Ridiculous Crime

iHeartPodcasts

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.

  • 49 minutes 32 seconds
    The Phisher King: Filippo Bernardini

    Filippo Bernardini felt like an outsider in the publishing world, so he decided to fix that. Did he dazzle executives with his intellect and insight? No. He stole his way into literary inner circles. And we know how those stories end. 

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    25 December 2025, 10:00 am
  • 49 minutes 52 seconds
    Ho, Ho, Hold It Right There: A Collection of Christmas Crimes

    T'was the night before the Christmas, and all through the house not a creature was stirring... except for a mouse stealing some Christmas cookies. No, not really. But this episode is a fun collection of Christmas crimes and the holiday-crazed criminals who committed them. 

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    23 December 2025, 10:00 am
  • 1 hour 3 minutes
    A Con So Nice, He Named Himself Twice: Lord Gordon Gordon

    A man who called himself Lord Gordon Gordon sure knew how to con 'em. He scammed jewelers, land owners, and railroad magnates with great alacrity on both sides of the Atlantic. But in the hierarchy of criminals, the robber barons generally come out on top, and Gordon Squared just didn't anticipate that. 

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    18 December 2025, 10:00 am
  • 1 hour 2 minutes
    The Love Triangle of Frank Sinatra, Howard Hughes and Ava Gardner

    Frank Sinatra and Ava Gardner had one of the great love affairs of the last century. But it was actually a love triangle that included the famously-reclusive Howard Hughes. It gets wilder than that –– their love rivalry lasted decades and involved the mafia and the CIA. In fact, the dynamic forever changed Las Vegas and even ended the Rat Pack Era. This one is a wild midcentury tale... and 100% criminally ridiculous!

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    16 December 2025, 10:00 am
  • 50 minutes 14 seconds
    The Napoleon of Crime: Adam Worth

    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. 

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    11 December 2025, 10:00 am
  • 1 hour 12 seconds
    The Johnny Cash Jamaican Christmastime Miracle

    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. 

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    9 December 2025, 10:00 am
  • 55 minutes 27 seconds
    You Better Listen to the Radio: Operation Ostrich

    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. 

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    4 December 2025, 10:00 am
  • 58 minutes 42 seconds
    The Zambian Plot

    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. 

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    2 December 2025, 10:00 am
  • 1 hour 7 minutes
    Don't Mess with the Big Dog: Martha Stewart

    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. 

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    27 November 2025, 10:00 am
  • 1 hour 1 minute
    The King of Counterfeiters: Jeff Turner

    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.

    25 November 2025, 10:00 am
  • 1 hour 3 minutes
    There Ain't No Cure for the Varsity Blues: Rick Singer

    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.

    20 November 2025, 10:00 am
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