You don't earn a nickname like The Lord High Executioner by not killing a whole lot of people. And Albert Anastasia, one of the most psychotic gangsters to ever come out of New York City, was alleged to have participated in at least 60 murders as part of his role as one of the leaders of Murder, Inc., the hitmen organization that Lucky Luciano and the other ... Show More
Jun 9
Sex, Drugs and Shinto: How the Yakuza’s Only Woman Found Redemption
When Mako Nishimura, the yakuza’s only female member, fell in love with a rival gangster, it would send her on a long and painful path from drug and sex trafficking, to painkiller addiction and finally a role helping ex-yakuza go straight. Her journey would mirror the downfall of ... Show More
59m 16s
May 26
The Rise and Fall of The Yakuza Devil's Child
Mako Nishimura graduated from high school delinquent to kamikaze biker gang, street tough and, eventually, a fully made member of a yakuza syndicate - the first (or perhaps second?) woman to do so. Nishimura made her gang huge amounts of cash selling women plus selling, and takin ... Show More
1h 2m
Feb 2025
Episode #222 - What's True About Al Capone? (Part I)
The life of the gangster Al Capone could be understood as a violent expression of the American Dream. A poor kid from Brooklyn, born to immigrant parents, used his wits, fists, and a certain ruthless determination to build an empire. The underworld figure has been the fodder for ... Show More
1h 13m
Aug 2024
“The Iceman” Richard Kuklinski Pt. 1
He killed over a hundred people before the police had even heard his name. So when the Mafia needed a body to drop without getting their hands dirty, there was only one man to call. Richard Kuklinski was quick, vicious, and utterly invisible. Conspiracy Theories is now on Instagr ... Show More
50m 21s
Oct 2024
The Menendez Murders / Part 2 // 445
<p>In August of 1989, two brothers entered their parents’ Beverly Hills mansion, and shot them multiple times, killing them almost instantly. When police arrived, the men maintained that the murders had taken place while they were at the movies, which police initially believed. B ... Show More
1h 30m
Jun 2022
Murder Made Me Famous: BTK Killer
Although a seemingly average husband and father of two, Dennis Rader lived a double life as a serial killer who terrorized the Wichita, Kansas area from the 1970s to the ‘90s. In letters to police and local news outlets that detailed his murders, Rader would sign them as the BTK ... Show More
44 m