeper into the knowledge pool of this fascinating profession, with regular briefings and webinars. Subscribe to stay up to date!

Pursuit Magazine: https://pursuitmag.com/​
PI Education: https://pieducation.com/​
Our channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/PIEducation​

Twin brothers, 18 years old, go to a party in San Jose, California. A fight ensues. Somebody gets stabbed — and dies. The brothers are arrested, and one twin is charged with murder. The wrong twin. And he stays in jail for nearly two years before the guilty twin finally comes clean.

My guest, author and journalist Jennifer Miller, met one of the brothers, Trung, while reporting a story for the Washington Post. Trung had joined a group that was performing Othello, in a program that uses Shakespeare’s plays to help rehabilitate people serving prison terms. Miller says the story Trung told her was so extraordinary that it “felt like Shakespeare himself could have written it.”

She spent years getting to know the twins and earning their trust. She then shared their story in a podcast called “Blood Will Tell." It's not a true crime podcast in the strictest sense — Miller's burning question wasn't who did what. To her, this story was all about the why: Why did one brother take the blame for nearly two years? Why did the other one let him?

Listen to this episode to find out how Jennifer Miller knew this was the story of a lifetime. And then, download and listen to "Blood Will Tell" to learn the answers to the deeper why questions asked above.

Host: Hal Humphreys

Guest: Jennifer Miller

"Blood Will Tell" podcast: On Apple | On Spotify | On Audible

Sponsored by: TLOxp®

Music provided by Jason White, who composed our theme.

Special thanks to Kim Green, who produced this episode.

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Pursuit Magazine and PI Education are part of StoryboardEMP, a media and education company in Nashville, TN. Pursuit, a free online magazine for private investigators, explores all things investigative, from gumshoe techniques and surveillance tech to industry news and crime in media. PI Education, its sister brand, provides online continuing education for licensed PIs. Pursuit and PIed are owned and edited by husband-wife team Hal Humphreys, a PI, and Kim Green, a writer and radio producer.

In this podcast, you'll find episodes that dive deep into the work and the business of private investigations. And at PI Education's YouTube channel, you can dive even deeper into the knowledge pool of this fascinating profession, with regular briefings and webinars. Subscribe to stay up to date!

Pursuit Magazine: https://pursuitmag.com/​
PI Education: https://pieducation.com/​
Our channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/PIEducation​

Some of the laws shaping how investigators work today were written decades before anyone had a smartphone. And right now, a new round of legislation is moving through state capitals and Congress that could change how PIs track people, pull records, and use the tools they depend on every day.

My guest Edward Ajaeb is president of the National Council of Investigation and Security Services (NCISS). He watches for new laws and regulations that are relevant to our profession. And often, he's been in the room when some of it was written, making sure the PI industry has a voice at the table.

If you've ever been caught off guard by a law that changed how you could do your job, don't miss this episode. With big thanks to our sponsor, TLOxp®.

Nighthawk Strategies: https://nighthawkstrategies.com/edward-ajaeb/

NCISS: https://www.nciss.org/

Edward Ajaeb's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/edwardajaeb/

Host: Hal Humphreys

Guest: Edward Ajaeb

Sponsored by: TLOxp®

Music provided by Jason White, who composed our theme.

Special thanks to Kim Green, who produced this episode.

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Pursuit Magazine and PI Education are part of StoryboardEMP, a media and education company in Nashville, TN. Pursuit, a free online magazine for private investigators, explores all things investigative, from gumshoe techniques and surveillance tech to industry news and crime in media. PI Education, its sister brand, provides online continuing education for licensed PIs. Pursuit and PIed are owned and edited by husband-wife team Hal Humphreys, a PI, and Kim Green, a writer and radio producer.

In this podcast, you'll find episodes that dive deep into the work and the business of private investigations. And at PI Education's YouTube channel, you can dive even deeper into the knowledge pool of this fascinating profession, with regular briefings and webinars. Subscribe to stay up to date!

Pursuit Magazine: https://pursuitmag.com/​
PI Education: https://pieducation.com/​
Our channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/PIEducation​

1996. A blast rips through Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta. The FBI’s initial suspect — a security guard just doing his job — is cleared. The only evidence pointing to the real bomber is a grainy photo. To the FBI, he’s simply “blob man.” They have no idea who he is or how to find him.

You may remember the story of the bomber who blew up the summer Olympics. You might also recall other bombings around the South in the late 1990s. You’ll most likely remember the long manhunt that followed.

Our guest is Becca Andrews, the co-producer and co-host of "American Shrapnel," a podcast that digs deep into Eric Rudolph's crimes, his escape and capture, and the extremist communities that indoctrinated and sheltered him. In this episode, Andrews reflects on investigating crimes from decades ago, interviewing traumatized witnesses, and the long shadow of violent extremism. And she shares her determination to tell these kinds of stories in good faith, with respect for the real people who've lived through violence and its aftermath.

Host: Hal Humphreys

Guest: Becca Andrews

Music provided by Jason White, who composed our theme.

Special thanks to Kim Green, who produced this episode.

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Pursuit Magazine and PI Education are part of StoryboardEMP, a media and education company in Nashville, TN. Pursuit, a free online magazine for private investigators, explores all things investigative, from gumshoe techniques and surveillance tech to industry news and crime in media. PI Education, its sister brand, provides online continuing education for licensed PIs. Pursuit and PIed are owned and edited by husband-wife team Hal Humphreys, a PI, and Kim Green, a writer and radio producer.

In this podcast, you'll find episodes that dive deep into the work and the business of private investigations. And at PI Education's YouTube channel, you can dive even deeper into the knowledge pool of this fascinating profession, with regular briefings and webinars. Subscribe to stay up to date!

Pursuit Magazine: https://pursuitmag.com/​
PI Education: https://pieducation.com/​
Our channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/PIEducation​

What happens when trust is weaponized and life savings start to disappear?

In this episode, we’ll expose the hidden world of elder financial exploitation — how these crimes play out, and how private investigators can help victims in their aftermath.

Our guests are Clay Kahler and Mindy Bohn with Bohn & Associates in Wichita Falls, Texas. As a firm, they specialize in transdermal alcohol monitoring cases, law enforcement procedure, firearms cases, and exploitation cases. Mindy is the firm owner, and Clay serves as her right-hand Investigator. They'll talk about how PIs can help bring clarity to complex, emotional cases of elder fraud and undue influence. You’ll hear how investigations unfold, what warning signs families often miss, and how timely action can protect vulnerable loved ones.

Host: Hal Humphreys

Guest: Mindy Bohn & Clay Kahler

Music provided by Jason White, who composed our theme.

Special thanks to Kim Green, who produced this episode.

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Pursuit Magazine and PI Education are part of StoryboardEMP, a media and education company in Nashville, TN. Pursuit, a free online magazine for private investigators, explores all things investigative, from gumshoe techniques and surveillance tech to industry news and crime in media. PI Education, its sister brand, provides online continuing education for licensed PIs. Pursuit and PIed are owned and edited by husband-wife team Hal Humphreys, a PI, and Kim Green, a writer and radio producer.

In this podcast, you'll find episodes that dive deep into the work and the business of private investigations. And at PI Education's YouTube channel, you can dive even deeper into the knowledge pool of this fascinating profession, with regular briefings and webinars. Subscribe to stay up to date!

Pursuit Magazine: https://pursuitmag.com/​
PI Education: https://pieducation.com/​
Our channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/PIEducation​

How did a summer job at an amusement park lead to running a private investigations firm?

Let’s just say the path was not direct.

Molly Donaldson has one of the most interesting and varied PI origin stories around. She’s done a little bit of everything. But her story is not about indecision. It’s about experimentation. Her way of finding a professional sweet spot is to try on lots of career hats. Think of it as an investigation of herself, her talents, and her fascinations. Each job gets her closer to finding out what she does best and enjoys most.

In this episode, you'll find out why finding out what you DON'T want to do is half the battle, why "What do you want to be when you grow up?" is the wrong question, and what to ask kids (or yourself) instead.

Contact Molly Donaldson at her company site, Waverly Research.

FInd her on LinkedIn.

Host: Hal Humphreys

Guest: Molly Donaldson

Music provided by Jason White, who composed our theme.

Special thanks to Kim Green, who produced this episode.

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Pursuit Magazine and PI Education are part of StoryboardEMP, a media and education company in Nashville, TN. Pursuit, a free online magazine for private investigators, explores all things investigative, from gumshoe techniques and surveillance tech to industry news and crime in media. PI Education, its sister brand, provides online continuing education for licensed PIs. Pursuit and PIed are owned and edited by husband-wife team Hal Humphreys, a PI, and Kim Green, a writer and radio producer.

In this podcast, you'll find episodes that dive deep into the work and the business of private investigations. And at PI Education's YouTube channel, you can dive even deeper into the knowledge pool of this fascinating profession, with regular briefings and webinars. Subscribe to stay up to date!

Pursuit Magazine: https://pursuitmag.com/​
PI Education: https://pieducation.com/​
Our channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/PIEducation​

Today, we're talking about something that's changing the investigative landscape: Generative AI. It's everywhere, it's powerful, and it's already being used by private investigators — but not always wisely.

Dean Beers joins Hal to talk about how PIs can leverage GenAI ethically and effectively, where its limitations are, and why understanding this technology isn't optional anymore.

Get Dean's class:

GenAI for Private Investigators: Applications, Limitations, & Ethical Considerations

Host: Hal Humphreys

Guest: Dean Beers

Music provided by Jason White, who composed our theme.

Special thanks to Kim Green, who produced this episode.

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Pursuit Magazine and PI Education are part of StoryboardEMP, a media and education company in Nashville, TN. Pursuit, a free online magazine for private investigators, explores all things investigative, from gumshoe techniques and surveillance tech to industry news and crime in media. PI Education, its sister brand, provides online continuing education for licensed PIs. Pursuit and PIed are owned and edited by husband-wife team Hal Humphreys, a PI, and Kim Green, a writer and radio producer.

In this podcast, you'll find episodes that dive deep into the work and the business of private investigations. And at PI Education's YouTube channel, you can dive even deeper into the knowledge pool of this fascinating profession, with regular briefings and webinars. Subscribe to stay up to date!

Pursuit Magazine: https://pursuitmag.com/​
PI Education: https://pieducation.com/​
Our channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/PIEducation​

Join Hal and his guest Eileen Moynahan to talk about a little-known resource for executors, private investigators, and anyone who thinks they might have money out there that they've completely forgotten about — or never knew existed.

Moynahan is a New York PI with many years of experience as an intelligence analyst with the DEA, working drug-trafficking and money laundering cases. Now she runs her own firm, Legacy Estate Organizing & Investigations, which specializes in finding heirs and assets in estate and probate cases. And she's got a new course with PI Education that's all about turning unclaimed property databases into investigative gold mines.

Host: Hal Humphreys

Guest: Eileen Moynahan

Music provided by Jason White, who composed our theme.

Special thanks to Kim Green, who produced this episode.

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Pursuit Magazine and PI Education are part of StoryboardEMP, a media and education company in Nashville, TN. Pursuit, a free online magazine for private investigators, explores all things investigative, from gumshoe techniques and surveillance tech to industry news and crime in media. PI Education, its sister brand, provides online continuing education for licensed PIs. Pursuit and PIed are owned and edited by husband-wife team Hal Humphreys, a PI, and Kim Green, a writer and radio producer.

In this podcast, you'll find episodes that dive deep into the work and the business of private investigations. And at PI Education's YouTube channel, you can dive even deeper into the knowledge pool of this fascinating profession, with regular briefings and webinars. Subscribe to stay up to date!

Pursuit Magazine: https://pursuitmag.com/​
PI Education: https://pieducation.com/​
Our channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/PIEducation​

If Jennifer Mackovjak quit working tomorrow, she’d already have a fantastic investigative career under her belt. She worked as a senior detective investigator in the Manhattan DA’s office, before becoming a private investigator. She worked at Kroll, then became a senior VP for investigations at a big risk management firm. And over the years, she’s investigated wrongful convictions for the Innocence Project and Northwestern University’s Center for Wrongful Convictions.

In 2020, she co-founded 221B Partners, a private investigations and intelligence firm in Chicago. 221B handles pretty high-level work: litigation consulting, fraud investigations, business and public affairs intel, and threat intelligence. In this episode, we'll talk about Mackovjak's career trajectory and find out what threat intelligence and investigations are all about.

Host: Hal Humphreys

Guest: Jennifer Mackovjak

Music provided by Jason White, who composed our theme.

Special thanks to Kim Green, who produced this episode.

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Pursuit Magazine and PI Education are part of StoryboardEMP, a media and education company in Nashville, TN. Pursuit, a free online magazine for private investigators, explores all things investigative, from gumshoe techniques and surveillance tech to industry news and crime in media. PI Education, its sister brand, provides online continuing education for licensed PIs. Pursuit and PIed are owned and edited by husband-wife team Hal Humphreys, a PI, and Kim Green, a writer and radio producer.

In this podcast, you'll find episodes that dive deep into the work and the business of private investigations. And at PI Education's YouTube channel, you can dive even deeper into the knowledge pool of this fascinating profession, with regular briefings and webinars. Subscribe to stay up to date!

Pursuit Magazine: https://pursuitmag.com/​
PI Education: https://pieducation.com/​
Our channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/PIEducation​

After a long hiatus, Hal Humphreys ("The Beard") and John Nardizzi ("The Dome") are back to catch up on PI work, wins, and losses, and to share what they love to read, watch, and listen to when they’re not uncovering malfeasance or defending clients. Most of these books, shows, movies, and podcasts are related to crime and investigations. Some only marginally so. Basically, it's stuff they enjoy — as investigators and writers who love a good yarn. We'll publish their full list and some bonus recommendations in Pursuit Magazine next week — keep an eye out for that. Most of all, happy holiday season to all!

Host: Hal Humphreys

Guest: John Nardizzi

Music provided by Jason White, who composed our theme.

Special thanks to Kim Green, who produced this episode.

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Pursuit Magazine and PI Education are part of StoryboardEMP, a media and education company in Nashville, TN. Pursuit, a free online magazine for private investigators, explores all things investigative, from gumshoe techniques and surveillance tech to industry news and crime in media. PI Education, its sister brand, provides online continuing education for licensed PIs. Pursuit and PIed are owned and edited by husband-wife team Hal Humphreys, a PI, and Kim Green, a writer and radio producer.

In this podcast, you'll find episodes that dive deep into the work and the business of private investigations. And at PI Education's YouTube channel, you can dive even deeper into the knowledge pool of this fascinating profession, with regular briefings and webinars. Subscribe to stay up to date!

Pursuit Magazine: https://pursuitmag.com/​
PI Education: https://pieducation.com/​
Our channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/PIEducation​