Agent of Chaos: The Austrian Fugitive Running Russia’s Global Spy Networks

SpyCast

Education, News, History

4.4 • 1.7K Ratings

🗓️ 22 July 2025

⏱️ 30 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Today he’s one of the most wanted men in the world, but before Jan Marsalek fled to Russia, he was the COO of payment-processing firm Wirecard. Officials and investigators say Marsalek used the company to finance Moscow’s covert operations and spy networks in Africa and Europe. In 2020, nearly €2 billion vanished from Wirecard, along with Marsalek. Financial Times reporter Sam Jones has been uncovering new details through his reporting on Season 3 of Hot Money: Agent of Chaos. To hear more, listen to Season 3 of Hot Money: Agent of Chaos on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. If you liked this episode, check out these links: Russia's Fake Identity Assembly Line in Brazil | SpyCast "The Minions": Putin's Expendable Spies | SpyCast Russian Assassinations in the UK: Inside Three Notorious Cases with Historian Nigel West Curator's Corner: Kevin P. Riehle on Russian Intelligence Prefer to watch your podcasts? Find us on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/@IntlSpyMuseum/podcasts. Subscribe to Sasha's Substack, HUMINT, to get more intelligence stories: https://sashaingber.substack.com/ And if you have feedback or want to hear about a particular topic, you can reach us by E-mail at SpyCast@Spymuseum.org. This show is brought to you from Goat Rodeo, Airwave, and the International Spy Museum in Washington, DC.

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	Oh, that's my prime delivery.
0:01.6	What, already?
0:02.7	Only one thing can match the buzz of Prime's fast delivery.
0:06.2	And that's the buzz of Prime's entertainment.
0:09.0	What are we watching?
0:09.7	Heads of state, that new action comedy with Idris Elber as the Prime Minister,
0:13.3	John Sina as the president, and Prianka Chopra Jonas,
0:15.9	as their only hope.
0:17.0	It looks like a blast.
0:18.2	From fast delivery to explosive entertainment, it's on Prime.
0:22.5	For only $899 a month, join now. Content includes limited ads, subscription or to renews.
0:27.5	For more information, go to amazon.com.uker.
0:30.1	From DreamWorks Animation, showtime, the studio that brought you Puss and Boots, and Shrek.
0:36.5	It's the bad guys! We had a pretty good run as bad guys. Now we need to find something better. This July... Welcome to this most beautifious and credimonious occasion. The baddest comedy of the summer... Sorry, nerves. Arrives. You want to work at a bank? Why not? You robbed us three times.
0:56.0	That was this bank?
0:57.2	The Bad Guys 2 in Cinema, July 25.
0:59.4	Book tickets now.
1:00.3	Ready to launch your business?
1:01.8	Get started with the commerce platform made for entrepreneurs.
1:05.0	Shopify is specially designed to help you start, run, and grow your business
1:09.1	with easy, customizable themes that let you build your
1:11.9	brand, marketing tools that get your products out there. Integrated shipping solutions that actually
	...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from SpyCast, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of SpyCast and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.