Ridiculous Crime

It's pretty brazen to pose as a super secret spy guy in order to hustle up some phony government contracts. You have to convince folks that you are a man of mystery, an agent operating at the most clandestine levels of power. But when your targets are members of the government intelligence community themselves? Patriots and lovers of liberty, hear us when we say that's just plain ridiculous.   See...

Just a few years after Watergate, the halls of power of Washington DC were again stained with fresh scandal. A busload of sitting US congressmen were caught up in an FBI sting operation, one run by a career, small-time criminal, a swindler and scammer. The operation is most memorable for the FBI's two fake sheiks used for their undercover busts. But when the FBI's callin' the tune, sometimes all y...

The game show Press Your Luck was an 80s fan favorite. And the biggest fan? Michael Larson. He studied the show for weeks, finding the weaknesses and plotting his attack. Heading out to Hollywood, he took his chance at stardom. And he didn't just make it onto the show, he made it into the history books.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Maybe you’re looking to get back at someone. Maybe that fine root structure is standing in the way of your upcoming financial boon. Or maybe you don’t like the cut of that tree’s xylem and phloem. Whatever the reason and whatever the chosen method, approaching a tree with murderous intent is just plain ridiculous. And it’s way, way out of bounds. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information...

Sometimes the best way to make money is to literally make money. William Chaloner, a total dirtbag, made his living minting phony coins and framing his co-conspirators for all manner of crimes. That was until a genius stepped in and brought his whole operation down, just like an apple falling from a tree. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For two long years, President Richard Nixon tried to cover-up a break-in at the Watergate Hotel. Nixon's Cold War spy buddies had engineered a plan to embarrass the Democrats but then when they got caught, Nixon had to mastermind a cover-up that would eventually bring down his presidency. And somehow, Howard Hughes makes an appearance! Why? Because this insane story of US history has a little of e...

Don't you hate it when you learn to restore masterworks of art, but then you kind of mess one up, and then you just paint a new one and call it old, but then it's full of anachronisms, and then everyone loves it, but then you don't get any credit for your phony work? Don't you hate that? Lothar Malskat did. He hated it. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

He was a famous lawman of the disappearing west, a Prohibition agent who dressed like a Wild West cowboy. The newspapermen loved him, the locals adored him, the bootleggers and moonshiners feared him. He was a bigger-than-life hero who seemed to be from a different, simpler era. But James "Two Gun" Hart also had a big secret. And when the truth finally emerged, the cowboy hero was revealed to be a...

It turns out we do read the emails. Unless Ex-intern Braxton accidentally deletes them all. Join us for cool listener stories, little shorty crimes, and gripping updates. *hits send* See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Ridiculous crews, both History and Crime, rejoin forces to once again play everyone’s favorite guessing game: 20 Questions. There were questions. There were answers. There were jokes about dogs in sunglasses! Join the gang for some puzzling good fun! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We lament the behavior of the youth of today, but what about the youngsters of yesteryear? Friends, they were just as bad. Between the Gold Rush and the Great Quake, kids in San Francisco stole purses, toys, and guns. Yes, guns. Kids those days… See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What are the rules for undercover cops? Well, as we learn from stories about cops shooting cops, an activist who falls in love with an undercover cop, a headless Care Bear with an undercover cop inside who busts a drug queen, and the two precincts of undercover cops who brawled... there are none! This week, it's mayhem and chaos with undercover cops!  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy inform...

Pokémon! The cards, the games, the Go, the cartoons, the…theft? Oh yeah, when collectibles get pricey, criminals come out of the woodwork, even the Yakuza. These cards are big money these days, and some people will do anything to steal 'em all.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

From the anarchist ice cream truck to contraband peddling ice cream purveyors in school zones to the slowest police chase you've heard –– it's a full menu chock-a-block with ice cream based crimes. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's hard when you feel like a royal, but you're just a commoner like the rest of us. You know what? Live your truth. Live your truth, Helga, and get that money. Soak 'em, sister! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

He's the man who invented the gun that bears his name. He's also the man who ran a truly surprising second business. But the biggest surprise is how Gaston Glock once faced down an assassin –– without a gun. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A bar fight and a stint on the lam transformed Samuel Clemens into Mark Twain — and changed the course of American literature. Settle in for Mark Twain's origin story.   * Hosted by Dana Schwartz, Zaron Burnett, Jason English Written by Zaron Burnett Produced by Josh Fisher Editing and Sound Design: Jonathan Washington and Josh Fisher Mixing and Mastering: Baheed Frazier Story Editor: Marisa Brown...

In our ongoing effort to get sponsored by Circus Circus Hotel and Casino, we present to you the tale of one man, one woman, one goat's blood altar, one private jet, one armored car, one parade, and millions of dollars all in concert to create a ridiculous crime buffet. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!...

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.

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 y...