10 Smartest Criminals of All Time

#10: Leonardo Notarbartolo

You take a walk past the Antwerp Diamond District and all you can see is a well-guarded fortress. Well, not for Leonardo Notarbartolo and his crew. He saw an opportunity for a big pay day and began planning. The crew took a few years of careful groundwork to bypass the Diamond Centre’s secure vault. In February 2003, they struck, and carted away with over $100 million worth of jewelry without detection. In what was nicknamed the “heist of the century”, DNA evidence found on a sandwich and discarded trash led to Leonardo’s arrest. The stolen diamonds were never recovered and Leonardo-despite being caught-denied most of it. To this day, much of the heist still remains a mystery.

#9: Al Capone

A crime boss respected for his charisma and disguise as a charitable figure, Al Capone ruled the underworld. Nicknamed ‘Scarface’ from his early start in New York, he later moved to Chicago where he rose to lead an Italian criminal empire. Capone grew this empire with precision, strategy and also with violence. Always careful, Capone avoided direct involvement, often relying on bribery and his political influence to protect his empire. Though the St Valentine's Day Massacre was linked to him, no strong evidence tied him to the crime. With no solid case of violence, federal authorities went after him for tax evasion. He was convicted, jailed, released and eventually died of cardiac arrest.

#8: Frank Abagnale

What were you doing in your teens? For Frank Abagnale, he was beginning his journey into becoming one of the world's biggest conmen. Before turning 21, he had already impersonated a pilot, a doctor, a lawyer, and a college professor without having any experience in those fields. His major crimes were forgery, check fraud and using social engineering to manipulate his victims and institutions. He was arrested a few times and released. Nothing stopped him from his next exploit. Frank went on to become a security consultant and an author. Although most of the claims have been disputed, his autobiography ‘Catch Me If You Can’ inspired a film. We are left to wonder, did Frank actually turn his life around?

#7: Adam Worth

Without any acts of violence, Adam Worth, the criminal mastermind, grew a global network of crime. What started off as a gang of pickpockets grew into organized robberies. After drawing the attention of U.S. law enforcement, he fled to Europe with his crime partner, Charley Bullard. There, they both continued their criminal enterprise under assumed identities. He was called the ‘Napoleon of Crime’ because he was elusive and far-reaching. He was mostly known for his part in the theft of the ‘Duchess of Devonshire’ painting. Worth liked the painting, kept it hidden and didn't try to sell it. He was later arrested and convicted in 1893. His legacy inspired Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s ‘Professor Moriarty’ in the ‘Sherlock Holmes’ series.

#6: D. B. Cooper

Who really is D.B. Cooper? That's the question we all keep asking-and may never get an answer to. In 1971, Dan Cooper hijacked a commercial flight, claiming he had a bomb, and demanded $200,000 and 4 parachutes in ransom. After releasing the passengers, he took the money and parachuted into the night-without a trace. Despite decades of FBI investigations and multiple suspects, Cooper was never identified and the case was eventually closed. No violence. No casualties. Just with sheer brilliance and planning, Cooper pulled off one of the most remarkable crimes in modern history. Even as his story has inspired books, films and songs–we’re still left to wonder.

#5: El Chapo

Joaquín Guzmán, popularly known as El Chapo, is no stranger in the world of crime. He, in fact, was the leader of the Sinaloa Cartel–one of the world's largest drug trafficking networks based in Mexico. El Chapo ultimately changed the game, running drug smuggling operations seamlessly through tunnels and generating billions. His influence, built on bribery and violence, made it possible for him to escape prison-twice. At one point, he was even ranked among the most powerful people in the world. That alone shows El Chapo wasn't just any drug lord–he was a highly sophisticated, intelligent and ruthless criminal. He was later arrested again in Mexico, then extradited to the US, where he was sentenced to life in prison.

#4: The Unabomber

Ted Kaczynski, known as the Unabomber, was one of the most intelligent yet dangerous criminals in U.S. history. He started off a very promising academic career as a mathematician and was recognized for his brilliance. Then, he abandoned everything and went into solitude, which marked the beginning of his deadly path. He was responsible for 16 bombings, leaving a few dead and a lot more injured. His bombs were carefully made by hand-a method that left no traces leading back to him. For nearly two decades, the Unabomber eluded the FBI. With threat of further attacks, he forced the media to publish his 35,000-word manifesto. This led to his arrest and conviction-all thanks to his brother. He later died in prison.

#3: Charles Ponzi

With a few dollars and a hope to make millions, Charles Ponzi migrated to the U.S. from Italy. He became a criminal architect that went on to create the famous ‘Ponzi Scheme’. How did he come about this? He found a weakness in the system of IRCs which enabled him to make money. But instead of doing that alone, he leveraged the greed of humans by promising to pay them 50% of their investments in 45 days. He used funds from new investors to pay earlier ones, a system that later failed as it wasn't feasible. He was arrested and charged. His investors lost over $20 million-nothing compared to the loss of $18 billion in Bernie Madoff's similar fraud decades later.

#2: Victor Lustig

Criminals don’t come any smarter than this. Victor Lustig was so skilled, he even had the ‘Ten Commandments for Con Men’ attributed to him. Fluent in multiple languages, he pulled off crimes across countries with ease. Impersonating a government official and using forged documents, he was famously known as ‘the man who sold the Eiffel Tower twice’. Lustig was behind so many other scams and evaded law enforcement using his wits. He also was involved in a counterfeiting operation and tricked unsuspecting victims with his infamous ‘Money Box’ scam. Lustig's scams weren't just smart–they were bold. He even managed to swindle the infamous gangster Al Capone. Eventually, Lustig was arrested, charged for counterfeiting, and died in prison.

#1: Pablo Escobar

One name that comes to mind when you talk about cocaine smuggling is Pablo Escobar. Starting small in the crime world, he went on to form and lead the infamous Medellín Cartel. Escobar expanded the enterprise through his vast distribution network of drugs into the U.S. He bribed as many people as he could, and killed those who rejected. At the peak of his criminal career, he made billions, and helped the poor in his community. He was loved and feared. He also infiltrated politics and was elected to Congress. He negotiated his own surrender- on the condition of no extradition to the U.S. and built himself a luxurious prison which he later escaped. Months afterward, Escobar was fatally shot by the police as he attempted to escape arrest.

Who do you think is the smartest among these criminals? Let us know in the comment section.