
Crimetown
A new podcast from Gimlet Media exploring the tangled web of crime and corruption in American cities. Hosted by Marc Smerling and Zac Stuart-Pontier.
Gimlet
Show overview
Crimetown has been publishing since 2016, and across the 9 years since has built a catalogue of 54 episodes, alongside 13 trailers or bonus episodes. That works out to roughly 30 hours of audio in total. Releases follow a roughly quarterly cadence, with the show now in its 2nd season.
Episodes typically run twenty to thirty-five minutes — most land between 30 min and 37 min — and the run-time is fairly consistent across the catalogue. The publisher flags most episodes as explicit, so expect adult themes or strong language throughout. It is catalogued as a EN-language News show.
The catalogue appears to be on hiatus or wound down — the most recent episode landed 1.2 years ago, with no new episodes in over a year. The busiest year was 2019, with 21 episodes published. Published by Gimlet.
From the publisher
Welcome to Crimetown, a series produced by Marc Smerling and Zac Stuart-Pontier in partnership with Gimlet Media. Each season, we investigate the culture of crime in a different city. In Season 2, Crimetown heads to the heart of the Rust Belt: Detroit, Michigan. From its heyday as Motor City to its rebirth as the Brooklyn of the Midwest, Detroit’s history reflects a series of issues that strike at the heart of American identity: race, poverty, policing, loss of industry, the war on drugs, and our universal desire for a savior. Detroit’s a tough town, and its residents are even tougher. They’ve weathered riots, a drug epidemic, political scandal, and innumerable other hardships, but they’re still here—and they have stories to tell.
Latest Episodes
View all 54 episodes
Crook County: The Secret Double Life of a Mafia Hitman
For over 20 years, Ken Tekiela was a celebrated firefighter, husband, and father of two —but he led a secret, double life as a hitman for the Chicago mob. When the truth came out, it destroyed his family. Now, his son Kyle, host of Crook County, is left to pick up the pieces. Crook County is the shocking true crime podcast about Kenny “The Kid” Tekiela’s rise through the ranks of the legendary organized crime syndicate, the Chicago Outfit, and the lasting impact this has on a family. From iHeartRadio and Tenderfoot TV, welcome to Crook County. Follow the show here. To binge the full season, subscribe to Tenderfoot+. Click here for more details: https://tenderfoot.tv/plus Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

You Might Also Like: The Confessions of Anthony Raimondi
Marc heads to Williamsburg, Brooklyn to meet a 70-year old gangster and hear him confess to the murder of Pope John Paul I. What he learns is that there’s a lot more to Anthony Raimondi than meets the eye. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Introducing | Beyond All Repair
EA new 10-part true-crime podcast, Executive Produced and Edited by Zac Stuart-Pontier, co-creator of Crimetown. Imagine if, one day, you are accused of something. Something horrible, violent, heinous. Something you swear you did not do, and nothing you say can convince anyone otherwise — even the people closest to you. That’s Sophia Johnson’s story. Sophia was starting fresh: A new life, a new husband, a baby on the way. But it all unraveled on January 10, 2002, when her mother-in-law Marlyne Johnson was found bludgeoned to death in her home. Days later, Sophia was charged with the murder. To this day, Sophia swears she didn’t do it. But someone says they witnessed it — her own brother. When family betrays family, who do you believe? In this story of a sibling rivalry beyond compare, WBUR’s Amory Sivertson turns the clock back. She reexamines an unsolved case, a family torn apart, and a woman who wasn’t believed. From WBUR and ZSP Media, Beyond All Repair is a 10-part true crime investigation into a cold case. The series ends with an answer. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Introducing “Operation: Tradebom”
bonusEverybody remembers the morning of September 11, 2001, when two passenger jets flew into the World Trade Center in downtown Manhattan. But the idea of toppling the towers was not new. Thirty years ago, a group of men set off a bomb in the garage beneath the North Tower, hoping it would tumble into the South Tower. At the time, this was the largest improvised explosive device ever ignited on American soil. It killed six people and injured thousands, leaving behind a 100-foot crater five stories deep. Investigators from New York City’s Joint Terrorism Task Force—a ragtag team of FBI paper-pushers and NYPD detectives—found themselves conducting a new type of international investigation, called Operation: Tradebom. It became their job to find the bombers and bring them to justice before something even worse happened. Operation: Tradebom is an Apple Original podcast, produced by Truth Media in partnership with Brillstein Entertainment Partners. All episodes are available now. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
S2 Ep 20Bonus Episode: The Streets Don't Love You Back
EGrowing up, Rob Boyd is ignored by his absent, womanizing father, a well-known local preacher. His mother marries a kindhearted factory worker, who helps raise Rob and his siblings. But after his stepfather is murdered, Rob goes astray, entering a brutal world of drugs and violence. To learn more about Rob's work today, visit thestreetsdontloveyouback.ning.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
S2 Ep 19S2 E19: From the Ashes
EIn the Crimetown Season 2 finale, Kwame Kilpatrick begins his 28-year prison sentence. Although he still maintains his innocence, his chances of a retrial are slim. Meanwhile, Detroit is undergoing a remarkable economic transformation. But who is benefitting from the Motor City miracle? And is the era of crime and corruption really over? For bonus content from this episode, visit crimetownshow.com. To make a donation to Auntie Na's House, visit auntienashouse.org. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
S2 Ep 18S2 E18: United States v. Kwame Kilpatrick
EAfter a decade of scandals and a sprawling corruption investigation, Kwame Kilpatrick faces his most daunting challenge yet: a federal trial that could put him in prison for decades. The former mayor is no longer fighting for his political life or his marriage — now, he’s fighting for his freedom. For bonus content from this episode, visit crimetownshow.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
S2 Ep 17S2 E17: Operation Bombay Dreams
EFor years, the FBI has been running a wide-ranging corruption investigation into the Kilpatrick administration. As they dig deeper, the feds uncover a massive pay-to-play enterprise that reaches every level of City Hall. Is Kwame Kilpatrick a crook? Or are his associates just exploiting his name in order to enrich themselves? For bonus content from this episode, visit crimetownshow.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
S2 Ep 16S2 E16: Surrendered
EAfter serving 99 days in jail, former mayor Kwame Kilpatrick walks free. He heads to Texas and tries to settle into a new life. But Detroit isn’t quite ready to let him go. For bonus content from this episode, visit crimetownshow.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
S2 Ep 15S2 E15: The Murder of Tamara Greene
EWith the mayor behind bars, a crusading lawyer takes up the case of slain exotic dancer Tamara Greene. Could Kwame Kilpatrick have ordered her murder — or is it all an urban legend? For bonus content from this episode, visit crimetownshow.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Introducing The Ballad of Billy Balls
bonusEFrom the same team that brought you Crimetown comes Crimetown Presents: The Ballad of Billy Balls. It’s 1982 in New York City, and a man bursts into an East Village storefront apartment and shoots punk musician Billy Balls. What follows is a mystery of love and loss that examines the tender binds of family, and the stories we tell ourselves just to survive. Learn more at www.theballadofbillyballs.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
S2 Ep 14S2 E14: The Affair
EThe revelation that Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick had an affair with his chief of staff — a romance detailed in thousands of explicit text messages — rocks Detroit. But it’s only the beginning of their troubles. For bonus content from this episode, visit crimetownshow.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
S2 Ep 13S2 E13: Gary Brown v. Mayor of Detroit
EDeputy Police Chief Gary Brown files a whistleblower suit against City Hall, alleging he was fired for investigating the long-rumored Manoogian Mansion party. Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick denies the accusations. But while he’s on the stand, he’s asked a surprising, seemingly unrelated question — one that just might bring him down. For bonus content from this episode, visit crimetownshow.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Introducing Man in the Window
bonusEFrom the partnership that brought you Dirty John, comes Man in the Window. Pulitzer prize winning reporter Paige St. John investigates The Golden State Killer, and traces his path of devastation through the eyes of his victims. Binge the series now at wondery.fm/CT Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
S2 Ep 12S2 E12: Fake News
EAs rumors about a wild party at the mayor’s mansion continue to spread, Kwame Kilpatrick must fend off an increasingly unsympathetic media. Meanwhile, his opponent in the next election has a double-digit lead. Can the hip hop mayor survive? For bonus content from this episode, visit crimetownshow.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
S2 Ep 11S2 E11: The Hip Hop Mayor
ETo his supporters, Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick is a new breed of politician: young, cool, and in touch with black culture. To his critics, his flashy appearance and taste for nightlife are evidence of his immaturity. Rumors about Kilpatrick begin to swirl: sky-high spending, an out-of-control entourage, and wild parties at the mayoral mansion. Is Kwame Kilpatrick in over his head? Or is he being targeted because of his race? For bonus content from this episode, visit crimetownshow.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
S2 Ep 10S2 E10: Right Here, Right Now
EWhen Mayor Coleman Young dies after twenty years in office, he leaves a yawning vacuum in Detroit’s power structure. But a successor quickly arises: a young, ambitious state legislator named Kwame Kilpatrick. He’s charismatic, larger than life, and has an impeccable political pedigree. There’s only one person who can stop Kwame Kilpatrick: himself. For bonus content from this episode, visit crimetownshow.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
S2 Ep 9S2 E09: Dimitri
EDimitri Mugianis is a rarity in Detroit: a white kid whose family stayed after everyone like them left. Growing up, he throws himself into the city’s avant-garde underworld, playing in art-punk bands and partying in gay clubs. But when his taste for the nightlife becomes a full-blown heroin addiction, he realizes that he’s in trouble—and, with a hot new drug called crack hitting the streets, it’s only going to get worse. For bonus content from this episode, visit crimetownshow.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
S2 Ep 8S2 E08: Operation Backbone
EStill hung up on the unsolved murder of Damion Lucas, FBI agent Herm Groman devises an elaborate sting to ensnare the corrupt cops of the Detroit Police Department. Will it bring down Mayor Coleman Young, too? For bonus content from this episode, visit crimetownshow.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
S2 Ep 7S2 E07: Who Killed Damion Lucas?
EA thirteen-year-old boy is murdered in a drive-by shooting. The Detroit police quickly apprehend a suspect. But the FBI is convinced that the wrong man is in jail — and that the real killers are escaping justice thanks to friends in high places. For bonus content from this episode, visit crimetownshow.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices