Victor Lustig: the Man Who Sold the Eiffel Tower Twice
Via Smithsonian Magazine
Summary
In 1925, charismatic con artist "Count" Victor Lustig successfully sold the Eiffel Tower for scrap metal by posing as a French government official and convincing a vulnerable dealer that the landmark was slated for demolition.
Remarkably, Lustig attempted the same audacious scam a second time before eventually fleeing to America, where his career as a master swindler and counterfeiter ultimately led to his imprisonment at Alcatraz.
