The Setup: A True Story of Dirty Cops, Soccer Moms, and Reality TV

The pitch went like this: Chris Butler, a retired cop, ran a private investigator firm in Concord, California. His business had a fascinating angle—his firm was staffed entirely by soccer moms.

In fact, Butler employed PI Super Moms: attractive, organized, smart, and trained in investigative techniques, self-defense, and weaponry. This American Life host Ira Glass described them as “MILF: Charlie's Angels."

When this story came across Pete Crooks's desk when he was working at Diablo magazin...