Ridiculous Crime

Episodes

• Where Everybody Knows Your Name: Charles Ponzi 04.06.2026 55m

  It's the American Dream to reach these golden shores, work hard, make your fortune, and see your name go down in history. Charles Ponzi did all that, just not in the way the law intended. He perfected the pyramid scheme to such a degree, they just named the whole thing after him. Not the legacy you want in life. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
• True Crime by A True Crimer: Mary Carole McDonnell, the Fake Aerospace Heiress 02.06.2026 51m

  She made a name for herself in the world of True Crime TV. But it was not a good name. Mary Carole McDonnell was known to run a fly-by-night TV production company that paid poorly and paid late. But that was only a part of the story. She was also a faux nepo baby posing as an aerospace heiress. Which she leveraged into bank fraud to the tune of millions and millions. Further proof, in Hollywood, nothing is ever at it seems.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
• I Was Just the Weed Guy: George Martorano 28.05.2026 52m

  Born into a mob family, "Cowboy" George Martorano was pretty much destined to run afoul of the law. A non-violent guy in a roiling sea of brutality, he sold a whole lotta weed (and an even greater quantity of quaaludes). Like many drug smugglers, he wound up behind bars. But a life sentence for a first time, non-violent offense? Ridiculous.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
• The Last True Outlaw of the Lonesome West: Roddy Dean Pippin 26.05.2026 57m

  He always wanted to be a cowboy, ever since he first read about 'em in Louis L'Amour novels and watched them in John Wayne westerns. The only trouble was: he wanted to be the outlaw. And when he grew up, he did. Transcending the flow of time, Roddy Dean Pippin chose to become the last great cattle rustler. But being an outlaw –– son, that's against the law in Texas. And that would be a problem for Roddy Dean Pippin.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
• Thus Spoke the Lady Bandit: Pearl Hart 21.05.2026 44m

  A woman with a muddled biography and a life of clever and not so clever endeavors, Pearl Hart was dubbed by the press as the Girl Bandit, the Last Stagecoach Robber, the Bandit Queen. Except she really wasn't. But she kind of was. Like her personal history, it's complicated.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
• A Bit of a Sticky Wicket: the Crimes of Allen Stanford 19.05.2026 1h 4m

  He was the man at the heart of a Texas-sized Ponzi scheme that amassed billions in fraudulent profits via offshore banking. Despite his huge donations in Antigua and US politics and his investment in international cricket and polo tournaments, Allen Stanford’s empire of lies came undone when his literal blood brother turned state’s evidence.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
• Too Mean to Swab Hell's Kitchen: The Battle Row Ladies' Social and Athletic Club 14.05.2026 55m

  When you find yourself in a real pickle, a tight spot, a dangerous proposition in 1800s Hell's Kitchen, just ask yourself: what would Stumpy Malarkey do? What would Battle Annie do? What would Mallet Murphy do? How will I get out of this? Am I a time traveler? And what's my special nickname? No time to worry about all that. Start throwin' bricks! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
• The Great Chinese Lottery Heist 12.05.2026 1h 4m

  Ren Xiaofeng thought he had a good life –– married, blessed with two twins, a good job at a bank. But it wasn't enough. He needed more. So he came up with a plan: what if he robbed the bank where he worked and then plowed that ill-gotten capital into his quick-cash investment strategy? He thought with all that newfound money he'd be a shoo-in to win a huge lottery prize. His plan had obvious flaws, but you can't win if you don't play.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
• You Dirty Fish-peddlin' Bums: Celia Cooney, the Bobbed Hair Bandit 07.05.2026 49m

  When a young feisty gal with nothing to lose met a young tough fella with nothing to lose, the only thing they could possibly lose was the spark between them. And there was no stopping that. They made no money, but they lived lives of wild luxury and excitement. How? Robbery! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
• Competition Crimes II: A Slight Return 05.05.2026 58m

  Wherever you find people competing for a prize, if the number of them grows large enough, eventually, you will have cheaters. In the niche worlds of competitive stone-skippers, hog hunters, and British trivia shows, Zaron and Elizabeth ferret out some ridiculous examples. Let the games... and the crimes... begin!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
• Practice Should Have Made Perfect: The Great Brink's Robbery 30.04.2026 53m

  This heist team was more meticulous than most. They planned, they schemed, they made years of dry runs and observations. And the plan went off without a hitch. After the plan? Not so much. In a sort of early Stanford Marshmallow Test, these crimers just couldn't delay gratification. And for that, they paid the price.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
• Fakers, Fraudsters and Phonies: Everything's A Lie Now! 28.04.2026 1h

  In this round-up of recent tales of fakers, fraudsters, and phonies, Zaron shares with Elizabeth a smorgasbord of stories of fake bears, phony medical emergencies on Mount Everest, and a fraudulent influencer abduction to get at the truth of why we can't trust anything any more. And get this: no AI was involved in this episode.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
• I Got the Need, the Need for Weed: Randy Lanier 23.04.2026 49m

  Randy Lanier started as a construction site weed dealer and over the years graduated to major drug smuggler, bringing hundreds of tons of grass into the USA. To add to the risk factor, he also became a Formula One driver and team owner. So much fun! Until it wasn't.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
• The Rise and Fall and Rise of John McAvoy 21.04.2026 1h 7m

  He was a man born into crime. He came from a family of British hard men. Movies were made about the men of his family. He was also enraptured by the criminals he saw depicted in other crime classics. All of this combined to make him a nepo baby of crime. But John McAvoy surprised the world and himself when he forged a new identity, thanks to a rowing machine. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
• Lawyer in the Streets, Crimer in the Spreadsheets: Marc Dreier 16.04.2026 56m

  It takes money to make money. And sometimes, you take someone else's money to make your money. You know how that goes. Marc Dreier was a flashy lawyer with a cash problem. Luckily, he had rich clients to impersonate. Problem solved! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
• My Presciption? You Caught Gold Fever 14.04.2026 1h 10m

  Sometimes you fight the law and the law wins, but other times... luck is on your side and you win. That's the story here today. A pair of treasure hunters go to extraordinary lengths to recover lost gold and then have to fight the law to win the rights to their find. And as always things get... ridiculous!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
• Early Riot Grrrl: Mary Carleton 09.04.2026 1h 5m

  London in the late 1600s was a little chaotic. So it only makes sense that an agent of chaos like Mary Carleton would become famous for her crimes. Crimes like repeated bigamy and stealing pants in the night. An audacious woman determined to chart her own path, she wrote her own pamphlets like some olden times Riot Grrrl and made herself a witness to history along the way. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
• Let's Get Medieval: Holy Relics Theft 07.04.2026 1h 5m

  Whether we're talking the hand of Mary Magdalene, the Skull of St. Foy, the Bones of St. Mark, in the Dark Ages holy relics were ripe for the taking. Thieving monks, conspiring bishops and rebel princesses all went to outrageous lengths to secure the blessings of the bones and body parts of the saints. Sometimes crime requires a little faith. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
• High Daddies, Hot Tents, and Suckers: Circus Crimes 02.04.2026 1h 12m

  Ladies and gentlemen, children of all ages! Step right up! Witness the amazing circus con, promising a menagerie that will never appear! Be amazed by the daring moves of the corporate scoundrel, stealing from a non-profit show! Stare in awe as a low down fraudster tries to pull a fast one on a small town, only to have the tables magically turned! Behold! The ridiculous and criminal side of the big top!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
• All The Coal Kids Are Doing It: Larry Wayne Price Jr. 31.03.2026 1h 11m

  He worked his way into the executive level of the coal industry. Where he was let in on a dirty little secret. Crime was rampant in the coal industry. So, Larry Wayne Price Jr. did what any self-respecting wannabe would do, he also got heavy into crime. One dreamhouse later and things were looking good. But when his scams and schemes collapsed and Price tried to escape, not even a made-up outlaw bike gang could save him. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.