Criminal

Black and white illustration of several tickets for football games arranged in a grid, the tickets show football players and team names like the Vikings, Seahawks, Lions, Dolphins, Giants, Cowboys, and Steelers.

Operation Flagship

Episode #296

2024-12-13 05:00:20

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In 1985, 160 people were told they’d won tickets to an NFL football game. But then, they found out there were never any tickets at all.
A black and white illustration of a tree with leaves on it, drawn on a paper that is ripped down the middle so that the tree is split into two halves. The word "Sister" is written on the two main branches of the tree that are split apart.

The Sale

Episode #295

2024-12-06 05:00:28

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In 1791, three men filed lawsuits in the General Court of Maryland. They were all suing the same person: the Jesuit priest who enslaved them.
A black and white digital illustration with three comic-style panels. In the top left panel, a woman in a trench coat hitches her dress up and raises one high-heeled foot and leg into an open doorway, a gun in her hand hidden away from the door. On the bottom left, a man with a slight smile in a hat and trench coat points directly at the viewer. In the panel on the right, a woman in boots and a skirt and a blouse with billowing sleeves walks forward with purpose, arms halfway raised. Her eyes are obscured by a mask.

For the Sake of American Youth

Episode #294

2024-11-22 05:00:30

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“Children nowadays, they make maps. And say, this is the street where the store is that we're going to rob, and this is where we're going to hide, and this is how we get away.”
Black and white illustration of a wheelchair in the open doorway of a prison cell.

Extraordinary and Compelling Reasons

Episode #293

2024-11-15 05:00:53

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Gary Settle estimates he’s helped more than 40 inmates get out of prison using compassionate release. He still has over 100 years of his own sentence left to serve.
A black and white illustration of "The Reverend" written diagonally in white text on a black background - overlaying hand-written life insurance policy applications.

The Reverend

Episode #292

2024-11-08 05:00:15

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In 1977, a man named Robert Burns went to a funeral and shot someone, in the head, in front of 300 people. He didn’t deny it, and his lawyer didn’t deny it. Burns told a police officer: “I had to do it. And if I had to do it over, I’d do it again.”
Black and white sketch of a small one-story house surrounded by pine trees, with water in the background and lots of clouds in the sky. The house is covered in vines and the grass surrounding the house is overgrown.

The Family Land, Part 2

Episode #291

2024-11-01 05:00:13

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This week, part two of the Reels family story – how two brothers went to jail for eight years in an attempt to save their family land.
Black and white sketch of a small one-story house surrounded by pine trees, with water in the background and a few clouds in the sky.

The Family Land, Part 1

Episode #290

2024-10-25 05:00:13

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Melvin Davis and Licurtis Reels refused to leave the land that had been in their family for generations – so they were sent to jail. They expected to be in jail for 90 days. They were there for 8 years.
A white signature on a black background that reads "Valentine"

Valentine

Episode #289

2024-10-18 05:00:16

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Today, a personal story from Phoebe about her mother, Valentine, who died this spring.
A black and white illustration of a white triangle-shaped tunnel on a black speckled background. Drawn inside the triangle shape are a hard hat, two shovels, a log and a board, a lantern, and a cart filled with dirt.

Under the Wall

Episode #288

2024-10-11 05:00:21

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Soon after the Berlin Wall went up, a group of students knocked on Joachim Rudolph’s door. They told him they were trying to get people out of East Germany - and they wanted his help.
Black and white digital illustration of tangled coils of barbed wire.

A Land Without Law

Episode #287

2024-10-04 05:00:38

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Before Guantánamo Bay became the prison we know today, Marie Genard spent more than a year of her life there. She was 14.
A black and white illustration of a sign with the word "MIRAGE" on the top. Underneath it says "Watering Hole and Pub" and there is an illustration of a cactus next to it.

The Mirage

Episode #286

2024-09-27 05:00:42

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In 1977, a new bar opened on North Wells Street in Chicago. Things weren’t as they seemed at the aptly named “Mirage Tavern.”
Black and white digital illustration of a winding river through a dark forest.

A Murder in the Forest

Episode #285

2024-09-20 05:00:40

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One morning, two men got in a boat and sailed down a river in the Amazon rainforest. They were never heard from again.
A black and white illustration of an open door leading to a vault. There are bars in the door opening and all kinds of lock mechanisms on the inside of the open door.

Into the Vault

Episode #284

2024-09-13 05:00:21

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In the summer of 1975, two best friends attempted a robbery unlike any they’d ever pulled off before. Their target: the mob.
A black and white illustration of a clipboard with a petition with signatures clipped to it.

The Petition

Episode #283

2024-09-06 05:00:22

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When Madison Smith went to her county attorney’s office to talk about her rape case, he told her he wouldn't bring a rape charge. Then she discovered a loophole in an old Kansas law.
Black and white illustration showing lottery tickets piling up at the bottom of the frame, with more tickets floating down to meet them.

Hot Lotto

Episode #282

2024-08-23 05:00:19

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In 2010, a $16.5 million Hot Lotto ticket was sold at a gas station in Des Moines, Iowa. At first, no one showed up to claim the prize. Things got very strange.
A black and white illustration of a metal fishing weight, shaped like a fish, tied to a fishing line.

Big Fish

Episode #281

2024-08-16 05:00:25

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Two men turned in the winning catch at a Lake Erie fishing tournament. But when the tournament director squeezed one of their fish - he felt something inside. 
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