Episodi

  • The Drifting Bag That Blew Open a Hydroelectric Heist

    The Drifting Bag That Blew Open a Hydroelectric Heist
    Oct 13 2026
    The Drifting Bag That Blew Open a Hydroelectric Heist

    A retired schoolteacher’s morning bird photograph captured an industrial courier bag from Merrow Run Hydroelectric Station washing ashore 700 meters across open water, containing $11,420 in banded petty cash and two official receipts - how did that bag travel four days without anyone noticing a missing cash reserve? Who benefited from a hole in oversight that let money vanish in plain sight?

    In this episode, we tell the sequence of events that followed Kathleen Smith’s discovery and the state financial crimes inquiry that unfolded, outlining the gaps in auditing, custody, and access that the investigators probed to answer the central question: where did the money go and how was it covered up?

    Person: Kathleen Smith
    Location: Merrow Run cattail bank, approximately 700 meters from Merrow Run Hydroelectric Station
    Date: July 9, 2011 (bag found); bag drifted July 5-9, 2011
    Person: Nancy Taylor, state financial crimes investigator, 24 years old with 11 months on the job
    Amount: $11,420 in banded petty cash (eleven thousand four hundred and twenty dollars)

    - The courier bag belonged to Merrow Run and was registered to the station’s rear loading area.
    - The bag drifted across open water for four days (July 5-9) before washing ashore where Kathleen Smith found it at 6:47 AM on July 9.
    - Inside the sealed bag were $11,420 in banded petty cash and two paper receipts bearing Merrow Run operational markings.
    - Merrow Run operated with fewer than 60 full-time employees and a petty-cash lockbox with a ceiling of $30,000.
    - Audits showed six consecutive reconciliations passed through Devereaux Associates, with a 17-day gap between rotating auditors that left the petty-cash reserve unreviewed.

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    © 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
    This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.
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    3 min
  • He Hid a $14 Relay - How They Stealed a $500K Map Unseen

    He Hid a $14 Relay - How They Stealed a $500K Map Unseen
    Oct 12 2026
    He Hid a $14 Relay - How They Stealed a $500K Map Unseen

    The calm green light on the alarm panel lied: a five-hundred-thousand-dollar sixteenth-century Flemish folio vanished from Unit Nine while the system logged zero events. How could a crime that left no signs of forced entry, no panel tampering, and a clean alarm log be pulled off - and what did a fourteen-dollar relay have to do with it?

    In this episode, we walk through the sequence of events and the forensic details that connect a decades-old reproduction, a climate spike, and a tiny electronic component to the disappearance of the folio. How did preparation years earlier and a relay hidden in the alarm’s wiring allow the thieves to steal the original undetected?

    Person: Peter Hargrove
    Item: Flemish folio (bound collection of hand-colored regional maps)
    Value: $460,000-$500,000
    Date: June 3-4, 2011 (arm at 6:47 PM June 3; disarm at 8:12 AM June 4)
    Investigator: Keith Kowalski, Ohio Art and Cultural Property Unit

    - The folio arrived at Unit Nine on May 29, 2011 and an appraisal was scheduled for June 7, 2011.
    - The alarm panel logged an arm event at 6:47 PM on June 3 and a manual disarm at 8:12 AM on June 4 with zero events between.
    - Environmental logs show humidity in Zone Four spiked 11 percentage points between 11:40 PM June 1 and 12:55 AM June 2, indicating a door held open for over 75 minutes.
    - A reproduction of the folio, commissioned no earlier than spring 2010, was present in Unit Nine by September 2010 and matched the original’s upper-left crease.
    - Forensic examiners found a relay worth approximately $14 wired into the alarm terminal block behind the panel, away from the undisturbed panel face.

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    © 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
    This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.
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    2 min
  • They Stole $432,000 With a Fake Radio - How They Knew the Route

    They Stole $432,000 With a Fake Radio - How They Knew the Route
    Oct 11 2026
    They Stole $432,000 With a Fake Radio - How They Knew the Route

    A perfectly timed radio call stopped an armored truck in broad daylight and, within ten minutes, $432,000 was gone - no weapons, no roadblock, just a voice on the right frequency. How did the crew know the truck’s exact route and get a Meridian transceiver locked to Crown Valley’s private channel?

    In this episode, we follow the timeline from the May 14, 2011 pickup at Farber Field to the discovery three days later of a programmed radio unit and the investigative questions that shifted the case toward insider access. What did a former Crown Valley communications technician’s personnel record reveal about who could obtain that frequency?

    Event: Farber Field gate receipts moved on May 14, 2011
    Amount: $432,000
    People: Tom Neville, Pete Sutter, Connie Burke, Ralph Meyer
    Device: Meridian-series transceiver locked to Crown Valley UHF dispatch channel

    - The radio call telling driver Tom Neville to turn onto Kearney Boulevard came at 6:59 a.m.
    - The entire interception and removal of cash took under ten minutes with no physical threats.
    - The stolen cash originated from a large-scale event the night before and was scheduled for delivery to Caldwell First Savings on Merchant Avenue.
    - A white cargo van abandoned two blocks from the interception had a temporary paper plate and a magnetic Crown Valley sign; it was purchased for $4,000 in cash eleven days earlier.
    - A Meridian-series transceiver was found on May 17, eleven blocks east of the interception site, turned on and locked to Crown Valley’s dispatch channel.

    To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

    © 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
    This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.
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    2 min
  • How a Shaft, a Padlock and $62K Became Impossible Evidence

    How a Shaft, a Padlock and $62K Became Impossible Evidence
    Oct 10 2026
    How a Shaft, a Padlock and $62K Became Impossible Evidence

    The thought that someone crawled a 22-inch-wide, concrete-lined shaft to seal a vault from the inside is both chilling and precise: a brand-new padlock with a $9.44 price sticker sealed the inner latch of a subterranean vault and $62,000 in certified funds was missing-so how was the door secured from a place no one should have reached? What single sequence of maintenance calls and scheduled shutdowns turned ordinary HVAC ductwork into a perfect crime scene?

    In this episode, we follow the timeline of the archive, its climate-control system, contractor logs, and the first officer on scene to map how routine building systems intersected with an exacting theft; could the answer really be hidden in a six-hour shutdown tied to a service call?

    Person: Detective Gina Davis
    Person: Dale Odum
    Person: Darlene Duncan
    Date: April 9
    Amount: $62,000

    - A brand-new padlock with a $9.44 price sticker sealed the inner latch of the vault when staff arrived.
    - The archive’s ventilation shaft measured 22 inches wide and 30 inches deep, running from rooftop unit to vault level.
    - Facilities manager Dale Odum had maintained the building’s systems for nine years and logged all service calls.
    - Eight days before April 9, a caller claiming to be from Meridian Climate Services prompted Odum to order damper actuator parts.
    - A six-hour climate-control shutdown on April 7 occurred and shaft sensors went offline during a Crestview Air Quality inspection.

    To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

    © 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
    This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.
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    2 min
  • The Bag That Should Have Sunk: How 42 Seconds Exposed Eleven Diamonds

    The Bag That Should Have Sunk: How 42 Seconds Exposed Eleven Diamonds
    Oct 9 2026
    The Bag That Should Have Sunk: How 42 Seconds Exposed Eleven Diamonds

    A floating courier bag should have been the perfect decoy - eleven uncut diamonds, 34.2 carats, $430,000, packaged to sink but left bobbing in 38°F water at dawn. A runner found it, an investigator with a 19-year record picked up the file, and a 42-second camera gap crafted by public- records requests turns an ordinary transit route into the key to a months-long plan. How did a window less than a minute long unravel eleven months of preparation?

    In this episode, we follow the sequence of actions, the people and the precise timings that turned a routine shipment into a recovered heist, and we ask how a design parameter and a single unknown variable changed everything.

    Person: Diane Walsh
    Person: Brenda Tucker
    Person: Person: Philip Richardson
    Person: Nicole Roberts
    Event: March 14, 2019

    - A runner found a sealed, heat-shrink-banded courier bag floating in a canal at 6:00 AM.
    - The bag contained eleven uncut diamonds totaling 34.2 carats, appraised at $430,000.
    - The water temperature that morning was 38 degrees Fahrenheit, preventing the bag from sinking.
    - Brenda Tucker received the case by 9:00 AM and had 19 years with the Ohio Commercial Crimes Unit.
    - Nicole Roberts spent 11 months using public-records requests to locate a 42-second camera gap on the transit route.

    To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

    © 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
    This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.
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    2 min
  • The Van, The Key, and the Impossible $342,000 Disappearance

    The Van, The Key, and the Impossible $342,000 Disappearance
    Oct 8 2026
    The Van, The Key, and the Impossible $342,000 Disappearance

    Cold evidence: a Medeco-secured cash case standing open, keys in the ignition, and $342,000 vanished from a locked van found on Bridle Creek Road - while the only registered keyholder was three dozen miles away at the sheriff’s substation. How could a high-security cylinder be opened without drill marks, scratches, or the authorized key - and who manufactured the second key?

    In this episode, we lay out the timeline, the people, and the physical evidence that created an impossible contradiction at the center of the theft. Listen to how dock routines, surveillance footage, and the discovery of a second Medeco key force investigators to ask whether the breach began on the loading dock days before the van was found.

    Person: Ryan Callahan
    Date: February 12, 2019
    Location: Bridle Creek Road
    Person: Martin Cho
    Amount: $342,000

    - Van discovered at approximately 6:57 AM on February 12, 2019 by meter reader Ryan Callahan.
    - Medeco cash case in rear compartment was open with no signs of drilling, prying, or mechanical defeat.
    - The only authorized key for the Medeco lock belonged to payroll supervisor Martin Cho and was on his person at the sheriff’s substation that morning.
    - Strickland Lumber used cash payroll deliveries every other Thursday handled via Brinkley Armored to the Bridle Creek loading dock.
    - Four days before the van was found, on Thursday February 7, the dock camera recorded normally until 11:49 AM, a timestamp investigators later scrutinized.

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    © 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
    This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.
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    2 min
  • during setup chaos Jan. 15; returned post-Jan. 18

    during setup chaos Jan. 15; returned post-Jan. 18
    Oct 7 2026
    during setup chaos Jan. 15; returned post-Jan. 18

    An impossible quiet greets a hotel guest: seven ornate frames hung perfectly under their lights - but every canvas is blank linen, unprimed and matte as though the paintings simply ceased to exist overnight. Who had the right access, the right materials, and the patience to replace two million dollars’ worth of art without a single scuff or alarm?

    In this episode, we walk through the sequence of events at the Holloway Grand during the Midwestern Insurance Underwriters Summit and trace the narrow window when replacement, not theft, occurred; what do the service logs, a borrowed brass elevator key, and an art-supply receipt reveal about the person who rehearsed this performance?

    Person: Bernard Ashworth
    Location: Holloway Grand Hotel, Calleston, Ohio
    Date: January 15-19, 2017
    Value: insured for over $2.1 million
    Investigator: Jennifer Farrell, Hendricks Mutual

    - Seven ornate frames on the fourteenth-floor penthouse were found with blank, unprimed linen canvases on January 19, 2017.
    - Bernard Ashworth inspected the collection twice during summit week: the evening of January 16 and midday January 18, and noted the Brenner’s light issue on January 16.
    - The Holloway Grand hosted approximately 900 attendees for the Midwestern Insurance Underwriters Summit during the third week of January 2017.
    - Four active penthouse key-card credentials existed during the summit: Ashworth, GM Keith Odom, housekeeping head Connie Marsh, and AV contractor Donald Griffin.
    - The service elevator log contained nine handwritten entries between January 15 and January 18, 2017, with two unauthorized entries labeled “AV equipment” signed only with the initial M.

    To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

    © 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
    This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.
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    2 min
  • The Coin on the Conveyor: How Twelve Planchets Became Evidence

    The Coin on the Conveyor: How Twelve Planchets Became Evidence
    Oct 6 2026
    The Coin on the Conveyor: How Twelve Planchets Became Evidence

    Fear of being outsmarted - a single medallion, dated December 8, sits perfectly centered on an idle conveyor at 3:47 a.m., three days before production was to begin. How did twelve finished coins vanish from inventory, eleven sealed in a lockbox and one left in plain sight - and who engineered a months-long plan that only unraveled because a beagle found a fence gap?

    In this episode, we follow the sequence of events recorded by security, inventory logs, and witness reports to trace how the missing planchets became evidence, and ask how routine procedures failed until a small detail exposed the scheme.

    Person: Dean Sharp
    Location: Calloway Precision Mint, Calloway Precision Campus, Kessler County, Ohio
    Date: December 9 (security timestamp 3:47 a.m.)
    Event: Delivery of 3,048 planchets on December 3; by December 10 records show 3,036 planchets
    Item: Twelve finished medallions found - eleven sealed in a transport case, one on conveyor

    - Security camera captured a single finished medallion on the conveyor at 3:47 a.m, on December 9.
    - Delivery on December 3 recorded 3,048 platinum planchets for the Veterans' Foundation contract.
    - Inventory by December 10 showed 3,036 planchets, indicating twelve missing planchets.
    - Eleven finished coins were vacuum-sealed in individual capsules inside a transport case secured with a four-digit combination equal to the last four digits of the contract number.
    - A fence gap near the loading area was reported by Jerry Smith at 6:22 a.m., after his beagle Rocket found it following a grooming appointment.

    To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

    © 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
    This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.
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    2 min