LIFE - The Greatest Heists of All Time

Graff's Jewellers, London

Tue, 11 Aug 2009 03:00:00 EDT

On August 6, 2009, two armed thieves dressed in suits made off with almost £40 million pounds ($65 million), taking a woman hostage and then jumping into a BMW and taking off. No one was harmed in the robbery. Seen here: security camera images of the perpetrators.

Banco Central, Brazil

Mon, 08 Aug 2005 03:00:00 EDT

A Brazilian Federal Police agent and journalists look through the tunnel dug by the Central Bank robbers. On August 6 and 7, 2005 thieves tunneled into a Brazilian Central Bank branch to steal $65 million dollars, which would weigh approximately 3.5 tons in Brazilian real. Police said the gang must have worked for months to break through the steel-plated vault.

The Mona Lisa Theft, Paris

Thu, 01 Jan 1914 03:00:00 EST

On August 20, 1911, Vincenzo Perugia of Italy hid in the Louvre museum in Paris on a Sunday, knowing that the museum would be closed the next day. Disguised as an employee, he successfully stole the painting and kept it hidden for two years before returning with the painting to Italy, where he was caught. Seen here: the Mona Lisa is returned to the Louvre in 1914.

Harry Winston, Paris

Fri, 05 Dec 2008 03:00:00 EST

Shortly before closing time on December 4, 2008, what appeared to be three women and a man requested entry to Harry Winston, the upscale jeweler on the Champs Elysee in Paris. In reality, all four were men, members of the elite "Pink Panther" gang out of Serbia. Armed with a hand grenade and a pistol, they made off with over 80 million Euros ($105 million). Seen here: the scene of the crime the next day.

The Star of India Robbery, New York

Wed, 28 Oct 2009 19:13:55 EDT

On October 29, 1964, Alan Kuhn, Roger Clark, and Jack "Murph the Surf" Murphy robbed the American Museum of Natural History in New York City, stealing a total of 22 gems (valued at $300,000) thanks to a bathroom window that had been left open. The only problem? Three of the gems were far too well-known to be sold. Among the stolen gems was the famous Star of India, once owned by J.P. Morgan himself. Needless to say, the three men were arrested within 48 hours, but for a while it was being called the "crime of the century." Seen here: all the gems recovered from the robbery, the Star of India is the star sapphire in the center of the photo.

The Antwerp Diamond Heist, Belgium

Thu, 31 Oct 2002 03:00:00 EST

Antwerp, the diamond-cutting capital of the world, was hit by master thieves in February of 2003. The city's Diamond Center was hit over a weekend, clearing out 123 of the 160 vaults in the maximum security cellars for a collected haul of approximately $189 million in gold and jewels. The heist was high tech, using heat detectors and Doppler radar, but Italian Leonardo Notarbartolo was caught when police tracked his DNA to a sandwich found at the scene of the crime.

'The Scream' and 'Madonna' Thefts

Thu, 31 Aug 2006 03:00:00 EDT

The Edward Munch masterpieces ' The Scream' and 'Madonna' are shown to the press in 2006 after their recovery by police. On August 22, 2005, both paintings were stolen from the Munch museum in Oslo by armed robbers. ''The Scream'' alone was estimated to be worth $60 to $75 million.

Knightsbridge Safe Deposit Heist, London

Thu, 31 Mar 1977 03:00:00 EST

On July 12, 1987 in the upscale Knightsbridge section of London, two men walked into the Knightsbridge Safe Deposit Center asking to rent a safe deposit box. Upon entering the vault, the men withdrew guns and ended up stealing a horde worth £60 million, roughly $98 million in 1987.

Securitas Depot, Tonbridge, England

Sat, 25 Feb 2006 03:00:00 EST

A police forensic officer inspects a depot owned by Securitas, a popular private security company in England, following a robbery that occurred there on February 21, 2006. Robbers, disguised as police officers, kidnapped the manager of the depot and his family and, over the course of two hours, cleaned out the depot to the tune of £53 million or $83 million.

The Lufthansa Heist, New York

Sat, 14 May 1955 03:00:00 EDT

Immortalized in the film Goodfellas, the Lufthansa heist at the JFK International on December 11, 1978 was the biggest on American soil at the time. An inside man with gambling debts helped the mob get away with $5 million in untraceable cash and $875,000 in jewels.

Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Boston

Tue, 25 Apr 2006 03:00:00 EDT

On March 18, 1990, two men dressed as police officers were admitted into the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston at night, saying that they'd received reports of a disturbance. Then men then tied up the security guards and stole between $300 million and $500 million in art, 13 works in total by artists like 13 works in total by artists like Vermeer, Degas, and Rembrandt. The men were never caught and the statute of limitations has ended for their crime. Seen here: Laura Bush visits the museum.