Alle afleveringen
502 afleveringen, van nieuw naar oud
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Jump, Jive, and Jail: the Pot Bust of Gene Krupa
10 juni 2025 · 1 uur 4 min
At the height of the swing music era, jazz drummer and musical great Gene Krupa was caught up in a federal bust. He was used as a cautionary tale in America's First Drug War. Taken down in order to scare young people away from that serious and dire threat to America... jazz music. Lees meer
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How to Disappear: Raymond Grady Stansel
5 juni 2025 · 52 min
An ocean-loving, expert mariner Florida man made his living transporting bales of marijuana until the law caught up with him. Then he went to a land down under, where women glow and men plunder (as they say in the song). He made a new life for himself there. Can't you hear, can't you hear the thunder? You better run, you better take cover. Lees meer
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Black Bart: the Outlaw Folk Hero Poet
3 juni 2025 · 1 uur
Black Bart was not his government name. While the name was fearsome and his occupation as a stagecoach robbing outlaw was typically violent and careers short-lived, Black Bart was the opposite in every way. He was a gentleman outlaw folk hero who never hurt anyone. Not only that, he left poems for the lawmen chasing after him. The secret to his success? Black Bart was not at all what anyone expected! Lees meer
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Yellowstone Isn't Just for Duttons: Tim Blixseth
29 mei 2025 · 56 min
A lumber baron who set his sights on facilitating luxury living established an enormous, posh, private ski club. And in a shocking turn of events that absolutely no one could ever see coming, hundreds of lawsuits followed. Lees meer
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"Ladies and Gentlemen, Los Beetles (Americanos)!"
27 mei 2025 · 54 min
A Florida club promoter had a big idea: he'd take four young American lads, grow out their hair, dress 'em like John, Paul, George and Ringo, and call 'em the American Beetles to cash in on a thing called Beatlesmania. That worked so well the four lads embarked on a magical mystery tour of South America. And that's how Los Beetles Americanos came to Buenos Aires. Only trouble was: no one told Argentina it wasn't the real Beatles. Lees meer
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For the Love of a Funny Girl: Nicky Arnstein
22 mei 2025 · 48 min
A cardsharp, a ladies man, a con artist extraordinaire. Nicky Arnstein skirted the law and lived the high life, even married the most famous woman in radio. A couple stretches of hard labor in the pen couldn't break him, but a film adaptation of his life almost did. Tough guy, thin skin. Lees meer
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The Great Del Taco Stock Debacle: You Got Jacked!
20 mei 2025 · 49 min
There's the big leagues of insider trading, like what we see from both sides of the aisle in Washington DC. And when we think of Wall St. crimes taking place it's in boardrooms, backrooms, and out on golf courses. But what about in the Tampa Bay Rays farm system? That's where a roster of struggling minor leaguers tried to grab a big league pay day off of Del Taco stock options. Ridiculous crimes followed. Lees meer
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Diva Up Energy: George Santos
15 mei 2025 · 58 min
We've come to expect corruption and lies in Washington, but there are times when it just goes too far. Witness George Santos, a guy who is seemingly allergic to the truth (but not Hermès). He proves that there's money to be made in the outrage machine, whether we like it or not. Lees meer
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Those Battlin' Bachs! Johann and Sebastian
13 mei 2025 · 57 min
There's Sebastian Bach. The former lead singer of the hair metal band, Skid Row. You expect stories of him acting out –– that's kinda his whole deal. He goes through life like he's a one-man reality show about a former rock star who now enjoys wine bars and Broadway. But there's also his namesake, Johann Sebastian Bach. And let us tell ya, he was every bit the bad boy. And just as criminally ridiculous. Lees meer
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Bad Boy Book Buddies: Marcus Schrenker and Matthew Cox
8 mei 2025 · 54 min
Two con men. Each masters of financial fraud. Each on the run from the law, using aliases and wild maneuvers to stay one step ahead of the authorities. Until they weren't. And it was only then that they crossed paths, with ridiculous result. Get ready to throw a couple more tomes into the Ridiculous Crime library! Lees meer
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Hey Paal! Did You Steal Edvard Munch's "The Scream"?
6 mei 2025 · 59 min
A former footballer in the Norwegian league who was also a former street criminal jumped back in the game as a high-end art thief. He says he made Edvard Munch's painting "The Scream" famous by stealing it. We say his whole story is...ridiculous! Lees meer
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The Fixer: Lou Blonger
1 mei 2025 · 1 uur
This guy was the other Soapy Smith, running crime rings in Denver, Colorado. A bunco magnate, he made his money off the naïveté of rube tourists. His stock market wasn't real but, then again, is any stock market real? Anyway, the King of the Bunks ran afoul of the law in the most intense way possible. And it was…ridiculous. Lees meer
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"You Try to Choke George Clooney, See How It Goes": the David O Russell Story
29 april 2025 · 52 min
On a Hollywood film set, the director is like a god. They have the power to make or to break. They have the carte blanche to do whatever they must to make their art. And they often abuse this privilege and all the fine folks around them. And then, there's David O Russell who takes bad behavior to whole 'nother level. Listeners, be warned: there's plenty of salty language in this one, it's bleeped, but it's still there. Lees meer
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Queen of the St. Petersburg Crime Scene: Sonia Golden Hand
24 april 2025 · 55 min
A gorgeous thief who was perhaps too talented for her own criming good, Sonia Golden Hand stole hearts and goods all over Europe. She ran cons and palmed gems like no other, which gained her fame. Pro tip: fame and recognition aren't particularly helpful for those looking to fly under the radar. Lees meer
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Behind the Mask: The life and crimes of costumed characters
22 april 2025 · 58 min
From college mascots getting arrested, to Gritty being investigated for fighting a kid, to the battlin' superheroes of Times Square, and on out west to the tourist wrasslin' costumed characters of Hollywood Blvd, this week Zaron amuses Elizabeth with tales from life behind the mask. It's wild how a little bit of cloth can make a person act out. Lees meer
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When I Stencil My Masterpiece: Banksy Thefts
17 april 2025 · 58 min
Graffiti is generally illegal. Unless it's created by a celebrated, anonymous artist named Banksy. Then it's worth millions and ripe for the stealin'. People steal Banksy pieces, even the murals off of walls of buildings. Is it illegal to steal something that's already technically illegal? We shall see. Lees meer
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The Curious Kitschy Crime of Sea Monkeys
15 april 2025 · 1 uur
A mad inventor, his cheated heiress, a villainous toy company called Big Time Toys, astronaut John Glenn, Howie Mandel, the Pixies, and a dark secret... this story has it all and then some. Get ready for a wild ride into the underwater world of Sea Monkeys and their very, very strange inventor. Lees meer
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For Those about to Rock: Alcatraz Escapes
10 april 2025 · 59 min
Escaping from prison isn't easy. It was near impossible from a place like Alcatraz Island in the San Francisco Bay. The prison was notorious not only for its infamous prisoners, but also for its harrowing location amidst choppy waters and hungry sharks. But the human spirit and the desire to be free can't be squelched. Come with us as we escape "The Rock." Lees meer
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Dude Where's My House?! The Irishman Whose Home Went Full Brigadoon
8 april 2025 · 51 min
What do you do when you come home to find there is no home where your home should be? This was the curious dilemma for one particularly unlucky Irishman. His missing home conundrum led to a meandering multi-decade long legal melee to solve the seemingly magical mystery of who stole his missing 150-year old house. Because on an island with a population less than the seating limit of a large restaurant, somehow no one knew what happened to his missing home. Lees meer
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Long Live the King of Keys: The Antwerp Diamond Heist
3 april 2025 · 54 min
A diamond heist for the ages! An Italian heist crew pulled off an impeccably prepared raid on a vault full of diamonds. Well, almost pulled off. A lesson in the importance of patience, this crime shows us that everything can hinge on a salami sandwich. With special guest appearances by noisy interns! Lees meer
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More from the Casebook of Bob Nygaard, Psychic Detective
1 april 2025 · 59 min
We're back with more tales from the anti-psychic sleuthing of super detective Bob Nygaard. Bob and his fedora get justice for a lovelorn gent who spent a king's ransom trying to win back his dream girl. As you can probably guess, hundreds of thousands of dollars and diamonds later, the guy was still alone. But he (and we) will always have Nygaard. Lees meer
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Born to Run: James Hogue
27 maart 2025 · 51 min
Is it so bad to want to run? And is it so bad to want to do it in high school? Well, it sure is if you're 25 years old and faking your identity. James Hogue did just that. And then did it again under another identity in college. Baby, he was born to run. Lees meer
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From the Casebook of Bob Nygaard, Psychic Detective
25 maart 2025 · 56 min
Bob Nygaard, a former NYPD detective turned private investigator is a real gumshoe's gumshoe. Like he stepped off the pages of a noir detective novel, the snap-brim fedora-wearing P.I. is the man folks call when a phony psychic fleeces them out of a fortune. And Bob Nygaard, psychic detective, gets them justice. Lees meer
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Eternal Sunshine of the Meatless Mind: Sarma Melngailis
20 maart 2025 · 55 min
She was a vegan restauranteur looking for meaning in her expanding empire. He was a man who said he could make dogs live forever. Together, they made for one of the most toxic relationships we've ever seen. And along the way, they managed to drain her business coffers and stiff some workers. They put the "well, that sucks" in wellness. Lees meer
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A Solar-Powered Con Artist: Jeff Carpoff
18 maart 2025 · 1 uur
He was not an engineer, nor was he an inventor, instead he was a failed car mechanic. But Jeff Carpoff didn't let that stop him from creating a billion dollar business based on his invention: a portable solar generator. It worked, kinda... and that was all he needed to run his solar-powered con that roped in a really powerful sucker named President Obama. Lees meer
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The Art of Forgery: Art Williams Jr.
13 maart 2025 · 54 min
Let's face it, counterfeiting is an art. It takes serious talent and skill. So it should come as no surprise that the best counterfeiter in the land is also a fantastic artist. To say Art Williams, Jr. has lived a surprising and ridiculous life is an understatement. Print yourself a five dollar bill, buy some popcorn, and settle in! Lees meer
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I Wanna Be Bootsy, Too!
11 maart 2025 · 51 min
They say it's never good to meet your heroes in real life. It's even worse if you meet your hero in real life and it's not really them. This week, E and Z examine tales of the many folks who want to be the original funkateer, Bootsy Collins. Antics and mayhem ensue. But there is only one true Bootsy! Lees meer
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The Dulcet Tones of Zyme Bedewing: Mike Smith
6 maart 2025 · 49 min
AC/DC told us it's a long way to the top if you want to rock and roll. Sage advice. But that was before the age of AI. Now it's a short way to the top if you want to create hundreds of thousands of fake songs to make millions from streaming services. Mike Smith did just that, courtesy of Artificial Intelligence. Gaming the system like that is all well and good, but can AI create a masterpiece like AC/DC's "Big Balls"? Doubtful. Lees meer
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The Great Air Jordan Train Robberies of 2024
4 maart 2025 · 54 min
Train robberies are so 19th century. Air Jordans are so 20th century. Yet, combine them and you get the hottest new crime of the 21st century: train robberies of boxcars of Jordans. Come aboard as E and Z ride the rails of crime. Lees meer
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IRS Will Survive: Studio 54
27 februari 2025 · 51 min
It was a dark fantasyland of excess and glamor. We speak not of your local Applebee's. No, we mean Studio 54, the ne plus ultra of 70s discotheques. It was the place to see and be seen, to do drugs and get glitter in your cracks. To just dance, baby! Until the IRS came calling. And with the evidence the owners left behind, they couldn't blame it on the boogie. Lees meer
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The Inimitable Miss Cleo: The World Famous Fake Phone Psychic
25 februari 2025 · 58 min
The late '90s were such a different time... kinda. But the last real decade still had plenty of fakers, grifters, and scam artists, all offering up questionable spirituality and easy answers... just like now! Enter Miss Cleo, the legendarily scammy fakin' Jamaican phony phone-based psychic and the face of a highly profitable long con, the Psychic Readers Network. Lees meer
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With a Side of Chow Chow: The Kidnapping of Elton B. Stephens Jr.
20 februari 2025 · 50 min
A Southern Gothic thriller for the ages, this is the tale of a Coen Brothers-esque kidnapping gone sideways. A bumbling couple take a magazine subscription heir prisoner to fund the purchase of their dream home, and the whole saga is later chronicled by the inventor of a game in which one hunts humans. Listener Lane Price tipped us off to this epic, delivering a Southern fried wild ride. Lees meer
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God Save the Queen...and the Sex Pistols
18 februari 2025 · 55 min
1977 was the year punk broke. It was also the Silver Jubilee year, which was a special celebration to commemorate the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II. Never one to miss publicity, the princes of punk rock, the Sex Pistols, released their new single, God Save the Queen, and chartered a boat tour just to mock the monarch, which resulted in a police beatdown. It was truly anarchy in the UK. Lees meer
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The Art of the Steal: Stephane Breitwieser
13 februari 2025 · 56 min
Listen, we all love art. But this dude LOVES art. So much so that he steals it and never lets go. His mom, though, isn't afraid of turning some loose. It's like they say: if you love something, set it free…into a canal. Lees meer
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Le Scandal: the French Mayor and the Nudist Fortune-Telling Ventriloquist
11 februari 2025 · 1 uur 1 min
At the start of 2024, a conservative mayor of a small charming French seaside nudist resort town was accused of embezzlement and illegal use of city funds. Allegedly, he was secretly paying a fortune-telling ventriloquist, a woman who claimed she could speak with the dead, so that the mayor could hear from his dear departed daddy. The result? Le scandal! Lees meer
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Come Fly with Me: Airline Stowaways
6 februari 2025 · 1 uur 1 min
Sometimes you need to fly the friendly skies, but you don't have a ticket. There was a time when the solution was to just sneak onto a plane and act like ya know. Follow a handful of young and young-ish scofflaws as they sneak aboard, confound security, and have unforgettable adventures that, of course, end in cuffs. Lees meer
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When the USA Caught "Pac–Man Fever"
4 februari 2025 · 1 uur 1 min
In the early '80s, America faced a dire existential threat...in the form of "Pac-Man Fever." A moral panic feared that a generation of kids would be lost to the insidious new video game craze. Inspired by First Lady Nancy Reagan's "Just Say No," America's moral scolds fought back. Lees meer
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The Flying Forger: Bad Bobby Baudin
30 januari 2025 · 50 min
Zany! That's how people described Robert Baudin, aerial photographer and counterfeiter extraordinaire. But he was more than zany. He was bold. He was crafty. And like Exclamation Perfume, the popular scent of the early 90s, he made a statement without saying a word. Lees meer
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As the Worm Turns: Dennis Rodman Goes to North Korea
28 januari 2025 · 55 min
What do you get when the Supreme Leader of North Korea has a sports crush on Michael Jordan but can't get the NBA great to come see him? Well, you settle for Jordan teammate, Dennis Rodman. And before you know it that one choice leads to international hijinks, political intrigue, denuclearization talks, and the revelation that Dennis Rodman may be a real life superspy. Lees meer
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Don't Let the Door Hit Ya Where the Good Lord Split Ya: Peter Popoff
23 januari 2025 · 49 min
It's one thing to bilk the gullible who are looking to make a quick buck, it's quite another to con those who are looking for healing and salvation. It's terrible. Sickening. Despite the valiant efforts of a skeptic magician, it looks like Peter Popoff is still selling holy water and phony debt relief. This episode sounds like a bummer, but somehow it isn't. Lees meer
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Have Mercy!: The Hard Gambling Nuns of Torrance
21 januari 2025 · 58 min
Holy moley! A fake nun, a fake bishop, a con man priest, and the belle of the ball... a pair of hard gambling nuns who embezzle a million dollars from a Catholic school in Los Angeles to fund their secret lifestyle as Vegas whales AKA high roller gamblers who just love the action. Lees meer
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Pietro La Greca & The Mexican Money Laundry Part 2
16 januari 2025 · 1 uur 1 min
For the second part of this tale about Pietro La Greca Sr., the one-time gigolo, turned arsonist, turned money launderer for the Mexican cartels and who later graduated to running tax scams with the head of the Mexican IRS, his son recounts the effects on his family from having a ridiculous criminal for a father. (Warning: there's frank discussion about terminal cancer in this episode) Lees meer
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Pietro La Greca & The Mexican Money Laundry Part 1
14 januari 2025 · 56 min
Imagine your father is a charming international one-time gigolo turned clothing boutique owner turned arsonist turned money launderer for the Mexican cartels and Mexican presidents. Well, turns out you don't have to imagine it because that's the life of Pietro La Greca Jr. and he told Elizabeth and Zaron all about it! Lees meer
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Want to Get Away Week: Sealand
9 januari 2025 · 1 uur 2 min
Want to get away from it all? Start your own country? Fight some Dutchmen? Go up against the British crown? That's what Paddy Roy Bates did when he founded Sealand, an island nation off the coast of England. Come for the pirate radio, stay for the dodgy passports! Lees meer
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Want To Get Away Week: Come Aboard the Sex Raft!
7 januari 2025 · 57 min
Want to get away from it all? What if you could climb aboard a homemade raft, and join a group of young and sexy strangers, and together you all drift across the Atlantic, as a Svengaliesque professor stirs up sexual chaos and documents it all for his study of human beings. Sound fun? Or does it sound... ridiculous?! Lees meer
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Ridiculous Update: Revisiting the Theft of the Ruby Slippers
2 januari 2025 · 56 min
We look back at the time someone stole Judy Garland's ruby slippers from the movie The Wizard of Oz. With a special update about the fate of the slippers since the episode originally aired! Lees meer
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Ridiculous Update: Rita Crundwell and Her Little Ponies
31 december 2024 · 1 uur
We look back at the woman who embezzled $53 million dollars from her small hometown in the American heartland, all so that she could pay for her pony obsession. Now she wasn't hitting the track, no, Rita Crundwell lusted to become a celebrity in the world of horse breeders and trainers. And now, we have an update! Lees meer
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If I'm Lion, I'm Dyin': The Movie ROAR
26 december 2024 · 55 min
The actress Tippi Hedren and her whole family once made a certifiably ridiculous movie. A little joint called ROAR. With a cast of more than 100 untrained lions and a very loose script, it took years and millions to make. Was the set safe? Not on your life. And the biggest shame is that almost no one got to see it. Lees meer
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Stealing Baby Jesus
25 december 2024 · 23 min
While leafing through 75 years of local newspapers, Zaron Burnett uncovers an American Christmas tradition as ingrained in our culture as the red-and-white Santa: sneaking up to a nativity scene and stealing the Baby Jesus. And, in many cases, immediately regretting it. Lees meer
Note: Please do not steal Baby Jesus.
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VERY SPECIAL CREDITS
Hosted by Dana Schwartz, Zaron Burnett, and Jason English
Written by Zaron Burnett
Produced by Josh Fisher
Editing and Sound Design by Chris Childs
Mixing and Mastering by Chris Childs
Voice Actors: Jonathan Washington, Chris Childs, Elizabeth Dutton, Katie Mattie, Josh Fisher, and Zaron Burnett
Original Music by Elise McCoy
Show Logo by Lucy Quintanilla
Executive Producer is Jason EnglishThanks for listening! We'll have one more episode in 2024 next Monday. If you're enjoying Very Special Episodes, please leave us a rating and review on your favorite podcast platform. You can reach the show at veryspecialepisodes@gmail.com.
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Stealing the Stone of Scone: A Christmas Story
24 december 2024 · 54 min
One Christmas night, four proud brave Scots break into Westminster Abbey to steal back the Stone of Scone AKA the Stone of Destiny for the glory and pride of Scotland. It was a Christmas miracle... of crime! Lees meer
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