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In 1925, Victor Lustig, a
sophisticated swindler, was living in Paris. He noticed a newspaper article discussing the high cost of
maintaining the Eiffel Tower. Built in 1889 as a temporary structure for the
World's Fair, the tower had become a symbol of France but was increasingly
viewed as an expensive eyesore by some city officials. The article mentioned
debates about scrapping the iron structure for its metal value. This planted a
seed in Lustig's devious mind.
Lustig saw an opportunity that was
almost too perfect. He had fake letterhead printed identifying himself as the
Deputy Director General of the Ministry of Posts and Telegraphs. He then
invited five prominent scrap metal dealers to a confidential meeting at the
luxurious Hôtel de Crillon.
During the meeting, Lustig explained
with feigned reluctance that the French government could no longer afford to
maintain the Eiffel Tower. Rather than face public embarrassment, officials had
secretly decided to sell the tower for scrap. He claimed the meeting was highly
confidential—the government wanted to avoid backlash from citizens who loved
the landmark.
To make the story believable, Lustig
arranged a private tour of the tower itself. He showed the dealers around,
pointing out its massive iron beams and discussing potential profits from
melting it down.
One dealer, André Poisson, was
particularly hooked. After the group meeting, Lustig took the man aside and
hinted that, for the right price, he could ensure the dealer got the contract.
Lustig demanded a bribe roughly
equivalent to millions today on top of the official purchase price. The dealer Poisson,
believing he was securing a deal of a lifetime, paid the bribe and agreed to
the terms.
A few days later, Lustig collected the
money and vanished. Reporting the crime would mean admitting he tried to buy a
national monument in a shady deal, so, humiliated and embarrassed, the scrap
dealer Poisson chose silence.
What makes Lustig's story legendary is
what happened next. After fleeing to Austria with the loot, Lustig read
newspaper reports about the scam—yet no one had publicly identified the victim
or the perpetrator. Astonishingly, Lustig returned to Paris months later and
ran the exact same con a second time with a new group of scrap dealers.
This time, however, one of the targets
became suspicious and reported the scheme to the police. Lustig narrowly
escaped arrest and fled to the United States.
In America, Lustig continued his
criminal ways. He famously conned Al Capone (though he wisely returned the
gangster's money to avoid deadly consequences) and pulled off numerous other
elaborate schemes. His luck eventually ran out in 1935 when he was arrested for
counterfeiting and sent to Alcatraz. He died in 1947 from complications of
pneumonia while serving his sentence.
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