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10 Episodes 2014 - 2014
Episode 1
Mon, Oct 27, 2014
Oakland native Shakir "Shake" Stewart rose to become Executive Vice President of rap powerhouse label Def Jam Records. He discovered and signed multi-platinum rap superstars like Young Jeezy and Rick Ross and worked with R&B divas like Ciara, Beyonce and many others. The brash and flashy executive made a name for himself in Atlanta, where he threw lavish parties and attended Morehouse College. Atlanta was like the new Motown and Shake had a lot to do with that. He was the right hand man to famed producer and executive LA Reid. Stewart seemed headed to the same heights as his mentor Reid but the stress and dangers of the music business proved too much for him. His suicide shocked his peers and left his family devastated. Celebrity Crime Files goes behind the scenes to unravel the mystery surrounding his death. What caused one of music's most beloved and successful executives to take his own life?
Episode 2
Mon, Sep 15, 2014
Stephanie St. Clair was the baddest boss lady in NYC, running a bustling criminal enterprise in the 1920's and putting the NYPD on blast for extortion and taking bribes. The feisty and no-nonsense numbers runner from Martinique eventually became the first female kingpin in Harlem. Nicknamed "Madam Queen," she was beloved in uptown NYC. St. Clair even employed the legendary Bumpy Johnson as her enforcer. Her bloody battle with notorious gangsters like Dutch Schultz over money in the organized crime underworld ended in over 40 murders. Known as a fashion icon who flaunted her wealth and sometimes berated her enemies in French or Spanish, St. Clair remains a fascinating and mysterious female gangster.
Episode 3
Mon, Nov 10, 2014
Once the most powerful member of The Crips, Stanley "Tookie" Williams helped spread massive violence and terror throughout South Los Angeles and beyond. In 1979, he was convicted of four counts of murder and sentenced to death. In jail, he went on to reject his former gang life and initiated a campaign to stop the violence. Many people believed he had a true revelation and attempted to show his redemption to save others. His books garnered multiple Nobel Peace Prize nominations. Though he maintained innocence and several attempts made to have his conviction overturned, in 2005 he was put to death via lethal injection.
Episode 4
Mon, Sep 8, 2014
Chris Lighty was a giant in the entertainment world. As President and co-founder of Violator Management, he helmed the careers of superstars like 50 Cent, P. Diddy, Mariah Carey and many more. And his branding and advertising expertise helped clients like A Tribe Called Quest and 50 Cent score lucrative multi-million dollar commercials with Sprite and Vitamin Water. But while he had corporate success, street beefs still haunted him. A war between his client 50 Cent and The Game resulted in murder, assaults and people trying to kill Lighty himself. But it wouldn't be rap beef that would eventually end his life. While police ruled his death a suicide, friends and family say he was the victim of foul play. Even a suspicious 50 Cent hired a private investigator to dig deep into the August 2012 incident, alleging that there was something fishy about the circumstances. For the first time ever on TV, those closest to him explain just what happened to Chris Lighty.
Episode 5
Mon, Oct 13, 2014
Prison is an understandable breeding ground for professional boxers. Sonny Liston served five years for armed robbery before going on to win the heavyweight title. Bernard Hopkins learned to box in Graterford State Penitentiary and became one of the greatest fighters of all time, the oldest man ever to win a world title. Similar to Hopkins, Dwight Muhammad Qawi learned the sport behind bars and became the world light heavyweight champion and a member of the International Boxing Hall of Fame.
Episode 6
Mon, Sep 29, 2014
The NFL has a drug problem. Nearly every week a new player is suspended for violating the league's anti-drug policy. Players use supplements and PEDs to improve performance, marijuana to relieve the stress of a high-profile job and harder drugs, presumably, because they like to live the high life and can afford it. But why would an athlete earning millions in salary and endorsements run a drug operation during his precious down time? These are the stories of three men who weren't satisfied with the riches they were earning from legitimate work and got busted trying to sling on the side, going from touchdowns to lockdown.
Episode 7
Mon, Sep 22, 2014
Blacks are underrepresented in politics so when a black elected official breaks the law the community suffers deeply. These men betrayed the support and trust of their citizenry for their own personal gain.
Episode 8
Tue, Nov 4, 2014
Blasting onto the scene in October 1966, the Black Panther Party was a revolutionary civil rights group that became known for their "freedom by any means" philosophy. Party founders Huey P. Newton and Bobby Seale, as well as its prominent party members empowered a nation before becoming the FBI's Most Wanted.
Episode 9
Mon, Oct 20, 2014
There is a long list of people who died on the frontlines fighting for social justice for African-Americans. But there are three iconic men whose names remain legendary. Malcolm. Martin. Medgar. Just their first name is enough to make a nation remember the volatile 1960's when these three bright stars and champions of civil rights were cut down in their prime. Their efforts, and those of the people who supported them and continued their work, have resulted in significant, groundbreaking changes. CCF explores the life and crimes of three titans.
Episode 10
Mon, Oct 6, 2014
For hundreds of years since arriving in America from Africa, thousands of Blacks have been lynched or violently killed at the hands of racists, especially in the deep South. Since the end of Jim Crow laws, there have been fewer incidents of these types of crimes. But two shocking murders in Texas and Alabama in the last 40 years remind the nation and the world that violence and terror against Blacks can still happen at any given moment.