Ridiculous Crime

Copyright: 2024 iHeartMedia, Inc. © Any use of this intellectual property for text and data mining or computational analysis including as training material for artificial intelligence systems is strictly prohibited without express written consent from iHeartMedia

Latest Episodes:

Eternal Sunshine of the Meatless Mind: Sarma Melngailis Mar 20, 2025

Show notes

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.

A Solar-Powered Con Artist: Jeff Carpoff Mar 18, 2025

Show notes

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.

The Art of Forgery: Art Williams Jr. Mar 13, 2025

Show notes

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.

I Wanna Be Bootsy, Too! Mar 11, 2025

Show notes

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.

The Dulcet Tones of Zyme Bedewing: Mike Smith Mar 06, 2025

Show notes

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.

The Great Air Jordan Train Robberies of 2024 Mar 04, 2025

Show notes

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.

IRS Will Survive: Studio 54 Feb 27, 2025

Show notes

It was a dark fantasyland of excess and glamor. We speak not of your local Applebee's. No, we mean Studio 54, the ne plus ultra of 70s discotheques. It was the place to see and be seen, to do drugs and get glitter in your cracks. To just dance, baby! Until the IRS came calling. And with the evidence the owners left behind, they couldn't blame it on the boogie.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Inimitable Miss Cleo: The World Famous Fake Phone Psychic Feb 25, 2025

Show notes

The late '90s were such a different time... kinda. But the last real decade still had plenty of fakers, grifters, and scam artists, all offering up questionable spirituality and easy answers... just like now! Enter Miss Cleo, the legendarily scammy fakin' Jamaican phony phone-based psychic and the face of a highly profitable long con, the Psychic Readers Network.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

With a Side of Chow Chow: The Kidnapping of Elton B. Stephens Jr. Feb 20, 2025

Show notes

A Southern Gothic thriller for the ages, this is the tale of a Coen Brothers-esque kidnapping gone sideways. A bumbling couple take a magazine subscription heir prisoner to fund the purchase of their dream home, and the whole saga is later chronicled by the inventor of a game in which one hunts humans. Listener Lane Price tipped us off to this epic, delivering a Southern fried wild ride.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

God Save the Queen...and the Sex Pistols Feb 18, 2025

Show notes

1977 was the year punk broke. It was also the Silver Jubilee year, which was a special celebration to commemorate the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II. Never one to miss publicity, the princes of punk rock, the Sex Pistols, released their new single, God Save the Queen, and chartered a boat tour just to mock the monarch, which resulted in a police beatdown. It was truly anarchy in the UK.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

Related Podcasts

Links

Stay Connected