Fraud is the theft of someone else's property or the acquisition of rights to someone else's property through deception or abuse of trust. Fraud is generally a crime. The criminal legal definition of fraud varies depending on the specific country or jurisdiction.
In cinema, plots are often built around swindlers and swindlers. However, few people know what is around us, in real life, there are people whose “exploits” turned out to be even more defiant and daring. Most of the loudest scams were eventually exposed, but who knows if another genius swindler is working next to us right now? The techniques and methods of some of them remained original, while others managed to come up with something that is still used today. I would like to note that most of the twelve most legendary swindlers did not end their lives in wealth and fame, but on the contrary.
Victor Lustig (1890-1947) was born in the Czech Republic and by the end of school he spoke five languages - Czech, French, English, Italian and German. The deal to sell the Eiffel Tower brought fame to this man. It is Lustig who is considered by many to be one of the most talented swindlers who has ever lived. Victor's brain constantly generated more and more new scams; having 45 pseudonyms helped him hide from justice. In the States alone, Lustig was arrested fifty times, but each time the police were forced to release him due to insufficient evidence. If before the First World War the swindler showed himself mainly in organizing dishonest lotteries on long transatlantic cruises and card games, then in 1920 Victor showed up in the United States, where it took him a couple of years to defraud several banks and individuals out of tens of thousands of dollars. However, Lustig's most famous trick was his sale of the Eiffel Tower. The adventurer found himself in Paris in 1925, where he read in the newspaper about the dilapidation of the famous tower and that it required repairs. Lustig quickly figured out how to take advantage of this; he drew up a false credentials document, which certified him as Deputy Minister of Posts and Telegraphs. Then Victor sent out “official” letters on his behalf to the six largest representatives of companies in recycling metal The meeting with entrepreneurs took place in an expensive hotel, where we stayed" public official". Lustig "confidentially" told businessmen that the costs of the tower were unreasonably high, which is why the government was organizing a closed auction to sell the Eiffel Tower for scrap metal. The total weight of the tower was 9 thousand tons, the starting "government" price was lower than the price of scrap metal, which is natural made the businessmen happy. And in order not to prematurely create public discontent, Lustig asked to keep this news secret. Andre Poisson bought the right to dispose of the tower for 50 thousand dollars, while Victor himself fled to Vienna with a suitcase of the cash received. The entrepreneur was so afraid of looking like a fool for hiding the fact of fraud against him, although a team of installers honestly showed up on the specified day to demolish the tower. The fraudster was forced to flee to the USA, where he continued a series of frauds. Even Al Capone himself became one of Victor’s clients! Lustig in the early 30s returns to Paris and does the same trick again, this time the Eiffel Tower is sold for 75 thousand dollars Only in December 1935, Lustig was arrested and convicted. The total sentence for counterfeiting banknotes, as well as for escaping from prison, was 20 years. Victor Lustig ended his days in 1947 in famous Alcatraz, a prison near San Francisco.
Frank Abagnale was born on April 27, 1948, and at the age of 17 he managed to become one of the most successful bank robbers in American history. The young man began his career at 16, and his first victim was his own father. The young man managed to forge many bank checks, thanks to which he fraudulently received about five million dollars. Frank loved to travel, but did not pay for air travel, preferring to use fake documents here too. Most often, Frank pretended to be a Pan American pilot; from the age of 16 to 18, he was able to fly more than a million kilometers at the expense of the company, which provided free flights to its pilots. Frank refused to actually take action to control the ship, citing blood alcohol levels. For almost a year, Abagnale pretended to be a pediatrician in a Georgia hospital, and then, with the help of a fake Harvard University diploma, he was even able to get a job in the office of the Louisiana Attorney General. Over the course of 5 years, the fraudster managed to become a specialist in 8 professions, while continuing to enthusiastically forge checks. As a result, banks in 26 countries around the world suffered from Frank's actions. Where did the young man spend a lot of money? This, of course, includes dates with girls, luxurious restaurants, prestigious clothes. At the age of 21, the swindler was caught and went to prison, but soon talented person left her and began to cooperate with the FBI. This story was later translated into cinema, where Leonardo DiCaprio played the talented and witty swindler in the film Catch Me If You Can. For a long time Abagnale could not find a permanent job, since no one wanted to get involved with a former swindler, but over time he managed to organize his own business based on protecting banks from the tricks of people like himself. Abagnale's fraud protection program is used by more than 14 thousand companies, making its author a legal millionaire. Frank has a wife and three sons, one of whom works for the FBI, and agent Joe Shay, who chased the conman in the 60s, became his best friend.
Christopher Rocancourt, born in 1967, became famous as the fake Rockefeller. The French-born fraudster was finally arrested in Canada in 2001 for committing a number of major scams. Christopher claimed to be a member of the Rockefeller family, and he was also a close friend of Bill Clinton. The swindler was helped in his tricks by his wife, former Playboy model Maria Pia Reyes. She was also charged with cheating and knowingly defrauding a Vancouver businessman at a ski resort in Whistler, where rich people from Europe and America gather. The police believe that Christopher committed his first crime back in 1987; for three whole years the police tried to obtain any evidence against him, until in 1991 he was arrested on suspicion of robbing a jewelry store in Geneva. However, it was not possible to prove Rocancourt’s guilt; he was only expelled from the country, prohibited from appearing there until 2016. In the mid-90s, the swindler sails to the United States, where he rents a luxurious mansion in Beverly Hills and poses as the nephew of an Italian tycoon. It was there that Christopher had an affair, and then married Maria, who, by the way, was aware of his real passport details. The cheerful and cheerful men quickly gained the trust of their rich and noble neighbors. Christopher soon came to the conclusion that it would be much more useful for him to be a relative of Rockefeller, especially his real name is in tune with him. In his new image, Rocancourt develops vigorous activity - he moves around the city exclusively by helicopter, or, in extreme cases, by limousine, posing as a financier, leading a luxurious life. Mickey Rourke and Jean-Claude Van Damme become his friends, to whom Rocancourt even promised $40 million to shoot a new film. However, the movie stars were only a cover for the fraudster’s activities; using his image, he took money from businessmen for investment. It turned out that Rocancourt’s activities extended to Hong Kong and Zaire; in one area of Los Angeles alone, the elite allocated almost a million to the fraudster, but the true scale of the scam remained unknown. In August 2000, the fraudster was arrested, but after being released on bail, he went on the run and showed up in the same Whistler, where he and his wife tried to deceive another simpleton. In 2002, Rocancourt was extradited to the United States and admitted to $40 million in fraud, theft, bribery and perjury.
Ferdinand Demara(1921-1982) became famous as the “Great Impostor”, as during his life he played a huge number of images of people of various professions, from a monk and a surgeon to a prison warden. Life under a new guise first began for Demara in 1941, when he enlisted in the US Army under the name of his friend. However, there, having failed to get the desired position, he faked suicide and began to play a new role, this time as a psychologist. Subsequently, he repeated a similar trick again and again. Having not even finished high school, Ferdinand often falsified documents about his education in order to successfully play his next role. Demara's fraudulent career list includes such diverse professions as a doctor of psychology, an editor, a Benedictine monk, an oncology specialist, a civil engineer, a sheriff's deputy, a teacher, a surgeon, a prison warden, an attorney, and even a Child Protective Services expert. The most interesting thing is that all these tricks did not pursue material gain; Demar was interested in the very fact of his new social status. Ferdinand's most famous fraud was his service as a surgeon on a Canadian destroyer during the Korean War. There he was able to spend several successful operations and even stop the epidemic. A laudatory publication about a capable doctor exposed him, since a real doctor with that name was found. However, the military did not sue Demara. Ferdinand sold his life story to Life magazine, after which it became more difficult for him to find work. He received his first and only education diploma in 1967. A film was made and a book was written about the life of this extraordinary man. He died of cardiac arrest, in the status of a Baptist minister.
David Hampton (1964-2003) posed as the son of black director and actor Sidney Poitier. In 1981, the future scammer arrived in New York. The first step of the newly minted David Poitier was free meals in restaurants. Then the swindler realized that his image was quite convincing, and he could get money from famous people under the pretext of charity. Thus, Calvin Klein and Melanie Griffith were among the stars he deceived. Soon Hampton expanded the range of his activities, the black scammer told some people that he was a friend of their children, told someone the heartbreaking story of his own robbery, and in his arsenal there was a story about being late for a plane and lost luggage. Hampton was eventually arrested on fraud charges in 2003. The court ordered him to pay compensation to the victims in the amount of $5,000. Refusing to pay this amount, David went to prison for 5 years. The fraudster died of AIDS in a shelter, not even reaching his 40th birthday. In 1990, based on Hampton’s activities, the film “Six Degrees of Separation” was shot. After the success of the film project, the former swindler tried to threaten the director, demanding his share of the profits. As a result, David sued the filmmakers, demanding $100 million, but the court rejected these claims.
The Milli Vanilli duet today is known not for its hits, but for the fact that its members could not sing at all. A scandal with a popular German group broke out in the 90s; it turned out that the voices on the studio recordings belonged to strangers, and not to the “singers.” But in 1990, Rob Pilatus and Fabrice Morvan even received a Grammy for their work! The duet itself was created back in the 80s, quickly gaining popularity. During its activity, the group managed to sell 8 million singles and 14 million records. The deception was revealed like this - in 1990, while singing “live” the song “Girl, you know it’s true” in Connecticut, the phonogram began to jam, constantly repeating the same phrase. The main responsibility for the deception lies with the group's producer, Frank Farian, who came up with a simple scheme according to which the fake but charming duo only danced and opened their mouths on stage, while other people sang. As a result, the award was taken away, and 26 lawsuits were filed against the group and the recording studio. In order to somehow recover from the scandal, Farian in 1997 agreed to again become the producer of the group, in which the participants now sang in their own voices. However, by that time Rob Pilatus had already become closely acquainted with drugs and alcohol, and on the day of the presentation of the new album he was found dead in a hotel. Death was due to an overdose of pills and alcohol. Morvan tried to continue his musical career and was a hired musician and DJ. However, he was never able to reach his previous heights, although he released his solo album “Revolution of Love” in 2003. The history of the Milli Vanilli group was of interest to film industry, and the Universal Pictures studio announced its readiness to make a film about it.
Cassie Chadwick (1857-1907), née Elizabeth Bigley, became famous for posing as the illegitimate daughter of Andrew Carnegie, a major steel industrialist. The girl was first arrested at the age of 22 for forging a bank check, but was quickly released thanks to a skillful simulation mental disorder. In 1882, Elizabeth got married, but after 11 days her husband left her because he learned about her past. The woman's next chosen one was Dr. Chadwick from Cleveland. By the time of her marriage, Elizabeth had worked as a fortune teller and brothel owner, and had also served 4 years in prison. In front of Chadwick, the fraudster portrayed a noble lady who had no idea that her boarding house was a brothel. The most successful scam was Cassie's in 1897, when she began to introduce herself, as already mentioned, as Carnegie's daughter. To do this, Mrs. Chadwick asked a lawyer she knew to take her to Carnegie’s house, pretending that she had been inside; she “accidentally” dropped a check with a promissory note at home, which was noticed by her companion. This news quickly spread across the local financial market; the woman, thanks to a fake bill for $2 million issued to her by her “father,” received loans from different banks. The total amount of damage ranged from 10 to 20 million dollars. As a result, the police became interested in the wealthy relative and asked Carnegie if he knew anything about his “daughter”? After the industrialist's negative response, the police quickly arrested Mrs. Chadwick. During the arrest, the fraudster herself was found wearing a belt stuffed with money worth over 100 thousand. On March 6, 1905, she was put on trial, which proved her participation in 9 cases of fraud. Mr. Chadwick filed for divorce shortly before the trial, and Andrew Carnegie himself was present at the hearing, wanting to look at the one who introduced himself as his daughter. The woman was eventually sentenced to 10 years in prison; she brought several suitcases of things, carpets and furs into her cell, but after 2 years Elizabeth died in custody.
Mary Baker (1791-1865), known as Princess Caraboo, appeared in that capacity in Gloucestershire in 1817. The woman had a turban on her head, she herself was dressed in an exotic outfit, and no one could understand her speech, since she spoke in an unknown language. The stranger first lived with the magistrate, then in the hospital, where she refused any food, from there she again returned to the hospitable Mrs. Worrall. None of the foreigners could understand the strange language until one of the Portuguese sailors recognized the language. The stranger's story said that she was the princess of Karabu from an island in the Indian Ocean. The woman was captured by pirates, but their ship was soon wrecked, but she managed to escape. For the next two months, the princess was the center of attention of everyone around her, because she not only wore exotic clothes, but also climbed trees, sang strange songs and even swam naked. However, soon after the portrait appeared in the local newspaper, Princess Caraboo was identified by a certain Mrs. Neal, who recognized her as the daughter of a shoemaker named Mary Baker. While working as a maid, the girl dabbled in entertaining children with an invented language. As a result, Mary was forced to admit her deception, and as punishment, the judge sent her to Philadelphia. There, the woman again tried to fool the residents with her story about the mysterious princess, but the townspeople were not so easily deceived. When Mary returned to England in 1821, she again tried to use her legend, but now no one believed her at all. For the rest of her life, the woman was engaged in selling leeches at one of the English hospitals, and her deception served as the basis for the film "Princess Caraboo" released in 1994.
Wilhelm Voigt (1849-1922) was a German shoemaker, famous for his daring antics as Captain Köpenick. The swindler was born in Tilse and at the age of 14 was sentenced to two weeks for petty theft. This served as a reason for the teenager to be expelled from school; he had to learn the craft of a shoemaker from his father. By 1891, Voigt had spent 25 of his 42 years behind bars for counterfeiting securities and theft. After his release, he lived for a short time in Berlin, from where he was supposed to be evicted in 1906 as unreliable. However, on October 16, 1906, an unemployed illegal immigrant, Wilhelm, in the Berlin suburb of Köpenick, bought a used uniform of a Prussian army captain and organized the seizure of the local town hall. That's how it was. Voigt, dressed in military uniform, headed to the local barracks, where he ordered four grenadiers and a sergeant to follow him. The soldiers did not dare to disobey the officer. Voigt then ordered them to arrest the city mayor and treasurer, then he single-handedly captured the local town hall and confiscated the entire treasury. The fraudster told officials that he was arresting them for theft. public funds, the money itself is confiscated as evidence. Having ordered the soldiers to guard the detainees, Voigt left for the station, where he changed clothes and tried to escape. However, after 10 days the swindler was caught and sentenced to 4 years in prison. The process received great publicity, the sympathies of the common people were on Voigt’s side, even the British were amused by what happened, noting how much authority the man in uniform had for the Germans. In 1908, the story reached Kaiser Wilhelm II, amusing him, and by his personal decree the swindler was released. This story made Wilhelm very popular, he even gave autographs on behalf of Captain Köpenick. In 1909, his book about this amazing event was published; in 1910, the author even visited Canada with its presentation. Voigt retired a wealthy man, living out his days in his own home in Luxembourg. Subsequently, this story served as the basis for several films and many plays, and on the steps of the Köpenick City Hall today there is a bronze statue of the legendary captain.
George Psalmanazar(1679-1763) declared himself the first witness to the culture of the aborigines of the island of Formosa. Allegedly, it was he who became the first resident of this exotic place to visit Europe. Formosa means "beautiful island" in Portuguese, and this island is the largest of the group of islands in Taiwan. Psalmanazar was born in France, into a Catholic family, and his real name remained unknown. The young man did not finish his studies at the Jesuit school because he became bored there. So George began traveling around Europe, pretending to be either a soldier or an Irish pilgrim. In 1700, Psalmanazar appeared in Northern Europe with tales of his exotic origins. European clothes and appearance he explained by the fact that he was kidnapped from his homeland by Jesuit monks and brought to France in order to force him to convert to Catholicism. To prove his legend, Psalmanazar spoke about the details of the life of the aborigines, about their sun worship, and his own calendar. At the same time, the swindler met Holland and converted to Christianity, receiving his name at baptism, with which he became known. In 1703, George ends up in London, where he becomes famous, mainly for his strange habits. So, he slept right on a chair, and ate the meat raw, flavoring it only with spices. In 1704, even a book was published under his authorship, “Historical and Geographical Description of the Island of Formosa, Belonging to the Emperor of Japan.” In it, Psalmanazar said that on the island men walk completely naked, covering intimate parts golden plate. The aborigines feed on snakes, which they hunt with sticks. Polygamy is accepted on the island, and a husband can eat his wife for infidelity. The book, which was very popular, even described the alphabet of the islanders. The book was published in three languages, and Psalmanazar soon began lecturing on the history of the island. Even a thorough interrogation of George by the Royal Society did not reveal a lie. But no one believed the Jesuit missionary monks who actually visited Formosa, since they had a bad reputation in England. This continued until 1706, when Psalmanazar declared that he was tired of pretending, and his whole story was one grandiose hoax. The swindler spent the rest of his life translating Christian literature and writing his own memoirs, which were published after his death.
Joseph Whale (1875-1976) was one of the most famous swindlers of the 20th century, he even bore the nickname The King of Swindlers. Even in his youth, he began the path to “fame” by fooling blind farmers by selling them wonderful gold-framed glasses. The simpletons thought that they were profiting from the young man by buying an excellent thing for only 3-4 dollars, although it actually cost 15 cents. Joseph's most famous trick was deception using a fake bank. The scammer heard that Munsi National Bank of Commerce was moving to a new location. An empty house was rented and a fictitious bank was created in it to complete one single transaction. Wale hired a whole group of small-time swindlers who portrayed ordinary inhabitants of the bank. There were queues at the cash registers, operators were working with money, the doors were guarded, and clerks were constantly scurrying back and forth with papers. Wayne's assistant, meanwhile, processed a local millionaire, who was informed that the owner of the bank was ready to sell the land plots for a quarter of their price. But since the transaction is extremely secret, you must pay in cash. The client, who believed in the legend, brought with him a suitcase with half a million dollars. A luxury car picked him up from the station and brought him to the bank, where life was literally seething. We had to wait for a meeting with the owner for about an hour, all this time the work of a successful establishment was played out in front of the client, the clerks kept talking on the phone that security needed to be strengthened, and there was nowhere to put the money. A lethargic and tired banker met the buyer, clearly not wanting to complete the deal. However, he soon allowed himself to be persuaded and sell the land for 400 thousand. The happy buyer was glad that he saved as much as 100 thousand, the scammers would obviously try to take it all. Among Weil's famous victims was Benito Mussolini himself, to whom Joseph came under the guise of a mining engineer and sold the right to develop deposits in Colorado. When intelligence agencies discovered the deception, Wale managed to escape with two million dollars. The swindler’s money did not last long - after all, he led a rich life and loved women. In addition, every time he went to prison, the swindler gave all his property to his brother, the bailiff. Joseph Whale's life was full of adventures, and he lived to be 101 years old!
Carlo Ponzi (1882-1949) became famous as the creator of his own fraud scheme, which is often associated with financial pyramids, which appeared in abundance in our country at the end of the last century. Arriving in America in 1896, by 1920 Carlo had become a celebrity on both sides of the Atlantic. Initially young man Not even a penny in his pocket, he changed many professions until he became a clerk in a Canadian bank in 1908. There he lured clients with high interest rates, paying them from subsequent deposits. The bank, of course, soon burst, and Ponzi served two years in prison. Then more fraud with forgery of documents, again prison... But having married at the age of 35, Carlo acquired useful connections in emigrant circles and some small starting capital. Then he discovered the next field for action. At that time, there was a Postal Agreement, which implied the exchange of postal coupons for stamps in 60 countries at a single rate. However, the crisis and World War led to a difference in exchange rates, so a coupon could be bought in Europe for a cent, and sold in the States for 6. On December 26, 1919, Ponzi registered his SEC company, which had branches in the USA and Europe and redeemed debt notes with a yield of 50%, and then 100% within 90 days. It was explained to the curious that the company was engaged in extremely profitable postal operations, but exactly which ones were a secret. The opening of the company caused a real boom, its offices were literally filled with dollars, up to a million were received per day. An interesting scheme was used - there were many cash desks for depositing money, but only a couple for withdrawal, queues constantly crowded around them, and on the way back there was an opportunity to deposit money again. Checks by the authorities did not bring results; moreover, when the company was temporarily closed down and panic began, Ponzi paid out every cent, becoming known as a hero who had suffered from the authorities. However, this served as the snowflake that starts the avalanche. Ponzi became interesting to journalists who dug up his past and prison terms. On August 13, 2009, Carlo was arrested. It turned out that 40 million depositors became victims of the scam, the total amount of lost deposits was 15 million. Many court hearings led to the bankruptcy of several more companies and banks. Ponzi himself served 11 months, moved to Florida, where he served another three years for land fraud. Then there was Italy, where the Duce soon refused his services. Mussolini sent Carlo to Brazil, but even there the company under his leadership faced bankruptcy. Ponzi died in poverty in Rio de Janeiro, and his scheme attracted swindlers so much that it is still used under one guise or another.
It is so accepted that crime is the lot of men. However, over the course of history, women have also mastered the world of crime. They could not afford to become bandit raiders, and famous women- there are not so many murderers. Using their charm, beauty and feminine cunning, women from crime have always liked fraud and deception, and this is where they have achieved impressive success. Some of them became famous throughout the world and wrote themselves forever in the history of the criminal world.
1. Sonya Golden Pen
It would be wrong to start our rating with someone else, because this woman was called the queen of the underworld, and this title was rightfully given to her. All her life she lived by deceiving dozens of men, stealing big and small, and pulling off cunning combinations, charming men, despite the fact that she did not have outstanding external characteristics.
Sofya Ivanovna Bluvshtein was from a family of buyers of stolen goods. The first time, after marrying an innkeeper, she ran away from him abroad, leaving him without money. Then she will marry a rich old Jew to do the same with him, the third time - to a card sharper. Sonya had a craving for diamonds and furs, she had a special dress - a bag into which she could sweep the skin, and she took a trained monkey with her to jewelry stores - she swallowed stones while the scammer distracted the owners, and at home Sonya gave the animal an enema.
Knowing how to dress well and present herself, speaking five languages, Sonya traveled around Europe and stole from expensive hotels and trains, posing as a fellow traveler. What was the cost of her clever robbery of a jeweler when, having selected a significant amount of diamonds, she remembered that she had forgotten the money at home and went to get it, leaving her “old father” and “sister and child” as collateral at the jeweler’s house.
As it turned out later, these were hired beggars, well dressed by Sonya for such an important scam. When she was finally caught, she was sent to Sakhalin, from where she escaped three times. Someone says that a figurehead served time for her, and Sonya returned to Odessa and lived until 1921, at least 2 times she managed to escape from Sakhalin until she was shackled, maybe she succeeded the third time?
2. The general is a fraud
As it happens, a girl from the outback in the capital goes to great lengths. So 25-year-old Olga, realizing that life married to a university professor was boring, began going out to restaurants, soon divorced and married General Stein, who had connections in high society. Soon Olga places an ad in the newspaper, saying she is looking for a manager in large company, which she establishes with her husband’s money in Siberia.
Gold mines have been discovered there and they are being developed, the salary for the position is 45 thousand rubles, a lot of money at that time. Olga collected money for the position for many years, while the applicants traveled around Siberia and looked for mines, and if someone returned, they frightened her husband with connections and the deceived ones left with nothing. When she was finally convicted in 1907, she fled abroad until in 1920 she was arrested in the USA and brought to Russia.
There she charms the head of the colony, Krotov, and leaves a year later, and Krotov, blinded by this femme fatale, begins to pawn the property of the colony for her pleasure. Even after Krotov’s capture, Olga managed to get out of it and was given bail to her relatives.
3. Maria Tarnovskaya
This woman was a professional in seducing men and lived at their expense all her life. An aristocrat by birth and the daughter of a count, she destroyed men one after another. A certain Vladimir Stahl, driven into a frenzy by her, committed suicide near the theater, having insured his life in her name for the amount of 50 thousand the day before. With this money she went to South Palmyra, where she found a new lover - a certain Prilukov, in whose hands she put out her cigarettes and forced him to tattoo her name.
As soon as his money ran out, she began an affair with the widower Count Komarovsky, and then with his friend, the provincial secretary Naumov. Naumov had money, and the fraudster convinced Komarovsky to kill him - an impressive sum of 500 thousand rubles was at stake, but the count got scared at the last moment and handed it over to the court. Maria Nikolaevna was sentenced to 8 years in the salt mines, but rumors came from there that a millionaire from the USA found her there and took her to his homeland.
4. Doris Payne
The most famous diamond thief, born in 1930, and who lives to this day. She was the most extravagant criminal in the United States, she even attended other people’s trials in order to feel better in court, and at her own she introduced herself to the judge: “I steal jewelry and I steal professionally.” France demanded her extradition. Italy and Switzerland, since she ransacked stores all over Europe, doing this for six decades, until she was very old.
She was in prison in six states, and many joked that she would give up stealing jewelry only when she could not move independently. Her method of theft was based on decorum and good manners. She forced the sellers to lay out jewelry in front of her, and during small talk she quietly hid the rings, or forgot to take them off her fingers when she took them home; few could suspect the elderly black lady of dishonesty.
5. Cassie Chadwick
Born Elizabeth Bigley, she was first caught at age 22 when she forged a bank check. Pretending to be in prison psychological illness, she went out, got married a couple of times, but then, realizing that honest life she is not seduced, she organized her most successful scam. She became the daughter of cattle dealer Carnegie from Scotland, concocted a counterfeit bill for $2 million, and collected $20 million from various banks to organize a slaughterhouse.
She continued to deceive people for a long time and live on the money she received, until the real industrialist Carnegie was surprised to learn about the tricks of his “daughter” and went to court because he wanted to protect his honest name. Cassie could not stand it in captivity and died in prison two years later.
6. Valentina Solovyova
The notorious fraudster from the era of the 90s came to court as if to a theater - in furs and diamonds, and assured that she was pure both before God and before people. Her “Vlastilina” was an ordinary financial pyramid, people were promised returns of up to 200%, and at first this was how it was, when the first investors came for money - Solovyova regally waved her hand to the corner where the boxes of money stood and said: “Take from the box as much as you need "
The fame of the rich and generous “ruler” spread far, the mafia and government officials brought money to her, and Solovyova herself promised everyone apartments in Moscow at bargain prices. People were taken to new buildings, and they said that all this was being built by “Vlastilina”. Solovyova explained her arrest by saying that the authorities do not want people to get rich, and she is a clear victim in this whole matter. Meanwhile, 16.5 thousand investors suffered at her hands, and the damage exceeded 530 million rubles. and 2.5 million dollars
After serving seven years, Solovyova was released in 2000, and, apparently inspired by the fate of Mavrodi, again launched a new pyramid, for which she is being sued to this day.
In 1942, the USSR waged fierce battles with the enemy in all military directions.
There was also unrest in the rear; the NKVD and SMERSH, other military intelligence services, and all military propaganda called on the people to be vigilant. Who would have thought that in this harsh time, permeated with general suspicion, in the rear of the Soviet state, a whole network of swindlers dressed in military uniform operated brazenly and with impunity.
Created a fake one military unit- Red Army deserter Captain Pavlenko, a man of extraordinary talent and adventurous character. After spending several months at the front, Nikolai Pavlenko fled from the front and settled in the rear, getting a job as chairman of a construction artel in the city of Tver using forged documents.
He knew the construction business well - he studied at the Institute of Civil Engineering, and did his internship at Glavvoenstroi, where he carefully studied the entire bureaucratic mechanism. Among the workers of the artel there was a previously convicted swindler who specialized in the production of seals, stamps and false documents. In 1942, Pavlenko came up with the idea - using false documents, to create a military unit - Directorate of Military Construction Works No. 5.
So Nikolai Pavlenko became a fake military engineer of the 3rd rank, a major, in military terminology. Soon other “soldiers” appeared. The swindler awarded officer ranks to his accomplices. But to carry out the criminal plan it was necessary work force- soldiers and sergeants. To fill his own unit with human reserves, Pavlenko sent fake letters to surrounding hospitals, demanding that the wounded and those lagging behind their military echelons be sent directly to his unit. They did not hesitate to take deserters. So, military unit overgrown with people, many of whom did not even suspect that they were serving in the “fake” troops.
The scammers ordered all the forms, certificates, and military IDs from the printing house, paying large bribes. Military uniforms were obtained in a warehouse, officers' uniforms were sewn in a military studio. But it was not enough to have a uniform and people; it was necessary to provide them with work in order to hide behind it for their dark deeds. And Pavlenko, using his extraordinary talent as a diplomat, began to negotiate with military organizations, obtaining contracts for the construction of road facilities.
They believed him unconditionally. The swindler’s sociability worked wonders; he won over the secretaries of high offices, and bottles of expensive vintage cognac and boxes of American chocolates drowned the hearts of any commanding staff. But the fake directorate could not exist on its own - and Pavlenko achieved the incredible by bribing the leadership of the 12th RAB (air base area), his “Directorate” joined the army aviation unit as a construction support service. The combined arms emblems on soldiers' shoulder straps were replaced by aviation wings, and Pavlenko became a “lieutenant colonel” with unlimited influence.
By that time, his “unit” already numbered about two hundred people. Together with the aviators, the Pavlenko Directorate passed Soviet border and began to operate in Poland and Germany. In addition to construction work, the soldiers of Pavlenko’s gang did not hesitate to rob civilians - for which the stern “commander” shot two marauders in front of the line. Pavlenko knew - anyone alarm signal may fail the entire organization, but the office, the backbone of which consisted of criminals and deserters, was gradually disintegrating.
Meanwhile, the scams continued. Pavlenko received an entire train (30 carriages) from military representatives of the USSR Ministry of Defense for a bribe. various products, which he later resold profitably, pocketing the money for himself. Using false documents about military exploits, the fake lieutenant colonel obtained more than 230 state awards for his unit for his accomplices, not forgetting to reward himself. So Pavlenko awarded himself two orders Patriotic War I and II degrees, Order of the Red Banner of Battle, Order of the Red Star, military medals.
After the war, when counterintelligence began to take a closer look at the scoundrel builders, Pavlenko hastily reorganized the fake military administration, demobilizing unsuspecting soldiers and officers.
A brilliant “military past” demanded new exploits. In 1948, Pavlenko found his head of “counterintelligence” Yuri Konstantiner, with light hand awarded him the rank of "major" and created a new military organization, which he called “Military Construction Directorate No. 10 (UVS-10)”
A young and charming colonel, a medal bearer, appeared in civilian organizations in a military uniform with shoulder straps and made a strong impression on the leadership of city organizations with his confident manners, ability to easily establish contacts and large bribes, which he gave at the conclusion of each transaction. Using fictitious accounts, UVS-10 opened current accounts and construction sites. Pavlenko paid ordinary “soldiers” mere pennies, huge amounts of money went into his pocket and the pockets of his accomplices. In addition, huge amounts of money were spent on bribes to high-ranking officials. Pavlenko’s organization created many construction sites; Pavlenko’s members operated in the center of Russia, Ukraine, Estonia and Moldova.
With the money he earned, the fraudster purchased more than 40 trucks and cars, graders, horses and other vehicles. Under the guise of protecting construction sites from Bandera, Colonel Pavlenko received 25 rifles, 8 machine guns, 18 pistols from the regional departments of the MGB, and armed the guards at his headquarters, which he did not register anywhere. The organization grew, but discipline in the wild army left much to be desired. The Pavlenkovites drank, became rowdy, and began shooting each other. The “officers” did not hesitate to deceive their subordinates.
Such behavior of the “Soviet officers” played into the hands of Estonian and Ukrainian nationalists, who said: People, look, here they are, the occupiers of our long-suffering land, hiding behind shoulder straps, sowing lawlessness and terror!
Civilian construction workers of the military administration also complained - the authorities collected money from them for a war loan, but the bonds were not issued. All this did not go unnoticed. Signals poured into the surrounding departments of the MGB and were transmitted higher up the chain of command.
Pavlenko’s army was destroyed by another drunken brawl of his “officers.” The police arrested two drunk construction officers who staged a pogrom in a restaurant in Chisinau, the prosecutor's office sent a request to Moscow, from where a stunning answer was returned: such a military unit does not exist. The USSR Ministry of State Security got involved in the case, the investigation was headed by a man with an ominous reputation, General Semyon Tsvigun, who instilled fear in bribe-takers and scammers.
The security officers decided that the “military unit” was a carefully disguised sabotage unit of foreign intelligence. But after an unsuccessful attempt to infiltrate the unit or convert its employees, a decision was made to cover the entire network at once. And on November 14, 1952, troops of the USSR Ministry of State Security blocked the military bases of the “fake” Directorate, headquarters and other units of Pavlenko and arrested about 400 people.
At the trial, the failed general said: “I never set out to create an anti-Soviet organization.” And he further stated. “I assure the court that Pavlenko can still be useful and he will contribute to the organization of work...”
However, the verdict of the tribunal of the Moscow Military District on April 4, 1955 was harsh: “Colonel” Pavlenko was sentenced to capital punishment - execution, and sixteen of his “officers” were sentenced to imprisonment for a term of 5 to 25 years.
The case and the verdict were classified as “Top Secret”. The Soviet authorities could not admit that in the very heart of the European part of the USSR a whole secret network of swindlers and thieves in army uniform nested.
The 2Spare website has compiled a list of the most famous and inventive scammers, cheats and impostors in the history of mankind.
It is headed by Count Victor Lustig, who forever wrote his name in history as the man who sold the Eiffel Tower and deceived Al Capone himself.
1. Victor Lustig (1890-1947) - the man who sold the Eiffel Tower
Lustig is considered one of the most talented swindlers who ever lived. He endlessly invented scams, had 45 pseudonyms and was fluent in five languages. In the USA alone, Lustig was arrested 50 times, but due to lack of evidence, he was released each time. Before the outbreak of World War I, Lustig specialized in organizing fraudulent lotteries on transatlantic cruises. In the 1920s he moved to the United States, and in just a couple of years he defrauded banks and individuals out of tens of thousands of dollars.
Lustig's biggest scam was the sale of the Eiffel Tower. In May 1925, Lustig arrived in Paris in search of adventure. Lustig read in one of the French newspapers that the famous tower had become quite dilapidated and was in need of repair. Lustig decided to take advantage of this. The fraudster drew up a fake credentials document, in which he identified himself as Deputy Head of the Ministry of Posts and Telegraphs, and then sent official letters six dealers of secondary ferrous metals.
Lustig invited the businessmen to the expensive hotel where he was staying and said that since the costs of the tower were unreasonably huge, the government decided to demolish it and sell it for scrap at a closed auction. Allegedly, in order not to cause outrage among the public, who had already fallen in love with the tower, Lustig persuaded the businessmen to keep everything secret. After some time, he sold the right to dispose of the tower to Andre Poisson and fled to Vienna with a suitcase of cash.
Poisson, not wanting to look like a fool, hid the fact of deception. Thanks to this, after some time, Lustig returned to Paris and sold the tower again according to the same scheme. However, this time he was unlucky, as the deceived businessman reported to the police. Lustig was forced to urgently flee to the United States.
In December 1935, Lustig was arrested and put on trial. He received 15 years in prison for counterfeiting dollars, plus another 5 years for escaping from another prison a month before sentencing. He died of pneumonia in 1947 at the famous Alcatraz prison near San Francisco.
2. Frank Abagnale - "Catch Me If You Can"
Frank William Abagnale Jr. (born April 27, 1948) at the age of 17 managed to become one of the most successful bank robbers in US history. This story took place in the 1960s. Using counterfeit bank checks, Abagnale stole about $5 million from banks. He also made countless flights around the world using false documents.
Frank later successfully played the role of a pediatrician for 11 months at a hospital in Georgia, after which he falsified a Harvard University diploma and got an office job. Attorney General state of Louisiana.
For more than 5 years, Abagnale changed about 8 professions, he also continued to enthusiastically forge checks and receive money - banks in 26 countries of the world suffered from the fraudster’s actions. The young man spent the money on dinners in expensive restaurants, buying clothes from prestigious brands and going on dates with girls. The story of Frank Abagnale was used as the basis for the film Catch Me If You Can, where Leonardo DiCaprio played the witty swindler.
4. Ferdinand Demara - "The Great Pretender"
Ferdinand Waldo Demara (1921-1982), known under the nickname "The Great Pretender", during his life with great success played people of a large number of professions and occupations - from a monk and a surgeon to a prison warden. In 1941, he went to serve in the US Army, where he began life for the first time under a new guise, calling himself the name of his friend. After this, Demara impersonated other people many times. He didn’t even finish high school, but every time he falsified educational documents in order to play another role.
During his fraudulent career, Demara has been a civil engineer, a deputy sheriff, a prison warden, a doctor of psychology, a lawyer, a Child Protective Services examiner, a Benedictine monk, an editor, a cancer specialist, a surgeon and a teacher. Surprisingly, in no case did he seek great material gain; it seemed that Demara was only interested in social status. He died in 1982. A book was written and a film was made about the life of Ferdinand Demara.
5. David Hampton (1964-2003) - African-American fraudster. He pretended to be the son of black actor and director Sidney Poitier. At first, Hampton posed as David Poitier in order to get free meals at restaurants. Later, realizing that he was trusted and could influence people, Hampton convinced many celebrities to give him money or shelter, including Melanie Griffith and Calvin Klein.
Hampton told some people that he was a friend of their children, lied to others that he was late for a plane in Los Angeles and that his luggage took off without him, and lied to others that he had been robbed.
In 1983, Hampton was arrested and charged with fraud. The court ordered him to pay compensation to the victims in the amount of $4,490. David Hampton died of AIDS in 2003.
6. Milli Vanilli - a duet that couldn't sing
In the 90s, a scandal erupted involving the popular German duet Milli Vanilli - it turned out that the voices of other people, not the members of the duet, were heard on the studio recordings. As a result, the duo was forced to return the Grammy award they received in 1990.
The Milli Vanilli duo was created in the 1980s. The popularity of Rob Pilatus and Fabrice Morvan began to grow rapidly, and already in 1990 they won the prestigious Grammy award.
The exposure scandal led to tragedy - in 1998, one of the duo members, Rob Pilatus, died of an overdose of drugs and alcohol at the age of 32. Morvan tried unsuccessfully to pursue a musical career. In total, Milli Vanilli sold 8 million singles and 14 million records during its popularity.
7. Cassie Chadwick - illegitimate daughter of Andrew Carnegie
Cassie Chadwick (1857-1907), born Elizabeth Beagley, was first arrested in Ontario at the age of 22 for forging a bank check, but was released because she was faking mental illness.
In 1882, Elizabeth married Wallace Springsteen, but her husband left her after 11 days when he learned about her past. Then in Cleveland the woman married Dr. Chadwick.
In 1897, Cassie organized her most successful scam. She called herself the illegitimate daughter of Scottish steel industrialist Andrew Carnegie. Thanks to a fake $2 million promissory note allegedly given to her by her father, Cassie received loans from various banks for total amount from 10 million to 20 million dollars. In the end, the police asked Carnegie himself if he knew the fraudster, and after his negative answer, they arrested Mrs. Chadwick.
Cassie Chadwick appeared in court on March 6, 1905. She was found guilty of 9 major frauds. Sentenced to ten years, Mrs Chadwick died in prison two years later.
8. Mary Baker - Princess of Caraboo
In 1817, a young woman in exotic clothing with a turban on her head appeared in Gloucestershire, speaking an unknown language. Locals many foreigners were approached to identify the language, until a Portuguese sailor “translated” her story. Allegedly, the woman was Princess Karabu from an island in the Indian Ocean.
As the stranger said, she was captured by pirates, the ship was wrecked, but she managed to escape. Over the next ten weeks, the stranger was the center of public attention. She dressed up in exotic clothes, climbed trees, sang strange words and even swam naked.
However, a certain Mrs. Neal soon identified “Princess Caraboo.” The impostor from the island turned out to be the daughter of a shoemaker named Mary Baker. As it turned out, while working as a maid in Mrs. Neal's house, Mary Baker entertained the children with the language she invented. Mary was forced to admit to deception. At the end of her life, she was selling leeches at a hospital in England.
After taking the money and ordering the soldiers to remain in their places for half an hour, Voigt left for the station. On the train, he changed into civilian clothes and tried to escape. Voigt was eventually arrested and sentenced to four years in prison for his raid and theft of the money. In 1908, he was released early by personal order of the Kaiser of Germany.
10. George Psalmanazar - the first witness to the culture of the aborigines of the island of Formosa
George Psalmanazar (1679-1763) claimed to be the first Formosa to visit Europe. It appeared in Northern Europe around 1700. Although Psalmanazar was dressed in European clothing and looked like a European, he claimed to have come from the distant island of Formosa, where he had previously been captured by the natives. As proof, he spoke in detail about their traditions and culture.
Inspired by the success, Psalmanazar later published the book “Historical and Geographical Description of the Island of Formosa.” According to Psalmanazar, the men on the island walk completely naked, and the islanders' favorite food is snakes.
The Formosan people supposedly preach polygamy, and husbands are given the right to eat their wives for infidelity.
The Aborigines execute murderers by hanging them upside down. Every year the islanders sacrifice 18 thousand young men to the gods. The Formosan people ride horses and camels. The book also described the islanders' alphabet. The book was a great success, and Psalmanazar himself began giving lectures on the history of the island. In 1706, Psalmanazar became bored with the game and admitted that he had simply fooled everyone.
These people became famous in an unusual way, namely, they pulled off the most daring scams in the history of Russia. Compared to these people, today's scammers are just children from the sandbox!
Sofia Bluvshtein (Sonka Zolotaya Ruchka)
The life story of this woman, who deftly deceived ordinary people, law enforcement officers and even prison guards, is shrouded in a huge amount riddles and speculation. Sofya Bluvshtein, who, thanks to her dizzying scams, received the nickname Sonya the Golden Hand.
Sonya committed her first theft as a teenager. Having caught luck by the tail, I got excited and couldn’t stop, continuing to hone my skills. The first major victim of the swindler was her own husband, the merchant Isaac Rosenbad. Sophia married him, gave birth to a daughter, and after some time she cleaned out her husband and, leaving the child, disappeared. After escaping from her husband, Bluvshtein’s main adventures began. Thefts in hotels and jewelry stores
Sonya’s “tricks” in St. Petersburg, where she practiced hotel theft, deserve special attention. The scheme looked like this: the thief put on soft felt shoes so as not to create unnecessary noise, sneaked into the rooms early in the morning while the guests were sleeping, and quickly took the jewelry. If the tenant suddenly woke up, Sonya would pretend that she had entered the room by mistake, apologize and leave. Sometimes, however, the thief had to use feminine charm and artistry, and often even seduce the guest so that he would not suspect anything and call the police.
The Case of the Psychiatrist and the Jeweler
One of the most famous thefts attributed to Sofya Bluvshtein occurred in Odessa. The victim of that scam was the famous jeweler Karl von Mehl at that time. One fine day, Sonya showed up at his store in a luxurious dress, introduced herself as the wife of a famous psychiatrist in Odessa and said that her husband had decided to give her jewelry as a gift. Having selected several items from the counter, the lady asked the jeweler to deliver them to her home by a certain time.
After saying goodbye to Mel, Sophia changed clothes and went home to the aforementioned psychiatrist. There, the swindler introduced herself as the wife of a jeweler and complained that her husband seemed to be going crazy: he was constantly talking about some kind of money for the jewelry he sold. The psychiatrist, after listening to the lady, agreed to accept her husband. The appointment was scheduled for the same time that the jeweler was scheduled to arrive with jewelry for the doctor's wife.
Then everything went like clockwork. The jeweler arrived at the appointed hour with a box of jewelry. Bluvshtein met him at the threshold in the role of the doctor’s wife, took the goods and said that she had to try everything on, and Melya asked him to go to her husband’s office. Having received the jewelry, Sophia retreated, and the psychiatrist was waiting for the unsuspecting jeweler in the office.
Mel believed that he would receive money for the goods, but instead the doctor began to ask him about his health. The puzzled jeweler, in turn, began to demand money. As a result, it got to the point that the doctor called the orderlies and the enraged Mel was tied up and taken to the hospital. The situation became clear only after the police arrived at the hospital.
In 1890, Anton Chekhov visited the famous convict. In his book “Sakhalin Island,” the writer mentioned Sophia this way: “This is a small, thin, already graying woman with a rumpled, old woman’s face. She has shackles on her hands: on the bunk there is only a fur coat made of gray sheepskin, which serves as both warm clothing and a bed for her. She walks around her cell from corner to corner, and it seems that she is constantly sniffing the air, like a mouse in a mousetrap, and she has a mouse-like expression on her face.
Looking at her, I can’t believe that just recently she was beautiful to such an extent that she charmed her jailers.” According to the official version, Sofya Bluvshtein died in 1902 from a cold and was buried on Sakhalin at the Aleksandrovsky post. However, at the beginning of the last century, rumors spread across the country that Sonya allegedly fled, and a figurehead was serving time for her.
Ivan Rykov, fraudulent banker, creator of a financial pyramid
In the second half of the 19th century, a banker from the Ryazan province, Ivan Rykov, thundered throughout the country. Having been orphaned at the age of 15, Vanya became the owner of a huge inheritance for those times - 200 thousand rubles. After this, the young men's affairs went uphill. First - the position of burgomaster, and then - director of a bank in the county town of Skopin. It was at this point that the enterprising Ivan committed a big scam - he built the first Russian financial pyramid.
It all started when a deficit of several tens of thousands of rubles surfaced in the bank headed by our hero. So, instead of disclosing this fact, the financier decided to start attracting capital to the bank from other cities - the farther from Skopin, the better.
Money began to flow into the district town from all over Russia; interest to investors, however, was regularly paid. In addition, Rykov's bank began to issue interest-bearing papers on deposits. They were not provided with capital and a government guarantee, but this did not stop anyone. Most of the investors' money was lost in the directors' bottomless pockets, and was also spent on buying the silence of the financier's accomplices.
Veniamin Vaisman, fooled 26 Stalinist ministers
With his pressure, arrogance and resourcefulness, the crippled swindler Veniamin Vaisman incredibly surprised even experienced Soviet leaders who had seen different things in their lives.
The story of Venya Vaisman began with an escape from prison, where he was once again sentenced for robbery. In the winter of 1944, Veniamin escaped from a colony in the Vologda region.
The journey was not easy: the fugitive froze both legs and an arm. As a result, the village paramedic had to amputate the man’s injured limbs. Veniamin could no longer engage in theft, so he decided to retrain a little and in 1946 he went to Moscow, having first obtained for himself fake orders and an award book of the Hero of the Soviet Union. Also fake.
Having acquired medals, an award book and a suit, Benjamin began to visit the ministries as a petitioner. In each department, the fraudster presented himself differently. For example, Venya came to the Minister of Forestry Industry as a “motor operator of the timber industry enterprise,” and to the Minister of River Fleet Shashkov as a “former motor operator of the Amur River Shipping Company.”
In other words, the swindler selected a suitable story for each ministry. And, importantly, all of Weissman’s campaigns were successful. In total, the scammer visited the offices of 26 ministries and came out from everywhere with money: some gave two, some even four thousand rubles, and even clothes and food in addition.
A year after the start of a series of amazing scams, Veniamin was very lucky. The fact is that after being admitted to the Central Committee, they decided to give the disabled and “hero” Vaisman an apartment in Kyiv. And not just give it out, but also furnish it with furniture!
Sergei Mavrodi, founder of Russia's largest financial pyramid
In 1989, a new colossus surfaced - financial Pyramide Sergei Mavrodi MMM. The organization got its name from the initial letters of the surnames of its founders: Sergei Mavrodi, his brother Vyacheslav Mavrodi and Olga Melnikova. It must be said that at first the MMM structure was quite harmless - it specialized in the sale of office equipment, computers and components.
Everything changed in 1992, when Mavrodi’s brainchild decided to change his field of activity and began to specialize in accepting money from the public at very high interest rates in exchange for his own shares. For the sake of popularity, MMM held a large-scale advertising campaign: they started playing videos on all channels, main character whom - a simple boy Lenya Golubkov - enthusiastically told how he, without doing anything, buys his wife both a fur coat and boots (thanks to MMM, of course). In the popularity rating, Lenya Golubkov then raced ahead of the most famous representatives of show business.
At the peak of its activity, the pyramid promised investors an income of 200% per month. Payments of interest and deposits were made, however, not from money received as a result of investment, but from new income from investors. According to various estimates, the company was then trusted by 10 to 15 million people.
Conflict with tax authorities and collapse of the pyramid
On August 4, the organizer of the pyramid was arrested, MMM itself suspended its activities, and payments to investors stopped. On the same day, tax officials, with the support of riot police, came to the company’s central office with a search and, as a result, stated that they had identified “serious violations of tax legislation.” Investors reacted sharply: they came to White House with demands to release Mavrodi and give them their money. The protesters failed to interrogate their deposits.
Grigory Grabovoi, founder of the sect “Teachings of Grigory Grabovoi”
Healer, clairvoyant and psychic - Grigory Grabovoy, a graduate of the Faculty of Applied Mathematics and Mechanics of Tashkent State University, began his rise to fame with these roles in the 1990s.
At first, the future celebrity Grabovoi was engaged in “extrasensory diagnostics” of technology, and then switched to people: he began to conduct seminars, give lectures and created the sect “Teachings of Grigory Grabovoi”, and with it a fund to which followers transferred money.
The promise to resurrect children, the “Triune God the Father” and the presidency. Real glory came to Gregory in 2004 after the tragedy in Beslan (terrorist attack at school No. 1). Then the “psychic” and “healer” declared that he had the ability to bring people back to life. Having announced such opportunities, Grabovoi went to North Ossetia, gave a series of lectures there to the relatives of the dead children and promised to resurrect the dead for a reward. According to media reports, he asked for his services from 30 to 40 thousand rubles. Subsequently, the deceived city residents turned to law enforcement agencies.
In the spring of 2006, a criminal case was opened against the head of the sect for fraud, and a little later he was arrested, which caused a stormy wave of protests from the followers of Gregory’s “teachings”. Grabovoi’s main guilt, according to investigators, was “theft Money citizens under the guise of “resurrecting dead relatives of victims or curing them of serious illnesses.”
