Latest news with #ScottPayne
Business Insider
25-05-2025
- Business Insider
I worked as an undercover FBI agent for 23 years. Here's what it was like infiltrating bike gangs, cartels, and neo-Nazi groups.
This as-told-to essay is based on a transcribed conversation with Scott Payne, a former undercover FBI agent. Business Insider has verified his employment and certifications with documents. The following has been edited for length and quality. I served in the FBI for 23 years, mostly as an undercover agent infiltrating bike gangs, cartels and America's neo-Nazi groups. Undercover work is defined by forming relationships that you may betray in the future and coming to terms with how to do that without it having an adverse effect on your psyche. I was always fascinated by undercover movies, and I'm a people person. I think that's what drew me to undercover work. I started working as a cop in 1993 and spent three years as a uniform patrol officer, then two years in vice and narcotics. In 1998, I applied to work for the FBI and was accepted. New York City was my first office in the FBI after the academy. FBI agents are investigators first The only thing you're required to be in the FBI is a case agent. You can be a firearms instructor, undercover coordinator, or source handler, but you're an investigator first. Being an undercover officer is voluntary. Every FBI field office has an undercover coordinator who coaches agents who want to get into the undercover program. They'll ask you questions about your life and family. You have to have the mentality that you can protect yourself — if you're waiting for the SWAT team to come in, it's not for you. During the selection process, we had psychological tests with a clinical psychologist. They might run you through scenarios and analyze your reactions. Then, the agents considering who gets into the program will select 40 candidates to get certified. It's a 20-slot school, but they have 20 backups if people drop out. The course is two weeks of nonstop training. The undercover trainers try to expose your weaknesses. Are you going to drink while you're undercover? Do you lose it and start wanting to fight everyone? They're looking for red flags. I received my undercover certification in 2002. Since I've been on the team, I've never seen a 100% graduation rate. There are rules for undercover agents We can't be involved in acts of violence unless it's self-defense. We can't come up with a criminal idea because that would be an entrapment issue. You should never have anything on you that has personal ties to you in the field. Undercover agents should never use drugs. If you're in a situation where you've taken drugs, you have to tell the case team and the United States Attorney's Office and get to an emergency room to make sure you don't overdose, especially with fentanyl on the market. As an undercover agent, you have to have your 'legend,' as we call it Your legend is your backstory. When I was going deep undercover, I needed my backstory to be solid and believable. I usually used names I had associations with and stuck closely to who I was while undercover. I ride motorcycles and lift weights, and my jokes were going to be the same. Some people think it's dangerous to stick close to the truth, but I generally felt more comfortable using that tactic. I always liked to have more than one recorder on my person in case something went wrong. The undercover technique is extremely effective at securing evidence. If you're on trial and the evidence you recorded cuts out, not having the full picture could create doubt in a jury's mind. I've never had to testify in an FBI undercover case because the evidence was always overwhelming. I worked undercover in biker gangs and far-right groups My personal life and work overlapped. I shared a lot with my wife. Working undercover isn't like being in the military. I wouldn't disappear for months at a time. I would usually be gone for two-week stints. One thing I would do is take my cross off my necklace and put a skull on it. When I got home, I'd switch them back. To get staffed on an undercover case, FBI headquarters will email every undercover coordinator with a synopsis of what they need, which is circulated to the certified undercovers. Then, you can volunteer for the case. While working in New York, I saw an opportunity for some undercover work in San Antonio and applied. I got approved for 30 days, then became the primary. They ended up transferring me to the case, and I moved to the Mexican border. I was there as a case agent, working on cartel stuff. This was the only classified case I worked on. I infiltrated the Outlaws motorcycle gang in Massachusetts, going undercover for three years in 2005. I earned their trust and eventually got enough evidence to arrest them for drug trafficking. When I was working for the Outlaws, I got very close to one of the guys in the gang. I remember rocking his newborn daughter at his house and working out together. When the case was over, he called me to tell me some of the Outlaws had been arrested. His last words to me were "I love you," and I said it back. I hung up probably as the SWAT team was hitting his house. In 2019, I worked on a case undercover in a white supremacy group called The Base. It was a group of young guys who wanted to accelerate the collapse of society. We found out about them through a tip on Telegram. I went in cold and went to the group's firearms training and group meetings and became close with the leader. Eventually, we were able to arrest the head of the group. I retired in June 2021 After the Base case, I trained undercover employees for domestic terrorism cases. I remember thinking, I'm completely satisfied with my career. Now, I'm a speaker at conferences and have written a book. This story was adapted from Scott's interview for Business Insider's series, " Authorized Account." Learn more about his life as an undercover FBI agent in the video below:
Fox News
29-04-2025
- Fox News
Going Undercover In An Extremist Group
Scott Payne spent 23 years with the FBI and went undercover to expose and take down some of the country's most violent criminal organizations. But one mission stands out the most to him: becoming 'Pale Horse,' and infiltrating the deadly operations of a white nationalist group known as The Base, by posing as a Nazi. Retired FBI Special Agent Scott Payne reflects on his storied career in law enforcement and discusses some of his most harrowing undercover assignments, as detailed in his new book, Code Name: Pale Horse . Follow Emily on Instagram: @realemilycompagno If you have a story or topic we should feature on the FOX True Crime Podcast, send us an email at: truecrimepodcast@ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit
CBC
13-02-2025
- Entertainment
- CBC
CBC LAUNCHES NEW WINTER/SPRING 2025 PODCAST SLATE
CBC LAUNCHES NEW WINTER/SPRING 2025 PODCAST SLATE Investigative series UNCOVER continues with SEA OF LIES, the story of a devious scammer whose trail of destruction crosses continents and decades (Available now) PERSONALLY: TOY SOLDIER explores the remarkable story of a Jewish boy who was adopted by the enemy during the Holocaust (February 17) After 25 years of infiltrating outlaw biker gangs, drug cartels and neo-Nazi networks, former FBI agent Scott Payne gives listeners an unvarnished account of undercover life in WHITE HOT HATE: AGENT PALE HORSE (March 25) Cory Doctorow explains how the internet declined so sharply from its early days of promise, and if we can fix it, in UNDERSTOOD: WHO BROKE THE INTERNET? (April 14) UNCOVER: CALLS FROM A KILLER exposes hidde truths about a forgotten tragedy and a bungled investigation through jailhouse conversations with Canada's most notorious serial killer, Clifford Olson (April 23) February 13, 2025 – CBC, the #1 Canadian podcaster, is launching a new winter/spring slate of original podcasts, featuring in-depth investigations and candid personal revelations. CBC's entire podcast collection can be found on CBC Listen and everywhere podcasts are available. Select titles can also be streamed on YouTube. Four episodes available now on CBC Listen and everywhere podcasts are available A body is pulled from the ocean, beginning a race against time to capture one of the world's most wanted criminals. This is the story of a con man who couldn't stop lying - a story of murder, stolen identities, fine art, a diaper stuffed with gold bars, and a crime solved by a Rolex watch. From rural Canada to coastal England, he lied and deceived at every turn. Award-winning podcaster Sam Mullins (Chameleon: Dr. Dante & Wild Boys) takes listeners inside the mind of a devious scammer whose trail of destruction crosses continents and decades. So who is he? And how did this ruthless villain finally get unmasked? With new episodes weekly, and over thirty seasons to choose from, Uncover delivers explosive, high-calibre true crime. PERSONALLY: TOY SOLDIER (5 episodes) Launches February 17 on CBC Listen and everywhere podcasts are available As a child, Alex Kurzem faced a choice: be killed or join the killers. After escaping the massacre that killed his family during the Holocaust, he's found by the enemy and taken in as one of their own – a Jewish boy masquerading as a Nazi toy soldier. He'd lived with this false identity for so long, he no longer remembered who he was before. This is the story Alex would tell the world decades later, but could a story so unbelievable be true? Host Dan Goldberg finds out. Each season of Personally invites listeners to explore the human experience in all its complexity. WHITE HOT HATE: AGENT PALE HORSE (6 episodes) Launches March 25 on CBC Listen and everywhere podcasts are available FBI undercover agent Scott Payne's job was to infiltrate the most dangerous gangs of our times: outlaw bikers, drug cartels and the international neo-Nazi networks hellbent on inciting a race war. In the second season of White Hot Hate, host Michelle Shephard gives listeners an unvarnished view of a life undercover. Because after a 25-year-long career pretending to be somebody else, Agent Payne is ready to tell his side of the story. This series was produced alongside a book co-written by Scott Payne and Michelle Shephard titled Code Name: Pale Horse: How I Went Undercover to Expose America's Nazis, releasing March 25, 2025 by Simon & Schuster. UNDERSTOOD: WHO BROKE THE INTERNET (4 episodes) Launches April 14 on CBC Listen and everywhere podcasts are available Cory Doctorow traces the downward spiral from the heady days of '90s tech-utopianism through to today's rotten internet experience. You'll meet everyone from visionaries to villains to regular people just trying to survive online. And you'll discover who broke the internet — and, more importantly, a plan to fix it. UNCOVER: CALLS FROM A KILLER (7 episodes) Launches April 23 on CBC Listen and everywhere podcasts are available What does a reporter do when they receive a call from a serial killer? The killer: Clifford Olson, who murdered at least eleven children in the 1980s. The reporter: Arlene Bynon, who recorded her jailhouse calls with Olson for years. On Calls from a Killer, you'll hear those chilling tapes. With Nathaniel Frum - the grandson of her former reporting partner - Arlene exposes hard truths about a forgotten tragedy, a bungled investigation and the loved ones left behind. With new episodes weekly, and over thirty seasons to choose from, Uncover delivers explosive, high-calibre true crime. New weekly episodes include Season 3 of ON DRUGS, which takes a closer look at the world of drugs — including deep dives on ketamine, Ozempic, vaping and alcohol among others — to better understand what it means to be human. CBC/BBC World Service co-production THE CON: KAITLYN'S BABY untangles the complex web of lies and deception surrounding Kaitlyn Braun, who lied to dozens of doulas about false pregnancies and escalating medical emergencies. CBC's ongoing podcasts include: COMMOTION WITH ELAMIN ABDELMAHMOUD, THE DOSE, FRONT BURNER, Q WITH TOM POWER, and more. CBC offers a richly diverse collection of award-winning podcasts that engage, enlighten and entertain. CBC is the #1 Canadian podcaster, reaching more Canadians than any other podcast publisher with millions of downloads each month and more than 45 series in genres such as true crime, comedy, human interest and audio fiction. -30- About CBC/Radio-Canada CBC/Radio-Canada is Canada's national public broadcaster. Through our mandate to inform, enlighten and entertain, we play a central role in strengthening Canadian culture. As Canada's trusted news source, we offer a uniquely Canadian perspective on news, current affairs and world affairs. Our distinctively homegrown entertainment programming draws audiences from across the country. Deeply rooted in communities, CBC/Radio-Canada offers diverse content in English, French and eight Indigenous languages. We also deliver content in Spanish, Arabic, Chinese, Punjabi and Tagalog, as well as both official languages, through Radio Canada International (RCI). We are leading the transformation to meet the needs of Canadians in a digital world. Frances Bedford, CBC PR
