Ridiculous Crime
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Ridiculous Crime
True Crime is more than blood, guts, mayhem, and murder. Zaron Burnett and Elizabeth Dutton share outlandish tales of capers, heists, and cons that shine a light on the absurd and outrageous side of criminality. Always 99% murder-free and 100% ridiculous, this is Ridiculous Crime, a podcast by iHear...
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Brother, Can You Spare Half a Dime: The Hollow Nickel Case
The best part of espionage is the spycraft, the cool gadgets and codes often disguised as everyday objects. Some look like lipstick, others like umbre...
"I Go For You Ma": The Love Triangle of Clark Gable, Carole Lombard, and Adolf Hitler
When World War II broke out, the biggest star in the world planned to sit it out. But as Fate would have it, events conspired to motivate Clark Gable...
The Phisher King: Filippo Bernardini
Filippo Bernardini felt like an outsider in the publishing world, so he decided to fix that. Did he dazzle executives with his intellect and insight?...
Ho, Ho, Hold It Right There: A Collection of Christmas Crimes
T'was the night before the Christmas, and all through the house not a creature was stirring... except for a mouse stealing some Christmas cookies. No,...
A Con So Nice, He Named Himself Twice: Lord Gordon Gordon
A man who called himself Lord Gordon Gordon sure knew how to con 'em. He scammed jewelers, land owners, and railroad magnates with great alacrity on b...
The Love Triangle of Frank Sinatra, Howard Hughes and Ava Gardner
Frank Sinatra and Ava Gardner had one of the great love affairs of the last century. But it was actually a love triangle that included the famously-re...
The Napoleon of Crime: Adam Worth
Using his logistical and felonious prowess, Adam Worth developed a sophisticated criminal network stealing money, art, and jewelry from high-value tar...
The Johnny Cash Jamaican Christmastime Miracle
Who would possibly think it's a good idea to rob Johnny Cash...at Christmastime... in Jamaica? If this sounds like some sort of Mad Lib, trust us, it'...
![The Fundamental Magical Element [from Very Special Episodes]](https://www.omnycontent.com/d/clips/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/a9f8aaf1-b12b-40b8-85aa-b08f0126e2b6/8691fdf6-5e2f-479f-83a2-b3a80029c395/image.jpg?t=1764729881&size=Large)
The Fundamental Magical Element [from Very Special Episodes]
Two Jamaican musicians are making a bold claim. They say they invented the now-ubiquitous reggaeton beat on a specific track in 1989. They're suing so...
You Better Listen to the Radio: Operation Ostrich
During WWII, there were lots of ways to contribute to the war effort. One involved sitting at a radio station on Long Island, feeding lies to the Nazi...
The Zambian Plot
Let's say you're a German industrialist who needs to drive up the price of copper on the commodities market, would you hire a midcentury adventurer/bo...
Don't Mess with the Big Dog: Martha Stewart
Martha Stewart is more than a food and entertaining icon; she's a brand. Literally. But a brand can't lie to the feds and a brand can't go to jail. Ma...
The King of Counterfeiters: Jeff Turner
If you were in a bad place, hard up financially, looking for work, and some sorta lifeline... how far down your list of options would be the idea: sho...
There Ain't No Cure for the Varsity Blues: Rick Singer
Applying to college. Oh, what a busy time that is for high school students. There are stressors like posing for a fake rowing photo or making sure you...
The Flapper Bandit: Rebecca Bradley Rogers
The 1920s was an era of radical change in the culture. One of the major indicators was the advent of The Flapper –- young women who rejected the previ...
Someday We'll Find It: The Pizza Connection
What's your favorite pizza topping? Pepperoni? Anchovies? A kilo of heroin? If it's the drugs, the Sicilian mob had a pizza parlor for you! They creat...
America's First Great Bank Robber: George Leonidas Leslie
When people speak of the first American bank robber, typically, they think of Jesse James. While he may have been the first world famous bandit and ba...
Welcome to the Dollhouse: Velvalee Dickinson
In wartime, codes and puzzles become a language of warfare. But if you can make a code, someone can break the code. Enter Velvalee Dickinson. She was...
Warmest Regards, The Leopard: Betty Grable Extortion Letters
She was America's Sweetheart, a woman whose gorgeous gams kept the antifascist Allied forces going as they won WWII. With talent, humor, beauty, and w...
Very Special Episodes: Being Joe Isuzu
In the golden age of 1980s television, few faces were more familiar — or more dishonest — than Joe Isuzu’s. Actor David Leisure brought the fast-talki...
Lord Buckingham, I Presume: Charles Stopford
Florida man unhappy with life. Florida man move to Europe. Florida man change name. Florida man take phony title. Uh oh, Florida man get in trouble. <...
Say It Ain't So, Joe: The 1919 Black Sox Scandal
What does it take to fix the World Series? You'll need players willing to tank the most important games of their careers, a powerful criminal element,...
Billy Don't Be a Hero: Fyre Fest
A modern flim flam artist, Billy McFarland was known for scheming and coming up with ways to make money and have fun doing it. His magnum opus was the...
McMillions: When Uncle Jerry Rigged the McDonald's Monopoly Game
Imagine you have the power to mint millionaires. But to do it you have to engage in crime. Specifically, you have to rig the McDonald's Monopoly game....
Jeffrey Alan Manchester: The Roofman Cometh…AGAIN
In honor of the new Paramount Pictures movie Roofman, we’re re-releasing this episode from May 2024. Paratrooper Jeff Manchester used his skills to bu...
The Next Wes Anderson Movie: George Weyerhaeuser
Young George Weyerhaeuser was snatched off the street back when kidnapping the child of a wealthy family seemed to be all the rage. Neither horrific n...
Stephen Jackley: The Wannabe Robin Hood
Lots of idealistic young folks come to believe the world is a rigged game run by immoral fat cats. Many get motivated to change the state of things. S...
Less Talk, More Rock: The Krupp Diamond
Elizabeth Taylor looooved diamonds. Some had storied histories going back to royal palaces and forgotten empires. Others came from exotic locales. And...
Bring Your Gun to Work Day: The Soboba Casino Heist
It was just like Ocean's 11...except instead of a stylish crew of longtime pro criminals, it was a guy with a BB gun and another in a Ford Mustang. An...
The Crimes They Don't Want You to Know: Kevin Trudeau
Kevin Trudeau was a born salesman...and an excellent con man. He knew exactly how to rope people in with promises of wealth, health, and all around be...
Eric Edson: The Burlington Bandit
Sometimes you really just wanna get away –– this week's crimer, Eric Edson, takes that to outlandish and preposterous levels of commitment. Whether on...
Know When to Hold 'Em: Canada Bill Jones
Folks, we got us a card sharp. Canada Bill Jones was a three card monte guy, taking rubes for their cash on trains and riverboats across the heart of...
Ryan Borgwardt: The Wannabe Ghost of Green Lake
Once upon a time... a married man and father of three went online and there he met a mystery woman from Uzbekistan. The two began an internet friendsh...
The Salad Oil King of New Jersey: Tino De Angelis
The salad oil business is slippery stuff. Sometimes you have to grease some palms to get what you want. You have to be slick. And you have to trim the...
Keith Richards and John Lennon Take an Acid Road Trip
LSD didn't used to be a street drug, originally it was considered a wonder drug, part of the post-war belief in "better living through chemistry." Tha...
Aldi Money in the World: Theo Albrecht
Theo and Karl Albrecht build a discount food empire. Aldi is known the world over for "the best quality at the lowest price." Bringing bargains to the...
Patrick Critton: the Black Panther Turned Skyjacking Schoolteacher
A one-time revolutionary and member of the Black Panthers was the first person to successfully hijack a plane in Canada. That led to a 30-year life on...
Put It on My Tab: Anna Delvey
As Billie Jean King once said, "if you can see it, you can be it." Young Anna Sorokin took this to heart. She saw the fabulously wealthy and became on...
A Fraudulent Aretha Franklin: How Do You Spell Respect?
If a New York City hairdresser who looks a little like James Brown comes up to you and says he can make you a star, don't believe him. But Miss Mary J...
Diamonds Aren't Forever: Henri Lemoine
If you boast that you can make diamonds out of burnt sugar, you better be able to deliver. Especially if you're boasting to a diamond magnate whose in...