Top 20 list of the richest criminals in the world: ranked in order (2023)

Crime is risky, and the notion that it pays more than any lawful work is deeply rooted in society. As a result, the names of criminals never stop cropping up. From drug dealers to fraudsters, this list sifts through the notably richest criminals in the world while including details of their net worth, how they

Crime is risky, and the notion that it pays more than any lawful work is deeply rooted in society. As a result, the names of criminals never stop cropping up. From drug dealers to fraudsters, this list sifts through the notably richest criminals in the world while including details of their net worth, how they made their wealth and where they are.

If you thought Pablo Escobar was one of the richest criminals in the world, you are mistaken. The criminals in this list made more than he did. So, who are the top 10 gangsters in the world?

Who is the world's biggest gangster?

Apart from providing an answer to this question, this list gives an overview of various crimes and how these infamous offenders illegally made a fortune. Some are still serving their sentences, others released, some have passed, and others are fugitives.

20. Kenneth Petty - $500,000

Kenneth Petty is an American celebrity spouse famously known for being Nicki Minaj's husband. Even though he works in the music industry, he has brushed shoulders with the law enforcers and served prison time; he was convicted of murder and is a registered sex offender. Kenneth Petty is worth $500,000.

19. Michael Franzese - $1 million

Michael Franzese is an American former mobster and the captain of the Colombo crime family, and his net worth is $1 million. He was indicted on 14 counts of racketeering, extortion and counterfeiting, resulting in a 10-year prison sentence and $14 million in restitution.

18. Freeway Rick Ross - $1 million

Freeway Rick Ros is an American convicted drug trafficker who ran a massive drug empire in Los Angeles. At the peak of his career, he raked in $3 million daily, and his peak net worth was $600 million. He was sentenced to life in prison, although he appealed, and after 20 years, Freeway was released in 2009. He is worth $1 million.

17. Hector "Junior" Pagan - $1 million

Hector Junior Pagan is a former associate of the Bonnano crime family, one of the richest crime organisations. His net worth is $1 million, and he has been in and out of prison for his involvement in mob life.

16. John Gotti Jr - $10 million

John Gotti Jr is a former mobster whose net worth peaked at $10 million. He was allegedly the boss of the Gambino family between 1992 and 1999 after his father, John Gambino, was sentenced to prison. Even though he was charged with four racketeering charges, they ended in mistrials since no conviction would stick. He reportedly is no longer associated with organised crime.

15. Ephren Taylor - $10 million

Epheren Taylor is a notorious American businessman with a net worth of $10 million, obtained mainly from his fraudulent operations.

14. Frank Abagnale - $10 million

Frank Abagnale is an American security consultant whose net worth at the height of his career was $10 million. He is infamous for his history as a former impostor with more than eight identities, and he was arrested and served a 10-year prison sentence between 1970 and 1980.

13. Paul Castellano - $20 million

Paul Castellano was an American mafia boss whose net worth at the height of his power was $20 million, the equivalent of $50 million today. Paul, who died in 1985, took over as the head of the Gambino crime family, one of the richest criminal organisations, after Carlo Gambino.

12. John Gotti - $30 million

John Gotti's net worth at the peak of his career was $30 million. He was the boss of New York's Gambino crime family and was convicted of numerous criminal offences in 1992. He passed away in 1996.

11. Rayful Edmond - $50 million

Rayful Edmond, whose peak net worth was $50 million, was a former drug lord in the '80s. He was arrested in 1989 and sentenced to two life terms, although he later struck a deal with law enforcement officers to become a government informant.

10. Big Meech - $100 million

Big Meech is an American convicted drug dealer whose peak net worth was $100 million, which he earned while running the infamous Black Mafia family. He pleaded guilty to charges of drug trafficking and money laundering in 2005 and was sentenced to 30 years in federal prison.

9. Bugsy Siegel - $100 million

Who is the world's biggest gangster? Busy Siegel, an American mobster whose net worth was $100 million when he died, was one of the most feared gangsters of his time. Siegel, who was influential in the National Crime Syndicate, died in 1947.

8. Al Capone - $100 million

How rich was Al Capone in today's money? Al Capone reportedly had a net worth of $100 million, or almost $1.5 billion in today's currency. But just before he passed away, Capone allegedly forgot where he stashed his riches. He was the boss of Chicago Outfit, the organised crime syndicate. He was charged with possessing a concealed weapon and tax evasion leading to an 11-year sentence. He passed in 1946.

7. Jho Low -$150 million

Jho Low is a Malaysian fugitive businessman and criminal, one of the richest criminals never caught, whose net worth is $150 million. He is a wanted man for allegedly masterminding a global scheme that embezzled $4.5 billion from the Malaysian sovereign wealth fund.

6. Joaquín Guzmán - $1 billion

Joaquín Guzmán is a former Mexican drug kingpin whose net worth peaked at $1 billion. He is infamously known as the former Sinaloa Drug Cartel head who masterminded a large-scale drug trafficking syndicate between Mexico and USA. Guzmán was nabbed in 2014, although he escaped from prison in 2015 and was re-arrested in 2016. He was sentenced to life in prison plus 30 years.

5. Frank Costello - $1 billion

Frank Costello was an Italian-American Mafia leader and one of the top 10 richest gangsters in the world, whose net worth peaked at $1 billion at the time of his death in 1973. He ran one of the wealthiest crime organisations, which generated $60 billion in revenue at its peak.

4. Adnan Khashoggi - $2 billion

Adnan Khashoggi was a Saudi Arabian businessman, once listed as the world's richest person in the '80s, with a peak net worth of $4 billion. He was involved in bribery scandals and was later arrested for racketeering and concealing funds. He was detained for three months and later acquitted by a federal jury.

3. Griselda Blanco - $2 billion

Griselda Blanco, famously known as the Black Widow, was one of the richest criminals, whose peak net worth was $2 billion. She was an infamous drug trafficker in the Medellín Cartel and was sentenced to 10 years in prison. Griselda was murdered in 2012.

2. Carlos Lehder - $2.7 billion

Carlos Lehder, a former German-Colombian drug lord whose peak net worth was $2.7 billion, was famously known as one of the richest criminals who ran a massive drug distribution syndicate in the Bahamas. He served a 33-year prison sentence in the USA and was released in 2020.

1. Leona Helmsley - $5 billion

Leona Helmsley was an American condominium broker and the wife of Harry Helms Helmsley, a multimillionaire real estate investor. Harry divorced his wife of 33 years and married Leona, and together they built a real estate empire in New York City. At the peak of her business, Leona was worth $5 billion, topping the list as the richest criminal in history.

In the late 80s, Leona was convicted of federal income tax evasion and sentenced to 16 years in prison, but reduced to 19 months and two months under house arrest. She passed away in August 2007.

This list of the richest criminals in 2023 shows how rampant crime syndicates are, and it is also an eye-opener of how offenders capitalise on crime to amass wealth and how their lives pan out. A few of these figures are reformed convicts.

READ ALSO: 35+ celebrities that went to jail or currently rotting in jail (updated list)

We compiled a list of 35 celebrities who went to jail. It is a no-brainer that celebrities are often locked in legal battles. Why is this the case?

Are there any celebrities rotting in jail? What offences do most celebrities commit? How do they acclimatise to the reality of being ex-convicts?

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