Crime in Congress

Hey Crimestituents! We're gaveling in another session of Crime in Congress, a new true crime podcast with hosts Harley and Sarah that examines political scandals and infamous crimes with elected officials.

This session, we are discussing part II of the infamous abscam - a story of corruption, luxury, and a con man turned FBI informant who would be critical in bringing justice to several high profile politicians. 

Sources: 

The Sting Man by Robert W. Green. 

https://etd.auburn.edu/bitstream/handle/10415/3384/Larceny%20In%20My%20Heart.pdf?sequence=2&isAllowed=y

https://law.justia.com/cases/federal/appellate-courts/F2/675/34/252599/ 

Gavel strike audio by odditonic 

Instrumental intro/outro music by Dmitry Taras

Hey Crimestituents! We're gaveling in another session of Crime in Congress, a new true crime podcast with hosts Harley and Sarah that examines political scandals and infamous crimes with elected officials.

This session, we are discussing part I of the infamous abscam - a story of corruption, luxury, and a con man turned FBI informant who would be critical in bringing justice to several high profile politicians. 

Sources: 

https://vault.fbi.gov/John%20Murtha/John%20Murtha%20Part%2028#page=6

https://time.com/archive/6855679/the-fbi-stings-congress/

https://etd.auburn.edu/bitstream/handle/10415/3384/Larceny%20In%20My%20Heart.pdf?sequence=2&isAllowed=y

https://archive.is/e8xVK#selection-737.89-737.448

Gavel strike audio by odditonic 

Instrumental intro/outro music by Dmitry Taras

Hey Crimestituents! We're gaveling in another session of Crime in Congress, a new true crime podcast with hosts Harley and Sarah that examines political scandals and infamous crimes with elected officials.

This session, we are taking you back to middle school history class, discussing the brutal caning of Senator Charles Sumner by House of Representatives Member Preston Brooks - an event that stoked the flames of the Civil War. 

Sources: 

https://www.senate.gov/artandhistory/history/resources/pdf/CrimeAgainstKSSpeech.pdfhttps://www.senate.gov/artandhistory/history/resources/pdf/SumnerInvestigation1856.pdf

https://www.senate.gov/artandhistory/history/minute/The_Crime_Against_Kansas.htm

https://web.archive.org/web/20070929061114/http://www.olden-times.com/oldtimenebraska/n-csnyder/nbstory/story25.html

https://www.battlefields.org/learn/biographies/preston-brooks

https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=njp.32101074835990&seq=1107

https://billofrightsinstitute.org/essays/charles-sumner-and-preston-brooks

https://history.house.gov/Institution/Origins-Development/Discipline/

Gavel strike audio by odditonic 

Instrumental intro/outro music by Dmitry Taras

Hey Crimestituents! We're gaveling in another session of Crime in Congress, a new true crime podcast with hosts Harley and Sarah that examines political scandals and infamous crimes with elected officials.

This session, we are taking you to Pennsylvania, where we discuss R. Budd Dwyer, a State Treasurer whose crimes and public suicide shocked the world. 

Sources: 

The Sins of Our Fathers: A Profile of Pennsylvania Attorney General Leroy Zimmerman and a Historical Explanation of the Suicide of State Treasurer R.Budd Dwyer by William Keisling and Richard Kearns

Honest Man: The Life of R. Budd Dwyer (2010)

The Evening News - Tuesday, June 25, 1985 (Harrisburg, PA)

Press Enterprise - Wednesday, July 24, 1985 (Bloomsburg, PA)

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette - Friday, July 27, 1984

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette - Friday, March 2, 1984

The Patriot News - Friday, December 19, 1986 (Harrisburg, PA)

The Evening News - Friday, December 19, 1986 (Harrisburg, PA)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R._Budd_Dwyer

https://www.upi.com/Archives/1984/12/17/A-man-who-federal-prosecutors-say-was-the-mastermind/3255472107600/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LeRoy_Zimmerman

https://www.library.pasen.gov/people/member-biography?id=4570

https://dwyermovie.com/AboutBudd.html

https://bunow.com/news-politics/budd-dwyer-lessons-in-politics-and-media/

https://www.nytimes.com/1984/08/26/us/pennsylvania-aide-focus-of-scandal.html

https://www.legis.state.pa.us/WU01/LI/SJ/1987/0/Sj19870202.pdf

https://www.nytimes.com/1984/08/26/us/pennsylvania-aide-focus-of-scandal.html

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Instrumental intro/outro music by Dmitry Taras

Hey Crimestituents! We're gaveling in another session of Crime in Congress, a new true crime podcast with hosts Harley and Sarah that examines political scandals and infamous crimes with elected officials.

This session, we're talking about the D.C. Madame, Deborah Jeane Palfrey, who ran an illegal, high-end prostitution ring in the Capital City for years, only to meet a tragic end and expose a few powerful men along the way.  

Follow us on Instagram @CrimeinCongress 

Have a case you want us to cover? Want to be the first to know when new episodes are out? Sign up for our email list here! 

Sources:

https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2008/05/madam200805?srsltid=AfmBOoruKFTRc53hlWPlV7nM1Ij19uuB5BUR2OEIsfSRgXUDfjcvx7oD

https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/national/2007/04/29/i-abhor-injustice-alleged-madam-says/a46381c5-4458-41c8-b788-e47adc6015ee/

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2007/may/13/usa.theobserver

https://www.nola.com/news/d-c-madam-trial-reveals-details-of-alleged-sex-business/article_4647122f-14b1-5d11-981a-3b83c556338c.html

https://www.salon.com/2008/05/02/dc_madam/

https://www.10zenmonkeys.com/2007/08/27/the-dc-madam-speaks/

https://www.10zenmonkeys.com/2008/05/03/death-of-a-madam/

https://www.thesmokinggun.com/file/new-dc-sex-scandal-looming

https://documents.theblackvault.com/documents/fbifiles/historical/deborahpalfrey-fbi1.pdf

https://www.politico.com/story/2008/05/the-tragedy-of-deborah-jeane-palfrey-010348

https://www.nytimes.com/packages/pdf/topics/PalfreyIndict.pdf

https://www.newsweek.com/spitzer-mind-dc-madam-makes-her-case-83691

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deborah_Jeane_Palfrey#:~:text=7%20External%20links-,Early%20life,Thomas%20Jefferson%20School%20of%20Law.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/2007/09/05/district-briefing/09b0ccd9-0146-4283-b5c9-1f8bf0765ae0/

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/1981710/prosecutor-case-against-madam-wont-hinge-on-sexual-escapades/

https://www.tampabay.com/archive/2008/05/02/twisting-trail-of-the-d-c-madam/

https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna27477310

https://archive.nytimes.com/thelede.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/05/01/the-story-ends-for-the-dc-madam/?searchResultPosition=19

https://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2016-05-02/supreme-court-wont-release-dc-madam-records

Featuring: the creaks, hums, and sounds of Sarah's house

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Instrumental intro/outro music by Dmitry Taras

Hey Crimestituents! We're gaveling in another session of Crime in Congress, a new true crime podcast with hosts Harley and Sarah that examines political scandals and infamous crimes with elected officials.

This session, we're talking about political superstar Marion Barry, who led a highly successful - and highly controversial - career in D.C. politics.

Follow us on Instagram @CrimeinCongress 

Have a case you want us to cover? Want to be the first to know when new episodes are out? Sign up for our email list here! 

Source:

American Caliph: The True Story of a Muslim Mystic by Shahan Mufti

https://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/24/us/politics/marion-s-barry-jr-former-mayor-of-washington-dies-at-78.html

https://wamu.org/story/14/01/27/crack_1/

https://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2013/01/17/former-dc-mayor-marion-barry-the-fbi-tried-to-kill-me

https://www.ojp.gov/ncjrs/virtual-library/abstracts/jury-nullification-or-prejudice-and-ignorance-marion-barry-trial

https://www.ojp.gov/ncjrs/virtual-library/abstracts/jury-nullification-or-prejudice-and-ignorance-marion-barry-trial

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marion_Barry

https://washingtontimes.newsbank.com/doc/news/0EB0EE9E42AD1493?pdate=1990-01-19

https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/dc-politics/dc-council-censures-marion-barry-for-taking-cash-payments-from-city-contractors/2013/09/17/02f22d06-1fba-11e3-b7d1-7153ad47b549_story.html

https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2014/11/marion-barry-anatomy-of-a-comeback-or-a-few-113127/

https://www.washingtonpost.com/video/local/fbi-video-of-undercover-sting-on-marion-barry/2014/11/23/e1e35f00-7336-11e4-95a8-fe0b46e8751a_video.html

Featuring: the creaks, hums, and sounds of Sarah's house

Gavel strike audio by odditonic 

Instrumental intro/outro music by Dmitry Taras

Hey Crimestituents! We're gaveling in another session of Crime in Congress, a new true crime podcast with hosts Harley and Sarah that examines political scandals and infamous crimes with elected officials.

This session, we're talking about the days-long hostage crisis that paralyzed Washington and the political superstar, Marion Barry, whose survival continued a successful, albeit controversial, career in politics. 

Follow us on Instagram @CrimeinCongress 

Have a case you want us to cover? Want to be the first to know when new episodes are out? Sign up for our email list here! 

Source:

American Caliph: The True Story of a Muslim Mystic by Shahan Mufti

Featuring: the creaks, hums, and sounds of Sarah's house

Gavel strike audio by odditonic 

Instrumental intro/outro music by Dmitry Taras

Hey Crimestituents! We're gaveling in another session of Crime in Congress, a new true crime podcast with hosts Harley and Sarah that examines political scandals and infamous crimes with elected officials.

This session, we're talking about the decades-long scandals of Democrat Congressman from Youngstown, Ohio Jim Traficant (or Traffic Cone, we accept both). Traficant would be the fifth - but not the most recent - member of Congress to be expelled. 

Follow us on Instagram @CrimeinCongress 

Have a case you want us to cover? Want to be the first to know when new episodes are out? Sign up for our email list here! 

LUNCH! With Shelley - LISTEN NOW

Sources:

https://newrepublic.com/article/68973/crimetown-usa

https://www.ourmidland.com/news/article/Summary-of-Charges-Against-Traficant-7124619.php

https://www.cleveland19.com/story/740801/timeline-of-us-rep-james-a-traficant-jrs-political-life/

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2014/09/27/the-best-jim-traficant-stories-from-the-reporters-who-covered-him/

https://www.nytimes.com/2002/07/25/us/house-votes-with-lone-dissent-from-condit-to-expel-traficant-from-ranks.html

https://www.ibtimes.com/james-traficant-dead-73-former-ohio-congressman-was-controversial-figure-1695934

https://www.politico.com/story/2014/09/james-traficant-dies-73-111373

https://www.latimes.com/local/obituaries/la-me-james-traficant-20140928-story.html

https://www.c-span.org/video/?156047-1/politics-house-representatives

https://www.fec.gov/resources/cms-content/documents/federalelections00.pdf

https://www.tribtoday.com/news/local-news/2014/09/juror-remembers-oddities-of-traficant-trial/

https://www.nytimes.com/1983/02/27/us/around-the-nation-sheriff-turns-to-court-to-stop-foreclosures.html

https://www.wdtn.com/news/crime/60-years-ago-this-ohio-city-was-named-crimetown-usa/

https://www.census.gov/library/publications/2023/demo/p60-279.html#:~:text=Highlights,and%20Table%20A%2D1).

https://data.census.gov/profile/Youngstown_city,_Ohio?g=160XX00US3988000

https://beltmag.com/40th-anniversary-youngstowns-black-monday-oral-history/

https://www.wkbn.com/sports/before-his-political-career-traficant-starred-at-pitt/

https://www.ohiohistory.org/visit/browse-historical-sites/youngstown-historical-center-of-industry-labor/

Featuring: the creaks, hums, and sounds of Sarah's house

Gavel strike audio by odditonic 

Instrumental intro/outro music by Dmitry Taras

Hey Crimestituents! We're gaveling in another session of Crime in Congress, a new true crime podcast with hosts Harley and Sarah that examines political scandals and infamous crimes with elected officials.

This session, we're talking about the 1981 Brink's Robbery, which led to three murders and a wild political saga still playing out to this day. Representative Mike Lawler from New York also swings by to give his thoughts about this hometown tragedy. 

Follow us on Instagram @CrimeinCongress 

Have a case you want us to cover? Want to be the first to know when new episodes are out? Sign up for our email list here! 

Sources:

The Journal News Sat Oct 24 1981

Newsday Oct 22 1981 Page 5

Ithaca Journal Herald October 21, 1981

Terrorism Working Group Report - NYPD

Brink's Robbery - New City Library 

UNITED STATES of America, Appellee,

The Prisoner - New Yorker

Featuring: the creaks, hums, and sounds of Sarah's house

Gavel strike audio by odditonic 

Instrumental intro/outro music by Dmitry Taras

Music by Eduard Bykovets from Pixabay

NEWS FLASH! We're popping in your feed with a bonus episode recapping some of the most salacious headlines from the past few weeks, mixed in with random anecdotes by yours truly, Harley and Sarah. 

If you like crime, scandal, politics, and want to stay up-to-date on news of the week, this segment is for you!

Sources: 

https://newspapers.com/image/365337621/?match=1&terms=%22roosevelt%22%20AND%20%22archibald%22%20AND%22christmas%22%20AND%20Tree

https://www.whitehousehistory.org/christmas-at-the-white-house-overview

Featuring: the creaks, hums, and sounds of Sarah's house

Gavel strike audio by odditonic 

Instrumental intro/outro music by Dmitry Taras