HISTORY’S BIGGEST SWINDLE
Over the years there have been many dramatic thefts and cons pulled off by daring criminals. In 1963 thieves stole bags from a Royal Mail train in the UK containing over $3.5 million. The Antwerp Diamond Heist in February 2003 saw thieves make off with over $100 million worth of diamonds, gold, silver and jewelry from a heavily guarded vault in the diamond district. General Sani Abacha, governor of Nigeria in the late 1990’s, is believed to have stolen $3-5 billion from his government. Philippine president Ferdinand Marcos pocketed between $5-10 billion in bribes and money stolen from the government. “Baby Doc” Duvalier in Haiti stole up to 5% of his nation’s GDP. Bernie Madoff conned investors out of billions of dollars in his huge Ponzi scheme. But these miscreants are minor league players in the world of financial embezzlements.