20 Most Notorious Criminals of All Time

20 Most Notorious Criminals of All Time B0L7A2

Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re looking at the most infamous criminals, crooks, and gangsters of all time.

Samuel Bankman-Fried (1992-)

Sam Bankman-Fried, the former CEO of FTX, was sentenced to 25 years in prison for his involvement in seven counts of fraud. When he founded the cryptocurrency exchange, Samuel Bankman-Fried became a financial celebrity. As it turns out, it was an image based on theft and fraud. The charges included stealing customer funds and lying to investors and creditors, totaling at least $8 billion. Despite his apology in court, the judge emphasized his lack of remorse. He also deemed Bankman-Fried a risk for future criminal activity. Finally, the judge denounced efforts by the erstwhile billionaire to influence witnesses, and of committing perjury during his testimony.

Bernie Madoff (1938-2021)

Bernie Madoff masterminded one of the largest and most infamous Ponzi schemes in history: he defrauded investors of billions of dollars over several decades. Madoff promised high returns. Instead, he used new investors' money to pay off existing investors. He built a gilded empire, a fraudulent facade of success. Madoff's scheme collapsed in 2008 during the financial crisis, revealing the extent of his deception. His crimes resulted in devastating financial losses for thousands of individuals, charities, and institutions. The scale of the fraud was unprecedented, as were the decades in which he got away with it. He betrayed and ruined untold lives, earning him a reputation as one of history's most infamous financial criminals.

‘Freeway’ Rick Ross (1960-)

'Freeway' Rick Ross, not to be confused with the rapper who took his name, was an infamous drug dealer in the 1980s and 1990s. Ross was a major figure in the crack epidemic, operating out of Los Angeles. His massive drug trafficking operation supplied crack to cities across the country. At its peak, Freeway Rick’s empire netted him millions of illicit dollars a day. Ross was eventually arrested and sentenced to life in prison in 1996. The sentence was eventually reduced, and he was released in 2009. Ross's story has been the subject of controversy and fascination, as it highlights the devastating impact of the crack epidemic and the complexities of the war on drugs. Today, Ross is an author and a motivational speaker.

Leonid Minin (1947-)

Originally born in the Ukraine, Leonid Minin made a name for himself in the underworld as an international arms dealer, selling dangerous weapons to dangerous people. His more notorious clients included Charles Taylor, the controversial ex-president of Liberia, and several revolutionary groups across West Africa. While Minin’s business fueled the fires of war, the man was fueling himself with drugs, alcohol, and ladies of the night. He was discovered among the company of all three of those things, as well around half a million dollars worth of blood diamonds, when he was finally arrested in Italy in 2000.

Dawood Ibrahim (1955-)

Dawood Ibrahim is a ruthless Indian crime boss and terrorist believed to be the kingpin of the Mumbai underworld. His criminal syndicate, the D-Company, ran every racket in the city; thoroughly organized crime. Ibrahim is also suspected of having links to terrorist organizations, like Lashkar-e-Taiba and al-Qaeda. He was linked to the 1993 Mumbai bombings, which killed over 250 people and injured hundreds more. Ibrahim is also believed to have been behind violent attacks in retaliation for the demolition of the Babri Masjid mosque. Despite being one of India's most wanted criminals, Ibrahim has evaded capture. He’s believed to be hiding out in Pakistan. The Pakistani authorities deny the accusation.

Jesse James (1847-1882)

One of the most legendary figures in the American Old West, Jesse James was also a notorious train robber, and he and the other members of the James-Younger gang weren’t above murdering anybody who got in their way. Over their career, James and his gang were believed to have stolen approximately $200,000, but were nevertheless admired in their home state of Missouri, mostly because of their support for the Confederacy during the American Civil War. James’ status as a folk hero was finally cemented when fellow gang member Robert Ford shot him in the back. Guess the town wasn’t big enough for the both of ‘em.

Charles Ponzi (1882-1949)

You don’t always need a gun to rob people blind. Styling himself as a businessman, Charles Ponzi swindled millions of dollars from his “investors” with a plan that involved redeeming postal reply coupons from other countries for postage stamps in the United States, which could then be sold to make a profit. If it sounds too good to be true, that’s because it was, and the only person who profited from the so-called business plan was Ponzi himself - who ended up pocketing most of the money. Ponzi was a pioneer among white-collar criminals, and his legacy lives on today in what is now called a “Ponzi scheme.”

Bonnie Elizabeth Parker (1910-1934) & Clyde Chestnut "Champion" Barrow (1909-1934)

Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow were a celebrity criminal couple who traveled the central United States during the Great Depression. They roamed the countryside, robbing banks, gas stations, and stores. Their intense combination of thrilling crime and a deep romance fascinated the public. They and their "Barrow Gang" survived shootouts with law enforcement and committed multiple murders. Their crime spree came to an end on May 23, 1934. Law enforcement officers ambushed and killed them in Bienville Parish, Louisiana. Their Grimm's fairytale of a romance was sensationalized by the press. Some Americans saw them as folk heroes during a time of deep economic hardship. However, their actions were brutal and led to the deaths of several people, including police.

Griselda Blanco (1943-2012)

Griselda Blanco, also known as "Black Widow," was the Godmother of Colombia. She was a drug lord with deep ties to Miami's cocaine market during the 1970s and 1980s. Blanco was a major figure in the Medellín Cartel, known for her ruthlessness and violence, and use of mules for smuggling illegal substances. Most of them were women with cocaine sewn into their bras. She was eventually arrested in 1985 and sentenced to 15 years, catching subsequent murder charges while in prison. After her release, she was deported to Colombia, where she was murdered in 2012.

James ‘Whitey’ Bulger (1929-2018)

You’ve gotta be wicked smart to evade the authorities for as long as this Southie. Born in Boston, James Bulger quickly made a name for himself as a young ne’er-do-well, known for stealing and getting into fights. Nicknamed “Whitey” by the local constabulary because of his light blond hair, Bulger eventually moved up in the underworld, becoming the boss of Boston’s “Winter Hill Gang,” where he was responsible for crimes that ranged from extortion to arms trafficking. In 1994, Bulger went into hiding, and wasn’t apprehended until 2011, at the ripe old age of 81. In 2018, he was killed in prison by two fellow inmates.

John Gotti (1940-2002)

John Gotti, the "Teflon Don," was a world-famous American mobster. He led the Gambino crime family, one of New York's most powerful Mafia organizations. He rose to power in the 1980s after orchestrating the murder of boss Paul Castellano. Gotti then took over a vast network of drug trafficking, extortion, loan sharking, and gambling. Known for his flamboyant lifestyle and media presence, Gotti initially avoided conviction. Eventually, the law caught up with him in 1992 when was convicted of murder and racketeering. The flip and testimony of his underboss, "Sammy the Bull" Gravano, sealed Gotti’s fate. He was sentenced to life in prison and died in 2002.

Jean-Bernard Lasnaud (1942-)

Sometimes the biggest criminals can be hiding in plain sight. Originally born in France, Jean-Bernard Lasnaud was a wanted man in several European countries during the 1980s and 90s due to his arms trafficking, which broke several international trade embargoes. Lasnaud went on the run to avoid capture, and eventually resurfaced in Florida, where he brazenly continued conducting his illegal business from the comfort of his extravagant condo. He even had his own publicly accessible website, where anyone could buy a fighter jet or a machine gun, so long as they had the cash and the “proper papers.” After disappearing in 2002, Lasnaud was finally arrested in Switzerland that same year.

Meyer Harris ‘Mickey’ Cohen (1913-1976)

You don’t have to act in a movie to be a Hollywood star. Just ask Mickey Cohen, one of the most infamous mob bosses Los Angeles has ever seen. A scrappy fella who originally worked as muscle for the mafia during Prohibition, Cohen worked his way up the organization’s ladder until he reached the top. Always a snappy dresser, Cohen was as good a publicist as he was a gangster; he knew how to play to the media and give even his most heinous actions a positive spin. It’s no wonder, then, that Cohen was only ever arrested for tax evasion, despite having been guilty of far worse crimes.

Amado Carrillo Fuentes (1956-1997)

For a while, there was no bringing down this “Lord of the Skies.” Amado Carrillo Fuentes was the leader of Mexico’s Juarez Cartel, a position he obtained by assassinating the group’s previous boss, Rafael Aguilar Guajardo. Fuentes was known as “El Senor de Los Cielos” thanks to the giant fleet of planes he used to transport cocaine around the world. He was also one of the wealthiest criminals in history, with a net worth estimated at over $25 billion U.S. dollars. Fuentes died in 1997 from complications during the plastic surgery he was getting to hide from authorities.

Charles "Lucky" Luciano (1897-1962)

Charles “Lucky” Luciano was a pivotal figure in the American Mafia, modernizing organized crime in the United States. In the 1930s, he established the Commission, a governing body for the mob. He also restructured the New York crime families into the Five Families, an oligopoly of crime. Luciano had his fingers in every illicit pie in New York, from bootlegging and drugs to extortion. Though he was eventually imprisoned, Luciano struck a deal with the government. He spent World War II working with his Sicilian Mafia allies to facilitate the U.S. invasion of Sicily. He spent the rest of his life operating out of Italy, dying of a heart attack in 1962.

Kenichi Shinoda (1942-)

Kenichi Shinoda, is the current kumicho - or kingpin - of the Yamaguchi-gumi, Japan's most powerful yakuza organization. Under his leadership, the Yamaguchi-gumi expanded its operations globally, becoming deeply enmeshed in the global drug trade. The Yamaguchi-gumi also ran extortion, money laundering, and gambling operations all over Japan. Shinoda is known for modernizing the yakuza's operations, establishing a corporate-like structure to their organizations. He also drastically expanded their influence in legitimate businesses. He is known for his strategic cunning and ruthlessness. By corporatizing his criminal syndicate, the Yamaguchi-gumi became a formidable force in the criminal underworld.

John Dillinger (1903-1934)

Yet another bad guy with good publicity, John Dillinger was a Depression-era bank robber whose penchant for breaking the law was complemented by his love of the spotlight. Dillinger was very fond of playing Robin Hood, stealing from the rich banks and giving his spoils back to the people. While these claims are still disputed today, Dillinger was painted as a kind of folk hero; an image that was only helped by his multiple daring escapes from jail. When he was shot and killed outside a movie theater in 1934, a surprising amount of people appeared to mourn for the so-called “Public Enemy no. 1.”

Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán (1957-)

His unique brand of viciousness and penchant for escape made Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán, leader of the Sinaloa Cartel, a household name. Guzmán's cartel was responsible for smuggling staggering quantities of cocaine, heroin, meth, and marijuana into the United States. His viciousness bred fear in his enemies and friends alike, having orchestrated innumerable murders, kidnappings, and bribes to maintain power. His two dramatic prison breaks in 2001 and 2015 allowed him to evade law enforcement for years. Eventually, he was captured and extradited to the U.S. in 2017. Two years later, Guzmán was convicted and sentenced to life in prison.

Al Capone (1899-1947)

He’s the man who put the “organized” in organized crime. During the Prohibition era, Al Capone seized the opportunity to make boatloads of cash off the at-the-time illegal liquor business. Capone’s violent methods of expanding his bootlegging operation across the United States – including the bloody “Saint Valentine’s Day Massacre” – went mostly unchallenged, thanks to the unsurprising fact that people enjoy their booze. Capone was also a bit of a celebrity, and was even known to donate his ill-gotten gains to charities. Too bad he forgot to donate some of his fortune to the federal government however, as he was put away for tax evasion in 1932.

Pablo Escobar (1949-1993)

Formerly the main purveyor of Colombia’s other addictive substance, Pablo Escobar wore many hats during his tenure in the Colombian-based Medellin Cartel, including drug lord and terrorist. Escobar’s massive drug empire allowed him to become not only one of the most powerful people in his native country, but also one of the wealthiest men in the world, according to Forbes magazine. Escobar was able to keep his wealth thanks to his ruthless pragmatism, and he was always willing to bribe, bump off, or bomb anyone that got in his way. The violent man met a violent end in 1993, when he was shot during a rooftop chase.

Do any of our entries need to be locked up for life? Are there other notorious gangsters that belong on this list? Let us know in the comments below.