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Listen Now: Criminal Lives

Nov 26, 2024

Dive into the wild world of black market entrepreneurs where the stakes couldn't be higher. Greg Valentino's journey from bodybuilder to a notorious steroids kingpin reveals the thrilling yet perilous balance of ordinary life and crime. Experience the adrenaline of high-stakes confrontations as tensions rise over stolen steroids. Each tale unpacks the motivations, risks, and chaotic choices that lead these individuals down a dangerous path. Get ready for an eye-opening exploration of the criminal underbelly.

05:11

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Quick takeaways

Greg Valentino's rise as the Roid King highlights how the lure of profit in the steroid trade can lead ordinary people into dangerous criminal enterprises.

The violent confrontation with Remo underscores the perilous consequences of involvement in the black market, where betrayal and threats of death are a constant risk.

Deep dives

The Rise of the Roid King

Greg Valentino, known as the Roid King, transitioned from a scrawny youth to a bodybuilding icon while becoming deeply entrenched in the black market steroid trade. Valentino partnered with his friend Paul to sell anabolic steroids to aspiring bodybuilders, capitalizing on the growing demand within the fitness community of the 1990s. Their illicit business flourished until they faced significant setbacks, including a devastating robbery that left them without thousands of dollars' worth of steroids. This turn of events not only jeopardized their operations but also thrust them into a dangerous confrontation with their ruthless supplier, Remo.

From Bodybuilder to Criminal: The Rise of the Roid King

2min

A High-Stakes Confrontation in the Underworld

3min

What drives a regular person to risk it all in the criminal underworld? On Wondery's Criminal Lives, host Danny Gold takes you inside the minds of some of America’s most successful black market entrepreneurs. From a larger-than-life steroids kingpin to the self described "Original Gay Gangster" who had a gift for numbers and an addiction to luxury, each reveals the rules of the game, the adrenaline-fueled highs, and the missteps that brought it all crashing down. Forget what you've seen in the movies. Criminal Lives brings you the unvarnished truth of what it really means to choose a life of crime.

Binge all episodes of Criminal Lives exclusively with Wondery+. Join Wondery+ in the Wondery App, Apple Podcasts or Spotify, and get access to this and more Exhibit C true crime shows early and ad free right now. Start Your free trial by visiting www.wondery.com/links/criminal-lives

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