Ridiculous Crime

Today's automobiles are brimming with technology. Most of the time, that's pretty cool. But it stops being cool when sneaky hackers breach the systems and have a field day. Those are crimes…ridiculous crimes.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 14 August 2025

Buddhist Monks are supposed to be exemplars of the faith. Yet these days there has been a recent slew of headlines wherein the monks and abbots of temples have been caught in sextortion scandals and have been main players for cartel drug smuggling. What's up with all the meth-addicted monks, vow-violating fathers of love children, and not to mention the widespread corruption and embezzlement? These monks are shaking the faith of their followers and the true believers. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 12 August 2025

In the early days of Hollywood, Jackie Coogan made a splash playing a lovable waif in Charlie Chaplin's silent film, The Kid. His groundbreaking performance made him a ton of money. Or rather, it should have, but his parents had other ideas. His life story is full of twists and turns right out of a classic movie, and his legal battle changed the face of Hollywood forever.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 7 August 2025

He was trained to be a fine art painter. Early on, he was considered “gifted.” But times change, tastes change, and the art world moves on...Han Van Meegeren wanted his revenge for being left behind. His plan: art forgery of the great masters of the past. But then came World War II, and a huge complication, one that meant he had to do crime to prove his innocence.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 5 August 2025

We are stardust, we are golden. We are billion-year-old carbon. And we've got to get ourselves back to the garden. Unless, of course, you're there to scam or steal. In that case, stay out of the garden, bro.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 31 July 2025

It was meticulously planned, it was executed brilliantly, their alibis were unimpeachable, their getaway plan was flawless, and their money laundering scheme a thing of beauty. So then, what went wrong? Why the hell are they on this show? The Dunbar Heist of 1997 is one of those crime tales that will make you say: you have got to be kidding me!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 29 July 2025

When a fancy lady rolled into town, she captivated everyone. An heiress-elect, she was about to come into some serious cash, which was exciting! But then tragedy struck. And then mystery. And then drama. A lot of stuff struck. What happened to Violet Charlesworth? Listen to find out!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 24 July 2025

Sewers, pizza, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles –– this one has everything that's cool, comical and subterranean. It was a brilliant plan. It was executed perfectly. That is, until one fatal flaw brought the whole operation crashing down.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 22 July 2025

Jack Shepherd was a petty, pretty thief. He wasn't very good at it, so he got caught a lot. And he escaped a lot. Just like Henry More Smith. He, too, couldn't stop stealing and couldn't stop freeing himself from prison life. These guys prove that you can't keep a good (well, at least non-violent) man down.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 17 July 2025

Prolific French bank robber Redoine Faid repeatedly evaded capture then repeatedly escaped imprisonment, entertaining all who heard of his exploits. His Hollywood-style capers were larger than life, just like his audacious public image. But can the authorities ever truly capture the man who has captured a nation's imagination?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 15 July 2025

Today, Margaret Wise Brown's Goodnight Moon is considered a classic. The deceptively complex children’s book has been passed down for generations. But if the New York Public Library had gotten its way, you’d have never even heard of it.  * On the VERY SPECIAL EPISODES podcast, Zaron Burnett and Dana Schwartz lead us down a different rabbit hole every Wednesday. Listen to VSE wherever you get your podcasts!  * Hosted by Zaron Burnett, Dana Schwartz, and Jason English Written by Carmen Borca-Carrillo and edited by Emily Rudder at Wonder Media Network Produced by Josh Fisher Editing and Sound Design by Chris Childs Mixing and Mastering by Chris Childs Additional Editing by Mary Dooe Fact-Checking by Maya Shoukri Original Music by Elise McCoy Voice Actors: Katie Mattie, Chris Childs, Josh Fisher, Jonathan Washington, Juliet English, and Charlotte English Show Logo by Lucy Quintanilla Executive Producer is Jason English Thanks to our Very Special guests Amy Gary, author of In the Great Green Room; and writer, children's book author, and podcaster Betsy Bird.    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 12 July 2025

A thief breaks into luxury homes in tony Boca del Mar. the cops are flummoxed by this brazen burglar. Even more so when they find out it’s a lady thief! How could the Bandit of Boca del Mar be a woman? That’s unthinkable! Hey, anything is possible in Palm Beach County, baby.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 10 July 2025

Sometimes you just need to get away. For a Chinese dissident that meant making a daring escape on a jet ski. For a former cyclist turned "ocean jogger," it meant building himself a human-powered hamster wheel so he could run across the sea. In both cases, these men's choices were crimes, but their methods were... ridiculous!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 8 July 2025

It was a pretty genius plan. Steal gems from a Brinks truck as it made its way from one jewelry show to another. And the heist crew pulled it off…sort of. Seems practice runs can both improve the actual big theft, but also leave a trail of evidence for the feds. Oh, well.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 3 July 2025

Elizabeth, what's your third-favorite bird? On the heels of that question follows one of the strangest tales we've told. It's a globe-trotting, desert-crossing, ostrich-wrangling, feather-lusting, pith-helmeted, African cowboy adventure... with crime! Just how far will a bunch of profit-minded South Africans go to steal a flock of coveted French colonial ostriches?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 1 July 2025

Recently, Zaron Burnett and Elizabeth Dutton joined AJ Jacobs on The Puzzler to test their puzzling skills! Join host A.J. Jacobs and his guests as they puzzle–and laugh–their way through new spins on old favorites, like anagrams and palindromes, as well as quirky originals such as “Ask AI” and audio rebuses. Subscribe to The Puzzler podcast wherever you get your podcasts!  "The Puzzler with A.J. Jacobs" is distributed by iHeartPodcasts and is a co-production with Neuhaus Ideas.  Our executive producers are Neely Lohmann and Adam Neuhaus of Neuhaus Ideas, and Lindsay Hoffman of iHeart Podcasts. The show is produced by Jody Avirgan and Brittani Brown of Roulette Productions.  Our Chief Puzzle Officer is Greg Pliska. Our associate producer is Andrea Schoenberg.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 27 June 2025

If you are dissatisfied with the state of the world, you have to get out there and make some changes yourself. Joshua Norton, Emperor of the United States and Protector of Mexico, tried to do just that. He dubbed himself leader and issued proclamations asserting his vision for a better life. Only in San Francisco, California, could a madman be a wise man and a folk hero for the ages.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 26 June 2025

For centuries, wigs were the look. And in the era of Marie Antoinette, the bigger the better, and the more fantastical, the more whimsical, even better. Industries were built to attend to the many needs of the big wigs of Europe. And there was another industry born of the decadence and hair-based opulence. Enter the professional wigjacker! (Ridiculous crimes guaranteed.)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 24 June 2025

An idealistic British MP had it all, until a series of bad decisions nearly destroyed his career. But that didn't stop the bad decisions, it only made them worse.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 19 June 2025

Whether it's Steven Seagal versus his pants, or Sylvester Stallone and Richard Gere battling over Princess Di, over Tom Hardy going toe-to-toe with Shia LaBoeuf, or the one celeb brief that led to the greatest pop art of the 21st century, this week, we've got the beef... the celebrity beef you need... for a good laugh!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 17 June 2025

A true sovereign citizen, George Streeter claimed land as his own. Then he made even more of it. The cops and the courts and the fat cats of Chicago couldn't pry him out. Instead, he provided entertainment, vice, and choice quotes to a fabulous city that knows how to celebrate a character. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 12 June 2025

At the height of the swing music era, jazz drummer and musical great Gene Krupa was caught up in a federal bust. He was used as a cautionary tale in America's First Drug War. Taken down in order to scare young people away from that serious and dire threat to America... jazz music.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 10 June 2025

An ocean-loving, expert mariner Florida man made his living transporting bales of marijuana until the law caught up with him. Then he went to a land down under, where women glow and men plunder (as they say in the song). He made a new life for himself there. Can't you hear, can't you hear the thunder? You better run, you better take cover.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 5 June 2025

Black Bart was not his government name. While the name was fearsome and his occupation as a stagecoach robbing outlaw was typically violent and careers short-lived, Black Bart was the opposite in every way. He was a gentleman outlaw folk hero who never hurt anyone. Not only that, he left poems for the lawmen chasing after him. The secret to his success? Black Bart was not at all what anyone expected!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 3 June 2025

A lumber baron who set his sights on facilitating luxury living established an enormous, posh, private ski club. And in a shocking turn of events that absolutely no one could ever see coming, hundreds of lawsuits followed.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 29 May 2025

A Florida club promoter had a big idea: he'd take four young American lads, grow out their hair, dress 'em like John, Paul, George and Ringo, and call 'em the American Beetles to cash in on a thing called Beatlesmania. That worked so well the four lads embarked on a magical mystery tour of South America. And that's how Los Beetles Americanos came to Buenos Aires. Only trouble was: no one told Argentina it wasn't the real Beatles. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 27 May 2025

A cardsharp, a ladies man, a con artist extraordinaire. Nicky Arnstein skirted the law and lived the high life, even married the most famous woman in radio. A couple stretches of hard labor in the pen couldn't break him, but a film adaptation of his life almost did. Tough guy, thin skin.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 22 May 2025

There's the big leagues of insider trading, like what we see from both sides of the aisle in Washington DC. And when we think of Wall St. crimes taking place it's in boardrooms, backrooms, and out on golf courses. But what about in the Tampa Bay Rays farm system? That's where a roster of struggling minor leaguers tried to grab a big league pay day off of Del Taco stock options. Ridiculous crimes followed.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 20 May 2025

We've come to expect corruption and lies in Washington, but there are times when it just goes too far. Witness George Santos, a guy who is seemingly allergic to the truth (but not Hermès). He proves that there's money to be made in the outrage machine, whether we like it or not.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 15 May 2025

There's Sebastian Bach. The former lead singer of the hair metal band, Skid Row. You expect stories of him acting out –– that's kinda his whole deal. He goes through life like he's a one-man reality show about a former rock star who now enjoys wine bars and Broadway. But there's also his namesake, Johann Sebastian Bach. And let us tell ya, he was every bit the bad boy. And just as criminally ridiculous. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 13 May 2025

Two con men. Each masters of financial fraud. Each on the run from the law, using aliases and wild maneuvers to stay one step ahead of the authorities. Until they weren't. And it was only then that they crossed paths, with ridiculous result. Get ready to throw a couple more tomes into the Ridiculous Crime library!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 8 May 2025

A former footballer in the Norwegian league who was also a former street criminal jumped back in the game as a high-end art thief. He says he made Edvard Munch's painting "The Scream" famous by stealing it. We say his whole story is...ridiculous!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 6 May 2025

This guy was the other Soapy Smith, running crime rings in Denver, Colorado. A bunco magnate, he made his money off the naïveté of rube tourists. His stock market wasn't real but, then again, is any stock market real? Anyway, the King of the Bunks ran afoul of the law in the most intense way possible. And it was…ridiculous. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 1 May 2025

On a Hollywood film set, the director is like a god. They have the power to make or to break. They have the carte blanche to do whatever they must to make their art. And they often abuse this privilege and all the fine folks around them. And then, there's David O Russell who takes bad behavior to whole 'nother level. Listeners, be warned: there's plenty of salty language in this one, it's bleeped, but it's still there.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 29 April 2025

A gorgeous thief who was perhaps too talented for her own criming good, Sonia Golden Hand stole hearts and goods all over Europe. She ran cons and palmed gems like no other, which gained her fame. Pro tip: fame and recognition aren't particularly helpful for those looking to fly under the radar. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 24 April 2025

From college mascots getting arrested, to Gritty being investigated for fighting a kid, to the battlin' superheroes of Times Square, and on out west to the tourist wrasslin' costumed characters of Hollywood Blvd, this week Zaron amuses Elizabeth with tales from life behind the mask. It's wild how a little bit of cloth can make a person act out. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 22 April 2025

Graffiti is generally illegal. Unless it's created by a celebrated, anonymous artist named Banksy. Then it's worth millions and ripe for the stealin'. People steal Banksy pieces, even the murals off of walls of buildings. Is it illegal to steal something that's already technically illegal? We shall see. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 17 April 2025

A mad inventor, his cheated heiress, a villainous toy company called Big Time Toys, astronaut John Glenn, Howie Mandel, the Pixies, and a dark secret... this story has it all and then some. Get ready for a wild ride into the underwater world of Sea Monkeys and their very, very strange inventor. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 15 April 2025

Escaping from prison isn't easy. It was near impossible from a place like Alcatraz Island in the San Francisco Bay. The prison was notorious not only for its infamous prisoners, but also for its harrowing location amidst choppy waters and hungry sharks. But the human spirit and the desire to be free can't be squelched. Come with us as we escape "The Rock."See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 10 April 2025

What do you do when you come home to find there is no home where your home should be? This was the curious dilemma for one particularly unlucky Irishman. His missing home conundrum led to a meandering multi-decade long legal melee to solve the seemingly magical mystery of who stole his missing 150-year old house. Because on an island with a population less than the seating limit of a large restaurant, somehow no one knew what happened to his missing home.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 8 April 2025

A diamond heist for the ages! An Italian heist crew pulled off an impeccably prepared raid on a vault full of diamonds. Well, almost pulled off. A lesson in the importance of patience, this crime shows us that everything can hinge on a salami sandwich. With special guest appearances by noisy interns!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 3 April 2025

We're back with more tales from the anti-psychic sleuthing of super detective Bob Nygaard. Bob and his fedora get justice for a lovelorn gent who spent a king's ransom trying to win back his dream girl. As you can probably guess, hundreds of thousands of dollars and diamonds later, the guy was still alone. But he (and we) will always have Nygaard. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 1 April 2025

Is it so bad to want to run? And is it so bad to want to do it in high school? Well, it sure is if you're 25 years old and faking your identity. James Hogue did just that. And then did it again under another identity in college. Baby, he was born to run. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 27 March 2025

Bob Nygaard, a former NYPD detective turned private investigator is a real gumshoe's gumshoe. Like he stepped off the pages of a noir detective novel, the snap-brim fedora-wearing P.I. is the man folks call when a phony psychic fleeces them out of a fortune. And Bob Nygaard, psychic detective, gets them justice.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 25 March 2025

She was a vegan restauranteur looking for meaning in her expanding empire. He was a man who said he could make dogs live forever. Together, they made for one of the most toxic relationships we've ever seen. And along the way, they managed to drain her business coffers and stiff some workers. They put the "well, that sucks" in wellness.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 20 March 2025

He was not an engineer, nor was he an inventor, instead he was a failed car mechanic. But Jeff Carpoff didn't let that stop him from creating a billion dollar business based on his invention: a portable solar generator. It worked, kinda... and that was all he needed to run his solar-powered con that roped in a really powerful sucker named President Obama. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 18 March 2025

Let's face it, counterfeiting is an art. It takes serious talent and skill. So it should come as no surprise that the best counterfeiter in the land is also a fantastic artist. To say Art Williams, Jr. has lived a surprising and ridiculous life is an understatement. Print yourself a five dollar bill, buy some popcorn, and settle in!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 13 March 2025

They say it's never good to meet your heroes in real life. It's even worse if you meet your hero in real life and it's not really them. This week, E and Z examine tales of the many folks who want to be the original funkateer, Bootsy Collins. Antics and mayhem ensue. But there is only one true Bootsy!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 11 March 2025

AC/DC told us it's a long way to the top if you want to rock and roll. Sage advice. But that was before the age of AI. Now it's a short way to the top if you want to create hundreds of thousands of fake songs to make millions from streaming services. Mike Smith did just that, courtesy of Artificial Intelligence. Gaming the system like that is all well and good, but can AI create a masterpiece like AC/DC's "Big Balls"? Doubtful. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 6 March 2025

Train robberies are so 19th century. Air Jordans are so 20th century. Yet, combine them and you get the hottest new crime of the 21st century: train robberies of boxcars of Jordans. Come aboard as E and Z ride the rails of crime.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcribed - Published: 4 March 2025