Sport's Strangest Crimes - TopPodcast.com

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Friday Night Heists: 4. The Playbook Oct 11, 2023

Show notes

The Playbook: Anthony Curcio was in desperate need of cash. The housing hustle left him deep in debt. But he couldn't get any cash. No one could. No one, except large banks, bailed out by the US government. They had all the cash he needed. So he decided to steal it. But creating a method to rob a bank would take the type of planning and preparation generals use for war, or rather, football coaches use to win. From BBC Sounds and Radio 5 Live, Sports Strangest Crimes presents, Friday Night Heists. In episode 04 of 08, host Johnny Marr tells us how Anthony Curcio planned one of the most creative heists in US History, showing all the meticulous details, timing and misdirection involved. Enough to make Danny Ocean proud. If you want to learn what it takes to rob an armored car, not that we'd advise it, this is the episode to hear.

Friday Night Heists: 3. Good Form Oct 04, 2023

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Good Form: Anthony Curcio loved the life of crime. The double life. He fancied himself a blue collar Thomas Crown, pursuing pills over Pissarros. His various heists enabled him to live the American Dream, own a house, marry his high school sweetheart and start a family. He was also close to walking away from crime, until he bought that house and learned that an even bigger hustle was happening across the US. He wanted in. From BBC Sounds and Radio 5 Live, Sports Strangest Crimes presents, Friday Night Heists. In episode 03 of 08, host Johnny Marr walks us into the lawless world of real estate, a place where Anthony Curcio could ply his craft. He rode the housing bubble to its zenith, and then was left to fend for himself when it popped.

Friday Night Heists: 2. Just Say No Sep 27, 2023

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Just Say No: Anthony Curcio had used his second chance at football. Used it well. He built his body and refocused his mind on the sport. But football is football, a sport loved for its precise brutality. And Anthony tears a ligament in his knee. His dreams of playing are over. And yet, for once in his life, he doesn't care. It's all due to a little pill prescribed to him from a doctor. This little pill unlocked something inside Anthony. Pretty soon, he'd do whatever it took to get more. From BBC Sounds and Radio 5 Live, Sports Strangest Crimes presents, Friday Night Heists. In episode 02 of 08, host Johnny Marr takes us to the rolling fields of Eastern Washington State, where Anthony attempts his first heist and discovers that while he was good at football, he's absolutely gifted at crime.

Friday Night Heists: 1. Friday Night Lights Out Sep 27, 2023

Show notes

Anthony Curcio is the most unexpected person you will ever meet. At first glance, he appears as simply a suburban dad who wears khaki pants, Cactus Jacks, coaches his daughters in basketball, and drives a modest truck. You soon learn that he was once a high school football star, with the dream, and, more importantly, the speed, to play professionally. But that's not the interesting part. Anthony Curcio pulled off one of the most creative bank heists in US history, robbing an armored car and escaping down the river in an inner tube. It makes you do a double-take. You're left feeling puzzled. How did this normal seeming guy end up at a point in his life where he thought that was a good idea? And then, how did he pull it off? From BBC Sounds and Radio 5 Live, Sports Strangest Crimes presents, Friday Night Heists. In episode 01 of 08, host Johnny Marr takes us to the small logging town that would soon become famous for a hometown football star's turn to crime.

Marco Pantani: Death of a Pirate: 10. The Pirate and The Mob Aug 17, 2023

Show notes

Two decades on, fresh intel from a mafia source threatens to blow the case wide open. Italian journalist Lorenzo Bodrero takes us through the present day-inquiry, and the shocking new evidence that has come to light. New witnesses, new theories, and new evidence all surface - nearly 20 years on, are we any closer to finding out what really happened to Marco Pantani?

Narrated by Hugh Dennis, with the voices of Iain Ferrier and Helen Roper

Sound design: Rich Evans Additional production: Lorenzo Bodrero, Matt Kenyon and Ed Morrish

Writer and producer: Katie Sayer Executive producer: Jon Holmes

Marco Pantani: Death of a Pirate: 9. Prima Facie Aug 10, 2023

Show notes

Mystery bruises, missing cash… driven by Tonina Pantani, 2 inquiries into Marco’s death follow. Family members present new evidence, alleging that Pantani was beaten, forced to drink cocaine, and murdered - but it all comes to nothing. The second inquiry is dismissed - and it seems like the pirate has been put to rest for good.

That is, until 2020…

Narrated by Hugh Dennis, with the voices of Iain Ferrier and Helen Roper

Sound design: Rich Evans Additional production: Lorenzo Bodrero, Matt Kenyon and Ed Morrish

Writer and producer: Katie Sayer Executive producer: Jon Holmes

Marco Pantani: Death of a Pirate: 8. The People's Pirate Aug 03, 2023

Show notes

Italy, and the world, are struck by grief at the death of the pirate. But as mourners throng the streets of Cesenatico, those closest to Marco are possessed by an undercurrent of suspicion.

We speak to the woman who knew Marco best - his mother, Tonina Pantani - about the Marco she knew - and about her gut instinct that something about the ‘crime’ scene seems wrong..

Narrated by Hugh Dennis, with the voices of Iain Ferrier and Helen Roper

Sound design: Rich Evans Additional production: Lorenzo Bodrero, Matt Kenyon and Ed Morrish

Writer and producer: Katie Sayer Executive producer: Jon Holmes

Marco Pantani: Death of a Pirate: 7. A Sad Day For The Sport Jul 27, 2023

Show notes

After his disqualification from the 1999 Giro, Marco Pantani is devastated and withdrawn. His cocaine abuse worsens, and he becomes obsessed with clearing his name. Friends and family watch on, helpless, as his career begins to slip away - and then, on Valentine’s Day 2004, some devastating news shocks Italy: the Pirate has is dead.

Narrated by Hugh Dennis, with the voices of Iain Ferrier and Helen Roper

Sound design: Rich Evans Additional production: Lorenzo Bodrero, Matt Kenyon and Ed Morrish

Writer and producer: Katie Sayer Executive producer: Jon Holmes

Marco Pantani: Death of a Pirate: 6. An Episode You Can't Refuse Jul 20, 2023

Show notes

As corruption allegations run rampant, all roads seem to lead back to the mafia. But what connections did organised crime have to sport? And is there even any such thing as ‘The Mafia’?

Today, we’re giving you an episode you can’t refuse as we delve deep into the heart of organised crime in Italy, with the help of mafia expert Professor John Dickie, and Italian journalist Lorenzo Bodrero.

New episodes released Thursday. If you’re in the UK, listen to the full series of Sport’s Strangest Crimes - first on BBC Sounds - bbc.in/3PbXQxv

Narrated by Hugh Dennis, with the voices of Iain Ferrier and Helen Roper

Sound design: Rich Evans Additional production: Lorenzo Bodrero, Matt Kenyon and Ed Morrish

Writer and producer: Katie Sayer Executive producer: Jon Holmes

Marco Pantani: Death of a Pirate: 5. All The World's A Stage Jul 13, 2023

Show notes

Convinced of a setup, Pantani is paranoid and following the money adds fuel to the fire. Why was there so much money in 90s cycling? And who was trying to get their hands on it?

With the help of leading cycling historian Professor John Foot, Italian historian Dr Francesca Billiani, and Phil Liggett MBE, we learn how, over the course of the 90s, cycling went from a niche continental sport, to a billion-dollar industry - and how one man winning all the time might not have been in everyone’s best interests. From sponsors and gamblers to commercial and criminal enterprises - many had a vested interest in seeing Pantani fall.

It’s time to follow the money.

New episodes released Thursday. If you’re in the UK, listen to the full series of Sport’s Strangest Crimes - first on BBC Sounds - bbc.in/3PbXQxv

Narrated by Hugh Dennis, with the voice of Iain Ferrier

Sound design: Rich Evans Additional production: Lorenzo Bodrero, Matt Kenyon and Ed Morrish

Writer and producer: Katie Sayer Executive producer: Jon Holmes