Shots in the Dark: The Black Madam

Explicit content warning

12/01/21 • 39 min

The Black Madam was an aspiring rapper who made her money building a business she believed in—administering illegal silicone injections to give trans (and cisgender) women the bodies they dreamed of. After all, she’d once been in their shoes. But the deadly dangers of the black market caught up with her—and so did the police.

Join Mariana deeper into the underground, and don’t miss the TV series Trafficked with Mariana van Zeller Wednesday on National Geographic and streaming on Hulu.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Join Mariana deeper into the underground, and don’t miss the TV series Trafficked with Mariana van Zeller Wednesday on National Geographic and streaming on Hulu.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Previous Episode

Coming soon: Trafficked Season 2

The companion podcast to National Geographic’s Trafficked with Mariana van Zeller. In season two, investigative journalist Mariana van Zeller goes deep with masterminds behind black markets and underground economies, including illegal plastic surgery, meth labs fueling America’s addiction crisis, and a global marijuana smuggling empire built by high school surfers. Each episode pulls back the curtain on the player at the center: how they became criminals, what it felt like to live in the shadows—and how it all crumbled in the end. Join Mariana in the underground, and don’t miss the TV show Trafficked with Mariana van Zeller on National Geographic and Hulu.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Next Episode

Trust Me: The Story of Derek Alldred

Derek Alldred could have been an actor. He first invented characters to fuel an addiction, putting on costumes and playing trustworthy roles that put people at ease and got him what he wanted. But as his lies left a trail of destruction, he had to invent more aliases to cover his tracks—a web that spun out of control. But the curtain dropped when a girlfriend found his iPad—and his real name. Then military investigators got involved, bringing charges of stolen valor. Alldred received an astounding 24-year sentence in federal prison. He tells the story of his shifting identity.

Join Mariana deeper into the underground, and don’t miss the TV series Trafficked with Mariana van Zeller Wednesday on National Geographic and streaming on Hulu.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices