From legendary cat burglars to the real Pink Panthers, here are 9 of the most infamous
jewelry thieves ever.
9. Thomas Blood
Thomas Blood was an Irishman famous for his shady past and his scheming nature. He is
most famous for his attempt to steal the Crown Jewels of England. No easy feat but if he
could pull it off, not only would he be rich beyond his imagination, but he would show
the royal family who was boss and he would be famous!!
The main challenge is that the Crown Jewels were in the tower of London. But what theif
doesn’t live for the challenge? In 1671 the Tower of London was probably one of the
most fortified places in the world!! The jewels were surrounded by guards, and
no one but royalty could get anywhere near them. A big problem for most of us but Thomas
was was creative. He pretended to be royalty and created a fake life for himself.
He "became" an aristocrat, got a fake "wife"(who was really a hired prostitute), and then made
his way around England and the Tower of London (during tours) to makee it clear that he was
"real". He had costumes, a royal daily routine, and of course fake friends who would help
him pull of the heist. He and his new wife became friends with the keeper of the jewels,
Talbot Edwards. They got so close that Thomas promised his fake nephew would marry Edwards
plain Jane daughter. So when the time came and they asked to take a peek at the Crown
Jewels, how could Edwards say "no"? Edwards took the small royal group to see
the jewels when no one was around. And then Thomas and his gang promptly knocked Edwards
out and tried to steal all the jewels. He and his cohorts began smashing all of the
jewels trying to actually break and flatten everything they could into portable pieces
so that they could sneak them out...down their pants. So Edwards finally regained consciousness
and started screaming, and remember, they wore tight pantaloons back then so needless
to say, this plan didn't work. So how is this a successful plan, you ask?
When Thomas was locked up he refused to speak to anyone except the King. King Charles II
was SO amused by what he had done that instead of committing him to death, he gave him is
own title and estate in Ireland. 8. Bill Mason
You may not know the name Bill Mason from the history books, but rest assured, he was
a very successful thief. (Not to be confused with Bill Mason the Canadian naturalist and
conservationist). He is considered by some law enforcement officials to be one of the
most successful jewel thieves in American History. Which is ironic, because most of
the people in his life didn't even know that he was a thief.
On the surface, Bill Mason was just a regular guy living in America. He had a wife, a house,
kids, a full-time job, living the American dream! But, it wasn't enough for him. On the
weekends, he would read magazines and attend society galas and pay attention to who was
rich, a socialite, and who had the best jewels. And then he would sneak into their houses
and rob them. He even robbed a mafia boss’s safe! And a gold medal from an Olympian. He
felt bad and ended up mailing it back. At parties, people would brag about their
jewels and their alarms, their security guards, and the fact that they might be on the 18th
floor, which was no problem for Mason! After 25 years he was finally caught in the
act and served three years in jail. The man knew how to keep a low profile! However 3
years isn’t much given the total amount of jewels he stole totaled around $70 million
dollars. If you want to learn more, he wrote a book
called “Confessions of a Master Jewel Thief”. The main lesson is, never assume that your
upper-floor penthouse is impenetrable. And it’s very easy for people to find your address.
7. Alan Golder Despite what his name may indicate, Alan Golder
was a more of a diamond guy, and he was a talented diamond thief, at that. So much so
that when he started his career in his early 20's he had been so successful that he got
the nickname the "Dinnertime Bandit". He was big in the 1970's, when security systems
weren't what they are now. And so, Golder would climb walls, trellises, or anything
else he could find outside the house to allow him to get in through the windows on the upper
levels of the house. It worked quite well in fact.
He would sneak in like a cat around dinner time when everyone was downstairs. Like Mason,
he also went after the rich and famous and stole millions of dollars worth of jewelry.
Golder was also selective in picking his targets, he even broke into homes owned by the Kennedys
and Johnny Carson. However, in 1980, things went tragically wrong
when he and an accomplice were spotted, and the accomplice shot the person. Golder spent
15 years in jail but once he was released, he went back to what he did best. When he
started feeling the heat he went to Europe and began robbing homes in Spain, France the
Czech Republic, all over. He was the perfect aristocratic jewelry thief and is considered
by many to have been the best in the world. Until he was caught once again, extradited
to the United States, and then sent back to jail on 40 counts of burglary in Connecticut.
6. Ignacio Peña Del Rio Spanish national, Ignacio Pena Del Rio came
to the US to try to become a professional mixed martial artist. He got a business degree
from the University of San Diego, but it just wasn’t enough. As time went on, he found
an easier way to make money, and it wasn’t with his college degree.
He went on a burglary spree, that made him rather infamous in the area. He committed
over 1000 robberies in the San Fernando Valley. That's a lot of robberies, and he was able
to do this with his tools and skills. He had a wide arsenal to get into people's houses
and would even use blow torches to melt down locks at times. But more than that, he was
a great climber, and he could ascend or descend just about any house with ease. A great cat
burglar! Del Rio targeted older people who were suspicious
of banks and would amass wealth and keep it in the house. He had several exist strategies
and tried to blend in to the community. He stole a a $400,000 diamond, and a $10 million
dollar Degas painting. Now, he is collaborating with police and was able to get some time
shaved off his prison sentence. 5. Doris Payne
87-year-old Doris Payne has been arrested again!! Known as the “Granny Gem Thief”
she is well known in jewelry circles and has been at for a while!!
Last year she "confessed" that she was going to stop stealing jewels and diamonds. That
being said, her career is legendary. Unlike other thieves, who would steal things when
people aren't looking, Doris Payne would happily steal things right in front of your nose.
But not through violence, that wasn't her style. Rather, she would go and use disguises
and sleight of hand in order to get the jewels or diamonds she wanted.
Payne would go into jewelry stores and other high-value targets dressed as a person of
class and wealth. Which, naturally, would get the attention of the people inside the
place as they felt this would be a person to make a large purchase. So, she would ask
for diamonds, and then "try them on", and pretend to be very interested. Then, once
the attendant was distracted or confused going back and forth, Payne would make certain jewels
disappear. It may sound simple, but she got away with
it a lot. In total, her career netted her around $2 million dollars worth of stolen
goods, (but who can say for sure). Including a $500,000 ring during a stint in Monte Carlo.
She has been caught several times throughout her career in the US as well as in Europe
but has gotten away with things more often than not.
While she doesn’t steal jewels anymore, she is known for shoplifting. She has said,
“I do not have any regrets about stealing jewelry. I regret getting caught.”
4. Hajime Karasuyama Not much is really known about Hajime Karasuyama,
in fact, that's not even his real name. It’s a pseudonym.
So how do we know he exists? Simple, The Japanese burglar wrote a book about himself, and gives
tips on how to rob jewels. According to the book, Hajime Karasuyama is a "gentleman thief',
who uses classic thieving techniques like picking locks, using glass cutters, and more
in order to get into the houses he chooses to rob. He boasted about his skills quite
a bit. What's more, he bragged about how he had a
"sense" for where the jewelry was in any given house. The publisher was criticised for publishing
this how to book, but they say it is a good way for homeowners to know how to better protect
their home. Karasuyama says he makes about $450,000 a
year from his burglaries. As far as I know, he hasn’t been caught.
3. Peter Scott When he was 12 years old, Peter Gulston from
Ireland dedicated his life to crime. He committed 150 robberies before being caught and sent
to prison. Once he was released, he knew he couldn't stay in Belfast under his current
name. So, he moved to London, and became Peter Scott, burglar extraordinaire!
He targeted aristocrats, royalty, and of course the rich and famous! He was an expert at robbing
wealthy people of their fine arts and jewelry. Including apparently robbing Sophia Loren
of a £200,000 necklace. He also claimed to have robbed Zsa Zsa Gabor, Vivien Leigh, Elizabeth
Taylor, as well as the Shah of Iran and even Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother.
In several occasions, the people of the house would hear him but he would just shout “it’s
only me!” or “everything is alright madam!” and they would think he was the Butler. We
are talking huge estates here! While he lived to be 82, his wealth did not last. He was
a gambler and loved to spend his money on fast women and flashy cars. (His words, not
mine!). He finally went bankrupt and died at the age of 82.
2. Borko Ilincic One of the leaders of the infamous jewel theft
gang, the "Pink Panthers", Borko Ilincic is credited with stealing over 250 million pound’s
worth of jewels during his career. He and his group of theives would rob in groups of
4-5 men which would allow them to grab what they wanted and get out quickly. Their strategies
were numerous and creative, and each one was more elaborate than the last.
Most of the members of the Pink Panthers were believed to be ex-military personnel from
the Balkans and may have been operating for over 30 years! They robbed the Carlton Hotel
in Cannes several times, once they took £39 million worth of gems and more recently in
2013, the stole £88millions worth of Chopard jewellery which had been worn at the film
festival. The whole thing was done in 30 seconds. Until Boris, none of the members had ever
been caught. The 33-year-old Serbian was wanted in dozens of other countries and he was finally
caught by Interpol in Spain. In Dubai, the group had robbed 14 million dollars worth
of jewels at the Wafi mall in 2007. Boris was sentenced to 10 years in prison but mysteriously
ended his life during the trial. Many of the Pink Panther members are still at large.
1. Hope Diamond Robbery In terms of diamonds, the Hope Diamond is
one of the most famous, and infamous, jewels ever. It was most recently insured for 250
million dollars, and is said to be cursed and it has been stolen more often than any
one can even count. But I’ll mention a couple! The legend goes that a Frenchman stole the
115 carat blue diamond from a Hindu temple and so the priests put a curse on the gem
and whoever possessed it. The Frenchman cut it down and sold it to King Louis XIV in 1668.
Then, the diamond was called the "French Blue", and was one of the most valued treasures in
the French treasury. However, during the French Revolution in 1791, it was stolen along with
numerous other treasures. French citizens realized how easy the treasury was to rob
so over 30 people went and threw an all night rager as they cleaned out the place. So really,
these thieves were successful kind of by accident! While most of the gems were recovered, the
French Blue was not, and it didn't appear until decades later. Somehow it had gotten
into the hands of an Englishman named Henry Philip Hope. Hence the name, the Hope Diamond.
It is now in the National Museum of Natural History in Washington behind 3-inch thick
bullet-proof glass. Thanks for watching! Did you enjoy these tales
of thieves? Which was your favorite? Let me know in the comments below! be sure to subscribe,
and I'll see you next time!