Frank Abagnale became notorious for impersonating a pilot, a doctor, and a laywer. He was hired by the FBI to teach them his fradulent tricks.
1948-
Shoko Asahara, founder of the religious cult Aum Shinrikyo, was convicted of masterminding the 1995 Sarin gas attack on the Tokyo subway. He was sentenced to death in 2004.
1955-
Sydney Biddle Barrows is famous for running a high-class escort service in the 1980s.
1952-
Lorena Bobbitt is best known for severing her husband's penis while he slept, in retaliation for his sexual assaults against her.
1970-
Mary Brunner, a member of Charles Manson's "Family," was in jail at the time of the infamous Tate/LaBianca murders, thereby precluding her participation.
1943-
American serial killer and rapist Ted Bundy was one of the most notorious criminals of the late 20th century.
1946-1989
Caryl Chessman is best known for his controversial conviction for sex crimes and his execution in 1960.
1921-1960
Alan Conway was best known for impersonating the film director Stanley Kubrick. Conway convinced several figures in the entertainment industry, and recieved meals, drinks, and sexual favors in exchange for promising roles in Kubrick films.
1934-1998
Marquis de Sade was a French aristocrat and philosopher who became notorious for acts of sexual cruelty in his writings as well as in his own life.
1740-1814
Ferdinand Waldo Demara, Jr. traveled the country posing as a Navy officer, a surgeon, a teacher, and more, beginning in the 1940s. He is known as the "Great Imposter" for pulling off some of the greatest identity hoaxes in history.
1921-1982
Alberto DeSalvo is best known for confessing to be the Boston Strangler.
1931-1973
Teenage Amy Fisher had an affair with mechanic Joey Buttafuoco in the early 1990s. When Buttafuoco refused to leave his wife, Fisher attempted to kill her.
1974-
Heidi Fleiss is an American criminal best known as the "Hollywood Madam" of a high class prostitution ring that catered to wealthy clients like Charlie Sheen.
1965-
1904-1934
Evelyn "Billie" Frechette fell in love and lived with bank robber John Dillinger. She was arrested and served two years in prison for harboring a criminal.
1907-1969
Lynette "Squeaky" Fromme was a member of Charles Manson's "Family," who was sentenced to life in prison for attempting to assassinate President Gerald Ford.
1948-
Phillip Garrido kidnapped 11-year-old Jaycee Dugard in 1991. Garrido held Dugard captive for 18 years, raping her repeatedly and impregnating her twice. He also committed several other crimes, including many rapes.
1951-
1940-1977
John Hinckley Jr. gained national notoriety in 1981 when he attempted to assassinate President Ronald Reagan outside of a Washington, D.C. hotel.
1955-
Doc Holliday is a figure from the Old West, a gunman and a gambler who was part of the legendary shootout at the O.K. Corral.
1851-1887
Warren Jeffs, the former leader of the polygamist sect Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, was convicted in 2011 for the sexual assault of underage girls.
1955-
1895-1954
1897-1954
1855-1880
1962-
Richard Loeb, of Leopold and Loeb, is best known for murdering 14-year old Bobby Franks with Nathan Leopold in an attempt to carry out the 'perfect crime'.
1905-1936
Victor Lustig was a con artist who became known at "the man who sold the Eiffel Tower."
1890-1947
Billy the Kid is best known for his time as a thief and gunfighter, constantly on the run from law enforcement.
1859-1881
Henry Morgan was a Welsh Admiral who raided Spanish settlements in the late 17th century. He is accounted as one of the most notorious buccaneers in history.
1635-1688
Political activist, resistance leader. Born Jeral Wayne Williams on August 8, 1950, in Baltimore, Maryland. At the age of seven, moved to Queens, New York, with his mother and younger sister. His mother, who was legally blind, often struggled to get
"Baby Face" Nelson was a gangster, bank robber and triggerman who work for Al Capone and John Dillinger.
1908-1934
Charles Ponzi was best known for the financial crimes he committed when he conned investors into giving him millions of dollars, and paid them returns with other investors' money.
1882-1949
George Psalmanazar was best known for posing as the first Formosan to visit Europe.
1679-1763
Indian cult leader Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh created the spiritual practice of dynamic meditation. He started the Rancho Rajneesh commune in Oregon in the 1980s.
1931-1990
1963-
Catherine Share, a member of Charles Manson's "Family," was not involved in the infamous Tate/LaBianca murders, but was implicated in lesser plots inspired by Manson.
1942-
O.J. Simpson is best known for his arrest and trial in the 1994 murder of his former wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend, Ron Goldman, of which he was found not guilty.
1947-
Charles Sobhraj was a famous serial killer in the 1970's, known for drugging and killing between 12 and 24 western tourists in Asia. His several successful escapes from prison coined him the nickname, "The Serpent."
1944-
1848-1889
1963-
1820-1865
The Man in the Iron Mask wore a black velvet mask to hide his identity. He was arrested in 1681, and was held as a political prisoner at Pignerol and the Bastille.
-1703
1968-
Leslie Van Houten was a member of Charles Manson's "Family," and was convicted of the 1969 murder of Rosemary LaBianca, orchestrated by Manson.
1949-
Adam Wheeler, also known as the "Ivy League Imposter," made national news when it was discovered that he had boasted an academic career—including admission to Harvard University—based on lies.