Deviant Criminology
Dr. Richard Weaver Jr., Heather Kenney, and Rachel Czar take listeners on a journey through the world of true crime. With their unique careers in the criminal justice and academic world; they work to provide an entertaining and educational experience for listeners. This podcast examines many areas of true crime including; the formation of laws, cases that defined caselaw, and crimes that impacted the world. Please join us on this journey as we transition from professionals in criminal justice and academia to budding podcasters.
Deviant Criminology
George C. Parker: The Con Artist Who Sold the Brooklyn Bridge and His Enduring Legacy
George C. Parker was a notorious con artist who famously sold the Brooklyn Bridge over 3,000 times. His story highlights the audacity of deception, the gullibility of those seeking dreams, and the evolution of law enforcement against crime, ultimately teaching us to remain vigilant against such schemes today.
• Exploration of George C. Parker's life and criminal exploits
• Discussion of the Brooklyn Bridge and its significance
• Analysis of Parker's tactics in selling major landmarks
• Overview of Parker's imprisonment, escape, and eventual capture
• Reflection on Parker's legacy and its contemporary relevance
www.deviantcriminology.com
Okay, so welcome to Deviant Criminology, the podcast where we come up with all different types of topics in criminal justice and criminology to kind of welcome people to a world outside of just true crime. So I'm Richard, I'm Heather, and today we're going to hit you with an interesting case. But first, like I want to say, I got to sit outside today. It was the first time that it was nice and not 13 degrees in Indiana, so it was kind of nice to get out today. Were you able to get out at all today, heather?
Speaker 3:And yes, yes, I went out and there was this giant flaming ball in the sky and I didn't know what to do. I thought maybe we needed to run for shelter, but apparently that thing's called the sun.
Speaker 2:It was interesting because I was sitting outside. I had a sweater on and, like four minutes after the dogs are out there laying, I'm melting like sweating and I was like this is what it feels like, to know how my body's supposed to naturally react outside.
Speaker 3:That was me too. I went outside and I had a t-shirt and pants and I was like I guess I should have wore shorts today, which is funny because, like two weeks ago, it didn't even get above freezing for the high.
Speaker 2:It was weird because we had we've had all that snow like weeks ago, but until yesterday it was still in my yard for like two and a half weeks. I was like, is this ever going to dissipate? And there were still mounds of it like on campus and everything. So it's kind of freaking me out a little bit.
Speaker 3:That was today for us too, when we were going out for the bus. One of my kids looked at it and said it's been three weeks and a day and there's still snow. And I said well, it's supposed to be 65 today, so I doubt that's going to be there tonight and it's finally all gone.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and I have to go back to campus tomorrow and it's supposed to be like 40 degrees again tomorrow. I'm like this is freaking me out, it's killing me. But you know, at least we're heading towards warmer times, so walking around campus and stuff won't suck nearly as bad as it has for like the last three months, because it's actually been a cold winter, which we haven't had one of those in a long time. So today we're going to talk about this really interesting case. I was looking for stuff that was outside of kind of like murder and some of the stuff that we had kind of moved towards recently To this guy named George C Parker, who literally is this amazing figure in the con artist world and kind of the guy that created the term con artist. So he's really known for being able to sell the Brooklyn Bridge.
Speaker 3:So George C Parker, which interestingly enough I read a couple different places. He had so many aliases that one of the sources said they're not even really sure that that was his actual name. They think his name was something else. But he wasn't just a con artist, he was the actual con artist who inspired the phrase if you believe that I have a bridge to sell you which most of us have heard that phrase, but I'm guessing not everybody knows that. This is where it came from. And Mr Parker was born on March 16th, 1860. So that was the year before the outbreak of the Civil War and he was in New York. Born to Irish immigrant parents, his life was destined for infamy from the start.
Speaker 2:Actually it's kind of funny. So there's a band that I've been listening to and they're coming to Kentucky in October and they're an Irish-based band and it's kind of inspired me because my family were Irish immigrants to start learning Gaelic. So I've started kind of taking some classes and there's a class that starts in a couple months in Ireland that you can take online and, of course, being a professor, I kind of enjoy learning. But I really kind of am enjoying the language. But it's interesting when you start learning a new language, like I started this program and they start off with like basic phrases and they're like we're going to teach you how to say tea and I'm like awesome, this is great. And they're like the phrase is tay and I'm like so you say tea in Gaelic as tay, it's just tea, that's the same word. And coffee was caffy and I'm like you're just making fun of the accent. Now, that's all it is. So that was way off topic, but it was just kind of interesting that this is a wonderful Irish immigrant family.
Speaker 3:Yeah, no, that's awesome. I'm Irish too, so I always love that stuff. But he had those humble beginnings and he was one of eight children of an immigrant family and he was able to graduate from high school and that was quite an achievement for somebody of his social class at that point in time and it hints to the intelligence and cunning that would later define his criminal career, and his education would serve him well in his future endeavors.
Speaker 2:I mean probably not the way the public education system means for it to, but even today, sometimes high school, especially that advanced education can really be a great breeding ground for hunting criminals. So his criminal career spanned several decades and again, like Heather said, we're not even really sure if this is his real name, but this is what is attributed to him and what he used the most. But it started around the late 19th century and went into the early 20th century. But we're going to start with his most infamous scheme, which was the selling of the Brooklyn Bridge.
Speaker 3:So before we actually get into that, I just wanted to touch on the Brooklyn Bridge itself, because not everybody knows what it is, especially if you're not from the New York area. At the time that it was made, some people were calling it the eighth wonder of the world. On the day that it opened, in May 1883, brooklyn's Daily Eagle called it the greatest work wrought by the hand of man and monumental to human ingenuity, mechanical genius and engineering skill. So at that time it was the longest suspension bridge in the world and it connected Manhattan Island to Brooklyn over the East River. It was over a mile long when you added in the approaches and the bridge itself. The Gothic arch stone towers that support the bridge were the tallest structures in the Western Hemisphere at that point in time, and it's no wonder that New York Tribune asserted that it was the greatest bridge the world ever saw, coming in at a cost of about $16 million, which in today's money that would be about $425 million and it took them over 12 years to build.
Speaker 2:And I'm betting now, you couldn't build that bridge for under a billion dollars.
Speaker 3:Oh, there's no way, I don't.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 3:Well and again, on a side note, not to go too far down a rabbit's hole, but we went to Colorado to vacation two years ago and I used to live in Colorado a couple decades ago and we went to the Royal Gorge and they have a giant suspension bridge across there and they also have, or had, an inclined railway and they had a massive fire and the fire took out the inclined railroad which was right next to the bridge and somehow they were able to save the actual suspension bridge. And when they built that, it was basically a let's see if we can build it. And so they built it. It doesn't go anywhere, but it was just like a let's see if we can do this type thing.
Speaker 3:And they were talking about the inclined railroad and like are you going to, are you going to build that again? Cause that was really cool, Cause it starts at the top and it goes all the way down to the river and then it just like comes back up. You don't get off or walk around or anything, but it's really cool to see that depth, because from the top you look down and it's such a great distance it's hard to just judge, like how far you really are. And one of the guys made a joke about yeah, we could build it again, but now there's OSHA, so we really aren't going to be able to build it for anywhere near what we paid before. And I imagine it'd be the same thing with the Brooklyn Bridge, like with current standards and safety standards and inspections. It would be outrageous.
Speaker 2:And it's weird to think like we're not becoming a bridge podcast but how many of those structures have bodies in them? Structures have bodies in them Because, especially during this time period, like if you fell into the concrete or to the structure while it was being built, they couldn't just stop and dig you out. So there are many bridges across the US, especially built before OSHA, and those standards that unfortunately do have departed. People that died in them and Irish immigrants at this time were very common for working in these type of conditions.
Speaker 3:Yeah, so that means it's pretty crazy when you think about just the magnitude of this. Irish immigrants at this time were very common for working in these type of conditions. Yeah, so that means it's pretty crazy when you think about just the magnitude of this bridge. And, of course, once it's done it's huge. It spans all that distance and it's kind of like a beacon for crime, to the point that the bridge had its own police force. And one of the sources I found it said that in 1885 alone, officers made 228 arrests for offenses ranging from drunkenness to assault to theft and swindling. And speaking of swindling ranging from drunkenness to assault to theft- and swindling.
Speaker 2:And speaking of swindling, here's this great guy, and I wonder how miniature that was, because it connected those two, so people were going between the two, either drinking or partying and things like that, and that's just why it just became this magnet for crime. But the Brooklyn Bridge scam is kind of one of the most infamous crimes of this time because, though we're talking about George Parker, other people did this as well. In this time period of selling monuments and things like that, he's just kind of the one that's documented as doing it first and it's almost hard to believe that someone could pull off this offense not just once, but he did this multiple times. Not just once, but he did this multiple times. So Parker would approach gullible tourists or recent immigrants, convincing that he owned the bridge and was willing to sell it because he was leaving, he was moving or he wanted to get out of the business. So to make his con more convincing, he would produce fake documents and deeds, set up fake offices near the bridge and use various aliases to avoid detection. So again, he's very smart and cunning and, of course, at this time it's not hard to create forged documents.
Speaker 2:It's not like now, where you can actually do quick background checks of the Internet, like you had to take things to a point on face value, and especially tourists and incoming immigrants from other countries that may have been more trusting. Like, oh, this is supposed to be the land of opportunity, here's a chance. So the audacity of his crime is mind boggling. So Parker reportedly sold the Brooklyn Bridge twice in a week for several years, with some estimating some estimates suggesting that he sold it over 3000 times. So this was a business to him. It's kind of how I feel when you used to have those online forms where you could like buy pieces of like the moon or Mars and stuff like that. It's like, oh yeah, you totally own a piece of this now. So the price that he would sell this for ranged from $75 to sometimes $50,000. So at the highest end the equivalent today would be about $1.8 million. He was swimming people out of with these purchases.
Speaker 3:Which is really crazy when you think about it. I mean, can you imagine the shock of those poor victims when they find out? You know, like I don't really own this. I've spent $1.8 million and here I'm putting this toll booth on it. I bought the bridge and then all of a sudden the police show up and they're like you can't put a toll booth here, you don't own this, like I mean, obviously Parker had to be super persuasive and very good at picking out gullible marks, cause I again, somebody who had won the equivalent of $.8 million dollars in today's money you wouldn't think would be fooled and taken in that easily.
Speaker 2:No, but again, at the same time, I think it's that land of opportunity, like that dream big thing that that time in America people were looking for. And I I don't think I've seen a picture of this guy like I saw some like possible pictures, but I just imagine him in kind of like the boulder hat with the little swirled mustache, like that you like swirling it, like yeah, you want to buy this bridge, see, it's very worthwhile. Like that Barnum and Bailey look, it's just kind of how I see him.
Speaker 3:So he didn't just sell that he had. He had other projects on the side. So besides the Brooklyn Bridge, he also sold other famous New York landmarks, such as Madison Square Garden, the Metropolitan Museum of Art and even Grant's Tomb, where he posed as General Grant's grandson.
Speaker 2:This is just like getting out of hand at this point. Like this guy he's killing me with this because these are just like you said. I can't imagine somebody looking at like the Madison Square Garden and being like, oh yeah, some guy on the streets just randomly going to sell this to me. But I know people are gullible, and I mean con artists still exist today in different form. Now it's on the internet.
Speaker 2:It's not some mustache twirling guy in a small office like, yeah, buy this, see, but so don't forget the statue of Liberty, because Parker's creatively knew new bounds. So he even convinced people to buy the statue of Liberty, which is amazing to me, like selling the sweetest gift the French ever gave us, besides beating the English in the revolution and helping us with that. So for each of these cons he would create elaborate backstories and forge documents to convince his marks of the legitimacy of the sale. And again, it was so easy to forge documents back then, especially with his education level, to be convincing enough. Especially if maybe you're an immigrant or a tourist that doesn't speak English as a natural language. It's so easy just to con somebody like that.
Speaker 3:Which is really fascinating how Parker's schemes extended beyond just those landmark sales. He also engaged in selling shows and plays to which he had no legal rights, cashing worthless checks and general theft and larceny. His criminal versatility was really remarkable when you think about which you know weird way to put it. But all of the different things he could do, like he was that mastermind criminal as far as like scheming and fleecing people one way and the other and stealing and everything else Like Robin Hood, except not giving anything away.
Speaker 2:And he's not just like a scalper. This dude was taking basically like rent and selling it to people Like I am selling you the whole play. You are now the owner of Les Miserables. Like it's just crazy how just the balls on this guy to fucking try and convince people to buy these things. And they were buying, paying for it.
Speaker 2:And so, speaking of remarkable, let's talk about his legal troubles, because he didn't just get away with this, he was convicted of fraud at least three times before his final arrest, and these are under the name of George Parker. So this isn't those other cases, because, again, when we talk about law enforcement at this time which I teach on this a little bit, okay, a lot there was no central bureau, there was no big databases of people, so it was very easy to go, even from borough to borough and them not know you or know your criminal history I mean, this is between 30 and 50 years before the FBI is even formed and his crimes aren't to the level that those investigators were lurking at. So it's so easy to just be like oh, they know me here, I'm going to go two blocks over. That police department's not going to know me going to go two blocks over.
Speaker 3:That police department's not going to know me.
Speaker 2:So the typical drifter and grifter? Yeah, because even we've done multiple cases now in the 1930s and this is way before that where it was just you just crossed into state lines and nobody knew who you were, the warrants didn't go over, you couldn't cross jurisdictions, so it was just very easy even at that time to get away. So unfortunately we don't have a lot of specific details about his early convictions, but we do know they all occurred somewhere before 1908.
Speaker 3:So what I was able to find you know, and again, not a lot of detail, but his first conviction for grand larceny was in around 1901. I don't know what he did, I don't know what he was actually charged with. I just was able to find that that was his conviction and that earned him two and a half years in Sing Sing Soon. After his release from that case he was convicted of forgery and imprisoned for four more years and then there's this infamous escape in 1908.
Speaker 2:So, okay, he's a con artist, and now he's smart enough to get out of prison and jails, and which adds just a new level. It's almost like that slick Willie guy that we covered, where he's just got all these different skills and he's using them, for I guess he's like the super villain of New York at the time.
Speaker 3:At least just financially, like, yeah, super villain, like just you know of New York at the time, At least just financially. Yes, If he's going to be a supervillain, just you know.
Speaker 2:At least he's not hurting anybody that we know of. I don't want to definitely say this guy was squeaky clean on that point, but as far as we know he didn't commit any violent crimes. So 1908, there's this prison escape. This has got to be one of the most daring and audacious escapes I've heard of, besides the carrying a ladder across the prison yard and just climbing over the rails. But so the scene kind of goes like this it's New Year's Day, 1908 in New York. It's the Raymond Street Jail in Brooklyn. It's a place that is notorious for its inhumane conditions, which I mean. All correctional facilities at this time were known for their inhumane conditions. A lot of them were even even built early 1800s and they'd been there at this time for some of them 100 years. I don't specifically know about the Raymond Street Jail, but anyway it was nicknamed the Gothic Horror. The newly appointed Brooklyn sheriff his name was Michael J Flaherty was making a holiday visit to the prison.
Speaker 3:So Parker, who at that point in time was a trustee, which is a prisoner who's given special privileges.
Speaker 3:Oftentimes this is something that somebody will earn and it can be granted or denied based on criminal history. So I'm kind of surprised that he was a trustee at that point in time, because he already had at least two felony convictions before any of this happens. But at some point he had tried to loosen a stone in his cell and got caught, which, again, you think at that point he'd lose his trustee status. But luckily or maybe unluckily for him he saw an opportunity when that sheriff came in and he removed his fur coat and his bowler hat while he was making the rounds and in a move that could have come straight out of a Hollywood movie, parker picks up the clothes, puts them on and calmly walks out of the jail. And as he's going out of the jail he's bidding everyone happy new year, happy new year. And of course they're responding because, since this guy's newly appointed, they have no idea what he looks like. So he has the hat, he's got the coat. They just oh, that's the new sheriff, see you later.
Speaker 2:So that was the yeah, it is, it really is it's ingenious.
Speaker 3:That's the best part to me, it's.
Speaker 3:You know, the prison employees are completely unaware that the man in the fur coat is not the new sheriff. They're greeting him with holiday cheers, he's walking out and it's almost too good to be true. But unfortunately for him he was recaptured and they added six months to his sentence for that escape, which, honestly, six months is not that much to add on for an escape. Honestly, six months is not that much to add on for an escape. I mean, I know like, at least in Colorado, at one point in time it was a standard to get two years as an attempted escape and that wasn't anything as elaborate as this, like if you just skipped out on your work release and didn't come back at the end of your day you'd end up with an extra two years tacked on. So I also was able to find a source that said he went back to Sing Sing in 1911 for theft and passing a worthless check, and then he also had convictions for forgery in 1917 and then a theft in 1923, which put him behind bars again.
Speaker 2:And it kind of makes you wonder, like he started off really trying to find the best way but he was able to get away with his crimes easily, like we see the Brooklyn Bridge and all these.
Speaker 2:But as you're getting into the 1900s and I think you're starting to see more organized law enforcement that he's he's getting caught a lot more frequently. And I also wonder if the banks becoming more tuned to like it seems a lot of these are like cashing stolen checks, checks and stuff like that if the banks are just becoming more aware of what they're looking for. So, and this scape added the escape, adding significantly to parker's notoriety and demonstrated his quick thinking and audacity. But as we know, all good things must come to an end and for parker the end came on december 17th 1928, so at the age of 68, parker was arrested at his last known address, uh, in quincy street on quincy street in brooklyn. So the charge was grand larceny and the second degree for cashing a worthless check of 150 dollars. And it seems almost anti-climatic for a man who had sold the Brooklyn Bridge like thousands of times that he gets caught for just a $150 check.
Speaker 3:Which one of the things I read said that he was in the process of selling it again when he got caught for this $150 check so, and that I can't remember how much it said he was selling it for, but it was a. It was a big number.
Speaker 3:I was like, huh, it's kind of funny that he didn't get busted for the big thing he was doing but for the little $150 check. So the $150 check case was a trial that was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney William Kleeman and the judge was Alonzo McLaughlin and he presided over the case in Kings County Court. Mclaughlin and he presided over the case in Kings County Court and Parker's luck had finally run out. So at that point in time he's sentenced to a mandatory life term at Sing Sing Prison under the Browns Law, which was a new habitual offender act that had passed in New York in 1926. And under that law the fourth felony would result in a life sentence, which of course at that point he had far exceeded that qualification. He had more than enough to check the box for that one.
Speaker 3:So it's reported that he offered no resistance during this final arrest and just appeared despondent and was a stark contrast to his usually confident demeanor. So I don't know if maybe he was just kind of depressed because he saw the end was on the horizon, or maybe now that he knew this law was out there and he knew he was toast, if he got convicted for this, you know, get caught one more time and that's it, you're in for life, and he's like well, I guess I got a couple of things out there that you could be catching me for, so I guess I'm not going to get caught for this. I'm going to get caught for something else, I don't know.
Speaker 2:And I mean there's a couple of things here that I wonder. But so it sounds to me like this may have been kind of the groundwork for what would later become like the three strikes law, because this sounds like a four strikes law 50, 60 years before we even created the three strikes law. So New York almost seemed to be ahead of things on that.
Speaker 3:I mean, yeah, it seems like it. I don't know if anybody else had them before that, but it definitely looks like that. I'm always I don't know if interested is the right word, but it it. It amazes me sometimes when I talk to people about habitual offender laws how much people know and how much people don't know, and what different people's opinions are on it. Um, and some of these are not actually mandatory. Some of them are suggested ranges where the judge has to explain some type of like not necessarily exigent circumstance, but something special, like some reason why this person shouldn't be exposed to habitual time. But a lot of times it's just a multiplier for the potential sentence. So this whole like mandatory life thing, I haven't seen that. So this whole like mandatory life thing, I haven't seen that.
Speaker 3:I can't think of anywhere in my career where, as a habitual offender, you just automatically get life. Everyone I can think of it's based on the underlying crime. Because I know one lady I was talking to I think it was at a car dealership, but she was saying that she thought it was ridiculous that you could get busted for having a joint three times and go to prison for life and it's like well, that's not exactly true. Because, first of all, if that's all you have, it's a petty offense, so it's not even a felony. And if you do commit a felony, if it's one of the lower class felonies, that's punishable by like a year. You're looking at, you know, three years or something along those lines. It's not like you just go to prison for life just because you have three.
Speaker 2:And that's what I think is kind of sad about this one these aren't violent offenses. I mean, yeah, you're scamming people and it's probably going to destroy their life, but these aren't violent offenses. So to put him away, he's 68 years old. I mean he obviously hasn't learned, he's been doing it his whole life. And then the other question I have with poor George here is we see the totals he was getting for these bridges. Like what was he doing with all this money in the 18, late 18, early 1900s? Like he had some of the times he was selling this bridge for the equivalent of $1.8 million in one transaction.
Speaker 2:Like I really want there's so many questions that we just can't answer because we don't know his history and there's not a lot besides the little bit we're covering. Like we're getting more in depth than we really could find. We had to piece a lot of things together for this, but it's just except I'm sure there's a book somewhere that we just can't find because it's just obscure but how you spend that much money at that time period and then end up dying in prison, like this, like is it, he was greedy or was he robin hood? Like there's just so many questions I have for gambling.
Speaker 2:That was the only thing I could come up with is if he gambled it all away yeah, I mean, I guess that would have been easy at that time period because gambling was illegal underground and it was probably very easy to get taken. And and who do you report it to? It's not like now where there's a gaming commission. So I also think that one of the things with him not being caught a lot may I wonder again I don't know and I couldn't find a, I couldn't find a lot when I did this but if most of his victims were tourists and immigrants, if they were not even willing to be like they weren't willing to report it or come to court because they were worried about themselves being arrested or prosecuted, or just, you know, you sell it to a French couple that's here on vacation. They can't afford to come back to be, so you don't even have a victim in the end.
Speaker 3:One of the cases I read it talked about. He was at the police department and the victim showed up and couldn't identify him. And before the guy left he handed him a business card and said hey, I'd love to do business with you. I left with his business card.
Speaker 2:And so even that, like you think how intimate that connection, that contact had to be originally. And we're now talking about the how eyewitness testimony is unreliable. And here's a perfect example of this guy was ripped off by this dude, could not identify him and got set up to get ripped off again by the same guy. Because you just eyewitness testimony and eyewitness experiences aren't really reliable. Your brain doesn't work that way and with this it's almost sad to think of like this in a way, great con artist, um, the man who could sell again anything to spend his final years behind bars, um, especially in sensing, like even back then it was known as this kind of horrific place. So he would spend eight years in there, from 1928 until his death in 1936 at the age of 76.
Speaker 2:So but even in prison Parker's charisma just shone through. He was reportedly popular among guards and fellow inmates who enjoyed hearing stories of his exploits, and I can only imagine the tales he must have told like to pass the times. You know, there weren't these, there weren't TVs, there weren't things like that. It was telling these stories and that's so. I mean, he had this charisma and he was very. He had to be able to manipulate people and convince people to give them their money to be able to sell their things like this. So those stories probably helped pass the time and in a way it gave him some security, because even sing sing back then it was a violent prison. So to have that charisma and be likable probably kept him safe as well that's what I was kind of thinking when I looked at it.
Speaker 3:I thought, oh, this is his retirement, with three hots and a cot and he's kind of like grandpa of the prison and all the youngins are coming around to hear him tell his tales and try to learn something from him. And you know, again, like he was the entertainment, like that's how I obviously I don't know that that's how it would be, but that's how I envision it. You know he's just like hanging out and doing his thing and you know there's fights going on in the yard over there but he's sitting on top of the picnic table telling a story.
Speaker 2:Old Grandpa Parker talking about his exploits of selling the bridge again.
Speaker 3:So his legacy extends far beyond just those criminal activities. He's remembered as one of the most successful con men in United States history and one of the most talented hoaxsters of all time. His schemes have become a part of American folklore and are often cited as examples of audacious fraud and the potential gullibility of people in the face of convincing deception. The phrase if you believe that I have a bridge to sell you has become a lasting part of the English language and serves as a reminder of Parker's infamous schemes. It's fascinating how a criminal's actions can have such a lasting impact on our culture and our language.
Speaker 2:That's kind of like the if you believe that I have a bridge in Arizona or oceanfront properties, sell you in Arizona or something Like. It's weird how he and I think there's even a song about that, but why they don't? There don't seem to be any major like TV shows or movies to talk about George C Parker's life. His exploits have inspired various cultural references. He's mentioned in the book, in a book about con artists, and there's even a song about him called the man who Sold New York, by Finley Napier, who I've never heard of. But Parker's story continues to captivate us. I mean it did me. The minute I saw it I was like we have to talk about this guy.
Speaker 2:And Surs is a prime example again of just how especially con artists can be so destructive. Because I mean you think about the life savings and things that he swindled out of people and again, like you said, the audacity to repeatedly convince people that they could buy these major landmarks that were part of american history and just the also the audacity to sell them in the first place. Like it takes a lot to um have the gumption to do that. So it offers a fascinating glimpse into the world of con artistry in early 20th century America and the evolution of law enforcement's responses to such crime. Because again, in the beginning he's getting away with this, but in the later years of his life, either through being lazadazical or just an increase in law enforcement, communication and stuff, now he's getting caught quite often and ends up dying in prison.
Speaker 3:As we wrap up this episode, I can't help but wonder in today's digital age, could a con artist like George C Parker still exist? Or have we become too savvy for such an audacious scheme? What do you think?
Speaker 2:Oh, I definitely think that people are still this stupid and gullible. I mean yeah, that's kind of a harsh way to put it, but I mean you know, there's like a lot of people that have been taken with the Nigerian prince that's going to give you money Just send me your bank accounts or the IRS scams hey, I'm from the IRS, Give me your credit card because you owe money. Like I've never been in a position where I've looked at my taxes and been like, oh, it's possible, I do owe $10,000. Like I've never had that moment. But people fall for it on the internet all the time. I've had people I know that even now it's even easier with stuff like Venmo Like, oh, I'll sell you these tickets, Just Venmo me the money and then I'll send you the tickets. It's just so easy to scam people. So not only do I think it's gotten easier, but I think people have gotten more trusting and are easier to con now than they may even been at that time period.
Speaker 3:When I was even thinking about other things too, like Bitcoin and the whole like investor things. You give me $10,000 and I can invest it in these things and I'll make you 70,000 and all those little like programs for lack of a better word that people have out there. And I have a Facebook friend. I'm pretty sure her account's been stolen and she constantly sends me messages about how you know I can turn your $10,000 into $100,000. But then I'm like hey, how are the kids? You know, let's meet for lunch and talk.
Speaker 2:Then all of a sudden it's like well, I just want to talk about you giving me money, because you're not really who you say you are and and it's got. I think we've seen it now with ai, where people can fake people's voices and they'll call and oh, I've got your child, they've been in an accident. We need you to send money and they can take your voice and manipulate it so it sounds like you. Even so, I think and that's a whole other episode we're not going to become the AI Conspiracy Podcast yet, but it's definitely something we have to worry about and we have to be protective of people, and now is not a time to get lousy I love that word tonight About that but it's something that we should be aware of.
Speaker 3:So absolutely with George C Parker. You know all of the people like him in the world. They may have moved online, but they're still out there, and that's why stories like this are so important, because they remind us to stay vigilant and skeptical, and if something seems too good to be true, it probably is.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that's. I think that's an important note to take away from. This is and it's not easy to get back, like, once you've been scammed, it's so hard that it's better to take a couple minutes, do your research and think twice before you just give people things and if it sounds too good to be true, it is. It's just the nature of, unfortunately, society. Like, if somebody says I'm going to give you a million dollars, that's probably not going to happen. But I think people become desperate and they want that piece that they think that they deserve or that they're not entitled to. But that's the dream, right? It's just going to happen and one day we're going to all be millionaires and these con artists take advantage of that. So I think it really is a good lesson.
Speaker 2:And he was for what we can say. He was a genius, like. He got away with this for a long time. I think the sad reality is, as I've believed with my background and I would assume from yours as well like, but he was a criminal and he ended up dying in prison, which is why crime doesn't pay. And again, this guy made a lot of money and it didn't pay.
Speaker 3:So think about that makes me sad because I think of all the things he could have done with his life and his intelligence that could have furthered humanity, and instead he used it for this.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and it didn't pay off like and all the hard work Like, but again, that time period Irish immigrant family. You know he may have had very few options to do so on that really sad, depressing note, I want to thank you for listening to this episode and from Heather and I have a good weekend. I want to thank you all so to this episode and from Heather and I have a good weekend. Listen to us on, subscribe to our podcast and download episodes. Downloads are important for our growth, as is growing our listeners. So if you wouldn't mind, take the time to ask your friends, family, coworkers, tell them about us through word of mouth, social media. I don't care if you even scream at strangers on the streets to help us kind of get out there who we are. Scream at strangers on the streets to help us kind of get out there who we are.
Speaker 2:If you're interested in learning more, you could visit our website at wwwdeviantcriminologycom. There you'll find some stuff about our backgrounds, references, show notes for each episode. You can also follow us on our Facebook page at Deviant Criminology. We also have an Instagram page which is Deviant underscore Criminology. Or find me at Dr Richard Weaver on Instagram. And as we grow. We hope to develop a community that will grow with us. So again, thank you for taking the time to listen and have a good week. Thank you.
