https://www.bloomberg.com/heist-issue?sref=OjL6BEgT
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Hi, it’s Matt. When you visit the Met in New York or the British Museum in London, it’s tempting to wonder how all the ancient sculptures, friezes, and busts got there. Did someone get permission to remove each one from its original location for the benefit of a faraway institution? Or were they hacked away in the dead of night and smuggled out of their home countries and into the international art market? In recent years, big museums and private collectors have been forced to admit that it was often the latter—and that many of the treasures they display are, in any conventional sense of the term, stolen property. As I write in the new Bloomberg Businessweek Heist Issue, some of the most outrageous thefts occurred in poor, war-torn Cambodia, where temples from the ancient Khmer Empire—the civilization that produced Angkor Wat—were being systematically emptied of statues into the late 1990s. A large share of those pieces ended up in the hands of Douglas Latchford, a British bon vivant who established himself as the foremost dealer of Khmer art, supplying billionaire collectors and elite museums alike. Operating from an artifact-stuffed condo in the heart of Bangkok, Latchford was the central node in what heritage activists believe was one of the most significant art crimes in history. Latchford died in 2020, before he could face trial in the US for fraud and conspiracy. But justice, of a kind, may still be achieved. An international team of lawyers, archaeologists, and private eyes is trying to track down the treasures he sold and return them to Cambodia. It’s a huge job. They estimate there are more than 2,000 likely looted objects across the globe, and locating them all could take decades. But they’re making real progress, thanks in part to an unexpected break: They’ve convinced former looters to testify about what they stole. Click here to read the story or here to listen. —Matthew Campbell  Bloomberg Businessweek, July 4, 2022. Photo illustration by Chris Burnett and 731. Photos by Derry Moore. |
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The Heist Issue
Sordid tales of robberies, scams, and snitches
2022
Matthew CampbellInvestigators are unraveling a network that trafficked Cambodian antiquities on an unprecedented scale and landed them in institutions as august as the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Claire MartinIn a stunning crime spree, a pair allegedly stole millions of dollars in watches, bags, and other luxury items from celebrities, the fabulously wealthy, and even friends. Their trial begins on Aug. 25.
Zeke FauxThe novelty rapper and her startup-guy husband are now facing trial, but some of the proceeds from the $8 billion Bitfinex hack still haven’t been recovered.
Austin Carr and Mark BergenThe century-old security giant best known for its octagonal blue logo is banking on a smart-home partnership with a company that’s also one of its biggest threats.
Snigdha Poonam and Sadiq NaqviA wave of fraudulent claims swept through the rural villages of India’s northeast. Police crackdowns and Covid seemed to snuff them out—for a while, anyway.
Simon van Zuylen-WoodJay Kurland built a practice giving legal and financial advice to jackpot winners. He’s now accused of fraud.
Margaret NewkirkSales of repossessed assets have stripped thousands of families of their property—along with the potential to increase wealth.
Francesca MaglioneChristopher Faulkner wooed potential oil investors with a jargon-filled prospectus, then he pumped it hard when the price of crude started to climb. Expect a proliferation of similar cons again soon.
Matthew BremnerFor more than a decade, a mysterious blogger struck fear into Uzbekistan’s untouchable ruling class. Then they caught him.
David KwongThere’s been a burglary at the auction house, and the precious loot has been hidden away. In the long answers of this puzzle, see if you can recover what’s been stolen.
2021
Devin LeonardThe hit series mixes familiar elements, new twists, and the je ne sais quoi of French star Omar Sy.
Thomas BuckleyWhen Donald Trump suggested injecting bleach, the Genesis II Church had just the “sacrament”—until Operation Quack Hack landed four elders in jail.
Francesca Sironi and Alberto GottardoItalian fashion entrepreneur Michele di Pierro has made a career out of legally producing fake designer clothing. An 11-step look at his scheme.
Haley GillilandAlmost 30 years ago, an American court ruled that victims of the Ferdinand Marcos regime in the Philippines should be compensated. The money was very well hidden.
Dorothy GambrellCar thefts, porch piracy, medical fraud, and all kinds of other grifts boomed during the pandemic.
Austin CarrA junior Microsoft engineer figured out a nearly perfect Bitcoin generation scheme.
Andy Hoffman and Benedikt KammelPolice suspect an inside job in a scam that took advantage of vulnerabilities in the global supply chain.
Evan RatliffAuthorities say Ramon Abbas, aka Hushpuppi, perfected a simple internet scam and laundered millions of dollars. His past says a lot about digital swagger, and the kinds of stories that get told online.
Joshua BrusteinHow rock photographer Larry Philpot perfected a perfectly legal way to extract settlements from his images of Tom Petty, Willie Nelson, Ted Nugent, and more.
Jesse HydeAfter thoroughbreds started winning at suspicious rates, investigators stepped in. Eventually, 29 people would be indicted in a multimillion-dollar scheme to defraud bettors.
Dayna EvansDuring the worst of last winter’s Covid surge, the city briefly put a 22-year-old in charge of inoculating hundreds of thousands of citizens. If you can believe it, that went poorly.
Minh-Anh NguyenHere are all the ways to get defrauded, according to the U.S. government.
2020
Zeke FauxSean Murphy was a Tom Brady enthusiast, an epic weed smoker, and the best cat burglar that Lynn, Mass., had ever seen.
James TarmyThieves didn’t even bother with a London art gallery’s Constable landscape—and they still walked away with $3 million.
Josh Eidelson and Christopher CannonOver the years, bosses have held down wages, cut benefits, and stomped on employees’ rights. Covid-19 may change all of that.
Stephen L. CarterAbolitionists who helped people escape were, according to the law, violating property rights—a distinction that continues to resound today.
Natalie Obiko PearsonNortel was once a world leader in wireless technology. Then came a hack and the rise of Huawei.
Brendan Borrell and Christopher SolomonJordan Goudreau, a former Green Beret and prolific Instagrammer, signed a contract to, essentially, heist Venezuela. The results were embarrassing.
Dorothy GambrellAll of the author’s deadly plots, plotted. (Spoilers if you look closely.)
Claire SuddathCops, criminals, journalists, and art sleuths—they’ve all failed to find the $500 million haul of the Gardner Museum theft.
Austin CarrIshmael Osekre, a promoter with a history of alleged Facebook-fueled misdeeds, faces charges of fraud and false advertising.
Kit Chellel and Liam VaughanSean Quinn was once a billionaire folk hero, but then things turned very dark in the borderlands.
2019
Josh DeanAnthony Hathaway, a former Boeing engineer with a raging heroin addiction, pulled off a yearlong, 30-bank robbery spree.
Sarah McBrideRangers like Branden Pero use hidden cameras to capture thieves who plunder exotic trees and plants from national forests.
Zeke FauxBaruch Vega ran a scheme that ensnared Colombian cocaine kingpins and gave him a life of luxury. Then one put a price on his head.
Matt RobinsonMoney manager Charles Kokesh was supposed to pay back tens of millions of dollars in unlawful gains. But the watchdog caught up with him too late.
Benedikt Kammel and Karin MatussekThe Big Maple Leaf and the inside job.
Matthew BremnerA fatal fuel leak at a Pemex pipeline highlights the dangers of the illegal siphoning trade.
Patrick ClarkBack doors to your personal data can be found in everything from smart fish tanks to Wi-Fi pineapples.
Austin CarrHow (and why) did thieves steal a valuable collection of scaled-down locomotives?
Jesse Hyde and David VoreacosProsecutors have charged Jacob Kingston, a member in a shadowy Mormon offshoot known as the Order, with collecting a half-billion dollars in biodiesel credits his company didn’t deserve.
Caroline Moss and Zeke FauxThe present and former partners of reality TV’s most renowned series are no strangers to their own drama.
Heist Guides
Janet LorinTotally-not-serious lessons in gaming the American education system.
Ira BoudwayTotally-not-serious tips on the art of bribing and betting.
Laura Millan LombranaTotally-not-serious pointers on how to sell copper on Chile’s black market.
2018
Charlie Devereux, Franz Wild and Edward RobinsonCarbanak’s suspected ringleader is under arrest, but $1.2 billion remains missing, and his malware attacks live on.
Geoff ManaughA confident criminal can rob a bank with nothing more than a handwritten note, but a truly ambitious theft requires specialized tools.
Samanth SubramanianSome $2 billion was stolen over seven years. Now the dapper Nirav Modi is in the spotlight.
Craig CalcaterraA longtime Buffalo Trace employee admits to stealing bourbon but not to being a criminal mastermind.
Vernon SilverUsing a secret database of tens of thousands of photos, Christos Tsirogiannis is fighting to prevent auction houses from selling looted art.
Josh DeanEvery winter, apiarists from all over America rent their hives to farmers in California, attracting the attention of some very specialized thieves.
Peter CoyOne person’s technical adjustment is another’s flagrant theft.
Yalman OnaranInternational-style bank robbing comes to the U.S.
Lily Katz and Andre TartarThe bad things that can happen, some of which would be your own damn fault.
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