Ex-jewel thief reveals the shocking way he stole $300 million worth of diamonds
Niamh Shackleton
Featured Image Credit: YouTube/Vice/Getty Images/Cavan Images/Edith Drentwett
A former criminal has opened up about being a jewelry thief.
The unidentified former thief claimed to have been part of 300 heists over the course of his criminal career, with some of this jobs being worth as much as $5 million.
He and team typically stole diamonds, jewelry and finished goods, he explained.
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Revealing how he got into the niche occupation, the anonymous informer claimed to have been 'born into it'.
"I just didn't wake up one morning and decide to be a criminal," he insisted. "I was born into this."
They guy continued to tell Vice that he'd 'been in and out of prison more times than you can count' - but didn't share how long his sentences were for.
With his successful criminal career in mind, he went on to recall one of his 'most fun' heists.
He and a group of other men entered a high-end New York hotel on Park Avenue dressed in tuxedoes and Groucho Marx masks around 2 am one morning.
He went on: "We just moved people and we were just like, 'Ladies and gentlemen, you guys are going to be free in no time.'
"My job was to go into the back where they had the safe deposit boxes and I opened 30 [or] 40 boxes and I took the most money ever.
"I found a lot of cash. I found a lot of diamonds, like you wouldn't believe."
Some of these luxury goods included Cartier and Fabergé.
"It was one of the best nights and one of the most fun I ever had on a heist," the former criminal continued.
Apparently there was no investigation after the theft because the people they stole from 'do not cooperate with the authorities'.
"That saved our asses," he further mused.
While he managed to escape being caught on that occasion, the guy said he eventually realised that he didn't want to be a thief anymore in light of his several run-ins with the law.
Admitting that he misses the adrenaline rush that came with heists, he added that he wouldn't return to the unconventional job.
"I think I lived a pretty full life and I took chances, but I'm a product of my own society," he concluded.