Ridiculous Crime

The Yap Lavish story has something for everyone: gold coins, private planes, contraband phones, up-and-coming Atlanta rappers. While in state prison, inmate Yap Lavish pulled off the robbery of not one but two billionaires. And he would’ve gotten away with it, if not for those meddling prison guards.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Want to make a splash in publishing? Try ghostwriting an autobiography for a super famous man. Just make sure the famous man knows about it first.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Two blonde bombshells get famous after they turn pro as…bank robbers. Heather and Ashley were just a pair of all-American girls who decided that the street crime life was for them. One problem, though: they were terrible at crime.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

She told fortunes. She faked documents. She changed her name. She crashed the economy of a major American city. Sorry, Cleveland.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In 1920s Chicago there was a crime wave plaguing the city — no, not Al Capone and gangland mayhem — there was an epidemic of gland piracy, testicle thieves were out there stealing balls.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Organized shoplifting, streamlined fencing, prosthetic arms, hidden pockets, driving cars through shop windows, a strict code of thievery — this London gang (which may have predated the Sicilian mafia) didn't mess around. Just forty women out on the mean streets, taking care of business. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Once upon a time... there was a band called Fleetwood Mac, but one day someone had an affair with Mick Fleetwod's wife, and boom, suddenly there were two Fleetwood Macs. This became a big problem for everyone. Mostly because, no one knew how to answer the question: which Fleetwood Mac is the real Fleetwood Mac? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It was a developing news story that gripped the nation: a little boy flying high in the sky in an uncontrolled electrified experimental balloon. When it crashed to earth and he wasn't in it, panic turned to grief. Where was little Falcon Heene? Hiding at home, it turns out. Just like his publicity-loving father had arranged it.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Add two astronauts, mix in one younger woman, stir in a 900-mile drive from Houston to Orlando, and garnish with an adult diaper — that’s how you make an Astronaut Love Triangle! This true story is an out-of-this-world tale of love, sex, jealousy, crime and the limits of the human bladder.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Awards season is upon us and you know what that means: awards. And awards shows. Ridiculous Crime is proud to present the first annual Perpie Awards, celebrating almost a year of incredible capers, heists, and cons. Don't miss this star-studded event!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This was one helluva year! As life in a pandemic returned to a semblance of normalcy, criminals also got back to work. In many cases the results were predictably ridiculous. To review the felonious year that was, here’s a rundown of the Top Ten Most Ridiculous Crimes of 2022!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Many kids dream of becoming astronauts, but only a select few actually make it their profession. And even fewer manage to blow that chance. And only one threw away his dreams of space travel in a truly ridiculous way: stealing moon rocks from work in order to say he'd had sex on the moon. Literally.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

That one time when the Black Panthers, the militant Weather Underground and the surf mafia The Brotherhood of Eternal Love came together to free a psychedelic charlatanSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Strip clubs, crooked politicians, cash payoffs, FBI raids, ski school. It's a Vegas corruption story like no other!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Mayhem, chaos and international hijinks ensue after three Italian brothers, led by their super-patriotic older brother, break into the Louvre and steal the Mona Lisa for the glory of Italia. The frantic French police search high and low for the stolen masterpiece, they even drag in Picasso and JP Morgan.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Guy meets girl. Guy loses girl. Guy learns to rob banks. Guy robs banks. Guy likes to look fly. Guy gets arrested. Guy escapes prison. Guy gets caught again. Guy writes memoirs. Guy inspires generations of medical students to better diagnose patients? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Born the son of a shepherd, inspired by highwaymen bandits of the mountains, Vassilis Palaiokostas grew up to be a criminal legend known as the Greek Robin Hood. From his daring helicopter prison escapes to his bank-robbery-funded luxurious life on the lam, he’s known for his deep love of Greek guitar music, stolen German cars, and, of course, freedom.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What do you get when you mix crooked cops, violent firemen, a rollicking bordello, hardboiled clowns, and sectarian violence? You get something wildly ridiculous, that's what. Zaron is still missing, so Producer Dave steps in again and saves the day.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Who among us hasn’t daydreamed of being Steve McQueen for a day? For a 20-year-old community college student, fancy liquors and semi-exotic cars weren’t enough to scratch the dangerous cool guy itch. Only a major bank heist in tribute to McQueen’s own biggest big screen caper would do. So why are we just hearing about it now? Producer Dave Coustan takes the wheel and fills us in.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Only the greatest con man could take Mussolini for $2M, run a totally fake casino, fix horse races, pose as a well-known mining engineer, and then write a book about it all. Oh, and look super dapper along the way.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ron and Scott were brothers, a pair of SoCal surf kids growing up in the ‘60s. They were into the usual stuff: peace, love, catching waves, international drug smuggling, making phony films as a cover for illicit activities, hanging out with Jimi Hendrix in Hawai`i, fooling Porsche into agreeing to a fake car race. You know, just brotherly fun.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When your only crime is curiosity, is it still illegal to hack into government computer systems in search of information about UFOs? Yes. Yes, it is. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

You’re young, you’re hawt, you’re used to getting paid for it as an Instagram influencer – so why not turn pro and get paid for it overseas? But suddenly you’re now an international cocaine smuggler… how did this happen?! (🎵 Life on the Coke Boat, surely make you lose your mind 🎶)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Pranks! Some are clever. Some are fun. Some are a little lame. And some manage to create an historical thread from Virginia Woolf to Silvio Berlusconi. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Two great tastes that taste great together: horse racing and fraternity brothers. What happens when three frat bros attempt to rig the biggest horse race in America? They all win a free yet priceless education in how not to commit a crime. And it’s all thanks to a long shot horse named Volponi.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Regional delicacies are a hot market and a point of pride. Tucson's Sonoran Hot Dogs are a prime example. But are they worthy of extortion and death threats? One guy sure thought so.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

They can barely see over the steering wheel, they can’t reach the pedals, many can’t even read, but they don’t let that stop them. Kids will steal the dardenest things — like Mom’s SUV. These criming kids all went big, they each tried to drive cross-country!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Trains. It was an outrageous caper to end all capers: stealing millions from a train (and maybe a little of the train, too). What could go wrong? Well, a lot. But a fair bit also went right. Trains. And thanks to all that, we have a dope television theme song. Makes sense, don't it? And trains. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

2 Texas colleges. 1 two-hundred pound owl. Mix in 1200 cadets and their bull sergeants versus a team of football players and tracks stars, stir in as many trains, trucks, and cars as can be found, and garnish with two private dicks, one named Snowball. That’s called a TAMU over Rice.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is the true story of five strangers picked to target a mark, work together, and have their lives taped to find out what happens when people stop criming in secret...and start getting loot for the sake of entertainment.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

David Friedland was a corrupt, mob-connected, LSD-munching, undercover FBI informant and New Jersey state lawmaker, until one day he faked his death and became a scuba diving instructor.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Choose a job. Choose Australia. Choose a gross hostel. Choose some friends. Choose a crate. Choose a pee bottle. Choose your future. Choose life... But why would I want to do a thing like that? I chose not to choose life. I chose somethin' else. And the reasons? There are no reasons. Who needs reasons when you've got trains?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Is it kidnapping if you’re the kid who naps himself? Do FBI informants have a bring your kid to work day? It’s David Hampton Butler Jr. vs David Hampton Butler Sr. in a Florida Man battle of the ages.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

When a pastor went missing after giving a series of talks about the devil, everyone who knew him was certain Satanists were to blame. But what if the devil in this story was actually the little devil on that pastor's shoulder urging him to find a new life? Guess what...it was.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sen. Estes Kefauver was outraged by a crime: the poisoning of the minds of American children. He spied a vile new threat introduced by Superman, Wonder Woman and Batman –– to him, the superheroes were secretly agents of fascism. The lawmaker knew the best way to fight back and save America's children was to call the press and form... a Senate Subcommittee! (Cue the moral panic in 3, 2, 1..)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Antarctica is cold. Very cold. And there's not much to do other than research and maintenance. Or listen to Metallica. What happens when you mix a limited library, a bully, and a whole lot of booze? Something ridiculous, for sure. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It was an idea so crazy it just might work: what if a middle-aged scientist invited 10 young, sexy strangers to live aboard a raft with him for 3 – 6 months and together they’d solve the question of world peace. Who knows? (Every one knows.) Warning: adult themesSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Diamonds and gems scattered about the dry earth just waiting to be gathered and sold. Little to no work involved. Easy money. Sounds to good to be true, right? Not for the titans of industry, experts, and investors who fell for this ridiculous con.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Garrett Brock Trapnell was a criminal Swiss Army knife; he ran guns for Fidel Castro, he rented dogs to Hollywood stars, later he became a skyjacker –– and he became so famous from it that a mother and daughter tried to free him from prison.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What do you get when you put a fearless woman behind the wheel of a truck filled with illicit booze on a winding country road with the feds in hot pursuit? You get the brazen capers of Willie Carter Sharpe.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

One was a man of action, an incredible athlete who was always ready with an outsized proposition bet, like wagering if he could throw a peanut across Times Square; the other man was a walking calculator of odds and angles, a master gambler, but one who preferred it when the game was rigged — they called themselves Titanic and The Brain. One of them is still remembered as the man who fixed the World Series, at least that’s the rumor.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Edgar Laplante tried it all: pretending to be a Native American chief, pretending to be a famous athlete, pretending to be a war hero, pretending to be in love with a noblewoman. While not always a very convincing imposter, he was weirdly successful in his relentless career of cons and fraud.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It hits every American 80s movie trope: parents go out of town, teen boy throws party, party gets out of control. Except this time it became a global sensation and wound up inspiring its own movie. And in the tradition of Succulent Chinese Meal Man, this Australian teen is unapologetically larger than life and, well, ridiculous.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

You run for mayor of a large American city. You get elected. You commit a felony. You resign. You run again for mayor of that same large American city. You get elected. You commit another felony. You resign again. But none of that will stop you from remaining a lasting part of the fabric of the city or from participating in a parade. This is the Buddy Cianci story.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dubbed the “Bank Robbery of the Century,” the daring break-in at a castle-style bank in the French Riviera town of Nice shocked the world — but it was the fact that the burglars from the heist team kept writing novels about it that was far more shocking! Guys, you got away with it… Ssshhh!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Brian "The Guv'nor" Reader met his criminal downfall with the Hatton Garden Heist. But that wasn't his first attempt at breaking into a vault. Decades before, he and a crack crew dug a tunnel in search of riches, but were foiled by a guy who just wanted to listen to Radio Luxembourg in peace.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

He spent the majority of his life behind bars, but when he was free he made his time count, robbing stage coaches and trains and traveling the world on stolen booty — meet Billy Miner, outlaw folk hero of the disappearing Wild West.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What started as a spot for a pirate radio station blossomed into a whole country. At least to the people who lived there. But the founding of any nation is full of strife, crime, and ridiculousness. Why should Sealand be any different?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Two country legends, good time friends and partners in crime, Willie and Waylon shared a love of staying one step ahead of the law; except sometimes when you fight the law…the law wins.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Being named Bum Farto is ridiculous. Selling drugs is a crime. Being named Bum Farto and selling drugs in front of a fire station? Now THAT'S a ridiculous crime.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.