A conversation with journalist Serena Coady, author of THE BEANIE BABY BANDIT '97. HOST: MICHAEL LAPOINTEEDITING: THOMAS CURRYMUSIC, SCORING &amp; SOUND-DESIGN: NATALIA RODRIGUEZ

Afterword: The Beanie Baby Heist of '97

It's Chicago in the summer of '97, and criminal defense attorney Kathleen Zellner (of Making a Murderer fame) is feeling worn out. After once defending a serial killer, she promised herself never to defend a guilty person again, and has devoted her life to exonerating the innocent. But after years of gruesome murder trials, she needs a holiday. When a lemon-yellow stretch Cadillac bounces into her parking lot, and out hops a five-foot-tall, 77-year-old man named Ben Perri, that holiday arrives. Ben has been accused of a bizarre crime: the theft of hundreds of ultra-rare Beanie Babies from the manufacturer's secret warehouse. With Beanie Baby mania in full swing, the toys are fetching stratospheric prices, and Ben will gladly hook you up with an elusive Digger the Crab or Radar the Bat. The press calls him the Beanie Baby Bandit, but he swears he's innocent. As this jovial grandfather and veteran charms Kathleen and her team, his carefree way of life gives her a new outlook on the difficult job she's chosen. But still, she can't quite answer whether he's guilty, and whether she's broken her promise to herself. Is Ben just an innocent lover of toys, or is he really the Beanie Baby Bandit? JOURNALIST: SERENA COADYEDITING: THOMAS CURRYSOUND-DESIGN &amp; AUDIO MIX: ALICE BOYDVOICE: JILL WINTERNITZ

The Beanie Baby Heist of '97

A conversation with journalist Shaun Raviv, author of THE MOCKBUSTER. HOST: MICHAEL LAPOINTEEDITING: THOMAS CURRYMUSIC, SCORING &amp; SOUND-DESIGN: NATALIA RODRIGUEZ

Afterword: The Mockbuster 

When small-time money counterfeiter Edward L. Montoro nearly dies in a plane crash, he decides to reinvent himself as a filmmaker. It's the late 1970s, the dawn of the age of the blockbuster, and Montoro pioneers the "mockbuster"—knock-off productions that capitalize on the popularity of mainstream Hollywood films. But as his little studio attracts the wrath of the movie industry, Montoro makes a desperate decision, sparking one of the great unsolved mysteries in cinematic history. JOURNALIST: SHAUN RAVIVEDITING: THOMAS CURRYSOUND-DESIGN &amp; AUDIO MIX: ALICE BOYDVOICE: ERIC JASON MARTIN

The Mockbuster 

A conversation with journalist Alex Mayyasi, author of The Way We're Built. HOST: MICHAEL LAPOINTE﻿EDITING: THOMAS CURRYMUSIC, SCORING &amp; SOUND-DESIGN: NATALIA RODRIGUEZ

Afterword: The Way We're Built 

Facing hard times in the early 1990s, Subaru of America is trying to understand who exactly buys their sturdy but drab brand of cars. That's when one marketing executive notices a peculiar niche in their focus groups—lesbian women. In the conservative corporate culture of Subaru, a group of marketing executives will try to turn the company's fortunes around through a secretive marketing campaign. JOUNALIST: ALEX MAYYASIEDITING: THOMAS CURRYMUSIC, SCORING &amp; SOUND-DESIGN: DOMINIC GOZOVOICE: NESBA CRENSHAW

The Way We're Built

A conversation with journalist Yochai Maital author of "The Badir Brothers". HOST: MICHAEL LAPOINTEJOURNALIST: YOCHAI MAITALAUDIO: NATALIA RODRIGUEZ FORD

Afterword: The Badir Brothers 

In a small Israeli village in the 1980s, three Arab brothers are born blind. When a payphone is installed at the end of the block, the brothers discover they can use their supersensitive hearing to manipulate the lines to do their bidding, the first step in what will become the largest telecom fraud in Israeli history. JOURNALIST: YOCHAI MAITALEDITING: THOMAS CURRYMUSIC, SCORING &amp; SOUND-DESIGN: DOMINIC GOZOVOICE: ALI SULIMANREPORTING BY: ADAM BIZANSKI

The Badir Brothers

A conversation about fakes, hustlers, and how to rip off the Grateful Dead with Harmon Leon, author of “Blinkers. Host: Michael LaPointeJournalist: Harmon LeonAudio: Natalia Rodriguez Ford

Afterword: Blinkers

A Vespucci audio magazine

Immersive true stories, narrative non-fiction and tales inspired by true events. Written by award-winning journalists and storytellers. This is Paperless, an audio magazine from Vespucci.Esquire's Best Podcasts Of 2022: “It’s your weekend long read, but pretty much any day you like and you don’t actually have to use your eyes.”

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