meta_pixel
Tapesearch Logo
Log in
The Binge Cases: U R NEXT

Introducing Smoke Screen: Fake Priest

The Binge Cases: U R NEXT

Sony Music

Documentary, Society & Culture, True Crime

4.04.4K Ratings

🗓️ 31 July 2020

⏱️ 2 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

For 30 years, a man claimed to be a priest. He performed baptisms and took confession. Every time he ran into trouble, Father Ryan would move on to another small Midwestern town and start his scheme all over again. Followers who once worshiped him, now accuse him of exploitation, fraud and abuse. In season one of Smoke Screen, join Alex Schuman as he unravels this con and gets answers from this white-collar criminal himself. A Neon Hum Media and Sony Music Entertainment production. Coming August 13th. Listen & follow on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, Stitcher or wherever you get your podcasts. Find more great podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

Some crimes cut deep.

0:03.0

You've got some douche bag walking around telling your grandma,

0:08.0

taking her confession, giving her communion,

0:11.0

making her believe that her path to heaven and salvation is there,

0:17.2

just follow me, give me some money.

0:20.3

They're the type of crimes you're shocked someone would commit.

0:24.0

I've never been called like that in my life.

0:26.0

That's how I felt when I learned about Father Ryan.

0:29.0

He took every single cent from that woman and it disappeared.

0:35.0

This guy was accused of exploiting people, fraud, and abuse.

0:40.0

This man spreads pain on levels that just fucking astounded.

0:46.4

All of it, while he claimed to save people's souls.

0:50.0

The problem then, of course, is that Ryan Scott was presenting himself as a priest.

0:54.9

That'd mean marriages, baptisms, faked. Father Ryan had opened churches in at least seven different states.

1:07.0

He has to be God.

1:09.0

Think of how many people were tricked.

1:11.0

Lawsuits, missing money, unaccounted for funds, angry, angry people, every entity that he touched.

1:19.1

Then there are these people who say he's connected to the mysterious deaths of two men.

1:24.0

He's accused of stealing millions while passing as a priest for decades.

1:28.0

How he was able to keep this going is just stunning. Going from town to town, vanishing overnight, only to resurface somewhere else.

1:40.0

The town rumor that I heard was there was a guy living there pretending to be a priest and he was going to let the Lord pay his bills and they never came through and next thing I know he was gone.

1:48.5

If these accusations are true, how is he still out there?

...

Please login to see the full transcript.

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

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

Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.