1 00:00:15,316 --> 00:00:26,716 Speaker 1: Pushkin previously on Deep Cover. I think I got a 2 00:00:26,756 --> 00:00:30,836 Speaker 1: message from Columbia Security saying they wanted to talk to me, 3 00:00:31,556 --> 00:00:34,636 Speaker 1: and I was like, oh shit. I remember the chief 4 00:00:34,676 --> 00:00:36,396 Speaker 1: asking me, like, how far are you going to take this? 5 00:00:37,956 --> 00:00:42,036 Speaker 1: It said chief, until I can interview Esther Reid, I 6 00:00:42,156 --> 00:00:45,836 Speaker 1: can't clear this tip. I went to get a U 7 00:00:45,916 --> 00:00:49,436 Speaker 1: wall truck because I had decided I'm freaking getting out 8 00:00:49,436 --> 00:00:53,076 Speaker 1: of here. So I went upstairs, packed the quickest bag 9 00:00:53,116 --> 00:00:56,356 Speaker 1: I could pack, grab my dogs, called a cab, and left. 10 00:00:56,436 --> 00:00:58,516 Speaker 1: Would you do it to U haul? Left it here? 11 00:00:59,356 --> 00:01:03,076 Speaker 1: That's kind of crazy. I know, all of it's crazy. 12 00:01:03,676 --> 00:01:10,716 Speaker 1: I was scared. When Esther fled New York City. She 13 00:01:10,716 --> 00:01:14,356 Speaker 1: didn't get very far. Basically, she just crossed the Hudson 14 00:01:14,476 --> 00:01:18,236 Speaker 1: River and stopped a few miles away in Secaucus, New Jersey, 15 00:01:18,556 --> 00:01:21,076 Speaker 1: got a hotel room. She was with her two little 16 00:01:21,076 --> 00:01:24,836 Speaker 1: shitsus Pouchin and Odie, and they were just looking at 17 00:01:24,836 --> 00:01:28,196 Speaker 1: her the way dogs do, as if to say, what's 18 00:01:28,236 --> 00:01:31,436 Speaker 1: the plan? Boss? Like, what is going to your brain 19 00:01:31,476 --> 00:01:34,436 Speaker 1: when you're in that hotel room in Jersey? I have 20 00:01:34,476 --> 00:01:40,196 Speaker 1: no idea? I mean, that was absolute panic. I knew 21 00:01:40,196 --> 00:01:43,556 Speaker 1: I needed to get a flight and so I remember 22 00:01:43,836 --> 00:01:47,636 Speaker 1: I needed vet certificates for my dogs to fly. So 23 00:01:47,676 --> 00:01:50,916 Speaker 1: she finds a vet who basically certifies that these dogs 24 00:01:50,956 --> 00:01:53,556 Speaker 1: don't have rabies or whatever, and then she comes up 25 00:01:53,556 --> 00:01:57,156 Speaker 1: with a plan. She decides to fly to Ohio and 26 00:01:57,196 --> 00:02:00,436 Speaker 1: then a few weeks later catches a ride to Chicago 27 00:02:00,876 --> 00:02:03,956 Speaker 1: using a ride share that she found on craigslist. Your 28 00:02:04,356 --> 00:02:08,076 Speaker 1: life is like one series of ridiculous like yes, logistical 29 00:02:08,156 --> 00:02:11,036 Speaker 1: challenges like your you are on the run at this point, 30 00:02:11,076 --> 00:02:16,716 Speaker 1: that is, that's yes. I didn't necessarily view myself. I 31 00:02:16,796 --> 00:02:18,676 Speaker 1: was still hoping that it wouldn't be a big deal 32 00:02:18,716 --> 00:02:21,956 Speaker 1: and they would might be over it. So I didn't 33 00:02:21,996 --> 00:02:26,876 Speaker 1: realize I was on the run. I just kept thinking, like, well, 34 00:02:26,876 --> 00:02:29,276 Speaker 1: come on, I mean you you you left the U 35 00:02:29,356 --> 00:02:32,276 Speaker 1: haul in front of your apartment and I left your 36 00:02:32,276 --> 00:02:35,436 Speaker 1: apartment like you. I mean, at that moment, I was, 37 00:02:35,476 --> 00:02:38,396 Speaker 1: but I was I should did. I knew I was 38 00:02:38,436 --> 00:02:40,196 Speaker 1: on the run, but I still was thinking I can 39 00:02:40,236 --> 00:02:42,876 Speaker 1: avoid truffle, Like if I could just like lay low, 40 00:02:43,996 --> 00:02:48,916 Speaker 1: this could work out. I'm an undying optimist, and so 41 00:02:49,116 --> 00:02:51,716 Speaker 1: I really did think, like maybe they won't be able 42 00:02:51,756 --> 00:02:54,516 Speaker 1: to find me, just that it would become a cold case, 43 00:02:56,036 --> 00:02:59,356 Speaker 1: and like they would stop devoting resources to it and 44 00:02:59,436 --> 00:03:02,036 Speaker 1: it might have become a cold case after all. At 45 00:03:02,076 --> 00:03:04,956 Speaker 1: this point, Esther was just a missing person of interest 46 00:03:05,356 --> 00:03:08,516 Speaker 1: in a possible case of identity theft and finding her 47 00:03:08,756 --> 00:03:12,396 Speaker 1: it was all about resources, like how badly do you 48 00:03:12,436 --> 00:03:15,076 Speaker 1: want to find her? And unless her case became some 49 00:03:15,156 --> 00:03:18,916 Speaker 1: kind of top priority, which it currently wasn't, well, then 50 00:03:18,956 --> 00:03:21,516 Speaker 1: there wouldn't be much of a man hunt or woman 51 00:03:21,596 --> 00:03:24,876 Speaker 1: hunt as it were. As far as Esther was concerned, 52 00:03:25,236 --> 00:03:32,836 Speaker 1: she was relatively safe. Meanwhile, down in Traveler's Rest, South Carolina, 53 00:03:32,996 --> 00:03:36,156 Speaker 1: John Campbell was kind of at a loss. He was 54 00:03:36,196 --> 00:03:38,916 Speaker 1: supposed to be solving the case of Brooke Henson, who'd 55 00:03:38,996 --> 00:03:43,316 Speaker 1: vanished seven years before. It was now two thousand and six, 56 00:03:43,916 --> 00:03:47,676 Speaker 1: and this whole other thing with Esther read up at Columbia. 57 00:03:47,756 --> 00:03:49,876 Speaker 1: It was just a lead that John was chasing down, 58 00:03:50,236 --> 00:03:52,876 Speaker 1: a tip, a kind of side trail that he'd been 59 00:03:52,956 --> 00:03:56,116 Speaker 1: jogging down in the hopes of finding Brooke or at 60 00:03:56,156 --> 00:03:58,196 Speaker 1: least a clue as to what had happened to Brooke. 61 00:03:58,916 --> 00:04:02,596 Speaker 1: But Esther's trail was getting cold. She fled New York 62 00:04:02,676 --> 00:04:05,476 Speaker 1: City in the summer, and by a Christmas time, six 63 00:04:05,516 --> 00:04:08,876 Speaker 1: months later, John still had no idea where Esther was, 64 00:04:09,396 --> 00:04:11,836 Speaker 1: and he was no closer to solving the Brook Henson 65 00:04:11,876 --> 00:04:16,436 Speaker 1: case either. John's boss wanted an update. We had a 66 00:04:16,436 --> 00:04:18,236 Speaker 1: new chief of police, and he came in and he said, 67 00:04:18,276 --> 00:04:21,436 Speaker 1: where are we on this Henson tip thing? I said, 68 00:04:21,476 --> 00:04:23,196 Speaker 1: We're dead in the water. I mean, she didn't show 69 00:04:23,276 --> 00:04:26,916 Speaker 1: up to give a DNA sample like she said she would. 70 00:04:27,076 --> 00:04:30,676 Speaker 1: She hasn't been back to her apartment. Nobody knows, she 71 00:04:30,676 --> 00:04:32,716 Speaker 1: hadn't been to class, Nobody knows where she went. She's 72 00:04:32,716 --> 00:04:36,596 Speaker 1: in the wind, she's gone. John's boss, the chief, had 73 00:04:36,636 --> 00:04:39,476 Speaker 1: shared some information about the case with the local press, 74 00:04:40,076 --> 00:04:44,236 Speaker 1: but apparently they wanted more details. So the chief tells 75 00:04:44,356 --> 00:04:47,196 Speaker 1: John opened the file and let the press have whatever 76 00:04:47,236 --> 00:04:50,356 Speaker 1: they want. And I said, all right, are you sure? 77 00:04:50,156 --> 00:04:53,476 Speaker 1: Are you kidding because we'd never done that, and he's like, yeah, 78 00:04:53,556 --> 00:04:57,676 Speaker 1: we're an open book. And I said, okay, heyman, he's 79 00:04:57,676 --> 00:05:02,156 Speaker 1: the chief. The Travelers Rest Police Department shared what they 80 00:05:02,236 --> 00:05:05,196 Speaker 1: knew with the local press, told them that there was 81 00:05:05,196 --> 00:05:08,956 Speaker 1: this impostor who'd stolen Brooks identity and gotten into an 82 00:05:08,956 --> 00:05:13,116 Speaker 1: eye Vy league school, and for the first time revealed 83 00:05:13,156 --> 00:05:19,156 Speaker 1: her name publicly. Esther Reid. We opened the boat and 84 00:05:19,196 --> 00:05:21,876 Speaker 1: we told him everything we had, and man, they took 85 00:05:21,916 --> 00:05:26,236 Speaker 1: that and ran. This decision to open the file turns 86 00:05:26,236 --> 00:05:29,836 Speaker 1: out to be a huge deal. John shares the evidence 87 00:05:29,876 --> 00:05:34,636 Speaker 1: in the case history, but also his espionage theories, even 88 00:05:34,636 --> 00:05:38,036 Speaker 1: if some of those theories were half baked, and I 89 00:05:38,076 --> 00:05:41,436 Speaker 1: should note not everyone in law enforcement was buying into 90 00:05:41,516 --> 00:05:46,156 Speaker 1: John's ideas. Over at the Secret Service, Don Long was skeptical, 91 00:05:46,636 --> 00:05:50,436 Speaker 1: but the Secret Service wasn't talking to the media John was. 92 00:05:51,116 --> 00:05:54,796 Speaker 1: The point is, once John started talking, he said something 93 00:05:54,836 --> 00:05:59,556 Speaker 1: in motion, a media juggernaut. Pretty Soon everyone would know 94 00:05:59,596 --> 00:06:03,236 Speaker 1: about Esther Reid, and finding her would become more than 95 00:06:03,276 --> 00:06:06,236 Speaker 1: just a priority for law enforcement. It would become a 96 00:06:06,276 --> 00:06:10,196 Speaker 1: reality TV show of sorts, a content test to see 97 00:06:10,196 --> 00:06:29,636 Speaker 1: who could find her first. I'm Jake Albert and this 98 00:06:29,876 --> 00:06:57,796 Speaker 1: is Deep Cover Season three, Never Seen Again, Episode four, 99 00:06:58,476 --> 00:07:07,716 Speaker 1: a very sophisticated gale. So the local TV station down 100 00:07:07,716 --> 00:07:11,596 Speaker 1: in Greenville, South Carolina runs its story and right away 101 00:07:11,996 --> 00:07:15,316 Speaker 1: John Campbell's phone rings. On the other end was a 102 00:07:15,356 --> 00:07:19,196 Speaker 1: guy named Tom Colbert from California. Tom was a former 103 00:07:19,236 --> 00:07:22,836 Speaker 1: news guy, used to work for CBS and Paramount, but 104 00:07:22,996 --> 00:07:25,876 Speaker 1: now he had his own business. He worked closely with 105 00:07:25,956 --> 00:07:29,716 Speaker 1: local journalists. They would feed him tips and then Tom 106 00:07:29,756 --> 00:07:32,596 Speaker 1: would pass the best ones along to the big media outlets. 107 00:07:33,116 --> 00:07:35,756 Speaker 1: Tom charged a finder's fee, of course, and he gave 108 00:07:35,796 --> 00:07:38,636 Speaker 1: a cut to the local news guys. He was basically 109 00:07:38,636 --> 00:07:42,036 Speaker 1: a middleman and Tom he was good at his job. 110 00:07:42,516 --> 00:07:46,676 Speaker 1: Some people called him the gem hunter because Tom he 111 00:07:46,796 --> 00:07:50,756 Speaker 1: found the gems. Anyway, Tom gets this tip from a 112 00:07:50,756 --> 00:07:55,076 Speaker 1: TV reporter in Greenville about the Esther read story, and 113 00:07:55,196 --> 00:07:59,116 Speaker 1: right away he calls John Campbell to get his take 114 00:07:59,196 --> 00:08:02,876 Speaker 1: on Esther. He talked about the potential for being a 115 00:08:02,956 --> 00:08:08,276 Speaker 1: Russian spy going to various universities under cover. It had 116 00:08:08,316 --> 00:08:10,876 Speaker 1: so many interest elements, the fact that it could be 117 00:08:10,956 --> 00:08:15,716 Speaker 1: involved with espionage. That wasn't clear to me until John 118 00:08:15,836 --> 00:08:18,596 Speaker 1: really laid it out and said, no, I really think 119 00:08:18,596 --> 00:08:23,236 Speaker 1: this gal has a different name for other reasons. I 120 00:08:23,276 --> 00:08:26,116 Speaker 1: thought it was maybe just for money, trying to get 121 00:08:26,156 --> 00:08:28,196 Speaker 1: into bank accounts now, and he said, no, this is 122 00:08:28,236 --> 00:08:32,436 Speaker 1: a very sophisticated gal. This was John's pet theory that 123 00:08:32,716 --> 00:08:36,156 Speaker 1: Esther was a spy. He stressed the fact that Esther 124 00:08:36,276 --> 00:08:39,996 Speaker 1: had dated several military men, including two West Point cadets 125 00:08:40,236 --> 00:08:43,636 Speaker 1: and a Naval Academy midshipman and that she seemed to 126 00:08:43,676 --> 00:08:48,796 Speaker 1: be a master at creating aliases and then vanishing. Tom 127 00:08:49,156 --> 00:08:51,476 Speaker 1: was intrigued. I mean, there are a lot of people 128 00:08:51,556 --> 00:08:57,356 Speaker 1: stealing names, but something dealing with espionage spies, that was 129 00:08:57,396 --> 00:09:03,436 Speaker 1: a fascinating, fascinating development and opened my eyes. Tom jumped 130 00:09:03,476 --> 00:09:06,116 Speaker 1: on the story. Within a day or so, he sent 131 00:09:06,156 --> 00:09:09,076 Speaker 1: out a press release. It told the story of how 132 00:09:09,276 --> 00:09:13,236 Speaker 1: John Campbell was tracking down a mysterious con artist. It 133 00:09:13,316 --> 00:09:17,716 Speaker 1: quotes John as saying she's incredibly bright, articulate, and a conniving, 134 00:09:17,756 --> 00:09:22,796 Speaker 1: manipulative person, almost to the point of being pathological. The 135 00:09:22,876 --> 00:09:27,076 Speaker 1: press release also says that Esther seduced several military men. 136 00:09:27,796 --> 00:09:32,196 Speaker 1: It adds quote Reid allegedly has been funded through mysterious 137 00:09:32,236 --> 00:09:35,716 Speaker 1: money orders for years from sources in Germany and Italy. 138 00:09:36,196 --> 00:09:39,276 Speaker 1: She has told lovers she is a professional chess player. 139 00:09:40,396 --> 00:09:43,756 Speaker 1: The press release had a long list of contacts, including 140 00:09:43,836 --> 00:09:48,316 Speaker 1: John Campbell, Esther's sister, and also the Fleischmann's, her ex 141 00:09:48,356 --> 00:09:53,116 Speaker 1: boyfriend's parents. Three days later, Esther was on the front 142 00:09:53,116 --> 00:09:57,396 Speaker 1: page of the New York Post. The banner headline was klepto, 143 00:09:57,516 --> 00:10:03,476 Speaker 1: brainiac id thief scams colleges. The article heralded her as 144 00:10:03,476 --> 00:10:07,756 Speaker 1: a brazen brunette beauty. It included comments from both John 145 00:10:07,796 --> 00:10:13,156 Speaker 1: Campbell and Ian's Fred Fleischman suggesting that Esther was a spy. 146 00:10:14,036 --> 00:10:17,356 Speaker 1: The article ended with a quote from John saying, the 147 00:10:17,436 --> 00:10:20,356 Speaker 1: one million dollar question is where she turns up next? 148 00:10:20,756 --> 00:10:23,956 Speaker 1: And is who? It was kind of like the old 149 00:10:24,036 --> 00:10:27,476 Speaker 1: children's game Where in the world is Carmen San Diego, 150 00:10:28,276 --> 00:10:31,236 Speaker 1: only a version that was spy themed and a bit 151 00:10:31,316 --> 00:10:34,876 Speaker 1: sexed up. The article had some facts and a lot 152 00:10:34,876 --> 00:10:42,036 Speaker 1: of conjecture. It made for great reading. That's what really 153 00:10:42,076 --> 00:10:45,836 Speaker 1: set off a firestorm of the phone ringing. John suddenly 154 00:10:45,836 --> 00:10:48,916 Speaker 1: had to balance being a detective, a spokesman, and a 155 00:10:48,996 --> 00:10:51,956 Speaker 1: dad because he had a toddler at the time. I 156 00:10:52,036 --> 00:10:56,116 Speaker 1: have a little office in the police department, and I'd 157 00:10:56,156 --> 00:10:58,036 Speaker 1: be there for hours and hours an hour, So my 158 00:10:58,076 --> 00:11:00,676 Speaker 1: son's like on the floor playing under my desk, playing 159 00:11:00,676 --> 00:11:02,556 Speaker 1: with his hot wheels in the hallway and stuff like 160 00:11:02,596 --> 00:11:06,116 Speaker 1: that while I'm on the phone with the press. For 161 00:11:06,156 --> 00:11:08,796 Speaker 1: a while, it basically became a full time job for 162 00:11:10,036 --> 00:11:12,676 Speaker 1: so anybody they call, I talked to anybody they could 163 00:11:12,676 --> 00:11:17,716 Speaker 1: get me on the phone, and I talked for days straight. 164 00:11:17,836 --> 00:11:22,796 Speaker 1: The phone rang for days NonStop from reporters, and when 165 00:11:22,836 --> 00:11:25,516 Speaker 1: people couldn't get ahold of me, they just published whatever 166 00:11:25,556 --> 00:11:27,836 Speaker 1: somebody else, whatever I told somebody else. There's all kinds 167 00:11:27,876 --> 00:11:30,476 Speaker 1: of things that say, John Campbell said, my idn't even 168 00:11:30,516 --> 00:11:31,916 Speaker 1: talked to that guy in my whole life, not even 169 00:11:31,956 --> 00:11:36,436 Speaker 1: who that is. You know. As the newspaper clippings piled up, 170 00:11:36,836 --> 00:11:41,556 Speaker 1: things got serious. A grand jury formally indicted Esther. This 171 00:11:41,636 --> 00:11:44,796 Speaker 1: happened in September of two thousand and seven, roughly a 172 00:11:44,916 --> 00:11:49,556 Speaker 1: year after Esther fled. New York City prosecutors charged her 173 00:11:49,636 --> 00:11:54,236 Speaker 1: with fraud and identity theft. They said Esther fraudulently obtained 174 00:11:54,276 --> 00:11:58,076 Speaker 1: a copy of Brooks birth certificate, applied for US passport, 175 00:11:58,436 --> 00:12:00,876 Speaker 1: and took out more than one hundred thousand dollars in 176 00:12:00,916 --> 00:12:06,356 Speaker 1: student loans. And with this indictment, Esther officially became a 177 00:12:06,356 --> 00:12:11,196 Speaker 1: federal fugitive. Meanwhile, forty eight hours the CBS News Show 178 00:12:11,316 --> 00:12:14,516 Speaker 1: picked up the story. They decided to do a full 179 00:12:14,556 --> 00:12:18,076 Speaker 1: hour segment on Esther Reid. In fact, they ultimately did 180 00:12:18,156 --> 00:12:21,596 Speaker 1: two segments, and I want to share some excerpts from 181 00:12:21,596 --> 00:12:25,876 Speaker 1: both of them. Capture the Queen to Night's forty eight 182 00:12:25,876 --> 00:12:30,916 Speaker 1: Hours mystery, the producers hired a professional sleuth to track 183 00:12:31,076 --> 00:12:34,596 Speaker 1: Esther down. My name is Stephen Rombaum. I'm a private 184 00:12:34,636 --> 00:12:37,756 Speaker 1: investigator and I am currently hunting for us to read. 185 00:12:39,476 --> 00:12:42,236 Speaker 1: Over the course of his career, Stephen had chased after 186 00:12:42,356 --> 00:12:46,796 Speaker 1: some pretty serious bad guys, including Nazi war criminals. Now 187 00:12:46,916 --> 00:12:50,036 Speaker 1: Stephen told viewers about his latest target. This is a 188 00:12:50,076 --> 00:12:55,636 Speaker 1: woman that completely reinvented herself from being a chubby Montana 189 00:12:55,796 --> 00:13:00,116 Speaker 1: high school dropout to an attractive IVY League co ed 190 00:13:00,516 --> 00:13:04,436 Speaker 1: able to conn her way into Harvard, into Columbia, going 191 00:13:04,476 --> 00:13:07,916 Speaker 1: to military balls at West Point. She is certainly not 192 00:13:08,036 --> 00:13:11,396 Speaker 1: above using her feminine wiles to get whatever she wants. 193 00:13:12,316 --> 00:13:15,756 Speaker 1: So Stephen the private eye, he hits the road looking 194 00:13:15,756 --> 00:13:19,236 Speaker 1: for Esther. It's pretty wild, actually, because at this point 195 00:13:19,476 --> 00:13:22,916 Speaker 1: there's the official law enforcement search for Esther Reid being 196 00:13:22,996 --> 00:13:26,596 Speaker 1: led by the Secret Service and John Campbell, and then 197 00:13:26,756 --> 00:13:29,676 Speaker 1: there's the made for TV version of this search being 198 00:13:29,756 --> 00:13:32,596 Speaker 1: led by Stephen and along with him one of the 199 00:13:32,636 --> 00:13:36,156 Speaker 1: show's hosts, Peter van Zand how do you begin, Well, 200 00:13:36,196 --> 00:13:39,476 Speaker 1: we begin by finding out everything we can about her background, 201 00:13:39,556 --> 00:13:46,236 Speaker 1: her alias's, places, where she's lived. Rombaum heads first to 202 00:13:46,516 --> 00:13:51,036 Speaker 1: Esther's last known address, the Manhattan apartment where she was 203 00:13:51,116 --> 00:13:55,836 Speaker 1: living as Brooke Henson, and then we see Steve Rombaum 204 00:13:55,876 --> 00:14:00,196 Speaker 1: going through Esther's abandoned possessions. Thank goodness, Sir, Landlord saved 205 00:14:00,236 --> 00:14:03,876 Speaker 1: all of this. This is just extraordinary. It's everything a 206 00:14:03,956 --> 00:14:07,876 Speaker 1: private eye could hope for, a treasure trove of documents 207 00:14:07,876 --> 00:14:12,396 Speaker 1: from Esther's life as Brooke. She left behind her credit 208 00:14:12,396 --> 00:14:17,196 Speaker 1: card bills, her bank statements, her phone bills, countless countless leads. 209 00:14:18,196 --> 00:14:21,996 Speaker 1: So Steve is gathering some pretty important clues about where 210 00:14:22,156 --> 00:14:26,036 Speaker 1: Esther might be. Good old fashioned detective work. But there 211 00:14:26,076 --> 00:14:29,876 Speaker 1: are other moments when the story feels pure tabloid and 212 00:14:29,956 --> 00:14:34,156 Speaker 1: it's less about financial crimes and more about Esther's personal life. 213 00:14:34,756 --> 00:14:38,396 Speaker 1: Here's the show's host, Peter van Zant again, and some 214 00:14:38,476 --> 00:14:41,556 Speaker 1: of her targets were the men she was dating. How 215 00:14:41,596 --> 00:14:43,476 Speaker 1: many men do you think esther Rita has gone through. 216 00:14:43,596 --> 00:14:46,756 Speaker 1: I'm aware of about a dozen. They talked about her 217 00:14:46,836 --> 00:14:49,796 Speaker 1: like she was some sort of femme fatal, and that's 218 00:14:49,956 --> 00:14:53,636 Speaker 1: kind of the vibe throughout these two episodes. The producers 219 00:14:53,716 --> 00:14:56,596 Speaker 1: pick up on the whole spy theory and run with it. 220 00:14:57,076 --> 00:14:59,956 Speaker 1: They get a hold of some instant messages between Esther 221 00:15:00,276 --> 00:15:03,636 Speaker 1: and one of her West Point boyfriends. In the exchange, 222 00:15:03,756 --> 00:15:06,956 Speaker 1: the boyfriend says that he's been studying maps and timelines 223 00:15:07,196 --> 00:15:11,636 Speaker 1: in his military science class. Esther wrote back, I want 224 00:15:11,636 --> 00:15:15,116 Speaker 1: to see it when you're finished. Steve the Private Eye 225 00:15:15,436 --> 00:15:19,556 Speaker 1: gives his analysis on this too. This is a classic 226 00:15:19,836 --> 00:15:25,396 Speaker 1: method of espionage, using sex and using intimacy to get 227 00:15:25,396 --> 00:15:28,276 Speaker 1: this sort of information. I mean, this is Mata Hari. 228 00:15:28,436 --> 00:15:33,116 Speaker 1: One oh one, Mata Hari. I want to dive into 229 00:15:33,156 --> 00:15:36,476 Speaker 1: this reference for a sec Mata Hari was an exotic 230 00:15:36,596 --> 00:15:39,676 Speaker 1: dancer who was accused of being a spy during World 231 00:15:39,676 --> 00:15:46,476 Speaker 1: War One. In old photos, she's dressed as a belly 232 00:15:46,596 --> 00:15:50,196 Speaker 1: dancer wearing a jewel encrusted bra. Doesn't look a thing 233 00:15:50,236 --> 00:15:54,196 Speaker 1: like Esther Reid, and yet there's some really interesting parallels. 234 00:15:55,876 --> 00:16:00,516 Speaker 1: Mata Hari was actually a Dutch woman named Margarita Zella. 235 00:16:00,636 --> 00:16:04,036 Speaker 1: She too was running from a troubled past. Parents divorced, 236 00:16:04,276 --> 00:16:07,396 Speaker 1: mom died. She was left with relatives she didn't care for, 237 00:16:08,076 --> 00:16:12,356 Speaker 1: so she invented herself. Told some she was a Javanese 238 00:16:12,396 --> 00:16:15,436 Speaker 1: princess and others that she was an Indian temple dancer. 239 00:16:18,516 --> 00:16:22,316 Speaker 1: During the war, a French intelligence officer became convinced that 240 00:16:22,356 --> 00:16:25,796 Speaker 1: she was a spy. There wasn't a ton of proof, 241 00:16:26,436 --> 00:16:29,396 Speaker 1: but in the end she was executed by a firing squad. 242 00:16:33,356 --> 00:16:37,356 Speaker 1: Since then, she's become a legend, a stock character, like 243 00:16:37,476 --> 00:16:41,996 Speaker 1: the mean stepmother or the evil CEO. And the thing 244 00:16:41,996 --> 00:16:45,996 Speaker 1: about stock characters is we believe in them, We look 245 00:16:46,076 --> 00:16:48,916 Speaker 1: for them, and we call them out even when the 246 00:16:48,956 --> 00:16:59,876 Speaker 1: facts don't add up. Hello, yeah, oh great, Okay, I 247 00:16:59,916 --> 00:17:05,596 Speaker 1: think we're destinesses. We're going oh if if not, I'm 248 00:17:05,636 --> 00:17:10,796 Speaker 1: not reducing. I reached out to Steve Rambaum, the Private Eye. 249 00:17:11,356 --> 00:17:14,716 Speaker 1: I was still wondering about the whole spy thing. Like 250 00:17:14,956 --> 00:17:18,276 Speaker 1: back then, how serious were people in the media and 251 00:17:18,396 --> 00:17:23,276 Speaker 1: in law enforcement about this espionage theory. They were concerned that, 252 00:17:23,396 --> 00:17:26,036 Speaker 1: you know, maybe she's a spy for Iran, Maybe she's 253 00:17:26,036 --> 00:17:30,196 Speaker 1: a spy for this, you know, Russian. Both of those 254 00:17:30,196 --> 00:17:35,036 Speaker 1: things actually came up. I'll confess I left, but not 255 00:17:35,196 --> 00:17:39,436 Speaker 1: everybody laughed. Steve says he never really brought into the 256 00:17:39,476 --> 00:17:42,796 Speaker 1: idea that Esther was a spy or a master criminal 257 00:17:42,796 --> 00:17:46,036 Speaker 1: of any kind. I mean, you know, this was not 258 00:17:46,876 --> 00:17:52,476 Speaker 1: a young female Bernie Madoff who stole millions. You're talking 259 00:17:52,516 --> 00:17:58,156 Speaker 1: about defrauding the scholarship system and getting a fake birth 260 00:17:58,236 --> 00:18:03,116 Speaker 1: certificate and building a false identity. I can introduce you 261 00:18:03,156 --> 00:18:06,996 Speaker 1: to probably ten thousand people who've done who've done the 262 00:18:07,116 --> 00:18:10,436 Speaker 1: same or worse. So I asked him, what was it 263 00:18:10,556 --> 00:18:13,236 Speaker 1: then about the ester Reid case that the media was 264 00:18:13,276 --> 00:18:16,276 Speaker 1: so keen on number one, she was a young female, 265 00:18:16,396 --> 00:18:18,756 Speaker 1: that they were able to make it look like she 266 00:18:18,876 --> 00:18:25,436 Speaker 1: was one step ahead of the combined investigative forces of America, 267 00:18:26,396 --> 00:18:29,356 Speaker 1: which I have to tell you wasn't true because federal 268 00:18:29,396 --> 00:18:31,876 Speaker 1: agents were working on bigger cases and didn't think that 269 00:18:31,916 --> 00:18:35,876 Speaker 1: this was, you know, a major national security event until 270 00:18:35,876 --> 00:18:38,716 Speaker 1: everybody made it look like that. And then there was 271 00:18:38,756 --> 00:18:41,476 Speaker 1: the spy story and the whole perception that she was 272 00:18:41,516 --> 00:18:44,236 Speaker 1: a fem fatal, not to mention the fact that she 273 00:18:44,276 --> 00:18:47,756 Speaker 1: had conned the ivy leagues. Basically, as far as I 274 00:18:47,796 --> 00:18:52,036 Speaker 1: could tell, it all just made for good TV. Steve 275 00:18:52,076 --> 00:18:54,276 Speaker 1: told me that he didn't want to bad mouth the 276 00:18:54,316 --> 00:18:56,516 Speaker 1: media because of all the good he's seen it do. 277 00:18:57,316 --> 00:18:59,596 Speaker 1: I'll be very honest. I'm not going to be hypocritical 278 00:18:59,596 --> 00:19:02,996 Speaker 1: and deny this. I've worked with the media dozens of 279 00:19:03,076 --> 00:19:08,556 Speaker 1: times to get important and urgent matters, you know, into 280 00:19:08,556 --> 00:19:12,636 Speaker 1: the public eye and kind of nudge law enforcement. These 281 00:19:12,676 --> 00:19:15,636 Speaker 1: were cases where kids had gone missing, or where Steve 282 00:19:15,756 --> 00:19:19,676 Speaker 1: is tracking down alleged war criminals, important matters that had 283 00:19:19,716 --> 00:19:23,476 Speaker 1: been overlooked, stories that Steve felt should be at the 284 00:19:23,516 --> 00:19:27,716 Speaker 1: top of the media food chain. I think moving Esther 285 00:19:27,836 --> 00:19:32,316 Speaker 1: Reid to the top of the food chain was, you know, 286 00:19:32,356 --> 00:19:35,916 Speaker 1: a weed bit cynical. Wow. Do you feel like you 287 00:19:35,956 --> 00:19:40,876 Speaker 1: were a part of that at all? Sure? Sure, I 288 00:19:40,916 --> 00:19:44,476 Speaker 1: mean I was working a case. I did not say 289 00:19:44,596 --> 00:19:48,956 Speaker 1: anything during that case to anyone that was in the 290 00:19:49,036 --> 00:20:06,276 Speaker 1: slightest bit exaggeration. We'll be right back. When Steve Rombaumb 291 00:20:06,396 --> 00:20:09,396 Speaker 1: was filming for forty eight hours and criss cross the 292 00:20:09,436 --> 00:20:14,196 Speaker 1: country tracking down Esther Reid, he remained confident in his mission. 293 00:20:14,556 --> 00:20:17,716 Speaker 1: I would be very surprised the Freedom Finder. If I 294 00:20:17,716 --> 00:20:20,916 Speaker 1: didn't genuinely believe that, I wouldn't be daring enough to 295 00:20:20,956 --> 00:20:24,116 Speaker 1: say it on television. But by the time the first 296 00:20:24,196 --> 00:20:27,436 Speaker 1: forty eight hours special aired in December of two thousand 297 00:20:27,436 --> 00:20:31,316 Speaker 1: and seven, Steve hadn't founder and the story, which is 298 00:20:31,356 --> 00:20:35,476 Speaker 1: getting bigger and bigger. Around the same time, the legendary 299 00:20:35,516 --> 00:20:39,276 Speaker 1: TV show America's Most Wanted also ran a story on 300 00:20:39,516 --> 00:20:43,276 Speaker 1: Esther and some other female fugitives too. They called the 301 00:20:43,316 --> 00:20:48,276 Speaker 1: episode Bad Girls. America's Most Wanted was a big deal 302 00:20:48,316 --> 00:20:52,116 Speaker 1: back then, especially if you worked in law enforcement. Like 303 00:20:52,556 --> 00:20:55,516 Speaker 1: if you got your case on that show, it greatly 304 00:20:55,516 --> 00:20:58,676 Speaker 1: increased the chances that you'd catch your fugitive because so 305 00:20:58,716 --> 00:21:01,436 Speaker 1: many people watched the show and then called in with tips. 306 00:21:02,396 --> 00:21:05,276 Speaker 1: When I spoke with Don Long, the Secret Service agent, 307 00:21:05,556 --> 00:21:08,476 Speaker 1: he told me he was actually surprised that Esther made 308 00:21:08,476 --> 00:21:11,756 Speaker 1: it onto the show, which makes sense to me. I mean, 309 00:21:11,996 --> 00:21:15,396 Speaker 1: she was not a domestic terrorist, or a serial killer 310 00:21:15,756 --> 00:21:19,076 Speaker 1: or a bank robber, but be that as it may, 311 00:21:19,636 --> 00:21:23,156 Speaker 1: she was now on everyone's radar. The fact that this 312 00:21:23,236 --> 00:21:28,596 Speaker 1: was highlighted on America's Most Wanted certainly raised or elevated 313 00:21:28,676 --> 00:21:33,196 Speaker 1: the level here within the Secret Service. It also enlightened 314 00:21:33,196 --> 00:21:37,756 Speaker 1: me on some investigative steps I could take to highlight 315 00:21:37,796 --> 00:21:41,796 Speaker 1: the case even more within my own agency. Don talked 316 00:21:41,796 --> 00:21:44,996 Speaker 1: to his superiors at headquarters in DC and made the 317 00:21:44,996 --> 00:21:47,876 Speaker 1: case that Esther should also be on the Secret Services 318 00:21:47,956 --> 00:21:51,956 Speaker 1: Most Wanted list. They agreed and put her on the list. 319 00:21:52,476 --> 00:21:54,916 Speaker 1: The way Don saw it, he had a job to do, 320 00:21:55,356 --> 00:21:57,996 Speaker 1: and this helped him do it. The more people that 321 00:21:58,036 --> 00:22:00,436 Speaker 1: are looking for your suspect, the better chance you have 322 00:22:00,476 --> 00:22:05,036 Speaker 1: of finding them. Esther's face and her story were now everywhere, 323 00:22:05,436 --> 00:22:08,396 Speaker 1: and the FEDS had made it clear capturing her was 324 00:22:08,476 --> 00:22:14,836 Speaker 1: officially a priority. So you're probably wondering at this point 325 00:22:15,316 --> 00:22:18,476 Speaker 1: what was Esther doing while all this was happening, Like, 326 00:22:18,796 --> 00:22:22,556 Speaker 1: how was she processing this media circus? Well, the short 327 00:22:22,596 --> 00:22:25,116 Speaker 1: answer is it took a while for the circus to 328 00:22:25,116 --> 00:22:29,236 Speaker 1: get underway. Esther had actually been on the run for 329 00:22:29,316 --> 00:22:31,236 Speaker 1: a year and a half by the time the first 330 00:22:31,316 --> 00:22:34,756 Speaker 1: forty eight Hours story ran, and during all this time 331 00:22:34,916 --> 00:22:38,516 Speaker 1: leading up to that, Esther cut off all contact with 332 00:22:38,556 --> 00:22:43,276 Speaker 1: her old friends. Did you stay in touch with anyone 333 00:22:43,396 --> 00:22:46,596 Speaker 1: during that time? No? Absolutely, nobody knew where I was 334 00:22:46,636 --> 00:22:53,356 Speaker 1: at nothing. Did you make new friends? You were just 335 00:22:53,436 --> 00:22:58,596 Speaker 1: like solo with my babies? Yes, with two dogs. Wow, 336 00:22:58,716 --> 00:23:02,276 Speaker 1: that's a long time to be solo. Yes, it was 337 00:23:02,356 --> 00:23:06,596 Speaker 1: a very very bad period. Esther stayed at cheap rentals 338 00:23:06,636 --> 00:23:10,996 Speaker 1: and motels, mainly in the Midwest. She says she squeaked 339 00:23:11,036 --> 00:23:14,716 Speaker 1: by for money. She had this little trick where she 340 00:23:14,796 --> 00:23:18,036 Speaker 1: bought clothing at J. C. Penny on sale and then 341 00:23:18,076 --> 00:23:20,996 Speaker 1: found a way to return the merchandise for the full price. 342 00:23:21,756 --> 00:23:24,276 Speaker 1: She says she was just taking advantage of a loophole 343 00:23:24,276 --> 00:23:26,956 Speaker 1: in the system. I think it's safe to say it 344 00:23:26,996 --> 00:23:30,796 Speaker 1: was a scam. During this time, she pretty much became 345 00:23:30,796 --> 00:23:34,036 Speaker 1: a shut in. She says she was laying low hoping 346 00:23:34,036 --> 00:23:37,316 Speaker 1: this would all just blow over. And to be honest, 347 00:23:37,636 --> 00:23:39,436 Speaker 1: this is a part of her story that I didn't 348 00:23:39,436 --> 00:23:43,676 Speaker 1: fully get, Like, wasn't she googling herself? Part of it 349 00:23:43,716 --> 00:23:46,596 Speaker 1: may have been denial, but Astor also told me that 350 00:23:46,676 --> 00:23:50,516 Speaker 1: she worried that by inputting certain search terms about herself 351 00:23:50,916 --> 00:23:53,676 Speaker 1: that she might tip off the authorities and give away 352 00:23:53,676 --> 00:23:58,156 Speaker 1: her location, so she didn't do it. Then one day, 353 00:23:58,676 --> 00:24:01,996 Speaker 1: she was up in Michigan staying at a motel. She 354 00:24:02,076 --> 00:24:05,796 Speaker 1: was in her room with her dogs watching TV when 355 00:24:05,796 --> 00:24:09,996 Speaker 1: a very brief segment on Fox News came on featuring her. 356 00:24:11,276 --> 00:24:16,196 Speaker 1: And I remember seeing my picture and it's saying Esther 357 00:24:16,356 --> 00:24:21,036 Speaker 1: read and I was like, oh shit, like literally, oh shit, 358 00:24:21,876 --> 00:24:25,436 Speaker 1: this isn't going to go away. Esther says his segment 359 00:24:25,556 --> 00:24:28,756 Speaker 1: was short, but it told her enough. Told her that 360 00:24:28,756 --> 00:24:31,676 Speaker 1: the authorities were looking for her, and they had started 361 00:24:31,716 --> 00:24:35,316 Speaker 1: connecting the dots, uncovering at least some of the aliases 362 00:24:35,316 --> 00:24:38,156 Speaker 1: that she'd used. I knew they would probably be able 363 00:24:38,156 --> 00:24:40,396 Speaker 1: to figure out that I wasn't Brookentson, but I didn't 364 00:24:40,436 --> 00:24:46,116 Speaker 1: think they would connect Brookentson to Esther read. Up until then, 365 00:24:46,316 --> 00:24:49,316 Speaker 1: she had believed that her aliases would help keep her safe. 366 00:24:49,796 --> 00:24:52,516 Speaker 1: She held on to all of her paperwork, all of 367 00:24:52,516 --> 00:24:56,276 Speaker 1: her fraudulently obtained ideas. Yeah, I hold on to everything 368 00:24:56,516 --> 00:25:00,076 Speaker 1: you had, your like Jason Bourne wallet with all your IDs. Yes, 369 00:25:00,556 --> 00:25:03,516 Speaker 1: it was hidden in the bottom of my trunk right, 370 00:25:03,596 --> 00:25:06,196 Speaker 1: always kept it. But she realized that none of that 371 00:25:06,236 --> 00:25:09,556 Speaker 1: would keep her safe any longer. In fact, those ideas 372 00:25:09,876 --> 00:25:13,156 Speaker 1: were now a liability. Immediately, I went and cut up 373 00:25:13,196 --> 00:25:15,276 Speaker 1: every piece of idea I had on me, and I 374 00:25:16,036 --> 00:25:18,396 Speaker 1: cut it all up like the little scissors, into tiny 375 00:25:18,436 --> 00:25:22,036 Speaker 1: little pieces and flushed them. Wow, you were really pretty well. 376 00:25:22,076 --> 00:25:23,836 Speaker 1: I thought like they might be coming right this moment, 377 00:25:23,916 --> 00:25:27,956 Speaker 1: you know, like I don't handle panic very well. Clearly, 378 00:25:30,596 --> 00:25:33,476 Speaker 1: there were so many instances where Esther could have come clean, 379 00:25:34,116 --> 00:25:38,436 Speaker 1: turned herself in quietly without much fanfare, and maybe straightened 380 00:25:38,436 --> 00:25:43,396 Speaker 1: everything out. But not now. So you cut all these 381 00:25:43,516 --> 00:25:46,436 Speaker 1: up and flushed them on the toilet. And then what 382 00:25:48,356 --> 00:25:50,476 Speaker 1: I think? Then? I just thought on the bed and panicked. 383 00:25:57,436 --> 00:25:59,836 Speaker 1: Esther didn't know the full extent of it or how 384 00:25:59,876 --> 00:26:03,956 Speaker 1: it had happened. But this thing, this story, it had 385 00:26:03,996 --> 00:26:09,036 Speaker 1: grown building momentum like a tsunami. A local TV report 386 00:26:09,196 --> 00:26:13,276 Speaker 1: ring Greenville, South Carolina, had tipped off Tom Colbert, the 387 00:26:13,396 --> 00:26:16,476 Speaker 1: gem Hunter, who then brought it to the national media. 388 00:26:16,756 --> 00:26:20,716 Speaker 1: Before long, it was a newspaper cover story, then fought 389 00:26:20,716 --> 00:26:24,316 Speaker 1: her for cable news, and finally a full blown hour 390 00:26:24,476 --> 00:26:29,196 Speaker 1: on one of America's best known TV shows. There were 391 00:26:29,236 --> 00:26:33,836 Speaker 1: no longer any easy outs, no explaining this away. Yeah, sure, 392 00:26:33,996 --> 00:26:37,316 Speaker 1: maybe she was no Bernie made off. And yeah, perhaps 393 00:26:37,316 --> 00:26:40,876 Speaker 1: the espionage theory was just that a theory, but at 394 00:26:40,916 --> 00:26:44,996 Speaker 1: this point didn't matter. The public was now hooked, and 395 00:26:45,116 --> 00:26:48,236 Speaker 1: so were people in positions of power. They were all 396 00:26:48,276 --> 00:26:51,876 Speaker 1: looking for the mystery girl, the Mata Hari and Esther 397 00:26:52,636 --> 00:26:56,436 Speaker 1: she was it. The question now was there any place 398 00:26:56,516 --> 00:27:03,796 Speaker 1: left for her to hide? Next time on deep Cover, 399 00:27:04,556 --> 00:27:07,036 Speaker 1: I mean, we were chasing her around the country, and 400 00:27:07,556 --> 00:27:09,436 Speaker 1: you know, we would look each other out. How are 401 00:27:09,436 --> 00:27:13,356 Speaker 1: we not finding this young girl who you know, stole 402 00:27:13,396 --> 00:27:15,956 Speaker 1: some identities. But good grief, guys, we're the federal government here. 403 00:27:15,956 --> 00:27:35,196 Speaker 1: We ought to be able to do that. Deep Cover 404 00:27:35,356 --> 00:27:39,396 Speaker 1: is produced by Amy Gaines and Jacob Smith. It's edited 405 00:27:39,436 --> 00:27:44,156 Speaker 1: by Karen shakurge mastering by Jake Gorski. Our show art 406 00:27:44,196 --> 00:27:47,796 Speaker 1: was designed by Sean Karney. Original scoring at our theme 407 00:27:48,156 --> 00:27:53,276 Speaker 1: was composed by Luis Gara, fact checking by Arthur Gomperts. 408 00:27:53,276 --> 00:27:57,676 Speaker 1: Special thanks to Mia Lobell, Greta Cone, and Jacob Weissberg. 409 00:27:58,676 --> 00:28:16,636 Speaker 1: I'm Jake Calbern s