44 Crazy Facts About True Crimes and Criminals

In 1936, a rare million-dollar Stradivarius violin got stolen from virtuoso Hall Huberman. The thief, a café musician named Julian Altman, became famous and performed for presidents. 49 years after the theft, he confessed to the theft on his deathbed and his wife received $263,000 finder’s fee.

27. Most "locksmiths" advertising through google are scams operated by organized crime. They have effectively dominated the market through this strategy and run the legitimate guys out of business.

28. André Stander was a South African police officer who robbed almost 30 banks. Sometimes he’d carry out a crime during his lunch break and then return to the scene as an investigating officer. He was caught but escaped, formed a gang and robbed more banks. He was eventually killed in Florida.

29. In 1960, a terrorist named Alex Hildebrant armed with a bomb tried to hijack Trans Australia flight 408. Tom Bennett, the co-pilot punched him in the face and ripped the wires off the bomb saving 49 lives was awarded the George Medal.

30. In the U.S., seafood fraud is widespread. In a study by Oceana, 44% of all the grocery stores, restaurants and sushi venues visited sold mislabeled seafood. Some of the fish that were sold are classified DO NOT EAT by the FDA.

Colombian drug trafficker Carlos Lehder bought himself an island in the Bahamas where he put an airstrip that controlled the drugs coming in from South America and entering the US. He became so wealthy he offered to pay Colombia's foreign debt for amnesty.

32. The Oakland County Child Killer is an uncaught serial killer who killed 4 children in Michigan. After he abducted his final victim, Timothy King, Timothy's mother published a letter, begging her son to return for his favorite meal; KFC. His body was found soon after. His last meal had been fried chicken.

33. Sand gangs are organized crime rings that illegally mine sand from rivers beds and beaches to sell it for construction worldwide. They've gotten so bad in recent years with crimes ranging from murders, petty crimes, and habitat destruction that many governments are actively trying to shut them down.

34. In 1989, a Thai janitor named Kriangkrai Techamong stole Saudi Royal jewels. When the jewels were returned it was discovered that half of them were fake. A Saudi businessman with close ties to the royal family traveled to Thailand to investigate the crime. He was abducted and killed, along with three other Saudi officials three months later.

35. A Dutch crime writer named Richard Klinkhamer wrote a pretty suspicious book about seven ways to kill your spouse a year after his wife disappeared. He became a celebrity and spent the next decade hinting - in print and on TV - that he had murdered her. Finally, it turned out that he really had.

Due to a Gypsy crime wave, city officials in Milan authorized police to set up an undercover operation that used hidden cameras and telephone taps to make arrests. The investigation found that some children involved with these gangs were generating up to $15,000 to $20,000 a month from their criminal activities.

37. A burglar stole a Super 8 camera and videotapes from a youth soccer coach. He then turned over the tapes and coach’s address to police upon finding on tape sexual abuse of the boys in the soccer team by the coach. Police found more child porn of the players in the coach's home and arrested him.

38. In 1971, burglars broke into an FBI office by writing a note that said “Please don’t lock this door tonight” and plastering it onto the front door. It worked and they stole several files.

39. William Burke was a Scottish murderer who would sell corpses for a profit to medical researchers. After he was hanged for his crimes, scientists dissected him, wrote with his blood, and bound a book with his skin.

40. Hans Schmidt is the only Catholic priest to have ever been executed in the US. He killed his pregnant mistress, drank her blood, and dismembered her. He was found guilty for the crime and executed via electric chair in February 1916.

A man named Edward Briney booby-trapped his farmhouse which resulted in a burglar's legs (Marvin Katko) being shot with a shotgun. The burglar sued him and won. Later, when asked if he would do anything different, the Edward Briney stated “I’d have aimed that gun a few feet higher.”

42. A group of burglars actually admitted to using social media updates where people claimed to be “away from home” to decide whom to steal from.

43. In 2007, while in the midst of a home invasion, a burglar lost a testicle after he was struck in the groin by a handicapped man's cane. When the homeowner tried to call 911, they hung upon him.

44. A cartoonist named William Ellis Green confronted a burglar running through his house. He called the police and took pen to paper to produce a caricature of the burglar. The police immediately recognized the burglar from the drawing and he was soon apprehended.