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True Crime Uncensored with Burl Barer and Mark Boyer

FRANK MATHEWS -- HE VANISHED WITH MILLIONS

·57 min·5 clips
Why did authorities ignore Frank Matthews, one of America's biggest gangsters, until it was too late?
The episode opens with hosts Burl Barer and Mark Boyer introducing guest Ron Chepczyk, a documentary producer and former university professor. Chepczyk explains his interest in Frank Matthews stemmed from researching Harlem gangsters for his book 'Gangsters of Harlem'. Matthews was born in 1944 in Durham, North Carolina, a hub for black entrepreneurship, but chose crime. He started in the numbers racket in Philadelphia and New York before targeting the heroin trade. Racism within La Cosa Nostra initially blocked him, but he connected with a Cuban dealer, Rolando Gonzalez, who fled to Venezuela and helped Matthews establish a drug pipeline. Matthews franchised operations across 21 states, amassing huge wealth while evading law enforcement for years. His empire collapsed when he was indicted, but he disappeared before arrest. Chepczyk details the mystery: Matthews vanished in 1973 with $15-20 million (about $90 million today) and his girlfriend Cheryl Brown. Despite a massive manhunt, no reliable informants emerged, and key records are missing. Theories range from Matthews being murdered by rivals or the government to him living undercover with plastic surgery. Chepczyk notes unverified sightings, including claims Matthews contacted people recently. The discussion touches on comparisons to Whitey Bulger and the CIA's involvement with Venezuelan contacts. The episode concludes with Chepczyk promoting his documentary 'The Frank Matthews Story' and speculating on Matthews' potential fate if he resurfaced.

As heard by us

A missing gangster story built on a reported $15 to $20 million haul, a Durham bank sighting, and a steady return to the facts.

Frank Matthews' disappearance gives this True Crime Uncensored segment its strongest pull, and the case is rich with the sort of practical detail that makes the mystery feel immediate: a reported $15 to $20 million haul, a bank on Main Street in Durham, and an IRS agent who…

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Why you'd press play

You get Frank Matthews, a reported $15 to $20 million disappearance, and a bank lead the episode keeps worrying at.

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