Summary
Overview
M. Gessen presents a deeply personal true crime story about their cousin Alan, who was arrested for attempting to hire someone to murder his ex-wife Priscilla. What begins as a story about international child custody disputes escalates into a shocking murder-for-hire plot that tears apart Gessen's family. The episode serves as an introduction to Gessen's five-part Serial podcast, The Idiot, where they investigate how their charismatic but troubled cousin descended from family clown to convicted felon.
The Elastic Family and Alan's Arrival
M. Gessen describes their immigrant family as 'elastic,' able to stretch and absorb various relatives and complications over decades. This elasticity was tested when cousin Alan arrived in the U.S. from Moscow in 1990 and later returned in 2019 with his five-year-old son O, claiming to have separated from his wife Priscilla. Despite red flags suggesting possible kidnapping, the family treated Alan's actions as eccentric rather than criminal, with Alan quickly becoming a charismatic fixture in their Cape Cod gatherings.
- Gessen's family immigrated from Soviet Union 45 years ago and expanded elastically to absorb spouses, in-laws, and children across continents
- Alan arrived in U.S. in 1990 at age 15 with his mother Lena, became an entrepreneur with shady ventures including ghostwriting papers and diamond mining in Africa
- In summer 2019, Alan suddenly appeared with five-year-old son O, claiming wife Priscilla was still in Russia with their baby daughter and they had separated
- Family suspected kidnapping but chose not to contact authorities; Alan and Lena breathed new life into family gatherings despite the circumstances
" My family, if I had to give it an adjective, is elastic. Forty-five years ago, my parents, my little brother, and I came over to this country from the Soviet Union, extending the family across continents. "
" So our cousin has kidnapped his son and abandoned his daughter? The answer would appear to be maybe, my brother responded. "
Becoming a Double Agent for Priscilla
After receiving a desperate message from Priscilla begging for help to see her son, Gessen secretly became a double agent while maintaining peace with their family. They helped Priscilla connect with Justice Department officials and tracked Alan's movements through social media, providing addresses needed for legal proceedings. Despite their covert assistance, Gessen found themselves increasingly drawn into Alan's seemingly stable life, watching O thrive under his father's attentive care, which complicated their feelings about the situation.
- Priscilla wrote to Gessen's father begging for help after Alan took O, but the father ignored her message preferring not to know too much
- Gessen secretly contacted Priscilla and helped connect her with Justice Department officials who handle international child abduction cases
- Gessen tracked Alan's addresses through Facebook and family communications, sending information to Priscilla to support her Hague Convention petition
- Despite helping Priscilla, Gessen observed that O seemed happy and thriving under Alan's devoted, attentive parenting over two years
" I beg you please to help me get my son back, or to at least speak to him. Please do not tell them I have written to you. If you are unable to help me, then just ignore my message. "
" I was a double agent now. I tracked Lana, Alan, and O through their Facebook posts, messages to the family chat and occasional weekends at my father's house on Cape Cod. "
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