Swindled

This article is about the true crime podcast. For the 2004 film, see Swindled (film). For other uses, see Swindle.

Swindled
Presentation
Hosted by"A Concerned Citizen"
GenreTrue crime
LanguageEnglish
Length40–80 minutes
Country of originUnited States
Production
Audio formatPodcast
No. of seasons7
No. of episodes105
Publication
Original releaseJanuary 7, 2018 (2018-01-07)
ProviderIndependent
Related
Websiteswindledpodcast.com

Swindled is an American true crime podcast written and hosted by an anonymous man who uses the pseudonym "A Concerned Citizen".[1] The scripted series explores the world of white-collar crime, con artists, and corporate greed.[2]

Production

In a Q&A with BBC News, the anonymous host, a former government worker[1] with a background in graphic design and audio production,[3] claimed the inception of the podcast was motivated by the immorality of a "capitalistic culture".[4] According to the Tampa Bay Times, "A Concerned Citizen" created Swindled after failing to find an existing podcast on similar topics.[1] The host explained to MEL Magazine that the underlying theme in all of the episodes is greed and a "social culture that values getting rich as quick as possible."[5]

Each episode begins with a prelude story to the main subject, followed by the theme music consisting of stringed and brass instruments, and then a structured narrative interspersed with archival audio, suspenseful scoring, and dry humor.[6]

In addition to the writing, research, and audio production, "A Concerned Citizen" creates all of the visual artwork for the podcast.[7] The show's music is written and performed by multi-instrumentalist Trevor Harte Howard using the moniker "Deformr".[8]

Since its inception, Swindled has remained independent of podcasting networks.[9] The podcast's advertising sales are supported by AdLarge Media based in New York, New York.[10]

Episodes

Season 1

Episode Title Subject Prelude Date
1 The Lucky Winner Eddie Tipton Triple Six Fix January 7, 2018
2 The Horse Queen Rita Crundwell Trust, but verify January 7, 2018
3 The Treasure Hunter Tommy Thompson Fenn treasure January 7, 2018
4 The Canal Love Canal Denney Farm Chemical Spill January 21, 2018
5 The Delivery Man Brian Wells Mosman bomb hoax February 4, 2018
6 The Contraceptive Dalkon Shield Nelson Pill Hearings February 18, 2018
7 The Treasurer R. Budd Dwyer Paul Powell March 4, 2018
8 The Impostor Jimmy Sabatino William Douglas Street Jr. March 18, 2018
9 The Leak Bhopal Gas Disaster 1985 Institute, West Virginia Union Carbide Plant Leak April 1, 2018
10 The Judges Kids for Cash Greg Skrepenak April 15, 2018
11 The Hitman Frank Howard Jeffrey Locker April 29, 2018
12 The Televangelist Jim Bakker Peter Popoff May 13, 2018
13 The Pharma Bro Martin Shkreli Valeant Pharmaceuticals May 28, 2018
14 The Association FIFA Colin Fowles June 14, 2018
15 The Gigolo Richard Bailey Tommy "The Sandman" Burns July 1, 2018

Season 2

Episode Title Subject Prelude Date
1 The Canoe Man John Darwin David Friedland September 9, 2018
2 The Lawsuit McDonald's Hot Coffee Bigbee v. Pacific Telephone and Telegraph September 23, 2018
3 The Tycoon Allen Stanford Michael Marin October 7, 2018
4 The Fyre Festival Billy McFarland Lapland New Forest October 21, 2018
5 The Hostage Tony Kiritsis Clay Allen Duke November 4, 2018
6 The Contestant Charles Ingram Michael Larson November 18, 2018
7 The Psychic Sylvia Browne Miss Cleo December 2, 2018
8 The Deputy Frankie Bybee Charles "Joe" Gliniewicz December 16, 2018
9 The Mogul Lou Pearlman Alan Bond January 6, 2019
10 The Formula Nestlé Boycott of 1977 Chinese Baby Milk Scandal January 20, 2019
11 The Body Snatcher Michael Mastromarino Tri-State Crematory February 3, 2019
12 The Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick Murder of Tamara Greene February 17, 2019
13 The Sting Abscam Mel Weinberg March 2, 2019
14 The Downline Herbalife Glenn W. Turner March 17, 2019
15 The Producer Joe Francis Bumfights April 1, 2019

Season 3

Episode Title Subject Prelude Date
1 The Socialite Anna Delvey Kari Ferrell July 7, 2019
2 The Match Simon Leviev Maria Elvira Pinto Exposto July 21, 2019
3 The Implants Poly Implant Prothèse Dow Corning August 4, 2019
4 The Tour Jered Threatin Milli Vanilli August 18, 2019
5 The Whistleblower Karen Silkwood Robert S. Kerr August 31, 2019
6 The Fundraiser Johnny Bobbit Jr. Ginny Irovando Long September 14, 2019
7 The Survivor Tania Head Fred Parisi September 28, 2019
8 The Family Business Doug Pielsticker Falcon Transport October 13, 2019
9 The Madam Deborah Jeane Palfrey Kristin M. Davis October 27, 2019
10 The Mine Crandall Canyon Mine Sago Mine November 10, 2019
11 The GPO Girl Samantha Azzopardi Guerdwich Montimere November 24, 2019
12 The Revenger Hunter Moore Kevin Bollaert December 8, 2019
13 The Sultan Anthony Gignac Coingate December 22, 2019
14 The Raid Agriprocessors Swift & Co. January 12, 2020
15 The Switch Flint Water Crisis Lead contamination in Washington, D.C. drinking water January 26, 2020

Season 4

Episode Title Subject Prelude Date
1 The Gamechanger Belle Gibson Jess Ainscough May 10, 2020
2 The Pope Dan Johnson Dan Johnson May 24, 2020
3 The Grant Scott Westerhuis Steven Sueppel June 7, 2020
4 The Genius Martin Frankel Thomas Quinn June 21, 2020
5 The Octopus United Fruit Company/Chiquita Dole Food Company July 5, 2020
6 The Vigilante Pat Johnson Joe Stack July 19, 2020
7 The Referee Tim Donaghy Joe Gagliano August 3, 2020
8 The Treatment Bayer AG Ryan White August 16, 2020
9 The Barefoot Bandit Colton Harris Moore Joshua Paul Calhoun August 30, 2020
10 The I.M.O.M. Peter Foster John Chardon September 12, 2020
11 The Space Program Challenger Disaster Vladimir Komarov September 27, 2020
12 The Saint Mother Teresa Kevin Malarkey October 11, 2020
13 The Pitchman Don Lapre Doug Grant October 25, 2020
14 The Downfall Marcus Schrenker Raymond Roth November 8, 2020
15 The Spill Deepwater Horizon Ixtoc I November 22, 2020

Season 5

Episode Title Subject Prelude Date
1 The Atheist Madalyn Murray O'Hair Engel v. Vitale April 11, 2021
2 The Well Walkerton E. coli outbreak Washington County Fair April 25, 2021
3 The Bishop John P. Tomkins Luke Helder May 9, 2021
4 The Ivy Leaguer Esther Reed James Hogue May 23, 2021
5 The Bakery Sandy Jenkins Alvin Kennard June 6, 2021
6 The Brand Procter & Gamble Fenholloway River June 20, 2021
7 The Patriarch Anthony Todt John Chairmonte July 4, 2021
8 The Ghost Writer Anthony Godby Johnson New Horizons Youth Ministries July 18, 2021
9 The Scheme Bernie Madoff Samuel Israel III August 29, 2021
10 The Outbreak Peanut Corporation of America Jensen Farms September 12, 2021
11 The Inferno The Station nightclub fire E2 nightclub stampede September 28, 2021
12 The Killdozer Marvin Heemeyer Thomas Leask October 12, 2021
13 The Salesman William J. McCorkle Charles J. Givens October 25, 2021
14 The OB/GYN Javaid Perwaiz Roger Beyer November 11, 2021
15 The Explosion 2020 Beirut explosion West Fertilizer Company explosion December 6, 2021

Season 6

Episode Title Subject Prelude Date
1 The Vegan Sarma Melngailis PlantLab March 16, 2022
2 The Pioneer uBiome Khalid Satary April 3, 2022
3 The Verrückt Schlitterbahn Tyre Sampson April 17, 2022
4 The Rockefeller Christian Gerhartsreiter Christophe Rocancourt May 8, 2022
5 The Standoff Ed & Elaine Brown Montana Freemen May 23, 2022
6 The Crusader Nicholas Alahverdian Michelle Rothgeb June 5, 2022
7 The Perfect Trigger Remington Arms Henry Gordy Intl. June 21, 2022
8 The Troubadour Mark Leonard Richmond, Indiana explosion July 5, 2022
9 The Body Broker Megan Hess Arthur Rathburn August 8, 2022
10 The Creamery Blue Bell Big Olaf August 22, 2022
11 The Wagon Richard Scrushy Don Siegelman September 19, 2022
12 The Label Johnson & Johnson DePuy October 6, 2022
13 The Liability Johnson & Johnson Ethicon October 23, 2022
14 The Crocodile Heather Morgan & Ilya Lichtenstein Alphabay November 10, 2022
15 The Relief Hurricane Katrina Hurricane Betsy December 7, 2022

Season 7

Episode Title Subject Prelude Date
1 The Balloon Boy Richard Heene Lawn Chair Larry March 16, 2023
2 The Phantom Imperial Food Products Triangle Waist Company April 2, 2023
3 The Teenager Malachi Love-Robinson[11] Matthew Scheidt April 17, 2023
4 The Messenger Kevin Trudeau Hooked on Phonics May 1, 2023
5 The Captive SeaWorld Free Willy-Keiko May 22, 2023
6 The Islanders John Spano William "Boots" Del Biaggio III June 7, 2023
7 The Jeweler Nicolas Shaughnessy Erik Charles Maund June 25, 2023
8 The Lottery Lawyer Jason Kurland Billie Bob Harrell Jr. July 11, 2023
9 The Skywalks Hyatt Regency Disaster FIU Bridge Collapse August 2, 2023
10 The Side Door Operation Varsity Blues Wintercap SA August 31, 2023
11 The Missing Melissa Caddick Brad Sherwin September 22, 2023
12 The Other Woman Vicki Morgan Bernie Cornfeld October 17, 2023
13 The Nose Doctor Mark Weinberger Philip Gabriele November 4, 2023
14 The Kepone Shakes Life Science Products Chlordecone November 26, 2023
15 The Monopoly Pacific Gas & Electric San Bruno pipeline explosion December 25, 2023

Season 8

Episode Title Subject Prelude Date
1 The Tornado Kim Neiman The Pilger Twins March 17, 2024
2 The Technology Real Water Elizabeth Helgelien March 31, 2024
3 The Commander Bobby C. Thompson Kevin White April 14, 2024
4 The Machine Tyson Foods Cody Easterday April 30, 2024
5 The Mess Eric C. Conn Puerto Rico disability fraud ring May 14, 2024
6 The Embattled Jasiel Correia Dianne Wilkerson May 30, 2024
7 The Sugarpit Indiana State Fair Stage Collapse Ottawa Bluesfest stage collapse June 14, 2024
8 The Satan Seller Mike Warnke John Todd July 1, 2024
9 The Fungus New England Compounding Center meningitis outbreak Pharmakon Pharmaceuticals August 5, 2024
10 The Bling Bishop Lamor Whitehead The Q Train Shooting August 21, 2024
11 The Juggalos ICP V. FBI Murder of Michael Goucher September 5, 2024
12 The Airliner ValuJet Allegiant Air September 25, 2024
13 The Prince Joel Morehu-Barlow IBM Australia October 10, 2024
14 The Magic Pill Fen-Phen Belviq October 31, 2024
15 The Descent Titan submersible implosion Steve Fossett November 25, 2024

Season 9

Episode Title Subject Prelude Date
1 The Derailment East Palestine, OH Paulsboro, NJ March 2, 2025
2 The Warlord Invisible Children Joseph Kony March 20, 2025
3 The Acquisition Charlie Javice Joanna Smith-Griffin April 6, 2025
4 The Pinto Ford Motor Company Toyota Corona April 20, 2025
5 The Reporter Jeff German Ted Binion May 7, 2025
6 The Baby Heaven Camp Lejeune Woburn, MA May 26, 2025
7 The White Knight eBay YouTube headquarters shooting June 11, 2025

Bonus Episodes

Episode Title Subject Date
1 The Promotion McDonalds Monopoly December 27, 2017
2 The Reef Osborne Reef December 27, 2017
3 The Fire Marc Thompson January 28, 2018
4 The Mortician Jean Crump March 6, 2018
5 The Homemaker Martha Stewart April 25, 2018
6 The Pole Saw David Player and Gerald "Trey" Hardin June 4, 2018
7 The Refugee Wyclef Jean July 22, 2018
8 The Tree Farm Rachel Lee December 8, 2018
9 The Convention DashCon January 27, 2019
10 The Boner King Enzyte March 6, 2019
11 The Vendor Vendstar May 1, 2019
12 The Portofino Pirate Larissa Watson May 14, 2019
13 The Chess Champion Paul Charles Dozsa June 24, 2019
14 The Conductor Kyle Sandler August 19, 2019
15 The Bookkeeper Kim Williams October 6, 2019
16 The Puppeteer Natalia Burgess November 14, 2019
17 The Promotion [Redux] McDonalds Monopoly January 5, 2020
18 The Neighbor Carla Jones March 3, 2020
19 VN4VL: Democracy Manifest Updates for previous episodes March 10, 2020
20 The Developer Shannon Egeland March 17, 2020
21 The Boner King [Redux] Enzyte April 1, 2020
22 VN4VL: Coronamania Updates for previous episodes June 1, 2020
23 The Sweepstakes Pepsi Number Fever August 18, 2020
24 The Birthday Party Gary Milby December 4, 2020
25 The Chili Anna Ayala December 23, 2020
26 VN4VL: Hunting for Love & Treasure Updates for previous episodes December 31, 2020
27 The Pigeon King Arlan Galbraith February 13, 2021
28 The Chemical Film Recovery Systems March 5, 2021
29 The Hero Candace Clark March 7, 2021
30 VN4VL: Kwame's Resurrection Updates for previous episodes June 26, 2021
31 The Beach House Sheriff Todd Entrekin August 1, 2021
32 The Pink Slime Beef Products, Inc. August 3, 2021
33 The Test Brandy Murrah November 3, 2021
34 The Healer Michael Guglielmucci December 16, 2021
35 The Money Doctor W. Neil Gallagher January 12, 2022
36 VN4VL: Synergy Updates for previous episodes February 18, 2022
37 The Canal [Redux] Love Canal May 1, 2022
38 VN4VL: Me Hate Greed Updates for previous episodes May 12, 2022
39 The Funky Munky Tim Vasquez May 27, 2022
40 The Mark Elisah Spencer July 14, 2022
41 The Imaginary Target Denis Molla July 15, 2022
42 The Coroner Shannon Kent August 11, 2022
43 VN4VL: Game is Afoot Updates for previous episodes September 2, 2022
44 The American Sniper Chris Kyle November 22, 2022
45 The Anglers Jake Runyan & Chase Cominsky December 22, 2022
46 The Studio Carissa Carpenter January 10, 2023
47 VN4VL: There is No Cure Updates for previous episodes February 8, 2023
48 The Beneficiary David Del Rio March 23, 2023
49 The Vacation Rental Carrie Jade Williams April 19, 2023
50 The Momfluencer Katie Sorensen May 8, 2023
51 The Veyron Andy House June 15, 2023
52 The Oven Bumble Bee Foods June 30, 2023
53 The Scratch-Off Urooj Khan July 19, 2023
54 VN4VL: Death Keeps a Secret Updates for previous episodes August 16, 2023
55 The Predator Nate Holzapfel October 3, 2023
56 The Million Pity Monkey torture ring January 10, 2024
57 The Free Flight Fiasco The Hoover Company January 17, 2024
58 VN4VL: Grounded Updates for previous episodes February 23, 2024
59 The Godfather William Mize February 27, 2024
60 The Actor Zach Horwitz March 21, 2024
61 The Targeting Target Mark Charles Barnett April 5, 2024
62 The Delinquent Zachry Bailey June 2, 2024
63 The Tic Tac Man Bob McDonnell July 9, 2024
64 The Deadbeat J. Nicholas Bryant July 25, 2024
65 The Fund Darren Berg July 9, 2024
66 The Tiger Tobias Reitsman October 14, 2024
67 The Homeless Hero Chris Parker November 11, 2024
68 VN4VL: Condemn. Convict. Commute. Updates for previous episodes January 6, 2025
69 The Odyssey Gary Shawkey January 26, 2025
70 The Foundation New Era Philantropy February 11, 2025
71 The Interpreter Ippei Mizuhara March 28, 2025
72 The Priapism NuMale Medical Center May 12, 2025

Reception

The show has received positive reviews from critics. Vulture named the series one of the "52 Great True-Crime Podcasts [of] the post-Serial boom".[2] The Star Tribune named the series one of its "10 must-listen true crime podcasts" in June 2018.[12] In August that year, Digital Trends included the series on its list of best true crime podcasts.[13] The Guardian also selected the series as its podcast "pick of the week" for the week of September 9, 2018[14] and WVXU featured the episode "The Saint" on its Start Hear program in November 2020.[15] In January 2021, Canadian culture writer Scaachi Koul featured Swindled in her podcast picks for CBC Radio.[16]

Swindled has charted in the Top 100 podcasts in 5 countries, with peak ranking positions of the podcast including: Australia (18), Canada (52), Germany (46), United Kingdom (73), and United States (52).[17]

In July 2018, true crime podcast Crime Junkie adopted Swindled's episode "The Contraceptive," covering the Dalkon Shield.[18] In a profile of Crime Junkie host Ashley Flowers, Laura Barcella of Rolling Stone magazine wrote about the episode: "Flowers is at her best when dissecting complicated cases that stink of larger cover-ups and corruption."[19]

A German translation of the series titled Schmutzige Geschäfte launched on November 19, 2018.[20] A Danish translation titled Svindlerne subsequently followed in 2020.[21]

Accolades

  • Listed as #10 in "Top Subscriptions" on Apple Podcasts' Best of 2021[22][23]
  • Winner in the 2019 Discover Pods Awards for "Best True Crime Podcast"[24]
  • Runner-up in the 2019 Discover Pods Awards for "Best Overall Podcast" [24]
  • Runner-up in the 2018 Discover Pods Awards for "Best True Crime Podcast"[25]
  • Finalist in the 2018 Discover Pods Awards for "Best New Podcast"[25]

References

  1. ^ a b c "Want to quit your job and start a true crime podcast? Obscura's host did it". Tampa Bay Times. Archived from the original on February 3, 2022. Retrieved February 1, 2024.
  2. ^ a b Nelson, Hillary. "52 Great True-Crime Podcasts". Vulture. Archived from the original on February 1, 2020. Retrieved November 21, 2018.
  3. ^ "Podcast Spotlight: Swindled". Discover the Best Podcasts | Discover Pods. March 29, 2018. Archived from the original on February 1, 2024. Retrieved February 2, 2024.
  4. ^ "Anna Sorokin: Why do con artists and fraudsters fascinate us?". May 10, 2019. Archived from the original on February 2, 2024. Retrieved February 1, 2024.
  5. ^ "Con-Culture Experts On the History and Future of Scamming". MEL Magazine. February 5, 2019. Archived from the original on February 1, 2024. Retrieved February 1, 2024.
  6. ^ "Swindled Podcast – Latest Episodes – Listen Now Online". Swindled. Archived from the original on February 2, 2024. Retrieved February 2, 2024.
  7. ^ Hooper, David (December 3, 2018). "The Anonymous Podcast". BIG Podcast. Archived from the original on February 1, 2024. Retrieved February 1, 2024.
  8. ^ Music, Trevor Harte Howard. "Trevor Harte Howard". Trevor Harte Howard. Archived from the original on February 2, 2024. Retrieved February 2, 2024.
  9. ^ "About Swindled Podcast – Telling True Stories – Play Now". Swindled. Archived from the original on February 2, 2024. Retrieved February 2, 2024.
  10. ^ "PRESS: AdLarge Partners with Sounds Profitable to Debut "Up Next" – A Podcast UpFront". AdLarge Media. May 10, 2021. Archived from the original on February 2, 2024. Retrieved February 2, 2024.
  11. ^ Necessary clarification: "[...] according to the website,missionarychapel.com , Malachi Love-Robinson is listed as a doctor [...]" - according to FOX)[1] — The possible icon "/V\cs" (from: "Missionary Chapel and Seminary") should not be confused with the "Vlcs" (from: "Universal Life Church Seminary" - with diplomas obtained through courses / authorized, and subjected to peer review).
  12. ^ "10 must-listen true crime podcasts". Star Tribune. Archived from the original on December 29, 2018. Retrieved November 21, 2018.
  13. ^ "The best true crime podcasts offer chilling insights into humanity". Digital Trends. August 26, 2018. Archived from the original on January 13, 2019. Retrieved November 21, 2018.
  14. ^ Slaney, Rowan; Bakare, Lanre; Verdier, Hannah; Ames, Lily (September 7, 2018). "A history of Martin Luther King's non-violence – podcasts of the week". the Guardian. Archived from the original on November 1, 2018. Retrieved November 21, 2018.
  15. ^ "Start Hear: The Saint, America's Dad, and Health For The Holidays". WVXU. November 17, 2020. Archived from the original on January 31, 2024. Retrieved January 31, 2024.
  16. ^ "Culture writer and podcaster Scasschi Koul shares her podcast picks". CBC. CBC Radio. January 21, 2021. Archived from the original on February 2, 2024. Retrieved February 2, 2024.
  17. ^ "iTunesCharts.net: 'Swindled' by A Concerned Citizen (International iTunes Chart Performance)". www.itunescharts.net. Archived from the original on February 1, 2024. Retrieved February 1, 2024.
  18. ^ Flowers, Ashley (July 16, 2018). "WHITE COLLAR: The Dalkon Shield". Crime Junkie Podcast. Archived from the original on February 1, 2024. Retrieved February 1, 2024.
  19. ^ Barcella, Laura (December 31, 2018). "Best True-Crime Podcasts of 2018". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on February 1, 2023. Retrieved February 1, 2024.
  20. ^ Sprenger, Tom (November 19, 2018). "Schmutzige Geschäfte: US-Podcast "Swindled" kommt nach Deutschland". radioWOCHE – Aktuelle Radionews, UKW/DAB+ News und Radiojobs (in German). Archived from the original on November 23, 2018. Retrieved November 21, 2018.
  21. ^ "All episodes of Svindlerne". chartable.com. Archived from the original on February 1, 2024. Retrieved February 1, 2024.
  22. ^ "Apple Podcasts presents the Best of 2021". Apple Newsroom. Archived from the original on December 21, 2021. Retrieved December 21, 2021.
  23. ^ Spangler, Todd (December 1, 2021). "Joe Rogan Had the No. 1 Podcast in 2021 on Spotify (Podcast News Roundup)". Variety. Archived from the original on February 6, 2024. Retrieved February 9, 2024.
  24. ^ a b "Announcing the winners of the 2019 Discover Pods Awards". Discover Pods Awards. November 21, 2019. Archived from the original on November 21, 2021. Retrieved January 28, 2020.
  25. ^ a b "2018 Discover Pods Awards Finalists | Discover the Best Podcasts | Discover Pods". Discover the Best Podcasts | Discover Pods. November 16, 2018. Archived from the original on October 26, 2019. Retrieved November 21, 2018.
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