Lives of Crime | 7. Frauds & Sons

Today we hear from Bernie Madoff, mastermind of the largest Ponzi scheme ever. Bernie made $65 billion disappear. Billion with a B. Madoff had been a Wall Street star, innovative, rich, honored. He was chairman of the NASDAQ. Also, he was quietly managing other people's money, or said he was. But i…

Lives of Crime | 4. Then You Get Got

 Today's episode is the story of Mike Yard. Mike is now a successful comedian headlining shows around the country. But before that, he spent some time as a stickup man, toting around a big ass gun. Mike chose crime for very specific reasons. Some might call them laudable. Those reasons involved….hi…

Lives of Crime | 3. Making Money

Today's episode is a first person account from Jeff Turner. He was one of the best counterfeiters of his generation. He was persistent, resourceful and very skilled. US Treasury agents couldn't believe how inventive he was. And he did it all for love. Lives of Crime is a production of Orbit Media …

Lives of Crime | 2. Education of an Assassin Part 2

In part two of  Education of an Assassin, young Larry Mazza comes of age.  Killers may be born, they're also made.  In this episode, the Grim Reaper takes Larry under his wing. Spoiler alert, it ends with a bang. For more on Larry's story, read his book, The Life, A True story about a Brooklyn Boy…

Lives of Crime | 6. King of the Hippie Mafia

 In this episode we feature Richard Stratton. The government called him a drug kingpin. But Richard preferred to be called, King of the Hippie Mafia, a band of counter-cultural cannabis lovers turned criminals.  In this episode, there's another person you need to know, Norman Mailer, literary heav…

Lives of Crime | 5. Bad Business Kid

Meet Ian Bick. Ian was just 16 years old when the roots of his criminal enterprise were set. You might say he led a double life. A teenager sleeping in a twin bed in his parents' suburban house under his favorite music poster, and also, according to the FBI, a cunning criminal conducting a nefariou…

Lives of Crime | 1. Education of an Assassin Part 1

In part one of this two-part story, we meet Larry Mazza, a teenage delivery boy at the local supermarket; his customer, a beautiful older woman; and her husband, a mobster known as the Grim Reaper. Listen and find out why we call this episode the Education of an Assassin Part One? Lives of Crime i…

Introducing - Lives of Crime

Ever wondered what it’s like to live on the edge?  To not follow the rules?  To live outside of the law?  On Lives of Crime you'll hear true stories from criminals themselves, narrating moments from their lives and expounding upon the crimes they’ve committed. This first person narrative podcast se…

Introducing - Blood Will Tell

Sharing a special episode this week from a new podcast called Blood Will Tell. When a birthday party in suburban San Jose turns deadly, 18-year-old identical twins are arrested for suspected murder. One brother spends nearly two years in jail before the truth comes out: authorities locked up the wr…

Introducing - Robert Pickton: The Final Chapter, Part 1

Today we bring you the first episode of the new miniseries - Robert Pickton: The Final Chapter, from Canadian True Crime. Everyone knows about the Canadian pig farmer who confessed to murdering 49 women on his farm near Vancouver – many of them sex workers and Indigenous women.  What you might no…