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Ridiculous Crime

iHeart Podcast Network

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.

Location:

United States

Description:

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.

Language:

English


Episodes
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The Art of the Steal: Stephane Breitwieser

2/13/2025
Listen, we all love art. But this dude LOVES art. So much so that he steals it and never lets go. His mom, though, isn't afraid of turning some loose. It's like they say: if you love something, set it free…into a canal. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Duration:00:55:44

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Le Scandal: the French Mayor and the Nudist Fortune-Telling Ventriloquist

2/11/2025
At the start of 2024, a conservative mayor of a small charming French seaside nudist resort town was accused of embezzlement and illegal use of city funds. Allegedly, he was secretly paying a fortune-telling ventriloquist, a woman who claimed she could speak with the dead, so that the mayor could hear from his dear departed daddy. The result? Le scandal! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Duration:01:00:43

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Come Fly with Me: Airline Stowaways

2/6/2025
Sometimes you need to fly the friendly skies, but you don't have a ticket. There was a time when the solution was to just sneak onto a plane and act like ya know. Follow a handful of young and young-ish scofflaws as they sneak aboard, confound security, and have unforgettable adventures that, of course, end in cuffs. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Duration:01:00:38

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When the USA Caught "Pac–Man Fever"

2/4/2025
In the early '80s, America faced a dire existential threat...in the form of "Pac-Man Fever." A moral panic feared that a generation of kids would be lost to the insidious new video game craze. Inspired by First Lady Nancy Reagan's "Just Say No," America's moral scolds fought back. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Duration:01:00:39

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The Flying Forger: Bad Bobby Baudin

1/30/2025
Zany! That's how people described Robert Baudin, aerial photographer and counterfeiter extraordinaire. But he was more than zany. He was bold. He was crafty. And like Exclamation Perfume, the popular scent of the early 90s, he made a statement without saying a word. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Duration:00:49:37

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As the Worm Turns: Dennis Rodman Goes to North Korea

1/28/2025
What do you get when the Supreme Leader of North Korea has a sports crush on Michael Jordan but can't get the NBA great to come see him? Well, you settle for Jordan teammate, Dennis Rodman. And before you know it that one choice leads to international hijinks, political intrigue, denuclearization talks, and the revelation that Dennis Rodman may be a real life superspy. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Duration:00:54:43

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Don't Let the Door Hit Ya Where the Good Lord Split Ya: Peter Popoff

1/23/2025
It's one thing to bilk the gullible who are looking to make a quick buck, it's quite another to con those who are looking for healing and salvation. It's terrible. Sickening. Despite the valiant efforts of a skeptic magician, it looks like Peter Popoff is still selling holy water and phony debt relief. This episode sounds like a bummer, but somehow it isn't. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Duration:00:49:10

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Have Mercy!: The Hard Gambling Nuns of Torrance

1/21/2025
Holy moley! A fake nun, a fake bishop, a con man priest, and the belle of the ball... a pair of hard gambling nuns who embezzle a million dollars from a Catholic school in Los Angeles to fund their secret lifestyle as Vegas whales AKA high roller gamblers who just love the action. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Duration:00:57:50

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Pietro La Greca & The Mexican Money Laundry Part 2

1/16/2025
For the second part of this tale about Pietro La Greca Sr., the one-time gigolo, turned arsonist, turned money launderer for the Mexican cartels and who later graduated to running tax scams with the head of the Mexican IRS, his son recounts the effects on his family from having a ridiculous criminal for a father. (Warning: there's frank discussion about terminal cancer in this episode) See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Duration:01:01:21

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Pietro La Greca & The Mexican Money Laundry Part 1

1/14/2025
Imagine your father is a charming international one-time gigolo turned clothing boutique owner turned arsonist turned money launderer for the Mexican cartels and Mexican presidents. Well, turns out you don't have to imagine it because that's the life of Pietro La Greca Jr. and he told Elizabeth and Zaron all about it! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Duration:00:56:11

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Want to Get Away Week: Sealand

1/9/2025
Want to get away from it all? Start your own country? Fight some Dutchmen? Go up against the British crown? That's what Paddy Roy Bates did when he founded Sealand, an island nation off the coast of England. Come for the pirate radio, stay for the dodgy passports! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Duration:01:02:19

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Want To Get Away Week: Come Aboard the Sex Raft!

1/7/2025
Want to get away from it all? What if you could climb aboard a homemade raft, and join a group of young and sexy strangers, and together you all drift across the Atlantic, as a Svengaliesque professor stirs up sexual chaos and documents it all for his study of human beings. Sound fun? Or does it sound... ridiculous?! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Duration:00:57:05

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Ridiculous Update: Revisiting the Theft of the Ruby Slippers

1/2/2025
We look back at the time someone stole Judy Garland's ruby slippers from the movie The Wizard of Oz. With a special update about the fate of the slippers since the episode originally aired! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Duration:00:55:32

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Ridiculous Update: Rita Crundwell and Her Little Ponies

12/31/2024
We look back at the woman who embezzled $53 million dollars from her small hometown in the American heartland, all so that she could pay for her pony obsession. Now she wasn't hitting the track, no, Rita Crundwell lusted to become a celebrity in the world of horse breeders and trainers. And now, we have an update! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Duration:01:00:18

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If I'm Lion, I'm Dyin': The Movie ROAR

12/26/2024
The actress Tippi Hedren and her whole family once made a certifiably ridiculous movie. A little joint called ROAR. With a cast of more than 100 untrained lions and a very loose script, it took years and millions to make. Was the set safe? Not on your life. And the biggest shame is that almost no one got to see it. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Duration:00:55:13

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Stealing Baby Jesus

12/25/2024
While leafing through 75 years of local newspapers, Zaron Burnett uncovers an American Christmas tradition as ingrained in our culture as the red-and-white Santa: sneaking up to a nativity scene and stealing the Baby Jesus. And, in many cases, immediately regretting it. Note: Please do not steal Baby Jesus. * VERY SPECIAL CREDITS Hosted by Dana Schwartz, Zaron Burnett, and Jason English Written by Zaron Burnett Produced by Josh Fisher Editing and Sound Design by Chris Childs Mixing and Mastering by Chris Childs Voice Actors: Jonathan Washington, Chris Childs, Elizabeth Dutton, Katie Mattie, Josh Fisher, and Zaron Burnett Original Music by Elise McCoy Show Logo by Lucy Quintanilla Executive Producer is Jason English Thanks for listening! We'll have one more episode in 2024 next Monday. If you're enjoying Very Special Episodes, please leave us a rating and review on your favorite podcast platform. You can reach the show at veryspecialepisodes@gmail.com. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Duration:00:22:39

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Stealing the Stone of Scone: A Christmas Story

12/24/2024
One Christmas night, four proud brave Scots break into Westminster Abbey to steal back the Stone of Scone AKA the Stone of Destiny for the glory and pride of Scotland. It was a Christmas miracle... of crime! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Duration:00:54:17

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Get Off Your Butt and Do It: Tom Vu

12/19/2024
Tom Vu captivated late night audiences with his outrageous infomercials touting his real estate seminars. He was rich, sitting on a yacht, carousing with bodacious bikini babes. Yes, he was rich and wanted you to be rich, too! But you weren't going to be rich. Not by a long shot. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Duration:00:45:22

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"I'm Rick James, Bitch!": A Criminal Inspiration

12/17/2024
Dave Chappelle and his show made Rick James into a catchphrase. Charlie Murphy told the stories that made Rick James into a legendary figure in the culture. But it was Rick James who made the stories and the catchphrase real. "I'm Rick James, bitch!" And these criminals were inspired to be the Rick James they wanted to see in the world. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Duration:00:47:00

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Prince of Lies (not Tides): Anthony Gignac

12/12/2024
From a young age, Anthony Gignac dreamed of being wealthy and living a lavish lifestyle. That simply wasn't in the cards for him, so he made his own deck. Posing as a Saudi prince, Anthony scammed his way into a life of luxury cars, jewels, and real estate deals. But like the fake diamonds glued to his Rolex, the title of a Roots album, and a line from Yeats' "The Second Coming," things fall apart. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Duration:00:58:37