All The Coal Kids Are Doing It: Larry Wayne Price Jr.

This episode of Ridiculous Crime dives into the absurdly extravagant and criminally dubious life of Larry Wayne Price Jr., a Montana coal industry executive who embezzled $20 million from three coal-related companies to fund his dream of owning a 30,843-square-foot, 70-acre 'dream castle' in Billings, Montana. The house, complete with a moat, bowling alley, indoor shooting range, and multiple kitchens, was listed for $26.9 million—far beyond the reach of most. When investors began demanding repayment, Price fled to Virginia, faked his own kidnapping by claiming he was abducted by outlaw bikers from the Pagans gang, and even fabricated a story involving meth trafficking via coal trains. His lies unraveled when security footage contradicted his tale, and a local waitress revealed he had planned to run away with her using stolen money. Price was arrested, convicted, and sentenced to five years in prison, but the episode questions whether such punishments truly deter future corruption in industries already rife with criminality. The story exposes a culture where embezzlement, environmental violations, and international money laundering are treated as business costs rather than crimes. The episode uses dark humor and vivid storytelling to highlight the absurdity of Price's grandiose lifestyle and even grander lies, while also drawing broader parallels to systemic corruption in the extractive industries. It critiques how powerful figures in energy sectors can operate with impunity, often shielded by shell companies, foreign ownership, and weak enforcement. The hosts emphasize that the dream castle remains on the market, suggesting that the ultimate 'crime' may not be the theft itself, but the normalization of such excess and deceit. The narrative arc moves from fascination with the house’s ridiculous features, to shock at the scale of the fraud, to skepticism about whether justice was truly served.