What do you get when the Supreme Leader of North Korea has a sports crush on Michael Jordan but can't get the NBA great to come see him? Well, you settle for Jordan teammate, Dennis Rodman. And before you know it that one choice leads to international hijinks, political intrigue, denuclearization talks, and the revelation that Dennis Rodman may be a real life superspy. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
It's one thing to bilk the gullible who are looking to make a quick buck, it's quite another to con those who are looking for healing and salvation. It's terrible. Sickening. Despite the valiant efforts of a skeptic magician, it looks like Peter Popoff is still selling holy water and phony debt relief. This episode sounds like a bummer, but somehow it isn't. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Holy moley! A fake nun, a fake bishop, a con man priest, and the belle of the ball... a pair of hard gambling nuns who embezzle a million dollars from a Catholic school in Los Angeles to fund their secret lifestyle as Vegas whales AKA high roller gamblers who just love the action. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
For the second part of this tale about Pietro La Greca Sr., the one-time gigolo, turned arsonist, turned money launderer for the Mexican cartels and who later graduated to running tax scams with the head of the Mexican IRS, his son recounts the effects on his family from having a ridiculous criminal for a father. (Warning: there's frank discussion about terminal cancer in this episode) See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Imagine your father is a charming international one-time gigolo turned clothing boutique owner turned arsonist turned money launderer for the Mexican cartels and Mexican presidents. Well, turns out you don't have to imagine it because that's the life of Pietro La Greca Jr. and he told Elizabeth and Zaron all about it! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Want to get away from it all? Start your own country? Fight some Dutchmen? Go up against the British crown? That's what Paddy Roy Bates did when he founded Sealand, an island nation off the coast of England. Come for the pirate radio, stay for the dodgy passports! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Want to get away from it all? What if you could climb aboard a homemade raft, and join a group of young and sexy strangers, and together you all drift across the Atlantic, as a Svengaliesque professor stirs up sexual chaos and documents it all for his study of human beings. Sound fun? Or does it sound... ridiculous?! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
We look back at the time someone stole Judy Garland's ruby slippers from the movie The Wizard of Oz. With a special update about the fate of the slippers since the episode originally aired! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
We look back at the woman who embezzled $53 million dollars from her small hometown in the American heartland, all so that she could pay for her pony obsession. Now she wasn't hitting the track, no, Rita Crundwell lusted to become a celebrity in the world of horse breeders and trainers. And now, we have an update! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
The actress Tippi Hedren and her whole family once made a certifiably ridiculous movie. A little joint called ROAR. With a cast of more than 100 untrained lions and a very loose script, it took years and millions to make. Was the set safe? Not on your life. And the biggest shame is that almost no one got to see it. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
While leafing through 75 years of local newspapers, Zaron Burnett uncovers an American Christmas tradition as ingrained in our culture as the red-and-white Santa: sneaking up to a nativity scene and stealing the Baby Jesus. And, in many cases, immediately regretting it. Note: Please do not steal Baby Jesus. * VERY SPECIAL CREDITS Hosted by Dana Schwartz, Zaron Burnett, and Jason English Written by Zaron Burnett Produced by Josh Fisher Editing and Sound Design by Chris Childs Mixing and Mastering...
One Christmas night, four proud brave Scots break into Westminster Abbey to steal back the Stone of Scone AKA the Stone of Destiny for the glory and pride of Scotland. It was a Christmas miracle... of crime! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Tom Vu captivated late night audiences with his outrageous infomercials touting his real estate seminars. He was rich, sitting on a yacht, carousing with bodacious bikini babes. Yes, he was rich and wanted you to be rich, too! But you weren't going to be rich. Not by a long shot. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Dave Chappelle and his show made Rick James into a catchphrase. Charlie Murphy told the stories that made Rick James into a legendary figure in the culture. But it was Rick James who made the stories and the catchphrase real. "I'm Rick James, bitch!" And these criminals were inspired to be the Rick James they wanted to see in the world. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
From a young age, Anthony Gignac dreamed of being wealthy and living a lavish lifestyle. That simply wasn't in the cards for him, so he made his own deck. Posing as a Saudi prince, Anthony scammed his way into a life of luxury cars, jewels, and real estate deals. But like the fake diamonds glued to his Rolex, the title of a Roots album, and a line from Yeats' "The Second Coming," things fall apart. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
What do ya get when you strap 42 weather balloons to a lawn chair? The homemade flying machine of one Lawn Chair Larry. In the early '80s, the amateur aviator took to the skies of Southern California, where he reached such heights that planes taking off from LAX had to dodge Lawn Chair Larry! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
The recent theft of a shipment of Santo Tequila, the brand owned by rocker Sammy Hagar and diner lover Guy Fieri, really shook America to its core. We take a look at Sammy's bumpy road to establishing his tequila empire, one Waborita at a time. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Magic: the Gathering is a tabletop card game for dueling wizards. Magic mushrooms are a psilocybin-based psychedelic that distorts reality. Combine them both and you get this story: a man travels to Portland, Oregon to compete on 'shrooms at a Magic: the Gathering Pro Tour event. ...And Elizabeth questions this whole reality! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
A lifelong criminal fixes a horse race with the help of Australian organized crime. In what would make an excellent Guy Ritchie movie, the crimers bumble their way to a disastrous finish worthy of no photos. But just like a good Guy Ritchie movie, not everything is as it seems. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
When a dead body is left in a SUV in a wealthy LA enclave, it launches an out-of-this-world mystery. Was the strange dead man really a half-alien human hybrid superspy working for a super-secret government agency? Or was it all just... a ridiculous crime? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
A upright citizen living in "genteel poverty" loses everything — except his dog — and instead of going broke decides to go for broke. When life gives you lemons, make dollar bills, dagnabbit! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
In 1971, Muhammad Ali fights Smokin' Joe Frazier in The Fight of the Century. The huge media event is the perfect distraction for a group of Catholic hippie antiwar activists to stage a break-in at an FBI field office in Media, Pennsylvania. This story has everything –– J. Edgar Hoover, Deep Throat, and the Washington Post, all show up in this tale that predates Watergate. Not bad for some amateur break-in artists! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Conning your way into ownership of a professional sports team is one thing, but playing two countries off each other for phony mineral rights is the pinnacle of scamming. Russell King did them both! Hooray! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
A Bosnian boy with a poet's soul grows up to a pioneer of parkour in Paris. Up there on the rooftops of the City of Lights, he turns to crime. He has a taste for jewels and fine art... and suction cups. That's why they call him: The Spiderman of Paris. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Who's up for some silliness? We got us a crazy, high-end, hard boiled casino Down Under that just can't seem to avoid trouble. But when a dude takes the place for multiple millions, they aren't so tough after all. With a special appearance by Ridiculous Crime barkeep Rascal Jack! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Ireland's world famous Russborough House belonged to Lord Alfred and Lady Clementine –– two 'violently wealthy' British aristocrats with the families to match. Their palatial manor home seemed to attract crime and intrigue. There was the British heiress turned IRA radical who busted in for a robbery. And her success inspired two IRA-adjacent gangsters –– The General and the Viper –– to see what they could pull in art heists of their own. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Owing people millions is a big deal, unless you have hundreds of millions and can pay it off. And if you don't and can't, then you just have to act like you can and will. But you can't. And won't. So you don't and…well, you get it. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Violent J and Shaggy 2 Dope are the Insane Clown Posse. Their fans call themselves the Juggalos and Juggalettes. Each year they hold their annual Gathering of the Juggalos. It is a bazar of fairground games, hip-hop, horrorcore rap, oil wrestling, fight clubs... but also family. Get comfortable, crack open a Faygo and... "Whoop Whoop!" See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
He was the GOAT of early mass communication. And he was also the GOAT of medical quackery. John R. Brinkley duped thousands and made millions, but nothing gold can stay. Especially when it involves goat testicles. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
He was a man with a dream –– and that dream was to fly. His brother shared this dream. Trouble was they weren't the Wright Brothers, they were Crazy Mike and High Flyin' Ryan. The brothers challenged gravity, the law and common sense... until the FBI stepped in. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
