Ridiculous Crime
by iHeartPodcasts
Latest episode
My Rich Sheikh Brings All the Art to the Yard: Sheikh Saud bin…
My Rich Sheikh Brings All the Art to the Yard: Sheikh Saud bin…
About this podcast
True Crime is more than blood, guts, mayhem, and murder. Zaron Burnett and Elizabeth Dutton share outlandish tales of capers, heists, and cons that shine a light on the absurd and outrageous side of criminality. Always 99% murder-free and 100% ridiculous, this is Ridiculous Crime, a podcast by iHeartRadio.
Episodes
The newest 50 of 506 episodes
- My Rich Sheikh Brings All the Art to the Yard: Sheikh Saud bin Mohammed Al-Thani · 1 h 0 minSheikh Saud bin Mohammed Al-Thani had a mission: buy up as much amazing art and antiquities as possible to fill five new world class museums. The budget: infinity. Or at least…
- Help Us, ABBA, You're Our Only Hope: The Stockholm Syndrome Robbery (Part One) · 1 h 1 minJan-Erik Olsson had a simple dream: he wanted to free a friend from prison. Unfortunately, the best idea he could come up with was to storm a bank in Stockholm, take hostages…
- Rosey & Bobby [from Very Special Episodes] · 48 minRosey Grier has a habit of showing up at turning points of American history: the greatest NFL game ever played, Free to Be…You and Me, and Bobby Kennedy’s 1968 presidential run…
- Witchy Woman: Helen "Hellish Nell" Duncan · 1 h 2 minHelen Duncan had a gift. She told the world that the gift was the ability to communicate with the dead and see the future. Her real talent was puking up swatches of fabric and…
- Take Me Down to Everglades City: A Town of Pot Smugglers · 1 h 5 minThe City of Everglade City was founded by smugglers, so it should be no surprise that a century later, the locals kept that tradition going. Only by then, they'd moved on to pot…
- They Don't Love You Like I Love You: Map Crimes · 59 minMaps are beautiful, functional works of art. Even the most utilitarian paper map has its charms. But when a map has historical value, it can fetch an incredible amount. Which, of…
- The Beef Pirates of Philadelphia · 1 h 2 minThe police of Philadelphia were flummoxed by a new crime trend. As the crime statistics in the city were falling, one category of crime was spiking. And it was all thanks to a…
- How Angry Are These Penguins?: The Ern Malley Affair · 1 h 1 minA poet named Ern, so they say/Wrote verses that dazzled one day/But Ern, it turned out, was a hoax, past a doubt/Cooked up by two dorks just for play! See omnystudio.com/listener…
- The Life, Death, and Afterlife of the Outlaw Elmer McCurdy · 1 h 11 minElmer McCurdy came of age at the end of the Old West, and as it vanished he tried to grab at that outlaw life while it was still a real thing. Trouble was, he was not good at…
- An Offense to Forgers: The Fake Italian Amphitheater · 56 minThere's a lot of money to be made in tourism, especially in culturally rich areas like Italy's Veneto region. So what's a philanthropist/entrepreneur/orchestra conductor to do?…
- The Great Yosemite Gold Rush of Pot · 1 h 8 minLast week, Elizabeth shared a story from the Gold Rush. And this week, Zaron brings us a story from the Yosemite Gold Rush. If you've never heard of it, that's when a bunch of…
- Gold Dust Woman: Marie Suize Pantalon · 55 minMarie Suize made her way from France to the foothills of California for the Gold Rush. One of just a few women up there mining for gold, she managed to make a fortune and gain…
- Brenden Abbott, AKA The Postcard Bandit · 1 h 4 minRaised in difficult cirumstances, it was no surprise that Brenden Abbott turned to a life of crime. But once he got going, he was an endless source of surprises for the…
- The Great Book Theft: Frede Møller-Kristensen · 45 minA genius goes to work in the Danish Royal Library. Sounds about right. That genius starts stealing books. That's not right. The genius stops stealing books. That's good! His…
- Come Fly With Me, Come Crime With Me: the Ken Jouppi Story · 58 minHow far would you go to fight the law and keep your stuff? For Alaskan bush pilot Ken Jouppi the answer is: all the way to the Supreme Court. Thanks to Alaska’s strict laws about…
- Bonus: Getting High with Ridiculous Crime: Reindeer Trips and Soothing Syrup · 35 minDid you know reindeer love tripping? Or that, once upon a time, otherwise responsible parents would dose their children with high-test opioids? In the second chapter of their…
- Bonus: Getting High with Ridiculous Crime: Betel Nut and 'Asthma Cigarettes' · 40 minHave you ever gone full red-mouth off betel nut? Did you ever buy cigarettes to cure your asthma? When Ben, Noel, and Max first began exploring bizarre drugs of yesteryear, they…
- Dr. Teeth and the Cocaine Mayhem: Larry Lavin · 57 minLarry Lavin started out selling weed and a chill place to consume it to his classmates at Phillips Exeter Academy. He upped his game in dental school, selling cocaine and making…
- Seth Rogen vs. North Korea: The Great Sony Hack of 2014 · 1 h 9 minIn a much different world, Seth Rogen wanted to make a movie about assassinating the leader of North Korea, Kim Jong-Un. The film he imagined would be a comedy, one that might…
- Don't You Know Who I Am?: The Hollywood Con Queen · 55 minFor good or for bad, Hollywood is the land of promises and illusion. Getting the right phone call at the right time can make a career...or it can drain a bank account. The…
- All Along the Watchlist: Crimes of the Woodstock Generation · 59 minIn a star-studded episode of Sixties outrageousness, ride along with Jimi Hendrix and Neil Young, catch flight with the band Canned Heat, party with at least half of the Beach…
- It's a (Crime) Family Affair: Shaun Greenhalgh · 58 minRejected by the art world, Shaun Greenhalgh needed an outlet for his incredible talent. Guess what? Crime was the perfect opportunity for such a thing. A true Renaissance man…
- Let Me Stand Next to My Fire: Zaron Burns Down a Hillside · 1 h 0 minBefore he was charming the Rude Dudes with tales of silly capers, heists, and cons, Zaron was a house painter. But not just any old house painter. He worked on high end projects…
- Hot Rocks: The Green Vault Heist · 54 minIn Dresden, Germany, an incredible trove of precious gems is on display in Dresden Castle's Green Vault. They've been there for hundreds of years, save a brief moment when a…
- ZZ Top and the Zombies: A Great American Long Con · 1 h 1 minBefore they grew long beards and a mustache and formed ZZ Top, two of the bandmates, drummer Frank Beard and bassist Dusty Hill, were once in a traveling band that was created as…
- It's an Honor to Rob a Bank: Lucio Urtubia · 52 minHe fought for freedom, not just for his native Spain but for oppressed people worldwide. With his strong believe that, "the keystone of existence is doing right by one's…
- Before Cocaine Cartels, There Was The Black Tuna Gang · 1 h 7 minThe name of their crime crew was certainly unfortunate. Like, who would wanna be known as The Black Tuna Gang? But their crimes, however, are legendary. Long before cocaine…
- Philately Will Get You Nowhere: The Apollo 15 Postal Cover Scandal · 54 minHumans are fascinated by two things and two things only in this life: space and keepsakes. That’s it. The astronauts of the Apollo 15 mission knew this, so they took a LOT of…
- The Show Must NOT Go On!: Sometimes Crime is the Only Answer · 52 minFor these three stories, there is one unifying idea: the show must NOT go on. And in order to ensure the show was indeed stopped, people turned to crimes, sweet, sweet ridiculous…
- Ridiculous Crime Interviews: Matthew Campbell and The Man Who Stole the Gods, Part 2 · 60 minFor part two of this special edition, Zaron continues his interview with author Matthew Campbell about his book The Man Who Stole the Gods. In the second half of the interview…
- Ridiculous Crime Interviews: Matthew Campbell and The Man Who Stole the Gods · 48 minFor part one of this special edition, Zaron interviews author Matthew Campbell about his book The Man Who Stole the Gods. The incredible tale documents a truly global art crime…
- I'll Stop the World and Melt with You: Joe Colombo Jr. · 53 minJoe Colombo Jr. was the son of a powerful, ruthless, flashy, publicity-loving mob boss. Joe Sr. was larger than life and as audacious as they come. One would expect his namesake…
- God Wants You...To Make Me Rich!: The Crimes of John Alexander Dowie · 1 h 0 minHe was America's first super-wealthy faith healer. You could also say he was America's first religious robber baron. His name is John Alexander Dowie. After many arrests…
- Full of (John) Bull: Horatio Bottomley · 56 minA prototype for generations of crooked politicians and media figures to come, Horatio Bottomley knew how to work the public. Whether defrauding them with fake sweepstakes or…
- The Rebel With A Cause: Rodney Wilkinson · 1 h 2 minIn the days of apartheid South Africa, no one expected a young white man who was a former South African soldier to turn rebel and to then help Nelson Mandela and the ANC conduct…
- Terrible, But Charming: Arthur Barry · 1 h 2 minIf you're going to break the law, you might as well do it in style. And be polite, too! Arthur Barry robbed from the rich while pretending to be one of their own. In a bespoke…
- To Thine Own Self Do Crime · 56 minSometimes in this world you're confronted with a choice. One that, years later, you'll look back at and recognize that choice was a key moment in your life. Because that choice…
- We Didn't Start the Fyre: Fabulous Festival Failures · 56 minWe all need escapes from this crazy world, and one way to do that is to meet up with like-minded folks and enjoy your shared, niche interests. Whether it's a magical world of…
- Shonk This Way: The 1935 Croydon Aerodrome Robbery · 56 minOnce upon a time, some British hard men decided to steal some gold. They went out to an airport, worked their way into a bullion room, and lifted the gold. It was a classic heist…
- The Good Bootlegger: Roy Olmstead · 49 minUsing the nooks and crannies of Puget Sound as cover, Roy Olmstead ran a massive bootlegging empire during Prohibition. He was nonviolent, creative, and a whole lotta fun. And on…
- You Get an "A" For Effort: Beautiful Plans, Become Ridiculous Crimes · 1 h 6 minOften times the crimers on this show come up with audacious plans for their capers, heists and cons. But far too often they forget the other half of the equation: how to get away…
- Here I Dreamt I Was an Architect: LEGO theft · 1 h 0 minLEGO sets. Everybody loves them, crimers love to steal them. They're light, valuable, in demand, and untraceable. Perfect for illicit maneuvers! There are many ways to steal…
- Sebastian Marset: the Cocaine Kingpin and Professional Footballer · 1 h 5 minWhen he was a kid in Uruguay, playing football in the streets he always dreamed that one day he would grow up to be a professional soccer star. Instead, he grew up to be a…
- Strong Like Iron: Sophie Lyons · 57 minSophie Lyons was an iconic criminal. From shoplifting to pickpocketing to scams to bank robbery, she could do it all. She knew what it was to break the law…and to pay the price…
- I'm Gonna Steal Your Bird: the Strange World of Pigeon Theft · 1 h 6 minHave you ever wanted to race a pigeon? No? Well, have you ever wanted to steal a pigeon? Still, no? Well, that doesn't matter! You'll still have your mind blown and your heart…
- The Likker King of Appalachia: Popcorn Sutton · 52 minTo borrow from the late, great Waylon Jennings, Popcorn Sutton was just'a good ol' boy, never meanin' no harm. A modern day moonshiner, he was pretty much in trouble with the law…
- The Billion Dollar 1MDB Heist: Jho Low Meets Leo and Marty · 1 h 13 minJho Low was a well-connected money man for the 1MDB sovereign wealth fund, created to foster green energy investment and better jobs for the people of Malaysia. But instead of…
- The Moment You've Been Waiting For: 2025 Louvre Museum Heist · 58 minHot diggity dog, we love a good heist. And an art heist? Get outta here! And in the Louvre Museum? In Paris? Pinch us because we've got to be dreaming. In 2025, an audacious crew…
- Julie D'Aubigny: the Opera-Singing, Sword-Swinging, Gender-Bending Badass of 17th Century France · 57 minJulie D'Aubigny was truly a rare one. She could sword fight with the best of them. She could sing opera like a song bird. She wore men's clothing, she wore women's clothing, she…
- Where Everybody Knows Your Name: Charles Ponzi · 56 minIt's the American Dream to reach these golden shores, work hard, make your fortune, and see your name go down in history. Charles Ponzi did all that, just not in the way the law…
