Campfire Studios' award-winning crime podcast 'Abuse of Power' acquired by Audible; two new seasons to come

Ross Dinerstein’s Campfire Studios (HBO Max’s The Way Down and Hulu’s WeWork), part of Wheelhouse, has partnered with Audible to launch two new seasons of its award-winning crime podcast, Abuse of Power. Hosts David Rudolf and Sonya Pfeiffer will return to uncover and examine shocking cases of abuse and misconduct within the criminal justice system. In season two, the husband-and-wife criminal defense duo will dive deep into “The State of Florida vs. Krishna Maharaj,” a case that spans more than thirty years, with justice yet to be served.

All six episodes of season two will premiere this Thanksgiving, November 25, exclusively on Audible. Season three of the podcast will launch in 2022.

Also this Thanksgiving, all episodes of Abuse of Power season one will become available on Audible. The first season originally premiered in early 2020 and was nominated for several awards, including the 2021 People Choice Podcast Awards and the 2021 Webby Awards, which it won in the “Crime & Justice” category.

Abuse of Power is a Campfire Studios production, and is executive produced by Campfire’s CEO Ross Dinerstein, Vice President of Non-Fiction Content Rebecca Evans and the company’s newly minted Director of Audio Content Ryan Alexander Steiner.

“ABUSE OF POWER” SEASON 2 – THE CASE:

In 1986, British-Trinidadian businessman Krishna ‘Kris’ Maharaj was arrested in Miami for a brutal double homicide. Despite having an alibi, Maharaj was found guilty and sentenced to death – a sentence that was later reduced to life in prison, which the 82-year-old is still serving. The story involves alleged police corruption and judicial abuses of power, and features a trail of international criminals leading all the way to notorious Colombian drug trafficker, Pablo Escobar.

Throughout the new season, Rudolf and Pfeiffer interview those involved in the case – including Maharaj’s wife Marita, as well as investigators, lawyers, experts and a former CIA operative – offering listeners an intimate and in-depth look at this epic and ongoing battle. Abuse of Power season two demonstrates how it can take minutes to brand an innocent person a “murderer” but decades to right that injustice.

“This case will make you question everything,” said Dinerstein. “Content that spotlights injustices has always been part of Campfire’s DNA, and as podcasting continues to provide a tremendous platform for deserving stories like Kris’s, we’re really excited to expand our output in that space – and for the opportunity to work again with our good friends David and Sonya to bring more Abuse of Power to Audible listeners.”

Added Rudolf and Pfeiffer, “The case of Krishna Maharaj is one of the most compelling we’ve ever explored, and it provides a shocking window into the criminal legal system in America. Kris’s case illustrates the horrors that the system can inflict on a person – and everyone in that person’s orbit. It’s critical for people to understand how the meaning of justice can be distorted, because those fighting on the inside need reinforcements and resources. We’ve been humbled as we’ve dug into the many layers of Kris’s battle, and we’re proud to partner once again with Campfire Studios to highlight a case that has the power to drive emotion and action.”

About David Rudolf and Sonya Pfeiffer

As criminal defense attorneys, Rudolf and Pfeiffer each have first-hand experience and a wealth of insight into the issues raised in Abuse of Power. Rudolf famously faced these problems head-on as the lead attorney for defendant Michael Peterson in the high-profile murder trial chronicled in acclaimed true-crime series The Staircase. Pfeiffer was previously an award-winning journalist before becoming a criminal defense attorney and civil rights lawyer. Together, they have secured millions of dollars in damages for individuals whose civil rights have been violated.

About Campfire Studios

Founded in 2014 and helmed by producer and CEO Ross Dinerstein, Campfire Studios is a premium production company known for its broad bench of content across scripted and unscripted, for both feature film and TV/streaming platforms. Part of Wheelhouse, Campfire’s projects include docuseries’ The Way Down and Heaven’s Gate: The Cult of Cults for HBO Max; FX’s The Most Dangerous Animal of All; Netflix’s true-crime documentary series John Grisham’s The Innocent Man, as well as the streamer’s upcoming Voir (executive produced by David Fincher) and Emmy-nominated, scripted series Special. Campfire’s feature documentaries include Hulu’s WeWork: Or the Making and Breaking of a $47 Billion Unicorn; A Glitch in the Matrix with Magnolia Pictures; CNN’s The Lost Sons; and FX’s comedy doc Hysterical. Among the company’s scripted features are Rattlesnake; thriller1922, based on the Stephen King novella; and comedy The Package – all for Netflix – as well as IFC’s cult horror movie The Pact. Over the last 15 years, Dinerstein has produced or executive produced 40+ series and films, including debuts at Sundance, SXSW, Tribeca and TIFF. His credits also include the feature documentaries Jiro Dreams of Sushi and Silicon Cowboys.