Ridiculous Crime

You put your Social Security Number all over the place: magazine ads, billboards, websites. What could go wrong? Lots. But what if you own a company that protects people from identity theft? Doesn't matter. Crimers gonna crime. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Carlos Kaiser had it made — he was a handsome professional footballer in Brazil, and he played for all the top clubs in Rio, as well as abroad. There was only one problem: King Carlos was terrible at soccer. He was the “greatest footballer who never played football.” But that’s how he made his living, conning the world of professional soccer… for 26 years! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy i...

When a charismatic preacher went missing in the ocean off Venice, California, all hope was lost for her safe return. Almost. What followed was a chaotic tale involving a non-Dave producer, TRAINS, Arizona, goggles, and a woman with no left thumb. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Rude Dudes send emails. We share them. Get ready for some onions, the rainbow bridge, Spam, texts to entire cities, and one fantastic gorilla suit. Plus Talkbacks from the iHeart app! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

He was zee best con artiste en zee 90s, no? Frenchman Christopher Rocancourt took Los Angeles by storm, rubbing elbows with celebrities and emptying the bank accounts of the wealthy and gullible. But when he took his act on the road to the Hamptons as a phony heir to an enormous fortune, they saw right through him. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What do you do when you look just like the dictator of North Korea? You make it work for you as a celebrity impostor. And if you’re Howard X, you use it to free a Zelensky lookalike from the war in Ukraine, with the help of a fake Putin. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Bill McCoy was a man of adventure, a romantic, an innovator, and a gentleman. He also ran illegal booze into the United States, flouting the law and sailing the high seas. That is, until the Coast Guard showed up. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

She was an epic badass. She was the fastest woman alive, after she broke Amelia Earhart’s records. She also ran the Happy Bottom Riding Club for flyboys and future astronauts, that is, until J Edgar Hoover and the Air Force went to war against…Pancho Barnes. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A legend. A boss. A queen. Stephanie St. Claire ran Harlem's baddest numbers game, thumbing her nose at the mob. Her elegant life took a turn, though, when she married an audacious con artist. Was hooking up with Black Hitler a wise move? What do you think. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In 1955, one man attempted to control the price of onions in America – to do that he created an illegal onion cartel and then together they cornered the market and drove the prices. It was like Trading Places for onion futures. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Four amateur crime bros look to make the score of a lifetime -- stealing rare books from their college library. It goes about as well as you'd imagine. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

You'd never believe that an 18-year old buying sandwiches and shoes with a stolen credit card would grow up to be legendary celebrity Stephen Fry. But he did! The actor, comedian, writer, and historian was an honest to goodness teen criminal, one who went on a multi-county spending spree on other people's dimes (well, quid). See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A talented artist is even more talented at forgery. He crosses paths with the rich, famous, and fabulous, and his forgeries are eventually forged themselves. Truly and wonderfully ridiculous, no? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

That one time when the future leader of North Korea abducted the coolest power couple from the South Korean film industry and forced them to make a reboot of Godzilla See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Pop quiz, hotshot: how do you have an awards show with no awards? You can't! When a shipment of Oscars went missing, the tale unfolded with twists and turns right out of a Tinseltown thriller. Would Hollywood's biggest night be saved? Probably. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Yap Lavish story has something for everyone: gold coins, private planes, contraband phones, up-and-coming Atlanta rappers. While in state prison, inmate Yap Lavish pulled off the robbery of not one but two billionaires. And he would’ve gotten away with it, if not for those meddling prison guards. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Want to make a splash in publishing? Try ghostwriting an autobiography for a super famous man. Just make sure the famous man knows about it first. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Two blonde bombshells get famous after they turn pro as…bank robbers. Heather and Ashley were just a pair of all-American girls who decided that the street crime life was for them. One problem, though: they were terrible at crime. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

She told fortunes. She faked documents. She changed her name. She crashed the economy of a major American city. Sorry, Cleveland. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In 1920s Chicago there was a crime wave plaguing the city — no, not Al Capone and gangland mayhem — there was an epidemic of gland piracy, testicle thieves were out there stealing balls. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Organized shoplifting, streamlined fencing, prosthetic arms, hidden pockets, driving cars through shop windows, a strict code of thievery — this London gang (which may have predated the Sicilian mafia) didn't mess around. Just forty women out on the mean streets, taking care of business.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Once upon a time... there was a band called Fleetwood Mac, but one day someone had an affair with Mick Fleetwod's wife, and boom, suddenly there were two Fleetwood Macs. This became a big problem for everyone. Mostly because, no one knew how to answer the question: which Fleetwood Mac is the real Fleetwood Mac?  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It was a developing news story that gripped the nation: a little boy flying high in the sky in an uncontrolled electrified experimental balloon. When it crashed to earth and he wasn't in it, panic turned to grief. Where was little Falcon Heene? Hiding at home, it turns out. Just like his publicity-loving father had arranged it. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Add two astronauts, mix in one younger woman, stir in a 900-mile drive from Houston to Orlando, and garnish with an adult diaper — that’s how you make an Astronaut Love Triangle! This true story is an out-of-this-world tale of love, sex, jealousy, crime and the limits of the human bladder. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Awards season is upon us and you know what that means: awards. And awards shows. Ridiculous Crime is proud to present the first annual Perpie Awards, celebrating almost a year of incredible capers, heists, and cons. Don't miss this star-studded event! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.