The most ingenious criminal masterminds in history

Jonathan Wild - This Englishman was involved in several robberies during the early 18th century in London. According to Britannica, he was the leader of an organized crime ring and was responsible for distributing the stolen goods. After 15 years leading a life of crime, Wild was arrested and hanged.

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Al Capone - Probably the most famous mobster in history. This mafia boss came to be very well thought of by many Chicago residents. In 1931 he was convicted for tax evasion.

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Charles Manson - Thanks to his charisma, this man managed to create the Manson Family, a cult with which Manson hoped to start a race war in the United States. Charles Manson was arrested for several homicides and died in prison in 2017.

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Bernard Madoff - He is responsible for one of the biggest financial frauds in US history. According to The New York Times, Madoff defrauded clients in millions of dollars through a Ponzi scheme.

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Ted Kaczynski (Unabomber) - Before becoming a terrorist, Kaczynski was extremely gifted in maths. According to The Atlantic, when Kaczynski was 16 he was accepted into Harvard. He later became the Unabomber and is serving a life sentence for bombings that killed three people and injured more than 20.

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Mithilesh Kumar Srivastava - According to the India Times, this Indian con man managed to get people to believe they were buying the Taj Mahal. He managed to 'sell' it on three occasions!

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Hassan and Abbas O - According to Time, in 2009 a robbery took place at KaDeWe in Berlin. Jewelry worth almost $7 million was stolen. At the site, police found traces of a person's DNA, however, this person had a twin brother. Soon it came to light that one of the two brothers was in the robbery, but since it was not possible to determine which one it was, both were released.

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Victor Lustig - According to the Biography, among his many frauds, Lustig's managed to 'sell' the Eiffel Tower on two separate occasions.

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Albert Spaggiari - According to The New York Times, this French photographer was responsible for plotting a bank robbery in Nice in 1976. Spaggiari's group stole approximately $20 million from the bank. Later, Spaggiari was arrested, but managed to escape through a window during the trial. He was never caught until he died in 1989. His body was found in the backyard of his mother's house.

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Balkan Pink Panthers - This was the name given by the police to a Balkan gang that committed several crimes. According to the Los Angeles Times, the gang's robberies resembled those of the movie 'Ocean's Eleven' and lasted an average of 90 seconds.

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Adam Worth - Nicknamed 'The Napoleon of Crime,' Worth began as a pickpocket and evolved in the world of crime. He was an expert in breaking into vaults during the 17th century. According to The New York Times, Worth changed his identity multiple times throughout the years.

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Eugène-François Vidocq - According to Britannica, this Frenchman, born in 1775 was a famous thief, who because of his strong knowledge in the art of crime, contributed to the creation of a 'security police'. Having later retired from his position, Vidocq became a detective and founded a private police agency; what we would call today a private detective agency.

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Anthony Curcio - In 2008 this man became known in the United States for a bank robbery. According to ABC News, Curcio placed an ad on Craigslist where he asked for construction workers. In the announcement came the time and place of the meeting, which was next to a bank. Anthony robbed the bank and came out dressed in a construction worker's outfit. However, he was eventually arrested.

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Tom Horn - This American was not as famous as Jesse James or Billy the Kid, but he came close. According to History, his outlaw career came to an end when he was hanged after being found guilty of the murder of a boy in 1903. Horn's innocence regarding this crime is still contested to this day.

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J.D. McMahon - This man is responsible for what is known as the 'world's littlest skyscraper'. According to the Houston Chronicle, it was a scheme, where McMahon convinced some Wichita Falls residents to invest in building a skyscraper. However, McMahon later switched the units of measurement in the construction plans, making it smaller.

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Gerald Blanchard - According to the CBC News, this man has already been considered by Canadian police as 'one of Canada's most sophisticated criminal masterminds.' He was the ringleader behind a scheme that stole millions from financial institutions. In a daring move, Blanchard stole the Star of Sisi, a jewel of the Austrian crown, made with a perfect pearl surrounded by 27 diamonds, from Vienna castle.

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Leonardo Notarbartolo - In February 2003, Leonardo Notarbartolo was arrested for running a network of robbers. They were accused of breaking into a safe that lay two stories below the Antwerp Diamond Center. The group stole around $100 million worth of diamonds, gold, and other jewelry.

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Banco Central robbery - Approximately $70 million were stolen, in what was the biggest bank robbery in Brazilian history. Between August 6 and 7, 2005, thieves entered the Banco Central, in Fortaleza, through a tunnel that took about 3 months to be excavated. The crime was only discovered on August 8.

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Carlo Gambino - The Italian mobster led New York's organized crime for years. The movie 'The Godfather' was inspired in Gambino's life. Despite his connection to countless crimes, Gambino has never been arrested.

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Carl Gugasian - Gugasian robbed several banks in the United States over approximately 30 years. According to a NY Daily News article, Gugasian was only arrested in 2001 because some kids playing near a drainage ditch eventually discovered where the robber hid various materials and plans for the robberies.

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D.B. Cooper -

It is the nickname given by the press to the man who hijacked a Boeing 727 in Portland, Oregon, Seattle, and Washington airspace on November 24, 1971. The individual gave specific instructions to the airplane's crew regarding altitude, wing angle, and speed. He stole about $200,000, then jumped out of the plane, carrying the money inside suitcases. The culprit has never been located or identified.

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