Not Another True Crime

Danny is back to cover the self-proclaimed “Jeffrey Dahmer of fraud,” Steve Comisar. First, there’s a personal scam story involving a recent Uber Pool trip that went completely off the rails. Then, the episode dives into the extensive grifting résumé of Beverly Hills conman Steve Comisar, who shilled everything from solar-powered clothes dryers to diet pills to oil wells—and even scammed an 84-year-old man out of $500,000. After several prison stints and failed attempts at becoming a Hollywood actor, Comisar is now pursuing the most noble profession of all: true crime podcasting. SOURCES: https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1999-jul-24-me-59160-story.html https://www.sabrinaerdely.com/docs/TheCreepWithTheGoldenTongue.pdf https://www.einnews.com/pr_news/613431696/on-the-road-to-redemption-with-former-con-man-steve-comisar

This week, writer and comedian Josh Gondelman joins the show to cover a story from his hometown of Boston: the still-unsolved Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum heist. In 1990, two thieves dressed as police officers entered the museum in the middle of the night and carried out what remains the largest property theft in history, stealing 13 paintings valued at approximately $500 million. Despite several mob-affiliated suspects over the years, the stolen works were never recovered, and the case eventually went cold. https://www.gardnermuseum.org/organization/theft https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/a-new-clue-emerges-in-the-gardner-museum-art-heist-saga-180979651/ https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/five-things-know-about-isabella-stewart-gardner-art-heist-180977448/ https://www.bostonglobe.com/2022/02/28/metro/whodunit-gardner-museum-heist-remains-unsolved-decades-later-with-long-list-suspects-most-them-dead/