8 ms·

The World's most Ingenious Thief

mroman 17y ago
I am simply amazed. The fellow, all morality aside, is simply Mr. BadAss himself. Two years in jail for all that! I know of people who have participated in the sale of $10,000 US worth of Cocaine (a pittance, all things considered) and have gotten life sentences.
- kevingadd 17y ago
  That's because it was Cocaine, not because of the money. They could have been giving the coke away and they still would have received a life sentence, most likely.
  - mroman 17y ago
    I agree with your point, and I knew that - giving drugs away is distribution and a person will get into just as much trouble for it. What I aimed to express was how amazed I am at the way things work out in the criminal world, and how talented AND lucky that fellow is. I mean, no violence at all, all that money, and two years (once again, I know of cases where people have done that long, in installments, for traffic tickets!) plus the very real possibility of landing a well paid job afterwards . . . just amazing. You know what I like about this guy? that he did not prey on the weak. He preyed on those bigger and stronger than him. Ah, to think that he could have rented that van under another name, and taken steps to make sure there were no prints left anywhere, which is actually very easy to do . . . this goes to show, no one, not even someone like that, can be a one man Army . . .
    - mseebach 17y ago
      > You know what I like about this guy? that he did not prey on the weak. He preyed on those bigger and stronger than him. Oh please with the righteous Robin Hood ethics. First, they were not stronger than him, that how he got in. Second, just because you're a bank, it doesn't mean having hundreds of thousands stolen doesn't impact anyone, or is somehow just, for that matter. Third, what do you call framing the Brink-guy for smoke-screen? Fourth, or withdrawing from thousands of pirated credit- and debit cards? Fifth, or stealing a national treasure from the people of Austria, only to stick it in a cellar, to be lost? Even though he didn't exploit personal weaknesses in the same way a drug-dealer does, he did indeed inflict harm on actual people.
      - ThomPete 17y ago
        It's an interesting dilemma. One one side what he does is obviously wrong. On the other side what fantastic skills. With regards to the people of Austria I am pretty sure that the star wasn't made without exploiting other people. Things like these are not so black and white. That story is a film worthy.
        mseebach 17y ago
        Not really. Your skills and what you apply said skills to don't overlap. What's a dilemma is that we only hear about these people when they apply their skills to evil. If he'd done a career in bank security, it's very likely we'd never have heard a word about what he did. > I am pretty sure that the star wasn't made without exploiting other people Sure, that's why it belongs to, and should belong to, the austrian people. > That story is a film worthy. Catch me if You Can II: The Austrian Job :)
        pohl 17y ago
        What's a dilemma is that we only hear about these people when they apply their skills to evil. It's a dilemma in the same sense that rain on your wedding day is ironic. You've just written Ms. Morissette's comeback single.
        mseebach 17y ago
        I'm sorry, it's a shame then :)
        ThomPete 17y ago
        The dilemma is that on one side I am fascinated by a guy like that on the other what he is doing is obviously wrong from at a legal point of view. He is not just a criminal who do what he do because he have no choice. He could have been doing "good" and still be highly successful. It's not just the skills it's the guts to do what he do. To live a life that is almost crazier than any story you can think off. In some ways he is an artist. With regards to the Austrian people you are missing the point. That star is not just made through hard work from the Austrian people. I am pretty sure that diamond didn't come from Austria although I could be wrong of course.
wallflower 17y ago
If you liked this story, you might also enjoy the Silver Thief. http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1020547 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1020547
- mroman 17y ago
  Thanks, it was also a good story, nothing like our geek criminal mastermind (because he is evidently a geek) :) but an enjoyable story nonetheless . . . can you fellows tell I enjoy true crime stories? Both entertaining and informative, it's the only topic I read besides tech . . .
kevingadd 17y ago
I have to wonder if the guy actually wants to turn his life around. If you look at it rationally, he got off pretty easy - 2 years imprisonment, and some probation - and there's no way to be sure that he actually told them about everything or gave back all of the money. With the kind of stuff he did, he could easily have had enough money stored away to pay reasonable 'restitution' and still have plenty left over in offshore accounts. The video recordings suggest he probably wasn't that cautious, but it's possible. It'd be a happy ending to the story if the guy ended up as a hard-working security consultant trying to stop the bad guys, but based on how he's depicted in this article - a patient, methodical crook with a knack for manipulation - he could easily just be waiting patiently until he can go back to what he was doing before. If he actually does work as a security consultant for banks, that would be an easy way to stay in the loop on new security improvements and procedures. Hopefully law enforcement keeps a close eye on him.
- scotty79 17y ago
  If you were him how would you make a safe transition between criminal world and legal world that would guarantee that you will be able to sleep well every night till you die of old age? He is not mafia type guy. How long do you think it would take for him to start being the target for guys that hurt people that would want to use such skill as his? He's a clever guy, don't you think he might be asking himself similar questions?
mroman 17y ago
And to think the guy is actually a geek if I ever saw one . . . I love this! There are Mafia/Gang Baboons who commit violent crimes and prey on the weak who can't DREAM of as much money as this guy made. What do you know? Our very own geek criminal mastermind :-)
sheats 17y ago
Wow, I rarely read non-technical stories online. I usually just skim and move on but this one I read every word. What is it about this type of story that is so intriguing? I guess I just figured this type of thing only happens in movies.
Luc 17y ago
I'm wondering if this parachuting story has got any corroboration. I searched in German but found nothing. It's a good tale, the stuff of legends, but for all we know he just hid behind a curtain in one of those 1000 rooms until after closing time.
- c00ki3s 17y ago
  Well, you obviously need to search in Austrian ;)
  - elai 17y ago
    Austrian and German are like Canadian English and American English.
- mroman 17y ago
  I wondered about that myself, however, it is plausible in a sense.
- proee 17y ago
  The landing on the rooftop with a parachute and almost falling off - if it weren't for his lucky last second grab, is pretty intense. I wondered the same thing - why not just hide behind a curtain?
ximeng 17y ago
Single page: http://www.wired.com/magazine/2010/03/ff_masterthief_blanchard/all/1 http://www.wired.com/magazine/2010/03/ff_masterthief_blancha...
andreshb 17y ago
Somehow, I can't stop thinking of him as the guy from Ocean's 12 Francois toulour http://www.imdb.com/media/rm2973145088/ch0002220 http://www.imdb.com/media/rm2973145088/ch0002220
almost 17y ago
I wonder how much of the story is true and how much is fabricated by the ego of this guy. It would be all the more believable to the cops interviewing him, they want to believe that they caught the ultimate criminal mastermind. Of course bits of it must be true, the bits with solid corroborating evidence, but I wonder if the truth is quite so cool and impressive?
- scotty79 17y ago
  That's a good thing then, that he videotaped cool and impressive stuff he did and kept records from security cameras that were in place while he was operating.
  - almost 17y ago
    But to my mind the fact that he videotaped so much really does support the big ego argument. It's the little things that make it all the more impressive and maybe those things weren't directly caught on tape, the article certainly doesn't mention any massively impressive stuff caught on tape and don't you think they would? All the article really mentions on tape is him going around with a bunch of people emptying ATMs. Now, as far as positions in the criminal underworld go, being the ATM guy is about as low level and grunt workish as you can get, hardly the sort of work you'd expect a criminal mastermind to be doing himself! Of course neither of us know so this is just idle speculation, I just think these things should be taken with a grain of salt since all the people involved (cops, journalists and the guy himself) have a vested interest in making it sound cooler and more impressive.
known 17y ago
Wiki page of Gerald Blanchard http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gerald_Blanchard http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gerald_Blanchard
viggity 17y ago
There is an awesome show that aired on A&E (I think) called "Masterminds", it only ran for a couple of years, but you can still catch re-runs of it. Most of the criminals they profile are like Blanchard - they steal a lot of money and get away with it for a long time. About half they criminals they profile never even get caught. It is a really good show, I highly recommend it. One thing I learned from the show: Crime pays. As long as you're not using weapons to steal the goods, you'll very rarely get more than a few more years in prison, even if you're stealing hundreds of thousands if not millions of dollars.
proee 17y ago
I wonder why he never tried to sell the Star of Empress Sisi. Seems he had enough connections that someone could find a buyer on the black market no?
- elai 17y ago
  Unique items do not sell well due to attracting too much attention.
- scotty79 17y ago
  Maybe he didn't steal it for cash but just for the thrill of it? Do you sell in your cups and diplomas?
DanielBMarkham 17y ago
This dovetails almost exactly into that "psychopaths among us" piece on here about a week ago. This is a guy that needs to stay in jail.
- Cleanthes 17y ago
  It's unlikely that a psychopath would refuse to testify against his partners in crime in return for a shorter prison sentence.
aphyr 17y ago
You have to give the guy credit. Arrested, he escapes into the ceiling tiles, steals a uniform, and walks out the front door. Arrested by a frackin SWAT team, he steals the squad car he's placed in and makes a run for it? Hats off, ladies and gentlemen; we have a winner.
- mroman 17y ago
  Amen! I am glad to see people on this thread who can differentiate between the morality of what he did and the actual skill, balls, and sheer luck this guy had. While I do not condone or advocate stealing from banks or anyone, well, the damn banks do not seem to have a problem with stealing from clients . . . where I live, the banks charge the local currency equivalent of FIVE US DOLLARS per deposit, even small deposits . . . I had to order a couple of PC parts a few weeks ago, and experienced it for myself . . . stood in line for 30 minutes (out of 8 teller windows, only 4 were manned, and this is in the middle of the afternoon on a weekday) and paid that much to deposit the local currency equivalent of 15 US . . . this is in a country where minimum wage is like $2 US per hour folks . . . someone has to be a straight sheep to criticize a person who steals from banks while not saying the same about the banks themselves . . .
  - jamesbritt 17y ago
    "where I live, the banks charge the local currency equivalent of FIVE US DOLLARS per deposit, even small deposits . . . [more stuff the bank does ]" And this is stealing? It happens against your will, without your consent?
    - mroman 17y ago
      [[[YAWN]]] Yes it is stealing, since the bank is aware that people are forced by circumstance into using their "services". It was either use that bank, or not order the parts I needed. Defending banks in this day and age denotes a lack of brains AND moral fiber [[[YAWN]]]
      - 17y ago
rmk 17y ago
A bit like Frank Abignale Jr... Great story!
benologist 17y ago
That was a great read.
caffeine 17y ago
That is hacking.

I am simply amazed. The fellow, all morality aside, is simply Mr. BadAss himself. Two years in jail for all that! I know of people who have participated in the sale of $10,000 US worth of Cocaine (a pittance, all things considered) and have gotten life sentences.

kevingadd 17y ago
That's because it was Cocaine, not because of the money. They could have been giving the coke away and they still would have received a life sentence, most likely.
- mroman 17y ago
  I agree with your point, and I knew that - giving drugs away is distribution and a person will get into just as much trouble for it. What I aimed to express was how amazed I am at the way things work out in the criminal world, and how talented AND lucky that fellow is. I mean, no violence at all, all that money, and two years (once again, I know of cases where people have done that long, in installments, for traffic tickets!) plus the very real possibility of landing a well paid job afterwards . . . just amazing. You know what I like about this guy? that he did not prey on the weak. He preyed on those bigger and stronger than him. Ah, to think that he could have rented that van under another name, and taken steps to make sure there were no prints left anywhere, which is actually very easy to do . . . this goes to show, no one, not even someone like that, can be a one man Army . . .
  - mseebach 17y ago
    > You know what I like about this guy? that he did not prey on the weak. He preyed on those bigger and stronger than him. Oh please with the righteous Robin Hood ethics. First, they were not stronger than him, that how he got in. Second, just because you're a bank, it doesn't mean having hundreds of thousands stolen doesn't impact anyone, or is somehow just, for that matter. Third, what do you call framing the Brink-guy for smoke-screen? Fourth, or withdrawing from thousands of pirated credit- and debit cards? Fifth, or stealing a national treasure from the people of Austria, only to stick it in a cellar, to be lost? Even though he didn't exploit personal weaknesses in the same way a drug-dealer does, he did indeed inflict harm on actual people.
    - ThomPete 17y ago
      It's an interesting dilemma. One one side what he does is obviously wrong. On the other side what fantastic skills. With regards to the people of Austria I am pretty sure that the star wasn't made without exploiting other people. Things like these are not so black and white. That story is a film worthy.
      - mseebach 17y ago
        Not really. Your skills and what you apply said skills to don't overlap. What's a dilemma is that we only hear about these people when they apply their skills to evil. If he'd done a career in bank security, it's very likely we'd never have heard a word about what he did. > I am pretty sure that the star wasn't made without exploiting other people Sure, that's why it belongs to, and should belong to, the austrian people. > That story is a film worthy. Catch me if You Can II: The Austrian Job :)
        pohl 17y ago
        What's a dilemma is that we only hear about these people when they apply their skills to evil. It's a dilemma in the same sense that rain on your wedding day is ironic. You've just written Ms. Morissette's comeback single.
        mseebach 17y ago
        I'm sorry, it's a shame then :)
        ThomPete 17y ago
        The dilemma is that on one side I am fascinated by a guy like that on the other what he is doing is obviously wrong from at a legal point of view. He is not just a criminal who do what he do because he have no choice. He could have been doing "good" and still be highly successful. It's not just the skills it's the guts to do what he do. To live a life that is almost crazier than any story you can think off. In some ways he is an artist. With regards to the Austrian people you are missing the point. That star is not just made through hard work from the Austrian people. I am pretty sure that diamond didn't come from Austria although I could be wrong of course.

wallflower 17y ago

If you liked this story, you might also enjoy the Silver Thief. http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1020547 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1020547

mroman 17y ago
Thanks, it was also a good story, nothing like our geek criminal mastermind (because he is evidently a geek) :) but an enjoyable story nonetheless . . . can you fellows tell I enjoy true crime stories? Both entertaining and informative, it's the only topic I read besides tech . . .

kevingadd 17y ago

I have to wonder if the guy actually wants to turn his life around. If you look at it rationally, he got off pretty easy - 2 years imprisonment, and some probation - and there's no way to be sure that he actually told them about everything or gave back all of the money. With the kind of stuff he did, he could easily have had enough money stored away to pay reasonable 'restitution' and still have plenty left over in offshore accounts. The video recordings suggest he probably wasn't that cautious, but it's possible. It'd be a happy ending to the story if the guy ended up as a hard-working security consultant trying to stop the bad guys, but based on how he's depicted in this article - a patient, methodical crook with a knack for manipulation - he could easily just be waiting patiently until he can go back to what he was doing before. If he actually does work as a security consultant for banks, that would be an easy way to stay in the loop on new security improvements and procedures. Hopefully law enforcement keeps a close eye on him.

scotty79 17y ago
If you were him how would you make a safe transition between criminal world and legal world that would guarantee that you will be able to sleep well every night till you die of old age? He is not mafia type guy. How long do you think it would take for him to start being the target for guys that hurt people that would want to use such skill as his? He's a clever guy, don't you think he might be asking himself similar questions?

mroman 17y ago

And to think the guy is actually a geek if I ever saw one . . . I love this! There are Mafia/Gang Baboons who commit violent crimes and prey on the weak who can't DREAM of as much money as this guy made. What do you know? Our very own geek criminal mastermind :-)

sheats 17y ago

Wow, I rarely read non-technical stories online. I usually just skim and move on but this one I read every word. What is it about this type of story that is so intriguing? I guess I just figured this type of thing only happens in movies.

Luc 17y ago

I'm wondering if this parachuting story has got any corroboration. I searched in German but found nothing. It's a good tale, the stuff of legends, but for all we know he just hid behind a curtain in one of those 1000 rooms until after closing time.

c00ki3s 17y ago
Well, you obviously need to search in Austrian ;)
- elai 17y ago
  Austrian and German are like Canadian English and American English.
mroman 17y ago
I wondered about that myself, however, it is plausible in a sense.
proee 17y ago
The landing on the rooftop with a parachute and almost falling off - if it weren't for his lucky last second grab, is pretty intense. I wondered the same thing - why not just hide behind a curtain?

ximeng 17y ago

Single page: http://www.wired.com/magazine/2010/03/ff_masterthief_blanchard/all/1 http://www.wired.com/magazine/2010/03/ff_masterthief_blancha...

andreshb 17y ago

Somehow, I can't stop thinking of him as the guy from Ocean's 12 Francois toulour http://www.imdb.com/media/rm2973145088/ch0002220 http://www.imdb.com/media/rm2973145088/ch0002220

almost 17y ago

I wonder how much of the story is true and how much is fabricated by the ego of this guy. It would be all the more believable to the cops interviewing him, they want to believe that they caught the ultimate criminal mastermind. Of course bits of it must be true, the bits with solid corroborating evidence, but I wonder if the truth is quite so cool and impressive?

scotty79 17y ago
That's a good thing then, that he videotaped cool and impressive stuff he did and kept records from security cameras that were in place while he was operating.
- almost 17y ago
  But to my mind the fact that he videotaped so much really does support the big ego argument. It's the little things that make it all the more impressive and maybe those things weren't directly caught on tape, the article certainly doesn't mention any massively impressive stuff caught on tape and don't you think they would? All the article really mentions on tape is him going around with a bunch of people emptying ATMs. Now, as far as positions in the criminal underworld go, being the ATM guy is about as low level and grunt workish as you can get, hardly the sort of work you'd expect a criminal mastermind to be doing himself! Of course neither of us know so this is just idle speculation, I just think these things should be taken with a grain of salt since all the people involved (cops, journalists and the guy himself) have a vested interest in making it sound cooler and more impressive.

known 17y ago

Wiki page of Gerald Blanchard http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gerald_Blanchard http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gerald_Blanchard

viggity 17y ago

There is an awesome show that aired on A&E (I think) called "Masterminds", it only ran for a couple of years, but you can still catch re-runs of it. Most of the criminals they profile are like Blanchard - they steal a lot of money and get away with it for a long time. About half they criminals they profile never even get caught. It is a really good show, I highly recommend it. One thing I learned from the show: Crime pays. As long as you're not using weapons to steal the goods, you'll very rarely get more than a few more years in prison, even if you're stealing hundreds of thousands if not millions of dollars.

proee 17y ago

I wonder why he never tried to sell the Star of Empress Sisi. Seems he had enough connections that someone could find a buyer on the black market no?

elai 17y ago
Unique items do not sell well due to attracting too much attention.
scotty79 17y ago
Maybe he didn't steal it for cash but just for the thrill of it? Do you sell in your cups and diplomas?

DanielBMarkham 17y ago

This dovetails almost exactly into that "psychopaths among us" piece on here about a week ago. This is a guy that needs to stay in jail.

Cleanthes 17y ago
It's unlikely that a psychopath would refuse to testify against his partners in crime in return for a shorter prison sentence.

aphyr 17y ago

You have to give the guy credit. Arrested, he escapes into the ceiling tiles, steals a uniform, and walks out the front door. Arrested by a frackin SWAT team, he steals the squad car he's placed in and makes a run for it? Hats off, ladies and gentlemen; we have a winner.

mroman 17y ago
Amen! I am glad to see people on this thread who can differentiate between the morality of what he did and the actual skill, balls, and sheer luck this guy had. While I do not condone or advocate stealing from banks or anyone, well, the damn banks do not seem to have a problem with stealing from clients . . . where I live, the banks charge the local currency equivalent of FIVE US DOLLARS per deposit, even small deposits . . . I had to order a couple of PC parts a few weeks ago, and experienced it for myself . . . stood in line for 30 minutes (out of 8 teller windows, only 4 were manned, and this is in the middle of the afternoon on a weekday) and paid that much to deposit the local currency equivalent of 15 US . . . this is in a country where minimum wage is like $2 US per hour folks . . . someone has to be a straight sheep to criticize a person who steals from banks while not saying the same about the banks themselves . . .
- jamesbritt 17y ago
  "where I live, the banks charge the local currency equivalent of FIVE US DOLLARS per deposit, even small deposits . . . [more stuff the bank does ]" And this is stealing? It happens against your will, without your consent?
  - mroman 17y ago
    [[[YAWN]]] Yes it is stealing, since the bank is aware that people are forced by circumstance into using their "services". It was either use that bank, or not order the parts I needed. Defending banks in this day and age denotes a lack of brains AND moral fiber [[[YAWN]]]
    - 17y ago

rmk 17y ago

A bit like Frank Abignale Jr... Great story!

benologist 17y ago

That was a great read.

caffeine 17y ago

That is hacking.