Ridiculous Crime

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.