A stranger-than-fiction story from the late 1990s is getting a new look. Audible will launch SPLBERG, an investigative podcast series about a man who tricked an entire Catholic high school in Virginia into believing he was the nephew of legendary director Steven Spielberg. The eight-episode series starts streaming on June 25, 2026.
Host Charlie Webster Re-Examines a Bizarre 90s Deception
Charlie Webster, the journalist known for the hit podcast Scamanda, hosts and executive produces the series. She spent years looking into this strange case. Webster interviews former classmates, detectives, lawyers, and even the man at the center of it all, Jonathan Taylor Spielberg himself.
The official description says Webster goes back to the events of the late 1990s. She finds new details and fresh perspectives that challenge the way people understood the story at the time. The series combines years of original reporting with direct access to the key people connected to the case.
A Shocking High School Scam
Here is what happened. A man showed up at Paul VI High School in Fairfax, Virginia, claiming to be Jonathan Taylor Spielberg, the 14-year-old nephew of the famous movie director. He said he was in town filming a movie and wanted to experience a real high school. The school welcomed him with open arms.
But he was not a teenager. He was actually Anoushirvan D. Fakhran, a 28-year-old man from Iran. He changed his name legally in 1997 to pull off the scheme.
Living the Hollywood Fantasy
Fakhran went all out with his performance. He drove a BMW with vanity plates that read “SPLBERG.” He parked in the principal’s reserved parking spot. He wore designer clothes like Armani, Gucci, and Prada. He sported a diamond Cartier watch.
He told classmates he was friends with stars like Jennifer Love Hewitt and Matt Damon. He handed out $10 bills to other students. He even dated a sophomore girl at the school. When people asked how a 14-year-old could drive, he claimed he had a special Hollywood actor’s license.
How the Lies Fell Apart
The scam worked for nearly two years. But eventually, things started to go wrong. Fakhran missed weeks of school at a time, saying he was filming in New York, Australia, and London. He also stopped paying tuition.
School officials finally called DreamWorks, Steven Spielberg’s production company, to check on their famous student. The response came back quickly. Steven Spielberg has no nephew named Jonathan. The police got involved.
The Legal Consequences
Fakhran was arrested and charged with forgery. He received an 11-month suspended jail sentence and was placed on two years of probation. The court also ordered him to get mental health counseling and perform 100 hours of community service. He had to stay away from anyone under 18.
Webster’s Personal Connection to the Story
Charlie Webster says this story seemed strange but harmless on the surface. She walked away from it at first. But she came back for personal reasons.
“When it first came to me, I walked away, and then ended up with my own moral decision to make. The way I came back to it is part of the story itself. I am a journalist, a producer, a survivor, and all of those things shaped every decision I made. SPLBERG is one of the strangest stories I have ever told โ and my attempt to close the gap between the version that gets told and the version that is true, on behalf of people who deserved better. You are about to go on a wild ride, and I promise you, you will never guess where this goes.” – Charlie Webster
Also Read:
Production Credits
SPLBERG is an Audible Original podcast. It comes from Telltale Industries in partnership with Webster. All eight episodes will be available to stream starting June 25, exclusively on Audible.
Also Read: Jason Momoa Exits Helldivers Movie, Sony Searching for New Star
Keep checking VvipTimes for more news on true crime podcasts and entertainment stories.
