For 30 years, a man claimed to be a priest. He performed baptisms and took confession. Every time he ran into trouble, Father Ryan would move on to another small Midwestern town and start his scheme all over again. Followers who once worshiped him, now accuse him of exploitation, fraud and abuse. Multiple prosecutors have charged him, but he’s never been imprisoned for his crimes. Investigative reporter Alex Schuman, who hails from a small Iowa town himself, set out to find out how Father Ryan got away with it for so long and why on earth he did it. Along the way, he discovers Father Ryan has connections to a murdered priest, a false prophet, and an entire subculture where he and other frauds can thrive. In season one of Smoke Screen, join Alex Schuman as he unravels this con and gets answers from this white-collar criminal himself. Listen to Smoke Screen: Season 1 Fake Priest, an all-new podcast from Neon Hum Media. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Most Notorious! A True Crime History Podcast

Smoke Screen: Fake Priest

Hurricane season is now upon us, and with it possible dangers to the coastal populations of the United States. But the continent has lived through centuries of devastation and death, the result of some truly ferocious hurricanes.  My guest, bestselling author Eric Jay Dolin, is very familiar with both the history of America's hurricanes and the science behind them. His new book is entitled "A Furious Sky: The Five-Hundred-Year History of America's Hurricanes", and he joins me to share some fascinating historical stories involving these horrific natural disasters.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

America's Most Notorious Hurricanes w/ Eric Jay Dolin - A True Crime History Podcast

In 1763 Lancaster, Pennsylvania, the last surviving members of the Conestoga Indian nation, numbering less than two dozen (mostly seniors and children), were housed in the town's workhouse and under protection of local authorities. Just days after their arrival a group of Scots-Irish vigilante frontiersmen known as the "Paxton Rangers" rode into Lancaster, found them and slaughtered them all, meeting no resistance from the Indians' supposed protectors.  My guest, Jack Brubaker, a long-time Lancaster investigative journalist, columnist and historian. He shares how the brutal attacks unfolded, and explains how the complex political climate in Pennsylvania halted any justice for the murdered. His book is called "Massacre of the Conestogas: On the Trail of the Paxton Boys in Lancaster County". Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

1763 Pennsylvania's Massacre of the Conestogas w/ Jack Brubaker - A True Crime History Podcast

On July 15th, 1915, a steamship with a checkered past called the SS Eastland docked at a wharf on the Chicago River in downtown Chicago, ready to transport 2500 Western Electric employees and their families across Lake Michigan to a company picnic. Once boarding completed, however, terrible tragedy struck when the ship tilted over and into the river, killing over 800 people -mostly women and children- in a horrific, chaotic scene.  My guest is Michael McCarthy, author of the New York Times Bestseller "Ashes Under Water: The SS Eastland and the Shipwreck That Shook America". He offers a fascinating glimpse into the history of the ill-fated SS Eastland and recounts the story of the tragic sinking and its aftermath, including famed attorney Clarence Darrow's involvement in the trial that followed.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

1915 Chicago's SS Eastland Disaster w/ Michael McCarthy - A True Crime History Podcast

When the headless and mutilated corpse of an eccentric orange farmer named Sam McMillan was discovered submerged in a Florida lake in October of 1882, suspicion pointed to a young Englishman, Archie Newton, recently forced to flee London due to a titillating scandal.  My guest is Andrew Fink, author of "Murder on the Florida Frontier: The True Story Behind Sanford's Headless Miser Legend". He utilized his unique perspective as an attorney to research and document this little known but fascinating murder case.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

1882 Florida's "Headless Miser" Murder w/ Andrew Fink - A True Crime History Podcast

When the name "Butch Cassidy" is mentioned, it conjures an image (for many of us) of Paul Newman, who along with Robert Redford joked their way through the classic 1969 film "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid".  But that movie was almost entirely fictional, and as often typical, Hollywood ignored the far more interesting  factual historical account of the legendary outlaw and his vast criminal resume.  Charles Leerhsen, author of "Butch Cassidy: The True Story of an American Outlaw", is my guest on this Most Notorious episode. He helps separate fact from fiction, and shares some fascinating stories about the life of the gentleman robber Robert Leroy Parker, aka Butch Cassidy.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

American Outlaw Butch Cassidy w/ Charles Leerhsen - A True Crime History Podcast

Most of us probably know at least the basics of the 1959 Kansas Clutter family murders case, in large part because the story was dramatically detailed by Truman Capote in his best-selling 1966 non-fiction novel entitled "In Cold Blood".  But was Capote's book as factual as he claimed it was? The Kansas Bureau of Investigation says so, but my guest, Gary McAvoy does not. Gary, along with Ronald R. Nye, collaborated to write the book "And Every Word Is True", based on the personal notes and files of Ronald's father Harold Nye, lead investigator of the case. Gary joins me to share some tantalizing theories from their book, based on forgotten facts, clues and witness statements from the original investigation over sixty years ago.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The 1959 "In Cold Blood" Clutter Murders w/ Gary McAvoy - A True Crime History Podcast

Beverly Hills, California is not all glitz and glamor. The city has had more than its share of shocking true crime over the last one hundred years, often involving famous figures like Lana Turner, Lupe Vélez, Jean Harlow and Bugsy Siegel. Murder and scandal seem to follow the rich and famous, and my guests - investigative reporter Barbara Schroeder and forensic science specialist Clark Fogg - are experts at not only documenting these stories, but also occasionally writing their final chapters, using modern investigative and crime-solving techniques whenever possible. Their book is called "Beverly Hills Confidential: A Century of Stars, Scandals and Murders", and they join me to offer fascinating details on many of the most notorious solved and unsolved cases in Hollywood history. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Murder & Scandal in Beverly Hills w/ Barbara Schroeder & Clark Fogg - A True Crime History Podcast

June 1st, 2020 marked the 99th anniversary of one of the most despicable acts of mass murder in American history. A mob of 10,000 white vigilantes descended on an African-American suburb of Tulsa, Oklahoma - looting, burning houses and businesses, and killing men, women and children. Black business owners put up a fierce resistance, but were soon beaten back by sheer numbers and firepower. My guest, Tim Madigan, is the award-winning author of "The Burning: Massacre, Destruction, and the Tulsa Race Riot of 1921". He shares some of the firsthand accounts he was able to record from witnesses to the tragic event, and offers an explanation as to how this massacre became a "hidden history" in the United States up until recently. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre w/ Tim Madigan - A True Crime History Podcast

The city of Boston was put to the test when occupying British soldiers open fire onto a crowd of rioters on March 5th, 1770.  Known forever as the Boston Massacre, it later became a rallying cry for an American revolution.  My guest is Carlton College's Professor Serena Zabin, author of "The Boston Massacre: A Family Affair". Her research into the pivotal event breaks some long standing myths on the Massacre, including introducing evidence that suggests that many of the British soldiers who occupied Bostonian homes in the late 1760s actually assimilated smoothly into the city during their stay.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The 1770 Boston Massacre w/ Serena Zabin - A True Crime History Podcast

On November 5th, 1934, in the small coal mining town of Kelayres, Pennsylvania, Republican political boss Joe Bruno took an extreme and shocking step.  Worried and agitated about a possible loss in the following day's elections, he and his family used his large weapons arsenal to fire into a Democratic parade.  My guest, Stephanie Hoover, author of "The Kelayres Massacre: Politics & Murder in Pennsylvania's Anthracite Coal Country", outlines the political tensions leading up to the terrible event, give details of the shootings, and explains what  happened to the killers afterwards.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The 1934 Kelayres Massacre w/ Stephanie Hoover - A True Crime History Podcast

As political factions battled in pre-Civil War Washington D.C., a sensational sex and murder scandal suddenly grabbed the nation's attention. New York Congressman Daniel Sickles, having learned that his wife Teresa was in the midst of a torrid love affair with U.S. Attorney Philip Barton Key II, angrily confronted him in a park with fatal consequences.  My guest is Chris DeRose, New York Times bestselling author, historian and former law professor. He shares details from his meticulously researched book, "Star Spangled Scandal: Sex, Murder and the Trial That Changed America".  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The 1859 Washington D.C. Murder of Philip Barton Key II w/ Chris DeRose - A True Crime History Podcast

In the years following World War One, thousands of young women were hired to paint radium on watch and clock dials so they would glow in the dark. As a result, many of the women would suffer the excruciating effects of radiation poisoning, which often lead to their deaths at an early age.  My guest, Kate Moore, is author of the New York Times bestselling book "Radium Girls: The Dark Story of America's Shining Women". She joins me to talk about this terrible tragedy (which would be covered up by the guilty corporations for decades) and the bravery of the afflicted women, who fought an uphill battle for justice.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Radium Girls w/ Kate Moore - A True Crime History Podcast

In early 19th century Australia, escaping from a penal colony was not an easy task, mostly because there was no where to go. Six foot five William Buckley did just that, however, wandering though the wild Australian bush before being taken in by a tribe of aborigines, close to death. For the next thirty-two years he would live with the tribe, before finally meeting famed bushranger and bounty hunter John Batman.  My guest, Adam Courtenay, is an Australian author and historian, and he joins me to talk about this legendary character and his role in one of the most dangerous and tragic eras in Australia's history. His book is called "The Ghost and the Bounty Hunter." Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Ghost and the Bounty Hunter w/ Adam Courtenay - A True Crime History Podcast

Leavenworth Penitentiary in Kansas was once home to some of the most notorious criminals in America, including Carl Panzram, Robert "the Birdman" Stroud, Frank Nitti and George "Machine Gun" Kelly. Part of its history includes one of the most exciting prison breaks in U.S. history, when the "Leavenworth Seven" kidnapped Warden Tom White in December of 1931 White and busted out, only to face one wild obstacle after another.  My guest, Kenneth LaMaster, is not only a Leavenworth prison historian but a former correctional officer of the institution. He offers some background history on Leavenworth, tells the tale of the breakout, and even shares stories of his own personal brushes with infamous criminals while working there. His book is called "Leavenworth Seven: The Deadly 1931 Prison Break".  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The 1931 Leavenworth Prison Break w/ Kenneth LaMaster - A True Crime History Podcast

Each week, the Most Notorious podcast features true-life tales of crime, criminals and tragedies throughout history. Host Erik Rivenes interviews authors and historians who have studied their subjects for years, and the stories are offered with unique insight, detail, and historical accuracy.

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Most Notorious! A True Crime History Podcast

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