Claim OwnershipRidiculous Crime
Subscribed: 9,126Played: 467,621
Subscribe
2026 iHeartMedia, Inc. © Any use of this intellectual property for text and data mining or computational analysis including as training material for artificial intelligence systems is strictly prohibited without express written consent from iHeartMedia
Description
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 iHeartRadio.
421 Episodes
Reverse
1This week on Antiques Roadshow, we're coming to you from historic Ridiculous Crime Headquarters. Zaron Burnett, a crime authenticator, and Elizabeth Dutton, an authority on quirkiness, appraise tales of naughtiness, foolishness, and the search for the truth. It's all made possible by listeners like you (and Darlene Shiley...and Admiral iHeart). And because it can't be said enough, support your local PBS station. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Imagine some brothers. No, like a lot of them. Now imagine they love robbing banks and trains. But they also love fast cards and high living. Now imagine what Zaron would say about that. Yup, "my men."See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
For those who live their lives online, follower numbers, likes, and ad collabs are essential. The bread and butter in such a new and fleeting industry. You'd think that in the expansive social media universe, these folks could live in peace and harmony. Nope. Not possible. Their beefs are stupid, so let's talk about them. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
The front man for Limp Bizkit is known to be a bit of an ass. However, he claims the role of Fred Durst is actually a monster of his own making. But as numerous incidents from his decades as a star prove... the greatest crime is that he just won't stop being Fred Durst. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Original studio recordings are the purest form of a song; they are also incredibly valuable. Theft of master tapes are a musician's worst nightmare. But sometimes, it can be a blessing in disguise. Whether the thief nabs the tapes as revenge, as bootleg material, or by accident, you can bet your sweet patoot the chaos that results is pretty ridiculous. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
He was the most famous cyclist in the world. Then it all came crashing down when it was revealed that he was a huge cheater. What went so wrong for Lance Armstrong? Elizabeth and Zaron dig-in to the bullet-proof lies, the champion's mystique, and the many ridiculous crimes of the world famous 7-time winner of the Tour de France. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
A con man flim flam artist who loved hockey wanted nothing more than to own a professional hockey team. The problem is that he wasn't a billionaire, which is sort of a prerequisite for professional team ownership. No problem. Borrow some cash, fake some documents, tell some lies and BOOM, the team was his..at least for a couple of months. Fill up the tub. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
When the first World War kicked off, Grover Cleveland Bergdoll, a notorious daredevil and rich kid playboy, decided armed combat wasn't for him. And so, rather than serve, he decided to dodge the draft. He would spend the next two decades begging for a pardon as he evaded justice and the many men sent to capture him. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
The best part of espionage is the spycraft, the cool gadgets and codes often disguised as everyday objects. Some look like lipstick, others like umbrellas. And then there are the ones that are a bit riskier because they're smaller and easier to misplace. Coins. Talkin' about coins. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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 AKA the "King of Hollywood" to enlist and go fight the Nazis. This was a big bummer for his #1 German fan, Der Fuhrer, AKA Adolf Hitler. But just like his wife Carole Lombard had hoped, Clark Gable did go to war against his biggest fan boy.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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? No. He stole his way into literary inner circles. And we know how those stories end. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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, not really. But this episode is a fun collection of Christmas crimes and the holiday-crazed criminals who committed them. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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 both sides of the Atlantic. But in the hierarchy of criminals, the robber barons generally come out on top, and Gordon Squared just didn't anticipate that. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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-reclusive Howard Hughes. It gets wilder than that –– their love rivalry lasted decades and involved the mafia and the CIA. In fact, the dynamic forever changed Las Vegas and even ended the Rat Pack Era. This one is a wild midcentury tale... and 100% criminally ridiculous!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Using his logistical and felonious prowess, Adam Worth developed a sophisticated criminal network stealing money, art, and jewelry from high-value targets on two continents. Understated and cunning, Worth was so successful he inspired one of literature's greatest criminal masterminds. Quite the criming legacy. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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's not. This really happened. And oddly enough, it's actually a charming Christmastime tale. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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 Nazis to aid the Allies. Owen House was the secret center of Operation Ostrich, the most intense counterintelligence effort you've never heard of. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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/boat captain and a pair of Miami skin divers to help you blow up a bridge in Zambia? If so, then you are the perps in this truly wild Cold War tale of international intrigue. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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. Martha Stewart the human, however, could and did just that. But you can't keep a tough gal down. Martha made a comeback and then some. And that's a good thing. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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: should I start a counterfeiting ring? For Jeff Turner that was his number one idea. And that's how he became the King of Counterfeiters. But it's also how Jeff ended up on this show, so clearly there were some challenges he didn't expect. For example, a duplicitous Cleveland heroin dealer.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Download from Google Play
Download from App Store
United States
The Black Panthers weren't "revolutionaries." They were terrorists and thugs whose "movement" eventually collapsed into criminality exactly because that's really what they were all along. They set back the progress of the Black community by decades. Their pseudointellectual attempts to justify that criminality was nothing more than putting lipstick on a pig and was straight out of the terrorist handbook.
Eh, Chicago used to be a great city. Now it's like a couple dozen blocks you could call great surrounded by the crime ridden ruins of the rest of the city which is in turn surrounded by suburbs to which anyone with the ability to flee has fled. It's unfortunate, but absolutely true.
These two want everyone to buy their pseudo-intellectual nonsense while they openly admit that they aren't capable of pinning down concepts like annuities to become financially literate? Hilarious.
You think proper French pronunciation was more likely in Vermont, a British colony from its inception, than it was in Wisconsin which began as a French fur trapping territory and still has many French names amongst its counties and municipalities? Makes sense...
nope .. not cam-a-no. ka-may-no. weird, ya can Google it.
I wonder if the Internet was around in 1981 this scam would have lasted as long as it did- people would have been posting all over about what a liar he was.... OR maybe he would have run for & won the Presidency.
Keep in mind that 1981 money is worth 3x today. So that $1,500 seminar class would be $4,500 today. & that $15,000 week long class was like spending $45,000 today. Which is insane. If they skipped this POS con man's "classes" & invested that money instead it would have resulted in actual gains. But we are greedy as a society- if something seems too good to be true, it probably is. I hope all these victims ended up okay in the end.
P.S. If you want to catch a play/musical at a theater with a real cool vibe? Hit up the Pantages! The interior is so cool. When I was a kid who was too young to be all that interested in the shows my mom would take us to, I'd just enjoy the atmosphere and all the detail in the decor.
*prohibitive*
....*Also a child in need is a child in need. Why do you care so much (to mention it several times) WHERE they're from? You sell yourself as so "woke" (& I'm NOT using that term as an insult - to me it means compassionate, non- judgmental, empathetic & accepting). So are you a xenophobe? I've listened to the entire catalog of this podcast & I never got that impression of you but perhaps you are not what you like to portray.
.... I'm in the process here in the US. *Another reason is because the US (supposedly) has higher standards of care for children in group homes (orphanages/foster care) compared to those in other (less "developed "countries ). So one can argue these kids would never have the same opportunities as an orphan, unadopted child in the US would....
WTF, Elizabeth?... What's w/ the judgement about WHERE the couple adopted their children? Yeah, there are kids in Michigan who need adopted too but what does that have to do w/ anything? The 2 kids adopted from Columbia were still kids in need of a family. & There are several reasons WHY someone would choose to go elsewhere to adopt: *The cost is prohibited for many couples- ideally, it shouldn't cost anything but that's not the way it is here in the US. (I know this firsthand b/c -
P.S. You cannot still send a telegram via Western Union. They turned over their telegram service to International Telegram in 2006. I only know this because my aunt used to send us WU telegrams for Christmas every year as her unique way of wishing family members happy holidays.
An article I read on furries, bronies, and other alternative communities said that female bronies are called pegasisters (a combo of Pegasus and sister). Just FYI since Z said there wasn't a separate name for the ladies in the group. 😂
He felt so unsafe walking around America as a black man, but the second his tiger mauled him he called the cops that are supposedly the source of that fear. Ridiculous...
this is definitely my favorite episode thus far, hilarious!
Before the story of who JT LeRoy really was, I read Sarah and immediately got the vibe that it was fictional. So much of it reads like someone fantasizing about what they think some super edgy street kid character lives like. To anyone who has actually lived any part of that life it comes off as a caricature. The only people I knew who thought it was written as anything approaching autobiography were edgy kids who had their own similar fantasies.
P.S. The Cali Cartel existed before Pablo Escobar died and competed with the Medellin Cartel for years. They didn't go out and "form their own cartel" after Escobar was killed.
I used to work at an exotic car dealership here in SoCal and we had insurance that covered any accidents on test drives. I know this because one of my coworkers was on a Lambo test drive and the driver whipped it around a blind curve and into the ass end of an LA-area traffic jam. He was all worried that he'd get fired and owe a bunch of money until my boss explained to him that we have insurance and it wasn't his fault.
Not to be that guy, but it's courts martial not court martials.