An original drawing by famed artist Salvador Dalí is donated to the Rikers Island jail inmates in the 1960s. It survives years bouncing around the prison—displayed in a mess hall, shunted into deep storage, and finally locked behind glass near a lobby soda machine—until 2003, when it suddenly goes missing. Strap in for a heist and an ongoing mystery that’s almost as surreal as the artist himself. Scamtown is an Apple Original podcast, produced by FunMeter. Follow and listen on Apple Podcasts. http://apple.co/Scamtown
Who doesn't like a good art heist story?
I'm personally a fan.
Oh, yeah, 100%.
Who doesn't love the high low mix of the exclusive art world versus the sneaky underworld of being a criminal?
Well, this heist enters into new territory.
Our thieves didn't shimmy a museum wall to gain access to one of a kind artwork, but the facility was extremely secure.
That would be the famed Rikers island.
Historically the largest jail complex in the United States.
Well, you have to wonder why was an original artwork by the famed surrealist Salvador Dali hanging in a house of detention at all?
Not to mention who stole it and how.
Welcome to Scamtown, an Apple original podcast produced by Fun Meter.
I'm Brian Lazarthe.
And I'm James Lee Hernandez.
We're filmmakers who've been trading stories now for quite some time.
Obsessed and compelled to bring some of our favorites to life.
We love a surprising heist, an intricate scam, or just pulling back the curtain on something you think you know.
Entering a world that's stranger than fiction, and riding that line between comedy and tragedy.
This is Scam Town, a A place for our favorite stories that do just that.
Today's episode, the Rikers Island Dali.
Rikers island, just a few miles from midtown Manhattan.