FBI paid violent felon to undermine racial justice movement in Denver, new podcast "Alphabet Boys" alleges

The FBI worked to undermine racial justice protests and other actions in Denver in 2020, a new podcast alleges.

"Alphabet Boys," a 10-episode documentary podcast from Western Sound and iHeartPodcasts, debuted Tuesday and details efforts from the FBI to infiltrate and undermine the racial justice movement following the police killing of George Floyd.

The podcast is based on hours of secret FBI undercover recordings regarding a paid informant who allegedly encouraged violence and destruction and attempted to set up unsuspecting activists in crimes.

"Federal law enforcement caused violence and destruction in the summer of 2020," said Zebbodios "Zebb" Hall, a racial justice activist in Denver whose story is told in the podcast. "The FBI's informant was a criminal who pushed activists toward violence as part of an attempt by the federal government to undermine our political movement from within."

The podcast alleges, among other things, the following:

• The FBI recruited Michael "Mickey" Windecker, a violent felon with a sexual assault conviction and paid him tens of thousands of dollars during the summer of 2020 to pose as a racial justice activist.
• The informant became a leader in the Denver racial justice movement and promoted protests that turned violent and destructive.
• As part of this effort, the FBI went on to try to set up a racial justice activist in Colorado Springs.

A spokesperson for the FBI's Denver field office declined to comment for this story and referred questions to the FBI's national office. The FBI's national press office did not respond to a request for comment.

A "One Time Non-Confidential Human Source Payment Receipt" shared with CBS News Colorado appears to show a payment of $500 from the FBI to Windecker in 2020. We reviewed the document but were unable to confirm it,

Additional reporting from the podcast's producers, which include leaked documents, undercover recordings and interviews with Colorado-based protesters who interacted with Windecker, identified him, podcast producers said.

Colorado court records show felony convictions for assault and menacing, among other charges, as well as a protection order against Windecker granted in a sexual assault case.

One phone number listed for Windecker was disconnected Wednesday. A text message seeking comment to another was met with a "wrong number" response. CBS News Colorado did not received a response to an email listed as belonging to Windecker.

"The first season of 'Alphabet Boys' addresses an important question: How did the FBI respond to racial justice protests during the summer of 2020?" said podcast host and investigative journalist Trevor Aaronson. "We answer that question through FBI internal records and undercover recordings, revealing that federal agents viewed these activists as 'anti-government extremists' and tried to set them up in violent crimes using an informant with a long history of violence and deception."

The podcast was co-produced by Western Sound, which also produced the "Lost Hills" and "Strangeland" podcasts.

Ben Adair founded Western Sound and is a cocreator of "Alphabet Boys."

"With Trevor's groundbreaking reporting and unprecedented access to leaked audio," Adair said, "the podcast audience can experience this invasive, bizarre - and potentially illegal - undercover investigation from the inside."