Season 1
2003 · 21 episodes
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.
Episodes
1. The Anthon Forgeries
July 16, 2003
The story of master forger Mark Hoffmann, who created numerous falsified documents relating to the founding of the Mormon church, and fooled experts all over the world
2. The Dunbar Heist
July 16, 2003
Mark Hoffman fabricates more than 600 American historical documents.
3. The Knightsbridge Heist
September 29, 2003
Britain's largest heist in history netted the culprit $90 million in jewels, cash and drugs.
4. Man Called Hollywood
October 6, 2003
The criminal acts committed by Scott Scurlock, who robbed 19 Seattle banks between 1992 and 1996
5. Double Crossed
November 3, 2003
A woman who managed to con over $185,000 out of the residents of Colorado Springs
6. The Laguna Niguel Heist
November 17, 2003
Profile of America's most successful robber Amil Dinsio, who made history in 1972 when he raided the richest bank in the US
7. A Smuggler Supreme
November 24, 2003
Profile of Brian O'Dea, who used his job as a fisherman to import marijuana into America during the 1980s, making himself $200million in the process
8. Art Fraud
December 8, 2003
Two Americans discover the man who pulled off the biggest art fraud in U.K. history.
9. The Hotel Pierre Heist
December 15, 2003
On New Years Eve 1972, Bobby Comfort and his gang pulled off the largest hotel safe heist in U.S. history. It happened at the Pierre Hotel in New York City. After rehearsing a number of scenarios and planning their getaway, Comfort and his gang swooped into the hotel at 4am on New Years Eve. After two and a half hours, they greeted the New Year with more than $10 million dollars in cash and jewels.
10. The Perfect Score
December 22, 2003
Profile of robber William Smarto who hid inside an Illinois bank until closing time and walked away with over $1,000,000 in loot
11. Harn
January 19, 2004
Fraternity brothers use computer trickery to scam the horse-racing world.
12. A Day at the Races
February 14, 2004
The criminals who won over $3million by forging winning horse racing tickets on the Breeders' Cup before being caught
13. The Stopwatch Heist
February 20, 2004
How the FBI tracked down notorious robber Paddy Mitchell and his gang of thieves who were capable of carrying out heists within 90 seconds
14. King of Car Thieves
March 6, 2004
Investigating the capture of Bill Dhaliwal and his gang of elite car thieves who were responsible for stealing high quality cars and selling them to unsuspecting buyers
15. The Riviera Job
March 26, 2004
Albert Spaggiari's robbery of the Societe Generale bank in Nice in 1976, in which he stole gold, cash and gems worth millions
16. The Dinner Set Gang
April 23, 2004
They were the craftiest cat burglars of the 20th Century. For years, Peter Salerno and his partner Dominick Latella plagued the wealthy along the East Coast. In the summer, they struck homes in the ritzy suburbs of New York and Connecticut. When winter came, they trailed their prey to Palm Beach, . There, waterfront properties gave them a great advantage in avoiding police patrolling the roads by approaching their target homes by boat. Over the years they made millions pilfering from the elite of society. The heirs to multimillion dollar businesses such as DuPont, Macy's, Gimbles, the Vat 69 whiskey distillery and others were easy targets for the duo. Salerno and Latella were at the top of their game, and one of the keys to their success was a technique that other thieves would consider suicide. They broke in and carried out their robberies at a time when they knew security alarms would be inactive - while the families were at home having dinner.
17. Safe Landing
April 16, 2004
An insight into the sophisticated gang of thieves, including a jeweller and a former detective, who stole more than $6million in cash and gems over a 10 year period
18. The Forger's Art
April 25, 2004
A profile of John Drewe, who was caught in 1997 for dealing in forged paintings that had fooled art experts across the world and earned him millions
19. Fools Gold
May 5, 2004
A recreation of the Bre-X goldmine scam in Indonesia that swindled thousands of investors out of their life savings.
20. The Bandit Queen
May 19, 2004
How Judy Amar baffled Florida police with a string of robberies in mansions that had strict security measures
21. A Gem of a Heist
May 22, 2004