How many red flags were missed? Years of complaints come to light. Victims of Task Force members share their stories.

A podcast from Orbit Media reported and produced by the BBC and hosted by Jessica Lussenhop.

How many red flags were missed? Years of complaints come to light. Victims of Task Force members share their stories.
A podcast from Orbit Media reported and produced by the BBC and hosted by Jessica Lussenhop.

Bad Cops | 3. The Warning Signs

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/e8c6244b-ff31-48d4-807e-b47900368bce/transcript

One name stands out as the FBI gets to work. Why does a member of the Gun Trace Task Force have links to a major heroin ring? A whole new level of criminality is revealed.

A podcast from Orbit Media reported and produced by the BBC and hosted by Jessica Lussenhop.

One name stands out as the FBI gets to work. Why does a member of the Gun Trace Task Force have links to a major heroin ring? A whole new level of criminality is revealed.
A podcast from Orbit Media reported and produced by the BBC and hosted by Jessica Lussenhop.

Bad Cops | 2. The Wiretap

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/7ea83e8a-3ecc-4d07-94cb-b479003678d1/transcript

Civil unrest spreads across Baltimore after 25-year-old Freddie Gray dies in police custody. Meanwhile, a detective makes a troubling discovery when he arrests a major heroin dealer. It’s time to call in the FBI.

Presenter: Jessica Lussenhop
Producer: Ben Crighton

A podcast from Orbit Media reported and produced by the BBC and hosted by Jessica Lussenhop.

Civil unrest spreads across Baltimore after 25-year-old Freddie Gray dies in police custody. Meanwhile, a detective makes a troubling discovery when he arrests a major heroin dealer. It&rsquo;s time to call in the FBI.
Presenter: Jessica Lussenhop Producer: Ben Crighton
A podcast from Orbit Media reported and produced by the BBC and hosted by Jessica Lussenhop.

Bad Cops | 1. The Tracker

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/182c555c-8e29-48fe-987f-b47900366b37/transcript

Baltimore, Maryland likes to call itself Charm City. But you have to wonder: Is the nickname ironic?  Consider one of the city's star cops, a sergeant so accomplished that he earned his own nickname, the Golden Boy.  But Golden Boy led a double life. Said one of those who encountered him in the street.  "I was robbed by the Baltimore City Police….with a gun … armed robbery."  No one believed the allegation. Then a GPS tracker was discovered where it shouldn't have been; next, a wiretap went up on a cop's phone. An FBI agent couldn't believe what she was hearing. Are these guys  gangsters? And then … an insider turned witness. "Like Rambo said, burn it down. And that's what I did."  Welcome to Charm City, where it was sometimes difficult to tell the protectors from the predators.

A podcast from Orbit Media reported and produced by the BBC and hosted by Jessica Lussenhop.

Baltimore, Maryland likes to call itself Charm City. But you have to wonder: Is the nickname ironic?&nbsp; Consider one of the city's star cops, a sergeant so accomplished that he earned his own nickname, the Golden Boy.&nbsp; But Golden Boy led a double life. Said one of those who encountered him in the street.&nbsp; "I was robbed by the Baltimore City Police&hellip;.with a gun &hellip; armed robbery."&nbsp; No one believed the allegation. Then a GPS tracker was discovered where it shouldn't have been; next, a wiretap went up on a cop's phone. An FBI agent couldn't believe what she was hearing. Are these guys&nbsp; gangsters? And then &hellip; an insider turned witness. "Like Rambo said, burn it down. And that's what I did."&nbsp; Welcome to Charm City, where it was sometimes difficult to tell the protectors from the predators.
A podcast from Orbit Media reported and produced by the BBC and hosted by Jessica Lussenhop.

Introducing - Bad Cops

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/310d7a69-a6d8-4bda-a1e0-b47300213789/transcript

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 in fact, he never invested. He paid returns to his clients with the money coming in from new investors. In 2008, Bernie Madoff was sentenced to 150 years in federal prison. That's when Steve Fishman launched a campaign to get him to talk. It took a year, but he finally spoke.

Lives of Crime is a production of Orbit Media Inc. in association with Signal Co. No1.

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 in fact, he never invested. He paid returns to his clients with the money coming in from new investors. In 2008, Bernie Madoff was sentenced to 150 years in federal prison. That's when Steve Fishman launched a campaign to get him to talk. It took a year, but he finally spoke.
Lives of Crime is a production of Orbit Media Inc. in association with<a href="https://www.signalco1.com/"> Signal Co. No1.</a>

Lives of Crime | 7. Frauds & Sons

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/6225f790-d1ba-4c6d-969a-b441002a112e/transcript

 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….his dad.

Lives of Crime is a production of Orbit Media Inc. in association with Signal Co. No1.

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&hellip;.his dad.
Lives of Crime is a production of Orbit Media Inc. in association with<a href="https://www.signalco1.com/"> Signal Co. No1.</a>

Lives of Crime | 4. Then You Get Got

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/fb992bf7-55d3-4dc4-9cad-b41700369c1f/transcript

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 Inc. in association with Signal Co. No1.

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 Inc. in association with<a href="https://www.signalco1.com/"> Signal Co. No1.</a>

Lives of Crime | 3. Making Money

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/00e126f1-209a-47f9-9c14-b417003686b3/transcript

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 seduced into the Dark World of the Mafia.

Lives of Crime is a production of Orbit Media Inc. in association with Signal Co. No1.

In part two of  Education of an Assassin, young Larry Mazza comes of age.&nbsp; Killers may be born, they're also made.&nbsp; 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,&nbsp;The Life, A True story about a Brooklyn Boy seduced into the Dark World of the Mafia.
Lives of Crime is a production of Orbit Media Inc. in association with<a href="https://www.signalco1.com/"> Signal Co. No1.</a>

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

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/04196c73-6729-4878-aea9-b4170035f21d/transcript

 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 heavyweight of his generation who liked to think of himself as an outlaw. He was a vociferous critic of the government and a proselytizer for the joys of marijuana. The government hated Mailer.  But Stratton? He loved Mailer, and Mailer loved him back. In the end, one would do for the other what no person should ever be asked to do. 

Lives of Crime is a production of Orbit Media Inc. in association with Signal Co. No1.

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.&nbsp;
In this episode, there's another person you need to know, Norman Mailer, literary heavyweight of his generation who liked to think of himself as an outlaw. He was a vociferous critic of the government and a proselytizer for the joys of marijuana. The government hated Mailer.&nbsp; But Stratton? He loved Mailer, and Mailer loved him back. In the end, one would do for the other what no person should ever be asked to do.&nbsp;
Lives of Crime is a production of Orbit Media Inc. in association with<a href="https://www.signalco1.com/"> Signal Co. No1.</a>

Lives of Crime | 6. King of the Hippie Mafia 

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/1ef10e9b-3766-4634-bedb-b4170036c166/transcript

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 nefarious Ponzi scheme. Ian maintains he didn't even know what a Ponzi scheme was until the FBI charged him with running one.

Lives of Crime is a production of Orbit Media Inc. in association with Signal Co. No1.

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 nefarious Ponzi scheme. Ian maintains he didn't even know what a Ponzi scheme was until the FBI charged him with running one.
Lives of Crime is a production of Orbit Media Inc. in association with<a href="https://www.signalco1.com/"> Signal Co. No1.</a>

Lives of Crime | 5. Bad Business Kid

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/5525fbaf-dec7-4b27-b531-b4170036b067/transcript

The Burden is a documentary series that takes listeners into the hidden places where justice is done (and undone). It dives deep into the lives of heroes and villains. And it focuses a spotlight on those who triumph even when the odds are against them. 

Season 7 - The Burden: Bad Cops

Baltimore, Maryland likes to call itself Charm City. But you have to wonder: Is the nickname ironic?  Consider one of the city's star cops, a sergeant so accomplished that he earned his own nickname, the Golden Boy.  But Golden Boy led a double life. Said one of those who encountered him in the street.  "I was robbed by the Baltimore City Police….with a gun … armed robbery."  No one believed the allegation. Then a GPS tracker was discovered where it shouldn't have been; next, a wiretap went up on a cop's phone. An FBI agent couldn't believe what she was hearing. Are these guys  gangsters? And then … an insider turned witness. "Like Rambo said, burn it down. And that's what I did."  Welcome to Charm City, where it was sometimes difficult to tell the protectors from the predators.

Season 6 - The Burden: 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 series creates an intimate connection between criminal and listener. It’s true crime without intermediaries. Presented without judgment, each episode features a single voice - a person with a criminal past - telling us the deeply personal details of their lives. We hear about their crimes, sure, but Lives of Crime goes beyond that. We hear the stories that shaped them, the moments that made them, the details that changed the direction of their lives for good or for ill.
True Crime Told by true criminals. 

Season 5 - The Burden: Death & Deceit in Alliance

On April Fools Day 1999, 26-year-old Yvonne Layne was found murdered in her Alliance, Ohio home. David Thorne, her ex-boyfriend and father of one of her children, was instantly a suspect. Another young man admitted to the murder,  and David breathed a sigh of relief, until the confessed murderer fingered David; “He paid me to do it.”  David was sentenced to life without parole. Two decades later, Pulitzer winner and podcast host, Maggie Freleng (Bone Valley Season 3: Graves County, Wrongful Conviction, Suave) launched a “live” investigation into David's conviction alongside Jason Baldwin (himself wrongfully convicted as a member of the West Memphis Three). Maggie had come to believe that the entire investigation of David was botched by the tiny local police department, or worse, covered up the real killer. Was Maggie correct? Was David’s claim of innocence credible? In Death and Deceit in Alliance, Maggie recounts thecasethat launched her career, and ultimately, “broke” her.” The results will shock the listener and reduce Maggie to tears and self-doubt. This is not your typical wrongful conviction story. In fact, it turns the genre on its head. It asks the question: What if our champions are foolish?

Season 4 - The Burden: Get the Money and Run

“Trying to murder my father, this was the thing that put me on the path.” That’s Joe Loya and that path was bank robbery. Bank, bank, bank, bank, bank. In season 4 of The Burden: Get the Money and Run, we hear from Joe who was once the most prolific bank robber in Southern California, and beyond. He used disguises, body doubles, proxies. He leaped over counters, grabbed the money and ran. Even as the FBI was closing in. It was a showdown between a daring bank robber, and a patient FBI agent. Joe was no ordinary bank robber. He was bright, articulate, charismatic, and driven by a dark rage that he summoned up at will. In seven episodes, Joe tells all: the what, the how… and the why. Including why he tried to murder his father. 

Season 3 - The Burden: Avenger

Miriam Lewin is one of Argentina’s leading journalists today. At 19 years old, she was kidnapped off the streets of Buenos Aires for her political activism and thrown into a concentration camp. Thousands of her fellow inmates were executed, tossed alive from a cargo plane into the ocean. Miriam, along with a handful of others, will survive the camp. Then as a journalist, she will wage a decades long campaign to bring her tormentors to justice. 

Avenger is about one woman’s triumphant battle against unbelievable odds to survive torture, claim justice for the crimes done against her and others like her, and change the future of her country.

Season 2 - The Burden: Empire on Blood 

Empire on Blood is set in the Bronx, NY, in the early 90s, when two young drug dealers ruled an intersection known as “The Corner on Blood.” The boss, Calvin Buari, lived large. He and a protege swore they would build an empire on blood. Then the relationship frayed and the protege accused Calvin of a double homicide which he claimed he didn’t do. But did he? Award-winning journalist Steve Fishman spent seven years to answer that question. 

This is the story of one man’s last chance to overturn his life sentence. He may prevail, but someone’s gotta pay. The Burden: Empire on Blood is the director’s cut of the true crime classic which reached #1 on the charts when it was first released half a dozen years ago.

Season 1 - The Burden 

In the 1990s, Detective Louis N. Scarcella was legendary. In a city overrun by violent crime, he cracked the toughest cases and put away the worst criminals. “The Hulk” was his nickname.

Then the story changed. Scarcella ran into a group of convicted murderers who all say they are innocent. They turned themselves into jailhouse-lawyers and in prison founded a lway firm. When they realized Scarcella helped put many of them away, they set their sights on taking him down. And with the help of a NY Times reporter they have a chance.

For years, Scarcella insisted he did nothing wrong. But that’s all he’d say. Until we tracked Scarcella to a sauna in a Russian bathhouse, where he started to talk..and talk and talk. “The guilty have gone free,” he whispered. And then agreed to take us into the belly of the beast. 

Welcome to The Burden.

The Burden is a documentary series that takes listeners into the hidden places where justice is done (and undone). It dives deep into the lives of heroes and villains. And it focuses a spotlight on those who triumph even when the odds are against them.&nbsp;
Season 7 - The Burden: Bad Cops
Baltimore, Maryland likes to call itself Charm City. But you have to wonder: Is the nickname ironic?&nbsp; Consider one of the city's star cops, a sergeant so accomplished that he earned his own nickname, the Golden Boy.&nbsp; But Golden Boy led a double life. Said one of those who encountered him in the street.&nbsp; "I was robbed by the Baltimore City Police&hellip;.with a gun &hellip; armed robbery."&nbsp; No one believed the allegation. Then a GPS tracker was discovered where it shouldn't have been; next, a wiretap went up on a cop's phone. An FBI agent couldn't believe what she was hearing. Are these guys&nbsp; gangsters? And then &hellip; an insider turned witness. "Like Rambo said, burn it down. And that's what I did."&nbsp; Welcome to Charm City, where it was sometimes difficult to tell the protectors from the predators.
Season 6 - The Burden: Lives of Crime
Ever wondered what it&rsquo;s like to live on the edge?&nbsp; To not follow the rules?&nbsp; To live outside of the law?&nbsp; On Lives of Crime you'll hear true stories from criminals themselves, narrating moments from their lives and expounding upon the crimes they&rsquo;ve committed. This first person narrative podcast series creates an intimate connection between criminal and listener. It&rsquo;s true crime without intermediaries. Presented without judgment, each episode features a single voice - a person with a criminal past - telling us the deeply personal details of their lives. We hear about their crimes, sure, but Lives of Crime goes beyond that. We hear the stories that shaped them, the moments that made them, the details that changed the direction of their lives for good or for ill. True Crime Told by true criminals.&nbsp;
Season 5 - The Burden: Death &amp; Deceit in Alliance
On April Fools Day 1999, 26-year-old Yvonne Layne was found murdered in her Alliance, Ohio home. David Thorne, her ex-boyfriend and father of one of her children, was instantly a suspect. Another young man admitted to the murder,&nbsp; and David breathed a sigh of relief, until the confessed murderer fingered David; &ldquo;He paid me to do it.&rdquo;&nbsp; David was sentenced to life without parole. Two decades later, Pulitzer winner and podcast host, Maggie Freleng (Bone Valley Season 3: Graves County, Wrongful Conviction, Suave) launched a &ldquo;live&rdquo; investigation into David's conviction alongside Jason Baldwin (himself wrongfully convicted as a member of the West Memphis Three). Maggie had come to believe that the entire investigation of David was botched by the tiny local police department, or worse, covered up the real killer. Was Maggie correct? Was David&rsquo;s claim of innocence credible? In Death and Deceit in Alliance, Maggie recounts the case that launched her career, and ultimately, &ldquo;broke&rdquo; her.&rdquo; The results will shock the listener and reduce Maggie to tears and self-doubt. This is not your typical wrongful conviction story. In fact, it turns the genre on its head. It asks the question: What if our champions are foolish?
Season 4 - The Burden: Get the Money and Run
&ldquo;Trying to murder my father, this was the thing that put me on the path.&rdquo; That&rsquo;s Joe Loya and that path was bank robbery. Bank, bank, bank, bank, bank. In season 4 of The Burden: Get the Money and Run, we hear from Joe who was once the most prolific bank robber in Southern California, and beyond. He used disguises, body doubles, proxies. He leaped over counters, grabbed the money and ran. Even as the FBI was closing in. It was a showdown between a daring bank robber, and a patient FBI agent. Joe was no ordinary bank robber. He was bright, articulate, charismatic, and driven by a dark rage that he summoned up at will. In seven episodes, Joe tells all: the what, the how&hellip; and the why. Including why he tried to murder his father.&nbsp;
Season 3 - The Burden: Avenger
Miriam Lewin is one of Argentina&rsquo;s leading journalists today. At 19 years old, she was kidnapped off the streets of Buenos Aires for her political activism and thrown into a concentration camp. Thousands of her fellow inmates were executed, tossed alive from a cargo plane into the ocean. Miriam, along with a handful of others, will survive the camp. Then as a journalist, she will wage a decades long campaign to bring her tormentors to justice.&nbsp;
Avenger is about one woman&rsquo;s triumphant battle against unbelievable odds to survive torture, claim justice for the crimes done against her and others like her, and change the future of her country.
Season 2 - The Burden: Empire on Blood&nbsp;
Empire on Blood is set in the Bronx, NY, in the early 90s, when two young drug dealers ruled an intersection known as &ldquo;The Corner on Blood.&rdquo; The boss, Calvin Buari, lived large. He and a protege swore they would build an empire on blood. Then the relationship frayed and the protege accused Calvin of a double homicide which he claimed he didn&rsquo;t do. But did he? Award-winning journalist Steve Fishman spent seven years to answer that question.&nbsp;
This is the story of one man&rsquo;s last chance to overturn his life sentence. He may prevail, but someone&rsquo;s gotta pay. The Burden: Empire on Blood is the director&rsquo;s cut of the true crime classic which reached #1 on the charts when it was first released half a dozen years ago.
Season 1 - The Burden&nbsp;
In the 1990s, Detective Louis N. Scarcella was legendary. In a city overrun by violent crime, he cracked the toughest cases and put away the worst criminals. &ldquo;The Hulk&rdquo; was his nickname.
Then the story changed. Scarcella ran into a group of convicted murderers who all say they are innocent. They turned themselves into jailhouse-lawyers and in prison founded a lway firm. When they realized Scarcella helped put many of them away, they set their sights on taking him down. And with the help of a NY Times reporter they have a chance.
For years, Scarcella insisted he did nothing wrong. But that&rsquo;s all he&rsquo;d say. Until we tracked Scarcella to a sauna in a Russian bathhouse, where he started to talk..and talk and talk. &ldquo;The guilty have gone free,&rdquo; he whispered. And then agreed to take us into the belly of the beast.&nbsp;
Welcome to The Burden.

The Burden

Baltimore, Maryland likes to call itself Charm City. But you have to wonder: Is the nickname ironic?  Consider one of the city's star cops, a sergeant so accomplished that he earned his own nickname, the Golden Boy.  But Golden Boy led a double life. Said one of those who encountered him in the street.  "I was robbed by the Baltimore City Police….with a gun … armed robbery."  No one believed the allegation. Then a GPS tracker was discovered where it shouldn't have been; next, a wiretap went up on a cop's phone. An FBI agent couldn't believe what she was hearing. Are these guys  gangsters? And then … an insider turned witness. "Like Rambo said, burn it down. And that's what I did."  Welcome to Charm City, where it was sometimes difficult to tell the protectors from the predators.

Baltimore, Maryland likes to call itself Charm City. But you have to wonder: Is the nickname ironic?&nbsp; Consider one of the city's star cops, a sergeant so accomplished that he earned his own nickname, the Golden Boy.&nbsp; But Golden Boy led a double life. Said one of those who encountered him in the street.&nbsp; "I was robbed by the Baltimore City Police&hellip;.with a gun &hellip; armed robbery."&nbsp; No one believed the allegation. Then a GPS tracker was discovered where it shouldn't have been; next, a wiretap went up on a cop's phone. An FBI agent couldn't believe what she was hearing. Are these guys&nbsp; gangsters? And then &hellip; an insider turned witness. "Like Rambo said, burn it down. And that's what I did."&nbsp; Welcome to Charm City, where it was sometimes difficult to tell the protectors from the predators.

The Burden: Bad Cops

Social links:

Follow the podcast:

96 clip(s)