Lee Mroszak

Lee Siegfried
Siegfried in 2008
Born
Lee Anthony Mroszak

(1968-12-11)December 11, 1968
Minnesota, U.S.
DiedMarch 30, 2024(2024-03-30) (aged 55)
Other namesLee Siegfried, Cabbie, Crazy Cabbie
OccupationBroadcaster

Lee Siegfried[1] (born Lee Anthony Mroszak, December 11, 1968 – March 30, 2024), known by the on-air moniker Crazy Cabbie, was an American disc jockey. He broadcast on New York City's 92.3 K-Rock and was a regular guest on The Howard Stern Show.

Mroszak previously worked for two radio stations in the Twin Cities, spending time as part of the 92 KQRS Morning Show. Mroszak was fired from KQRS after he faked a segment implying that Brett Favre was staying in a Minneapolis hotel with a woman other than his wife.

Mroszak began his radio career as a frequent caller known as "Cabbie" on The Andy Savage Show, airing on Minneapolis' 93.7 The Edge. When Howard Stern's show came to town, Mroszak moved to the KQRS Morning Show, the highest-rated morning drive show in Minneapolis.

KQRS hijinks

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Mroszak raised his visibility at KQRS as a street reporter who took some listeners on a tour of the city's crack cocaine market. In one attempt to be outrageous, Mroszak did a "remote report" in which he claimed to have knocked on NFL star Brett Favre's hotel room door when the NFL's Green Bay Packers were in town for a Monday night game. Mroszak claimed that he intended to offer Favre some Vicodin and a six-pack of beer, but that he instead discovered the quarterback with a naked female who was not his wife. The report ended abruptly, but the press contacted the station for further information. Mroszak was forced into hiding, but eventually admitted that the story was completely fabricated. With his credibility shattered, Mroszak was fired by KQRS[2] and the station apologized to Favre.[3]

The Howard Stern Show

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On The Howard Stern Show, Mroszak would often discuss his service in the 82nd Airborne Division. He would talk about deployment during Gulf War, events that occurred during his stint as a DJ for K-Rock radio in NYC, and many incidents in his personal life.

Tax trouble

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Mroszak spent one year in federal prison for tax evasion.[4] He was arrested after saying on the November 9, 2004 Howard Stern Show that he did not file a tax return in many years and would not resume filing until the U.S. government cured his Gulf War Syndrome. An IRS employee was listening and reported him. Mroszak pleaded guilty to tax evasion in federal court in December 2004, and was sentenced to one year in prison and ordered to pay his outstanding taxes.[citation needed]

On July 29, 2005, Mroszak was imprisoned at the Federal Correctional Institution in Fort Dix, New Jersey. On February 27, 2006, it was reported on The Howard Stern Show that he was "recently" moved to Federal Medical Center (FMC) Devens in Ayer, Massachusetts.

Mroszak was released from prison on July 27, 2006, and appeared on The Howard Stern Show that same day to discuss his prison experiences.

Illness and death

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In 2020, it was reported Mroszak suffered from GBS-CIPD, a rare nerve disorder that can result in paralysis.[5]

In 2021 during an interview with Brad Straubinger for the Here's the Pitch podcast, Mroszak disclosed that he was confined to a wheelchair and could no longer walk, but hoped to launch his own podcast.[6]

Mroszak died on March 30, 2024, at the age of 55.[7]

References

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  1. ^ McClam, Erin; Connor, Tracy (2013-04-26). "Boston bomb suspect's new home has motley cast of alums". NBC News. Retrieved 2013-05-24. "There are a lot of heavy hitters in there," said Lee Siegfried, a former DJ best known as the "Cabbie" character on Howard Stern's radio show
  2. ^ Mishler, Todd (2004). Cold Wars: 40+ Years of Packer-Viking Rivalry. Big Earth Publishing. p. 133. ISBN 9781931599467.
  3. ^ "Station Apologizes for Hoax". Associated Press. December 4, 1997. Retrieved April 30, 2020.
  4. ^ "DJ sentenced to one year in prison". Los Angeles Times. 2005-05-17. ISSN 0458-3035. Retrieved 2018-04-18.
  5. ^ Ackerman, Spencer (2020-11-27). "Veterans Saw Friends Die From COVID. Then It Got Worse". The Daily Beast. Retrieved 2021-10-26.
  6. ^ "Howard Stern former employee Crazy Cabbie on Artie Lange, Boxing John & updates!". Here's the Pitch. 2021-12-20. Retrieved 2021-12-22.
  7. ^ Roberts, Jamie (2 April 2024). "Howard Stern Show personality known as Crazy Cabbie dies aged 55". The Mirror. Retrieved 2 April 2024.