True Crime

Ray William Johnson: True Story Podcast

The Official Podcast of Ray William Johnson, storyteller and comedian. Tune in for the best stories of True Crime and Pop Culture.

Latest Episodes:

The Multi Million Dollar Stolen Makeup Operation - The Michelle Mack story Apr 22, 2025

Show notes

Michelle Mack, a 54-year-old woman from Bonsall, California, was sentenced to five years and four months in state prison in January 2025 for orchestrating a nationwide retail theft ring that stole approximately $7.8 million in beauty products from retailers like Ulta and Sephora.
Operating from her luxury estate, Mack recruited over a dozen young women to shoplift high-demand cosmetics from stores across 21 California counties and other states.

This 15-Year-Old Teen Stole $24 Million - The Ellis Pinsky story Apr 21, 2025

Show notes

The Ellis Pinsky scandal centers on a high-profile cryptocurrency theft orchestrated by a teenager. In 2018, at just 15 years old, Pinsky, a high school student from Irvington, New York, masterminded a scheme to steal approximately $24 million in cryptocurrency from investor Michael Terpin.

The Biggest Scandal in Horse Racing History Apr 20, 2025

Show notes

The Fine Cotton racing scandal is one of Australia's most infamous cases of horse racing fraud, involving a horse switch scheme gone disastrously wrong in 1984.A syndicate of gamblers, led by John Gillespie, planned to substitute a slow racehorse named Fine Cotton with a faster, lookalike horse named Bold Personality to win a race at Brisbane’s Eagle Farm Racecourse. The idea was to bet big on the long-shot and cash in when the faster horse won. However, the two horses looked nothing alike, so in a last-minute panic, they dyed Bold Personality’s coat and used hair dye and white paint to fake identifying markings.

This Huge Twitch Streamer Got Beat Up - The Amouranth story Apr 18, 2025

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Popular streamer and content creator Amouranth (real name Kaitlyn Siragusa) was the victim of a violent home invasion at her residence in Houston, Texas. Three armed intruders broke into her home around 10:51 p.m., demanding access to her cryptocurrency holdings, which she had previously showcased on social media, revealing assets exceeding $20 million .

The Downfall of 6ix9ine Apr 16, 2025

Show notes

The story of 6ix9ine (real name Daniel Hernandez) is a wild ride through fame, controversy, crime, and betrayal in the modern rap world. Rising to prominence in 2017 with his aggressive style, rainbow-colored hair, and viral hit “GUMMO,” 6ix9ine quickly became known for his online antics, beefs, and gang affiliations. In 2018, he was arrested on charges linked to the Nine Trey Gangsta Bloods, a gang he had aligned with to boost his image. Facing decades in prison, 6ix9ine cooperated with federal authorities, testifying against his former gang members—a move that made him a controversial figure labeled a “snitch,” but also earned him a reduced sentence and a headline-making return to music in 2020.

They Stole His Dead Body - The Gram Parsons story Apr 15, 2025

Show notes

The story of Gram Parsons' body being stolen is one of rock 'n' roll’s most bizarre and legendary tales. After the influential country-rock musician died of a drug overdose in 1973 at the Joshua Tree Inn in California, his stepfather arranged to have his body flown to New Orleans for a traditional burial. However, Parsons had once told his friend and road manager, Phil Kaufman, that he wanted to be cremated in Joshua Tree if anything happened to him. To honor that wish, Kaufman stole Parsons' body from LAX in a borrowed hearse, drove it into the desert, and attempted to cremate it by setting it on fire at Cap Rock.

The Killer Politician - The Robert Telles story Apr 14, 2025

Show notes

The Robert Telles story involves a shocking case of the unaliving of a journalist. Telles, a Clark County Public Administrator in Las Vegas, was arrested in September 2022 for the death of Jeff German, a veteran investigative reporter for the Las Vegas Review-Journal. German had written a series of articles exposing misconduct and a toxic workplace environment in Telles’s office, which likely contributed to Telles losing re-election.

The Man Who Got Amnesia For 14 Years - The Jim McDonnell story Apr 13, 2025

Show notes

The Jim McDonnell amnesia story is a remarkable real-life case of disappearance and rediscovery. In 1971, Jim McDonnell, a 50-year-old mail carrier from Larchmont, New York, vanished after a series of accidents that resulted in head injuries. He was declared legally dead in 1976. Fifteen years later, on Christmas Day 1985, McDonnell unexpectedly returned home, claiming that a recent head injury had restored his memory.

Greedy Woman Steals $53,000,000 From Her City - The Rita Crundwell story Apr 12, 2025

Show notes

The Rita Crundwell story is one of the largest municipal fraud cases in U.S. history. As the longtime comptroller of Dixon, Illinois, Crundwell embezzled over $53 million from the small town over two decades, using the funds to finance a lavish lifestyle that included luxury cars, jewelry, and one of the nation’s top quarter horse breeding operations. She kept the theft hidden by creating a fake bank account and manipulating city financial records, all while Dixon struggled with budget cuts and deficits.

Katy Perry Versus The Nuns Apr 11, 2025

Show notes

Katy Perry nun story centers around a controversial real estate dispute involving the pop star, the Catholic Church, and a group of elderly nuns in Los Angeles. In 2015, Perry attempted to purchase a former convent for $14.5 million, with approval from the Archdiocese of L.A., but the nuns who had lived there objected, claiming they had the right to sell the property to someone else.

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