Infamous America

Greed and addiction fueled a chaotic and coldblooded crime on September 28, 1953. The largest ransom request in American History at the time was demanded of Kansas City’s wealthiest automobile dealer, Robert Greenlease, in exchange for his 6 year old son and namesake, Bobby Greenlease. Money wasn’t the problem and the Greenleases’ wasted no time to comply, it should have been cut and dry, but it i...

72 year old Charles Ross was a year into his peaceful retirement after a lucrative career in real estate, followed by President of the prominent George S. Carrington greeting card company, when he found himself at the wrong place at the wrong time just outside of Chicago. John Seadlund, who’d been influenced by John Dillinger’s gang member Tommy Carroll and who had evaded the FBI for years, stole...

By the early 1900s Frederick Weyerhaeuser was known as the “Lumber King” and had amassed a fortune in the Pacific Northwest. The wealth generated from his timber empire was on par with the Rockefellers, the Carnegies, and the Vanderbilts and as it kept getting passed down to the next generation, it kept growing. But it also made his family a target, specifically his great grandson George Weyerhaeu...

On November 9, 1933 – 22 year old Brooke Hart, the heir to a department store fortune and San Jose’s most eligible bachelor, went missing in broad daylight. The crime obsessed kidnappers believe they have a brilliant plan to extort money from the Hart family. But it was more brutal than brilliant, and when it unraveled, no one was prepared for the reaction of the people in San Jose, California. Jo...

The Lindbergh family discovers the fate of little baby Charlie, but it takes 2 more years for investigators to follow the ransom money to the Bronx, New York to Bruno Richard Hautmann, who they labeled the kidnapper. In January of 1935 the suspect faced a sensational trial packed with journalists and celebrities, while the general public sat by the radio hanging every word of the case being called...

On May 21, 1927, 25 year old Charles LIndbergh became the biggest star on the planet. He advanced the travel industry to a level many doubted was possible after completing the first ever solo flight from New York to Paris in 55 hours. That should have been the most dramatic moment of any person’s life, but it wasn’t for Charles. Five years later his 20 month old son was kidnapped from his home in...

Here’s a preview of a new podcast, The Chinatown Sting from our friends at Pushkin Industries. In the late 1980s, a group of women connected through the mahjong parlors in Manhattan’s Chinatown were caught in a massive undercover drug bust. But this bust was just the beginning of an even bigger case. Host Lidia Jean Kott and co-reporter Shuyu Wang interview sources who’ve never spoken on record be...

As the FBI’s investigation of local Boston art thieves fades, its investigation of crews linked to the Italian mob ramps up. Agents begin to focus on the men who are associated with Carmello Merlino’s gang. But the 1990s proves to be a deadly time to be involved with the Merlino crew, and suspects start dying. Eventually, the FBI declares partial victory and announces that it knows the identities...

In the first few years after the heist at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, the FBI’s investigation follows two parallel tracks. The first to produce possible leads is the Irish Connection as the FBI examines notorious art thief Myles Connor, infamous gangster James “Whitey” Bulger, and local conman Brian McDevitt. A few tantalizing leads develop, but they end in frustration. Join Black Barrel+...

In the early morning hours of March 18, 1990, two thieves, disguised as Boston police officers, gain access to the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. They tie up the two security guards and spend 81 minutes stealing 13 items. When the heist is discovered hours later, the FBI begins an investigation which features far more baffling mysteries than clues. Join Black Barrel+ for ad-free episodes and bin...

In the 1970s and 1980s, Boston and the greater New England region seem plagued by art thieves. Myles Connor becomes the most notorious thief of the era, and he and others notice that the eclectic Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum is a vulnerable target. The FBI likely thwarts an attempted robbery, and, as the 1980s progress, events start to align for the biggest art heist in history. Join Black Barr...

Anthony Pino and his crew commit one of the fastest and smoothest robberies in history, and they escape with a record-breaking haul. The FBI launches its investigation and hits a series of dead ends until, one by one, the robbers run into trouble and begin to turn on each other. The historic heist unravels, but it retains one enduring mystery: where is the stolen money? Join Black Barrel+ for ad-f...

In the mid-1940s, career criminal Anthony Pino sets his sights on robbing Brinks security company. He recruits a team of thieves and they rob armored cars and Brinks clients, but Pino’s ultimate goal is to carry out the big score by robbing the vault at Brinks headquarters. He and his crew spend months planning the job, and, in January of 1950, they commit an historic heist. Join Black Barrel+ for...

By fall 1992, serial arsonist Paul Keller has set more than two dozen fires throughout the Seattle area, and he shows no signs of slowing down. Law enforcement creates a task force made up of multiple counties in order to find Keller. But desperation kicks in, and they resort to unusual tactics. When the task force gets an idea of what the Keller looks like, Keller is betrayed by the most unlikely...

From an early age, Paul Kenneth Keller exhibits signs of disturbing behavior. From bullying his younger siblings to petty theft, Paul never behaves. Even more disturbing, he develops a life-long fascination with fire. In the summer of 1992, Paul’s life spirals and the only way he copes is by setting a string of arson fires throughout the Seattle area.  Join Black Barrel+ for ad-free episodes and b...

John Orr proves to be a slippery target for the Pillow Pyro Task Force. Investigators have a lot of evidence against him, but they want to catch him in the act of starting a fire. In the wake of two more brush fires and a fire at the Warner Bros. movie studio lot, investigators decide they can’t wait any longer. They arrest John Orr and put him on trial for arson and murder. Join Black Barrel+ for...

After the devastating College Hills brush fire in June 1990, and series of fires in December 1990 and March 1991, the ATF and the LAFD form a task force to catch the serial arsonist who has plagued California for years. The task force believes Glendale arson investigator John Orr is the suspect, and the task force begins a long and difficult investigation to catch him. Join Black Barrel+ for ad-fr...

In 1987 and 1989, destructive fires erupt in conjunction with arson investigation conferences in California. Bakersfield Fire Captain Marvin Casey doesn’t believe the timing is a coincidence. He finds a fingerprint on an incendiary device at the scene of one of the fires, and he believes the arsonist is a firefighter. On Casey’s short list of suspects is arson investigator John Orr. Join Black Bar...

By the mid-1980s, John Orr is a respected arson investigator for the Glendale Fire Department in Los Angeles. He might not be the easiest person to like, but he has a good reputation in Los Angeles County. At the same time, a serial arsonist is setting fires across the metro area. On October 10, 1984, the worst case scenario finally happens: a fire at Ole’s Home Center in South Pasadena turns dead...

Luciano is forced to leave the United States and return to Sicily. But, he immediately makes plans to set up a base of operations near the U.S. With the help of Meyer Lansky, Luciano organizes a meeting in Havana, Cuba to discuss the mafia’s future and deal with troublesome associates. Luciano discovers that controlling his criminal family from afar is difficult, and ambitious underlings seize the...

Luciano flees New York to evade Thomas E. Dewey. But after months of searching, Dewey’s agents find Luciano and bring him back to face charges related to a prostitution business. Luciano fears he will spend the rest of his life in prison, but then the U.S. government asks for his help to keep the New York ports safe during World War II. Luciano has an opportunity to earn his freedom, but it will c...

After Luciano organizes the removal of Salvatore Maranzano, he institutes significant changes to the American Mafia. Luciano’s most notable innovation is the creation of a governing body known as The Commission. The hope is that The Commission – made up of mob bosses from across the country – will resolve internal conflicts and avoid another major war. In 1935, The Commission faces its first big t...

In the spring of 1931, Charles Luciano orchestrates the removal of his boss, Joe Masseria. Luciano cuts a deal with Salvatore Maranzano to become the boss of his own crime family. But when Maranzano declares himself “the boss of all bosses,” Luciano becomes concerned. After months of Maranzano’s tyranny, Luciano realizes he needs to force another dramatic change in order to institute his vision fo...

After Arnold Rothstein’s murder, Charles Luciano works full time for a Sicilian gangster named Joe “the Boss” Masseria and quickly becomes Masseria’s top lieutenant. Masseria begins to feud with a rival Sicilian, Salvatore Maranzano. By the start of the 1930s, the feud escalates into the mafia’s bloodiest conflict yet, The Castellammarese War. As bodies pile up, Luciano decides he needs to take ma...

In the late 1800s, millions of immigrants come to the United States for the opportunity for a better life. Among those who come from Sicily is a boy named Salvatore Lucania who will be known as Charles “Lucky” Luciano. Luciano grows up on the mean streets of New York’s Lower East Side and gravitates toward a life of crime. When Prohibition begins, Luciano becomes a prominent bootlegger and finds a...