American Criminal

Fresh out of his stint in Green Haven State Prison, Nicky Barnes gets to work rebuilding his drug business. He takes the advice of Matty Madonna, and models his growing empire on the structures of the...

20 Aug 43min

Long before he became "Mr Untouchable" -- one of the biggest drug dealers in the country -- Nicky Barnes was just a kid growing up in Harlem. But he would eventually gather together a group of other B...

13 Aug 39min

In the 18th century, it was an open secret that new corpses would often be taken from graves and used as teaching aids for medical students. Not the most pleasant thing to think about, but much of soc...

6 Aug 1h 12min

In the 1970s, one man is the face of New York City’s heroin trade: Leroy “Nicky” Barnes. After a years-long cycle of arrests, prison time, and parole, Nicky assembles a syndicate of Black dealers to c...

30 Juli 2min

If the story of William Tweed has taught us anything, it’s that corruption in politics is nothing new. But nor is corruption the only thing that affected the course of Boss Tweed's career. We're joine...

30 Juli 58min

December 4, 1875. Notoriously corrupt New York City politician Boss Tweed slips away from guards during a home visit. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

28 Juli 21min

By the spring of 1870, William Tweed had almost complete control over New York – not just the city, but much of the state, too. And with his wealth increasing by the day, he knew that he was nigh unto...

23 Juli 54min

As Bill Tweed tightened his stranglehold over Tammany Hall, the Civil War broke out, throwing the country into chaos. And when the war effort asked New Yorkers to pay too high a price, they took to th...

16 Juli 49min