In August 1911, handyman Vincenzo Peruggia walked out of the Louvre with Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa hidden beneath his smock. While Peruggia believed he was acting out of Italian patriotism, the crime was allegedly orchestrated behind the scenes by Eduardo de Valfierno, a self-styled Argentine marquis. Valfierno had no intention of actually selling the stolen masterpiece, which would be far too famous to fence safely.
Instead, before the heist even occurred, Valfierno hired master art forger Yves Chaudron to craft six precise replicas of the painting. Once the real Mona Lisa was reported stolen, causing a global frenzy, Valfierno forged customs stamps and shipped the six fake paintings to wealthy American buyers who each believed they were purchasing the authentic, stolen masterpiece. Valfierno collected millions without ever needing to handle or deliver the real painting, which remained stashed in Peruggia's trunk for two years.