The Idiot

Summary

What happens when a person you have spent a lifetime dismissing as a harmless, pompous fool turns out to be something far more dangerous? In the gripping investigative series The Idiot, acclaimed journalist M. Gessen turns their lens toward a deeply personal mystery: the life and crimes of their own cousin, Alan. What begins as a family story about a frustrating relative quickly spirals into a harrowing true-crime narrative after Alan is arrested for orchestrating a murder-for-hire plot against his ex-wife. As Gessen navigates the legal fallout and the subsequent federal trial, they are forced to confront an agonizing dissonance. Can a man truly be both a devoted father and a cold-blooded schemer capable of ordering a hit? Through candid, recorded conversations from prison and firsthand accounts from the courtroom, Gessen peels back the layers of Alan’s past—from his life as an ambitious consultant in Moscow to the chilling surveillance tapes that exposed his dark descent. Beyond the crime itself, the podcast is a profound meditation on the mechanics of family, trauma, and accountability. Gessen masterfully weaves together the perspectives of survivors, the complexities of the carceral system, and the painful search for truth within a fractured family. It is an intimate and unflinching look at the devastating ripple effects of violence, the limits of empathy, and the impossible work of finding closure when the person at the center of the storm refuses to face the truth.

Updated Jul 8, 2026