Antihero

In 1971, a man hijacked a plane headed to Seattle, received a $200,000 ransom, jumped out of the plane and disappeared forever. 50 years later, law enforcement has made no significant progress in identifying this man or confirming his fate.The documentaries, books and celebrations dedicated to his actions ensure that his name lives on, even if we’re not exactly sure that he did. Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/antihero)

In 2016, Anna Delvey was a 25 year old fun loving, popular, wealthy and generous member of the New York City social scene. She lived a lavish life….was always well dressed, and had no permanent residence, instead choosing to live month to month in the high end hotels of new York city. She frequented the exclusive bars, clubs, and restaurants in downtown New York where she indulged in expensive fun, fueled by a seemingly endless supply of money. She was always in the right place, at the right time, wearing the right dress, surrounded by the right people.For a short time…a year…maybe two….she lived a life that dreams are made of. And just like dreams, none of it was real. Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/antihero)

When you think about it....cops and surgeons are very similar. We love and praise the good ones...because they save lives. And we are very unforgiving with the bad ones...because...well....they take lives.Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/antihero)

When he died….Brian Deneke was 19 year old…self-proclaimed punk rock kid. And he looked the part. A boy scout in his younger years, he’d traded in his uniform for homemade tattoos, a spiked green mohawk and a spiked collar necklace to match. If he wasn’t wearing black, he was wearing camouflage. And the only time he wore anything other than combat boots and his leather jacket, was when he was skateboarding. His appearance cost him his life. And it cost his family justice. Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/antihero)

In February of 1977, a desperate 44 year old Tony Kiritsis walked into Meridian Mortgage in Downtown Indianapolis looking to clear the balance on his property loan once and for all...but not with money.He was having trouble keeping up with the payments for his investment property, and believed that Meridian had been steering potential tenants away from his property. As the true holder of the deed to his property, they purposely hid information about prospective buyers so that they could wait Tony out. They knew he was struggling to keep up with the payments and wanted to let him default on the loan so that they could seize the property...sell it...and keep all of the profits for themselves.He fully believed that he had been taken advantage buy a corrupt organization. But he would not go silently. Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/antihero)

A story about how love manifests itself in people in different ways. Sometimes love means holding on to someone, sometimes it means letting go, and sometimes it means pushing them. Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/antihero)

Born with nothing but wanting everything…Charles Ponzi uses his attributes to become the alpha and omega of deception. Cementing his place on the Mount Rushmore of conmen.Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/antihero)

On June 23, 1993... 24 year old Lorena Bobbitt is in bed sleeping when her husband, 26 year old John Bobbitt, stumbles into their home in Manassas, Virginia. He's been out drinking with a friend. He makes his way to the bedroom.After suffering years of abuse...Lorena has reached her breaking point. She does the unthinkable... Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/antihero)

In 2011, a 27 year old Ross Ulbricht created the Silk Road, a website on the dark web that allowed buyers and sellers to access the site and make transactions anonymously. From 2011 to 2013, over 1.2 million transactions occurred, generating over 9.5 million Bitcoins. Most of the transactions involved illegal drugs.In 2015 Ross was given a life sentence in federal prison for creating and operating the Silk Road. Many people contend that the sentence was overly harsh based on his lack of prior criminal history. There are also people that believe Ross wasn’t guilty of anything at all. He created a platform based on his belief that people should be able to live without common governmental restrictions, and people used the platform as they saw fit. How can he be responsible for the actions of others?On this episode, we examine the motivations behind his creation and we examine Ross.Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/antihero)

A story about power, pain, and change. Sometimes life puts you in a position where the line between right and wrong are so close, instead of choosing to do what’s right or wrong, you choose to do what’s necessary. Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/antihero)

The concept of this podcast grew from watching movies, documentaries, and reading about people who did things that were in between right and wrong. That grey area where maybe their actions were wrong...but the reasoning or motivations behind them were good...or at the very least, understandable. Do things or people have to be either right or wrong? Good or bad? Why can't something or someone be both?There's also the kind of person who lives a life of misdeeds, but the flair or charm in which they live with causes you to root for them anyway. What is it about certain people that allows you to ignore what they've done, and root for them anyway? How many people are there like this in real life?With each episode, I'm going to tell you a story about someone whose actions were wrong, but understandable if not admirable on some level. Most of these stories will be factual and some will be fictional short stories written by me. Hopefully they'll all be thought provoking and encourage you to look at a given situation from a different perspective.Website: https://antiheropodcast.comEmail: caleb@antiheropodcast.comSupport the show (https://www.patreon.com/antihero)