Ridiculous Crime

Graceland is not just a Paul Simon album, turns out it was also the home of Elvis Presley. Who knew?! Turns out crimers and scammers –– they knew! Because once the King was gone, the scammers came to steal his Graceland. But there's so much more going down in that world famous mansion. E and Z take you behind the gates... of Graceland. Where we all will be received.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Robin Hood stole from the rich and gave to the poor. Amy Bock conned the rich for shiggles and then gave it all away to random strangers. A fascinating character, she conned throughout her life, over and over. And her masterpiece? You won't bocking believe the audacity.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

David Bloom made a name for himself in the '80s New York art world. That ended badly. So he moved west –– to a new cultural hotspot also ripe with suckers. Folks who'd believe he was a finance bro long enough for him to fleece the sheep. Again, things ended badly.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This guy. He pulled off great cons and even better prison escapes. He got tossed in solitary for life, but now walks free. Jim Carrey played him in a movie. I mean, this guy. You simply can't keep him down.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What good is an ice cream cone without the ice cream? What's an elaborate mating ritual without the dirty deed? What's a con without a payoff? Producer Dave dives deep into the life of 1940s LA man about town Charles Edwards, who created a lot of sizzle but somehow never managed to turn it in to a steak dinner.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What is supposed to be a luxurious, tropical escape on the high seas can sometimes devolve into a floating barge of drunken tussles at the midnight pizza buffet. Choose your cruise wisely, or you could wind up bruised and battered and also starring in a Ridiculous Crime episode.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Colonial America, and England in the time of the Puritans... not exactly the time or places you'd expect to find a footloose and fancy-free beggar hopping and skipping back and forth across the Atlantic. His secret? Begging, borrowing and stealing. Also, the kindness of others. A shipwreck? A flooded farm? A burned down farmhouse? These weren't calamaties to the King of the Beggars, no, quite the opposite, those were stages for him to debut a new character and then let charity find him. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's pretty brazen to pose as a super secret spy guy in order to hustle up some phony government contracts. You have to convince folks that you are a man of mystery, an agent operating at the most clandestine levels of power. But when your targets are members of the government intelligence community themselves? Patriots and lovers of liberty, hear us when we say that's just plain ridiculous.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Just a few years after Watergate, the halls of power of Washington DC were again stained with fresh scandal. A busload of sitting US congressmen were caught up in an FBI sting operation, one run by a career, small-time criminal, a swindler and scammer. The operation is most memorable for the FBI's two fake sheiks used for their undercover busts. But when the FBI's callin' the tune, sometimes all you can do is get down and sheik your booty.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The game show Press Your Luck was an 80s fan favorite. And the biggest fan? Michael Larson. He studied the show for weeks, finding the weaknesses and plotting his attack. Heading out to Hollywood, he took his chance at stardom. And he didn't just make it onto the show, he made it into the history books. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.