D'oh! Operation Flagship | STUFF YOU SHOULD KNOW

welcome to stuff you should know a. production of iHeart. Radio hey and welcome to the podcast I'm. Josh and there's Chuck and Jerry's here. too and this is stuff you should know. the freeze Edition yeah you know what. the Edition this is this is the uh law. enforcement sometimes thinks they're so. cute and clever Edition right man I. can't wait to point out how many cutesy.

little names and. acronyms pop up in this. story and and this and a lesson if. you're a criminal and you ever think. something might be shady and it might be. a sting operation just look at any name. that they've given you and like read it. backwards or see if it spells an acronym. that says like we we nabbed you buddy or. something like that like that's that's. how cutesy they got is and you'll see. I'll just throw that out there and and. we'll talk about them as they pop up Y.

and there's our daily assistance and. helping criminals evade capture by law. enforcement yeah was that what I was. doing I certainly was all right moving. on so so we're talking about one. specific um operation Operation Flagship. which was conducted by the US Marshall. service back in I think. 1985 and. um it's just kind of mindboggling where. didd you hear about this did it did. somebody write in or did you already. know about it being an NFL fan.

and yeah you know what I'm not sure now. that I think of it this may have been a. listener request and I'm going to look. that up real quick because I hate not. shouting people out yeah I'm with you uh. when that happens so well how I keep. talking while you look okay so the US. Marshall service they're one of the. first um American law enforcement. agencies they were founded back in. 1789 uh Dave helped us with this Dave.

week by the way um yeah as Dave put it. in the time of George Washington so. they've been around quite a bit and over. the course of this history like they've. done a lot of different really kind of. great stuff um they they escorted. students into the first segregated. schools black students to segregated. schools they protected them um they. enforced prohibition which I guess. depending on your views on prohibition. it was great or not um they operated the. US Census which seems like they were at.

the time just really looking for busy. work for the Marshall service no just. give them a bunch of pencils right and. then and turn them loose and then. famously Chuck uh anytime you hear. somebody call like a wild west law. enforcement guy Marshall MH this they. were a US Marshall that was one of the. roles they played they served as the. long arm of the law the the wild west. era of American History yeah uh so they.

did a lot of things found they found a. lot of busy work for them to do over the. years uh these days uh did you mention. witness um protection not yet yeah I. mean basically these days they take care. of witness the witness they run the. witness security program AKA witness. protection M uh if you see prisoners. being. transported um like to court or. something those are Marshals doing that. um and they're since 79 they've been in. charge of uh fugitive investigations. which is to say basically anybody with.

an outstanding warrant is a fugitive um. you don't have to have like escaped. prison um if you're charged with a crime. or uh have been summoned to testify or. something like that and you're you jump. bail you don't appear in court uh if you. escape from custody then you're a. fugitive and the US Marshals are going. to try and find you and either put you. back in jail or put you in jail for your. very first time yeah and Tommy Lee Jones. doesn't care if you're innocent his job. is to get you and bring you back to jail.

no non kill my wife um I don't care so. great man one of the great lines in. movie history um so yeah you can be a. fugitive all sorts of ways and. regardless of how it is the US Marshals. are out there to get you um and for the. most part when they get you it's because. they've tracked you down um maybe they. got a tip uh maybe they just started. looking for you and they found that. you're actually at your last known.

address yeah and they arrest people. quite frequently I think I saw that they. um rounded up like 75,000 fugitives in. 2023 or 24 okay they arrest a lot of. people but for some reason during the. early to mid 80s the US Marshall service. went on what can only be described as a. cutesy streak yeah they said hey guys. let's have a little fun with this they. clearly did I mean like these things. this whole was.

hatched hours into an office Christmas. party in. 1979 that's the only explanation for. this yeah for sure um we'll start with. our first QT acronym in 1981 they. launched uh a program called uh The. Fugitive investigative Strike Team uh. AKA fist because they're gonna use their. fist to get you right up your bum that's. right and their goal was to um do. Fugitive investig.

um not just like one person at a time. but like let's see if we can get a lot. of these people at one time high. concentrations of these fugitives and. round them up and bring them in and how. are we going to do that we're going to. do that with these really um kind of. wacky sting. operations uh which you know it's not. like they were just out to have fun. there's a lot of Merit to doing. something this way they're generally. cheaper than just one at a time going. after after somebody uh resource-wise uh.

they're safer because usually when you U. launch something like this they're going. to be unaware they're not going to be uh. they're not going to have a weapon on. them like they might you know behind the. door of their own home that they barely. crack open uh so you know it's cheaper. it's generally a little safer um we're. going to talk about a few examples of. these before we get to Flagship um one. very uh successful one um was a program. called Mr zip and this is just very lowf. they would have Marshals dressed up as.

US mail carriers and they would just. knock on your door and say I got a. package from Mr Homer Simpson and they. would produce their ID and sign their. name and they would say thank you you're. under arrest yeah it is you I think that. was actually in The Fugitive. too uh yeah that sounds familiar yeah I. mean it's been in a lot of different. movies but like here are your roses that. kind of thing uhuh exactly yeah so I. don't know if this is actually the. origin of it or not but it's certainly. seems to be because I don't get the.

impression that they did a lot of this. stuff before this era yeah what about. puno airlines that was pretty fun yeah. so puno means fist in Spanish. uh uh right ex sorry it's just it's also. like it's almost like they wanted people. to figure it out yes that is inherently. the problem behind this whole thing is a. lot of the I was about to say steps but. I'm just going to say missteps yeah that. happen to work out in their favor.

were were just basically like hey. criminals do you speak Spanish right do. you think anybody would ever name their. Airline fist Airline well they want to. give you a free weekend to the Bahamas. that's right that was the punos airlines. thing and I love it like I think it's. it's cool like in retrospect but when. you stop and actually think of it from a. law enforcement perspective you just you. just end up pinching the bridge of your. nose but it actually worked yeah it did. uh they mailed these fake letters saying. they won that trip plus 350 bucks in.

spending money uh 14 fugitives fell for. it and you know they send a limo to your. house it's like a big sweep Stakes. basically M and most of them were. arrested in the limo like the limo. driver is a cop uh and they just pull. over and say you're under arrest uh one. guy did make it to the airport at Miami. International and they did have a fake. uh puno Airlines ticket counter mhm uh. so they they saw it through I'll give. him that much yeah for sure um I think. it was right next to air Haiti right no.

for real oh was it okay I never know. when you're joking anymore so so I know. I'm sorry I've really messed with. reality um that was 1985 there was. another one the year before fist 7 yeah. right but they would spell it with Roman. numerals to make it look super cool it's. so funny because I think this is yeah. this is the era of the rocky sequels. yeah ran numerals were everywhere yeah. um that one was enormous it was a multi. mul state multi- agency sting operation.

um there were 113 Marshals involved 5. ATF agents 105 police officers all from. across eight different states and um it. involved a bunch of different scams that. really all together were part of this. one big swe sweep that was just. coordinated by the Marshall service um. there was one pretty straightforward in. Buffalo where they wrote letters to.

fugitives and said hey um you don't know. this but you won $10,000 in the lottery. you know that Lottery you may or may not. have ever played well you won. $10,000 but we can't give you the money. unless you come to the Lotto office and. show us your ID and then you can claim. your prize that's right uh that was one. of them uh one was a job scam it was. called the prior offenders employment. opportunity um program where they would. say like hey you a prior offender like I.

know it's hard for you to get a job we. can get you a job 15 bucks an hour just. call our number and tell us who you are. and where you are and we'll set you. right up that one actually seems like. the most effective one because it it. almost has like a scam sense to it like. outwardly like overtly it maybe the. meanest too I think so too I thought the. same thing because you might think it's. mean to say you've won tickets to the. Bahamas but it's really mean for someone. to be like I really want to start my my. life over and get a regular job.

right number have we got an opportunity. for you yeah I agree with you um in New. York part of fist 7 their their sting. was called the Brooklyn Bridge delivery. service not to be confused with New. York's finest taxi service but it's. basically the same thing yeah um their. motto was don't mess with the rest come. to the best and it was essentially the. same thing as Mr zip as far as the scam. goes but they would just leave um like.

we missed you slips on their door saying. you have a package that you need to come. pick up and um there was a guy involved. in this uh I can't remember his name but. oh Robert leorn uh he was one of the. chief or deputy chief Marshals and he he. this was his scam and so part of it was. the the criminal would call to um find. out where to pick up their package and. depending on what they were wanted for. he would tailor what was supposedly in.

the package so he said like if you were. wanted for robbery or theft or something. it would be like a brand new stereo or. something so he would tailor it which. made sense and apparently that worked to. a certain extent but all of these all of. them pale in comparison to the one that. they ran in Hartford Connecticut oh man. I thought you were going on the flagship. I was like are you not going to mention. not a chance as a matter of fact we. should probably just stop after this one. cuz no scam in the history of law. enforcement has ever been greater than.

this one yeah this is part of fist 7 uh. in Hartford Connecticut uh this was hey. uh let's do a fake TV station giveaway. where you can win two tickets to a. concert plus dinner and a limo ride and. hey it's 1984 you're gonna see Van Halen. on their big huge uh Rock Tour no no no. Boy George and Culture Club you have won. uh tickets to see Culture Club in 1984. and it worked apparent I don't I don't.

know why they chose I don't know if it. was geographical if Boy George was just. like sure I'll take part in this he. probably didn't know anything about it. or if uh they did some research did a. little re and found out that these these. dudes love boy Love Culture Club uh I. don't know I have no idea but that's who. it was I saw that um part of it the the. package that they won was also a photo. shoot I saw that in a couple of places. with the Culture Club yeah and then and.

then one of the uh Marshals who um held. who um headed up the Heartford. Connecticut Boy George scam um said it. was just like one of the other ones. where like when you went to get picked. up by this limo right when you got in. the limo they arrested you he said all. these people that they got with this. were all dressed up to go to the Culture. Club concert oh God can you imagine what. they look like when they arrived in jail. like those feathers that you clip to. your ear. yeah yeah like glitter war paint like on.

your cheeks like the whole the whole. shebang I wonder if they said Bad Karma. Chameleon for you my. friend I love all the extras too it. wasn't just like tickets to a concert it. was always like and dinner and a photo. shoot like I guess they really thought. they needed to make it something someone. couldn't refuse I guess right how can. you refuse a photo shoot with Boy George. yeah but we laugh fist. seven uh netted 3,300 arrests and is the.

largest fugitive Roundup in American. history still to this day yeah 3,200 of. them came from The Boy George. skin uh that feels like we have to take. a break right there right I think we. would be violating some sort of. Unwritten rule if we didn't right now. all right we're going to come back and. talk about one that netted fewer arrest. but was definitely fun in operation. Flagship right after this. [Music].

okay Chuck so we're back and we're. finally talking about the titular um. scam operation. Flagship that's right how do you like. that that's pretty good I love the word.

titular thank you it's arousing I can't. think of another word for it but let's. just say arousing yeah yeah uh this was. thought up um it was a brain shild of a. guy named Howard Safir he was head of. enforcement operations at the time fist. s was a big big success and he's like. what at the Christmas party he was a. little toasty and said what has. everybody got he had too much of. grandma's Christmas breath and he said. what's everyone got I need some fun. ideas and Robert leorn the guy the. Brooklyn Bridge delivery service guy uh.

still basking in the glow of those. tailor made uh packages to the criminals. he apparently uh came up with this idea. um and it was football tickets um one of. the hottest tickets in football at the. time uh in 1985 was there at RFK Stadium. for what was then the Washington. Redskins um now the Washington Commander. since the name change but they were the. Redskins then they had won the Super. Bowl beat the Dolphins in 83 lost to the.

Raiders in the Super Bowl in 84 um in. 85 expectations were high yeah uh season. tickets 25y year waiting list for season. tickets every game is sold out at RFK. and so offering up free tickets to. criminals in the DC area seemed like a. no-brainer yeah um this this particular. game versus the Bengals on December 15th. 1985 it was um to whoever won was going. to win a wild card card playoff birth.

yeah which has significance so it was an. important game oh do I feel like I don't. know you should get a little gold star. for your football uh knowledge right. there thank you also not to mention too. I mean even looking back you're like wow. these guys were great but at the time. these two were at the peak of their. careers it was thyman versus asias as. far as the quarterbacks went. Beeman uh is it really beasman yeah. The Story Goes it was Joe thean and in.

college he changed it to thyman to rhyme. with Heisman oh really that's what they. say I'm not he the Heisman I mean the. hean oh you know I'm actually not sure. if he did or not but his leg got snapped. on national TV I I was watching that. game it was horrific wasn't that a Super. Bowl no it was no no no it wasn't a. Super Bowl yeah that was horrific I mean. it was a compound fracture that came out. of his thigh right. I don't think it was his thigh I think.

it was a lower leg but I just I remember. it was that was the first horrific. injury that I saw on TV that uh even. though I didn't know it at the time um. activated my mirror neurons in a way. that was quite striking one of the ones. that got me there was a Miami Hurricanes. player in early 2000s and he was like. running down the sideline and somebody. Dove to to knock him out of the well out. of bounce bounce and um and they got him.

right in his knee and his. knee turned into like his whole his. whole leg but the Apex was his knee just. turned into a rubber band that went. really far to the left and it's always. so disturbing it was they kept show like. this was this was the the Zeitgeist at. the time they showed that injury in slow. motion 15 times while the dude was. laying on the field they didn't cut to. anything they just kept showing it over.

and over like it was a new volume of. faces of death or something like that. yeah they did that for up until not too. too long ago and then they stopped uh. anytime there was a serious injury like. that they're like uh we're not you know. we don't show the replays of these. things anymore but we probably shouldn't. feed the blood lust yeah exactly but. yeah so anyway that was that was it's. forever burned into my brain that that. image and I don't think he broke. anything he just apparently has like the. most flexible resilient leg of anybody's.

so he was fine yeah I don't know if he. was fine I don't remember that I just. remember like I I don't think he was. like he anything broke it just. went oh was that uh old rubber knee. Richards yeah yeah but ironically I. think he had the nickname before that. because he could play the rubber bands. on his. knee this has gotten so off the rails oh. yeah we're talking about the cops in the. yeah that's right all right so we're. back to Robert he's the one that came up. with this idea to give away these.

tickets um he said uh here's what we'll. do we'll create a fake uh TV station. like a rock music TV station like a. local MTV basically uh W video and. that's going to head up this whole thing. uh the PRI and this is where they get. CED again the prize letters that they. sent out were signed by station manager. I am detau uh if you spell that. backwards it is I am. wanted get it. yeah and then the guy who uh they said.

you had to call in or whatever um the. the business manager that took the phone. call his name was Marcus cran uh c r an. spelled backwards is narc no yes and. supposedly and I did not verify this but. there was one source that said the whole. music when you called was I fought the. law and the law one by Bobby Fuller yeah. and I was like come on see like really. right so even if even taking that one.

out it is 100% confirmed that they. signed it I am wanted backwards I am de. a yeah the cray thing is that pretty. much 100% oh yeah I mean it's in the NFL. films documentary you see the guy typing. that name in a computer yeah so like. this is like these are the things that. they're doing to just make it like a. whole T he he thing right to where if. you again if St back no reason but to. amuse themselves like there's no reason. as we'll see I'm sure part of the reason.

also is for the media blitz that they. knew was coming after they pull this off. yeah yeah but not only is there really. no reason for it you're actually. sacrificing potential captures because. there's some of these people have wives. all you had to do was show your wife. that letter she'd say that says wanted. backwards you know hey you dummy yeah. how many of these people were like fell. through the the drag net because they. saw that detau is wanted backwards and.

they're like I think this is not. legitimate yeah yeah uh they mailed out. 3,000 of these letters to fugitives uh. for a total of um 5,117 outstanding. warrants between those 3,000 mhm um said. you won this thing plus a grand prize. drawing for Super Bowl tickets that year. uh the flagship International Sports. television was the fake station fist so. they did it again mhm uh about half the. letters came back returned to Cinder The.

Others again were told to to call uh. Marcus cran uh to confirm their you. attendance and um a few of the people. that called in were like wait a minute. this is the cops um but uh out of the. 3,000 it's not very many uh apparently. about 160 people rsvped which would. still be a pretty good take I guess sure. and they said all right come on down to. the Washington Convention Center at 9:00. a.m. on game day we're going to have a a. big brunch and a big party and then.

shuttle you over to the game yes and I. thought something you mentioned is worth. um emphasizing that being entered in a. grand prize drawing for tickets to Super. Bowl 20 in New Orleans yeah that. actually struck me as a really nice. touch because now you've moved the focus. a little further out and you're diluting. the focus that's being paid to this most. immediate thing so they're thinking. about something else as well really I. thought that really was a good touch. yeah I agree so to get prepared for this.

whole thing they um held three different. dress rehearsals mhm that's dedicated. for sure cuz this is a big production. and it was smart that they held three. different dress rehearsals because again. there's a lot of moving Parts there's a. ton of different cops I think 166. different agents were involved they were. all cops everyone there was a cop like. the bus boy was a cop the you know. person serving your drink was a c yeah. the janitors were cops everybody was.

cops like when you walked into the. Washington Convention Center that day um. there was no one who wasn't a cop a. wanted fugitive or the plus one of The. Wanted fugitive who exactly had the. haplessness of being brought along to. this whole yeah they real victims yeah. so um so they they rehearsed it many. many times and one of the things I saw. of these 166 law enforcement agents that. were part of this um a lot of them were. brought in from out of state because. they didn't want to risk some of these.

fugitives from. recognizing um the uh the marshals who. say like were in the courtroom with them. when they were first brought to trial or. um had escorted them from jail to prison. before they escaped or something like. that so they brought in a lot of ringers. from around the country so there was a. lot of cops working from a lot of. different offices all for this one huge. scam operation Flagship yeah they had to. shave a lot of about half of their. mustache.

yeah if you watch I mean you can see. this whole thing there's a it's it's. only like 12 minutes long an NFL films. documentary on this on YouTube or. wherever and uh you can watch the whole. thing play out it's incredible um but. they look it looks like a a room staff. with 166 CS dressed up as different. things uh yeah I I made it through up to. I think minute three I was like I cannot. watch law enforcement try to play it. tongue and cheek it's just I can't do it. yeah they even the uh cheerleaders who.

were not dressed as cheerleaders they. were dressed in tuxedos like everyone. there was wearing a tux which was. hysterical right uh cuz you know it was. 1985 that's the epitome of class um but. the they were all cops and the one of. the women um uh that was interviewed she. was like I didn't want to do a. cheerleader she was like I was in this I. was a US Marshall I wanted I was rough. and tumble and I wanted to you know. throw some guys on the ground and put. the cuffs on them but they were like no. we we need you to be a cheerleader uh. and you're actually the first line of. defense because what they did was they.

hugged these guys upon greeting like Hey. we're cheerleaders hug hug hug and. they're sort of patting them down and. feeling for weapons right which is. amazing what was that there was some. movie where they do that to Great. comedic effect oh really yeah I can't. remember but they're they're like. hugging people while patting them down. but like just clearly pading them down. man this drive me crazy you'll think of. it later uh or somebody will email in. I'll bet at least one person does yeah. um so uh yeah the like we said everybody.

there who who was in this building was a. cop including um the San Diego chicken. yeah was armed was an armed cop that. just goes to show you how big the San. Diego chicken was in the early to mid. 80s that they were like bring the San. Diego Chicken in for this Washington um. Cincinnati football game on the other. side of the country make sure the San. Diego Chicken's there just to legitimize. things yeah cuz that was the chicken was. for the Padres not the Chargers even at.

the time uh the only explanation I saw. in the video was uh they said something. about Santa Claus was going to be there. and I don't know why this is the part. that has no explanation he said oh we. were like we can't have Santa Claus so. let's get the San Diego chicken I was. like he said that as if that was the. most reasonable statement he could make. really that's hilarious it very funny. that is that shows a little heart yeah. for sure I should also say I I poked fun. at law enforcement trying to be funny so. I looked up to see if there's any cops.

turn um Comedians and there are oh sure. I bet there are and I bet that's their. whole act I don't know if it is or not. um but I can just tell you to go out and. check these guys out there's Kevin. Jordan Chad ridgley who went on to be a. groundling Jim Perry Al Perry Alfie. Moore and I defy you to find the one. Brit out of those yeah I bet it's not. Alie all right so I'm Bobby. right wow that was a great Alfie Moore.

impression he's the kind of guy that. talks like that I think anyway I just. wanted to toss that out there because. very nice thanks uh leorn as for his. part um he's in the video he's saying. like nobody can act like a cop here we. got to smile and he says in this uh in. the NFL film s he goes I know we're not. used to smiling at Bandits but today we. need to I was like Bandits what is. happening in 1985 that's right yeah he. said no one can act like a cop kill them.

with smiles right yeah not uh with a. planted gun. right oh my gosh so like I said there's. a lot of moving Parts in a sting where. you're trying to NAB 160 or so uh. criminals all at once again they. rehearsed it three different times but. there's still tons of X factors that can. crop up that you just can't plan for and. one of the one of the reasons why they. were really kind of on edges some of the. these criminals who they' invited um.

were pretty hardcore they were like. armed robbers uh rapists there was one. murderer in particular who was who had. escaped from prison he and two other. guys had dressed up as security or not. security guards um prison guards mhm and. um they from what I was reading they. have no idea where they got these prison. guard uniforms but they managed to. escape the other two guys got caught the. other guy Charles Watkins again who was. in on murder he had become a fugitive. and was wanted as a top 10 fugitive in.

the DC area so he was a big fish that. they were trying to reel in but at the. same time this guy's a murderer on the. run you have no idea what he's going to. do so they really had to kind of keep it. tight as much as possible I say that. before we get to the actual day December. 15th 1985 yeah we take another break all. right let's do it. [Music].

alrighty uh we are back it is uh not. Christmas but it certainly feels like it. in. 1985 uh it's December 15th the. Washington Convention Center is decked. out uh there's a a big TV playing uh. highlights of the of the season.

thus far there's music playing. everyone's in those tuxes uh they got. red and gold balloons they're handing. out it's really fun to watch this this. thing play out uh you've got these. cheerleaders hugging and patting these. guy these guys down one guy is like. leaning in trying to kiss the one of the. women and she's just like pulling her. face away yeah and uh still has her. armor on it in fact she actually uh. staia Hilton she was US Marshall um the.

cheerleader that they interviewed or. fake cheerleader and later on she had. gotten out and was brought back into the. service by as an appointment as director. of US Marshall service by President. Obama yeah but so for this day she's a. Redskins. cheerleader yeah exactly so um the what. they would do is the the cheerleaders. would hug you as you were coming in. would not accept kisses it turns out but. they would hug you pat you down um. although you weren't supposed to know. that you were being patted down they. would direct you toward a table she's a.

good hugger right exactly very thorough. um so they would they P you to this. table where you would check in and to. claim your prize to make sure you were. you you had to show positive ID and then. when they when they verified that you. were on the list meaning that you were a. wanted fugitive who just showed up to CL. claim your two free tickets to the um. the Washington Redskins football game. they would give you a name tag and the. name tag would say confirmed.

winner and then if you were a dangerous. criminal um they would give you a name. tag that's a double winner and I could. not find anywhere how they would explain. why somebody was a double winner and not. just a confirmed winner like hey what. does that mean right exactly like why. why me um I have no idea what they said. surely they had to say something but U I. could not find it it's lost to history. they he said you're Danger L close to. winning the Super Bowl tickets.

too that was great that's how they do it. in the movie at least um so one person. came that was not expected it was an. attorney from a local TV station that. had the local broadcast rights to the. games he heard about this Flagship. International Sports television AKA Fist. and he was like wait a minute they can't. do this so he shows up with my mind. exactly he shows up with the cease and. desist letter. and the cops got him out of there they.

were like here why don't you go have a. talk with these two cheerleaders you're. like buddy you're going to blow our. cover here yeah they they shot him in. the. leg Yeah he HED out of there no they. took him outside they had to keep it. under WS so okay you want to talk about. unexpected guests sure do you want to. know the definition of a. scumbag sure a fugitive who gets caught. up in the drag net of a scam carried out. by the US Marshall service in. 1985 and shows up without bothering to.

RSVP there were 15 of. them H that's funny they just they just. came yep they just showed up didn't even. bother to RSVP it just got under my skin. when I saw that this is bad manners for. sure so there was a a decent amount of. people um in this convention center I. mean hundred and something 100 50 cops I. think 160 um a little over One Cop to.

one fugitive and then most of these. fugitives had a plus one if not all of. them so there is hundreds of people in. this convention center and like you said. it was a big party atmosphere but right. under the surface there's a bunch of. people with guns ready to like take you. to jail but the problem is you can't. just round everybody up all at once. right no um so what they did was pretty. clever they would take 15 to 20 winners. at a time. uh to one of like the separate.

conference rooms in this convention. center which really it made me nostalgic. Chuck cuz we played a show or two in the. in the conference room of a Convention. Center you know yeah Australia loves. austal yeah yeah yeah um and they would. sit them down and and they would present. them with some I guess Spiel to start as. they shut the doors and everybody was. settling into their chairs yeah this is. uh Louis mckenny he's on a stage uh and. then again this is just like hey this. the party room where you're going to get. your actual tickets uh and he's the MC.

he's the Master of Ceremonies he's he's. wearing a top hat a literal black top. hat and he's doesn't just go up there. and say you're all under arrest he. settles everyone down he said he wanted. everyone to kind of get settled in and. calm so he's just doing a bit he's doing. stage work about how excited everyone is. and getting everyone like pumped up and. then and you can literally watch this. happen he says on behalf of Flagship. internet. we have a big surprise for you this. morning everybody's under arrest and you.

see behind the doors you see all these. like SWAT cops is their version of the. SWAT their uh SOG Special Operations. group that doesn't spell anything clever. uh they're like literal have literal. shotguns and they're just like they're. right behind the door yeah yeah exactly. Hut that's right uh they repel in. through the windows you know break. through the windows no they just they. literally just like kick in the door and. go running in with shotguns and you see. these guys that like about a third of.

them like immediately sort of put their. hands on their heads as they were being. directed to and get on the ground and. about a third of them are like What's. Happening Here is this part of the the. prize yeah they they didn't know what. was going on but you know soon enough. they had them you know face down on the. floorr sometimes violently oh yeah yeah. 15 people at a time then escorting them. out a different door and just you know. keep doing that over and over until they. got everybody I have to say something. really quick while I was researching. this. um I had a great little brush with.

coincidence that I was reading I got to. that part where mcken says everybody's. under arrest and I just happened to be. listening to the beach boy smile album. at the time oh yeah it's not something I. listen to a lot I just happened to. decide to listen to that while I was. researching this and within seconds of. reading that part it reaches the part in. The Beach Boys album where they say. you're under arrest wow and that it's. worth I mean that's something right. that's not your everyday coincidence no.

I love stuff like that I do too so. anyway back to the story um Dave like I. said helped us with this and he wondered. something that I did as well what. happened to all the all the guests who. are like the crowd of plus ones are. getting left behind in larger and larger. droves as this party room is like you. know set and reset and people get taken. out of the back door to jail yeah and no. one knows I mean no at least no one ever. covered. what happened they just yeah I mean I.

imagine it was I've got some bad news. and some more bad news right like there. is no good news it's like your friend. has been arrested and you're also not. going to this football game and you also. have to find your way home somehow. exactly surely they gave him right home. at least oh I don't know about that I. don't know about that I mean I was. laughing about they're their victims but. they really are I mean what a bummer for. sure especially those wives that found. out that their husbands didn't let them. read the letter right from I am detau.

and didn't want to go to the game to. begin with right yeah oh my god there. are definitely plus ones like that yeah. oh man uh so when this whole thing was. pulled off uh the reason why the NFL. films um little mini documentary is so. thorough is the media was there and it. would make sense media was there because. this was supposed to be some big deal. celebration so you see people who are. like fugitives about to be arrested.

coming into the convention center like. party like into the cameras yeah that. are really like there to film their. arrest but they think they're there to. film this big celebration because they. won these tickets um the LA Times was. there CBS News was there Washington Post. was there they were like journalists. were allowed to go basically everywhere. they were allowed to interview all of. the um all the higher ups conducting. this thing I guess they were just. required to basically play it straight. and pretend like they didn't know what.

was going on but as a result of this. direct involvement of the media there. was a huge National like celebration for. how great the US Marshall service was. and how well they pulled off this. amazing Sting with not a single shot. fired and aside from violently throwing. some of these people to the floor. totally nonviolent Roundup of 100 plus. per yeah I mean that's the that's why. you do it like this oh for the for the.

safety and for the money savings or the. efficiency rather I guess financially. but the the pr aspect of this should not. be overlooked like they wanted them to. film this they wanted them to know all. the cutesy stuff so one day NFL films. would release a mini Dock and future. podcasters would talk about it and sort. of make fun of it but also bring them. you know some attention so the pr part. of it was a very purposeful big deal um. the guy I've seen lots of different. numbers bandied about by how many people.

they actually got um I think uh 144. arrests is what Dave saw but in the. documentary the guy whose brainchild it. was said it was 101 really but if you do. the math on 101 arrest it cost them. $22,100 to pull this off uh that breaks. down to just. $218 at if they got 101. arrests uh and the average cost of just. a per fugitive cost of nabbing a single.

fugitive was about almost 1,300 bucks so. that's a you know that's a big efficient. Hall if you really look at it that way. yeah for sure I mean that that it's. super efficient and again not a single. shot fired and don't forget they nabbed. Charles Watkins the big fish they were. trying to reel in the murderer who had. escaped from prison dressed as a prison. guard which really if you're going to. escape from prison that's a real black. eye to that particular prison dressing. up as one of their own guards and. escaping. um so it was a big deal that they caught.

this guy uh and Stanley Morris who was. the head of the Marshall service at the. time was quoted in the LA Times saying. it's a safe clean and creative way to. get these people off the streets there's. no safer way to make an arrest than away. from the home. environment yeah I mean he's probably. right uh as far as Charles Watkins goes. and um and Dave got some of this by the. way he want to shout out the podcast uh. criminal huge Shout. yeah because they covered this and I. think Dave they've listened to that and.

got a couple of these things in the end. here from there yeah it was a December. 2024 uh episode so so what I'm guess is. that the listener wrote in after hearing. the criminal episode maybe said I've got. a great idea for your episode yeah yeah. uh yeah so go check that out for. criminals uh point of view I'm sure it's. pretty great because it's a great. podcast uh but um apparently there was a. producer from CBS News named Alan. Goldberg who went back at the footage.

and was like I think he just thought. some of this stuff was a little fishier. than it was uh made out to be is some. big huge success and he saw footage on. there of Charles Watkins a 50-year-old. man saying like you got the wrong guy. you got the wrong guy and it turns out. they got the wrong guy they got Charles. Watkins senior uh Charles Watkins the. murderer that was the Felon or rather. fugitive and felon uh was his son uh he. was 20 years old they got the wrong. person yeah apparently the big fish was.

the wrong fish yeah according to. criminal like he um he finally was able. to convince them by showing like some ID. and some other like identification. saying like I'm not the guy you're. looking for you're looking for my son um. and huge again hat tipped to criminal. they did some serious digging like I was. listening to it and that and Alan. Goldberg who is a huge source for this. he they're the ones that he talked to. this is not like. guy.

manely all of the coverage of operation. Flagship still today when you read. contemporary stuff about operation. Flagship it is. unquestioningly uh written about as just. this perfect success and they found this. guy who is like this not actually how it. went at all there's actually in addition. to getting the wrong Charles Watkins the. other big fish they were trying to get. Lloyd Golden he was a top TED wanted. Fugitive for armed robbery and this Alan.

Goldberg you know God bless him for his. journalist streak he dug into Lloyd. Golden and found that he was wanded for. selling some drugs not armed robbery he. wasn't on any kind of top 10 list so um. that's bad enough but when you really. start digging into it you're like well. this is not only a waste of money it. turns out even though it was super. efficient it's actually um legal but. pretty unethical con considering who. they actually did did Nab in this draget. yeah I mean it was um mainly misdemeanor.

offenders uh a lot of parole violations. there were six traffic offenses in there. and now remember a lot of these people. were thrown to the ground regardless of. their of of what they were wanted for. they were a fugitive and they were. thrown to the ground violently in some. cases for traffic. offenses yeah exactly uh there was one. guy and uh you can see him in the NFL. films doc as they're bringing him out he. was like man he's like you know where I.

live you could have come to my house. like basically like why did you drag me. down here right and make me go through. all this just come knock on my door and. arrest me he's like I want to speak to. Mr detau. [Laughter]. now uh this turned out to be sort of the. beginning of the end though um it is. again still praised as a success if you. look at any US Marshall stuff uh but. they um I I think like. fist n was just regular police work over.

a period of eight weeks they they got a. bunch of more fugitives which is great. yeah pretty impressive 3500 fugitives in. eight weeks over four states and parts. of Mexico that's with no scams. whatsoever yeah no scams but they just. they don't do this stuff anymore I guess. this was sort of the the Golden Age of. that kind of thing um they're still out. getting fugitives I think last year they. captured more than 3,000 violent. fugitives in operation Northstar but. that did not involve Culture Club. tickets or right sweep Stakes prizes or. anything like that I think the answer is.

that in 19 starting in 1986 they went to. nothing but beer and wine at their. Christmas parties right yeah not the uh. the rum punch right right so uh one of. the things about operation Flagship is. that it is so nuts that it actually. happened and when you just step back and. look at it from the you know from the. total outside and how great it was and. everything it's extremely entertaining. cops smart criminals stupid can you. believe they fell for this there's. football involved like it has everything.

you could possibly want right so it did. actually inspire some stuff like we said. that whole Mr zip thing inspired like. the I've got some a rose delivery for. you fugitive um this specific operation. Flagship inspired apparently the opening. scene in Sea of Love with Al Pacino MH. um where Samuel Jackson is among the. fugitives who are tricked into a meet. the Yankees scam yeah yeah that that was. C directly from this I'm sure uh there. was um so have you seen the movie trap.

ight shyamalan's uh vehicle for his. daughter's musical career yeah have you. seen it no okay I just want to talk for. one quick minute about this because uh I. heard this a movie on uh two different. movie podcasts I listen to um Scott. hasn't. seen uh he covered this uh with Mike. Castle um husband to Lauren Lapkus as. the guest and then it was also on uh the. Flop House one of of my my favorite. shows that have listened to Forever on. the max fun Network where they cover bad.

movies um Elliot Dan and uh and stew so. tra is bad then yeah yeah it's it's. wonderfully bad though like I heard both. of these before I saw it and I was like. I've got to watch this movie now because. it it's so funny bad wow and it is it's. I highly recommend the ight Shyamalan. Josh hartnet movie trap because it is so. r ridiculous and awful and the choices.

that are made as a movie are just. Bonkers and hysterical okay so I know I. am a as sensient adult human being and I. know that a lot of M might Shaman some. of his films are bad yeah yeah just bad. terrible I hated signs hated signs. although that was largely because of Mel. Gibson's acting or over them are pretty. bad to to me huh he's a handful of. pretty good ones but yeah well that's. what I was going to say I will still.

watch every movie that that man puts out. because they're so imaginative so. creative I also love the cinematography. in his films it's always so dark and. Moody yeah they look pretty good uh the. six sense is one of the greatest films. of all time yeah and um even it like you. can give up on him and then come back. years later and watch the stuff that you. missed and you're like man I love this. stuff it's such a great thing to watch. on like a Saturday afternoon or. something like that yeah I like the. unbreakable movie and the the uh split.

the whatever there was like a Trilogy. and then that world split yeah I thought. all those were pretty good um but yeah a. lot of his movies are really bad but. still well made enough to be worthwhile. even if it's just sort of like a cringe. fun watch and trap is one of them and. you know whenever he pops up in his own. movies it's always so bad and dumb and. obvious and he he does so in the. funniest worst way in trap okay good I. got to see this it's really a fun a fun.

bad movie watch I highly recommend it. have you seen a knock at the cabin door. I have not seen that one that's good I I. don't see them all have you ever seen. servant the show he made. uhuh good bad no it's really good it's a. really good show like he does a great. job he's a confounding filmmaker yeah. you know just just watch servant I think. you'll like it I haven't seen all of the. seasons I might have seen the first. three and then I stopped but I can tell. you the first three are definitely worth.

watching I think you'll get sucked in. pretty quick yeah uh we cannot finish. though even though I did mention Homer. Simpson earlier uh one of the great. great Simpsons episodes uh they had a. sting operation where they were giving. away a uh a boat. right yeah yes I'm sorry I've watched it. uh the other yesterday I guess I was. watching it and um I noticed something. that I'd never noticed before was it at. the head of the scene at the beginning. as they're start as as they're pulling.

up to the police station um Homer's. falling for a scam like operation. Flagship but instead of Redskins tickets. it's a free motorboat yeah so he's all. he's all ready for this he's wearing a. captain's hat driving the family up to. the police station to claim his free. motorboat and at the beginning of the. scene as they're pulling up Lou one of. the cops is has the door kind of like. slightly jar and is peeking out right. when he sees Homer pull up he like. closes the door real quick. yeah oh my God you have to see it I like.

I can't do it justice it's just this. extra quick little thing that did not. need to be added at all but makes that. whole scene so just perfect oh just the. the Heyday of that show yeah season 9 it. and the whole episode by the way to Lisa. the skeptic is like yeah one of the like. more heartfelt episodes around too so. good H Lou why are the pretty ones. always insane. yeah favorites uh also a little nugget. on the end if you're ever in Fort Smith.

Arkansas and why else would you be there. but going to the US Marshall Museum uh. you can see Louis McKenna's MCE black. top hat on display very nice that was a. nice little nugget yeah thanks Dave for. that nug yeah thank you Dave that was. great uh we appreciate the assist on. this one and on Harry bellonte it's Dave. week everybody that's right and since I. said it's Dave week again that UNL. locked listener. mail uh Hey guys love the show I just.

started listening around 2018 I'm now. realizing that was 7 years ago uh my. commute to work is about 15 minutes in. each each Direction so your release. schedule is perfect to listen to a fresh. Sy SK episode all the time so fresh uh I. was listening to automats and hearing. Chuck weirded out about pie for. breakfast is so funny to me because I'm. a chef and I will never understand why. pie sweetened thickened fruit and a. pastry is dessert but a Danish or jelly. donut sweeten thicken fruit in a pastry. or.

breakfast uh and by the way this totally. vindicates you because when you were. like pie for breakfast and I was like. that sounds so crazy I was and you said. most breakfast foods are dessert and I. was like what are you talking about. you're completely right I wasn't. thinking about all the stuff oh I love. it when you say stuff like that I was. thinking about eggs and bacon but I. forgot about the the sweet side of. breakfast and all that stuff is dessert. uh same goes for cake and pancakes flour. sugar eggs baking powder with a sweet. condiment uh FR French toast is plain. white bread dipped in a sweet cinnamon. custard griddled and then you drizzle.

sugar syrup on top of it I love that. stuff so guys Josh is Right lots of. breakfast foods are pretty much dessert. and I say if it makes you happy there's. no reason to keep away from dessert. foods at breakfast your stomach doesn't. know what time of day it is MH uh thanks. for all the amazing information I've. learned so much from you guys uh and. always have a great time listening that. is from Aaron uh bringham and Aaron. thanks for proving me wrong I forgot. about all this sweet breakfast stuff. thanks for for proving me right yeah and. not to even mention cereal I mean what. is Captain Crunch besides a bowl of.

dessert that's right I like to have a. balanced breakfast I like the dessert. part with a bunch of Pancakes or french. toast and syrup but then I also like the. eggs and the bacon part too I breakfast. is my favorite meal that I never eat but. when I do by God I love it well yeah I'm. the same way I don't typically eat. breakfast so if I'm going to eat. breakfast breakfast like it's going to. be something like that agreed I gave up. cereal and uh I'm for I'm I'm the better. off for it I just have to admit yeah I I.

don't eat that stuff anymore but uh if. you if I'm on vacation and there's a a. good breakfast place I'm going to party. down and then I'll skip lunch that's. right nice work Charles uh well uh if. you want to be like Aaron and vindicate. me bring it on uh you can send us an. email to stuff podcast iheartradio.com. stuff you should know is a production of. iHeart Radio for more podcasts my heart. radio visit the iHeart Radio app Apple.

podcasts or wherever you listen to your. favorite shows. [Music].