THE BURDEN · SEASON 6
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.
Listen to the episodesApple Podcasts →Episodes
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 is a production of Orbit Media Inc. in association with Signal Co. No1.
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 seduced into the Dark World of the Mafia.
Lives of Crime is a production of Orbit Media Inc. in association with Signal Co. No1.
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 Inc. in association with Signal Co. No1.
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….his dad.
Lives of Crime is a production of Orbit Media Inc. in association with Signal Co. No1.
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 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.
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 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.
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 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.
Credits
Lives of Crime is a production of Orbit Media Inc. in association with Signal Co. No1.