Javier Leiva
Independent Investigative Journalist. Host and creator of PRETEND.
Javier Leiva is an independent investigative journalist based in Raleigh, NC, and the host and creator of PRETEND, a true crime podcast about con artists and fraud with more than 20 million downloads since 2017. He reports and writes the show, working with two producers and a researcher, and also hosts Criminal Conduct and The Ponzi Playbook.
Background
Before PRETEND, Javier Leiva produced original local documentaries at WUSF-TV, the PBS station in Tampa, Florida, and worked as a marketing writer and producer for WNCT in Greenville, NC, and Clear Channel in Memphis, Tennessee. He moved to Raleigh in 2015 and launched PRETEND in 2017 (WRAL). He holds four Midsouth regional Emmy Awards for his commercial work in television.
PRETEND
PRETEND launched in June 2017. It has published more than 300 episodes across more than 25 seasons and has passed 20 million downloads. In 2024, Spotify for Creators named Javier Leiva one of five breakout creators and featured PRETEND on two billboards in New York's Times Square. The show covers con artists, scammers, impostors, and fraud, often as multi-part investigations built on court records, recordings, documents, and interviews with the people involved. More about the show →
Two pieces of Javier Leiva's work have gone to television. His reporting on the strip-search phone call hoaxes became part of Netflix's Don't Pick Up the Phone (2022), and he was featured in Discovery+'s Citizen P.I. (2021). Details →
Selected investigations
- The Gypsy Rose Obsession: what Gypsy Rose Blanchard's medical records really show
- Chain of Command: the NTCC and House of Prayer churches
- Who's Afraid of LaDonna Humphrey: harassment and intimidation allegations against true crime author LaDonna Humphrey
- The Stalker: the Fernandez family stalking case, Peoria, Arizona
- The Real Catch Me If You Can: the true story behind Frank Abagnale's con-man legend
- The Prank: David Richard Stewart and the McDonald's strip-search hoax calls
- Word of Faith Fellowship: Jane Whaley's Spindale, North Carolina church and the Brooke Covington case
Each investigation page lists its sources, a timeline, the people involved, and the legal outcome where there is one. Where the reporting has drawn substantive criticism, the page states the criticism and responds to it.
How the reporting is done
PRETEND's sourcing, contact with the people involved, legal review, and corrections are described on the editorial standards page.
Independent coverage
- The New York Times (2019)
- BBC News (2019)
- Cary Magazine (2020) · "Meet Javier Leiva"
- WRAL (2025) · "From 'Catch Me If You Can' to cult leaders: Raleigh man explores deception in true crime podcast"
- New York Post (2023) · Frank Abagnale reporting
- Le Parisien (2026) · Frank Abagnale reporting
- Raleigh Magazine (2022) · Netflix's "Don't Pick Up the Phone"
- IMDb (2022) · "Don't Pick Up the Phone" (Netflix)
- IMDb (2021) · "Citizen P.I." (Discovery+)
Contact
Press, corrections, and responses: javier@pretendradio.org.