The Heist Issue - Bloomberg

The Heist Issue

Sordid tales of robberies, scams, and snitches

The Air Jordan Drop So Hot It Blew Up an Alleged $85 Million Ponzi Scheme

The Air Jordan Drop So Hot It Blew Up an Alleged $85 Million Ponzi Scheme

Michael Malekzadeh’s Zadeh Kicks made millions of dollars taking big presale orders for coveted sneakers at low prices and scrambling to fill them. Then came the Air Jordan 11 Cool Grey.

June 29, 2023

June 29, 2023

How a Prison Gang Inspired by Hollywood Heists Stole $23 Million

In meticulously planned bank-robbing operations, Brazil’s PCC has emerged as almost a parallel state—and an alarming expansion into cocaine trafficking has law enforcement bracing for increasingly bold showdowns.

How a Prison Gang Inspired by Hollywood Heists Stole $23 Million

June 29, 2023

June 29, 2023

Poachers Are Trying to Kill Every Rhino in Africa for Their Horns

When a horn goes for $40,000 on the black market in China, poachers in Africa are not going to relent. Can legalizing the horn trade change these grisly economics and save the rhino?

Poachers Are Trying to Kill Every Rhino in Africa for Their Horns

June 29, 2023

June 29, 2023

How a $100 Cheetah Cub Becomes an Illegal $50,000 Status Symbol

Inside the cheetah black market, from poachers to messaging apps.

How a $100 Cheetah Cub Becomes an Illegal $50,000 Status Symbol

June 28, 2023

June 28, 2023

How Cops Cracked a $500 Million Catalytic Converter Crime Ring

The metals inside part of a car’s tailpipe are so valuable that they’ve become prized by sawzall-wielding thieves. Then a Tulsa officer named Kansas Core got involved.

How Cops Cracked a $500 Million Catalytic Converter Crime Ring

June 28, 2023

June 28, 2023

SBF’s Big Shopping List: From Larry David Ads to 52-Foot Yachts

The accused crypto scammer spent millions on everything from thought leaders and clubhouses to media investments and e-sports leagues.

SBF’s Big Shopping List: From Larry David Ads to 52-Foot Yachts

June 28, 2023

June 28, 2023

EBT Skimmers Are Draining Millions of Dollars From the Neediest Americans

The technology that secures EBT cards is woefully outdated, allowing criminals to drain millions of dollars from accounts before the neediest people see a dime.

EBT Skimmers Are Draining Millions of Dollars From the Neediest Americans

June 30, 2023

June 30, 2023

What May Be One of the Biggest Jewelry Heists Ever Remains a Mystery a Year Later

And the stolen merchandise—worth either $8.7 million or about $100 million, depending on whom you ask—is nowhere to be found.

What May Be One of the Biggest Jewelry Heists Ever Remains a Mystery a Year Later

June 27, 2023

June 27, 2023

The Stradivarius Murders: The Strange Life and Stranger Murder of a Rare Violin Collector

Police said four very valuable violins went missing after a collector and his daughter were killed. Then a lot of stories began to unravel.

The Stradivarius Murders: The Strange Life and Stranger Murder of a Rare Violin Collector

June 26, 2023

June 26, 2023

The Bank Robbers Who Are Stealing Their Own Money

Lebanon’s central bank has plunged the country into a financial crisis that’s left millions of depositors without access to their savings. Some are turning to extreme measures—and becoming folk heroes in the process.

The Bank Robbers Who Are Stealing Their Own Money

June 29, 2023

June 29, 2023

The Weirdest Things That Thieves Stole in the Last Year

From swiping 17.5 tons of olives to nabbing 60 containers of bull sperm, the world’s thieves have been busy.

The Weirdest Things That Thieves Stole in the Last Year