Hollywood Con Queen: The scam artist who impersonated Tinseltown's elite

When Shannon Gilbert went missing in Long Island, her disappearance was largely ignored by the media and police. That is, until months later when the remains of other sex workers were discovered nearby — but none of them were Shannon. What happened to her? Who was targeting these women? And why weren't police doing more? Journalist Bob Kolker, author of Lost Girls, investigated Shannon Gilbert's story and the institutional failings that plagued these women's cases. He joins us this week on Crime Story, providing updates on the investigation, including a recent arrest. For ad-free listening to Crime Story, subscribe to CBC's True Crime channel on Apple Podcasts.Feedback for us? You can email us directly at [email protected].

Crime Story is back with all-new episodes starting next week. Before then, we’re bringing you episode 1 of The No Good, Terribly Kind, Wonderful Lives and Tragic Deaths of Barry and Honey Sherman, a podcast about the mysterious deaths of billionaire Canadian pharma giant Barry Sherman and his philanthropist wife Honey.Hosted by our very own Kathleen Goldhar, we just found out the final episode was the most downloaded Canadian podcast episode of 2023! If you like what you hear, you can binge the entire series here. 

Sharon Johnson’s family has spent decades coping with her brutal murder. But what if the story they were told is a lie? What if the man imprisoned for her murder is innocent? In season two of Jason Moon’s hit podcast Bear Brook, he investigates the case of convicted killer Jason Carroll. At 19, Carroll confessed to Johnson’s murder, but recanted a few hours later. Carroll has been in prison for 35 years, and still maintains his innocence. In this fascinating conversation, we go behind the scenes with Bear Brook host Jason Moon and explore the growing science of wrongful confessions. Why do they happen and who among us is most vulnerable? Crime Story is taking a quick summer break. We're back in September with all new episodes.

In the early 2000s, Bikram Yoga spread across North America like wildfire. It was a multi-billion dollar business, spurred on by its eccentric founder, Bikram Choudhury. Choudhury was as close to yoga royalty as you could get and was unafraid to hide it. But according to some of his own students, his empire was built upon blood, sweat and tears – as well as a few critical lies.Reporter Julia Lowrie Henderson practiced Bikram Yoga for nearly a decade and joins Crime Story to discuss the scandal that rocked her yoga community.Note: This episode contains difficult subject matter, including references to sexual assault.  Crime Story is taking a quick summer break. We're back in September with all new episodes.

For nearly 50 years, Bill Cosby charmed America. But behind the scenes, there were rumours of something sinister – that Cosby was drugging and assaulting women. Nicole Weisensee Egan was the first reporter to dig into the claims against Cosby, when many journalists were afraid to do so. Her book and podcast, Chasing Cosby, is the definitive take on the rise and fall of Bill Cosby. Note: This episode contains difficult subject matter, including details of sexual assault. Crime Story is taking a quick summer break. We're back in September with all new episodes.

When Carole Fisher met Bob Bierenbaum in 1989, he seemed like a catch. He was a Jewish doctor who spoke five languages, a gourmand who loved skiing, and a New Yorker who could fly planes. He was every Jewish mother’s dream. But there was something off about Bob. He could fly into a sudden rage and be distant and controlling. Carole sensed he was hiding something. More than 30 years after Carole and Bob broke up, she uncovers his dark and sordid past in a podcast called The Girlfriends.Crime Story is taking a quick summer break. We're back in September with all new episodes.

Bernie Goetz shot four Bronx teenagers on the subway in 1984 — and was celebrated as a national hero. New York was known as a dangerous place at the time. Locals who felt abandoned by police applauded Goetz for "taking the law into his own hands." Leon Neyfakh, host of Fiasco: Vigilante, investigates this era-defining story, exploring the paranoia of 1980s New York, the media culture that supported it, and its unsettling parallels to today.For ad-free listening to Crime Story, subscribe to CBC's True Crime channel on Apple Podcasts.Feedback for us? You can email us directly at [email protected] can find this episode's transcript here.

In 2018, journalist Scott Johnson received a tip that someone was impersonating high-powered women in Hollywood. Using their identities, the scammer lured artists from across the entertainment industry to Indonesia on the promise of work. People thought it was their big break. Instead, hundreds of victims found themselves in increasingly strange scenarios with a shadowy figure known as the Hollywood Con Queen. It sounds like a textbook con: steal someone’s identity, create a fake story and exploit people for cash. But as Scott reveals in this week’s episode of Crime Story, the scammer wasn’t motivated by money. It was about something much deeper.For ad-free listening to Crime Story, subscribe to CBC's True Crime channel on Apple Podcasts.Feedback for us? You can email us directly at [email protected] can find this episode's transcript here.

For 5 years, the 1996 Atlanta Olympic bomber had been living on the lam in the woods. Locals sold shirts that read “Eric Rudolph: 1998 Hide and Seek champion.” Meanwhile, Eric ate salamanders, shot bears, and racked up the bill for one of the most costly manhunts in U.S. history. How did he do it? What were his motivations? And why was he able to pull off four separate bombings before police finally nabbed him?Journalist Henry Schuster, author of Hunting Eric Rudolph, was there when that first bomb went off in Atlanta, and he joins us this week on Crime Story.For ad-free listening to Crime Story, subscribe to CBC's True Crime channel on Apple Podcasts.Feedback for us? You can email us directly at [email protected] can find this episode's transcript here.

In part two of our conversation, The Jinx creators Andrew Jarecki and Zac Stuart-Pontier reflect on what it was like watching Robert Durst take the stand, how his inner circle enabled his strange behaviour, and the impact of documenting a suspected killer for 20 years.For ad-free listening to Crime Story, subscribe to CBC's True Crime channel on Apple Podcasts.Feedback for us? You can email us directly at [email protected] can find this episode's transcript here.