Trainwreck: P.I. Moms

1 00:00:06,000 --> 00:00:12,074 -== [ www.OpenSubtitles.org ] ==- 2 00:00:12,971 --> 00:00:17,475 In early 2011, I was a special agent assigned to wiretaps. 3 00:00:18,768 --> 00:00:20,895 <i>-What's happening?</i> -<i>What's going on?</i> 4 00:00:20,979 --> 00:00:23,106 I had this case where a corrupt cop 5 00:00:23,189 --> 00:00:25,442 had been stealing drugs outta evidence 6 00:00:25,525 --> 00:00:27,610 before redistributing them onto the very streets 7 00:00:27,694 --> 00:00:29,195 he's supposed to be keeping them from. 8 00:00:29,279 --> 00:00:31,948 <i>The guy wants three more packages.</i> 9 00:00:32,574 --> 00:00:33,992 <i>Whoo-hoo! </i> 10 00:00:34,075 --> 00:00:36,828 But then, right in the middle of the conversation, 11 00:00:37,328 --> 00:00:40,290 they started talking about something else entirely. 12 00:00:41,416 --> 00:00:43,376 <i>We have this great TV show.</i> 13 00:00:43,460 --> 00:00:46,421 <i>Everything was going great.</i> <i>Then, all of a sudden, boom!</i> 14 00:00:46,504 --> 00:00:48,173 <i>Don't kill the project.</i> 15 00:00:48,840 --> 00:00:52,677 I was like, "Is this some elaborate Hollywood hoax on us?" 16 00:00:54,054 --> 00:00:59,809 I mean, very few cases in my 25 years have had such a strange story behind it. 17 00:01:03,229 --> 00:01:08,443 The idea of the reality show, <i>P.I. Moms of San Francisco,</i> 18 00:01:08,526 --> 00:01:10,445 was a very ingenious idea. 19 00:01:10,528 --> 00:01:13,073 {\an8}<i>They are private investigator moms</i> 20 00:01:13,156 --> 00:01:15,950 going undercover on sting operations and making busts, 21 00:01:16,034 --> 00:01:18,870 all in time to get home and help the kids with homework. 22 00:01:18,953 --> 00:01:19,788 Check this out. 23 00:01:21,039 --> 00:01:24,042 Oh my God, this is not happening. 24 00:01:24,125 --> 00:01:27,003 I was like, "Wow! We're gonna be on a billboard." 25 00:01:27,087 --> 00:01:30,256 As a showrunner, I've got tons of great characters. 26 00:01:30,340 --> 00:01:33,343 This is gonna be the easiest show I've ever produced. 27 00:01:33,426 --> 00:01:36,596 Chris, why women? You say they're great multitaskers. 28 00:01:36,679 --> 00:01:37,639 That's correct. 29 00:01:38,890 --> 00:01:42,435 Also, no one really challenges my authority. 30 00:01:44,062 --> 00:01:47,232 This story was supposed to be about the P.I. Moms, 31 00:01:47,315 --> 00:01:51,820 but by the deeds of a few men, it was gone. 32 00:01:51,903 --> 00:01:52,862 It was taken from us. 33 00:01:54,197 --> 00:01:57,575 It was constantly one problem and disaster after another. 34 00:01:58,785 --> 00:02:02,038 Who the fuck just completely sabotaged everything? 35 00:02:03,164 --> 00:02:05,917 I didn't want this to be like a <i>Real Housewives,</i> 36 00:02:06,000 --> 00:02:08,419 and this has become worse than a <i>Real Housewives.</i> 37 00:02:10,463 --> 00:02:14,092 We were all completely unaware what was really going on. 38 00:02:14,175 --> 00:02:16,594 Somebody is blatantly lying on my stage again! 39 00:02:16,678 --> 00:02:18,221 Holy shit. 40 00:02:18,304 --> 00:02:20,098 What is happening here? 41 00:02:21,391 --> 00:02:24,811 There was so much lying, cheating, and psychosis. 42 00:02:24,894 --> 00:02:27,105 I mean, it was just crazy town. 43 00:02:28,439 --> 00:02:30,775 <i>We're talking about the crystal.</i> 44 00:02:30,859 --> 00:02:32,110 <i>He wants the sample.</i> 45 00:02:32,610 --> 00:02:33,736 It was all over the place. 46 00:02:34,737 --> 00:02:37,490 Methamphetamine, P.I. Moms, police corruption, 47 00:02:37,574 --> 00:02:39,868 wiretapping, potential threats… 48 00:02:39,951 --> 00:02:41,536 …and reality TV. 49 00:02:43,288 --> 00:02:45,123 Time out. Time out. 50 00:02:59,929 --> 00:03:01,264 My name is Lucas Platt. 51 00:03:02,724 --> 00:03:05,476 {\an8}And in 2010, I was living in New York City. 52 00:03:06,895 --> 00:03:09,230 As a reality TV showrunner, 53 00:03:09,314 --> 00:03:12,901 I was just wrapping up the first season of <i>Steven Seagal: Lawman.</i> 54 00:03:12,984 --> 00:03:16,279 <i>No scripts, no stunt doubles,</i> 55 00:03:16,362 --> 00:03:17,822 <i>no second chances.</i> 56 00:03:19,949 --> 00:03:23,661 At the time, shows like that were big business and huge money spinners, 57 00:03:23,745 --> 00:03:26,998 and everyone wanted the next <i>Keeping Up with the Kardashians</i> 58 00:03:27,081 --> 00:03:28,082 or <i>Real Housewives,</i> 59 00:03:28,166 --> 00:03:31,461 and there seemed to be no end to the reality boom. 60 00:03:32,045 --> 00:03:35,465 For me, though, I just really loved the adrenaline rush 61 00:03:35,548 --> 00:03:38,760 and the quick thinking that you had to do to-- to come up with 62 00:03:38,843 --> 00:03:41,179 a-- a great hour of television. 63 00:03:44,974 --> 00:03:50,230 I was looking for my next job, and I got an email from Lifetime. 64 00:03:51,105 --> 00:03:53,775 They were interested in making a series 65 00:03:53,858 --> 00:03:57,320 about this private investigation firm out in the Bay Area, 66 00:03:58,154 --> 00:04:00,031 with a really interesting twist. 67 00:04:02,283 --> 00:04:04,827 {\an8}They are private investigator moms. 68 00:04:04,911 --> 00:04:07,288 {\an8}Thanks very much for being here. This is fascinating. 69 00:04:07,372 --> 00:04:09,791 First of all, how did you get started in this? 70 00:04:12,919 --> 00:04:15,797 {\an8}Before becoming a private investigator, 71 00:04:15,880 --> 00:04:20,093 I had worked in the legal world in different capacities. 72 00:04:20,176 --> 00:04:24,806 I had just become a new mom, and I had very small children 73 00:04:24,889 --> 00:04:28,726 and was trying to figure out how I could still have a career, 74 00:04:28,810 --> 00:04:31,187 but also be with my kids. 75 00:04:32,522 --> 00:04:36,901 And that's when it popped up, this job at Butler & Associates. 76 00:04:38,486 --> 00:04:39,904 Who wanted this? 77 00:04:39,988 --> 00:04:41,781 {\an8}My name is Chris Butler. 78 00:04:41,864 --> 00:04:46,369 {\an8}I am the owner of Butler & Associates Private Investigations. 79 00:04:47,161 --> 00:04:50,331 Uh, what we do here is, uh, uncover the truth. 80 00:04:50,873 --> 00:04:53,626 I find each person at this table very valuable. 81 00:04:54,335 --> 00:04:57,755 Working for Chris was great. He was very professional. 82 00:04:57,839 --> 00:05:01,843 You know, it seemed like he stumbled upon, like, the secret of investigative work, 83 00:05:01,926 --> 00:05:03,386 of, like, hiring moms. 84 00:05:04,178 --> 00:05:05,930 Oh, here we go. 85 00:05:06,014 --> 00:05:09,350 For me, it was exciting, and every case was different. 86 00:05:09,434 --> 00:05:13,229 And there was just an empowering feeling of knowing 87 00:05:13,313 --> 00:05:16,649 one part of you is taking the kids to school and the daycare, 88 00:05:16,733 --> 00:05:18,901 and the other part's doing undercover work, 89 00:05:18,985 --> 00:05:23,573 investigating fraud, or surveillance on some cheating spouse. 90 00:05:24,073 --> 00:05:25,283 It was pretty cool. 91 00:05:26,200 --> 00:05:28,328 My background is in law enforcement, 92 00:05:28,411 --> 00:05:32,415 and it was a very tumultuous ten-year career. 93 00:05:33,750 --> 00:05:35,293 I push the envelope. 94 00:05:35,793 --> 00:05:38,588 And that's-- I carry that over into this work. I don't stop. 95 00:05:38,671 --> 00:05:41,466 Testing. Testing. 96 00:05:41,549 --> 00:05:43,134 -Alright, let's go. -Beautiful, let's go. 97 00:05:43,217 --> 00:05:46,971 My first impression of Chris was definitely like a businessman, 98 00:05:47,055 --> 00:05:49,599 {\an8}but I also saw his vision. 99 00:05:49,682 --> 00:05:52,977 {\an8}And I thought, "Wow, he's got a great idea." 100 00:05:53,061 --> 00:05:57,106 I mean, he's really trying to give mothers an opportunity, 101 00:05:57,190 --> 00:06:01,194 and at that time, I wanted that opportunity as well. 102 00:06:03,071 --> 00:06:07,617 I had just come from the sheriff's office, where I worked 12-hour days, um, 103 00:06:07,700 --> 00:06:09,952 so my kids were in daycare a lot. I wasn't-- 104 00:06:10,036 --> 00:06:13,039 I missed a lot of birthday parties, a lot of holidays. 105 00:06:13,122 --> 00:06:17,043 So, with this new job, it was not only more flexible, 106 00:06:17,126 --> 00:06:19,545 I also knew right away that I-- I loved it. 107 00:06:19,629 --> 00:06:22,548 'Cause I was out in the field, I was moving, 108 00:06:22,632 --> 00:06:25,218 and I was working with these amazing, powerful women 109 00:06:25,301 --> 00:06:26,469 with various backgrounds. 110 00:06:28,096 --> 00:06:30,515 We obviously had a lot of women in the office. 111 00:06:30,598 --> 00:06:34,268 There was Michelle, Charmagne, and Ami, 112 00:06:34,852 --> 00:06:36,312 but we also had one guy. 113 00:06:38,231 --> 00:06:40,274 {\an8}His name was Carl Marino. 114 00:06:40,358 --> 00:06:42,777 {\an8}He was former law enforcement, 115 00:06:42,860 --> 00:06:44,612 and he had come on board 116 00:06:44,695 --> 00:06:47,573 because there were times where you just needed a male partner 117 00:06:47,657 --> 00:06:50,952 or a male, like, to be in a particular case. 118 00:06:51,035 --> 00:06:54,247 And, you know, initially, we were like, "Wow, he's very attractive." 119 00:06:54,330 --> 00:06:55,832 And, "He kind of looks like a model." 120 00:06:55,915 --> 00:06:59,669 And we started to learn that he was interested in acting 121 00:06:59,752 --> 00:07:02,422 and did some extra roles on TV. 122 00:07:02,505 --> 00:07:05,925 -Find someone else to flirt with. -She's my fucking girlfriend, asshole! 123 00:07:07,885 --> 00:07:10,763 I thought that was interesting. "You got this side thing you do." 124 00:07:10,847 --> 00:07:14,142 Chris definitely gravitated more towards Carl, 125 00:07:14,225 --> 00:07:17,937 and I think a lot of that had to do with his acting. 126 00:07:18,020 --> 00:07:20,857 I mean, Chris was always chasing the limelight, 127 00:07:20,940 --> 00:07:24,277 and we were all aware that he was trying to brand P.I. Moms 128 00:07:24,360 --> 00:07:27,405 and really push both us and him out into the media. 129 00:07:27,488 --> 00:07:30,408 Welcome, Chris Butler and three of his P.I. Moms, 130 00:07:30,491 --> 00:07:32,493 Denise, Michelle, and Charmagne. 131 00:07:32,577 --> 00:07:33,661 Chris, why women? 132 00:07:33,744 --> 00:07:36,330 You say they're great multitaskers. What do you mean? 133 00:07:36,414 --> 00:07:41,127 When I switched to women, specifically P.I. Moms, 134 00:07:41,210 --> 00:07:42,795 it was more of a team mentality. 135 00:07:42,879 --> 00:07:45,673 <i>More nurturing, more-- more caring,</i> 136 00:07:45,756 --> 00:07:49,302 <i>and that translated directly</i> <i>into, uh, happier clients.</i> 137 00:07:49,802 --> 00:07:52,346 After I saw the <i>Dr. Phil </i>clips… 138 00:07:53,556 --> 00:07:58,269 …I immediately flew out to California to meet Chris and the P.I. Moms. 139 00:07:59,312 --> 00:08:01,063 I just loved the idea 140 00:08:01,147 --> 00:08:05,026 of showing this group of women busting criminals together. 141 00:08:05,109 --> 00:08:08,070 I liked Lucas from the get-go. Like, he seemed to be great. 142 00:08:08,154 --> 00:08:11,657 He seemed to be very interested in doing this show and this story, 143 00:08:11,741 --> 00:08:15,411 but I told him, "I don't want this to be like a <i>Real Housewives."</i> 144 00:08:15,495 --> 00:08:18,539 You……stupid bitch! Get… 145 00:08:19,624 --> 00:08:22,335 Reality TV, it shows the worst of people, I feel like. 146 00:08:22,418 --> 00:08:24,837 -I'll……hurt you. Don't do that. -Stop! 147 00:08:24,921 --> 00:08:27,381 If this show's gonna be about us internally fighting 148 00:08:27,465 --> 00:08:30,176 and all this kind of stuff, like, I really wasn't interested. 149 00:08:31,886 --> 00:08:35,264 The moms were really concerned about the show, 150 00:08:35,348 --> 00:08:39,602 but I reassured them we weren't looking for infighting or drama, 151 00:08:39,685 --> 00:08:41,896 just good cases and personal stories. 152 00:08:43,189 --> 00:08:46,359 When Lucas approached me about the show 153 00:08:46,442 --> 00:08:49,320 and wanting to put me on there as a P.I. Mom, 154 00:08:49,403 --> 00:08:52,490 I just didn't wanna have anything to do with it. 155 00:08:53,366 --> 00:08:55,493 Ami struck me as a person who had been through 156 00:08:55,576 --> 00:08:57,578 some pretty traumatic stuff, 157 00:08:57,662 --> 00:09:01,624 but smart and decisive and-- and just a-- 158 00:09:01,707 --> 00:09:05,253 You know, like, a good person who would be really good for TV. 159 00:09:07,046 --> 00:09:09,632 I had a little bit of a rough background, 160 00:09:09,715 --> 00:09:14,387 and Lucas said that we could definitely incorporate my traumas 161 00:09:14,470 --> 00:09:16,180 into the show itself. 162 00:09:16,931 --> 00:09:23,062 And so I decided I wanted to show other women that you can survive, 163 00:09:23,145 --> 00:09:26,607 you can make it, and don't let anyone tell you you can't. 164 00:09:27,775 --> 00:09:30,695 After that initial meeting with the P.I. Moms, 165 00:09:30,778 --> 00:09:32,989 I just thought, "This is a home run." 166 00:09:33,072 --> 00:09:35,533 They're articulate and funny and smart. 167 00:09:35,616 --> 00:09:37,285 We're gonna make a great series. 168 00:09:41,289 --> 00:09:43,082 {\an8}My name is Theresa Moore-King. 169 00:09:44,458 --> 00:09:47,628 I was the line producer for <i>P.I. Moms.</i> 170 00:09:47,712 --> 00:09:50,756 If there is a problem in the production, 171 00:09:50,840 --> 00:09:54,343 be it people, personnel, schedule, locations, money, 172 00:09:54,427 --> 00:09:56,637 it is my job to fix it. 173 00:09:57,138 --> 00:09:58,806 So you're the real boss, then? 174 00:10:00,057 --> 00:10:00,891 Okay. 175 00:10:01,934 --> 00:10:02,768 Sure. 176 00:10:05,855 --> 00:10:08,983 Lifetime was a thousand percent behind this show. 177 00:10:09,066 --> 00:10:12,612 They knew the possibilities were endless. 178 00:10:12,695 --> 00:10:17,700 You know, it could break off into New York or into Chicago or into Atlanta. 179 00:10:17,783 --> 00:10:19,952 You know, those were all opportunities. 180 00:10:20,036 --> 00:10:25,249 But the spark of that had to be with this show in San Francisco. 181 00:10:27,668 --> 00:10:32,048 {\an8}For a reality show, this was a pretty big-scale production. 182 00:10:32,131 --> 00:10:34,842 There were three camera crews, multiple locations, 183 00:10:34,925 --> 00:10:37,428 and just a lot of different elements. 184 00:10:37,511 --> 00:10:41,307 I think our budget was about four million for eight episodes, 185 00:10:42,099 --> 00:10:44,393 which is obviously a healthy budget, 186 00:10:45,102 --> 00:10:48,648 but only if you're getting all the things you need to make a show happen. 187 00:10:51,609 --> 00:10:54,820 Before we started shooting, I went to Butler's offices, 188 00:10:54,904 --> 00:10:58,616 and there was a guy at the front desk, this guy Carl Marino. 189 00:10:59,367 --> 00:11:02,536 I think he was manning the phones while everybody else was at lunch, 190 00:11:02,620 --> 00:11:07,917 and, uh, he just kind of grabbed me and told me that he really felt strongly 191 00:11:08,000 --> 00:11:10,252 that he should be, um… 192 00:11:10,336 --> 00:11:13,255 …one of the main characters in the series. 193 00:11:13,339 --> 00:11:17,426 Carl's argument was that because of the work that he had done 194 00:11:17,510 --> 00:11:19,887 on this series <i>Trauma…</i> 195 00:11:19,970 --> 00:11:23,015 Premature ventricular contractions, probably too much green tea. 196 00:11:23,599 --> 00:11:26,227 …that that fan base, particularly women, 197 00:11:26,310 --> 00:11:30,690 would tune in to see the <i>P.I. Moms </i>series because of him. 198 00:11:31,941 --> 00:11:35,319 It just felt like egotism run amok. 199 00:11:36,821 --> 00:11:41,242 I explained to him that the show is called <i>P.I. Moms,</i> 200 00:11:41,325 --> 00:11:42,785 and he's not a mom. 201 00:11:43,869 --> 00:11:46,122 "I'm so sorry, but the network has already decided 202 00:11:46,205 --> 00:11:48,749 that it's gonna be Chris and the moms, 203 00:11:48,833 --> 00:11:49,875 and that was that." 204 00:11:50,376 --> 00:11:51,669 So I thought, "Okay." 205 00:11:51,752 --> 00:11:54,255 "He's out of the picture. We're good to go." 206 00:11:59,427 --> 00:12:02,763 That first day of shooting, it was very exhilarating. 207 00:12:04,807 --> 00:12:09,311 They showcased us training, they showcased us doing certain cases. 208 00:12:09,395 --> 00:12:12,773 And I was thinking, "Hopefully, this will inspire other women." 209 00:12:12,857 --> 00:12:15,526 "Hey, you can do this job too," you know? 210 00:12:15,609 --> 00:12:18,571 "We're ordinary people doing this cool thing, 211 00:12:18,654 --> 00:12:19,822 and you can do it too." 212 00:12:20,781 --> 00:12:24,243 I was having so much fun. I loved production. We were a family. 213 00:12:24,744 --> 00:12:26,912 I'd say we were like the Charlie's Angels 214 00:12:26,996 --> 00:12:29,957 because we were so different, yet so powerful. 215 00:12:32,877 --> 00:12:36,172 At that point, I just thought, "I've got tons of great characters." 216 00:12:36,255 --> 00:12:40,217 "This is gonna be the easiest show I've ever produced." 217 00:12:40,301 --> 00:12:41,552 And, was it? 218 00:12:49,018 --> 00:12:50,853 I feel this is the point in the story 219 00:12:50,936 --> 00:12:52,980 where everything takes a left turn. 220 00:12:57,276 --> 00:13:02,031 I'm a journalist, and one day, I got a really interesting pitch. 221 00:13:03,157 --> 00:13:05,409 A Beverly Hills publicist emailed me and said, 222 00:13:05,493 --> 00:13:06,827 "Hey, you might not know this, 223 00:13:06,911 --> 00:13:10,289 but there's a group of private eye investigators 224 00:13:10,372 --> 00:13:12,583 who are also sort of soccer moms." 225 00:13:12,666 --> 00:13:15,878 "They're filming for a new reality series for Lifetime Television." 226 00:13:16,879 --> 00:13:19,089 "Would you like to ride along on an investigation 227 00:13:19,173 --> 00:13:20,591 on a day off from filming?" 228 00:13:21,217 --> 00:13:25,262 And I really smelled a great story here. 229 00:13:28,057 --> 00:13:30,601 It was your typical infidelity case. 230 00:13:30,684 --> 00:13:34,563 The client believed that her fiancé was cheating on her. 231 00:13:34,647 --> 00:13:37,483 And so she wanted to make sure before she got married, 232 00:13:37,566 --> 00:13:38,818 "Is this guy for real?" 233 00:13:41,320 --> 00:13:43,823 So I got in the minivan with the P.I. Moms. 234 00:13:44,323 --> 00:13:47,076 Denise is slouched down in the passenger seat 235 00:13:47,159 --> 00:13:48,828 with the video camera shooting. 236 00:13:50,079 --> 00:13:53,833 As a huge fan of detective stories, I had butterflies. 237 00:13:54,792 --> 00:13:56,335 It's an exciting job, so… 238 00:13:56,418 --> 00:13:59,296 You know, and I was hoping that would come through in the article. 239 00:14:01,841 --> 00:14:03,050 Oh! Oh, look! 240 00:14:03,133 --> 00:14:04,051 Here he comes. 241 00:14:04,802 --> 00:14:06,470 Within just a few minutes, 242 00:14:06,554 --> 00:14:09,890 the fiancé came roaring up the driveway and took off. 243 00:14:10,933 --> 00:14:12,810 Charmagne hit the gas hard. 244 00:14:14,186 --> 00:14:15,938 The chase was on. 245 00:14:17,773 --> 00:14:19,984 The guy pulled into a nice lunch spot. 246 00:14:22,403 --> 00:14:23,612 Look! Look, look! 247 00:14:23,696 --> 00:14:27,116 But he's got a young brunette in the passenger seat. 248 00:14:32,037 --> 00:14:35,833 They stopped right in front of our car with Denise filming on video. 249 00:14:39,253 --> 00:14:41,088 We have a cheater, people. 250 00:14:41,171 --> 00:14:43,883 And then, boom… case closed. 251 00:14:48,095 --> 00:14:49,680 I'm not a reality show watcher, 252 00:14:49,763 --> 00:14:52,808 but this one felt like it would make for a gripping show. 253 00:14:53,475 --> 00:14:57,187 These were likable moms. Butler was an interesting character. 254 00:14:57,688 --> 00:15:00,316 I felt like this idea can't miss. 255 00:15:01,942 --> 00:15:04,153 And then, all of a sudden, an email comes in… 256 00:15:06,071 --> 00:15:08,741 …that completely changes my perspective on the story. 257 00:15:10,367 --> 00:15:12,870 It's from somebody named Ronald Rutherford. 258 00:15:14,997 --> 00:15:17,041 "I'm writing this as a courtesy to you." 259 00:15:17,625 --> 00:15:21,712 "It'd be a mistake to publish the article on the P.I. Moms and Chris Butler." 260 00:15:22,463 --> 00:15:25,257 "Chris totally played you." 261 00:15:25,841 --> 00:15:28,761 "The case that you sat in on was totally scripted." 262 00:15:29,386 --> 00:15:32,473 "All the participants were employees or paid actors." 263 00:15:33,057 --> 00:15:35,434 "I'm not sure what your intentions are with the article, 264 00:15:35,517 --> 00:15:38,896 but I hope that publishing it is not in your plans." 265 00:15:38,979 --> 00:15:41,815 "Thanks. A concerned citizen." 266 00:15:44,109 --> 00:15:45,569 It was just wild, 267 00:15:45,653 --> 00:15:49,782 because I had never suspected that this had been staged at all. 268 00:15:53,452 --> 00:15:56,288 I was angry that I had been exploited like this, 269 00:15:56,372 --> 00:15:58,082 and that I had been played for a chump. 270 00:15:59,959 --> 00:16:03,712 But I also thought if Chris Butler was willing to do this to a local magazine 271 00:16:03,796 --> 00:16:05,506 and go to such elaborate lengths, 272 00:16:05,589 --> 00:16:09,593 what's to stop them from doing it for this reality show? 273 00:16:11,136 --> 00:16:14,181 I needed to talk to whoever was running the whole <i>P.I. Moms </i>show. 274 00:16:15,391 --> 00:16:17,393 Because, after all, 275 00:16:18,352 --> 00:16:21,146 everybody wonders how fake reality television is. 276 00:16:22,815 --> 00:16:23,899 Oh, shit. 277 00:16:24,692 --> 00:16:26,193 We've got a big problem. 278 00:16:27,653 --> 00:16:32,199 If somebody decided to publish a story about how this show was fake, 279 00:16:32,282 --> 00:16:33,867 that would just ruin us. 280 00:16:34,618 --> 00:16:39,873 I explained to him that what we were doing was 100% real, 281 00:16:41,000 --> 00:16:45,963 and I was very clear that all the cases were legitimate. 282 00:16:47,089 --> 00:16:51,427 He told me that they were doing backflips trying to make a reality show 283 00:16:51,510 --> 00:16:54,221 about real cases and-- and real people. 284 00:16:54,304 --> 00:16:57,307 I appreciated that he was being transparent with me, 285 00:16:57,391 --> 00:16:58,559 and I believed him. 286 00:17:00,019 --> 00:17:02,396 The first email comes in to <i>Diablo </i>magazine… 287 00:17:02,479 --> 00:17:05,941 Pete told me about this Ronald Rutherford character, 288 00:17:06,025 --> 00:17:09,486 and at that point, then I did get worried, 289 00:17:09,570 --> 00:17:16,160 because it was very clear that someone's trying to ruin the series. 290 00:17:16,243 --> 00:17:17,327 Ugh. 291 00:17:21,749 --> 00:17:25,794 There was a certain irony to suggesting that we had fake cases, 292 00:17:26,628 --> 00:17:31,133 because, at that point, part of the problem with the TV show 293 00:17:32,134 --> 00:17:34,720 was there weren't that many cases to begin with. 294 00:17:36,430 --> 00:17:39,516 Lucas told me that Chris had over-promised 295 00:17:39,600 --> 00:17:42,019 how many cases he was actually working on. 296 00:17:42,102 --> 00:17:45,397 {\an8}So I was brought on to find cases… 297 00:17:45,481 --> 00:17:47,983 {\an8}…that the P.I. Moms could sleuth out. 298 00:17:48,067 --> 00:17:51,487 Yeah, in effect, I was drumming up business for Chris. 299 00:17:54,531 --> 00:18:01,080 On top of that, as we started shooting, I really saw Chris as the weak link. 300 00:18:01,163 --> 00:18:02,748 <i>Approaching left turn.</i> 301 00:18:03,540 --> 00:18:05,042 But I wanna go right. 302 00:18:05,125 --> 00:18:07,086 That's okay. It'll reset. 303 00:18:07,169 --> 00:18:09,922 I couldn't tell if, you know, he was the type of person 304 00:18:10,005 --> 00:18:12,925 who played everything really close to the vest, or shy, 305 00:18:13,008 --> 00:18:13,884 or what it was, 306 00:18:13,967 --> 00:18:15,094 but I was concerned 307 00:18:15,177 --> 00:18:20,349 because quiet, inarticulate, awkward characters in reality TV 308 00:18:20,432 --> 00:18:21,600 are death. 309 00:18:22,101 --> 00:18:23,435 Oh! 310 00:18:23,519 --> 00:18:24,812 Did I just hear that? 311 00:18:24,895 --> 00:18:27,147 But I knew we were gonna be able to overcome it, 312 00:18:27,231 --> 00:18:30,692 because the moms, they were big characters, 313 00:18:30,776 --> 00:18:35,197 and their stories were so rich, 314 00:18:35,280 --> 00:18:38,492 and I knew that if we focused on them, not him, 315 00:18:38,575 --> 00:18:40,369 we could make something great. 316 00:18:40,452 --> 00:18:41,912 -Nice to meet you. -Yeah. 317 00:18:41,995 --> 00:18:44,456 -Wanna see what I worked up for you? -Yes. 318 00:18:44,540 --> 00:18:48,418 One scene we shot, Ami wanted to get a tattoo. 319 00:18:49,711 --> 00:18:53,549 It was a way of her kind of working through personal trauma. 320 00:18:55,175 --> 00:18:58,137 I thought, "I wanna take this opportunity 321 00:18:58,220 --> 00:19:00,222 to tell my story on camera." 322 00:19:01,098 --> 00:19:02,933 Ami interview, take one, mark. 323 00:19:03,016 --> 00:19:05,269 I sat down, and Lucas said, 324 00:19:06,103 --> 00:19:07,729 "Tell me about your son." 325 00:19:12,276 --> 00:19:14,069 When my son was 13 months old, 326 00:19:16,697 --> 00:19:19,324 I trusted somebody being around my child, 327 00:19:20,075 --> 00:19:22,244 but my son was attacked, 328 00:19:22,911 --> 00:19:25,122 which caused brain damage, 329 00:19:25,747 --> 00:19:30,252 and, a few years later, my son ultimately died. 330 00:19:33,755 --> 00:19:35,048 He was a special boy. 331 00:19:49,771 --> 00:19:50,939 That was the first time 332 00:19:51,023 --> 00:19:55,235 that I had really talked about it with anybody, including my family. 333 00:19:57,446 --> 00:20:00,657 It was so difficult, and it took everything in me. 334 00:20:04,161 --> 00:20:07,331 Prior to the show, I didn't know that about her. 335 00:20:08,373 --> 00:20:09,791 It was very emotional, 336 00:20:09,875 --> 00:20:14,838 because, to me, Ami was just such a tough woman. 337 00:20:18,717 --> 00:20:22,054 When I heard that story, I thought to myself, 338 00:20:22,137 --> 00:20:25,557 "Wow, something that big and that serious?" 339 00:20:25,641 --> 00:20:31,563 "That was really cool that the show wanted to take something like that on." 340 00:20:36,652 --> 00:20:42,532 After we filmed that scene, we started to really ramp up shooting. 341 00:20:43,951 --> 00:20:46,662 "The Unlicensed P.I." was one of our show ideas. 342 00:20:46,745 --> 00:20:52,918 The P.I. Moms, they were going to sting an actual unlicensed private investigator 343 00:20:53,001 --> 00:20:57,381 by setting him up with a pretend case, 344 00:20:57,464 --> 00:20:59,841 and then bust him, 345 00:20:59,925 --> 00:21:02,678 like, "Hey, you're not supposed to do this without a license." 346 00:21:03,971 --> 00:21:08,558 The network, me, the producers, we all were very excited about it. 347 00:21:08,642 --> 00:21:11,812 So then that way, if he makes a left and goes west, you can follow him. 348 00:21:11,895 --> 00:21:14,398 -And I'll have a chance to get behind you. -All right. 349 00:21:15,107 --> 00:21:17,150 Lucas and the crew had already filmed 350 00:21:17,234 --> 00:21:20,946 all of our hard work, uh, Denise researching, 351 00:21:21,029 --> 00:21:23,740 Michelle preparing and making contact with him. 352 00:21:23,824 --> 00:21:26,702 So all we needed was the final sting… 353 00:21:26,785 --> 00:21:28,370 …to close out that case 354 00:21:28,453 --> 00:21:31,123 and have a great episode for the <i>P.I. Moms </i>show. 355 00:21:33,542 --> 00:21:36,586 On the day of the final scene, Michelle and I were supposed to meet 356 00:21:36,670 --> 00:21:39,339 the unlicensed private investigator in Walnut Creek. 357 00:21:41,633 --> 00:21:45,637 I was in my production office, waiting to hear back from my producers. 358 00:21:46,888 --> 00:21:48,265 Ten o'clock, nothing. 359 00:21:49,057 --> 00:21:50,225 Eleven o'clock, nothing. 360 00:21:51,560 --> 00:21:52,936 Noon, nothing. 361 00:21:54,104 --> 00:21:56,440 Lucas was just pacing back and forth. 362 00:21:56,523 --> 00:21:59,067 And I was kind of just looking around, going, "What is going on?" 363 00:21:59,651 --> 00:22:02,821 We were like, "Oh no, he's not gonna show up." 364 00:22:04,489 --> 00:22:08,493 And so the production crew asked Michelle to call him one more time. 365 00:22:12,748 --> 00:22:15,292 And, finally, he actually answered… 366 00:22:18,128 --> 00:22:21,465 …and told Michelle, "I'm not coming. I've been tipped off." 367 00:22:23,175 --> 00:22:28,930 My initial thought was, "Who the fuck just completely sabotaged everything?" 368 00:22:30,974 --> 00:22:31,975 I was just… 369 00:22:34,019 --> 00:22:34,853 …livid. 370 00:22:36,605 --> 00:22:39,107 But I wasn't just gonna kinda let it go. 371 00:22:39,191 --> 00:22:41,902 I thought, first, we needed to figure out who's the tipster. 372 00:22:42,861 --> 00:22:44,529 Maybe that's who was sending 373 00:22:44,613 --> 00:22:47,491 the crazy Ronald Rutherford emails to Pete. 374 00:22:49,242 --> 00:22:52,704 So I called the unlicensed P.I., 375 00:22:52,788 --> 00:22:57,959 and I said, "Listen, you're right, you were going to be filmed, 376 00:22:58,710 --> 00:23:03,548 but if you don't mind, call the guy who called you, 377 00:23:03,632 --> 00:23:05,634 and let us hear the voice." 378 00:23:05,717 --> 00:23:06,593 And he did. 379 00:23:09,679 --> 00:23:11,264 He dialed the phone… 380 00:23:14,267 --> 00:23:15,727 …it rang a few times… 381 00:23:17,270 --> 00:23:20,857 …and, finally, phone connected. 382 00:23:26,279 --> 00:23:27,239 <i>Hello?</i> 383 00:23:31,410 --> 00:23:35,664 I couldn't fucking believe it. Ronald Rutherford was Carl Marino. 384 00:23:40,043 --> 00:23:41,670 I felt rage. 385 00:23:42,254 --> 00:23:46,466 Like, in my mind, I was thinking, "You're a fucking idiot." 386 00:23:46,550 --> 00:23:48,635 "Why would you fucking do this?" 387 00:23:52,305 --> 00:23:54,015 It didn't make sense. 388 00:23:54,099 --> 00:23:58,728 He was sabotaging the show and sabotaging the shoot, 389 00:23:58,812 --> 00:24:01,106 yet he wanted to be on camera. 390 00:24:01,898 --> 00:24:04,067 I think he was completely naive 391 00:24:04,151 --> 00:24:07,028 to think that he was gonna get a spot on the show. 392 00:24:08,447 --> 00:24:10,699 At that point, I had a come-to-Jesus with Chris, 393 00:24:10,782 --> 00:24:14,578 and I told him, I said, "Listen, if you wanna have a show at all, 394 00:24:14,661 --> 00:24:18,123 you're gonna have to fire Carl and just get rid of him." 395 00:24:19,499 --> 00:24:22,002 Chris's reaction was, "Don't worry about it," 396 00:24:22,085 --> 00:24:24,379 like it was some minor infraction. 397 00:24:26,590 --> 00:24:28,467 I was gobsmacked. 398 00:24:28,967 --> 00:24:32,888 It's kind of surprising that Chris isn't beating the fuck out of Carl. 399 00:24:33,472 --> 00:24:34,931 I mean, it was just… 400 00:24:35,474 --> 00:24:37,559 It was insane. 401 00:24:39,519 --> 00:24:42,355 The only explanation I could come up with was they were lovers. 402 00:24:42,439 --> 00:24:46,943 Why else wouldn't somebody fire this-- this person 403 00:24:47,027 --> 00:24:49,821 who was behaving so badly? 404 00:24:52,449 --> 00:24:54,451 After that conversation with Chris, 405 00:24:54,534 --> 00:24:58,246 I talked to the network about how to handle Carl, 406 00:24:58,330 --> 00:25:02,667 and they decided they were going to send him a cease-and-desist letter. 407 00:25:05,921 --> 00:25:07,881 Carl was given notice, 408 00:25:08,548 --> 00:25:11,092 "You have to stop talking about the show." 409 00:25:11,176 --> 00:25:14,513 "You can't ruin our cases." "You're not-- You're not a part of it." 410 00:25:16,223 --> 00:25:18,183 Our hope was that it would stop. 411 00:25:19,309 --> 00:25:22,729 So the good side is that the network took care of it. 412 00:25:25,982 --> 00:25:30,028 The bad side is that now they're eagle eyes on the show. 413 00:25:30,111 --> 00:25:33,698 Way more stress on Lucas to get things going. 414 00:25:39,871 --> 00:25:42,958 So after the production found out that Carl was interfering with cases, 415 00:25:43,041 --> 00:25:44,918 something was off with Chris. 416 00:25:45,835 --> 00:25:48,255 Sit down. Would you put your camera down and sit down? 417 00:25:49,130 --> 00:25:52,050 It felt like he wasn't connected to any of us. 418 00:25:52,133 --> 00:25:54,970 We didn't understand when he was there and wasn't there, 419 00:25:55,053 --> 00:25:58,431 and it just seemed like he was doing his own thing. 420 00:26:02,352 --> 00:26:04,646 Clearly, he had other things that were happening 421 00:26:04,729 --> 00:26:06,565 that were taking precedence. 422 00:26:09,401 --> 00:26:12,153 After our initial meeting, Lucas told me, 423 00:26:12,237 --> 00:26:14,281 "I know who sent you that email." 424 00:26:14,364 --> 00:26:18,451 "Carl Marino who has been sabotaging the cases." 425 00:26:19,953 --> 00:26:22,038 Lucas said Carl was out of the picture. 426 00:26:26,001 --> 00:26:29,129 But, apparently, he still had more secrets to tell me. 427 00:26:31,298 --> 00:26:33,049 "I am hesitant to tell you this, 428 00:26:33,800 --> 00:26:35,218 but Mr. Butler is involved 429 00:26:35,302 --> 00:26:37,929 in some serious criminal activity right now." 430 00:26:38,805 --> 00:26:41,641 "Butler is selling large amounts of marijuana, 431 00:26:41,725 --> 00:26:45,562 along with other drugs, prescription Xanax, and steroids 432 00:26:45,645 --> 00:26:49,524 that has been confiscated by the Contra Costa County Task Force." 433 00:26:51,276 --> 00:26:53,903 "You see, the commander of the task force 434 00:26:53,987 --> 00:26:56,114 is taking the drugs from raids 435 00:26:56,197 --> 00:26:58,491 and giving them to Chris to move, 436 00:26:58,575 --> 00:27:02,078 and then he gives them to, well, me." 437 00:27:03,079 --> 00:27:05,582 "I have not sold any and don't want to." 438 00:27:06,082 --> 00:27:10,128 "I am not a drug dealer and do not want anything to do with this." 439 00:27:12,589 --> 00:27:16,551 This was just mind-blowing, mind-melting information. 440 00:27:17,802 --> 00:27:20,430 You know, this all started with me being invited 441 00:27:20,513 --> 00:27:25,477 to write a fluffy lifestyle piece about a reality show. 442 00:27:25,560 --> 00:27:28,521 Now I'm being brought into this, what sounds like, 443 00:27:28,605 --> 00:27:32,275 very dangerous conspiracy involving stolen drugs 444 00:27:32,359 --> 00:27:35,403 and dirty cops who are putting them back out on the street 445 00:27:35,487 --> 00:27:37,322 after they've already been confiscated. 446 00:27:38,990 --> 00:27:43,119 Suddenly, this was a much bigger issue than I felt I could share with Lucas. 447 00:27:43,203 --> 00:27:47,248 I mean, this wasn't just a staged case for a reality television show. 448 00:27:47,332 --> 00:27:49,584 This was serious criminal activity. 449 00:27:51,336 --> 00:27:53,213 So I continued to correspond with Carl 450 00:27:53,296 --> 00:27:55,465 and said to him, "You need to go to the police." 451 00:27:56,257 --> 00:27:59,135 But he wasn't sure who he could trust and asked me for my help. 452 00:28:05,183 --> 00:28:06,351 My phone rang, 453 00:28:07,018 --> 00:28:09,771 and it was a journalist by the name of Peter Crooks. 454 00:28:11,940 --> 00:28:14,859 {\an8}And he begins to tell me about a case… 455 00:28:14,943 --> 00:28:18,113 {\an8}…that potentially involved police corruption, 456 00:28:18,822 --> 00:28:20,198 and that we needed to speak 457 00:28:20,281 --> 00:28:23,243 to an individual by the name of Carl Marino. 458 00:28:29,999 --> 00:28:34,087 I arranged for him to meet me at our DA's office after hours. 459 00:28:34,587 --> 00:28:37,632 And I said, "Carl, tell me, why are we here?" 460 00:28:38,883 --> 00:28:42,512 Then, he starts talking about Chris Butler, police corruption, 461 00:28:42,595 --> 00:28:44,973 drug dealers, a reality TV series, 462 00:28:45,056 --> 00:28:47,684 the <i>Dr. Phil </i>show, Peter Crooks, 463 00:28:47,767 --> 00:28:50,603 P.I. Moms, marijuana, methamphetamine. 464 00:28:50,687 --> 00:28:52,272 It was all over the place. 465 00:28:52,355 --> 00:28:55,608 I stopped him, and I said, "Time out." 466 00:28:56,192 --> 00:28:57,610 And I remember shaking my head. 467 00:28:57,694 --> 00:28:59,821 I said, "Maybe it's 'cause I'm older…" 468 00:28:59,904 --> 00:29:03,366 "…my synapses aren't firing like everybody else's." 469 00:29:03,450 --> 00:29:05,952 But, at the time, I didn't really understand anything, 470 00:29:06,453 --> 00:29:07,954 but that changed. 471 00:29:12,083 --> 00:29:14,961 A pound of weed, plop, right on top of the table. 472 00:29:16,504 --> 00:29:19,215 Carl told me Chris had given him the weed to sell, 473 00:29:19,299 --> 00:29:20,717 and he couldn't get out of it. 474 00:29:23,386 --> 00:29:26,556 It was obvious there was something to the story that he was telling me, 475 00:29:26,639 --> 00:29:29,058 because I do have the marijuana in front of me. 476 00:29:30,310 --> 00:29:32,771 At that point, I knew I had a job to do. 477 00:29:35,648 --> 00:29:38,401 {\an8}My perception of reality TV is, 478 00:29:39,319 --> 00:29:41,738 I don't believe it's-- it's real life. 479 00:29:41,821 --> 00:29:43,948 I'm mostly interested in true crime. 480 00:29:46,493 --> 00:29:48,203 Using Carl, we were asked 481 00:29:48,286 --> 00:29:51,456 to help build a case against Chris Butler and this corrupt cop. 482 00:29:52,624 --> 00:29:55,877 So we came up with a plan to try and get Chris to mention drugs. 483 00:29:56,503 --> 00:29:59,255 And then we met Carl, and we wired him up. 484 00:29:59,923 --> 00:30:02,050 <i>You're comfortable?</i> <i>Everything's all right?</i> 485 00:30:02,133 --> 00:30:04,803 <i>Yeah, I'm a little nervous,</i> <i>but we do undercover stings,</i> 486 00:30:04,886 --> 00:30:06,513 <i>so it's kind of the same feeling.</i> 487 00:30:06,596 --> 00:30:08,723 <i>It's a little different</i> <i>when I'm doing it with my boss.</i> 488 00:30:09,808 --> 00:30:12,310 -<i>That'll do it. Good luck, buddy.</i> -<i>Thanks.</i> 489 00:30:13,853 --> 00:30:15,522 The device that Carl had 490 00:30:16,022 --> 00:30:18,441 broadcast on a frequency that was on my police radio, 491 00:30:18,525 --> 00:30:22,403 so I could turn the channel and listen to what was going on. 492 00:30:23,029 --> 00:30:24,447 <i>What's happening?</i> 493 00:30:24,531 --> 00:30:26,616 <i>I sold the one package that I had.</i> 494 00:30:27,492 --> 00:30:28,743 <i>Whoo-hoo!</i> 495 00:30:28,827 --> 00:30:31,371 <i>And the guy wants three more packages.</i> 496 00:30:31,454 --> 00:30:32,997 <i>Tell him yeah.</i> 497 00:30:33,873 --> 00:30:35,333 As soon as I heard that, 498 00:30:36,292 --> 00:30:39,587 I knew this was gonna end with somebody going to jail. 499 00:30:41,881 --> 00:30:47,095 But very few cases in my 25 years were like this. 500 00:30:47,595 --> 00:30:50,265 <i>The guy ID'd your voice.</i> <i>Dude, I don't know.</i> 501 00:30:50,348 --> 00:30:52,600 <i>I felt like just fucking shooting myself.</i> 502 00:30:53,685 --> 00:30:56,312 <i>You've got to let this go</i> <i>with the network,</i> 503 00:30:56,396 --> 00:30:58,606 <i>because the network</i> <i>are ready to pull the plug.</i> 504 00:30:58,690 --> 00:31:00,108 <i>I'm gonna lose my fucking show.</i> 505 00:31:00,191 --> 00:31:02,694 <i>Then, I'll close my business</i> <i>and will have nothing left.</i> 506 00:31:02,777 --> 00:31:03,820 <i>I don't have a career.</i> 507 00:31:03,903 --> 00:31:06,823 <i>I don't have movie-star good looks.</i> <i>I look like this.</i> 508 00:31:07,490 --> 00:31:09,158 I was like, "This is weird." 509 00:31:09,242 --> 00:31:13,371 To me, they're more interested in Carl ruining the TV show 510 00:31:13,454 --> 00:31:14,831 than the drugs. 511 00:31:16,332 --> 00:31:20,211 <i>I understand why you did it,</i> <i>because if I was in the same position,</i> 512 00:31:20,295 --> 00:31:22,213 <i>I probably would've done</i> <i>the same fucking thing,</i> 513 00:31:22,297 --> 00:31:24,299 <i>but maybe I'd have thought</i> <i>it out a little better.</i> 514 00:31:25,383 --> 00:31:27,093 <i>Don't kill the project!</i> 515 00:31:33,182 --> 00:31:37,520 So, initially, when we were doing the first operation or two, uh, 516 00:31:37,604 --> 00:31:41,691 we obviously didn't tell them, but we were looking at the TV show 517 00:31:41,774 --> 00:31:43,359 just to see everything that was going on. 518 00:31:44,319 --> 00:31:46,446 I noticed there were a lot of, uh, police cars. 519 00:31:46,529 --> 00:31:49,699 And I thought that was strange for being such a really calm, sleepy town. 520 00:31:51,159 --> 00:31:53,912 It was odd to have the local police department show up 521 00:31:53,995 --> 00:31:55,371 while we were filming. 522 00:31:55,455 --> 00:31:57,248 They were just sitting there watching. 523 00:31:58,875 --> 00:32:00,752 You got this feeling in the air 524 00:32:00,835 --> 00:32:04,964 of, like, something's not right with this entire production at this point. 525 00:32:05,048 --> 00:32:07,091 What is happening here? 526 00:32:09,844 --> 00:32:14,641 At that point, I felt like we were barely holding things together. 527 00:32:17,769 --> 00:32:24,609 But we had this one case that was our chance to save the series. 528 00:32:25,693 --> 00:32:29,822 The East Bay couple is convinced that its teenage daughter is in danger. 529 00:32:29,906 --> 00:32:32,992 The 15-year-old is classified as a runaway. 530 00:32:33,076 --> 00:32:35,662 A real girl really missing. 531 00:32:35,745 --> 00:32:37,789 This case really felt big. 532 00:32:37,872 --> 00:32:40,792 The parents woke up Monday to find her gone, 533 00:32:40,875 --> 00:32:43,544 they say, with no warning, no provocation, 534 00:32:43,628 --> 00:32:47,674 taking only a laptop, a few clothes, $20, and a backpack. 535 00:32:50,218 --> 00:32:53,596 It was kind of like a do-or-die situation at that point, 536 00:32:53,680 --> 00:32:56,432 and Lucas was like, "You're gonna do this." 537 00:32:56,516 --> 00:32:58,726 "You're gonna find her and you're gonna save the show." 538 00:32:59,477 --> 00:33:03,064 Our resources that were spent were big. 539 00:33:03,147 --> 00:33:08,236 There were helicopters in the air trying to find out where she was. 540 00:33:10,113 --> 00:33:12,699 In terms of the TV part of things, 541 00:33:12,782 --> 00:33:16,077 it's great to have lots of leads and follow them 542 00:33:16,160 --> 00:33:18,496 and have lots of story to tell, 543 00:33:18,579 --> 00:33:21,249 but, ultimately, of course, what you really wanna do 544 00:33:21,332 --> 00:33:23,793 is find the girl and get her back to her family. 545 00:33:24,877 --> 00:33:28,006 Her parents have shared what they know with detectives. 546 00:33:28,089 --> 00:33:29,382 Now, they wait. 547 00:33:36,431 --> 00:33:38,266 The next thing I know, I got a call. 548 00:33:39,392 --> 00:33:42,270 And they say, "You're not gonna fucking believe this." 549 00:33:42,854 --> 00:33:46,024 "Carl… has found the missing girl." 550 00:33:48,443 --> 00:33:51,320 Once again, he's fucking things up. 551 00:33:51,904 --> 00:33:53,239 We were angry. 552 00:33:53,322 --> 00:33:57,118 One of my producers, I thought I had to go give her a sedative, 553 00:33:57,201 --> 00:33:58,995 because she wanted to murder him. 554 00:34:00,413 --> 00:34:03,291 It turned out that Chris had initially assigned Carl 555 00:34:03,374 --> 00:34:07,211 to look for the missing girl before handing it over to the P.I. Moms, 556 00:34:07,295 --> 00:34:11,299 but that Carl was still pursuing the case on his own. 557 00:34:12,050 --> 00:34:15,470 And I thought that he was basically trying to set things up 558 00:34:15,553 --> 00:34:18,806 so that he would be filmed finding her 559 00:34:18,890 --> 00:34:21,434 and reuniting her with her family. 560 00:34:22,477 --> 00:34:26,856 Carl called the police, but he didn't let the P.I. Moms take over. 561 00:34:28,399 --> 00:34:31,152 The producers told us to meet at a certain place, 562 00:34:31,235 --> 00:34:34,530 because we believed that the girl could be at this location. 563 00:34:35,656 --> 00:34:38,910 The first thing I wanted to do was find Carl, 564 00:34:39,410 --> 00:34:41,412 confront him, and just, like, have it out with him. 565 00:34:44,415 --> 00:34:47,794 When I got down there, it was… 566 00:34:47,877 --> 00:34:49,796 …a clusterfuck of the highest order. 567 00:34:51,506 --> 00:34:54,092 There were red and blue flashing lights everywhere. 568 00:34:54,175 --> 00:34:57,970 People were screaming at each other, and the crew was yelling, 569 00:34:58,471 --> 00:35:00,932 and the missing girl wasn't even there. 570 00:35:02,433 --> 00:35:06,854 But, lo and behold, there was Carl, like, in the middle of all of that. 571 00:35:06,938 --> 00:35:09,690 He was determined, come hell or high water, 572 00:35:09,774 --> 00:35:11,734 to have his 15 minutes of fame. 573 00:35:13,444 --> 00:35:16,239 In my mind, I was thinking, "You're so selfish," 574 00:35:17,240 --> 00:35:19,242 because Carl knew where she was 575 00:35:19,325 --> 00:35:23,162 and didn't share it with anybody until it would benefit him. 576 00:35:24,247 --> 00:35:28,584 I mean, how fucking dumb are you to think they're really gonna push us out, 577 00:35:28,668 --> 00:35:30,878 and then you're gonna be the star of the show? 578 00:35:32,130 --> 00:35:33,673 Who the fuck do you think you are? 579 00:35:35,967 --> 00:35:38,136 I didn't want this to be like a <i>Real Housewives,</i> 580 00:35:38,719 --> 00:35:41,139 and this has become worse than a <i>Real Housewives.</i> 581 00:35:42,140 --> 00:35:44,100 Crazy chaos and people fighting. 582 00:35:45,017 --> 00:35:46,936 How did we get to this place? 583 00:35:54,569 --> 00:35:58,072 Almost immediately, the network called me for a crisis call. 584 00:35:58,573 --> 00:36:04,120 At that point, they had invested hundreds of thousands of dollars in the show, 585 00:36:04,954 --> 00:36:07,123 and they were furious. 586 00:36:10,084 --> 00:36:14,505 We were told that if anything else went south, 587 00:36:16,007 --> 00:36:17,300 they would pull the plug. 588 00:36:21,179 --> 00:36:24,724 <i>Now,</i> <i>what we're talking about is the crystal.</i> 589 00:36:24,807 --> 00:36:25,933 <i>We're ready now.</i> 590 00:36:26,017 --> 00:36:28,019 <i>He wants the sample, right?</i> 591 00:36:28,102 --> 00:36:30,062 <i>If he likes it, he'll buy it today.</i> 592 00:36:30,146 --> 00:36:32,523 Right after the missing juvenile case, 593 00:36:32,607 --> 00:36:37,904 we heard Chris mention that he had three pounds of methamphetamine for sale. 594 00:36:37,987 --> 00:36:39,572 That pushed it over the edge for us. 595 00:36:39,655 --> 00:36:42,575 We knew then that this needed to stop. 596 00:36:45,620 --> 00:36:47,371 The next thing we needed to do 597 00:36:47,455 --> 00:36:52,585 was arrange a-- a buy between the corrupt cop, Chris, and Carl. 598 00:36:54,337 --> 00:36:56,714 We met with Carl, we wired him up, 599 00:36:57,465 --> 00:36:59,300 provided him with $10,000 cash, 600 00:36:59,383 --> 00:37:04,805 and instructed him to go to the P.I. firm to meet Chris. 601 00:37:09,185 --> 00:37:10,478 What's up? 602 00:37:10,561 --> 00:37:13,397 Okay, come on back here. Let's see that salad. 603 00:37:14,190 --> 00:37:15,816 Holy…This is a lot! 604 00:37:17,276 --> 00:37:20,154 That moment when Chris took the money from Carl 605 00:37:20,238 --> 00:37:21,739 and was counting it out… 606 00:37:22,698 --> 00:37:24,784 One pound, one ounce. 607 00:37:25,868 --> 00:37:28,621 …and the methamphetamine was essentially given to Carl… 608 00:37:29,205 --> 00:37:31,749 Let me get rid of this as quick as I can. 609 00:37:33,626 --> 00:37:35,670 Once that happens, it's game over. 610 00:37:35,753 --> 00:37:37,088 We got you. 611 00:37:39,048 --> 00:37:40,633 A private investigator, 612 00:37:40,716 --> 00:37:43,761 connected to a police corruption scandal, cut a deal. 613 00:37:43,844 --> 00:37:45,554 Think you did anything wrong? 614 00:37:45,638 --> 00:37:47,640 <i>Facing seven felony charges,</i> 615 00:37:47,723 --> 00:37:51,227 <i>a lot of damning evidence,</i> <i>and a possible life sentence,</i> 616 00:37:51,310 --> 00:37:53,896 <i>Chris Butler decided to take a plea deal.</i> 617 00:37:54,563 --> 00:37:57,733 Holy shit! What just happened? 618 00:37:57,817 --> 00:38:01,779 Chris just got arrested for selling drugs. 619 00:38:01,862 --> 00:38:03,781 I was just… 620 00:38:03,864 --> 00:38:04,907 I was floored. 621 00:38:06,492 --> 00:38:10,788 I was at home when I learned that Chris Butler had been arrested. 622 00:38:10,871 --> 00:38:13,666 I couldn't believe that that was happening. 623 00:38:13,749 --> 00:38:15,042 Chris was my friend, 624 00:38:15,126 --> 00:38:18,254 and so seeing him on TV in, like, the jumpsuits and stuff, 625 00:38:18,337 --> 00:38:21,215 it was, like-- it was very sad, it was very scary. 626 00:38:23,217 --> 00:38:26,220 I got a phone call that Chris Butler had been arrested, 627 00:38:26,304 --> 00:38:27,513 and that was it. 628 00:38:27,596 --> 00:38:30,099 The network was like, "You know what, fuck it." 629 00:38:31,058 --> 00:38:31,976 "We're done." 630 00:38:37,690 --> 00:38:40,818 I gathered everybody back at the production office, 631 00:38:40,901 --> 00:38:42,862 the crew, the moms, 632 00:38:42,945 --> 00:38:46,282 and I… I broke the news. 633 00:38:48,743 --> 00:38:53,289 I was crying through that whole speech. 634 00:38:59,587 --> 00:39:01,088 I just felt terrible 635 00:39:01,922 --> 00:39:05,718 that, you know, I put them through everything that I put them through… 636 00:39:07,720 --> 00:39:08,679 for nothing. 637 00:39:14,101 --> 00:39:17,229 Chris and Carl just took it away from everybody. 638 00:39:17,772 --> 00:39:21,942 They put their desires above everybody else's, 639 00:39:22,026 --> 00:39:25,654 and, like, so many people were affected by that show. 640 00:39:26,614 --> 00:39:29,742 And I know for a lot of people, they're like, "It's just a show." 641 00:39:29,825 --> 00:39:32,828 But it was a show that we were really passionate about, 642 00:39:32,912 --> 00:39:34,413 sharing our stories 643 00:39:34,497 --> 00:39:37,083 and empowering other women to do this kind of work. 644 00:39:37,166 --> 00:39:39,668 And then it was gone. It was taken away from us. 645 00:39:43,714 --> 00:39:45,674 When our show was canceled, 646 00:39:45,758 --> 00:39:49,637 that opportunity that I had of me sharing my story was taken away. 647 00:39:52,848 --> 00:39:57,103 So that was another reason why I was so disappointed, 648 00:39:57,186 --> 00:40:02,149 was because I opened up, and I shared so much for the first time, 649 00:40:02,233 --> 00:40:05,528 and who knows who I could have touched 650 00:40:05,611 --> 00:40:11,534 if my story got out, and I shared all of this with the world. 651 00:40:15,746 --> 00:40:18,791 He doesn't realize what he took personally from me. 652 00:40:23,087 --> 00:40:26,006 Chris, got any reality TV ideas? 653 00:40:26,090 --> 00:40:27,258 Sorry, excuse me. 654 00:40:36,559 --> 00:40:39,520 After the damning information came out about Chris Butler, 655 00:40:39,603 --> 00:40:42,106 I worked straight through a weekend 656 00:40:42,189 --> 00:40:44,066 and wrote a 10,000-word piece. 657 00:40:47,111 --> 00:40:48,988 The news coverage was instant, 658 00:40:49,071 --> 00:40:52,199 and it gave Carl the dynamite to blow up the building. 659 00:40:53,159 --> 00:40:56,412 I've always been that type of person who's always wanted to-- to, uh, 660 00:40:56,495 --> 00:40:58,330 you know, to serve, to help people. 661 00:40:58,414 --> 00:40:59,582 I had no idea what it was, 662 00:40:59,665 --> 00:41:01,750 how I was gonna do it, when I was gonna do it. 663 00:41:01,834 --> 00:41:04,712 Knowing where the drugs came from, I knew something had to be done. 664 00:41:04,795 --> 00:41:07,923 I was just like, "Oh, now, I get it." 665 00:41:08,007 --> 00:41:09,800 "Now, I understand." 666 00:41:09,884 --> 00:41:11,594 I thought they were lovers, 667 00:41:11,677 --> 00:41:15,681 and then, I finally saw all the leverage that Carl had over Chris 668 00:41:15,764 --> 00:41:17,766 because of the illegal activity. 669 00:41:17,850 --> 00:41:20,895 Ah my God, I get it. 670 00:41:22,605 --> 00:41:24,356 Despite everything Carl did, 671 00:41:24,440 --> 00:41:26,734 he was basically hailed as a hero 672 00:41:27,234 --> 00:41:29,695 because he rolled on them and then went undercover, 673 00:41:29,778 --> 00:41:31,739 and that was Carl's big moment. 674 00:41:31,822 --> 00:41:35,242 If you had not stepped forward, who knows how far this would've gone? 675 00:41:35,326 --> 00:41:37,161 Maybe it would've turned into a murder case. 676 00:41:37,244 --> 00:41:42,917 But the moms, we were just all attacked and made fun of and embarrassed. 677 00:41:43,000 --> 00:41:47,046 You say these women had visions of being on the red carpet with the Kardashians? 678 00:41:47,129 --> 00:41:49,048 I think everybody involved here 679 00:41:49,131 --> 00:41:53,219 had visions that they were gonna be on, you know, <i>Access Hollywood </i>every night 680 00:41:53,302 --> 00:41:54,929 and making a million dollars. 681 00:41:55,638 --> 00:41:58,724 The P.I. Moms took a lot of that heat 682 00:41:58,807 --> 00:42:02,186 because of the fact that their name was the show. 683 00:42:02,269 --> 00:42:05,856 It wasn't the Chris Butler show. And it wasn't the Carl Marino show. 684 00:42:06,565 --> 00:42:07,942 It was the <i>P.I. Moms </i>show. 685 00:42:08,025 --> 00:42:11,403 So I think there may have been an assumption 686 00:42:11,487 --> 00:42:14,949 that the P.I. Moms were involved in the whole setup, 687 00:42:15,032 --> 00:42:17,952 and that couldn't have been further from the truth. 688 00:42:18,953 --> 00:42:23,916 People were calling us frauds and fake, and drug dealers, and all sorts of things, 689 00:42:23,999 --> 00:42:26,210 and we didn't get to say anything about it. 690 00:42:27,962 --> 00:42:30,548 But Carl's 15 minutes of fame seemed to continue on 691 00:42:30,631 --> 00:42:32,716 when he became a regular on some TV show. 692 00:42:33,300 --> 00:42:36,011 Yes, this is Lt. Kenda from Colorado Springs Police Department. 693 00:42:36,512 --> 00:42:38,097 I'm working a homicide… 694 00:42:38,180 --> 00:42:41,141 Having made a lot of reality TV, 695 00:42:41,225 --> 00:42:43,310 there is a certain type of person 696 00:42:43,394 --> 00:42:48,732 who has some kind of emotional hole 697 00:42:49,525 --> 00:42:51,151 in the center of their psyche, 698 00:42:52,444 --> 00:42:55,030 and they really feel 699 00:42:55,114 --> 00:43:00,578 that, like, the adulation of fans is gonna fill that hole. 700 00:43:01,453 --> 00:43:04,665 {\an8}And I think that maybe that's what happened with Carl. 701 00:43:06,000 --> 00:43:11,255 You would hope somebody in your group, the success that he had with that show, 702 00:43:11,338 --> 00:43:13,048 you'd want to cheer them on, 703 00:43:13,132 --> 00:43:15,384 but the fact of how he got there, 704 00:43:15,467 --> 00:43:17,344 can't do it. 705 00:43:17,428 --> 00:43:18,387 Can't do it. 706 00:43:18,887 --> 00:43:20,806 -Was he any good in it? -No. 707 00:43:22,600 --> 00:43:24,977 He ruined us and became the center of attention. 708 00:43:27,479 --> 00:43:28,606 He got what he wanted. 709 00:43:31,108 --> 00:43:33,902 Let's hold for two minutes. I'm just gonna pop out. 710 00:43:33,986 --> 00:43:34,987 Everyone stay there. 711 00:43:36,238 --> 00:43:38,574 -Please do not bring Carl in here. -No! 712 00:43:40,993 --> 00:43:43,370 I will sock that motherfucker. 713 00:43:44,305 --> 00:44:44,818