Weird Crimes of History: 16 year-old Art Thief

What were you doing when you were sixteen years old? Trying to flirt with the head cheerleader of your school? Trying to earn your driver's license? Getting a job at the local burger joint? Well, all that is nothing compared to Laurence McCall who, at sixteen years old, stole artwork from various museums. Eventually, he stole over 20 paintings worth over $300,000. How did he accomplish this, you may ask? Well, he simply took the paintings off of the wall a slid them out of the window. Easiest heist ever!

This kid was able to get away with refuge in audacity alone. After all, who would have suspected a boy would just grab valuable art, toss it out the window, and retrieve it later as part of their master heist? However, taking the art wasn't enough. Laurence stole the paintings specifically to make a profit. How was a sixteen year old going to earn money off of these stolen pieces? By calling the Sotheby Auction House in New York City and asking them if they wanted to sell some paintings, to which the house agreed to with few questions asked. The boy lived the good life until he was caught at the age of 19 in 1981. The FBI finally caught up to the young thief. After his arrest, he admitted to stealing over 50 paintings across his short career, all of which were worth about $500,000 in total! The boy was sentenced to 15 years of prison, but only got three. I might not approve of what this kid did, but I do have to give him props. This young criminal accomplished more in three years than most people (especially criminals) accomplish in their entire lives!