Get Off Your Butt and Do It: Tom Vu

Tom Vu captivated late night audiences with his outrageous infomercials touting his real estate seminars. He was rich, sitting on a yacht, carousing with bodacious bikini babes. Yes, he was rich and wanted you to be rich, too! But you weren't going to be rich. Not by a long shot. 

"I'm Rick James, Bitch!": A Criminal Inspiration

Dave Chappelle and his show made Rick James into a catchphrase. Charlie Murphy told the stories that made Rick James into a legendary figure in the culture. But it was Rick James who made the stories and the catchphrase real. "I'm Rick James, bitch!" And these criminals were inspired to be the Rick…

Prince of Lies (not Tides): Anthony Gignac

From a young age, Anthony Gignac dreamed of being wealthy and living a lavish lifestyle. That simply wasn't in the cards for him, so he made his own deck. Posing as a Saudi prince, Anthony scammed his way into a life of luxury cars, jewels, and real estate deals. But like the fake diamonds glued to…

Lawn Chair Larry & His Homemade Flying Machine

What do ya get when you strap 42 weather balloons to a lawn chair? The homemade flying machine of one Lawn Chair Larry. In the early '80s, the amateur aviator took to the skies of Southern California, where he reached such heights that planes taking off from LAX had to dodge Lawn Chair Larry!

Tequila Mockingbird: Sammy Hagar's Booze Empire

The recent theft of a shipment of Santo Tequila, the brand owned by rocker Sammy Hagar and diner lover Guy Fieri, really shook America to its core. We take a look at Sammy's bumpy road to establishing his tequila empire, one Waborita at a time.

Magic: the Gathering ...on Magic Mushrooms

Magic: the Gathering is a tabletop card game for dueling wizards. Magic mushrooms are a psilocybin-based psychedelic that distorts reality. Combine them both and you get this story: a man travels to Portland, Oregon to compete on 'shrooms at a Magic: the Gathering Pro Tour event. ...And Elizabeth q…

I See Your True Colors Shining Through: The Fine Cotton Scandal

A lifelong criminal fixes a horse race with the help of Australian organized crime. In what would make an excellent Guy Ritchie movie, the crimers bumble their way to a disastrous finish worthy of no photos. But just like a good Guy Ritchie movie, not everything is as it seems.

The Half-Alien Human Hybrid Superspy Guy: Jeffrey Alan Lash

When a dead body is left in a SUV in a wealthy LA enclave, it launches an out-of-this-world mystery. Was the strange dead man really a half-alien human hybrid superspy working for a super-secret government agency? Or was it all just... a ridiculous crime?

I'll Buy that for a Dollar: Emerich Juettner

A upright citizen living in "genteel poverty" loses everything — except his dog — and instead of going broke decides to go for broke. When life gives you lemons, make dollar bills, dagnabbit! 

The "Break–In of the Century": The Citizens Committee to Investigate the FBI

In 1971, Muhammad Ali fights Smokin' Joe Frazier in The Fight of the Century. The huge media event is the perfect distraction for a group of Catholic hippie antiwar activists to stage a break-in at an FBI field office in Media, Pennsylvania. This story has everything –– J. Edgar Hoover, Deep Throat…