It's an Honor to Rob a Bank: Lucio Urtubia
Summary
Hosts Zarin and Elizabeth discuss Brian Mwenda, a Kenyan man who hacked the legal registry, stole a lawyer’s identity, and won 26 cases before representing himself successfully. The episode primarily profiles Lucio Urtubia, a Basque anarchist who forged passports and traveler’s checks to fund anti-Franco resistance. Urtubia famously defrauded Citibank of millions, negotiated a settlement where the bank paid him to stop, and later opened a social center in Paris.
Topics discussed
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Intro: Brian Mwenda the self-taught lawyer
Lucio Urtubia and the Spanish Civil War context
Urtubia's smuggling, anarchism, and meeting Che Guevara
Failed plot to counterfeit US dollars
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Stealing doors and kidnapping Klaus Barbie
The Citibank traveler's check heist
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Arrest, trial, and settlement with Citibank
Later life, activism, and death
Legacy, mythology, and philosophical reflections
Listener call and show credits
Sponsors: Hollywood Handbook and Sebastian Maniscalco
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