Female Criminals

On the last Sunday of every month, Parcast Rewind replays a classic episode of Female Criminals that you might have missed! Anne Bonny and her lover Calico Jack Rackham tore through the Caribbean together from 1718 to 1720, plundering loot from smaller ships. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In addition to new episodes of Female Criminals each week, you’ll now also hear Crime Bites every Friday. Each Crime Bites episode gives you a deeper, yet brief look into true-crime topics covered at Parcast. Today we're taking a closer look at women who subverted their maternal expectations to lead a life of crime. We'll analyze these instances with clips from shows across the Parcast Network, and discuss the different ways these mothers misbehaved. Clips featured: The Dark Side Of: Stage Mother, Con Artists: Sante Kimes Pt. 2, Serial Killers: The Giggling Granny Pt. 1, Female Criminals: Torture Mother Pt. 2 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

She never wanted to grow up. Treva Throneberry did everything she could to delay adulthood, even going as far as traveling from town to town throughout the ‘80s and ‘90s posing as a teenage runaway—pretending, lying, and stealing to cover her tracks. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In addition to new episodes of Female Criminals each week, you’ll now also hear Crime Bites every Friday. Each Crime Bites episode gives you a deeper, yet brief look into true-crime topics covered at Parcast. Today we explore the idea of Psychological Manipulation—the tactics criminals use to deceive, coerce, and exert control over their victims. We'll dive into clips from shows across the Parcast Network, and discuss how these methods work, and most importantly, their dangerous consequences. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

By the winter of 1924, Celia Cooney had robbed 10 stores with her husband across Brooklyn. "The Bobbed-Haired Bandit" eventually ran out of luck, only to find that her capture and trial made her a nationwide star. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Also known as the “Bobbed-Haired Bandit,” Celia Cooney and her husband became a media sensation during the winter of 1924 when they pulled off ten robberies in just under three months. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Here’s one of our listeners’ most requested episodes of 2019: Stories of her exploits on Rum Row in the early 1920s made Gertrude Lythgoe a tabloid darling. As books and article series were published, America was captivated by the “Queen of the Bootleggers.” Unfortunately for her, so was the United States Government. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Here’s one of our listeners’ most requested episodes of 2019: During Prohibition, while most young women were focused on getting married and having a family, Gertrude Lythgoe was busy running her wholesale liquor empire in the Bahamas. She started as a quiet secretary, but found herself venturing into the dangerous waters of Rum Row. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Up until 2001, Ana Montes led a double life as a Cuban spy and a high-ranking analyst in the U.S. intelligence community. A nationally recognized expert, she was nicknamed the "Queen of Cuba," until top-secret information provided by her own sister led to her arrest. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ana Belen Montes was a smart, ambitious Puerto-Rican American with a passion for defending the sovereignty of Latin American nations. In 1985, her drive for social justice found an outlet when she was recruited as a spy for Cuban Intelligence. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

By the late 1960s, Valerie Solanas tried to start an underground feminist movement using Andy Warhol to publicize her vision for a new world. But she became consumed with paranoia and rage. She was convinced that Warhol planned to steal her ideas and pawn them off as his own. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A radical feminist writer who overcame a childhood of poverty and sexual abuse to put herself through college. Valerie Solanas became obsessed with overthrowing the patriarchy — by any means necessary. But an undiagnosed mental disorder inspired increasingly erratic behavior, which soon took a criminal turn. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In 1726, Mary Toft seemed to birth a series of strange creatures: rabbits, cats, and never-before-seen hybrid animals. She quickly became a national sensation. But how did an ordinary English wife and mother deceive the most accomplished doctors of the day? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

By 1997, Mary Kay Letourneau's affair with her 13-year-old student seemed doomed to be exposed when she found herself pregnant with his baby. But even as she faced arrest and imprisonment, she continued to maintain that they were in love. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After a troubled childhood, Mary Kay Letourneau always thought she had to be perfect: the perfect daughter, the perfect wife, the perfect mother. But when she found herself falling for 13-year-old Vili Fualaau at her Washington elementary school, she was ready to throw everything away. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The trials continue: Tituba’s devilish confession sends chills through the town of Salem. And more men and women are tortured, imprisoned and executed as a result of the 1693 proceedings. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Massachusetts 1692-1693: Tituba, Sarah Good and Sarah Osborne—the three women at the center of the Salem Witch Trials. Discover the three key factors that combined to create their witch hunt, as well as the months of moral panic and finger-pointing that followed. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

With a not-so-promising future in Victorian England, Mary Ann Cotton embarks on a journey of seducing, marrying, and killing her spouses and children to collect her insurance policies. Once she was caught in 1873, she learned just how unforgiving society could be to those who transgressed. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A career gold-digger with a penchant for arsenic, and a trail of murders that would make headlines. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In 1920's New York City, policy bank queen Stephanie St. Clair was sitting on the top of the world. She had become one of the most successful policy bankers in her adopted home of Harlem, and had the cash to prove it. But as the Prohibition came to a close, Stephanie would be faced with a formidable new enemy - white mobsters encroaching on her turf. Sponsors! Bombas - Save 20% on your first purchase when you shop at Bombas.com/CRIMINALS! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In 1911, 13-year-old Stephanie St. Clair left the Caribbean for America and never looked back. The scrappy teen lied about her age, and soon found herself on the streets of Harlem at the dawn of the Harlem Renaissance and the Prohibition Era - two moments in history that helped launch her career as the queenpin of a highly lucrative gambling ring. And ultimately, as New York City's first black woman gangster Sponsors! Best Fiends - Download FREE the 5-star rated mobile puzzle game Best Fiends on the Apple App Store and Google Play. Literati Books - Go to LITERATIBOOKS.COM and use promo code CRIMINALS for $20 OFF your FIRST BOX. Plus, kids THREE and up get a special blacklight pen! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On Easter Sunday, 1903, Marie Sukloff awoke in her Russian prison cell to the sounds of a massacre. She overheard one of the bloodiest pogroms in Russian history. The bloodshed ignited a fire that Marie would feel to her dying day. In the years to come, she would plan and carry out an assassination that would make her famous. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As the grip of Tsar Nicholas II loosened at the turn of the 20th century and the wave of Communism started to rise in Russia, a young girl named Marie Sukloff dutifully took her place in the revolution. After watching her peasant farming parents struggle to make ends meet, she learned to read from political bulletins, waiting for her day to strike. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It was called “one of the most brutal and bizarre crimes Australia has ever seen.” In 1989, Tracey Wigginton not only murdered bar patron Edward Buldock – she and her fellow vampires drank his blood. As the investigation unfolded, her small coastal town was riveted by the story of Tracey’s small occultist following, all self-proclaimed lesbian vampires. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After heiress Marjorie Congdon was aquitted of her mother's 1977 murder, she remarried and began to build a new life. But mysterious deaths continued to plague Marjorie, who would become a suspect in numerous murders and arsons for decades. Sponsors! Best Fiends - Download the 5-star rated mobile game for free on the Apple App Store and Google Play. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When Marjorie Congdon was adopted at three months old, she became the doted up daughter of an heiress. She grew up wanting for nothing, showered in gifts and affection. But Marjorie still suffered, eventually diagnosed with antisocial personality disorder. Her mother, afraid of scandal, couldn't accept the diagnosis and Marjorie was never treated. Left unchecked, Marjorie would bring chaos and death to all those around her. Sponsors! Literati - Go to LITERATIBOOKS.COM and use promo code CRIMINALS for $20 OFF your FIRST BOX. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Irma Grese quickly proved herself as one of the most vicious guards at Ravensbruck concentration camp. In 1943, she was promoted and sent to Auschwitz, where her reputation for cruelty only grew. Thousands of interned prisoners suffered under her reign until they were finally liberated by Allied forces. Sponsors! Embrace Pet Insurance - Get your FREE quote at EmbracePetInsurance.com/CRIMINALS. Away - For $20 off a suitcase, visit AwayTravel.com/criminals and use promo code CRIMINALS during checkout! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As Irma Grese grew up in rural Germany, she watched Adolf Hitler rise to power. Completely swept up in the nationalist views of the Nazi Party, Irma tried to find the best way to serve her country. Eventually, she found her purpose as a concentration camp guard. Parcasters - Is there any truth behind the rumored society that protects the secrets of the Holy Grail? Learn more about the Priory of Sion on this week’s episode of Conspiracy Theories! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As the Manson Family turned onto Cielo Drive, time slowed to a crawl. In a few minutes, they would commit five murders that became the most infamous slayings in American history. They intended to start a riot that would burn LA to the ground. Sponsors! Best Fiends - Play the 5-star rated mobile game! Download FREE on the Apple App Store or Google Play. That’s FRIENDS without the R, Best Fiends! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

By July, 1969, the "Manson Girls” saw Charlie as more than a leader, he was the second coming of Christ. Manson’s cult gospel called them to prepare for a fast approaching race war called Helter Skelter that would burn Southern California to the ground. And if the war didn’t start on its own, they would light the fuse. Parcasters - Don’t miss all of our special Summer of ‘69 episodes by subscribing to Parcast Presents: Summer of ‘69, on Spotify, or anywhere you listen to podcasts! Sponsors! Embrace Pet Insurance - Get your FREE quote at EmbracePetInsurance.com/CRIMINALS right now! Zola - Build your free wedding website on Zola and get $50 toward your registry at ZOLA.com/CRIMINALS. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When 23-year-old Brittany Holberg found herself homeless in Texas, performing sex work, and addicted to cocaine, she didn't think her life would get any worse. But then a botched robbery became a murder in 1996, and Brittany had to learn to build a new life for herself on Death Row. Sponsors! Gabi - Take 2 minutes and see if you can save up to $865 when you go to Gabi.com/CRIMINALS. Grove Collaborative - Go to Grove.co/CRIMINALS to get a FREE 5-piece Spring Cleaning Set from Mrs. Meyer’s and Grove— a $30 value! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After an off-handed comment about a serial killer on the loose, Syracuse DA William Fitzpatrick was determined to find out who the "H" family was in Dr. Alfred Steinschnieder's SIDS research. He was convinced the grieving "Mrs. H." was actually a serial killer in disguise. Sponsors! Pair of Thieves - Get 20% off your first order at PairOfThieves.com/CRIMINALS. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For two decades, Waneta Hoyt was seen as the unluckiest mother in the world. But when new evidence emerged, police wondered if she wasn't a grieving mother, but in fact a serial killer. Parcasters - When conservation advocate Joy Adamson turned up dead, the authorities initially suspected one of her lions. Little did they know one of her disgruntled employees would be much more dangerous! Listen to her story on Assassinations, available now on Spotify or wherever you get your Parcast Originals! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the early 1900s Ada and Minna Everleigh found their luxurious gentlemen's club in the midst of a moral war with Chicago's more rigid citizens. What these zealots didn't realize, is that the Everleigh Sisters had the government on their side. Sponsors! Upstart - Hurry to Upstart.com/CRIMINALS to find out HOW LOW your Upstart rate is. Checking your rate only takes a few minutes—and won’t affect your credit! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When sisters Ada and Minna Everleigh opened a brothel in early 1900, citizens were shocked to find that countless potential clients were bluntly turned away at the door. They weren’t suitable, they were told. Not for what was soon to be the most notorious and exclusive gentlemen’s club of the early 20th century. Sponsors! Best Fiends - Best Fiends is a 5-star rated mobile game app available for download FREE on the Apple App Store and Google Play. That’s FRIENDS without the R, Best Fiends! Gabi - Take two minutes and see if you can save up to $865 a year on car insurance at Gabi.com/CRIMINALS. There are NO fees, NO forms, and NO spam. Grove Collaborative - Go to Grove.co/CRIMINALS to get a FREE FIVE PIECE Spring Cleaning Set from Mrs. Meyer’s and Grove! Pair of Thieves - Get 20% off your first order at PairOfThieves.com/CRIMINALS. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In 2005, Dr. Felix Polk of San Francisco, was found stabbed to death by his 15-year-old son, Gabriel. But he believed his mother, Susan, was responsible for the death, after years of threatening violence against her husband. Sponsors! Upstart - Hurry to Upstart.com/CRIMINALS to find out HOW LOW your Upstart rate is. Checking your rate only takes a few minutes—and won’t affect your credit! Zola - To start your free wedding website and also get $50 off your registry on Zola, go to Zola.com/CRIMINALS. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In 2002, after twenty years of marriage, 44-year-old Susan Polk of San Francisco, called it quits with her husband, 70-year-old Felix Polk. Susan's reasons for divorce were simple: she believed her husband was a spy working for the CIA and he had brainwashed her and her children. Parcasters - In Conspiracy Theories this week we explore the North American Union, a supposed superstate created through merging the governments of Mexico, Canada, and the United States. Was it in the plans, is it still? Find out today at parcast.com/conspiracy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Stories of her exploits on Rum Row in the early 1920s made Gertrude Lythgoe a tabloid darling. As books and article series were published, America was captivated by the Queen of the Bootleggers. Unfortunately, so was the United States Government. Sponsors! Best Fiends - Don’t miss out on the must-play game of the year! Download Best Fiends for free on the Apple App Store or Google Play. That’s FRIENDS without the R, Best Fiends! Pair of Thieves - Get 20% off your first order at PairOfThieves.com/CRIMINALS. Upstart - Hurry to Upstart.com/CRIMINALS to find out HOW LOW your Upstart rate is. Checking your rate only takes a few minutes—and won’t affect your credit! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

During the early days of Prohibition in the 1920s, while most young women were focused on getting married and having a family, Gertrude Lythgoe was busy running her wholesale liquor empire in the Bahamas. She started as a secretary in the quiet Midwest, but found herself venturing to the dangerous waters of Rum Row. Sponsors! Grove - Get a 3-piece cleaning set from Mrs. Meyer’s spring scents, a free 60-day VIP membership, and a surprise bonus gift when you sign up and place an order of $20 or more at Grove.co/CRIMINALS. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On Monday, January 29th, 1979, 16-year-old Brenda Spencer shot 350 rounds at a San Diego Elementary School from her front window. Her family and neighbors were stunned by her violent actions. Brenda's response: "I don't like Mondays. This livens up the day." Sponsors! Upstart - Hurry to Upstart.com/CRIMINALS to find out HOW LOW your Upstart rate is. Checking your rate only takes a few minutes—and won’t affect your credit! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Before Parkland, before Sandy Hook, was the 1979 mass shooting at Grover Cleveland Elementary School in San Diego. At 8:30AM on Monday, January 29th, 16-year-old Brenda Spencer lined up her .22 rifle and started firing at the schoolyard across the street from her house. Why would the shy teenager go on such a horrific rampage? Sponsors! Best Fiends - Download the 5-star rated mobile game app for FREE on the Apple App Store or Google Play. That’s FRIENDS without the R, Best Fiends! The Bouqs - Send the Mom’s Day flowers your mom deserves from The Bouqs. Order today and get an extra 20% off when you enter code FEMALE. Pair of Thieves - Get 20% off your first order when you go to PairOfThieves.com/CRIMINALS. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After two months in captivity, Patricia Hearst sided with her kidnappers, the Symbionese Liberation Army. By the end of 1974, the newspaper heiress turned full-blown urban guerrilla. Sponsors! The Bouqs - Get an extra 20% off when you go to Bouqs.com and enter code FEMALE. Upstart - Hurry to Upstart.com/CRIMINALS to find out HOW LOW your Upstart rate is. Checking your rate only takes a few minutes—and won’t affect your credit! That’s Upstart dot com slash CRIMINALS! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In February of 1974, 19-year-old Patricia Hearst was kidnapped by the Symbionese Liberation Army. Her captivity would become one of the most well-known cases of Stockholm Syndrome in history. Sponsors! Robinhood - Robinhood is giving listeners of Female Criminals a FREE stock like Apple, Ford, or Sprint to help you build your portfolio. Sign up at Criminals.Robinhood.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

She climbed to the top of New York City’s real estate scene by bullying and blackmailing, earning her the moniker "The Queen of Mean." In the late 1980s, when Leona Helmsley was put on trial for fraud and tax evasion, all the little people she'd stepped on over the years lined up for their chance to take a swing at Leona. Sponsors! Best Fiends - Download Best Fiends for free on the Apple App Store or Google Play! Upstart - Hurry to Upstart.com/CRIMINALS to find out HOW LOW your Upstart rate is. Checking your rate only takes 2 minutes—and won’t affect your credit! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Born in 1920 to poor, Jewish immigrants, Leona Helsley spent the first 30 years of her life doing whatever it took to rise above her humble origins. She changed her name, bullied her competitors, and, if necessary, skirted the corners of the law, engaging in blackmail and fraud. Parcasters - One of the greatest true crime cases in ever told is also one of the most impactful events in our nation’s history! Can you guess which one it is? Find out now at parcast.com/assassinations Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

She was out of options and desperately searching for a way back to her home to America. In 1945, Iva Toguri, stepped forward and claimed to be the infamous Japanese war broadcaster “Tokyo Rose”. Her bold decision landed her a trip back home, but it came with a steep price. Parcasters - If you haven’t checked out our new show, Crimes of Passion, you’re missing out! Listen to our newest episodes on the Jodi Arias trial at parcast.com/passion Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A Japanese American found herself stranded in Japan after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, unable to return to the United States. To make ends meet, she started working for Radio Tokyo in the early 1940s, broadcasting to American GIs. But did working for the Japanese turn her into a traitor? Sponsors! BetterHelp - Female Criminals listeners get 10% off your first month with discount code CRIMINALS. Go to BetterHelp.com/Criminals. Robinhood - Robinhood is giving listeners of Female Criminals a FREE stock like Apple, Ford, or Sprint to help you build your portfolio. Sign up at Criminals.Robinhood.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In 1983, she was accused of shooting her three children in a twisted attempt to prove her love to her boyfriend. The Oregon district attorney feared that Diane Downs would walk free, due to a lack of evidence. All his hopes rested on a star witness: 8-year-old Christie Downs, Diane's oldest daughter. Parcasters - To learn about an iconic event in American history, check out our our new episode on John McCain on HOSTAGE, wherever you get your shows. Listen now at parcast.com/hostage Sponsors! BetterHelp - Go to BetterHelp.com/Criminals to get 10% off your first month with discount code CRIMINALS. Native - For 20% off your first purchase, visit NativeDeodorant.com and use promo code CRIMINALS during checkout! SugarBearHair - Go to SugarBearHair.com/CRIMINALS for amazing hair and a healthier you. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

She was a mother from Oregon who felt like she never received the love she deserved. In 1983, when Diane Downs finally met a man who gave her the attention she craved, she was willing to sacrifice anything to keep them together. Including her own children. Sponsors! SugarBearHair - Go to SugarBearHair.com/CRIMINALS for amazing hair and a healthier you! Swap.com - Get free shipping on your first purchase when you go to Swap.com/Criminals! Upstart - Hurry to Upstart.com/CRIMINALS to find out HOW LOW your Upstart rate is! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Known for stealing from the rich, and giving to the poor, newspapers called her "The Bandit Queen." But was Wild West anti-hero Belle Starr actually guilty of being a thief, or was she simply married to one? In 1889, her notorious reputation would result in a bloody ending only reserved for an American outlaw. Parcasters - Love may have brought Belle Starr to her grave, but she isn’t alone! Learn about more criminal couples on our new podcast CRIMES OF PASSION. Listen today at parcast.com/passion Sponsors! Shudder - To try Shudder free for 30 days, go to Shudder.com and use promo code CRIMINALS. SugarBearHair - Go to SugarBearHair.com/CRIMINALS for amazing hair and a healthier you. Swap.com - Go to Swap.com/Criminals and sign up to get free shipping on your first purchase. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices