547 - Always on the Precipice

0:00This is exactly right. If you're Bookshelf and you're for you page are equally important to your personality, welcome home. Pro Society is a weekly podcast that's part book club, part group chat for anyone who thinks pride and prejudice and love island deserve the same level of discourse. Each week we're connecting the dots between books, the internet and pop culture. With your favorite writers, book talk creators and plenty of over thought opinions. Yeah, I'm obsessed. Listen to Pro Society on the I Heart Radio app, Apple podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Nancy Glass, host of the Burden of Guild season three podcast. This is a story about a horrendous situation that destroyed two families. It's a scorched earth war that shows just how far someone will go to get what they want. Cindy said I had to choose between the truth and my family and I had to choose the truth. Listen to season three of Burden of Guild on the I Heart Radio app, Apple podcasts or wherever

1:03you get your podcasts. Dancing with the Stars is looking for a new pro and since last season I came in eighth place. I'm basically an expert. I'm Daniel Fischel and I'm Vouch Merkowski and we have a new podcast called Stepping on Toes with Daniel and Val. Every week we're breaking down Dancing with the Stars the next pro to find out who I'll be sharing the born with next season. And Stepping on Toes on America's number one podcast network, I Heart. Follow Stepping on Toes and start listening on the free I Heart Radio app today. Hello and welcome to my favorite writer. I'm a star to hard start that's Karen kill carer and we're here to podcast at you always and forever. That's the contract we signed with the devil come with me to help to podcast for the rest

2:07of your life. Listen, I shouldn't have said to hell. We love it here. Oh, I love hilarious. It's the best. Do you ever kind of do secretary actions knowing that you don't have to do any secretary jobs? There's definitely just moments throughout my day where I think think fucking God, this is my life. It's so grateful. My passion that I discovered in sixth grade, which is reading aloud is my job and talking as much as you want all the time. Yeah, all the reasons talking here conversationally. Go ahead and reading off of here. Just read your thing. Yeah, that's pretty great. And now you can't to take our $400. We're selling something. Yeah, yeah, it's great. Why is it bothering me? Everyone selling something and those who say they aren't are lying. That's right. A quote from what? Grimiss. Oh, I can't remember who's grimiss. I didn't get that. Sorry. That was the grimiss part. I got it too.

3:08I had a really, really big mocha for working. Oh, I had a pouch from a new brand in my gum that's supposed to give me energy. School. No, it's not nicotine. It's like a little energy pouch. It's so trapping. What's it feel like? I feel good so far. Okay. I feel like it's working. Are you seeing multiplication in front of you and you're solving it? I know how to fight chess now. What? Okay, I got to go. Yeah, that's what I'm selling. Okay. Cheek pouch energy cheek pouches. Energy cheek pouches. I'm like Gen Z. I'm so young. You're down by the old farmville. I don't know. I know the games. People play. Thinking of games. Want to hear something funny? Vince Avril, my one and only husband, is now in a band with Marcus Parks from last podcast on the wall. No, they're in a fucking band together. And now you can too. That's fucking amazing.

4:08I thought he plays golf with Chris Fairbanks and he's in a band with Marcus. What does Marcus play? He plays drums. That's bad. They're like good. Will you please invite me when they do a show? Of course. I don't know why it's going to happen. Yes, of course. Did they just start? No, they've had a part of few practices. Just jamming. Is it like the heavy metal that Vince is so interested in or whatever they call it? No, it's a little more melodic. Oh. This isn't the case, but it reminds me of Vince used to jam with his friends in New York for no reason than just jam. And one of their girlfriends called it smoking pot practice. That's not what they were playing electronic fact then. This is different. This is different. So I'll let everyone know. They're going to be opening for us. I thought you could have kicked out of that. I love it. That's really bad. Should we tell everyone that we have a podcast network in case they don't know? No, I think we should keep it a secret. It's called exactly right media. Here are some highlights from it. We've got a little show called Discretslatch. You may have heard of it. The great Jake Brennan this week will be telling the story of Alice Bag, who was an underground

5:11feminist icon of LA's early punk scene. It's set against the terrifying backdrop of the Hillside Stranglers. I cover them on episode 114, Civic Order. Speaking of familiar cases, over on Hollywoodland, Jake tells the story of Rodney Alcala, the dating game killer, Absolute Monster, I covered that case back on episode 54 called Valet Area. What was going on in those titles? Don't know. They don't seem familiar. Then over on Wicked Words, Kate Winclodosson welcomes back Dawson Fearnow to discuss the state of Arizona's secret role in the Federal Witness Protection Program. Amazing topic. Arizona, you got some explaining to do. It's no secret. We've seen all those 80s movies. They dig into the stories of mob informants who were given new identities but couldn't manage to stay out of trouble. That's for the movie My Blue Heaven. Yes, that's right. Fearnow is such a rad last name, isn't it? And on pre-free session, Michael and Melissa address all of the online buzz around Michael

6:11joining the new season of the Traders, including the most important question. Did Alan come in? Like him best. Of course he did. How do you not? I mean, the two of them together get them a sitcom. It's happening. It's happening. The coaches are working. Plus, they break down the Supreme Court's rejection of Trump's appeal involving the $5 million judgment. He owes E. Jean Carroll. Yeah, go listen to that. Important stuff. Yes, absolutely. And then another Bravo Lab graced this network this week over on I said no gifts. Bridger welcomes back comedian and host of Bravo's love hotel. And despite Joel once again arriving with a gift on the show, they chop it up about car accidents, threats from space and salad. Love all those things. Sure. And in the merch corner, we have a brand new license plate frame. It says, my favorite murder, this is terrible. Keep going. Do we need to put these on our cars? No, I'm not. Much for wearing your own merch. That's true. That's my dance there. And it's just in time for a national traffic awareness month. You know how much we, you know how passionate we are.

7:14Every year. We tell you down and we say it is traffic awareness. You know what? It's been in your calendar. Stop ignoring it. Cakes for months. Get aware. How dare you? What's happening? Little cupcake. Keep going drive safely and grab yours at exactly right store dot com. And if you see me driving my borrowed Hyundai. Hong Kong, Hong Kong, Hong Kong. Throw me a cupcake. Wow. This is working. Get that pouch out of your mouth and stop it. Your water is moments from falling over. No. There's some out of it. There we go. It's always on the precipice. Welcome aboard season six of the girlfriends flight or fight, which takes place 30,000 feet in the sky. There's great food, comfortable chairs and attentive stewardesses. The stewardesses were so beautiful. But in reality, the stewardess job is far less glamorous than it appears.

8:16It was the most sexist job I think you could have. In this era, the airlines told these stewardesses they have to be single. They had no good excuse for why they wouldn't let women be married. They have to be skinny. We were starving ourselves. And they have to be young. You would retire at age 32. But one day, a group of stewardesses said, this has got to stop. They risked it all, turning a fight for fairness into a revolution. Listen to the girlfriends flight or fight on the iHeart radio app, Apple podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Okay. I'm first. Yeah. Get out of my way. I'm going to sit here quietly. Yeah. I'm going to tell you a little story that I had heard of like, distantly. This is one of those like, a far away forensic files kind of memory that you have.

9:21And it's interesting the truth behind it. Okay. It's July 2nd, 1993, and we're in Peheng, Malaysia. And an ambitious 49 year old state assemblyman named Maslin Idris is nowhere to be found. Maslin is a busy guy. So his family is used to going even sometimes full days without hearing from him. But now several days have passed and they're worried. So he's reported missing to the police. 20 days later on July 22nd, his remains are found. And there are three people that suspicions fall on. But in the media, frenzy that follows only one of them becomes the enduring face of this case. That person's name is Mona Fendi. And this is one of the most notorious true crime cases in Malaysian history. This is the story of the witch doctor murders, the murder of Maslin Idris. Oh my God. The main sources used today are articles from the Malaysian newspapers, The Star and the New Straits Times, as well as reporting by Mitzi Zoretto and the rest of them are in

10:25our show notes. So now it's January of 1956 and a baby named Mazna Ismail is born into a small conservative community. As she grows up, she gets really into singing and performing and she fantasizes about moving to a big city and getting famous. And although she does take a more conventional path in life by marrying and having a child, she never gives up on that dream. She never lets go of it. But by the time she's 30, she's divorced and raising her baby Diana alone. And that is until she meets 29 year old sound engineer, Muhammad Afundi Abdul Rahman. In most reporting, they refer to him as Afundi. And so that's what I'll call him too. So Mazna and Afundi have this whirlwind romance and they're married very soon after they meet. And she likes to call her new husband her number one fan. And Afundi is ready and eager to use his music industry knowledge and connections to make her a star.

11:26So it's the perfect love story. And this is when Mazna decides that she needs a stage name. So she renames herself Mona Fendi. And that's an homage to her husband who is now her manager as well because it sounds like his name, Muhammad Afundi. So 1987, the couple records and self releases Mona's debut album. She names it Diana one. Oh, I love it. Mona is jewelry goals, like the gold bangles and gold necklace. Oh yeah. Also Mona looks like she's in tropic thunder. She does. In a way that is shocking and hilarious. But this one's for Diana. She is number one. So it isn't as you'd guessed, it isn't a chart topper. But a few of her songs actually do get airtime in Malaysia. Afundi even manages to book her on a couple of TV shows, although that doesn't really go anywhere. So a few years pass and basically nothing pans out. So Mona decides she's going to change course.

12:29She puts the music business behind her and bo she and Afundi pivot to shamanism. Okay. That's right. Now in Malaysia, there's a long cultural tradition of shamanism. Their word for it is boomo. And boomos use their connection to the spiritual world to offer traditional medicines through conducting rituals and talismans. Some of them even practice magic in the hope of addressing the person, their clients issues. The clients ask for help improving physical health, attracting a romantic partner, growing their net worth, the standard stuff that you go to anyone for, really, for help. So it's kind of unclear what would put someone on that career path. Although a relative of Afundis will later say that he had a strong interest in mysticism and that he studied himself studied under various bo'mos. But many sources are a little more cynical about the couple's motives and they basically just accused the Jew of opportunism probably because they target rich people.

13:31Sure. So Mona ingratiates herself with wealthy potential clients by lying about her connections to Malaysian royalty just like I do. We all can always do. It works. You got to manifest that shit. You got to and you just got to be believable as you do it. So I'm the heirs to the Malaysian fortune of Neuro tropics of Neuro tropics. So either sometimes she lies about being connected to Malaysian royalty or high level politicians. And basically that gives her gravitas. Then she's establishing trust with people. They think she's a player. She's also a glamorous 30 something woman with real charisma who wasn't an entertainer. So that automatically sets her apart from the stereotypical bo'mo, which is like an old man basically. Yeah. She's not your dad's bo'mo. So it all comes together and Mona is able to establish herself as a spiritual authority to the point where she begins to bottle and sell a tonic called the light of Mona Fendi.

14:35Don't make me say it's her version of sweet honesty. She's like splashing on and you two can bathe in the light. Burn and burn. Oh my god. It's worse than Gina T a Fendi meanwhile starts opening martial arts studios that blend the usual practice with his and Mona's own brand of mysticism. So cult. I was going to say we got cult vibes going. It's at this martial art studio that he meets a trouble young man in his early 20s named Gerai Mi Hussain. So Gerai Mi has had a very difficult upbringing. He's lived in poverty. Never got an education. He's been struggling with substance abuse. But he comes to this studio looking to better himself. And a Fendi decides to take him under his wing. He hires Gerai Mi to act as his and Mona's personal assistant. They all become very close. Welcome aboard season six of the girlfriends flight or fight which takes place 30,000 feet

15:36in the sky. There's great food, comfortable chairs and attentive stewardesses. The stewardesses were so beautiful. But in reality, the stewardess job is far less glamorous than it appears. It was the most sexist job I think you could have. In this era, the airlines told these stewardesses they have to be single. They had no good excuse for why they wouldn't let women be married. They have to be skinny. We were starving ourselves. And they have to be young. You would retire at age 32. But one day, a group of stewardesses said, this has got to stop. They risked it all, turning a fight for fairness into a revolution. Listen to the girlfriends flight or fight on the iHeart Radio app, Apple podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

16:40Dancing with the stars is looking for a new pro. And since last season, I came in eighth place. I'm basically an expert. I'm Daniel Fishall. And I'm Vouch Mrakowski. And we have a new podcast called Stepping on Toes with Danielle and Val. Every week, we're breaking down Dancing with the Stars the next pro. To find out who I'll be sharing the boring with next season. Listen to Stepping on Toes on America's number one podcast network, iHeart. Follow Stepping on Toes and start listening on the free iHeart Radio app today. I survived nine months in captivity. And I've spent my life exploring how other people survived what should have destroyed them. I'm Elizabeth Smart and these are the survivor files. Every week, I'm with survivors who live through the unthinkable, abducted, stalked, controlled and nearly silenced. These are stories about what it takes to make it out alive. Listen to the survivor files with Elizabeth Smart on the iHeart Radio app, Apple podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.

17:42So now it's 1993. Monos 37, Afundi is 36, and Jirai Mi is around 23. Their Bomo martial arts venture is working out for them. They claim to be able to do things like cure impudence and help customers maintain their youth and enough people buy into this fantasy that it provides a very comfortable lifestyle for them. So they're making good money. This is when a man named Mazlan Idris comes into the picture. Mazlan is an ambitious state assemblyman with a goal of someday being elected, Pahang's chief minister. The equivalent here would like be a state legislator who's trying to become a governor. And Mazlan is reportedly introduced to Mona and Afundi through a friend. He's a wealthy guy. He's also a true believer in this kind of spiritual magic and their services are not cheap. So he goes to them and they sell him a supposedly magical hat and cane combo that costs him

18:452.5 million ringgit, which when converted is worth more than a million dollars in today's money. Shut up. Yeah, just to start spreading the news. Just to hell on my baby all over the place. Do the prayers and do the stuff while he's sitting there. So once it gets into objects that are blessed or cursed or whatever, it's like, yes. What are you doing? Well, your religion shouldn't have merch. Should it? Should it? No. No. I mean ours does, but we're not affiliates with any of it. And we've knitted it from the fucking beginning. That's right. That's our branding. So they claim that this hat cane combination is going to make him invincible. Great. Moslin is because he's a believer he clearly trusts Mona and off on D and he wants to make this important purchase, but at the moment his cash is tied up in several properties that he owns. So he basically pulls all the cash he can together and then he offers them a bunch of land titles

19:49as basically collateral until he can liquidate some other things to get more cash. No liquidate things. He's got to for hat and cane. He could be the WB frog if he just put his mind to it. So on July 2nd, 1993, Maslin withdraws 300,000 ring it from the bank and then he disappears. Days later his family reports him missing and a search ensues. One day after Maslin disappears, Mona and off on D go on a next level shopping spree in Malaysia's capital of Kuala Lumpur. They spend the next several days in a five star hotel. They buy a brand new Mercedes, jewelry and electronics and they pay for it all in cash. The classic greenhorn move. Yeah. When someone goes in a shopping spree, you know they're not spending their own money. That's right. That's right. You just aren't. Yeah. Because you wouldn't do that if you had an attachment to you making that money. Right. You just got something you didn't earn and you're like, give me, let me exchange it for

20:53all my dreams. Bad financial decisions with someone else's money, not your own. Yeah. So they pay for everything in cash and then to top it all off, Mona checks into a hospital and gets a multiple very expensive cosmetic surgery. Deploying face. Oh, she. A neck lift. Yeah. An upper bluff. We only know one. So we know she got multiple, but the one we know for sure is that she got a breast augmentation. Everything else was undetectable. Right. That's such a good surgery. No one ever, they're like, you're so refreshed. There's something different about you. It looks, you look exactly the same when you didn't high school. I love it if anybody says that to me, I go plastic surgery. It's plastic surgery. Oh, no. All over the map. There's no height. Why would you hide it? You don't need Botox because I have Botox. That's right. I don't need Botox because I've already gotten it. It's filled with Botox. Could barely move my fucking face. Yeah. Nothing is real. Nothing is real. The News Straits Times will later report that quote, to prove that her body was still supple for a 38-year-old, Mona asked the staff at the five-star hotel to feel up her breasts.

21:56And quote, I feel like people who get breast implants go really wild with that. They need that kind of five-star hotel worker of reality. You there, down the hall. Do you want to feel that? You know. So now it's July 13th. It's been almost two weeks since Mazlan Idris' disappearance. And it is being covered extensively in the news. He is a government official. So just when Mona and Offendi are peaking in this spending frenzy that they're on, Drimey is arrested under suspicion of drug possession, which in Malaysia is a very serious offence. When they take him into custody, it's such a serious offence that he confesses to a totally different crime. And he tells the officers he helped kill Mazlan Idris. Wow. Like, he's better off having been I could accomplice in a murder. No one knows why he confessed or did it that way, but there is a source that suggests he was intoxicated and he was confused about the arrest.

22:57He thought he was being arrested for the other thing he did. Although he, in his appeal, he accuses the police of using force during questioning and basically saying he did it, he confessed under dress. Either way, Drimey confesses and he implicates both Mona and Offendi. And then in the coming days, police locate and unearthed Mazlan's remains. They were buried under a construction site for one of his own properties. And this part is horrible and graphic, as all true crime stories lead to, but Mazlan's body was hacked into 18 pieces. And according to the New Straits Times, knives and an axe, as well as what the police describe as, quote, an altar and statues of deities were found nearby. Yeah. So Mona, Offendi and Drimey are all arrested. Even though Mona is still healing from her plastic surgeries, they're all charged with murder and a joint trial begins a year later in September of 1994.

23:59The story presented by prosecutors is gruesome and it's tragic. And essentially, this is what happened. Mazlan showed up on July 2nd with 300,000 bring it. The money he was supposed to bring for the ritual he believed he was buying. They basically brought him to a bathtub and it was filled with flowers and they told him to lay back with his eyes closed and envision the money that he brought doubling. And as he did that, Drimey basically came and attacked him with an axe killing him instantly. So it was a plant I was thinking maybe accidental or they poisoned him on accident or something. No, they eventually prove it was completely premeditated. The part that I can never get over, which is they dismember the body and bury the remains. How do you find two people who want to do that like you do? You know what I mean? Yes. One person alone is unbathomable. Yeah. They're like, hey guys, Drimey was reportedly given little more than half of the cash that

25:01Mazlan brought to the ritual and then Mona and Afondi took the rest of that cash plus the land titles that Mazlan used as his IOUs and the two of them drove off to Kuala Lumpur. During the trial, it comes out that Afondi almost immediately tried to claim those properties as his and Mona's own by forging Mazlan's signature. Their oath, Mona and Afondi immediately turned on Jiremi. Jiremi, sorry? Twenty-something year old? Yes. They immediately turned on him and they blame it all on him. They claim that Mazlan still owed them for their services so they would have no reason to want him dead because then they couldn't get paid. On the standoff, Afondi tries to actually explain away the forged signatures that were on the land titles by saying, quote, as Jiremi had gone crazy and caused the death of Mazlan, I had no other choice but to forge the documents to recover the money. Okay. There's no reason. There's no if then.

26:02No. I can't follow. The prosecutors argue that this crime is premeditated and that the couple created a situation where they knew Mazlan would be carrying a lot of money and they planned to murder him. One motive for the murder is that getting Mazlan's properties is the real payoff and it's worth much more than all the incremental money they would have made off of him charging him as a client for hats and canes and how many more things can you actually sell to? I like all those fake mustache like glasses. Yeah, deals. That thing, $500,000. That's not a problem. Yeah. Okay. So now it's the trial and the public is shocked and captivated at every turn and every day there's an onslaught of news reports that cover the proceedings. So murders in Malaysia are rare but the brutal murder of a sitting politician where one of the killers is a woman and that woman is a shaman is unheard of. So Mona becomes the object of the public's fascination.

27:02Of course, she's young, she's chic, she's a bumo and that's already made her a unicorn. But Mona's behavior in the courtroom really raises the intrigue levels. Do you have pictures of her? Oh, yes. Walks into the courtroom every day doing an all teeth smile as she goes in and out. That's her smile every day. That's actually plastic surgery. She got her face. She can't move it back. She looks thrilled. It's very unsettling. So that's how she looked going in and out every single day. She wore very, she clothes. She had a full face of makeup. She dressed to the nines. And she basically did this walk like it was a paparazzi walk. It's such an out of touch thing to do that you kind of, it makes a little more sense that that's what she thinks she should be doing. Yes. Even acting like she isn't guilty. You know what I mean? This is weird. Yes. That's weird. She needs like an emergency PR person. Well, she's a singer not an actor. Well, she's a singer not an actor.

28:02So she could only really cover herself that way. Here's another just. Yeah, that is a joyous face. She just, I think she loves the camera. And it is that idea of like, I mean, this is the story so many times when people want to be artists or want to go that direction and it doesn't work out. Hitler, for example, Hitler himself. It is a such a weird pipeline. Yeah. And then it's like showbiz anyway, anyway, anyway, get it. Yeah, great. I think those people, they should figure out that they can order those cameras and the flashes on Amazon and you can just do that for yourself. Oh, take a photo of yourself. Walk down to walk to the bathroom and make it a red carpet event. Why not? Sure. If you love it that much. I mean, it looks like if you cover the police people, it looks like she's on a sitcom and they're like, we're going to do it. She's in a commercial for a pantyhose. Yes. Yes. Completely crazy. You can look at those pictures and be like, she's so chic, what she all about or what

29:04is she doing? What is happening? Also, it doesn't stop there. She inexplicably refers to all the people following this case as her fans. She memorizes the names of all the reporters in the room. She thinks the court photographers for taking her photo. She's the Lulu. Yes. And no one expects to see this at a murder trial. And even though she's one of three people involved in this crime or being accused of this crime, in the courtroom, it's only Mona. As the press covers her rumors of her so-called black magic powers spread to the point that she's thought of less as a murderer or a con artist and more of a supernatural being who has just made a human sacrifice. Wow. Yeah. When it becomes an international story, you may remember when it hit the US, they refer to her as a witch doctor. So it's just a complete circus. One reporter from Malaysia's The Star newspaper writes about an exchange where a court reporter saw Mona's other side when he quote, accidentally pushed against her and in the flash, the irate

30:09Bomo spat at the poor man. This bittle hitting him in the arm. Everyone froze as the man doly dropped his camera and everything he was carrying and sped to the washroom to clean himself. The fear of enraging one belief to have supernatural powers is very real after all. Wow. Yes. Not just its gross. Yeah. It's, oh my god, like she's cursing. Yeah. Yes. Okay. So now it's February of 1995 and the trials over and the jury has gone out to deliberate. It takes them less than an hour before coming back with their verdict. All three defendants are found guilty. At this time, a murder conviction in Malaysia is an automatic death sentence. Whoa. Yeah. Anti-death penalty advocates immediately start lobbying for a reduction of their sentences. No one thinks these people are innocent. Those advocates argue that given the media circus around the trial and especially around Mona herself, there's no way any of them had an impartial jury. It took the whole country by storm.

31:09So Mona, off on the Ngerime, spent six years on death row while police investigate to see whether they're linked to any other disappearances or unsolved murders involving dismembered bodies or ritualistic deaths or anything. Nothing comes of it. But their sentence stands. And so one day in November of 2001, the three defendants are allowed several hours to say goodbye to their families and they are executed. Wow. Mona is 45 years old. Afundi is 44 years old. And Jirimi is 31 years old. Wow. And reportedly, I'm sorry to like this, but it reportedly, Mona's final words are, quote, I will never die. My soul will live on forever even after my demise. Wow. Intense. Yes. She's not fucking around. Look over that. It's a threat. Yeah. Thanks to this case, in part, Malaysia, like India, Pakistan and Singapore, no longer has a jury system.

32:11It's abolished in 1995, a couple of years after this trial. And now all cases in Malaysia are determined by a judge. There are people who debate, which is better. They both have flaws. Yeah. So many people believe a jury trial is the symbol of democracy. Yeah. More recently in 2023, and thanks again to the efforts of anti-death penalty advocates, Malaysia's mandatory capital punishment for crimes like murder, drug trafficking, treason, and other offenses is finally repealed. Judges can still issue a death penalty. It's no longer an automatic sentence. Okay. Oh, do you have a joint in your pocket? Yeah. Goodbye. So scary. In Malaysian culture has transformed with time. She was a cultural boogie man, the kind kids tell each other scary stories about at sleep overs. And the story does reemerge when Malaysian people are unhappy with their national politicians. Oh, shit. Uh-huh. So there was like a tweet that eventually was deleted.

33:12It was like their politics. Yeah. Somebody had done something and somebody tweeted something like it turns out Mona Fendi, what's right. Right. Yeah. It does seem like Mona Fendi was right because she isn't dead yet. Wow. And that's the story of Mona Fendi, the so-called witch doctor murderer. Wow. I don't know that story at all. I say. Great job. Oh, thank you. Thank you. Welcome aboard season six of the Girlfriends. Flight or fight, which takes place 30,000 feet in the sky. There's great food. All chairs and attentive stewardesses. The stewardesses were so beautiful. But in reality, the stewardess job is far less glamorous than it appears. It was the most sexist job I think you could have. In this era, the airlines told these stewardesses they have to be single.

34:16They had no good excuse for why they wouldn't let women be married. They have to be skinny. We were starving ourselves. And they have to be young. You would retire at age 32. But one day, a group of stewardesses said, this has got to stop. They risked it all, turning a fight for fairness into a revolution. Listen to the Girlfriends, flight or fight on the iHeartRadio app, Apple podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Why do some women yearn for Shakira's black hair to make a comeback? And whatever happened to the power couple of my dreams, Mariah Carey and Luis Miguel, I'm Maria Garcia. You may remember me from my podcast Anything for Selena or my Divo. And now I'm back to unpack more stories from the present and the past. Listen to Muayek's I Did with Maria Garcia on the iHeartRadio app, Apple podcasts, or

35:16wherever you get your podcasts. If you're a bookshelf and you're a for you page are equally important to your personality, welcome home. Pro Society is a weekly podcast that's part book club, part group chat for anyone who thinks pride and prejudice and love island deserve the same level of discourse. Each week, we're connecting the dots between books, the internet, and pop culture. With your favorite writers, book talk creators, and plenty of over thought opinions. I'm obsessed. I'm obsessed. Listen to pro society on the iHeartRadio app, Apple podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I have a heist for you. Oh, you do. I sure do. What a wonderful gift. Put on your top hat and get your cane. And let's get ready. I just need to manifest a magical cane and hat. What kind of hat are you picturing just to straw hat? Oh, I'm Hello, Hello, my baby. Yeah, totally right. Yeah. I'm going to drop if you want to. Or I'm like a magician's like deep one, be for a bunny, kill a bunny out of it.

36:19Yeah, that's where you put all your money. Well, speaking of money and heists and magic, the story I'm going to tell you today is a 1980s London heist, which at first baffled the police, but police get a lucky break and they're introduced to an Italian thief who bursts on the London scene and commits at least six arm robberies in just a couple of years. Oh, yep. This is the story of the night's bridge security deposit heist. And the main source for the story is an episode of the show Britain's biggest heists and the rest of the sources can be found in the show notes. It's July 12, 1987 and we're in London's night's bridge neighborhood. Do you know it at all? I've heard of it. Okay. Well, it's a very fancy neighborhood southern edge of Hyde Park and it's home to the most famous department store in the world, Herod's. It's also home to the less touristy, but just as expensive and fashiony Harvey Nichols. This is a neighborhood where people are coming and going with a lot of money and very expensive things. They used to always talk about Harvey Nichols unabsolutely fabulous.

37:19Oh, amazing. So it makes sense that right in the middle of this neighborhood is the night's bridge security deposit, a small office that houses 4,000 safe deposit boxes in a secured central vault. Yay. We love safe deposit boxes. Mysteries. These boxes are used by wealthy people who want to keep cash or jewelry in a safe place, but also likely by drug dealers and money launders. Anyone can have a... Do you have a little secret in there? Exactly. Like, no one can look in them. Sign up for a secret. If you want to. You can put anything in there. I love the idea though of like leaving a key behind when you die and they go to find what's in there. We're treasure from World War II. Hidden things. Jewels. Family secrets. I think more people should fuck with people when they die with their security deposit box. They just like set a timer and take a picture of themselves sitting on a chair in an empty room. Yeah. It's like, we're worth it. Right, or treasure map. Okay. The bank is owned and managed by a man named Parva's Latif. And on the afternoon of July 12, he has an appointment with a pair of potential customers

38:24who want to tour the facilities to potentially rent a box. The facilities. The facilities. Here's a photo of Parva's. So he's the owner of this whole area. He reminds me of perfect strangers. Oh, yeah. Bronson Pinchot. Bronson Pinchot. Totally. Totally. So, baby's that hair. This is a cool guy. He went to Cambridge and then you met him at the train station. And like one button undone at the top, probably. Let's go get an espresso. Definitely. He has like a gold necklace on. You can see it. It's down there. Yeah. And it's got the little Italian horn on it. That's right. I'll totally stop talking if you need me to. I really wish it wouldn't stop. Parva's isn't his late 20s. He's very young to own such a high profile business. And he had opened it the business just a year earlier. But guess what? He has wealthy parents. Presumably they fronted him the money or some of the money at least to open the business. Sorry. You can just open a security deposit box business. I guess that's what you've been telling me for five minutes. But like it just dawned on me. Right. It's like owned by a bank. Right. It doesn't have to be like in a bank.

39:25That's edgy. It is weird. I guess I'd never like a PO box business. You'd think that you'd have to have some sort of ties to the fucking US post office. I think. But no. Do you not? I guess. Well, I don't know about that. But with this. You must have to have some. I want to see their contracts and their agreements. Certifications and everything. Please. He went to night school to get his certification. Security deposit. Which means I can. You can too. When the two potential clients arrive, Parva's brings them downstairs at the basement where the vault is. And as soon as they're inside the vault, one of those potential clients, who, as you might have guessed, has actually no interest in renting a safe deposit box. He pulls out a sawed off shotgun and holds it to Parva's back. The two thieves then take Parva's to the security control room. There's another guard there. They take him before he can trigger a alarm. And the thieves handcuff both men and lock them in the room outside the vault entrance. And then there's one other remaining guard. They grab him. Also bring him down at gunpoint. So Parva's in the two guards.

40:26Sit in the anti-room, listening to banging coming from inside the vault. So this is what's funny to me is they don't have a sophisticated plan to get, you know, steal the keys to get into each. They just start smashing this shit out of them, like literally. The vault is made of solid steel and houses 4,000 boxes, but only 800 actually being used at the moment. The three hostages here, the thieves make a few trips up and down the stairs. They hear another person come in and join the thieves. And so a supervisor's schedule to come in by about five. The thieves grab him, hold him at gunpoint, put him with the rest of the staff, and then the thieves flee. The case is handled by the London metropolis. The London metropolis? What? Metropolitan Jesus. That was the Canuffy Pyramanopause. Could be. The could be the pocket. It's the sachet in your cheek. Oh, that's what it is. The case is handled by the one who is another side. Why don't I couldn't get the word Metropolitan? That's the one.

41:26Drawback. They say it on the commercial. What? When you put the pouch in. Just know you'll never be able to say that. The Metropolitan and Polices flying squad, which we've talked about before, so named because they fly from district to district as needed. From interviewing the staff and looking at the destroyed inside of the vault, the investigators can tell that these smashed the boxes with something like a sledgehammer. Loosen them. That had to feel good. Loosen them from the wall. Pride them out and then smash them open. What about all the precious gems and things that would be in there that if you smash it? I think they smashed it open. To get, you have it. Pride it open. But my vase. That's how you do. That's true. Why did you put it in there? Doesn't even fit in there. You didn't put any bubble wrap or anything? No, just threw it in there. It was on my way to the grocery store. So they couldn't tell from different colored markings on the locks which boxes were being used. It's kind of suspicious that they already knew

42:27what to look for, right? So they wasted no time with the 1200 boxes that hadn't been in use of the 800 boxes that were in use that thieves broke into a 121 boxes, but they did go for the largest ones first. Smart. Yeah, but then also, I don't know. Like when you go for your big presence, small press get this ball. Always regret. Yeah, that's so true. Because it's always something weird, like a pair of boots or whatever. Yeah, that's not exciting. It's like, check out the eye. OK. I'd say mean box. Maybe a box too. Yeah. I just want film unmarked film, canister. With what? Mysteries, secrets. And you shall. I'm going to grant that to you. Thank you. Telling up all the losses from those 121 boxes is complicated of course because not all the victims are going to come forward. And we don't really know. There's no fucking sign and cheat. Especially the ones who are like, hey, you stole my stolen porn and bad things. Exactly. That's why it's in a safety deposit box.

43:28Right. People use safety deposit boxes as a way to hide assets either because they don't want tax authorities to know their true net worth or because possibly what's in the box isn't legal for them to even own. So like a gun or drugs and things. Ultimately, 12 of the 121 affected box owners are never found. 12 people are like, all good. I'm out. You can have it. You can keep it still as the investigation proceeds, the tally of the value of stolen goods creeps up and up. And they don't have an exact amount. But it finally stands at a staggering 60 million pounds for just a couple boxes for the 121 boxes. Oh, yeah. But still that's what people are reporting. Because someone would be like, oh, that necklace was totally worth 100 pounds. That's true. But you know, I'm sure. A lot of stuff was insured, right? And then or priceless beyond totally naming. Also, didn't we hear from someone a listener saying that you can't put cash or is that just probably in the states?

44:28You can't put cash in a safe deposit box. Oh, is that true? I remember hearing someone write in, write in everyone about your safety deposit box experiences. We always want those. Bankers get involved in this show for once. What did you see? So it's not clear what mix of assets cash. It could be precious stones, gold securities made up this 60 million pounds. But in today's US dollars, it would be worth about. And you have to do the conversion too. So that's going to really. I think usually can you just give me a hint? Are they usually above us or less than? This number is way above us. Oh, OK. Then should I just go for 110 million pounds? 289 million. You had the right idea, but yes. But not just not high enough. Yeah. $202 million. $89 million. At the time of the investigation, though, the total is thought to be closer to 40 million pounds. And in court, it's put at between two and 20 million pounds. There's just no way to know. But even with the low estimate, it makes the theft the largest in UK history. Wow. Right.

45:29I'm so jealous of after they got away from that safety deposit store. Just sitting on the ground. Or I was Apple saw. Yes, but it's like, did they rent a really nice hotel room? Yes. But no, because they would see all those 100 security deposit. They didn't steal the boxes. They cracked them open and took the stuff. And just who you know, they went in with all their duffle bags, Jason, stayed them style. A lot that we both have. For you listening at home and not watching Netflix, Karen and I just threw both at the same time imaginary bundles of fucking treasure over our shoulder. But then like dump it on a thing and then just start going, what did we get? Have you seen that on Instagram? I'm sure it's on TikTok too. There's like a chick who like gets a bag full of silver things that are about to be melted down for like, you know, silver production. And it's all these antique things. And it's almost like she's doing treasure hunting at the junk shop. Yes. You can buy a bag of silver. And it's all these little like antique lighters, old spoons, old like pieces of jewelry.

46:30Just treasure. Why do we have to melt it down? Because you need to make more, I guess. I don't know. They melt that shit down all the time. The gold and the silver. It's waiting to us. It's safe here. My favorite murder Gmail don't call safe. Send your safety deposit box number at the bottom of the screen. I'm just reflecting and talking about the extreme greed in me because there is this like, it's that idea of like, it feels like antique roadshow times a thousand. I don't even think it's free there because I don't even need to keep it. Oh, that's true. I just want to see it. Yeah, I just want to see what it is. Keep one or two pieces. Sticker ruby in my pocket. Charter. Right. I just want to look at it and read the letters and know the secrets. Yes. Yes. We're on the same page. OK, great. I'm so glad we're not disagreeing about this. In the Irish independent, Brian Campbell writes, quote, as well as cash and diamonds, there were priceless pictures, antiques, heroin and cocaine. Yeah. Then he says actor George Hamilton lost 38,000 pounds from his box.

47:33What's Hamilton doing without that money in there? It's all suntan, like his self-tanner. And then still in the quote, well, a number of the Saudi royal family lost gems and cash worth a quarter of a million. Imagine being that wealthy, you must have many safe deposit boxes. That's a way to spread it out. And little hidey holes. Totally. That's right. Every time you take a trip, you're like, well, we're here to see Hamilton. But I guess I'll go stick some of my riches into a safe George Hamilton. Email us and let us know how this affected you. What was in your safe deposit boxes are only chance? Yes, please, George Hamilton. I've watched you on television since I was five years old. I've always been a fan, although I'm not a tan person. I support you and your white suits and your tan skin. Looks great. Your so handsome. Truly of a time. Please tell us what is in your security. There's gotta be a great niece, murdering out. I have George Hamilton. I feel like we got him everywhere. Michelle, tell your uncle. Mackenzie, get in there and tell him. Tell your great uncle. Trust me, these girls need to know.

48:34Thank you. My favorite murder at Gmail. Or just call us. Still in the quote. The family of jewelry magnate, Aldrinon Asprey lost a million and a Greek shipping tycoon lost his precious rubies and diamonds. Oh. Russian actress, LeBemilla Romanova, claimed her paper proving her descent from the czar had gone missing. Mine too. The same. Aimed. I was just trying to get a table and my certificate. Because they give out certificates? It's cool. Yes. Yes. Oh, I guess birth certificate. Oh, right. That would make sense. Not high school. Not something like this. Our sign. LeBemilla, you're in. Checkmate. Am I related to you? Check yes, no, maybe. What's the date today? I have to date this. Yeah. Oh, if you were asking. I was, that's how good the acting is. That was great. That was great. I drop into reality. They are some rumors that were out of the quote. There are some rules that royals are among the victims, including rumors of Prince Charles and Princess Diana being among the victims. But again, this place has only been in business for a year.

49:37So it's hard to tell. The examination of the crime scene takes eight days, but there's a stroke of luck. It looks like one of the thieves, while he was fucking hacking at those, that steal and shit, must have smashed his hand. And so there's a bloody fingerprint left at the scene. And this is the one thing. It gives it all away. You are fucked. If it wasn't for those meddling kids, I would have gotten away with it. Truly. Kind of great. That's like, how about your more delicate next time with the safety deposit? Kind of on you. So there are databases of fingerprints, of course, but there's no automated system to compare them. So basically, this print has to like be visually compared. The fact that they had to do that way back when it's bananas. Wild. And eventually, they find a hit off the Interpol fingerprint database that print belongs to a 34 year old man named Valerio Vichet. Super Italian. You love him. He's wanted for several major crimes in Italy. Take a look. Valerio. Uh oh. Just if he didn't have the uniform, would you?

50:38That's literally exactly what my eyebrows look like in sixth grade A. B, yes. Look at that head of hair. And also, this is going to be one of the most withholding yet bossy and in your life men. It's quite a combination. Totally. He knows where to like drop a nice good girl every now and then. You know what it is. You're a fucking feminist. He loves a feminist. He loves a bossy lady. He loves people that remind him of his mother. And he's like, I'm not going to go around and rob being individual people. I'm just going to save it up. Make a plan and then smash a bunch of shit at the safety deposit box store. This guy, he's your like bad boy. So he'd been born to well to do parents in Italy. His father's a lawyer. His mother owns a boutique. What? Just that he's rich. Yeah, he's rich. He's gone to university and Rome and studied philosophy. Wow. But had fallen in with a neo fascist gang. And this had eventually segwayed into a life of crime. It doesn't seem like there's any political motive. It was a, that was just a fleeting fancy.

51:40You know, just fancy falling into fascism is much, much easier than a lot of people think. It's happened a lot. Is this your like warning to everybody? To you. He'd been convicted of at least 15 robberies in Italy, but had fled the country. And he's known for being a playboy, of course. He dresses flashily. He's in a flashy cars. And he's also known for being a womanizer. But you could change him, I bet. I will. Once I get my hands on his safety deposit boxes, I'm just using him. That's how you, that's how you tame the wild beast. There is a character in this. Oh, yes. Oh, yes. The independence James Dalrymple writes quote, the Italian master criminal was an inept blunderer. Oh. And then almost always under the influence of cocaine, he was wanted for at least 57 major crimes throughout Europe and would later admit to five armed robberies in England prior to the night's bridge job. How's he the blunderer if he's getting away with 50 robberies? I know he did it. He's not getting away with it. Well, they're not arresting him.

52:41Leave him alone. Which is stock defending. This neo-fascist philosophy. Let me romance. Rich guy. So once the police know Valerio is involved, they can put together a list of known associates. And at the same time, they start tracking down a white getaway van. They learn that over the course of the heist, the thieves had put up a sign on the security deposits front door saying that the business had to close unexpectedly. That's all it takes. Due to heist. Back from lunch at noon or whatever. They all heist over at 2 p.m. They also learned that at least some of the thieves had worn some kind of maintenance uniform in order to look like workmen. Always carry a ladder with you. You can get it anywhere. We always say that. There's 12 foot ladder. Get you anywhere. Get you anywhere. Investinators figure out that the three accomplices who were on the scene with Valerio are David Poole, Stephen Mann and Peter O'Donohue. The only one who looks like someone that I would cast is Stephen Mann. Stephen Mann? Guess who you. Who was that?

53:41It's the guy from the Bears. It's like it's he's a man. Vince. Evan Mossback rack from girls and from the bear. It's so uncanny. It's so good. Has the sleepy look. Yeah. And then there's two other dudes. Okay. So here's David Poole. Let's see who would play him. Oh. I have no idea. That just looks like such a classic. GMATs? You're not going to. Oh, GMATs. I mean, come on. Definitely. Definitely. Definitely. And then we've got Peter O'Donohue. Oh. So he's in like flock of fucking sequels or something. Peter O'Donohue. It's like you're weird, Arty, cousin. We're like, can you swear a normal shirt? There's going to be people there that I know. Like that hair. Yeah. I'm going to go that way. Or is it just the 80s, like, blow it that way? Well, it also just kind of like, if we're trying to rub this security, it's a safe deposit box store. But how about we're low key this time? And then you can do your hair expressions later on at the club. Save it for the club, Peter. Okay. So all of them are known to Scotland Yard, but none of them are part of the regular circle of thieves that usually carry out the most daring and skillful heists.

54:44Like, this is Ragtag. In the weeks following, the heists, these three are all still going to their regular bars and clubs. Oh, God, I take me there in the 80s. Well, Valerio seems to be gone, but a month passes. And in that time, investigators find out that immediately after the robbery, Valerio had bought a black Ferrari testerosa. Yes. Your favorite. Immediately buy a Ferrari if you rub some money. It's such a good idea. So low key. It's exactly what you should do. But again, someone else's money. You buy a Ferrari tester, also someone else's money. I think there's a vibe to it too of like, get this off my hand. It's like hot and crazy. So just like, I needed to immediately transfer to why I did this, which is to have this car. Yes. But they can't seem to actually find Valerio or the car. They believe he had left the country with a woman. Don't get jealous. Name Pamela C. Marks. So this woman comes into the picture now. There is like no information about her online. Here's the photos aren't great either, but she's fucking gorgeous.

55:46Pamela. She's like, oops. She's got LA looks here. Doesn't she look like a California girl who just like got tangled up with the wrong guy? She was like, I was on my semester abroad. Yes. And I left my crimping iron at home. My mistake. And that let me expose to the elements and an Italian like him. She's got an oops on her face so hard. So it looks like the two of them flew to Israel to sell some of the stolen goods to an established fence. Can I, and so sorry, I will stop talking after this. Don't stop. Them flying to Israel makes me go, did they find World War Two? Ah! Right? That's the thing I live with. Oh, I didn't even think. Taking it back to like this is supposed to be yours. Here is. Yes. And here's proof. Ah! That would make them the good guys. I know. What if they're the bad good guys? My favorite thing. Oh my god. Bad guy. I can't even think about that. Or it's just corrupt there. Or so. He never sells stuff.

56:46We don't know. And then they plan to go to Columbia to set up a brand new life. So police know that prior to the robbery, Valerio had been staying at this hotel. It doesn't exist anymore. Unfortunately, it definitely looked it up. It's now called this little hide park hotel. So shout out. But it's across the park from Nightsbridge. So it's like clear. He fucking did it. Yeah. And they keep dropping by this hotel for about a month after the robbery. Hoping that Valerio will check back in. Then they find out that the farry has been spotted in the area. They drove it to Israel. They drove to Israel and drove back. But investigators have learned another very important detail in the intervening months. While they're monitoring Valerio, they pull phone records, his phone records. And they realize that the fence in Israel, a man named Israel Pinkis, oh, I know. Had placed several phone calls from his office directly to the security center in the weeks after the robbery. So it's looking very much like our original victim,

57:48the guy who owns the security deposit box store, or whatever. Maybe has something to do with it. And maybe was in on at the whole time. Inside job. There's an inside job. His plan had been to get an insurance payout and to get a cut of the stolen goods. That's why he opened the whole safety deposit box store in the first place? Probably. And then also like them knowing what color to look for that had the boxes that had like stuck in it. He went through and yeah. Oh yeah. Well, that's in no way in the spirit of safety deposit boxes. No, you can't. You're the holder of the trust of those people. Yeah, 100%. I hope he hears me. Investigators had also learned that our girl Pamela Seymarks, who was dating our rich e-rich bank robber Valerio, had previously been dating Parvez, the guy who owns the shop. Oh, my. Sometime around the time of the robbery, she had started dating Valerio instead. And it seems like she met through,

58:51like just dropped one for the other. Yeah. You know. I just want more information. And there isn't any. Like that love triangle. And then like put their in on this fucking heist together. Yeah, exactly how long was the breakup between... Yeah. I don't think there was a breakup. Like there was no between. One to the other? Yeah. Like dump this guy. What if it was something beautiful where it was like Valerio was like, you know what? You're meant for him. Yeah. Or vice versa. You know how men always do. You know how men always think fucking rationally and straight. And for others. Yeah. So they believe that Valerio and Pamela had returned to London real quick on their way to Columbia to get the Ferrari to ship it to Columbia. One last stop, you know? Like they don't have fucking fancy sports cars in Columbia. Columbia. Yeah. Why would they have any there? And like send someone else to do it then. You have so much money to send someone else to do it. Yes. On August 11th, investigators,

59:51Valerio leaving the hotel and getting into the Ferrari, the fucking Ferrari that everyone knows about and they follow him along the northern boundary of Hyde Park to Marble Arch where police then surround the car and order him out inside the Ferrari. Police find close to two million pounds in cash and jewelry. Send it along. Put in nice cardboard box. Ship it. As well as plane tickets. It's the whole thing. Some of the jewelry had been specifically reported missing after the high. So he's got the fucking hot goods on him. Hot goods on him. Bro. At first under questioning, Valeria admits to the robbery and actually admits to five other robberies in London in a couple of years that he's been in the country. And we don't want to know. Yeah, no, yeah, no. We don't even want to know. But refuses to name any accomplices. According to some tellings of the story, police then tell Valeria that they will assume Pamela, his fucking girlfriend, had been the main accomplice and will charge her if he doesn't give everyone else up. Threatening the woman he loves. Yeah, and it works.

1:00:51This is a hallmark movie. I know. Hallmark? Yeah. This gets Valeria to talk and the whole story comes out. According to other tellings of the story, one of Valeria's associates who helped with the robbery Stephen Mann had cracked under interrogation and also gave up everyone else, including Parvez, the guy who owns the shop. Was Stephen Mann the one with the haircut? No, that was Peter. Stephen Mann is from the bear. Yeah, from the bear. Got it. He gives everyone up. Maybe he's got like a monologue and then, you know, they're screaming, they're smoking. It's going to be amazing. So the story comes together like this. Valeria had met Parvez months before the robbery and had actually become a client using one of the safe deposit boxes himself. Parvez had allowed him to rent the box without actually putting his name on the registry or showing ID. And he had then over time learned that the security cameras at the building didn't work. And Parvez was generally lax about the rules that other criminals like. And that other criminals likely left their spoils in the deposit box. So he was chill with thieves and criminals

1:01:54and so they put their shit in there and then a thief and criminal came and took all the thieves and criminal stuff. It's a dangerous game. You can't be Lucy Garcia with the safety deposit box. That's why we keep them at banks and don't go indie. Right. And shockingly Parvez was struggling to keep the business afloat, despite that's weird. This is his business plan and business model. What if you leave your business card in the phone booth? Maybe that would help. Over time he figures out that Parvez would be Amyable to the scheme and convinces him to be involved. It seems like both Parvez and Valeria were party loving guys in their 30s who had wealthy parents. So it's possible. He's not a good, he's not what they were doing. It's possible they ran and connected circles and at some point along the way, Valeria meets Pamela and steals her away. Fuck. They're all like old friends. Maybe. Maybe. Depends on how you write it. During the space of the investigation, police learned that many things had gone wrong on the day of the robbery. There were issues with the radio communication and with where the various getaway cars had been parked. Can you imagine walking out with the

1:02:55fuck man? What going out with an orange cone? This is our, this is our, just tell me back, it's a, it's a big worry. This, this case, this bag on the Ave of a my shoulder. Nothing. Just kidding. Just cats. Three more blocks. Come on. At one point, I'm able to communicate with the man posted outside the building. Valeria had emerged from the building and had run straight into several police officers who were looking for a missing child and just moved on. She screamed and screamed. She's in the bag. Investigators learn one more piece of information that never seems to be totally verified. It seems that Valeria's father, the lawyer, had been in London at the time of the robbery and some believe he knew about it, but there's no way to know. You wouldn't pull your dad in. If you stoop it. If your dad's a lawyer. I mean, you might pull Marty in. Yeah, my dad, yes. You're a rich lawyer, Italian dad? No. He wants nothing to do with your shenanigans. You've been embarrassing the family for years. For real. He's told you time and again. Yeah, look at your brother. Why he's thriving? Why can't you be like your brother?

1:03:55So sorry, you're telling me that I loaned you that money so you could open a safety deposit box store and it was insincere. You didn't really care. How dare you. That wasn't your dream? Know how seriously this family takes safe deposit boxes. Okay, so the case goes to trial around the end of 1988 and everyone is done guilty. Valeria was given the harshest sentence at 22 years. Parva has a sentence to 18 years. The associates are all sentenced to around 10 years. Pamela Seymarks is given an 18-month suspended sentence for her knowledge of the robbery. Poor girl. Valeria, I don't know why I want her to be the hero. Yeah. She's just kind of the hangout. She's the hangout girl. It sounds like. That's like bad decisions. Or she loves Valeria. She loves that man. Sure. And she'll do anything for his Ferrari. Valeria serves the beginning of his sentence at Parkhurst Prison on the Isle of White. And while he's there, he wears a t-shirt that says, I love night's bridge. And as a clown's face on it with dollar signs for eyes, that's so punk rock. And we, we, you describe it again. He wears a t-shirt that says,

1:04:56I love night's bridge. And it has a clown's face on it with dollar signs for eyes. That's really, is he Banksy? That's crazy. He's one of me. Then in 1992, he was extradited to Italy under the Treaty of Straussborg, your favorite treaty. It's one of the best ones. Yeah, which was one of several big developments around solidifying the EU at the time. So he's then in prison in Pescara. You've been there? Pescara's gorgeous and there's really good fresh seafood. On the Adriatic coast. Yeah. But shortly after that, he has put into program that lets him leave the prison, go to work every day, come back home and have a couple hours of sleep at night in the prison. Wow. He gets a job. That's not prison at all. No, that's just having an apartment in the shape of a prison. He gets a job with a publisher and in April 2000, when Valeria was about 45 years old and now it on his usual day release, he and an accomplice are pursued by police. They say that maybe one of his day jobs was planning a fucking another heist.

1:05:56What, really? Yeah, so they think he and his accomplice have been planning to either rob a bank or kidnap a member of a high profile Italian family. There's a brief chase and then there's a shootout and Valeria dies in the shootout. They kill him. Mm-hmm. Wow. I looked at Pamela, all I could find was a note that says she retreated to private life as a housewife in the home counties avoiding any further public spotlight. Yeah, that would make sense. Yeah. She's someone's Mima. Now. Is that, she's like a lady, yeah, standing in the back of the room at the talent show and she's like, if you'd ask me, if you don't even know. No fucking clue what I've seen. This is why you ask your grandma, yes, that fucking Thanksgiving or whatever the equivalent is, Boxing Day. Grandma Mima, did you ever have an Italian lover that was a bank robber? Yes. Tell us and then write it at my favorite murder at Cheval. Right. Now, the neurotropic start working. Only about 10 million pounds was ever recovered from the stolen safe. So did Pamela actually run off with more?

1:06:56I mean, one would hope. I hope. What if she has a safe deposit box? Why don't you guys her granddaughter, her great-grandson, match it open. I was gonna say, what if she, what if she, because she's the one person that doesn't buy a Ferrari? She's the one person that doesn't immediately go on a spending spree. She truly got away with it. She keeps those rubies in a special place in her closet. Yeah, this is why you have to go through your grandparents' closets. She opens her closet and she's got her rubies on a little shelf and then a little photo and a little painting of just the year in a brow. Because no one can know. It's her secret dreams of safe deposit box. She's everything. Only about 10 million pounds was ever recovered from the stolen safe deposit boxes. Around 12 box owners have never come forward at all. For those of your needs, we want the most. Curves. What are you doing? And that is the story of the night's bridge security deposit heist. I promised to never drink a venti frappuccino again.

1:07:56Same with whatever I fucking did. God, that was fun. A meth pouch, clearly. What did they put in our stuff? That was great. That was fun. Thank you. That was really good. Fun times. And your skin looks amazing. What? It looks amazing right now. Thank you. 63 days. Alcohol free. Incredible. It looks great. Thank you. Wow. Yeah. So nice to hear. It's fun to have fun, but it's even better when you look right. Absolutely. It's hard. We've had to stare at each other for 10 years. It's not easy. Can you do me a favor and put your eyebrows at least? Please get rid of that fucking chin hair. Well, good job. Good job. What we just did is what podcasting is. Yeah. Foresync people to listen to us. Totally. Basically, don't listen to any of these new found podcasters trying to talk about, you know, real shit, interviewing celebrities. That's, no, that's radio. That's for others. Exactly. That's talk shows. This is the, this is the one. This is the your two friends

1:08:57amped up on a chemical. We're not going to talk about which one. Yes. Or judge. Really stressing through life. Just really powering through life. I think story by story. Because we love you. Stay sharp. J and don't get murdered. Goodbye. Elvis, do you want a cookie? Yeah. This is been an exactly right production. Our managing producer is Molly Smith. Our consulting producer is Kate Schell-Bach. Our creative lead is Alice in the Gosty. Our associate producer is Tessa Hughes and our editor is Aristotle Acevedo. This episode was mixed by Leonis Polacci. Our researchers are Marin McLaughlin and Ali Oken. Email your hometowns to my favorite murder at gmail.com and follow the show on Instagram at my favorite murder. Listen to my favorite murder on the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcast. Or watch new episodes every week on Netflix. Search for my favorite murder, add us to your list and hit the double thumbs up button.

1:09:59Goodbye. When a group of women discover they've all dated the same prolific con artist. They take matters into their own hands. I vowed I will be his last target. He is not going to get away with this. He's going to get what he deserves. We always say that. Trust your girlfriends. Listen to the girlfriends. Trust me, babe. On the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcast. Hey there everybody. Amy Robock and TJ Holmes here from the Amy and TJ podcast. A lot of times the story of the day is what we're all talking about and buzzing about. And yes, sometimes it's love island and sometimes it's serena ropes. Coming back to the US Open, sometimes it's obsession and Spider-Man making box office history.

1:11:01Hopefully Rose, people get our point. Listen to Amy and TJ on the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to podcasts. Why do some women yearn for Shakira's black hair to make a comeback? And whatever happened to the power couple of my dreams, Mariah Carey and Luis Miguel. I'm Maria Garcia. You may remember me from my podcast, Anything for Selena or my Divo. And now I'm back to unpack more stories from the present and the past. Listen to Muy excited with Maria Garcia on the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts.