This three part-interview takes us through the amazing career and true-crime adventures of Texas native Zeke Flatten, who grew up knowing he wanted a career in law enforcement, got himself hired as a bail bondsman in high school, and then became an undercover cop at 19. Initially placed undercover in a high school ostensibly to stop drug sales, he ended up working on gun sales and other crimes, including stopping the use of even a bomb brought to school by a student.

Throughout his 20+-year career as a detective he was extraordinarily effective, but ultimately took a break to focus on his young family. As he attempted to start a legal cannabis business in California, an illegal stop and siezure by off-duty police in Northern California’s “Golden Triangle” (where a huge volume of cannabis is grown) sent him on a whole journey to identify and bring to justice a ring of crooked police who were routinely robbing people roadside of weed and cash from the local industry. Enlisting the aid of the FBI and local journalists, he was able to see many of the officers involved apprehended or forced into retirement.

While Zeke was being harassed during the case, he went home for his high school reunion and discovered a classmate and former friend had been murdered. This propelled him into another adventure to solve the case, leading him to also uncover a human trafficking ring and solve one of the most famous child murders in Texas.

Heroes Behind Headlines
Executive Producer Ralph Pezzullo
Produced & Engineered by Mike Dawson
Music provided by ExtremeMusic.com

U.S. Government whistleblower Martin Rodil breaks down the Venezuelan efforts to steal elections in the U.S. and also explains how that country's Cartel de los Soles–the largest criminal organization in the world–aims their drug trafficking and other activities at the United States.

Martin, along with his partner Gary Berntsen, were tracking down cartel bank accounts and other assets for the U.S. government to rightfully seize, when they tripped over an enormous election theft program created and maintained by Venezuela, (aided by Cuba, China, Iran, and Russia) aimed at America and dozens of democracies around the world. Martin gives us his first-person account of how he recruited the disillusioned engineers who originally helped create the source code and malware that lives inside our electronic voting machines, and how this unexpected discovery proved difficult to share with D.C. officials.

Martin made his career in international intelligence working alongside the DEA for over twenty years. He is also a principal source, along with Gary, in host Ralph Pezzullo’s recent book, “Stolen Elections." (Available on Amazon Books.)

Heroes Behind Headlines
Executive Producer Ralph Pezzullo
Produced & Engineered by Mike Dawson
Music provided by ExtremeMusic.com

Former CIA agent and Boston native Ralph Mariani shares the real-life thriller account of the 1975 murder of his boss, Richard Welch, the then-CIA station chief in Athens, and the twenty-seven-year investigation that was only solved when two grandmas came forward when a new description of the culprits was circulated.

On the night of December 23, 1975, CIA Station Chief Dick Welch and his family attended a Christmas party at the American Ambassador’s residence. Upon returning home, Dick exited the car to open the main gate. A man appeared amid the darkness and shot him dead. Five days after the attack, a terrorist group called “Revolutionary Organization 17 November” claimed responsibility for Dick’s death. It wasn’t until 2003—almost 28 years later— after 17 November had killed 23 people as a bomb exploded in the hands of Savvas Xiros, one of the organization’s most ruthless killers, that the people responsible for the murder of Dick Welch and several other foreign diplomats were caught.

Because of the steadfast efforts of Ralph Mariani, other colleagues and members of Welch’s family, together with fears about poor publicity ahead of the 2004 Olympics did Greek authorities finally take action against the group, and bring them to justice. The question Mariani helps answer is: Why did it take so long? And why did the Greek government not accept US help in solving the crime?

Heroes Behind Headlines
Executive Producer Ralph Pezzullo
Produced & Engineered by Mike Dawson
Music provided by ExtremeMusic.com