This week, Sara and Danny catch up on the Trump indictment and Jen Shah's prison book list, before discussing the actual OG Ponzi schemer, Adele Spitzeder. An actress, womanizer, dog mom, philanthropist, nepo baby... literally what can't this b*tch do (other than successfully run a bank without ending up in prison)? To wrap up the show, they dream cast their own made-for-tv movie about Adele: We Could Have Had It All.

RESOURCES:

https://www.aier.org/article/adele-spitzeder-the-queen-of-confidence-tricksters/

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This week, Sara and Danny examine the unsolved case of Long Island's very own missing heiress, Alice Parsons. They discuss her unhappy marriage to an oil heir-turned squab farmer (turned squab paste manufacturer), and how his affair with a mysterious Russian housekeeper may very well have lead to Alice's disappearance and probable death. Fake ransom notes, messy evidence, and fights over fortunes abound! To wrap up the show, they play a round of "Edible Dish or Death Wish?", where they try to suss out unusual foods from fatal concoctions.

RESOURCES:

https://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/ny-alice-parsons-kidnapping-book-20200905-gvj53zysbrdxdne4kiz72vwcai-story.html

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/175717087/alice-parsons

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Sara and Danny dive into one of the most notorious con men in history: Frank William Abignale. Popularized by Catch Me If You Can, he has been immortailzed as the ultimate jet-setting conman, but as it turns out, we might've all been conned by the man himself. To end the show, they play a round of "Con Me If You Can!" where they try to fool each other into believing some lie's about themselves. 

Resources:

The Greatest Hoax on Earth: Catching Truth, While We Can by Alan C. Logan

https://www.biography.com/crime/frank-abagnale

https://nypost.com/2023/03/13/catch-me-if-you-can-conman-frank-abagnale-lied-about-his-lies/

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This week, Sara and Danny kick off the episode with a brief update on the Madeleine McCann story, for which we might be beginning to get some answers for. Then, they dig into the episode, taking us all the way back to the 1920s to talk about Ruth Snyder. They kick it off with some background facts about Ruth and her husband Albert, and the affair she led with a salesman that was the beginning of the chain of events that would lead to the murder of her husband. They also talk all about the sensational trial that followed it, and the outcome of Ruthless Ruth and her accomplice.

RESOURCES:

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/how-a-new-york-tabloid-captured-the-first-photograph-of-an-execution-by-the-electric-chair-180981432/

https://www.americanheritage.com/she-had-die

https://www.nydailynews.com/news/crime/ruthless-ruth-article-1.344029

The Bloody Blonde and the Marble Woman: Gender and Power in the Case of Ruth Snyder by Jessie Ramey

https://www.history.com/news/double-indemnity-1920s-murder-crime-tabloids

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Sara and Danny take a look at one of the most well-known mysteries from Australia, the death of the Somerton Man. They dive into the unexplained circumstances under which the body of the unidentified man was found, and the few clues that investigators were able to find. They also get into the cryptic piece of paper found in his pocket, which only said "Tamam Shud." Then they discuss the various theories that have been circulated throughout the years about the identity of the man and the cause of his death, and why investigators believe that they finally might be getting some concrete answers to their questions. To end the show, they play a game called "A Milllion Ways To Die On A Beach," where they try to deduce which are the deadliest dangers on a beach.

RESOURCES:

https://www.cnn.com/2022/07/26/australia/australia-somerton-man-mystery-solved-claim-intl-hnk-dst/index.html

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/have-scholars-finally-identified-the-mysterious-somerton-man-180980540/

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-body-on-somerton-beach-50795611/

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2022/jul/27/somerton-man-mystery-identity-solved-identified-australia

https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/danvergano/who-is-the-somerton-man

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This week, Sara and Danny kick off the episode with a quick update on the Murdaugh trial(updates are moving quick, make sure to follow @notanothertruecrime to stay up to date,) before diving into the main story of the week: the Ozy Media Scandal. They give an overview of the media outlet and the general gist of their operations before diving right into the details of the scanda, which included fake interviews, fasified metrics, and fabricated stories. They also zero in on the main person implicated in all of this: CEO Carlos Watson who was at the heart of all their shady dealings. They round it all out with the precitipous fall of the organization and the consequences of the widespread fraud.

RESOURCES:

https://www.justice.gov/usao-edny/pr/ozy-media-and-its-founder-carlos-watson-indicted-years-long-multi-million-dollar-fraud

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/09/26/business/media/ozy-media-goldman-sachs.html

https://www.marketingbrew.com/stories/2023/02/14/ozy-is-looking-for-advertisers-to-sponsor-ozy-fest-a-two-day-event-in-miami

https://www.semafor.com/article/02/08/2023/media-company-ozy-is-attempting-a-comeback

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This week, Sara and Danny are joined by Aly Michalka from Aly & AJ to spend a bit of time talking about true crime! They kick things off discussing the recent release from prison of Charles Sobhraj (popularized by the Netflix series "The Serpent"), and the questionable reason behind the decision. Then, they dig into the main topic of the episode, the unsolved murder of Hollywood director William Desmond Taylor in 1922. They start off with some background info on Desmond Taylor and his immigration to the US, and how he began his career in Hollywood after a winding path through Northern America. Then, they cover the circumstances of his murder, and the long list of suspects that have been investigated throughout the years. Make sure to check out Aly & AJ's newest album "With Love From" when it comes out March 15th!

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Sara and Danny cover the story of Norman Baker, the magician who later claimed to have the cure for cancer. They start off by exploring his background as a vaudeville performer, inventor, and tramp machinist (yes, that’s a real profession). They talk about his time as the original Joe Rogan hosting his own radio broadcasting show called KTNT “Know The Naked Truth” - if only he was born 98 years later. Finally they chat about how he secured fame as well as state and federal prison terms by promoting a supposed cure for cancer.

RESOURCES:

https://www.newyorker.com/culture/photo-booth/the-haunting-history-of-a-hucksters-cancer-cure

https://encyclopediaofarkansas.net/entries/norman-baker-4885/

https://www.nwaonline.com/news/2019/apr/12/glass-bottles-date-to-38-cancer-elixir-/

http://iagenweb.org/muscatine/obituaries/ba-obit.htm

https://go.gale.com/ps/i.do?p=AONE&u=googlescholar&id=GALE|A78177225&v=2.1&it=r&sid=AONE&asid=93dab8fd

https://www.thedailybeast.com/madeline-mccann-parents-ok-dna-test-on-julia-wandelt

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/charlatan-ozarks-still-looms-over-haunted-crescent-hotel-180973743/

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Sara and Danny cover the story of Joe Elwell, a tale of murder, mystery and… bridge! They talk all about the life of the conniving con artist in the early 1900s, whose shady dealings ultimately led to his demise. They dig into the circumstances of his murder, which remains unsolved to this day and has been named the Locked Room Murder. To end the show, they put their lateral thinking skills to the test, as they are presented with a series of puzzles they need to solve in honor of Joe’s ‘impossible’ murder.

RESOURCES:

https://www.frontpagedetectives.com/p/the-impossible-locked-room-killing-of-joseph-elwell

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Sara and Danny are back to talk all about infamous scammer extraordinaire Victor Lustig, the Austro-Hungarian who once sold the Eiffel Tower. They cover his laundry list of scams he ran throughout his life in the early 1900’s, and the numerous victims he left behind in his wake. They also get into the events that left to his eventual downfall, and how his romp through he United States came to an end. To end the show, they play a game testing their skills at sussing out a fake sale, guessing whether certain bizarre items were actually sold on eBay or not.

RESOURCES: 

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/man-who-sold-eiffel-tower-twice-180958370/

https://www.myjournalcourier.com/news/article/Holy-cow-History-The-man-who-sold-the-Eiffel-17367737.php

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-smoothest-con-man-that-ever-lived-29861908/

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