The Most Successful Thieves in History

As persons who lived their lives taking the properties of others, who do you think among these thieves has the greatest accomplishment?

Charles Frederick Peace

After being maimed in an industrial accident as a boy, he turned out to become a burglar and murderer. Settling in London, he carried out multiple burglaries before being caught in the suburbs of Blackheath. He wasn’t put down without a fight – he wounded the policeman who arrested him. But his true act of thievery doesn’t lie there.

What made him great at stealing is the fact that he stole a great amount of media scrutiny. His story has inspired many authors and film producers and for this, he remains one of the greatest thieves as he keeps on stealing and capturing people’s attention even more than a hundred years after his death.

Doris Payne

Unlike most thieves who would resort to violence to get the job done, she mainly uses her charm. Her modus operandi is to enter jewelry stores posing as a wealthy and influential woman, looking for a diamond ring. She would then engage the clerk, asking to see an assortment of items. Eventually, the clerk would get disoriented as to how many items were presented. At some point, Doris would leave with one or two jewelry items. Her crimes have spanned five decades. Even at age 83, she was reported to be still active with her life as a career criminal.

Vincenzo Peruggia

Standing at only 5’3, he was known as a little Italian man by stature. But his achievement as a thief was toweringly impressive. He managed to steal The Mona Lisa– the most famous and most expensive painting of all, and kept it for himself for 2 years. Such an act has been described as the greatest art theft of the 20th century.

He said he did it for a patriotic reason, claiming he wanted to bring the painting back for display in Italy. Although experts are in great doubt about Perrugia’s patriotic motives, he was sent to jail for one year and 15 days only. When he was released, he was hailed as a great patriot in Italy.

Frank Abagnale Jr

He was a check forger, an impostor, and a confidence trickster. He started early. At age 15, he was already showing his great talents in deception and counterfeiting which improved even more when he was 21. Eventually, he would become one of the most famous and most publicized con men ever.

He claimed to have assumed 8 identities that included an airline pilot, a doctor, and a lawyer. With such a skill, he even escaped from police custody a couple of times. His story inspired the Academy Award-nominated film Catch Me If You Can, starring Leonardo DiCaprio as Abagnale and Tom Hanks as the FBI agent pursuing him.

DB Cooper

This name is just the one given to an unidentified man who hijacked a Boeing 727. Testimonies claim that on the afternoon of November 24, 1971, a well-dressed man carrying a black attaché case booked for a flight at Portland International Airport. While on the plane, reports have it that he seemed to appear as a courteous, soft-spoken man who casually told a flight attendant that he carries a bomb with him on board.

Cooper extorted a ransom equivalent to more than a million dollars today as he parachuted through his escape. While available evidence and expert opinion suggested that Cooper probably did not survive his high-risk jump, the FBI nevertheless maintained an active investigation for 45 years which remains unsolved today.

Richard Turpin

Of all his exploits, he is perhaps known for a 200-mile horse ride in England, from London to York- a story that would turn out to be fictitious. Regarded as some kind of folk hero, Richard Turpin isn’t actually remembered as a notorious livestock thief. He is more loved than hated due to his archetypal “cowboy action-hero persona.”

Stories about Turpin continued to be published well into the 20th century. He became the subject of legend after his execution as he was romanticized as a dashing and charismatic outlaw that would be depicted and relived for generations on film and television.

John Dillinger

Because of his charisma and his alleged hesitance in shedding blood during his heists, he became popular in the media as well as plain people within his neighborhood. He is known to be very generous as well which resulted in him being viewed as a Robin Hood-type of figure.

Over the course of his career, he robbed nearly 24 banks and 4 police stations. The media often reported exaggerated stories of his greatness which sometimes confused investigators heavily, or would make people admire him even more. He was caught and jailed on two different occasions and mysteriously escaped both times.

Ma Barker

Kate Barker, is truly one of the most notorious female criminals in history. President J. Edgar Hoover, one of the biggest names in the history of the NBI, called Ms. Kate as the “the most vicious, dangerous, and resourceful criminal brain of the last few decades.” She was regarded as the mother of several American criminals who ran the Barker-Karpis gang during the "public enemy era."

Even though claims to have no actual participation with the group, she certainly knew of the gang's activities and even helped them before and after they committed their gruesome crimes. Strangely, there is no evidence that she was involved in planning them. In her later years, Ma lived in "miserable poverty" with no husband and no job, while all her sons were incarcerated in prison.

Jesse James

He was born and raised in Missouri. USA and is very well-known within the area, in spite of his infamy as a criminal. His story was told in a major Hollywood film which starred Brad Pitt and Casey Affleck. He was an American outlaw, prolific bank robber, established train robber – such were his taglines as the leader of the James-Younger gang.

Scholars and historians have characterized Mr. James as one of many criminals inspired by the regional insurgencies of ex-Confederates following the American Civil War. Many historians consider him as such rather than just another manifestation of economic injustice or of frontier lawlessness. When he finally met his end, his passing became a national sensation.

Carl Gugasian

This guy shouldn’t be a thief if we look at his credentials, but he became one anyway. He attained a Bachelor's degree in electrical engineering and also enrolled in the Reserve Officers' Training Corps. After going through his graduation, he served in the US Army and received special-forces and tactical weapons training. Such skills would later be found useful in his criminal endeavors.

If that isn’t enough, he later returned to college, earning a Master's degree in systems analysis In conducting his robberies, his heists were meticulously planned and executed. Using detailed topographical street maps and sketches, he selected chose small-town banks that were situated next to wooded areas.

Like most known robbers, he didn’t last too long in his criminal career and was arrested. Carl’s extensive cooperation after his arrest resulted in his initial 115-year sentence being reduced to 17. In prison, he taught mathematics to other inmates. At least he got a good commencement using his intellect.

Who do you think among them is the worst at what he/she does?