The Ten Richest Criminals in the World of All Time - TRAVEL

Criminal activity runs the gamut from extremely profitable to downright disastrous, but what people don’t always consider is the net worth some of these so-called criminals have accumulated while engaging in criminal activities. We’ve assembled a list of the ten richest criminals in the world of all time. We’re sure you’ll recognize many of these names!

#10: Henri Le Chef Deschamps

Henri Le Chef Deschamps was a French thief who stole around $80 million worth of jewelry. He began his career as a jewel thief after he retired from the military at age 30. Deschamps would target wealthy people and enter their homes pretending to be a delivery man, cleaning woman, or other service people before he made off with their valuables. In addition to stealing jewels, Deschamps also sold them on the black market. His most famous robbery happened in 1986 when he broke into Paris’s Hotel Carlton and took $70 million worth of jewels that were owned by Swedish television producer Stig Edgren.

#9: Grigori Rasputin

Grigori Rasputin was a Russian peasant, mystic and self-proclaimed holy man who became an influential adviser to the Romanovs, especially Tsar Nicholas II and his wife Alexandra. He was assassinated on December 29, 1916, by a group of nobles led by Prince Felix Yusupov. The report by Dr. Vladimir Derevenko that Rasputin's wounds were not fatal has been contested. Rasputin could have survived if he had been provided with medical treatment for at least three hours. The conspirators took no precautions for this eventuality as they believed it unlikely he would survive long enough to make such a difference; however, Rasputin's death delayed the accession of Alexei Nikolaevich (the son of Tsar Nicholas II) until Michael Alexandrovich ascended the throne following his father's abdication.

#8: George Archer Vandam

George Archer Vandam was a New York City gangster who is famous for being one of Albert Anastasia's top hitmen. He was known to be one of the most ruthless men in all crime. After he retired, Vandam made his money as a successful gambler and had an estimated net worth of $2 million by 1950. In 1959, he was indicted on federal charges of racketeering and jury tampering but eventually acquitted. However, this didn't stop him from being arrested again in 1963 after shooting off a gun at Lindy's Restaurant which resulted in three deaths (two women and one man). In 1965, he was sentenced to six years at Attica Correctional Facility where he died from stomach cancer on November 12th, 1968.

#7: Dr. Hawley Crippen

In 1910, Dr. Hawley Crippen was found guilty of murdering his wife. He claimed that she had gone to America, but investigators were not convinced and eventually found her body buried beneath the couple's London home. Sentenced to death by hanging, he was executed on November 23rd, 1910. His wife's body was exhumed for examination and then cremated at Woking Crematorium. His remains were later sent back to America where they remain with his descendants. A retrial took place in 2002 which overturned the original verdict and Dr. Crippen was given a posthumous pardon.

#6: Pablo Emilio Escobar Gaviria

Pablo Emilio Escobar Gaviria, also known as El Patrón, was a Colombian drug lord. He is regarded as the wealthiest criminal in history, with an estimated net worth of about $30 billion by some estimates. In 1989 Forbes Magazine estimated his personal wealth at $25 billion. Some estimate that he may have been responsible for up to 80% of all the cocaine smuggled into the United States during the 1980s. In 1993 he attempted to enter Colombian politics and run for president; however, this proved unsuccessful and he ended up spending a few months in jail before being released on December 2nd, 1994 on account of his terminal illness.

#5: Frank Jaws Sheeran

Frank Jaws Sheeran, also known as Mr. Big, is a notorious Irish-American gangster and organized crime boss who was born to Irish immigrant parents in Brooklyn, New York. He started his criminal career by working for the Lucchese crime family as an associate. He later became a caporegime and then underboss of the Lucchese family's Westchester County crew. Along with Jimmy Burke, he was responsible for organizing the robbery of Lufthansa Airlines Flight 605 on December 11, 1978. In 1981 he fled to Ireland after being indicted on murder and drug trafficking charges in the United States.

#4: Dawood Ibrahim Kaskar

Dawood Ibrahim Kaskar is an Indian criminal and terrorist. He is wanted for crimes including terrorism and organized crime. The DEA offers a reward of US $25 million for information leading to his arrest. Dawood Ibrahim Kaskar was one of India's most wanted criminals until he was globally designated as a terrorist by the United Nations on October 16th, 2003, along with several others. Since then, he has also been added to India's list of 26 global terrorists and gangsters. 

Kaskar became involved in smuggling contraband goods at an early age from Mumbai (formerly known as Bombay). By the 1980s, he owned large stakes in hotels, real estate businesses, textile mills, and other such endeavors; hence becoming one of Asia's wealthiest people.

#3 Al Capone

Al Capone is one of the most notorious mobsters who ever lived. He was born on January 17, 1899, and died on January 25, 1947. Al Capone has a net worth of $100 million, which would be equivalent to $1.3 billion today. It's hard to believe that all of his wealth came from bootlegging alcohol during prohibition. In 1929, he went on trial for tax evasion and for failing to report over $2 million in income. He was found guilty and sentenced to 11 years in prison. He was finally released early when he developed pneumonia after suffering a stroke. After being released, he retired to Florida but continued to live luxuriously until his death five years later at age 48.

#2 John Dillinger

John Dillinger, also known as Jack or J.D., was a famous American bank robber. He was born on June 22, 1903, in Indianapolis and died on July 22, 1934, at age 31. John Dillinger grew up with a hard life, his father abandoned him at an early age and his mother had to live out of a boarding house to support herself and her children. As he got older Dillinger became involved with gangs that stole from local stores and eventually moved into armed robbery. After serving prison time for petty crimes, Dillinger was released but soon found himself back in jail again for robbing a police station’s gun vault. After being paroled again he robbed several banks before becoming America’s first public enemy #1.

#1 Josef Mengele (AKA Doctor Death and Angel of Death)

Josef Mengele was a German SS officer, physician, and full colonel of the Waffen-SS. He was also a member of the Nazi Party, which performed deadly human experiments on camp inmates without their consent during WWII. Mengele fled to South America after WWII and became wealthy working as an engineer and scientist. 

He died on 7 February 1979 while swimming off the coast of Bertioga, Sao Paulo, Brazil. 

#2) Al Capone: Al Capone was an American gangster who led a Prohibition-era crime syndicate that smuggled liquor into the United States (US) from Canada during the 1920s and 1930s.