His face was ashen, and his eyes darted madly at the cars around them. On Mondayabout 36 hours after the job was completedthe team of thieves reassembled at a bar in Adro, Italy, a small town about 50 miles northeast of Milan. Meanwhile, 51-year-old Leonardo faced more severe punishment for masterminding the heist. In elementary school, he filched money from his teachers. As he'd practiced in the warehouse, he strode exactly 11 steps into the middle of the room, reached for the ceiling, and pushed back a panel. The other convicts in this eastern Belgian prison turn to look. Nevertheless, Notarbartolo sticks to his story that he wasnt the ringleader of the Antwerp diamond heist, and has never led authorities to the whereabouts of the diamonds. Authorities say there is $100 million still missing. He was an expert lock picker, electrician, mechanic, and driver and had enormous physical strength. Leonardo Notarbartolo Now "Antwerp Diamond Center envelopes," Van Camp sputtered. Leonardo Notarbartolo, a smalltime jeweller, was sentenced to 10 years based on circumstantial evidence. More often than not, there was nothing in them. Diamond Heist They emptied 236 security deposit boxes into duffel bags. Antwerp diamond heist He shut off the water. the World's Biggest Diamond Heist They'd rendezvous outside Milan to divvy it all up. "I'll do the rest.". Boost your knowledge and your skills with this transformational tech. He tried to pretend that everything was normal. He was called that because he was monstrously good at everything he did. As far as Notarbartolo could tell, the dealer had reconstructed it based on the photographs he had provided. In 2000, Notarbartolo rented a small office in the Diamond Center, one of the area's largest buildings. Notarbartolo took the E19 motorway out of Antwerp. It no longer mattered what happened further down the line. The thud-thud-thud of a police helicopter beat over a convoy of police cars escorting an armored truck through the heart of Antwerp. Notarbartolo idled at the curb while on the phone with Speedy. WebNotarbartolo is one of the main aristocratic families of the Sicilian nobility. Leonardo Notarbartolo, who is he? WebBut on February 15, 2003, a band of skilled Italian thieves fronted by the charming Leonardo Notarbartolo, who spent over two years clandestinely casing the building subverted every one of the Diamond Center's defenses and Apart from Leonardo, his team comprised Speedy (Pietro Tavano), The Monster (Ferdinando Finotto), King of Keys, and The Genius (Elio DOnorio). He has always denied having anything to do with the crime and has refused to discuss his case with journalists, preferring to remain silent for the past six years. Using a ladder he had previously hidden there, the Genius climbed up to a small terrace on the second floor. One by one, the thieves climbed through the window, dropped into a stairwell, and descended to the darkened vault antechamber. It's also a thief's paradise. Seismic sensor (built-in)4. The loot was never found, but based on circumstantial evidence, Notarbartolo was sentenced to 10 years. Organiser Of The Venus Williams smashed the ball crosscourt with a yelp, overwhelming her leggy Slovakian opponent. Sam Altman says the research strategy that birthed ChatGPT is played out and future strides in artificial intelligence will require new ideas. Locked steel grate5. A typical conversation: "The kids have made a mess on my land again. The King of Keys shrugged. There was a combination wheel with numbers from 0 to 99. The King of Keys grabbed the original. The police would later discover stripped wires in the ceiling and guess that the thieves considered cutting them, only to lose their nerve. Leonardo Notarbartolo He was the mastermind and author of the greatest diamond heist in history at the World Diamond Center in Antwerp. Now, as he finished his espresso, one of thema Jewish dealercame in and sat down to chat. He was inside an exact replica of the Diamond Center's vault level. The Untold Story of the Worlds Biggest Diamond The Hacking of ChatGPT Is Just Getting Started. WebRight now, Leonardo Notarbartolo is probably wishing he'd heeded the advice of his mother, and mothers everywhere, before plotting the largest jewelry heist in the history of the world. Self-awareness is an inner-work of self-knowledge. Join Facebook to connect with Leonardo Notarbartolo and others you may know. Leonardo Notarbartolo Profiles. Sometimes even the tightest security isn't enough to stop determined thieves, as bosses at Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport discovered in 2005. It was also empty. In 2000, he started renting an office in the Antwerp Diamond Center, pretending to be an Italian gem importer. Now the foot-thick steel door was ajar, and more than 100 of the 189 safe-deposit boxes had been busted open. The group climbed down a lift shaft before drilling through the vault and escaping with their haul. After that, the clip ended with Stormi kissing her. Eventually, Notarbartolo pointed out the apartment. Three other Italians Elio DOnorio, Ferdinando Finotto and Pietro Tavano were sentenced to five years each. However, he reportedly violated a few conditions of his parole, including compensating the victims of the Antwerp Diamond Heist. On the way back, Speedy had a panic attack, and made Notarbartolo pull the car over. The casualness was gone. diamond heist, and how it He and his accomplices waited for an industry-sponsored tennis event outside the city to carry out the theft. The Belgian courts sentenced him to 10 years in prison. They were accused of breaking into the Antwerp Diamond Centers supersecure vault and stealing $100 million in diamonds, gold and jewelry. The heist wouldn't be discovered until guards checked the vault on Monday morning. A silver Rolex peeks out from under his cuff, and a vertical strip of white soul patch drops down from his lower lip like an exclamation mark. Was $100 million stolen as the police estimate, or just $20 million as Notarbartolo insists? Leonardo and his team of thieves participated in several robberies over the next several years; he would pose as a jeweler and be invited to offices, vaults, and workshops for inspection. Sunday, April 9 2023 Breaking News The most famous Italian thief, Leonardo Notarbartolo, spoke to Wired Italia for the first time since his arrest. At home, he punched in the number for the police and asked to lodge a complaint. Notarbartolo was sentenced by the court to ten years of imprisonment while his associates were adjudged to 5 years in prison for each. In the darkness, the King of Keys turned the key and spun a four-pronged handle. Peys and De Bruycker lead the Diamond Squad, the world's only specialized diamond police. They burgled a number of famous stars including Paris Hilton, Lindsey Lohan and Orlando Bloom, propelled - according to police - by their love of celebrities and luxury goods. A security camera recorded his movementspolice would later watch the footagebut the guard had gotten used to the Italian's frequent visits and wasn't paying attention. The magnetic plates were now loose, but the sticky aluminum held them together, allowing the Genius to pivot them out of the way and tape them to the antechamber wall. It was not the first time the shop had been targeted. Everybody had a lot of questions for the dealer. Notarbartolo stepped away from the safe-deposit boxes and pulled out the aerosol can. He carefully lifted it free and held it up to the light. Since all these men, including him, lived in and around Turin, the group became known as the School of Turin.. Self-awareness is an inner-work of self-knowledge. The King of Keys was a quiet older man. Thieves who stole jewels worth 100m ($117m; 89m) from a vault in Belgium in 2003 did not need to resort to violence to carry out one of the largest robberies of all time. He still remembers every detail of his first robbery. His mother had sent him out for milk, and he came back with 5,000 liraabout $8. After this look at the Antwerp diamond heist, read up on the Berlin gold coin heist thats as unbelievable as they come. He momentarily forgot his worries. In 2009, Leonardo Notarbartolo was released on parole after serving four years of his sentence. The safe-deposit boxes themselves were made of steel and copper and required a key and combination to open. One of the UK's largest-ever jewellery thefts took place in April 2015, when a group of men drilled into a safety deposit vault in London's Hatton Garden, taking 13.7m ($18m;15.4m) in gold, cash and gems. The other robbers in The School of Turin got five years each. The robbery was called the heist of the century, and even now the police can't explain exactly how it was done. WebBut on February 15, 2003, a band of skilled Italian thieves fronted by the charming Leonardo Notarbartolo, who spent over two years clandestinely casing the building subverted every one of the Diamond Center's defenses and The other convicts in this eastern Belgian prison turn to look. They blinded the heat/motion detector with a Styrofoam box, covered the light detector with tape, and then set to work. This was a technique pioneered by New York City-based criminal authority "Mr. It was his job to stay in touch with Notarbartolo, but there was no cell phone reception down in the vault. An automatic electric pulse constantly shot into the room and back out along these wires. It was one of the few places in the district that wasn't under video surveillance. Notarbartolo says the Italian authorities traveled to Belgium soon after the heist to question him about Capizzi's possible role in the robbery. Finally, after only 20 minutes on the road, he snapped. The 59-year-old retired Belgian grocer had twohe called them Mickey and Minnieand he enjoyed sending them down holes in the forest. "Get back in the car," Notarbartolo ordered. Leonardo Notarbartolo and the heist of the century WebView the profiles of people named Leonardo Notarbartolo on Facebook. "I may be a thief and a liar," he says in beguiling Italian-accented French. Each could then claim that their gems were stolen and collect the insurance while secretly keeping their stones. After years of petty thefts and picking locks, he began tracking jewelry salesmen around Italy to study their behavior and dealings. After months of sanctions that have made critical repair parts difficult to access, aircraft operators are running out of options. The rough, unpolished gems were flown to London, where they were divided and placed in 120 boxesone for each official De Beers distributor, many of which were headquartered in Antwerp. Jewellery thefts that shocked the world Sadly, crime is part and parcel of human society, especially robberies that plague the world. This was a technique pioneered by New York City-based criminal authority "Mr. Leonardo Notarbartolo Now As a result, Leonardo started assembling a team of skilled thieves in his 30s, including lock pickers, alarm aces, safecrackers, and tunnel experts. Notarbartolo intends to set the record straight. "Actually, I want to talk to you about something a little unusual," the dealer said casually. Inside, a massive structure was covered with black plastic tarps. Leonardo Notarbartolo and the heist of the century With his hands over his head, the Monster used a tool to strip the plastic coating off the wires. He presented himself as a gem importer based in Turin, Italy, and scheduled meetings with numerous dealers. The others would split the rest. Once your account is created, you'll be logged-in to this account. The bolts that secured the door retracted and it swung heavily open. He would purchase a few gemstones as tokens, only to empty their stocks in a week or month and vanish. A wave of anxiety swept the room. It was an invoice for a low-light video surveillance system. Notarbartolo 2023 Cinemaholic Inc. All rights reserved. It was enough evidence to link the crime to Notarbartolo. It was hard to see in the dark, but the spot seemed abandoned. The Diamond Center's vault after the robbery. France was the scene of another major jewel robbery several years later, when an armed man stole jewellery worth about 40m ($47m; 36m) from a hotel exhibition in Cannes in June 2013. Police soon suspected one of the Diamond Center tenants, a one-time jeweler from Turin, Italy, named Leonardo Notarbartolo. diamond heist, and how it "That's not so easy," Notarbartolo pointed out. Who is Leonardo Notarbartolo? Combination dial (0-99)2. Ad Choices, The Untold Story of the World's Biggest Diamond Heist. Jan 1983 - Present40 years 4 months. Over the past 14 weeks, we have met seven times in the prison visiting room, and yet questions remain. They hadn't slept in two days. He tried his dad's phone repeatedly. Like the rest of the team, the Monster wore plastic glovesthe police would find no prints on the cans. Eight teenagers in California were able to steal $3m (2.3m; 2.6) worth of jewellery and designer items before they were arrested in 2009. After 6 years in prison he was released for good behavior, in July of the It took almost an hour for the team to haul the bags up the stairs, pass by the infrared sensor, lower the loot down the ladder, and gather in the hallway of the decrepit office building. But, thanks to one gang member, things eventually fell apart. While hunting one morningMonday, February 17, to be exactVan Camp was incensed to find yet another pile of junk in the underbrush. Leonardo Notarbartolo was born in Palermo, Sicily, in 1952, and by his admission, he became addicted to stealing from a young age. The Untold Story of the Worlds Biggest Diamond Keypad for disarming sensors8. The vault was thought to be impenetrable. Join Facebook to connect with Leonardo Notarbartolo and others you may know. Leonardo Notarbartolo Profiles. The 13 Best Electric Bikes for Every Kind of Ride, The Best Barefoot Shoes for Walking or Running, Paradise at the Crypto Arcade: Inside the Web3 Revolution. He took the elevator, descending two floors underground to a small, claustrophobic roomthe vault antechamber. A 3-ton steel vault door dominated the far wall. A tamped-down giddiness pervaded the dark vault, but they had to stop. Notarbartolo pressed a buzzer on the steel grate. He was known in his hometown as a family man who lived in the suburbs with his wife and children and But the diamond merchant allegedly replicated the vault and introduced him to three skilled Italian robbers, who would become his primary accomplices. The three main blocks of the district bristled with video cameras: Every inch of street and sky appeared to be under watch. While it eventually was termed the biggest heist of the century, carelessness in disposing of the materials used in the robbery helped the police quickly catch the robbers. Notarbartolo planned to stop in France and burn it, leaving no trace of the crime. Notarbartolo had worked with him for 30 yearsthey were childhood buddiesbut he knew that his friend had a habit of coming apart at the end of a job. On February 14, 2003, Leonardo accessed the vault and used womens hairspray to coat the heat/motion sensor. The King of Keys was never apprehended. He came to town about twice a month, stayed a few days at a small apartment near the Diamond District, then drove home to his wife and kids in the foothills of the Alps. Since they had memorized the layout of the vault in the replica, they worked in the dark, turning on their flashlights only for split secondsenough to position the drill over the next box. Notarbartolo was sentenced by the court to ten years of imprisonment while his associates were adjudged to 5 years in prison for each. WIRED is where tomorrow is realized. Web(April 2021) Leonardo Notarbartolo had rented a sparsely furnished office for approximately 25,000 Belgian francs ($700) per month in the Antwerp World Diamond Centre. Five men were eventually charged over the robbery, with the ringleader sentenced to 23 years' imprisonment. the World's Biggest Diamond Heist According to the dealer, he could disable any kind of alarm. News, television, news, sports, gossip, politics and all the news about your city. Notarbartolo Eight men were able to steal watches and jewels worth more than 85m ($99m; 76m) during the two thefts at the Harry Winston store, before they were caught and jailed in 2015. The WIRED conversation illuminates how technology is changing every aspect of our livesfrom culture to business, science to design. But in those muffled flashes, they could glimpse their duffel bags overflowing with gold bars, millions in Israeli, Swiss, American, European, and British currencies, and leather satchels that contained the mother lode: rough and polished diamonds. The breakthroughs and innovations that we uncover lead to new ways of thinking, new connections, and new industries. Just like the thieves in Sweden, the group who targeted London's Millennium Dome (now known as the O2 Arena) in 2000 also planned to steal priceless jewels before making their escape by speedboat. The mud around the car was flecked with dozens of tiny, glittering diamonds. In 1998, he bought a narrow strip of forest alongside the E19 motorway. "We can't take the garbage into Brussels," Speedy stammered. Notarbartolo Three other Italians Elio DOnorio, Ferdinando Finotto and Pietro Tavano were sentenced to five years each. When Notarbartolo arrived, the dealer was waiting for him in front of an abandoned warehouse. Notarbartolo reflected on his interactions with the diamond dealer, and a thought flashed through his mind: Maybe the dealer wasn't operating alone. In September 2002, a guard stepped up to the vault door and began to spin the combination wheel. Notarbartolo was captured and convicted as the leader of a gang of Italian thieves who had managed to enter a vault considered impenetrable. He passed a rusty, dilapidated gate that looked like it hadn't been touched since the Second World War. WebNotarbartolo is one of the main aristocratic families of the Sicilian nobility. Jeffrey Notarbartolo The tall, muscular man was the Monster. In Notarbartolo's jacket pocket, his phone flashed but made no sound. He took out another. The vault was momentarily filled with the smell of a woman's hair. The Antwerp Diamond District is one of the most heavily secured places in the world, with billions of dollars of diamonds changing hands there every year. The next night, he snuck his team into the Diamond Center and waited in a getaway vehicle. The police never determined how the men had entered the building. The Untold Story of the Worlds Biggest Diamond World's Biggest Jewelry Who will get out unscathed? A bus came and went, and then the street was empty. Speedy relayed the message to him. "What is the status of the alarm?" However, certain crimes remain etched in history as so notorious or elaborately planned they keep law officials and commoners trying decades later how to decode them. Copyright 2022 | NewHub.co.uk - Edited in UK by, All contents are produced in a hybrid way by a technology of Artificial Intelligence and by independent creators via the platform, Leonardo Notarbartolo, the thief who made the heist of the century, Everything you need to know about the 9th season of Dexter, The Judge denies Britney to remove her father as conservator, Women slam misogynistic study: wearing makeup is less intelligent, Season Greetings by Banksy will move from Wales, Elton Johns Your Song celebrates 50-years anniversary, Emma Watson responds to anti-trans tweet by JK Rowling. But because it adjoined the highway, Van Camp found a lot of garbage. The bags contained critical evidence. His biggest problem was that he needed to go back to Belgium; the rental car was due in Antwerp the next day. Internal security camera10. The day Notarbartolo was arrested, Italian police broke open the safe at his home in Turin. After years of petty thefts and picking locks, he began tracking jewelry salesmen around Italy to study their behavior and dealings. The door was rated to withstand 12 hours of nonstop drilling. Ive always been a thiefAnd I never stopped, except for some breaks. Now In a 2016 interview, Leonardo stated, Do you know what my dream is? Notarbartolo punched it, and his rented Peugeot 307 sped south toward Brussels. Notarbartolo claims that they only got $20 million of merchandise. During the day, they travel from office to office in briefcases, coat pockets, and off-the-shelf rollies. It was a delicate task. Leonardo Notarbartolo, a smalltime jeweller, was sentenced to 10 years based on circumstantial evidence. For instance, detective De Bruycker says that three-quarters of the business is done under the table. Join Facebook to connect with Leonardo Notarbartolo and others you may know. Does it make sense that the heist was part of a larger insurance scam or is Notarbartolo's story a decoy to throw suspicion on others? The armed escorts fanned out on foot around the armored truck to form a perimeter. Later, marked $100 bills belonging to vault holders at the Diamond Center were discovered at Ferdinando Finottos girlfriends home. If Notarbartolo's insurance scam theory is correct, it went down like this: The dealers who were in on it removed their goodsboth legal and illegalfrom the vault before the heist and then filed claims on the legitimate gems. He was right on schedule. The caveau was protected by infrared heat detectors and locked with a lock with 100 million possible combinations. It didn't take long to reassemble the pieces like a jigsaw puzzle. The plan had always been to return it and show his face at the Diamond Center. Now they were looking at a fraction of thatprobably about $20 million. A member of the squad bent over the clear plastic bags, looking for immediate clues. The four robbers pried open 123 out of 160 vaults and absconded from the building around 5:30 AM on February 16, 2003. It was 7 am. He has left for his homeland in Italy and is prohibited admission to Belgium. Using a digger to break through a perimeter fence, they made their way towards a display of diamonds with an estimated worth of 350m ($460m; 394m). Leonardo Notarbartolo was born in 1952 in Palermo, Sicily, and by his admission, he became addicted to stealing at an early age. VideoTV host admonishes man gluing himself to podium. It would take hours to gather everything up and burn it. He told his family that he'd be leaving early the next morning. The forest was quiet except for the occasional sound of a car or truck on the highway. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. The sensors were out of the loop. The extinguisher was fully functional, but a watertight compartment inside housed electronics that picked up and recorded the video signal. Each box had 17,576 possible combinations. An inside look at the housing crisis. More than 20,000 Russians dead in Bakhmut, US says, Dua Lipa and Penlope Cruz arrive on the Met Gala red carpet, Explore in 3D: The dazzling crown that makes a king, Your full guide to how Coronation day will unfold, Stranded in Sudan with passports locked in Western embassies, TV host admonishes man gluing himself to podium. When the police arrived, they found Notarbartolo chatting with the building manager and began peppering him with questions.