Criminalia

His love for financial fraud may have been matched by his love of impersonation. Frederick Emerson Peters is regarded as one of America’s most infamous imposters. He posed as ordinary Americans, but also once pretended to be a Roosevelt -- actually, two different Roosevelts. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information...

Olivia Serres was an accomplished British landscape painter and published writer. She was also an imposter, pretending to be the legitimate daughter of Prince Henry Frederick, Duke of Cumberland. She insisted on being addressed as Princess Olive of Cumberland, and claimed to be of royal birth. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for...

A False Dmitry refers to all the individuals who claimed to be Dmitry Ivanovich, son of Tsar Ivan IV, and heir to the Russian throne. Between 1605 and 1612, three men made the claim. Only one made it to the throne, but all met violent ends. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It was unlikely she would rule England, but she Elizabeth Tudor did ascend to the throne, and became Queen Elizabeth I. There are often conspiracy theories when you're talking about royalty. But, was Queen Elizabeth I swapped with a boy when she was a child? Holly and Maria talk about the life story of the famed monarch, and delve into a persistent rumor of imposterism regarding her true identity....

Frédéric Bourdin, nicknamed "The Chameleon" by the media, began his impersonations as a child, and claimed to have assumed between 40 to 500 false identities, some of which were actual missing people children and teens. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When Stephen Weinberg was a child, he wanted more than anything to be a doctor. When his parents couldn't afford tuition, Stanley began his path to becoming on of the greatest impersonaters. As Stanley Clifford Weyman, he pretended to be a lot of things -- none of whom were real people. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy...

Anna Anderson claimed she was Grand Duchess Anastasia Nikolaevna of the Romanov dynasty, after rumors swirled that one of Tsar Nicholas II's daughters had survived the execution of the family. Her real name? Neither Anna nor Anastasia. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Upon Richard III's death in 1485, a man named Perkin Warbeck saw an opportunity. Since there was no firm evidence as to the fate of either of the Princes in the Tower, what should stop him claiming one of their identities? So he laid claim to the throne of the first Tudor King of England, Henry VII.  Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listen...

This episode is a story about a shipwreck, a contended inheritance, and a butcher. You'll meet three men: Arthur Orton, Thomas Castro, and Sir Roger Tichborne, who was the man at the center of this whole affair and a man lost at sea. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Betty Bigley's biggest fraud of all began when she convinced the world that she was the daughter of Andrew Carnegie, although born out of wedlock. She let the word spread, while she ran up debts totaling in the millions. She became known in the papers as "the Queen of Ohio" -- that is, until her secret was discovered by a banker in Boston. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodc...

Using a series of stolen identities -- many of whom were still living -- Ferdinand Waldo Demara, aka Fred Demara, built a lengthy résumé as an imposter. But unlike many other imposters, his goal wasn't money. It was to attain prestige and status. Time magazine called him, we quote, "audacious, unschooled but amazingly intelligent pretender." Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpo...

Barry Bremen was a novelty goods salesman, but between 1979 to 1986 he was known in the sports world as The Great Imposter. He posed as a player and umpire in the MLB, a player in the NBA, a PGA golfer, and even Dallas Cowboys cheerleader -- among others. He also accepted an Emmy award meant for Hill Street Blues actress, Betty Thomas. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastn...

Some people knew Christian Gerhartsreiter as Chris Gerhart, a University of Wisconsin film student. Others knew Christopher Chichester, a descendant of British royalty. Still others knew him as Christopher Crowe, a film and TV producer. But most people knew him as Clark Rockefeller, who claimed to be heir to the Rockefeller dynasty. And he pulled it for three decades. Learn more about your ad-choi...

David Lamar was known for walking about Manhattan with his diamond-studded walking stick, for being brash and cutthroat in his dealings, and went on to become a legend for his financial scams as well as impersonating powerful and influential people. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On May 25, 1861, Emma Edmonds became Private Franklin Thompson and was mustered into Company F of the Second Michigan Regiment of Volunteer Infantry as a 3-year recruit. Fueled by love of her country and a see slavery's end, Emma, as Frank, volunteered to fight for the Union armies. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy inf...

Mary Baker adopted a disguise that she hoped would make her more interesting to those she considered commoners. She became Princess Caraboo, a fictional royal pretending to come from the far far away island of Javasu. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Maria Trimarchi and Holly Frey are back with season three of Criminalia! Tune in for the new season starting April 20.  Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We were curious if some historical stalking crimes would seem different today, and whether any of these stalkers would emerge as, perhaps, sympathetic characters. What we found was that yes, a modern look does often cast a different light. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When Cristin Keleher broke into George Harrison's Maui estate, she ate frozen pizza, did a load of laundry, and called her mother. Two weeks later, Michael Abram broke into Harrison's Friar Park estate, stabbing Harrison repeatedly. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Olga “Janina,” a protofeminist and Polish pianist, was known for stalking Hungarian composer Franz Liszt.  Franz’s name may or may not ring a bell, but he was recognized as a musical “rockstar” during the Romantic era. He composed a number of popular classical pieces that are still heard of today (“Hungarian Rhapsody”).  Sure, fans may have screamed and thrown their undergarments at the composer d...

Adele Hugo (1830-1915) was the youngest child of Victor Hugo, a major French writer of the Romantic era. She also was known for stalking a British officer known as Lieutenant Albert Pinson in the mid-1800s.    The lieutenant at one time asked for Adele’s hand in marriage, but Adele declined the proposal. As Pinson moved on however, Hugo’s daughter displayed obsessive behaviors, from wearing disgui...

Jane Bigelow (1829-1889) goes down in history as a socialite who once stalked the great English writer Charles Dickens.   As the “Oliver Twist” author toured the U.S. in the late 1860s, Jane displayed obsessive efforts that went far beyond the actions of other screaming fans.   From threatening individuals who got close to Dickens, to even assaulting an elderly widow, spectators all agreed that Ja...

Mary Ann Evans, better known under the pseudonym George Eliot (1819-1880), was a major Victorian novelist and poet. As her popularity grew, so did her admirers.    Two in particular - Alexander Main and Edith Simcox - started to cross the line as far as “passionate devotion.”    One sent numerous gushy letters. Another recorded her unreciprocated love for the novelist in a secret journal. Both mad...

Georgiana Fane (1801-1874) was an English heiress, most famously known for being featured in a portrait as a peasant girl (painted by Sir Thomas Lawrence). She also gained a reputation for her harassing pursuits of the Duke of Wellington.   From what once was a secretive love affair, Georgiana’s later threats and angry letters turned out to be more than the Duke bargained for. Executive Producers:...

Holly and Maria continue the topic of erotomania this week with the story of Léa-Anna B.   Léa-Anna B. is best known for stalking England’s George V.    Criminalia’s two co-hosts cover everything about the delusional disorder, from the curtain “messages” that Léa-Anna B. thought were from the king, to learning about who clarified the term (psychiatrist Gaëtan Gatian de Clérambault). Executive Prod...