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 iHeartRadio.

D.B. Tuber: The Craigslist Bank Robber

A man, a plan, a bright yellow innertube. Tony Curcio made his name as the Craigslist Bank Robber after he used the site to devastating effect to hire temp workers. And then, years later, he needed a new name after he dipped into the criminal underworld of black market Pokémon.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

06-25
01:09:32

Everyday, Everyday I Steal the Book: Three Major Book Heists

Rare books are, obviously, valuable. And that means people want to steal them, often in ridiculous ways. Sometimes in huge quantities, sometimes over huge amounts of time. This is the tale of three big book heists that are almost as irritating as Elizabeth's pronunciations of just about everything. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

06-20
01:07:41

Ten–Cent Beer Night: The Cleveland Fans vs. Billy Martin

On June 4, 1974... all hell broke loose in Cleveland. You see the Stroh's Beer Co. parked a few of its trucks at the ballpark for a cheap beer promotion –– that culminated in a full-scale riot. Things got so bad Billy Martin had to lead an armed charge!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

06-18
01:01:49

Psssst…Wanna Buy the Taj Mahal?: Natwarlal

India's greatest con artist, Natwarlal, never met a load of cargo he couldn't scam his way into possessing. His many arrests, convictions, and escapes captivated a nation. Especially when he sold the Taj Mahal…thrice! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

06-13
01:03:34

Joe Bergl: Al Capone's Mechanic

During Prohibition, the gangsters and the outlaw folk hero bank robbers agreed on one thing: you need a good mechanic. Enter Joe Bergl. The preferred mechanic of the underworld. He was the favorite car guy of "Bottles" Capone, brother of Scarface. And also he was the favorite wrench turner for Baby Face Nelson and Machine Gun Kelly. Buckle up, Rude Dudes! It's about to get... fast and ridiculous!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

06-11
01:09:34

Casino Heists: Ocean's 130 Years For Casino Robbery

If we say casino heist, you probably think Ocean's 11, 12, 13... Maybe Ocean's 8... Or the original Sinatra Rat Pack version. Look, we all do. This week, Elizabeth has got way more real life stories of international casino heists and robberies –– it's a Vegas buffet of crime!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

06-06
01:01:48

Citizen...Can You Not?!: Orson Welles vs. William Randolph Hearst

The radio and theater phenom, Orson Welles, was the real life Max Fisher from Rushmore. He has early success after success, and then goes off to Hollywood to makes his first film –– Citizen Kane. However, the great man the film is based on goes to war against Orson Welles to crush the filmmaker and bury his film before it's ever released. Hearst uses means, both legal and illegal, to destroy the young genius. Why?! It all comes down to one word: Rosebud.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

06-04
01:05:16

Oh Yes It's Ladies Heist: Josephine O'Dare and Amélie Condemine

The fictional character Raffles established the public's notion of a gentleman thief. But what of the ladies? Josephine O'Dare and Amélie Condemine took the Raffles playbook and blazed their way through European society, lightening wallets and lifting gems. Whether they only made 72 cents on the dollar compared to male thieves remains unknown. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

05-30
01:04:49

Nic Cage and Patricia Arquette: The Love Quest

Nic Cage is a mixed bag of nuts. But Patricia Arquette is also no slouch when it comes to being, um, unique. Now imagine the two of them together –– young and in love. Well, you don't have to because it already happened! Zaron has the goods on the Love Quest that she sent him on to prove his. And things, of course, get criminally ridiculous!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

05-28
01:00:05

Sisters are Scheming it for Themselves: Lady Banking Scams

Charles Ponzi didn't invent the Ponzi scheme. No, two women pioneered the con on both sides of the Atlantic decades before Ponzi struck. Remember folks, if returns on your investments seem too good to be true, they totally are.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

05-23
01:08:41

Rainfurrest 2015: Send In the Furries!

In 2015, a convention descended on the Seattle–Tacoma Airport Hilton Hotel. The 3-day gathering of Furries was meant to be a fun place to let your fur down... but some let the fur go too low. Public nudity, diaper fights, drugs, booze, cops, firefighters, ambulances, emergency plumbers –– this story has everything. And then some! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

05-21
01:11:15

None of Your Byzantium: Prince Henri

A guy born in Italy moves to France and says he's the heir to the throne in Constantinople, then he heads to the United States to peddle fake titles. You know what that is? Ridiculous. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

05-16
01:01:32

Jeffrey Alan Manchester: The Roofman Cometh

Paratrooper Jeff Manchester used his skills to burgle Corporate America as The Roofman. First, he'd focused on McDonalds and other fast food. Then, like a criminal butterfly, he morphed into a Toys 'R' Us Man who built a secret apartment in an open store –– it was the ultimate inside job. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

05-14
01:05:00

Tonight There's Gonna Be a Jail Break: Two Escaper Boys

Jack Shepherd was a petty, pretty thief. He wasn't very good at it, so he got caught a lot. And he escaped a lot. Just like Henry More Smith. He, too, couldn't stop stealing and couldn't stop freeing himself from prison life. These guys prove that you can't keep a good (well, at least non-violent) man down.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

05-09
58:59

Who Stole Our Big Boy?!

He is an icon of midcentury America. He's cherubic. He's beloved. He's starred in Hollywood movies. And he's often stolen as a prank, but sometimes things turn darker –– but they always stay ridiculous.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

05-07
01:03:18

My Psychic, She Wrote Me a Letter: Maria Duval

If you have psychic powers, you should see a scam coming a mile away. Not so for Maria Duval. The French psychic only wanted to use her powers for good, but three shady dealers used her name to create one of the world’s longest-running cons. Just because a letter has a coffee stain on it doesn't mean it's real. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

05-02
58:03

I Say, I Say, This Here Beauty Pageant Is Rigged!

For many folks, beauty pageants feel like part of a bygone era of 'big hair, don't care' femininity. But Zaron is here to set you straight on that score. Beauty pageants are still very much a thing... and they've got crime a-plenty! Allegations of bribery and hijinks! And also, Steve Harvey! So you know it's bound to get loose. This week it's a bubbly bevy of beauty pageant scandals!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

04-30
01:06:51

Coming to You Live from Ashtar Galactic Command: More Signal Interruptions

Elizabeth may not watch tv, but that doesn't stop her from regaling Zaron with tales of television signal hijacking. From porn to zombies to aliens to more porn, no broadcast is safe.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

04-25
55:29

Point Bleak: The Flesh-Masked Bandit

In the early '90s, the Chicagoland area was home to a bank robber known for wearing very specific masks –– masks of former US presidents. Notably, he wasn't inspired by the classic bank-robbing surfers film, and Point Break wasn't inspired by him, it was all just a...ridiculous crime.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

04-23
01:01:24

It Was a Kayak: John Darwin aka Canoe Man

With debt mounting and no relief in sight, John Darwin figured his only option was to fake his own death. One sunken kayak and a complicit spouse later, he found himself in Panama with no clothes on. But that didn't last. Nothing ridiculous ever does. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

04-18
57:42

James Schmidt

this is one of the funniest podcast I have ever listened to!!! I'm still cracking up

03-23 Reply

Abdul aziz

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02-09 Reply

Laura Bogart

wealth damages people psychologically

02-03 Reply

Laura Bogart

I'm surprised more classical musicians weren't caught stealing since so many were baroque

10-15 Reply

Laura Bogart

add a claw footed soaking tub and that's everything I want in a relaxing bath

10-03 Reply

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