Julie D'Aubigny was truly a rare one. She could sword fight with the best of them. She could sing opera like a song bird. She wore men's clothing, she wore women's clothing, she wore whatever she wanted. And as a great lover, she'd also steal your girl. There was almost nothing she couldn't do. She also was a shameless outlaw who lived by the sword and nearly died by the executioner's ax. But she was cool with the Sun King, Louis XIV. Basically, she lived, she loved, and her life begs the question: how is there not a major movie about her?

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It's the American Dream to reach these golden shores, work hard, make your fortune, and see your name go down in history. Charles Ponzi did all that, just not in the way the law intended. He perfected the pyramid scheme to such a degree, they just named the whole thing after him. Not the legacy you want in life. 

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She made a name for herself in the world of True Crime TV. But it was not a good name. Mary Carole McDonnell was known to run a fly-by-night TV production company that paid poorly and paid late. But that was only a part of the story. She was also a faux nepo baby posing as an aerospace heiress. Which she leveraged into bank fraud to the tune of millions and millions. Further proof, in Hollywood, nothing is ever at it seems.

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Born into a mob family, "Cowboy" George Martorano was pretty much destined to run afoul of the law. A non-violent guy in a roiling sea of brutality, he sold a whole lotta weed (and an even greater quantity of quaaludes). Like many drug smugglers, he wound up behind bars. But a life sentence for a first time, non-violent offense? Ridiculous.

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He always wanted to be a cowboy, ever since he first read about 'em in Louis L'Amour novels and watched them in John Wayne westerns. The only trouble was: he wanted to be the outlaw. And when he grew up, he did. Transcending the flow of time, Roddy Dean Pippin chose to become the last great cattle rustler. But being an outlaw –– son, that's against the law in Texas. And that would be a problem for Roddy Dean Pippin.

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A woman with a muddled biography and a life of clever and not so clever endeavors, Pearl Hart was dubbed by the press as the Girl Bandit, the Last Stagecoach Robber, the Bandit Queen. Except she really wasn't. But she kind of was. Like her personal history, it's complicated.

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He was the man at the heart of a Texas-sized Ponzi scheme that amassed billions in fraudulent profits via offshore banking. Despite his huge donations in Antigua and US politics and his investment in international cricket and polo tournaments, Allen Stanford’s empire of lies came undone when his literal blood brother turned state’s evidence.

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In June 1970, Dock Ellis of the Pittsburgh Pirates somehow tossed a no-hitter while tripping on acid. The LSD stunt made him a legend, but it overshadowed a much deeper story: a man who spent the second half of his life searching for redemption, purpose, and a way to help others escape the same darkness that once enveloped him.

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Hosted by Zaron Burnett, Dana Schwartz, and Jason English
Written by Zaron Burnett
Story Editor is Virginia Prescott
Senior Producer is Josh Fisher
Editing and Sound Design by Jesse Nighswonger
Mixing and Mastering by Jesse Nighswonger
Research and Fact-Checking by Austin Thompson and Zaron Burnett
Original Music by Elise McCoy
Show Logo by Lucy Quintanilla
Executive Producer is Jason English

Today's episode was produced in partnership with School of Humans. For School of Humans, Producers are Emilia Brock and Edeliz Perez. Executive Producer is Virginia Prescott.

Special thanks to American Public Media’s Weekend America, and to Todd Snider.

- “Dock Ellis: An LSD No-No” from American Public Media  
- “America’s Favorite Pastime” by Todd Snider

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When you find yourself in a real pickle, a tight spot, a dangerous proposition in 1800s Hell's Kitchen, just ask yourself: what would Stumpy Malarkey do? What would Battle Annie do? What would Mallet Murphy do? How will I get out of this? Am I a time traveler? And what's my special nickname? No time to worry about all that. Start throwin' bricks! 

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Ren Xiaofeng thought he had a good life –– married, blessed with two twins, a good job at a bank. But it wasn't enough. He needed more. So he came up with a plan: what if he robbed the bank where he worked and then plowed that ill-gotten capital into his quick-cash investment strategy? He thought with all that newfound money he'd be a shoo-in to win a huge lottery prize. His plan had obvious flaws, but you can't win if you don't play.  

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