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. 

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.&nbsp;

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.

Ridiculous Crime

You Better Listen to the Radio: Operation Ostrich

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/ebad355b-3b2f-4031-aa68-b3a8014c3192/transcript

A poet named Ern, so they say/Wrote verses that dazzled one day/But Ern, it turned out, was a hoax, past a doubt/Cooked up by two dorks just for play!

A poet named Ern, so they say/Wrote verses that dazzled one day/But Ern, it turned out, was a hoax, past a doubt/Cooked up by two dorks just for play!

How Angry Are These Penguins?: The Ern Malley Affair

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/205aac39-f431-4db3-a4d7-b4ea014d62e7/transcript

Elmer McCurdy came of age at the end of the Old West, and as it vanished he tried to grab at that outlaw life while it was still a real thing. Trouble was, he was not good at being a bad man. In death, he became an avatar and totem of the fast disappearing Wild West. There he remained, until one day the story of an astronaut and test pilot freed him from his bizarre afterlife. 

Elmer McCurdy came of age at the end of the Old West, and as it vanished he tried to grab at that outlaw life while it was still a real thing. Trouble was, he was not good at being a bad man. In death, he became an avatar and totem of the fast disappearing Wild West. There he remained, until one day the story of an astronaut and test pilot freed him from his bizarre afterlife.&nbsp;

The Life, Death, and Afterlife of the Outlaw Elmer McCurdy

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/87d48a13-e88d-43d3-900d-b4e8016ba3b6/transcript

There's a lot of money to be made in tourism, especially in culturally rich areas like Italy's Veneto region. So what's a philanthropist/entrepreneur/orchestra conductor to do? Build a fake ancient amphitheater, of course! The Italian government, though, doesn't take kindly to that kind of scamming. Sparisci, truffatore!

There's a lot of money to be made in tourism, especially in culturally rich areas like Italy's Veneto region. So what's a philanthropist/entrepreneur/orchestra conductor to do? Build a fake ancient amphitheater, of course! The Italian government, though, doesn't take kindly to that kind of scamming. Sparisci, truffatore!

An Offense to Forgers: The Fake Italian Amphitheater

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/95a3d0d5-4129-4357-b266-b4e30187ca6a/transcript

You Better Listen to the Radio: Operation Ostrich

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