Masterminds tells real crime stories about amazing deceptions that brilliant criminals use to pull off seemingly impossible crimes. This new half-hour series combines the mystery of a "whodunit" with the thrill of a "howdunit," revealing the extraordinary world of elite bank robbers, escape artists, impersonators, kidnappers, murderers and frauds.
There is some doubt that Jonathan Tokeley-Parry was the swashbuckling, British Army cavalry officer he claimed to be. But there is no doubt that he was the world's most successful smuggler of priceless Egyptian antiquities.
Florida police are baffled by a string of robberies in mansions with impenetrable security systems. Find out how Judy Amar was able to pull of these high-profile heists on her own.
Jerry Clemente was a brave and decorated officer on the Medford, Massachusetts police force. He was also the mastermind behind the most audacious bank heist the country had ever seen.
In the early 1980's, Rik Luytjes gained two sterling reputations. One was as an upstanding businessman and pillar of the community in Scranton, Pennsylvania. The other was as the most successful cocaine smuggler in US history.
Hoa Lam Ong wore an ever present grin on his face; hence the nickname "Smiley." Police suggest the fifteen million dollars worth of goods he stole from the cargo warehouses of Toronto's Pearson Airport gave him plenty to smile about.
A former Chinese intelligence officer posed as a struggling immigrant in Brooklyn and led the most successful car theft ring the city had ever seen, and lined his pockets with over forty million dollars.
