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PODCAST

Ridiculous Crime

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.

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All Episodes

67:07

The Rise and Fall and Rise of John McAvoy

Ridiculous Crime ·

2026/04/21

He was a man born into crime. He came from a family of British hard men. Movies were made about the men of his family. He was also enraptured by the criminals he saw depicted in other crime classics. All of this combined to make him a nepo baby of crime. But John McAvoy surprised the world and himself when he forged a new identity, thanks to a rowing machine.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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56:59

Lawyer in the Streets, Crimer in the Spreadsheets:...

Ridiculous Crime ·

2026/04/16

It takes money to make money. And sometimes, you take someone else's money to make your money. You know how that goes. Marc Dreier was a flashy lawyer with a cash problem. Luckily, he had rich clients to impersonate. Problem solved!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

en-US

70:05

My Presciption? You Caught Gold Fever

Ridiculous Crime ·

2026/04/14

Sometimes you fight the law and the law wins, but other times... luck is on your side and you win. That's the story here today. A pair of treasure hunters go to extraordinary lengths to recover lost gold and then have to fight the law to win the rights to their find. And as always things get... ridiculous!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

en-US

65:23

Early Riot Grrrl: Mary Carleton

Ridiculous Crime ·

2026/04/09

London in the late 1600s was a little chaotic. So it only makes sense that an agent of chaos like Mary Carleton would become famous for her crimes. Crimes like repeated bigamy and stealing pants in the night. An audacious woman determined to chart her own path, she wrote her own pamphlets like some olden times Riot Grrrl and made herself a witness to history along the way.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

en-US

65:20

Let's Get Medieval: Holy Relics Theft

Ridiculous Crime ·

2026/04/07

Whether we're talking the hand of Mary Magdalene, the Skull of St. Foy, the Bones of St. Mark, in the Dark Ages holy relics were ripe for the taking. Thieving monks, conspiring bishops and rebel princesses all went to outrageous lengths to secure the blessings of the bones and body parts of the saints. Sometimes crime requires a little faith.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

en-US

44:49

Richard Nixon and the Magic Suitcase [from Very...

Ridiculous Crime ·

2026/04/04

In honor of April Fools' Day this week, Zaron Burnett dug into a persistent legend surrounding Richard Nixon. With a little help from his pops, Zaron ventured into smoky clubs to unpack a bizarre tale of jazz, drugs, and politics. After the episode, Dana talked about her upcoming book, The Arcane Arts, and Zaron discussed his role in a recent Jordan Peele documentary. Listen to Zaron on Very Special Episodes every Wednesday wherever you get your podcasts.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy

en-US

72:19

High Daddies, Hot Tents, and Suckers: Circus Crimes

Ridiculous Crime ·

2026/04/02

Ladies and gentlemen, children of all ages! Step right up! Witness the amazing circus con, promising a menagerie that will never appear! Be amazed by the daring moves of the corporate scoundrel, stealing from a non-profit show! Stare in awe as a low down fraudster tries to pull a fast one on a small town, only to have the tables magically turned! Behold! The ridiculous and criminal side of the big top!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

en-US

71:30

All The Coal Kids Are Doing It: Larry Wayne Price Jr.

Ridiculous Crime ·

2026/03/31

He worked his way into the executive level of the coal industry. Where he was let in on a dirty little secret. Crime was rampant in the coal industry. So, Larry Wayne Price Jr. did what any self-respecting wannabe would do, he also got heavy into crime. One dreamhouse later and things were looking good. But when his scams and schemes collapsed and Price tried to escape, not even a made-up outlaw bike gang could save him.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

en-US

61:52

Vibe Criming: John Ernst Worrell Keely

Ridiculous Crime ·

2026/03/26

John Ernst Worrell Keely was a blue collar scientist, a visionary, a meticulous con man. He spent time and talent rigging an elaborate fraud workshop where he promised unlimited vibe-based energy. In just two weeks. He promised. He just needed a little more funding. Cash for vibes.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

en-US

65:50

Why It's Now Illegal to Give Dolphins Acid (For Science)

Ridiculous Crime ·

2026/03/24

This is the story of two scientists who pushed the envelope of both good taste and morality as they experimented with dolphins. The idea was simple. Give dolphins LSD and then see if we can teach them to speak English. The results were not so simple or clear-cut. But they were certainly ridiculous... and criminal.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

en-US

32:46

Zero Gravity: The Zambian Space Program [from Very...

Ridiculous Crime ·

2026/03/21

In the 1960s, a newly independent Zambia entered the space race with a bold — and baffling — plan. Led by self-declared “Minister of Space” Edward Nkoloso, a team of would-be astronauts trained in oil drums, dreamed of Mars, and captured the world’s attention. To Western observers, it looked like a joke. But Zambia's space ambitions may have been a front for something far more earthly — and far more dangerous. Listen to Zaron Burnett on Very Special Episodes

en-US

50:54

Lady Marm-alade: Fredericka Mandelbaum

Ridiculous Crime ·

2026/03/19

Fredericka Mandelbaum (Marm or Ma, if you're nasty) was the powerful ruler of a criminal empire. Based on pickpocketing, theft, bank robbery, and forgery, her organization raked it in at the end of the 1800s in New York City and beyond. Out of reach from the law thanks to payoffs and complicity, Mandelbaum got away with her crimes, even when the Pinkertons got involved.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

en-US

51:46

How To Free Your Man With a Helicopter: Nadine Vaujour

Ridiculous Crime ·

2026/03/17

Single mom Nadine Vaujour was something of a romantic. Which helps explain why it pained her heart so to be separated from her lover. It also helps explain why, one day, she decided it was time to spring her lover from the French prison where he was locked up. And to make her daring jailbreak plan work, she learned to fly a helicopter. Ah, the things we do for love!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

en-US

57:08

Playin' Possum: Crimes around George Jones

Ridiculous Crime ·

2026/03/12

Country star George Jones was a real character, to be certain, often on the edge of the law. But the most ridiculous crimes were the ones that surrounded No Show Jones. Missing recordings, drug runs, and stolen crypto. Throw in an old pickup, a loyal dog, and a broken heart and you'd have a heck of a country song.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

en-US

75:18

The Last Temptation of Aubrey Lee Price

Ridiculous Crime ·

2026/03/10

He was a husband, a father, a pastor, a financial planner and broker, that is until he decided he'd had enough of that life. So he threw it all away and found a new path as a small-time pimp, cocaine trafficker and marijuana cultivator. But he never gave up on Jesus and the Lord. Because Aubrey Lee Price contained multitudes. And he considered Jesus his role model... for his life of crime.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

en-US

62:57

That's Showbiz, Baby: Steven Kunes

Ridiculous Crime ·

2026/03/05

To make it in Hollywood, you sometimes have to tell some half-truths and fudge your resume. People play a little fast and loose. But not so loose as to forge checks and scam friends. That's a little too loose, even by Tinseltown standards.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

en-US

55:12

"That's My Motorboat!" :The National Museum Art Heist

Ridiculous Crime ·

2026/03/03

It's considered one of the more sophisticated art heists of the 21st Century. Three masked men with guns strolled into the National Museum in Stockholm and they breezed back out with three multi-million dollar masterpieces. Thus began a years-long manhunt to find the daring perps and the lost artworks. Many undercover operations, some Bulgarian drug dealers, FBI art crime detectives, and one Swedish boat seller later... and you get this truly wild tale!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy

en-US

62:20

Cheech Would Never: "Lucky" Luke Brugnara

Ridiculous Crime ·

2026/02/26

As Social Distortion once sang, “Some people like to gamble/But you, you always lose/Some people like to rock 'n' roll/You're always singin' the blues/You gotta nasty disposition/No one really knows the reason why/You gotta bad, bad reputation/Gonna hang your head down and cry/You got bad, bad luck." This is the tale of Luke Brugnara, the pinnacle of criminal ridiculousness.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

en-US

69:41

"This Once Belonged to Jack Nicholson": the Tod...

Ridiculous Crime ·

2026/02/24

He was a charming art dealer, a man who climbed to the highest heights of the Hollywood elite. Once there, he conned 'em all for fun and profit. That is, until it all came crashing down. Come for the art crimes, stay for the unhinged documentary he later starred in and somehow was even wilder than his cons.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

en-US

50:32

The Olympic Prison [from Very Special Episodes]

Ridiculous Crime ·

2026/02/22

In the winter of 1980, the world turned its eyes to Lake Placid, New York, host of the Winter Olympics. But behind the pageantry, another structure loomed in the Adirondack woods. Built to house 1,800 athletes, the Olympic Village looked less like a dormitory than a detention center — because that’s exactly what it was designed to become. On the Very Special Episodes podcast, Zaron Burnett, Dana Schwartz and Jason English tell one incredible story each week. Follow them down a different

en-US

235 results

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