The Tom Simon Interview | Matt Beall Podcast

Summary

Interrogation and Empathy

Former FBI agent Tom Simon says physical and psychological torture are counterproductive: people under extreme pressure may say whatever they think investigators want to hear. Instead, he favors a calmer approach that seeks to understand how suspects justify their actions. He advises avoiding direct arguments and offering explanations that let people discuss their conduct without viewing themselves as irredeemably evil.

Simon stresses that empathy is a strategic interviewing tool, not an excuse for crime. He illustrates the approach with interviews involving financial crimes and a cruise-ship murder investigation in which a suspect eventually described killing his partner.

Retail Theft and Financial Pressure

Simon says internal and external theft at a retailer he advised fell below 1% in 2021, which he links to pandemic-era government assistance reducing financial pressure. He argues that understanding the circumstances behind theft can help investigators and businesses respond more effectively, while emphasizing that this does not justify the behavior.

FBI Work After 9/11

Simon was investigating bank fraud in Chicago when the 9/11 attacks happened. He recalls the FBI rapidly reorganizing its work, with agents conducting interviews around the clock and following leads from other agencies and the public.

He later joined a team investigating two Chicago charities accused of diverting donations to militant groups. He describes the effort to close the organizations, seize assets, and prosecute or deport their leaders as an important part of his career.

Hawaii Mortgage-Fraud Fugitives

Simon recounts the case of John and Julie Ann Demetrian, a prominent Hawaii couple whose mortgage-relief business allegedly stripped homeowners of their property rights and contributed to evictions. After pleading guilty, they failed to appear for sentencing in 2011 and disappeared.

Simon says members of the sovereign-citizen movement helped them, and that they remain fugitives. He describes the irony of their fleeing for years rather than likely serving a relatively short federal sentence. He still receives tips about their whereabouts, though they are usually mistaken identifications.

Simon’s Current Work

Since retiring from the FBI, Simon has worked as a private investigator, mainly on financial-fraud cases. He also produces short crime-story videos and presentations about investigations, behavioral techniques, and fraud prevention. His projects include a crime-story game show with former fraudster Matt Cox.

AI, Robotics, and Employment

Simon says AI has increased his productivity as a private investigator. He combines paid databases with public information, then uses ChatGPT to help research and draft background reports. He does not know how FBI agents use AI, but suggests that sensitive investigations would require secure systems.

The discussion also covers security robots, autonomous vehicles, and the possibility that automation could displace guards, truck drivers, and other workers. Simon sees the potential for economic disruption but notes that technology has displaced jobs throughout history.

Matt Beall voices stronger concern about advanced AI systems acting independently, escaping safeguards, manipulating people, or disrupting networks and infrastructure. Both acknowledge AI’s potential benefits as well as its risks.

UFOs and Unexplained Sightings

Simon says the FBI did not conceal UFO evidence during his time there, and that other agencies would be more likely to hold relevant aviation or military records. Beall remains skeptical, saying grainy footage and eyewitness reports do not meet his threshold for extraordinary claims, though he is open to being persuaded.

Simon points to witness accounts, radar records, and well-known cases, and says he has personally seen things he could not explain. He estimates the likelihood that nonhuman intelligence has visited Earth at about 5%. He also recommends documentaries by James Fox for people interested in the subject.

Online Sexual Extortion

Simon warns of a growing scam in which an apparent online romantic contact persuades a young person—often a boy—to send intimate images, then demands money and threatens to share them. He advises young people not to send compromising images or pay blackmailers, and to block and report the account.

He says many extortionists move on when payment is unlikely and urges parents to discuss the risk openly with their children. These threats can cause severe distress and have been linked to deaths by suicide.

Presenters and Contributors

• Matt Beall — Host
• Tom Simon — Guest and former FBI special agent