The Heist Issue
Sordid tales of robberies, scams, and snitches

2022

The Epic Temple Heist That Looted a Nation’s History

By Matthew Campbell

Investigators 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.

The Open House Hunters Who Hit LA’s Rich and Famous

By Claire Martin

In 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.

Did Razzlekhan and Dutch Pull Off History’s Biggest Crypto Heist?

By Zeke Faux

The 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.

ADT Is Betting Google Can Drag It Into the Future

By Austin Carr and Mark Bergen

The 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.

Gangs Are Fake-Killing People in India for Insurance Payouts

By Snigdha Poonam and Sadiq Naqvi

A 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.

The Lottery Lawyer Won Their Trust, Then Lost Their Mega Millions

By Simon van Zuylen-Wood

Jay Kurland built a practice giving legal and financial advice to jackpot winners. He’s now accused of fraud.

How Generations of Black Americans Lost Their Land to Tax Liens

By Margaret Newkirk

Sales of repossessed assets have stripped thousands of families of their property—along with the potential to increase wealth.

The Frack Master’s $70 Million Shale Scam Worked—Until It Didn’t

By Francesca Maglione

Christopher 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.

Sports Reporter by Day, Political Revolutionary by Night

By Matthew Bremner

For more than a decade, a mysterious blogger struck fear into Uzbekistan’s untouchable ruling class. Then they caught him.

Find the Lost Treasure: Bloomberg Businessweek’s Heist Issue Crossword

By David Kwong

There’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

How Netflix’s Lupin Pulled Off the Perfect Heist (Show)

By Devin Leonard

The hit series mixes familiar elements, new twists, and the je ne sais quoi of French star Omar Sy.

The Family Behind the Covid Bleach Cure Was Making a Fortune

By Thomas Buckley

When Donald Trump suggested injecting bleach, the Genesis II Church had just the “sacrament”—until Operation Quack Hack landed four elders in jail.

How to Shamelessly Knock Off Supreme and Get Away With It, for a While

By Francesca Sironi and Alberto Gottardo

Italian fashion entrepreneur Michele di Pierro has made a career out of legally producing fake designer clothing. An 11-step look at his scheme.

Where Did Marcos Hide His $10 Billion Fortune?

By Haley Gilliland

Almost 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.

How Covid Helped Heists, Hoaxes, Scams, Cons, and Other Mischief

By Dorothy Gambrell

Car thefts, porch piracy, medical fraud, and all kinds of other grifts boomed during the pandemic.

Robbing the Xbox Vault: Inside a $10 Million Gift Card Cheat

By Austin Carr

A junior Microsoft engineer figured out a nearly perfect Bitcoin generation scheme.

How Thieves Stole $40 Million of Copper by Spray-Painting Rocks in Turkey

By Andy Hoffman and Benedikt Kammel

Police suspect an inside job in a scam that took advantage of vulnerabilities in the global supply chain.

The Influencer and the Email Scam That Nets Billions

By Evan Ratliff

Authorities 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.

Don’t Sue Me Like That: Anatomy of a Copyright Troll

By Joshua Brustein

How rock photographer Larry Philpot perfected a perfectly legal way to extract settlements from his images of Tom Petty, Willie Nelson, Ted Nugent, and more.

The ‘Juice Man’ and the Drug Scandal That Rocked Horse Racing

By Jesse Hyde

After thoroughbreds started winning at suspicious rates, investigators stepped in. Eventually, 29 people would be indicted in a multimillion-dollar scheme to defraud bettors.

Philly Learned the Hard Way to Pick Its Vaccine Distributors Carefully

By Dayna Evans

During 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.