Ridiculous Crime

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The Butcher Gets a Pardon: John Factor Aug 17, 2023

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John Factor may have been the lesser-known Factor brother, but that didn't stop him from weaving his way through history. Haircuts, Chicago mobsters, London cons, whiskey scams, Vegas casinos, and even JFK. The tale of John Factor is a wild ride through the 20th century's criminal underbelly.

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The High Cosmic Crimes of Lord Buckley Aug 15, 2023

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Imagine a jazz-voiced, reefer-smoking, nightclub comic, a man who preached love long before the Hippies, a cat who was on that cosmic trip of beauty in the decade before the Beats, and imagine this man in a top hat and tuxedo with tails. Before him, there was no one like Lord Buckley. After him, you can find his influence everywhere.

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By the Power of the Moon: Dr. Dante Aug 10, 2023

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You want to make money. So you become a hypnotist. Along the way, you marry a starlet, hire a hitman, fight Johnny Carson, start a university, and teach people to make paper flowers. Ah, the life of a nightclub hypnotist.

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Gram Theft Parsons: How to Throw a Rock n' Roll Funeral Aug 08, 2023

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He had country music wanderlust and rock star ambition. He was a scion of wealth and privilege. Oh, and he was best friends with Keith Richards! Gram Parsons was someone who was here for a good time not a long time. When he passed, his friends and manager did as they'd promised him. They stole Gram Parsons body and drove out to Joshua Tree, where they gave him the rock n' roll funeral he desired. Including amateur cremation.

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King of the King of the Con Men: Wilson Mizner Aug 03, 2023

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Wise-cracking Wilson Mizner was a legend among legends when it came to cons. Witty, creative, tough, daring, wild, and forever in the right place at the right time. From the Alaskan Gold Rush to the South Florida land boom to the early days of Hollywood, Mizner was there.

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"Say Hello to My Amish Friend": Drugs in Pennsylvania Dutch Country Aug 01, 2023

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No one expects to hear stories of beard-loving, barn-raising, technology-avoiding Amish and Mennonites being involved in street crime. Let alone that they have secret pot-growing empires. And outlaw biker-supplied cocaine cowboys riding in black buggies. "Welcome to Amish Country, son! Watch your a$$!"

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Once, Twice, Three Times an Art Crime: Theft of "Two Laughing Boys" Jul 27, 2023

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The Dutch are famous for a lot of things: tulips, cheese, fine art, double jump rope. They are also pretty good at both stealing and having a paintings stolen, apparently. What happens when the same painting is stolen three times? Let's just say it's pretty ridiculous.

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"Honey, Will You Fake Marry Me?" : Runaway Brides and Abducted Grooms Jul 25, 2023

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Your wedding day is supposed to be one of the happiest days of your life –– but this cadre of criminal wedding parties, abducted grooms and runaway brides put that to the test. Meet the folks hosting fictitious weddings to get revenge on their exes, and the ones with cold feet who flee from police, as well as the disappearing brides and "gutless" grooms who decide married life may not be for them.

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Anarchy! I Don’t Know What It Means But I Love It!: William Buwalda Jul 20, 2023

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Alcatraz. The Rock. Home to some of the most notorious criminals in modern American history. Murderers. Vicious thieves. Al Capone! And a guy who got put away for something truly heinous: shaking a woman’s hand. Oh, the humanity.

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The Mystery of the Disappearing Sri Lankan National Handball Team Jul 18, 2023

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In 2004, 23 Sri Lankan men traveled to Germany as the Sri Lankan National Handball Team to take part in an international tournament. But there was one catch, there was no Sri Lankan National Handball Team. And to make things weirder — all 23 men disappeared. A mystery was born in Germany that day.

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