Episode 757: Mommy and Clyde: The Crimes of Sante and Kenny Kimes

In the summer of 1998, eighty-two-year-old New York socialite Irene Silverman disappeared from her Manhattan townhouse without a trace. Silverman’s friends were immediately concerned, as it was completely out of character for Irene to leave town without telling anyone. Coincidentally, on the same day Irene Silverman disappeared, authorities in New York arrested Sante Kimes and her son, Kenny, on a charge of check fraud. Unbeknownst to investigators, these two events were directly linked.

In the wake of the arrest of Kimes and her son, investigators discovered a number of links between the mother and son con artists and Irene Silverman that would not only lead to the discovery of Silverman’s body, but also to a years’ long crime spree that included everything from check fraud and impersonation to arson and murder.

In the annals of American crime, it’s rare to find a series of violent crimes committed by a woman. And among those women, it is rarer still to find one so brutal, cunning, and manipulative as Sante Kimes.

References

Associated Press. 1985. "Couple charged with slavery." The Union (Grass Valley, CA), August 6: 4.

Bashinsky, Ruth, and Larry Sutton. 1998. "She lived in the present, belebrated ballet past." Daily News (New York, NY), July 8: 2.

Finkelstein, Katherine. 2000. "Mother and son are given life sentences." New York Times, June 28.

Kirsta, Alix. 1999. "The lady vanishes." The Guardian, November 20.

Kocieniewski, David. 1998. "Deed ceding widow's house to suspects is found, police say." New York Times, July 25.

NBC News. 2025. "The devil wore white." Dateline, January 1.

Rohde, David. 1998. "2 now face murder charge in widow's disappearance." New York Times, December 17.

—. 2000. "Jury hears a murder defendant's outburst; a woman screams for fairness." New York Times, April 29.

Rohde, David, and Julian Barnes. 2000. "Without a body, murder case of widow relies on circumstantial evidence." New York Times, May 16.

Sante Kimes v. United States. 1989. 86-1267 (District of Columbia Court of Appeals, October 31).

Walker, Kent. 2001. Son of a Grifter: The Twisted Tale of Sante and Kenny Kimes, the Most Notorious Con Artists in America. New York, NY: William Morrow.

Cowritten by Alaina Urquhart, Ash Kelley & Dave White (Since 10/2022) Produced & Edited by Mikie Sirois (Since 2023) Research by Dave White (Since 10/2022), Alaina Urquhart & Ash Kelley Listener Correspondence & Collaboration by Debra Lally Listener Tale Video Edited by Aidan McElman (Since 6/2025) Listener Tale Theme Music licensed from https://www.purple-planet.com Main Theme: Matti Paalanen — Trick or Treat — Provided by Jamendo Ad Music: Title: Artist: BlueJay Studio — Spooky Waltz — Provided by Jamendo