Scamfluencers - Listen Now: Dr. Death: Bad Magic

Episode Date: January 23, 2024

When a charismatic young doctor announces revolutionary treatments for cancer and HIV, patients from around the world turn to him for their last chance. As medical experts praise Serhat Gumrukcu’s genius, the company he co-founded rockets in value to over half a billion dollars. But when a team of researchers makes a startling discovery, they begin to suspect the brilliant doctor is hiding a secret. From Wondery, the new season of Dr. Death: Bad Magic is a story of miraculous cures, magic and murder. Hosted by Laura Beil.Listen to Dr. Death - Bad Magic: Wondery.fm/Dr.DeathSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

We're all too familiar with these kinds of stories, and out of this world personality praise on the desperation of someone going through the worst moment of their life. Seeking answers, seeking help. But what happens when that person providing the answers is someone you're supposed to trust? A doctor, who promises hope, survival, a cure for AIDS. Wouldn't you do anything he said to save yourself? From Wondery comes the newest season of the renowned podcast, Doctor Death. The newest

season, titled Bad Magic. And this isn't just some doctor, it's a famous one. A man with prominent celebrity endorsements, a credible biotech business, a big reputation, and yes, a quirky fascination with magic. Don't miss this season. A story of deceit, narcissism, humanity, and murder. We're about to play a clip from Dr. Death Bad Magic. Follow Dr. Death Bad Magic on the Wondery app or wherever you get your podcasts. Wondery app. It was late on a freezing Saturday night in northern Vermont. Greg Davis was in his bedroom with his wife Melissa when they heard someone outside.

Greg opened the door and saw a man standing there, wearing a jacket and mask with the emblem of the U.S. Marshal. He was holding a rifle. Behind him in the driveway was a white Ford Explorer with emergency lights flashing in its dash. The Marshal said he had a warrant for Greg's arrest on racketeering charges. He'd been instructed to take him into custody and transport him to Virginia. Greg couldn't have known what this was all about.

He was working in waste management. His friends and family knew him as a father of six, a businessman, and a devout Christian. He went to his bedroom and told his pregnant wife what was happening, then packed a bag of clothes and walked out. Davis' 12-year-old son watched from the upstairs window as the car pulled away. It was the last time he saw his father, alive. The next afternoon, a car made its way along a quiet stretch of Pechum Road, about 15 miles from Greg Davis' farmhouse. It was another brutally cold day, barely cracking 10 degrees. Just off the side of the road,

the driver saw something out of place. It was a shape jutting out of the snow bank. There on the ground, partially covered by snow, was a man's body. His wrists were shackled, 22 caliber bullet wounds in his head and torso with bullet casing speckling the snow bank. Greg Davis was dead.

How had all this happened? Prosecutors would later claim it all traced back to a man whose life had long been cloaked in mystery and who was nowhere near Vermont that night. Well, good afternoon, everyone. It is truly my great pleasure and who was nowhere near Vermont that night. Well good afternoon everyone. It is truly my great pleasure to welcome Enokian Biosciences. Less than a year after Greg Davis' body was found in the Vermont snow, the CEO of an emerging biotech company stood at a sleek white lectern in Times Square.

The very first time I met Ronessin Leva, our chairman, he told me he would be a NASDAQ-listed company. Anokian Bioscience has now traded alongside tech giants like Apple and Microsoft, but the CEO wasn't taking the credit. The success of the company was largely thanks to a man who was standing just off stage. The man with the ideas that drove Inokian Biosciences to its $600 million valuation. A man with short dyed blonde hair, stubble and an impish smile.

The very first time I met Serrat Kumruku, our scientific founder, he told me he will be the company that will put an end to HIV AIDS. Dr. Serhat Gamrukchu. At just 36 years old, Dr. Serhat was leading a mission to end HIV AIDS forever. He was also working on cures for cancer, hepatitis B, and a host of other diseases. Also working on cures for cancer, hepatitis B, and a host of other diseases, his patients saw him as a miracle worker. His colleagues compared him to Leonardo da Vinci, Nikola Tesla, and Einstein in one and

the same person. But in a few years, he wouldn't be known for world-changing treatments. He would be known as a fraud and a key suspect in a grisly murder.