Crimes of the Centuries is a podcast that delves into crimes that earned the distinction of being “crimes of the centuries.” In each episode, award-winning journalist Amber Hunt examines a case that’s lesser known today but was huge when it happened. The episodes I listened to are about the Lufthansa Heist (depicted in the movie Goodfellas), counterfeited bottles of wine, and the murder of Francis Scott Key’s son by Civil War general Daniel Sickles. This podcast is fascinating and filled with interesting details.
In the episode titled The Real Goodfellas Job, Hunt describes the true story behind the notorious Lufthansa Heist. In this episode, listeners are given the full story behind the robbery in which five million dollars of cash and one million dollars worth of jewelry were stolen. Though the robbers were successful in stealing millions of dollars, clumsiness led to them being identified by authorities quickly. For example, Tommy DeSimone (depicted by Joe Pesci in Goodfellas) removed his ski mask during the robbery and an airline clerk identified him as being one of the robbers. Also, Parnell “Stacks” Edwards (depicted by Samuel L. Jackson in Goodfellas) failed to dispose of the getaway van, which was parked on a busy street for two days next to a fire hydrant. Fearing pending arrests, over a dozen people involved in the heist were executed, including Tommy DeSimone by John Gotti.
Another interesting episode is Thomas Jefferson and the $157,000 Bottle . This is the story of how bottles of wine were counterfeited with Thomas Jefferson’s initials and sold to wine enthusiasts for hundreds of thousands of dollars. The perpetrator of the crime was Hardy Rodenstock who supposedly purchased Jefferson’s wine from a third party. He auctioned them at high end auctions, including Christie's. One of the purchases was by billionaire Bill Koch who bought four bottles for $400,000. When a museum questioned the authenticity of the bottles, Koch hired an investigator that confirmed that he was defrauded. Koch sued Rodenstock who eluded persecution for years before passing away in 2018. The book The Billionaire's Vineyard details the defrauding of Koch by Rodenstock.
Daniel Sickles: Temporarily Insane? is an overview of Daniel Sickles’ life and the infamous murder of Francis Scott Key’s son (Philip Barton Key). Sickles married Teresa Bagoli in 1852. He was elected as a congressman and the couple moved to Washington D.C. While living there, Teresa began having an affair with Philip Barton Key who was a friend of Sickles. An anonymous letter was written to Sickles that detailed the affair. One February 27, 1859, Sickles confronted Key with three pistols and shot him to death. Sickles turned himself into the law and his trial began on April 4th, 1859. Sickles’ defense team argued that Sickles had been driven insane by the affair, which astonishingly swayed the jury and he was acquitted. Following his acquittal, Sickles was a general in the Civil War and lost a leg during the Battle of Gettysburg and almost led the Union army to ruin during this battle.
Crimes of the Centuries is filled with fascinating stories about crimes throughout history. Though listeners may have heard of these crimes, Hunt provides details about them they most likely have never heard. Crimes of the Centuries is a perfect podcast for those who enjoy history and true crime tales.
Michael Walsh is an Adult Services Librarian at the Will Library. He is currently reading The Last Folk Hero: The Life and Myth of Bo Jackson by Jeff Pearlman.