Secrets, Crimes & Audiotape - Wondery Presents Persona: The French Deception

Wondery Presents Persona: The French Deception

06/06/22 • 4 min

Introducing the true crime podcast Persona: The French Deception— the story of Gilbert Chikli, one of the greatest con artists of all time.

What does it feel like to pick up the phone and scam someone out of $50 million? Host and award-winning journalist, Evan Ratliff, investigates how Chikli successfully duped some of the world’s most powerful people into handing over their fortunes. He explores how Chikli evaded the law for years and became a Robin Hood-like hero. More than just a tale of criminal genius, this is a show about the moment we’re living in right now — the golden age of scammers — and the power of seduction. But what happens when the fantasy we’ve been lured into finally crumbles away?

For all that and more, follow “Persona: The French Deception” wherever you get your podcasts. Or you can listen early on Amazon Music or early and ad-free by subscribing to Wondery Plus in Apple Podcasts or the Wondery app: wondery.fm/SCAT_Persona

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Introducing the true crime podcast Persona: The French Deception— the story of Gilbert Chikli, one of the greatest con artists of all time.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Previous Episode

Introducing BADLANDS Season 4: HOLLYWOODLAND

Introducing the true crime podcast Badlands— a show that dives deep into the real stories of the famous at their most infamous.

Each season, host Jake Brennan, explores the real life crimes and scandalous careers of the world’s most popular cultural figures. In an all new season, he tells the stories of A-listers whose misdeeds and career lows are as unbelievable as some of their films’ plot twists—like the story of Sharon Tate, who was caught up in a strange scene long before members of the Manson family came along. Or the story of how Judy Garland’s lifelong addiction to pills sent her over the rainbow much too soon. And the story about how Winona Ryder was connected to a child kidnapping case in her hometown. These and many more.

For all that and more, listen to Badlands. Get new episodes every Wednesday wherever you get your podcasts, or binge all of season four right now only on Amazon Music.

Listen here: wondery.fm/SCAT_BadlandsS4

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Next Episode

Wondery Presents: The Execution of Bonny Lee Bakley

On May 4, 2001, Bonny Lee Bakley was found fatally shot in a car on a dark North Hollywood street. The prime suspect was her husband, famed actor Robert Blake. But Bonny, a longtime con artist, had plenty of enemies. She left behind a trail of men she’d scammed, and she had a volatile relationship with Christian Brando, the troubled son of movie star Marlon Brando.

Not since the O.J. Simpson case had the eyes of the nation been so fixated on a homicide. The search for Bonny’s killer took detectives on an eleven-month odyssey across the country and through Hollywood's underbelly of hustlers, drug addicts, and would-be hitmen. It would be the most expensive murder investigation in LAPD history to date.

This is the story of Robert and Bonny’s toxic relationship, her shocking murder, and his chaotic trial. Did actor Robert Blake kill his wife? Or was the murder someone else's vendetta?

From Wondery, and the team behind the hit series Hollywood & Crime (The Dating Game Killer, The Wonderland Murders, Death of Starlet) comes a six-part series about love, obsession and fame gone wrong. Co-hosted by Tracy Pattin and Josh Lucas.

Listen to The Execution of Bonny Lee Bakley: wondery.fm/SCA_TEOBLB

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.