x

75% of people globally want unbiased news (Pew Research) but are concerned they're not getting that.

Get balanced coverage with Symby. See how stories are covered across diverse outlets and spot when one side covers a story the other skips.

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.

history

All Episodes

50:14

The Napoleon of Crime: Adam Worth

Ridiculous Crime ·

2025/12/11

Using his logistical and felonious prowess, Adam Worth developed a sophisticated criminal network stealing money, art, and jewelry from high-value targets on two continents. Understated and cunning, Worth was so successful he inspired one of literature's greatest criminal masterminds. Quite the criming legacy.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

en-US

60:12

The Johnny Cash Jamaican Christmastime Miracle

Ridiculous Crime ·

2025/12/09

Who would possibly think it's a good idea to rob Johnny Cash...at Christmastime... in Jamaica? If this sounds like some sort of Mad Lib, trust us, it's not. This really happened. And oddly enough, it's actually a charming Christmastime tale.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

en-US

37:08

The Fundamental Magical Element [from Very Special...

Ridiculous Crime ·

2025/12/06

Two Jamaican musicians are making a bold claim. They say they invented the now-ubiquitous reggaeton beat on a specific track in 1989. They're suing some of the genre's biggest stars for billions in royalties. But we found someone who’s telling a very different origin story. Hold onto your headphones as we dive into the mystery behind one of the most influential beats in modern music. * On the Very Special Episodes podcast, Zaron Burnett, Dana Schwartz, and Jason English tell one incredible

en-US

55:27

You Better Listen to the Radio: Operation Ostrich

Ridiculous Crime ·

2025/12/04

During WWII, there were lots of ways to contribute to the war effort. One involved sitting at a radio station on Long Island, feeding lies to the Nazis to aid the Allies. Owen House was the secret center of Operation Ostrich, the most intense counterintelligence effort you've never heard of.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

en-US

58:42

The Zambian Plot

Ridiculous Crime ·

2025/12/02

Let's say you're a German industrialist who needs to drive up the price of copper on the commodities market, would you hire a midcentury adventurer/boat captain and a pair of Miami skin divers to help you blow up a bridge in Zambia? If so, then you are the perps in this truly wild Cold War tale of international intrigue.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

en-US

67:33

Don't Mess with the Big Dog: Martha Stewart

Ridiculous Crime ·

2025/11/27

Martha Stewart is more than a food and entertaining icon; she's a brand. Literally. But a brand can't lie to the feds and a brand can't go to jail. Martha Stewart the human, however, could and did just that. But you can't keep a tough gal down. Martha made a comeback and then some. And that's a good thing.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

en-US

61:43

The King of Counterfeiters: Jeff Turner

Ridiculous Crime ·

2025/11/25

If you were in a bad place, hard up financially, looking for work, and some sorta lifeline... how far down your list of options would be the idea: should I start a counterfeiting ring? For Jeff Turner that was his number one idea. And that's how he became the King of Counterfeiters. But it's also how Jeff ended up on this show, so clearly there were some challenges he didn't expect. For example, a duplicitous Cleveland heroin dealer.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

en-US

63:30

There Ain't No Cure for the Varsity Blues: Rick Singer

Ridiculous Crime ·

2025/11/20

Applying to college. Oh, what a busy time that is for high school students. There are stressors like posing for a fake rowing photo or making sure your SAT ringer spelled your name right on the Scantron. See, while some teens spend all their time studying and participating in activities to get ahead, others spend their parents' cash to game the system. Gotta put that Full House syndication money to good use!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

en-US

56:55

The Flapper Bandit: Rebecca Bradley Rogers

Ridiculous Crime ·

2025/11/18

The 1920s was an era of radical change in the culture. One of the major indicators was the advent of The Flapper –- young women who rejected the previous generations' notions of femininity and embraced their own ideas of modern womanhood. This of course inspired a nationwide moral panic! Enter the Flapper Bandit –– a young woman who rejected previous notions of legality and embraced her own ideas of how to rob a bank... and in the process became a national news story.See

en-US

54:39

Someday We'll Find It: The Pizza Connection

Ridiculous Crime ·

2025/11/13

What's your favorite pizza topping? Pepperoni? Anchovies? A kilo of heroin? If it's the drugs, the Sicilian mob had a pizza parlor for you! They created networks of drug wholesale hubs in modest pizza joints up and down the East Coast. But the FBI is the one that delivered when it came to justice.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

en-US

59:16

America's First Great Bank Robber: George Leonidas...

Ridiculous Crime ·

2025/11/11

When people speak of the first American bank robber, typically, they think of Jesse James. While he may have been the first world famous bandit and bank robber, he was not the most prolific. That was a man named George Leonidas Leslie, the first truly great American bank robber. He was an underground figure, an outlaw folk hero who made his living robbing the original robber barons.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

en-US

58:47

Welcome to the Dollhouse: Velvalee Dickinson

Ridiculous Crime ·

2025/11/06

In wartime, codes and puzzles become a language of warfare. But if you can make a code, someone can break the code. Enter Velvalee Dickinson. She was a lover of costumed porcelain dolls and Japanese culture, and Velvalee was at the center of a truly bizarre doll-based mystery. During World War II, a team of female codebreakers investigated a series of letters from doll-lovers in the US sent to Argentina. The forged letters discussed prized dolls and their visits to doll hospitals. Turns out, the

en-US

56:48

Warmest Regards, The Leopard: Betty Grable Extortion...

Ridiculous Crime ·

2025/11/04

She was America's Sweetheart, a woman whose gorgeous gams kept the antifascist Allied forces going as they won WWII. With talent, humor, beauty, and wit;, Betty Grable was a star. And with stardom comes creeps. And with creeps often comes crime. But if you come for Ms. Grable, you best not miss.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

en-US

48:21

Very Special Episodes: Being Joe Isuzu

Ridiculous Crime ·

2025/11/01

In the golden age of 1980s television, few faces were more familiar — or more dishonest — than Joe Isuzu’s. Actor David Leisure brought the fast-talking car salesman to life, turning a parody of advertising into one of its greatest icons. In this Very Special Interview, the man behind America’s favorite liar revisits the campaign that changed commercials forever. * Hosted by Zaron Burnett, Dana Schwartz, and Jason EnglishWritten by Zaron BurnettSenior Producer is Josh

en-US

58:06

Lord Buckingham, I Presume: Charles Stopford

Ridiculous Crime ·

2025/10/30

Florida man unhappy with life. Florida man move to Europe. Florida man change name. Florida man take phony title. Uh oh, Florida man get in trouble.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

en-US

59:23

Say It Ain't So, Joe: The 1919 Black Sox Scandal

Ridiculous Crime ·

2025/10/28

What does it take to fix the World Series? You'll need players willing to tank the most important games of their careers, a powerful criminal element, and a solid plan. Well, two out of three's not bad. In 1919, a crew of gamblers convinced members of the Chicago White Sox to throw the World Series in order to make a big payday. This was appealing, since their salaries were meager and treatment was dismal. But the plan was weak as creek water, and the whole plot went on to nearly destroy baseball

en-US

68:16

Billy Don't Be a Hero: Fyre Fest

Ridiculous Crime ·

2025/10/23

A modern flim flam artist, Billy McFarland was known for scheming and coming up with ways to make money and have fun doing it. His magnum opus was the epic Fyre Festival. Intended as a luxurious concert on a tropical island, it fell apart before it even began. But not far enough in advance to avoid disappointing and fleecing ticket holders. But at least Ja Rule was there.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

en-US

66:30

McMillions: When Uncle Jerry Rigged the McDonald's...

Ridiculous Crime ·

2025/10/21

Imagine you have the power to mint millionaires. But to do it you have to engage in crime. Specifically, you have to rig the McDonald's Monopoly game. Now, would you pick as your partners in this crime a made man from the Colombo Crime family and a former cocaine smuggler? If you said yes, you are Uncle Jerry, who did just that!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

en-US

57:47

Jeffrey Alan Manchester: The Roofman Cometh…AGAIN

Ridiculous Crime ·

2025/10/18

In honor of the new Paramount Pictures movie Roofman, we’re re-releasing this episode from May 2024. Paratrooper Jeff Manchester used his skills to burgle Corporate America as The Roofman. First, he'd focused on McDonalds and other fast food. Then, like a criminal butterfly, he morphed into a Toys 'R' Us Man who built a secret apartment in an open store –– it was the ultimate inside job.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

en-US

53:09

The Next Wes Anderson Movie: George Weyerhaeuser

Ridiculous Crime ·

2025/10/16

Young George Weyerhaeuser was snatched off the street back when kidnapping the child of a wealthy family seemed to be all the rage. Neither horrific nor violent nor ending in tragedy, this kidnapping is an offbeat adventure with a heartwarming ending.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

en-US

235 results

Similar Podcasts

The Old Front Line

Paul Reed

Today In History with The Retrospectors

The Retrospectors

جنود خلدهم التاريخ

ALSUMOOD PODCAST

Film History - Daily

Inception Point Ai

Madonna - Biography Flash

Inception Point Ai