Unravel true crime podcast exposes Californian con woman

Sydney NSW, Australia—Enter the murky, spurious world of love fraud, as ABC’s award-winning true crime podcast, Unravel returns with a new season and host, triple j’s Ollie Wards.

In 2006, Ollie’s brother Greg was backpacking in London when he fell head-over-heels in love with fast-talking, charismatic Californian, Lezlie Manukian.

They set up a new life in New Zealand, but only months after their showy wedding, things turned sour. Lezlie vanished from Greg’s life leaving his family in financial ruin, having lost their business, family home and life savings.

Now, Ollie Wards is on a mission to get to the bottom of the con that cost his family everything.

In Snowball, season four of ABC’s Unravel True Crime podcast, Ollie finds himself gathering breadcrumbs of evidence and clues dotted across the globe, following a path of destruction left by Lezlie as she collects and then casts off her victims.

From London to Auckland, Sydney to California – plus a tipoff from Hawaii’s Maui police in between – the investigation is a rollercoaster of baffling twists and turns.

The world of Lezlie Manukian is full of wild dreams, a lavish lifestyle, big loves and broken promises in exotic locations -- a hall of mirrors made with fake documents and fantasy personas.

As we learn more about the con woman; her history of manipulation, half-truths and elaborate fictions, Ollie comes to a realisation that the only way to get answers is by tracking down Lezlie Manukian herself.

Follow the investigation to unravel the truth behind this story of deception. Understand how and why con artists weave their webs and scam victims the world over.

Featuring theme music from Aussie electro-pop outfit Flight Facilities, Unravel True Crime: Snowball releases Tuesday 03 September on the ABC listen app, or wherever you get your podcasts.