While many people pride themselves on building their wealth through hard work and dedication in a noble profession, the same can’t be said about the m

While many people pride themselves on building their wealth through hard work and dedication in a noble profession, the same can’t be said about the men and women whom you will read about here. A life of integrity and being a law abiding citizen are not the goals of some who seek to build their empire through a life of crime. They look forward to becoming wealthy via illegal means. Here are five of the richest criminals in the world. 1. Semion Mogilevich Semion Yudmovich Mogilevich, born in Ukraine in 1946 is a Russian organized crime boss. The European Union and U.S law enforcement officials refer to him as “the boss of bosses” of the majority of the Russian mafia organizations worldwide. His business engages in criminal activities which include extortion, weapons trafficking, money laundering, bank and securities fraud and corruption. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) refers to Mogilevich as “the most dangerous mobster in the world.” Today, he lives in Moscow as a free man with his children. 2. Leona Helmsley Leona Roberts Helmsley was born in 1920 and passed away in 2007. She was an American businesswoman who was known for her iron-fisted management style which led her to be given the nickname “Queen of Mean.” In 1989, the real estate mogul was convicted of one count conspiracy to defraud the U.S; three counts of tax evasion, three counts of filing false personal tax, sixteen counts of assisting in filing false corporate and partnership tax returns and ten counts of mail fraud. With such a long list of charges, Helmsley received a four-year prison sentence, 750 hours of community service and a $7.1 million tax fraud fine. 3. Joseph P. Kennedy Sr. Joseph P. Kennedy Sr. was born in the United States in 1888 and was later a businessman, politician and investor. He amassed a sizable fortune by investing in the stock market and commodities and he eventually reinvested his gains. There were many rumors that Kennedy allegedly made his early fortune as a bootlegger during the Prohibition, which was a period when based on the eighteenth Amendment of the US Constitution, the manufacture, transportation and the sale of intoxicating liquors was banned. It is believed that he made a $400 million fortune by providing beverages to the nation's restricted areas. 4. Al Capone  Alphonse Gabriel Capone, also known by the nickname “Scarface,” was an American gangster and businessman. He gained notoriety during the prohibition era. He was the cofounder and leader of the Chicago Outfit which was an Italian-American organized crime syndicate based in Chicago, Illinois. Capone, in his early twenties, ruled a crime empire which was known for gambling, bootlegging, bribery, trafficking, robbery and rackets, among other things. For a while it seemed like he was untouchable until after seven years into his reign, he was charged and sentenced to jail. When he died in 1947, it is said that his net worth was about $100 million. 5. Ephren Taylor Ephren Taylor was a man of a Christian background who hundreds of parishioners believed and trusted. He was introduced to many congregations and was hailed as a financial “wiz kid.” He promised many believers that he could make them rich; however, it was a scheme to trick people out of their millions. At his “Wealth Tour” which focused on self improvement, acquiring financial prosperity and investment, he urged churchgoers to make sizable financial investments in his real estate development deals. Several years later, Taylor was sentenced to nineteen years and seven months in federal prison.

The Richest Criminals in the World

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