On with Kara Swisher Patrick Radden Keefe On Lies, Conspicuous Wealth & Moral Rot
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May 11, 2026 
Patrick Radden Keefe, investigative journalist and bestselling author of Empire of Pain, discusses his new book London Falling. He unpacks a young man’s double life posing as an oligarch’s son, how foreign money warped London’s landscape, and the ethics of reporting dark, secretive worlds. Short, gripping stories of deception, trust-building, and modern moral choices.
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Adolescent Fabulism As A 21st Century Phenomenon
- Patrick Radden Keefe sees modern fabulists like Zach as emblematic of a 21st-century culture that rewards bluster, hustle, and 'fake it till you make it'.
- Zach, born in 2000, idolized Wolf of Wall Street and Instagram-style ostentation, which normalized lying as a route to status.
Zach's Persona Was About Access Not Just Cash
- Zach pretended to be 'Zach Ismailov', son of a Russian oligarch, not primarily to steal money but to gain access to clubs, cars, and social status.
- He used the persona to pursue deals in oil, gas, and car trading and attached himself to blustery, hustler adults in London.
How Foreign Money Hollowed Out London
- London welcomed foreign capital and golden-visa style policies, which transformed neighborhoods into speculative, often unoccupied luxury zones and normalized dodgy wealth.
- That influx correlated with mysterious deaths of people tied to wealthy newcomers and a police tendency to call incidents suicide or accident.
