11 of The World’s Smartest Criminals in History: Masterminds of Deception and Escape

Throughout history, certain criminals have stood out not only for their audacity but for their remarkable intelligence and cunning. From legendary con artists to masterminds of prison breaks, these individuals have pulled off some of the most unbelievable crimes the world has ever seen. Here are some of the smartest criminals in history who left their mark with their sheer brilliance and ingenuity.

1. Mark DeFriest – The Escape Artist

Mark DeFriest is considered the most talented jailbreak expert in history. At the age of 19, he was imprisoned for a minor crime, but his repeated escape attempts turned him into a nightmare for U.S. prison guards. Over his 35-year prison term, he successfully escaped seven times out of 13 attempts. Originally sentenced to only four years, his repeated prison breaks extended his term to a staggering 105 years. His story remains one of the most fascinating in the annals of criminal history.

2. Victor Lustig – The Man Who Sold the Eiffel Tower (Twice!)

Victor Lustig is one of the most flamboyant and daring con men in history. In 1925, he devised an audacious plan to sell the Eiffel Tower, not once but twice. He took advantage of a newspaper report that suggested the French government was struggling to maintain the landmark. Posing as a government official, he convinced wealthy businessmen to bid for its purchase. His ability to manipulate and deceive people earned him a reputation as one of the greatest swindlers of all time.

3. Frank Abagnale Jr. – The Master Impersonator

Frank Abagnale Jr. carried out his criminal activities between the ages of 16 and 21, successfully forging identities and conning people across multiple professions. He faked being an airline pilot, allowing him to fly for free, and later posed as a pediatrician, nearly risking the life of a baby before quitting. He also impersonated a Harvard-trained lawyer and worked in a law firm without any formal degree. His skill in forging checks led to a $2.5 million fraud across 26 countries. His story inspired the famous movie Catch Me If You Can.

4. Natwarlal – India’s Greatest Con Man

Mithilesh Kumar Srivastava, known as Natwarlal, was India’s most notorious con artist. He repeatedly sold iconic Indian landmarks, including the Taj Mahal and the Parliament House, often claiming to be a government official. He also duped major industrialists and was arrested multiple times, yet he managed to escape every single time, even faking his death twice. His name remains synonymous with high-profile frauds in India.

5. Charles Ponzi – The Inventor of the Ponzi Scheme

Charles Ponzi is the man behind one of the most infamous financial scams in history, the Ponzi scheme. His operation promised investors a 50% return in 45 days through arbitrage of postal reply coupons. The scheme initially paid returns using funds from new investors, but eventually, it collapsed, taking down six banks and defrauding people of over $20 million. Today, Ponzi’s name is forever linked to fraudulent investment schemes.

6. El Chapo – The Drug Kingpin Who Escaped Twice

Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, the leader of Mexico’s Sinaloa Cartel, is one of the most infamous drug lords in history. Arrested in 1993 for murder, kidnapping, and drug trafficking, he bribed prison guards with $2.5 million and escaped in 2001. After his re-arrest in 2014, he was kept in a high-security prison, yet his men still managed to dig a mile-long tunnel under the facility, allowing him to escape again in 2015. He was finally captured in 2016 and extradited to the United States.

7. Hushpuppi – The Instagram Fraudster

Ramon “Hushpuppi” Abbas, a Nigerian cybercriminal, was infamous for flaunting his luxurious lifestyle on Instagram. His cyber fraud operations, known as Business Email Compromise (BEC) scams, targeted businesses by hacking corporate emails and stealing financial data. By the time he was arrested in 2020, authorities had seized $40 million in cash and evidence of scams amounting to over $24 million. His arrest was part of an extensive FBI investigation called Fox Hunt 2.

8. Pablo Escobar – The Billionaire Drug Lord

Pablo Escobar, the infamous Colombian drug lord, controlled 80% of the cocaine entering the United States during the 1980s. At the peak of his power, he was making an estimated $420 million per week. His cartel smuggled up to 80 tons of cocaine into the U.S. each month. He even made the Forbes list of international billionaires multiple times. Despite his wealth, Escobar was hunted down and killed by law enforcement in 1993.

9. Emmanuel Nwude – The Man Who Sold a Fake Airport for $242 Million

Emmanuel Nwude, a former director at Nigeria’s Union Bank, pulled off one of the most shocking frauds in history by selling a fake airport to a Brazilian bank executive. He impersonated Nigeria’s central bank governor and convinced Banco Noroeste’s director to invest in a non-existent airport in Abuja. The scam was discovered three years later, leading to one of the biggest financial fraud investigations in Nigeria.

10. The Unabomber – A Criminal Genius with a 167 IQ

Ted Kaczynski, also known as the Unabomber, was a Harvard-educated mathematician with an IQ of 167. After renouncing modern society, he embarked on a bombing campaign from 1978 to 1995, targeting universities and corporations. His ability to evade capture for nearly two decades led to the FBI’s most expensive manhunt at the time. He was finally caught after his manifesto, Industrial Society and Its Future, was published, leading to his brother recognizing his writing style and tipping off authorities.

11. D.B. Cooper – The Mystery Hijacker Who Vanished

D.B. Cooper remains one of the most mysterious criminals in history. In 1971, he hijacked a Boeing 727, demanded $200,000 in ransom, and parachuted out of the plane over the forests of the Pacific Northwest. Despite an extensive FBI investigation, he was never caught, and his true identity remains unknown. The case continues to be one of America’s greatest unsolved mysteries.

These criminals were not just lawbreakers; they were masterminds who used intelligence, deception, and psychological manipulation to execute their crimes. While their actions were illegal, their stories continue to fascinate people worldwide, inspiring books, movies, and documentaries. Whether through elaborate cons, daring escapes, or cyber fraud, they remind us that intelligence, when misused, can have devastating consequences.