Podcast profile

Follow the Lies: Fraud & Deceit Uncovered with Kevin Barrows

I'm Kevin Barrows, former FBI Special Agent and lead case agent on two of the largest white-collar investigations in U.S. history.I've been in the room where the lies were built, where the evidence was uncovered, and where the truth finally broke through. I also co-hosted the Smithsonian Channel docuseries Sports Detectives, exposing forgery and tracking down missing pieces of sports history.In Follow the Lies, I take you inside real fraud cases across the Deception Spectrumfrom massive corporate fraud and organized scams to sports forgery, identity theft, and personal betrayals.You'll hear the insider stories, the investigative breakthroughs, and my Lie Detector Tips: practical, field-tested ways to spot deception in business, relationships, or everyday life.Because the lies are everywhere. And once you know how to follow them, you're never caught off guard again.New episodes drop bi-weekly. Have a fraud story of your own? Email kevin@followtheliespodcast.com it could become the next episode.Subscribe now. Let's uncover the truth together.#TrueCrime #Fraud #WhiteCollarCrime #Ponzi #IdentityTheft #SportsForgery #LieDetectorTips #FollowTheLies

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Latest Episodes

Episode 16: Hollywood’s $650 Million Fake — How Zachary Horwitz Forged Netflix and HBO

October 1, 2026

Actor Zachary Horwitz (screen name Zach Avery) told investors he was flipping film rights to Netflix and HBO at 25–45% returns. The contracts looked real. The emails used real names. The rule was: don’t call the platforms.

Former FBI Special Agent Kevin Barrows follows the paper trail — 1inMM Capital, the feeder funds, the empty collection account, the Netflix cease-and-desist, the plea, and a 20-year sentence. The product wasn’t a movie catalog. It was letterhead nobody independently verified.

Free guide: https://followtheliespodcast.com

Substack: https://followthelies.substack.com

#ZacharyHorwitz #ZachAvery #Ponzi #WhiteCollarCrime #FollowTheLies #Netflix #HBO

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Episode 15: The Astros’ Stolen Signs — How a Trash Can Rigged a World Series

September 17, 2026

In October 2017 the Houston Astros were on the verge of their first World Series title. What almost no one knew: a live camera feed and a trash can in the dugout tunnel were telling hitters what pitch was coming.

Former FBI Special Agent Kevin Barrows follows the scheme from the tunnel to Commissioner Rob Manfred’s report — the immunity deal, the vacated-title decision that never came, and the culture that treated cheating as another competitive edge.

Free guide: followtheliespodcast.com

Substack: followthelies.substack.com

#Astros #MLB #SignStealing #WorldSeries #FollowTheLies

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Episode 14: The $47 Billion Fantasy — How Adam Neumann Built and Destroyed WeWork

September 3, 2026

WeWork was once valued at $47 billion. SoftBank invested over $10 billion. Adam Neumann sold a vision of elevating human consciousness through office space.

Then the illusion collapsed.

Former FBI Special Agent Kevin Barrows breaks down how a charismatic founder used narrative power to override financial reality — and what it cost employees, investors, and the company.

Timestamps:
00:00 – The $47 Billion Fantasy

02:35 – Why This Case Matters

04:26 – Building the WeWork Myth

05:53 – The IPO Collapse

09:03 – Inside the Investigation

14:52 – Lie Detector Tip

17:30 – Closing & Free Resources

Free guide: followtheliespodcast.com

Substack: followthelies.substack.com

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Episode 13: Celsius Froze $4.7 Billion Overnight — After Promising Safety

August 19, 2026

On June 12, 2022, Celsius Network froze all withdrawals without warning. Roughly $4.7 billion in customer funds—retirement savings, emergency money, and life savings belonging to ordinary people—became locked overnight.

Former FBI Special Agent Kevin Barrows breaks down how a platform that marketed itself as safer than banks and promised yields up to 18% was actually running a high-risk operation built on customer deposits. From the polished “Unbank Yourself” branding and weekly Ask Me Anything sessions to the internal Slack messages, token manipulation, and eventual arrests, this episode reveals how narrative control and manufactured trust created one of crypto’s most damaging collapses.

You’ll also hear a practical Lie Detector Tip for evaluating high-yield opportunities in lightly regulated spaces.

Free resource: Download “7 Proven Strategies to Spot Lies and Uncover the Truth in Any Interview” at followtheliespodcast.com

Timestamps

00:00 – The Day Celsius Froze Everything

03:12 – How Celsius Sold the Dream

05:14 – The Fragile Model & Growing Risks

08:46 – The Freeze and the Human Cost

13:00 – Inside the Investigation

15:02 – Arrest & Sentencing

16:32 – Deception Spectrum & Lie Detector Tip

19:31 – Closing Thoughts & Free Resources

#CelsiusNetwork #CryptoFraud #CryptoCollapse #AlexMashinsky #TrueCrime #WhiteCollarCrime #FinancialFraud #FollowTheLies #KevinBarrows #CryptoScam

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Episode 12: From Trusted Friend to Convicted Thief — The $17 Million Betrayal of Shohei Ohtani

August 6, 2026

Shohei Ohtani was living out a historic season when the man he trusted most — his longtime interpreter and close friend Ippei Mizuhara — allegedly stole nearly $17 million from him to feed a severe gambling addiction.

In this episode, former FBI Special Agent Kevin Barrows takes you inside one of the most heartbreaking betrayals in modern sports history — from forged signatures and impersonations to federal charges and a devastating personal fallout.

Chapters:

00:00 The $17 Million Betrayal
03:49 From Trusted Interpreter to Family
05:17 How the Theft Unfolded
09:34 Inside the Investigation
12:08 The Depth of Betrayal
13:05 The Emotional Impact on Ohtani
15:14 The Fallout & Deception Spectrum
16:28 Lie Detector Tip & Final Lessons

Grab Kevin’s free guide: “7 Proven Strategies to Spot Lies and Uncover the Truth in Any Interview” at followtheliespodcast.com

#Ohtani #Mizuhara #SportsBettingScandal #GamblingAddiction #TrueCrimePodcast

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