Flawless: Inside the Largest Diamond Heist in History

by Scott Andrew Selby, Greg Campbell

The heist of the century! Ten years before the recent Brussels diamond theft, daring diamond thieves made off with gems worth almost twice as much. On February 15, 2003, thieves broke into an allegedly airtight vault in Antwerp, never tripping an alarm, and made off with over $108 million worth of diamonds and other valuables. Although the crime was perfect, the getaway was not. The police zeroed in on a band of professional thieves fronted by Leonardo Notarbartolo, a dapper Italian who had rented an office in the Diamond Center and clandestinely cased its vault for over two years. The “who” of the crime had been answered, but the “how” remained a mystery. Scott Andrew Selby, a Harvard Law grad and diamond expert, and Greg Campbell, author of Blood Diamonds , embarked on a global chase to uncover the true story behind the stunning heist. Tracking the threads of the crime throughout Europe—from Belgium to Italy, in seedy cafés and sleek diamond offices—the authors sorted through an array of conflicting details, divergent opinions and incongruous theories to put together the puzzle of what actually happened that Valentine’s Day weekend. This real-life Ocean’s Eleven —a combination of diamond history, journalistic reportage, and riveting true-crime story—provides a thrilling in-depth study detailing the better-than-fiction heist of the century.

Genres: Nonfiction, True Crime, Crime, History, Audiobook, Mystery, Book Club

310 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 1, 2012

About the author

Scott Selby, author of three books, is a Harvard Law and UC Berkeley graduate, with a master's in Human Rights and Intellectual Property Law from Lund University, Sweden. Visit his website at ScottSelby.com.

Reviews

[Jill H. · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book could have had an alternate title called "Brilliant" as it certainly falls into that category. In 2003, the largest diamond heist in history occurred and the author delights the reader with the step-by-step preparation and execution of the amazing robbery.

Antwerp, Belgium is the diamond capital of the world and through the ultra secure Diamond District, millions upon million of dollars worth of gems (80% of the world's available supply) pass daily. The electronic and men-on-the-ground security was thought to be unbreakable. But expert jewel thieves from Italy known as the School of Turin were convinced that anywhere can be robbed with enough preparation.

A small group of the School spent three years looking for any weaknesses in the security and eventually found them. Their leader infiltrated one of the buildings in the Diamond District, by renting an office and posing as a diamond dealer. He was a jeweler by trade so he could talk the talk with other dealers. The reader is then entertained and fascinated by the planning and implementation of this historic robbery as well as a look at the secretive world of diamonds and diamond dealing.

I will reveal no more about the outcome but will say that the loot was never recovered and is still out there somewhere. The Diamond District officials have given the opinion that it will never be found. Highly recommended.

[Barbara K · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sorry, but I can’t resist: Danny Ocean would have been proud of these guys. I had reached that conclusion well before the authors began their numerous comments on the differences between heists as portrayed in the Ocean’s Eleven movies and in the real world, so I’m sticking it in anyway.

In truth, the cleverness of these thieves, along with the fact that there was no violence, or even the threat of violence, during their spree, is truly film worthy. The gang stole somewhere between $100 million and $400 million worth of diamonds, precious metals and jewelry from a well designed vault in Antwerp’s fabled diamond district. It’s hard to know exactly how much because the nature of the diamond business is such that not everyone had a clear sense of what was in their safe deposit boxes the night of the theft. And many people either had no insurance or chose not to file because their losses may have been in black market diamonds.

The plan for the theft was carefully thought out over the period of nearly 2 years. The thieves were careless only after the fact.

The building they robbed, on the other hand, was a monument to carelessness. Routine safety procedures were overlooked, and the high tech and other protections for the basement vault were ignored on a routine basis for the sake of convenience. There was relatively free access to what should have been secured areas, and the perpetrators were able to take video to document the layout and procedures.

Apparently the Belgian police are generally considered to be inept (I can sense Hercule Poirot spinning in his grave as I type this), but they got very lucky in this case. One main instance, and multiple small ones.

There have been a number of TV shows, documentaries and otherwise, based on this “case of the century”, including a new Netflix series. This book is really well done, the kind of narrative non-fiction I enjoy where the authors go down a lot of rabbit holes to set up their story, such as explaining the inner workings of the diamond industry.

Now, in case you haven’t seen any of those depictions, read the book, or followed the case in the news, I will hide some closing comments

Did they get away with it? Depends on how you look at it. Most of them spent time in jail, but the longest time served was only 6 years. That’s significant because virtually none of the proceeds of the sales were recovered. So four of the supposed five in the group can’t be arrested again for this crime and are theoretically free to spend the rest of their days in comfort. Diamonds are extremely difficult to trace, and the bulk of the loot could be reconfigured so that it can’t be identified as being among the specific pieces stolen. Even if they receive only pennies on the dollar from a fence, the sheer size of the theft means they are all wealthy men.

I’m generally up for a heist book or movie, and this one did not disappoint.

[Alex Givant · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent account on Antwerp diamont heist. I always amazed how much efforts and thinking criminals put in some high-value heists. Interesting facts about diamond industry too!

[Carlos · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 starts for this one . What makes this book a good one is the fact that this actually happened, a group of people robbed the diamond center in Antwerp and made out with almost 500000 $ in diamonds and fleeing currency, 4 people were accused and went to trial , they never talked...even until now there is no clarity as to how it happened but this book tries to answer those question...this book feels like a movie and better than one at the same time . Highly recommend it if you are looking for a thrilling nonfiction book.

[Lewis Weinstein]

a fascinating story ... an incredible plan methodically prepared and executed ... one critical mistake ... and the loot was never recovered ...

[Joy D · Rating 4 out of 5]

Non-fiction account of the meticulously planned 2003 heist at the Antwerp Diamond Center, which housed one of the world's most secure vaults. The book follows Leonardo Notarbartolo, leader of the small group of Italian thieves, who spent two years in preparations to breach a vault protected by multiple layers of security systems, including heat detectors, magnetic sensors, and a sophisticated locking mechanism. Selby and Campbell reconstruct how Notarbartolo posed as a diamond merchant and methodically studied the premises. The narrative tracks both the elaborate preparation phase and the execution of the heist, as well as the investigation, charges, and trial that followed. It recounts a crucial error in judgment that led to the thieves’ downfall.

The authors employ a cinematic structure that alternates between multiple perspectives and timeframes. Selby and Campbell write in journalistic style. They reconstruct scenes and dialogue based on extensive interviews, court documents, and police records, and are careful to distinguish between documented facts and reasonable speculation. The authors point out that they conducted an analysis and study of the evidence, and did not pay Notarbartolo, who published his own implausible account. The book kept my interest throughout. The details about security systems (of the time) and the diamond industry are fascinating. The authors have turned a complex true crime story into a page-turner.

[Vicky Hunt · Rating 5 out of 5]

High Tech Security Rendered Worthless with Hairspray, Electrical Tape, and Styrofoam

Whether family heirlooms, personal investments, corporate diamond industry products, blood diamonds, war/ conflict diamonds, or just black diamonds in general... diamonds represent a highly valued method of portable and exchangeable wealth that is not dependent on currency or political stability. The diamond district in Belgium sees much of the diamond traffic that circulates the globe. This book follows the details of the investigation into the biggest diamond heist in history that took place a decade and a half ago.

The most intriguing part was the actual safe-cracking section, and the details about how the crooks disabled an impregnable vault with multiple alarms: motion detector, infrared thermal detector, magnetic detector, and light detector using just hairspray, electrical tape, and Styrofoam. The vault also had keyed and combination locks. Much is still unknown, but much was pieced together by the luck of finding the garbage the thieves dumped. Most of the money and currency was never recovered and there is not even a true accounting possible of the real total lost, since much that was stolen was from individuals who feared to file a claim on what was unreported black market stock.

"Whether we fall by ambition, blood, or lust, like diamonds we are cut with our own dust."

The author is good at weaving it all together in an easy to follow sequence that includes the important details to allow readers to form their own theories as to some of the lingering questions about the heist and the elusive loot. It keeps you focused on the details of the diamond industry; from mining all the way through the diamond bourses, and the diamantaires who cut and sell the diamonds. The criminal side is also covered intricately. On one side are the safe designers, the security industry, the diamond detectives and the insurance investigators. On the other side, the 'School of Turin' criminals from Italy who loosely work together to pull off different jobs based on their own personal set of skills. And, then the criminal justice system that gives 5 year sentences for such a massive crime as this. And, specific details of diamond appraisal are explained as well.

The book talks about the ethics of the industry, and how there have been efforts to curtail terrorists from using the diamond industry to fund their own work. Ultimately, it reminds you of piracy and the basic fact that human greed rather than currency or stones is the root cause of crime.

I read this book in the Audible format narrated well by Don Hagen. This was my stop in Belgium for my Journey Around the World in 80 Books challenge. Now, I am moving South to the tiny country of Luxembourg.

[Yibbie · Rating 2 out of 5]

For a book about a fabulous diamond heist, I found large sections rather boring. It was informative almost exhaustively so. For example, I can understand why you need to understand the recent political and social history of Turin. Without that, it would never make sense why it was the headquarters for the gang. But did it really have to start with Hannibal? That was how just about every topic introduced is handled whether it’s locks, the Diamond Center, or characters. So I learned a lot, but it tended to drag. Oh, then there was the repetition. It’s especially repetitive about cell phones. He describes over and over why they chose to use burner phones. That wasn’t the only thing that got repetitive, but it stands out the strongest.
I also found the name somewhat unfortunate. There really isn’t anything flawless about the whole episode. The security in the Diamond Center wasn’t flawless. The heist obviously wasn’t flawless. Nor was the investigation flawless. I guess some of the diamonds were flawless. I expected something to work out perfectly or at least fully, but by the end of the story I was rather let down. I guess that is what I should have expected from real life, but the title was misleading.
There were three or four crude words quoted. Besides those, it was a clean book.

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I got this eBook free via Barnes & Noble on Facebook! It's a good read so far -- has the feel of Ocean's 11, except it's a true story. I'm learning a lot of things that I didn't know about the Antwerp diamond district -- which I didn't even know existed.

[Jacob · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a decent account of a very interesting crime. I guess I expected the story to be somewhat similar to the movie of the same name, but it was totally different. In fact, the only thing similar besides the name is that it is a story of a diamond heist. Anyway, I don't think that prevents me from evaluating this book on its merits.

There's some good background here on the diamond industry, and the authors are pretty careful to make it clear in the text what they know for sure and what is conjecture, or even when there are multiple valid ideas about what happened. However, the story is told in a "he may have done this next" way that constantly reminds you that you are reading a fictionalized narrative. If the authors wanted to write a fictionalized narrative (a good way to go), they should have made it more like The Great Train Robbery or Freedom: A Novel of Abraham Lincoln and the Civil War and just assumed full narrative control. They could have included notes at the back to make clear what was fact and what was conjecture. The way it was written made it hard to get into, and it only gets better in a couple of places where they do slip into full narrative control, for example when the thieves are actually raiding the safe deposit boxes.

[Whitney Sorensen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Being largest diamond heist in history- really, one of the largest heists ever, this book is inherently interesting. It answers the burning questions like, how did they do it? Did they get caught? Although we don't really know exactly how they did it (nobody talked), the fast paced action of this book takes you through the process and gives you a taste of the excitement that the thieves must have been feeling as they went through it.

At 230ish pages, it is pretty fast paced. Lots of nonfiction like this can get slow, but I thought that really the only slow part is when the author describes the streets of the Diamond District- but even then, it's good to be able to visualize. This is like the real life version of Ocean's Eleven--sorry, can't escape the comparison, especially since it's a little ironic that that movie came out while the thieves were in the middle of planning the heist. The straightforward writing complemented the action of the story. And kind of crazy-- I don't know if the authors were trying to do this--but I found myself cheering for the thieves a lot of the time!

http://enjoyabookblog.com

[Suzanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

The fun of participating in reading challenges is discovering exciting new books. I was challenged to read a book having to do with diamonds, so I selected a non-fiction work about a jewel heist.

In 2003, a group of Italian thieves broke into a secure vault in Antwerp's Diamond District, and stole what could be valued at $500 million in jewels, precious metals and cash. Author Scott Andrew Selby presents a work of narrative non-fiction, outlining the impressive details of the robbery and how law enforcement were able to track down the culprits. The book is well-written, well-researched, and exciting. I found myself gripped by the narrative, curious as to what would happen next. In spite of the fact that the perpetrators were caught, the loot was never recovered. I highly recommend this one!

[Fred Hughes · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fairly detailed account of the world's largest diamond heist.

The thieves made a couple of minor mistakes and were caught and served their time.

But the diamonds were never recovered

Fun book

[Tessa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an interesting book to listen to. It goes into great detail about the heist and how it was perpetrated, and is very concise on which parts are factual and which are guesses. I also found the background information about the diamond industry surprisingly interesting; I knew very little about it, so this part of the book was actually quite educational for me.

Recommended for fans of
The Great Pearl Heist: London's Greatest Thief and Scotland Yard's Hunt for the World's Most Valuable Necklace as it is written in a similar style.

[JRay · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating true story about the largest diamond heist in history. An easy and enjoyable read!

[Joyce · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm a fan of capers and this is a good non-fiction one. Generally I prefer film capers, as there's often too much detail which slows the pace in writing. Here the backstory is fascinating enough--the biographies of the thieves, the story of the diamond industry, Antwerp, and the theft-to hold my interest. There's not a sense of breathless anticipation as the theft details are revealed but a real sense of following an investigation with myriad facts, hypotheses, and characters. Well-researched and laid out.

[Cheryl Hager · Rating 3 out of 5]

if not for the BR reading challenge, I would have never considered this book, or any true crime book, for that matter. I tried to remember where and what I was doing when all this hit the news in 2003...I don't remember any of it. Just think, if these guys, and others like them, put this same effort into something productive and law-abiding, the world would be less of a sesspool.

[April · Rating 2 out of 5]

I’m not sure why I added this to my to-read list 13 years ago but since I’m not particularly interested in diamonds, the history of the diamond industry, the European legal system, heists, or any of these people really, I probably should have just removed it instead of pushing through it. This is making me reconsider my plan of reading the oldest books on that shelf.

[Ratko Radunović · Rating 5 out of 5]

U južnoafričkim Kimberli rudnicima dijamanata lupeža bi kažnjavali odsijecanjem noge, jer je upravnicima trebalo da isti čovjek i dalje nastavi da prekopava za dragim kamenjem. Stoga je interesantno što je simbol svjetske prijestonice dijamanata, belgijskog Antverpa – ruka. Zaštitni znak, gradska fontana, prikazuje rimskog vojnika Silvija Braboa koji se sprema da zafrljači amputiranu ruku jednog džina u rijeku Šelt.

Pomenuta fontana predstavlja omaž legendi o nastanku Antverpa circa 1200. godine, na čijem je mjestu džin iznuđivao kaparu od brodova u prolasku. Kapetani što bi odbili da plate globu, izgubili bi ruku, sve do trenutka dok džin nije ostao bez svoje; „antverp“ je, treba znati, izdanak stare flemiške riječi za „baciti ruku“ – nešto što je belgijski kralj, Leopold II (1835-1909), iz ovog ili onog suludog razloga, naređivao da se radi sa robovima i stanovništvom u Kongu, od najmlađih pa do onih najstarijih.

Antverp je postao permamentna dijamantska prestonica još tokom XV vijeka i od tada nije izgubio tu titulu, budući da se većina svjetskih poslova sa dijamantima odvija preko firmi koje svoja sjedišta imaju u kvartu poznatom kao Dijamantska četvrt. Naime, obezbjeđenje u Četvrti je toliko neumjereno da podsjeduje bezmalo utopijske kvalitete. Četvrt se sastoji od tri kratke ulice povezane s kraja na kraj uglovima od po devedeset stepeni, na taj način opisujući oštro slovo „S“. Ova tri bloka postali su dom hiljadama poslova koji imaju veze sa industrijom dijamanata na neki način, uključujući u to i agenciju belgijske vlade za uvoz-izvoz dijamanata – bankama, mijenjačnicama, zlatarama, računajući i na četiri berze za ekskluzivne članove, odgovornim za najveći dio svjetske trgovine dijamanata. Grad ugošćava i zamašnu jevrejsku populaciju.

Kao rezultat toliko skoncentrisanog bogatstva, opsesija ovog područja za obezbjeđenjem graniči se sa paranojom. Pomenute tri ulice – Schupstraat, Hoveniersstraat i Rijfstraat – zatvorene su za saobraćaj. Oba kraja kvarta zaštićeni su futurističkim sistemima za „zarobljavanje“ i spriječavanje vozila, specijalnim neprobojnim cilindrima odakle jedino tenk može da se probije; o prisustvu kamera i o fizičkom, kao i policijskom, obezbjeđenju suvišno je govoriti.

U stvari, bezbjednost u kvartu je takva da se tokom dana transakcije dijamanata odvijaju upravo na njhovim pločnicima – ljudi hladno zaglèdaju dijamante čiji sjaj i sa pedesetak metara može da vam udari u oči poput snopa iz baterijske lampe. Oni što se bave tim poslom znaju da im se ništa ne može dogoditi na tim ulicama, dok je izvan njihovih granica sve moguće. Zato i većina onoga što posjeduju u dragom kamenju s razlogom čuvaju u ogromnim trezorima u zgradama Četvrti, i sa sobom nose samo ono najpotrebnije ili pak, kad zatreba, u blindiranim vozilima.

Pljačke Dijamantske četvrti su skoro nepostojeće, izuzev ako se ne obavljaju iznutra, odnosno od strane ljudi koji imaju autorizovani pristup sefovima. Čak su i prevare rijetke, jer trgovac koji ukrade dijamante svog kolege koji mu ih je povjerio zbog procjene, na taj način će neosporno lako zaraditi npr. pola miliona dolara, no kako će zbog toga zauvijek izgubiti reputaciju, njemu je otprilike jasno da će poštenim transakcijama tokom karijere zaraditi još najmanje deset puta toliko.

Dabome, kad je u pitanju crno tržište i dijamanti koji dolaze iz područja kojima se zapravo finansiraju ratovi, kao u afričkim zemljama poput Sijera Leonea, Angole i Kongoa, donešene su brojne mjere i zakoni kojima se zabranjuje kupovina tih dijamanata.

Ipak, to ne mora ništa da znači, jer su dijamanti sa tih područja mnogo jeftiniji i ne bi trebalo da čudi što su pojedini trgovci, u tom slučaju, voljni da rizikuju i vlastitu reputaciju za nešto što je u načelu detektivima za dijamante veoma teško dokazati – a što se obično nalazi u njihovim (tajnim) defterima.

Dijamanti kojima je Al Kaeda, ako je vjerovati tvrdnji Vašington Posta (a što je potom i te kako odzvonilo u Antverpu), finansirala napade 9/11 i rat poslije toga, koriste se kao najidealnije sredstvo naplate zato jer se najlakše i najbrže pretvaraju u novac, dok, zahvaljujući familiji De Beer, nasljednicima južnoafričkih rudnika Sesila Roudsa, koji ih šaku po šaku puštaju u opticaj, oni nikada neće izgubiti na vrijednosti. Razlog za to je vrlo jasan: za razliku od novca, dijamantima je bezmalo nemoguće ući u trag.

Od trenutka kad su ljudi odlučili da dijamante – pa i zlato – zbog njihove čvrstoće, sjaja i rijetkosti proglase vrijednim, postojali su oni koji su htjeli da ih prisvoje nezakonitim putem (ruku na srce, dijamanti nastaju na dubini od 150-200 kilometara ispod površine i bespogovorno pružaju veliku pomoć industriji, ali zbog čega bi, kad je luksuz u pitanju, ova nekakva vrsta stakla trebala da ima iole veću vrijednost od raznobojnog morskog oblutka, ostaće jedna od misterija tzv. ljudskog stanja). Isto tako je zanimljivo što se do sredine XVIII vijeka i pronalaska rudnika u Južnoj Africi, mislilo da je dijamante moguće naći samo u Indiji i u Brazilu, dok se i danas vodi polemika o tome gdje su oni prvi put izbrušeni i gdje su dobili onaj prepoznatljivi oblik – u Brižu ili u Antverpu.

Ono što je pošlo za rukom šačici provalnika iz Torina u februaru 2003. godine, vjerovatno će označiti posljednji put kad je nekome sa strane omogućen potpun ulaz u Dijamantski Centar, u jednu od zgrada u Četvrti. Autorima ove knjige prvima je pružena prilika da naširoko pišu o tom slučaju iz perspektive specijalne policije za dijamante i ostalih prisutnih ljudi, jer su mjere bezbjednosti u Centru do sada sigurno izmijenjene nekoliko puta.

Da bi, u filmu Oušnova jedanaestorka, ekipa dobila pristup podzemnom sefu u hotelu Belađio, prethodno su morali da ukradu magnetni superprovodnik sa obližnjeg naučnog instituta kako bi ugasili struju čitavom Las Vegasu. U Italijanskom poslu, ekipa Majkla Kejna je morala da se infiltrira u torinski saobraćajni centar kako bi kontrolisala sve semafore u gradu za vrijeme bijega nakon pljačke zlatnih poluga. U trileru Plijen, plan Roberta DeNira da ukrade neprocjenjivo francusko žezlo iz sefa u podrumu carinske zgrade u Montrealu, zahtijeva da on bespogovorno vjeruje čovjeku kog uopšte ne poznaje – a koji treba da hakuje sigurnosni sistem. I kao da sámo to nije bilo dovoljno, protagonista mora da obije sef za petnaest minuta i da se naposljetku suoči sa prevrtljivim partnerom.

Kao u romantičnim komedijama, i u pljačkaškim filmovima nezaobilazno postoji jedna deus ex machina na kojoj u suštini počiva cjelokupna priča. Naravno, sve su ovo poslovi koji moraju da se izvedu samo poslije par sedmica brižljivog planiranja. Ako tako gledamo na stvari, pljačka u Antverpu uopšte nema filmskog žara:

Leonardo Notarbartolo, sitni provalnik iz Torina, utrošio je dvadeset osam mjeseci na šacovanje Centra, zgrade u kojoj je iznajmio kancelariju na račun svojih nekoliko draguljarnica u Torinu, svake sedmice moleći boga da se sistem obezbjeđenja ne promijeni kako bi bio ažuriran poput ostalih supersistema u drugim zdanjima u Četvrti. Pa i tada je trebalo da ubaci najmanje četvoricu svojih saradnika u Centar okružen kamerama, i to na mjesto gdje se odmah iza ugla nalazi jedna policijska postaja; trebalo se, zatim, spustiti dva sprata ispod zemlje, do LIPS-ovog sefa, čija je vrata jedino mogla da izvali iz šarki eksplozija koja bi, moguće je, srušila čitavu zgradu; a čim se prevaziđu magneti u vratima, koji inače šalju signale u centar LIPS-ove fabrike, onda je trebalo ukucati kombinaciju za ista vrata i naći ogroman ključ koji ih otvara. Nakon toga je, u sefu, bilo poželjno spriječiti seizmičke, svjetlosne i toplotne senzore; a odmah potom je trebalo nekako otvoriti 189 sigurnosnih pretinaca koje takođe otvara trobrojna kombinacija i ključ. Upravo je sadržina tih pretinaca bila cilj Torinske škole.

U slučaju uspješno obavljenog posla i pod velikim teretom prilikom izlaska, na kraju je trebalo naći VHS-kasete koje snimaju hodnike i garažu te zgrade, kao i još neke kasete iz prethodnih sedmica, dok je šacovanje sefa bilo u toku. Ovaj film definitivno niko ne bi gledao, jer zvuči neplauzibilno – iako se sve od pobrojanog zaista dogodilo.

Takođe treba imati na umu da je tzv. torinska škola ekipa koja namjerno nije koristila prisilu i da je izbjegavala svaku opciju gdje je čak morala i da sputa noćnog čuvara; ne radi se ni o kakvom viteštvu, koliko više o logici da će, u slučaju da budu uhvaćeni, dobiti manju zatvorsku kaznu. Bilo kako bilo, neke pojedinosti oko pljačke i dalje su nepoznate, jer uhvaćeni sumnjivci nisu htjeli da imenuju ostale članove ekipe kao ni pojedinosti kako su prevazišli izvjesne prepreke. Ti ljudi su bez ogrebotine izašli s plijenom vrijednim između 100-400 miliona eura.

A uhvaćeni su na način najbolje opisan od strane novinara torinske La Stampe, Ludovika Paleta, koji je obično pisao o gradskom kriminalu: „On je bio čovjek sa velikim snom“, kazao je autorima ove knjige, aludirajući na to što je Notarbartolo, identifikovan kao mastermajnd bezmalo odmah nakon pljačke, očito i dalje bio diletant u srcu.

Kao što je provalnike pratila slijepa sreća (na kraju krajeva imali su šezdeset časova vremena da izvrše pljačku, unište sve dokaze i nestanu iz Belgije), i policiju je sigurno pratila neka vrsta sreće. Naime, nakon pljačke, provalnici su u Notarbartolovom stanu, nedaleko od Četvrti, izdvojili ono što im treba za povratak u Italiju i sve ostalo, zajedno sa alatom i otpacima iz stana, pretjerano ishitreno potrpali u ogromne kese za smeće. Zatim su se odvezli nekoliko desetina kilometara van grada do dijela Belgije sa velikom šumom i doslovno su bacili smeće nedaleko od puta.

Ali od 40 kilometara koliko se pruža ta šuma, oni su, igrom slučaja, baš odabrali rejon od dva kilometra kojim je svakodnevno na biciklu patrolirao penzioner u ulozi lovočuvara i prezervatora prirodnog staništa. I ako je taj starac išta prezirao u životu – to je bilo smeće.

Međutim, ovo smeće je bilo posebno. U kesama su se, osim alata, našli i računi iz prodavnica gdje su provalnici kupovali gvožđuriju, hranu i piće. U smeću je bilo i Notarbartolovih trivijalnih dokumenata koja u ovom slučaju i nisu bila u tolikoj mjeri trivijalna. No ono što je zagolicalo radoznalost tog penzionera-lovočuvara bile su kesice i dokumenti i sertifikati o dijamantima iz Dijamantske četvrti, za čiju pljačku tog dana on još nije ni stigao da čuje – ali jeste njegova žena koja je nekako povezala da opisano smeće možda ima veze sa zbivanjima u Antverpu od prethodne noći.
Smeće je njemu, navodno, postalo sumnjivo čim je nasred livade našao hrpu indijskih rupija, a koje provalnici nisu htjeli da nose sa sobom, zajedno sa drugim manje vrijednim pokradenim valutama.

Policija je pročešljala dio pokraj puta; tu su čak pronašli i VHSkasete iz Centra. Provalnici bi bacili kućište iz kola i onda traku vukli za autom sve dok se ne bi istrošila, nadajući se da će je uništiti okolna memla. Policija je fino sakupila svu traku i poslala je na zamotavanje u kompaniju Sony. Ostalo je još samo da iznude priznanje od Notarbartola. Ali kako? On je bio u Italiji. Trebalo je vremena da se pribave dozvole za esktradiciju i da se sredi sva politička birokratija, budući da se radilo o nenasilnom prekršaju.

Da zaplet bude komičniji, Notarbartolo se nekoliko dana docnije, pošto je u Antverpu postao sumnjivac numero uno, ležerno vratio u Dijamantski centar da otkaže kancelariju i svoj sigurnosni pretinac, i da tako stavi tačku na čitavu rabotu. Tu je i uhapšen na licu mjesta, ali policiji nije pošlo za rukom da iznudi priznanje od njega – draguljar je prosto-jednostavno imao poluplauzibilan odgovor za sve.

Ipak, jedan dijamant koji je nađen u njegovoj kući, u selu Trana pokraj Torina, na svu sreću, imao je sertifikat da potiče iz nekog od pretinaca iz Centra – neoborivi dokaz da je Notarbartolo sudjelovao u pljački. No, kako on nije razgovarao sa policajcima, niti sa sudom, uslijedila je velika istraga da se otkriju ostali počinioci, koji će, u skladu sa belgijskim zakonom, čak i u odsustvu, biti kažnjeni sa najviše pet godina zatvora za pljačku, bez obzira na iznos.

Tri godine nakon izricanja presude od 10 godina Notarbartolu, uhapšena su i Belgiji isporučena tri Notarbartolova saučesnika, Elio D’Ornio, Ferdinando Finoto i Pijetro Tavano. I do ljeta 2009. svi su pušteni na slobodu.

Plijen nikada nije pronađen.
2013

[Carie Bernard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book!

[No Magic Pill · Rating 3 out of 5]

Flawless: Inside the Largest Diamond Heist in History details the 2003 Antwerp diamond heist, the largest objective heist in history. (Objective meaning the value of stolen goods is accurate. Stolen artwork's value is difficult to quantify.) While the heist itself comprises most of the book, the authors discuss culture and industry information as needed.

The book is organized in rough chronological order. It begins with a detailed history of the Italian city Turin, where all of the thieves involved in the heist hail from. The chapter is titled School of Turin, referencing the not-insignificant amount of career criminals that the city produces (schools may be a better verb here). The authors describe the history and culture of the city, and how Notarbartolo, the mastermind behind the heist, fits in to the city.

The history and current standing of the diamond industry is provided throughout the book: culture, conflict (see blood diamonds), and standard operating procedures, among other aspects. Readers will also learn how the giant De Beers unashamedly has (had?) a monopoly on the diamond industry. (Consider getting your significant other a moissanite stone or lab-grown diamond. Significantly less expensive and conflict-free!)

A majority of the book details the planning, preparation, and execution of the heist. Notarbartolo spent over two years casing the building and its security before they executed. These two years were not spent waiting for the right moment - Notarbartolo was constantly taking notes and gaining information crucial to the heist (type of vault door, patterns of security, etc). He made regular trips back to Italy to consult with his partners and share his recent learnings.

These two long years culminated on the evening of 15 February 2003. The team was able to infiltrate the building using a homemade garage door opener (with 2^8 = 1024 possible frequencies, it is easy to iterate through the combinations to find the correct one to open the door). They proceeded to the vault, where they were able to bypass/disable three alarms/sensors: motion, sound, and a magnet inside the vault door. Once inside, the rest was easy. Using a specialized tool, the thieves were easily able to pry open a majority of the rather flimsy safety deposit boxes belonging to a variety of companies and individuals. The loot was varied: gemstones, watches, currency, securities/bonds, and personal effects. There was so much to steal that they had to leave a fair amount behind. Using a getaway car, they retreated to Notarbartolo's apartment to sift through their treasure, throwing out comparatively-worthless emeralds.

The following morning, each member left separately (some in groups of two) to head back to Italy while the crime was being discovered only a small distance away. One member was tasked with disposing of the trash, which included some compromising materials. He chose what turned out to be one of the unluckiest spots in all of Belgium: a forest owned by a nothing-better-to-do-than-patrol-his-land-for-litterers man. (Not to say littering is acceptable, but dumping garbage in forests is common in Belgium and not many seem to care (according to the authors).) This was the downfall of the team. The detectives were immediately dispatched to the rural plot of land and were able to begin piecing together who was behind this expensive crime.

After dividing their haul accordingly in the safety of Italy, Notarbartolo returned to Antwerp to tie up loose ends, unaware that he was the most-wanted man in the country. He was promptly detained along with his wife and friends, marking the beginning of his multi-year confinement (consisting of detainment and actual imprisonment). The authors briefly describe the Belgian legal system and prisons in this section.

While in prison, Notarbartolo attempted to sell the rights to his story (emphasis discussed in next sentence) to multiple sources. "His" is highlighted because it varies wildly from both what the authors write here and what is probable/believable. The authors refute his account in the last section.

The authors preface the book by describing their research method. Throughout the book, they are careful to denote hazy, non-established points, e.g. no one knows why the thieves did this, but here's why we think they did it, etc. Notes are detailed and well-documented for further reading or referencing.

I see a few things wrong with the team's operation. First is the poor disposal of the garbage. To put everything together is sheer idiocy. Throwing it away in an unknown location doubles up on the foolishness. Too much of their heist was left up to blind luck (that was decreased to an extent): avoiding building guards or police, not knowing about a hidden sensor, and so on. They had over two years to prepare for the simple garbage disposal, yet failed in the worst possible way. Second is Notarbartolo's failure to place goods in his safety deposit box then proceed to rob himself (his box wasn't even opened!). He claimed that he took everything out beforehand, but even then that is suspicious. Instead, he should have placed a significant amount of material in there and simply pried open his, too. Third is their lack of Italian extradition laws. While these eventually changed under pressure from other European nations, resulting in the imprisonment of other members of the team, they would have all been safe for quite a long time had they just stayed in Italy. I suspect it would have also been more difficult to gather a case against them. Fourth, they should not have taken specifically-dated surveillance tapes, but rather all of them. This shifts focus off of those specific days and obscures the suspect list. Their disposal of the tapes was also subpar: they simply pulled them apart. Investigators were able to reconstruct them, furthering the evidence they had against the team. Surprisingly fundamental mistakes by a team intelligent enough to plan and execute a heist of this magnitude.

Overall, I enjoyed this book. It reads similar to an Ocean's film, except it actually happened.

Further reading/watching:
* Ocean's series. Eleven, Twelve, and Thirteen are the original trilogy and worth watching for heist film fans. I haven't seen Ocean's Eight.
* A Burglar's Guide to the City by Geoff Manaugh. My review here.
* Exposing Brilliant Earth. The author describes Brilliant Earth's deceptive practices. In 2017, YouTuber Jacob Avital was sued for defamation by Brilliant Earth for a video he posted criticizing their practices (read: lying). His channel is no longer up. Coincidence? I think not. Links here and here.
* The 10 Greatest Heists in History.

[Rob · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fascinating look at an epic heist. Read like a movie.

[Janet · Rating 4 out of 5]

Eighty percent of the world’s diamonds pass through Antwerp’s Diamond District. It’s a veritable fortress with armed patrols, two police stations, thorough video surveillance on the streets in the district and within the various buildings. There are many other safeguards.

But they were no match for a band of Italian thieves, a loosely aligned band of professionals who in toto were called “The School of Turin.” Two years before the heist, Leonardo Notarbartado rented an apartment in Antwerp and an office at what the thieves considered the least secure of the establishments in the Diamond District. Notarbartado scoped out all the security measures, and he and his band found work-arounds for all of them.
On February 15th (Valentine’s Day Weekend), 2003, the team of thieves broke into the vault, spent a night looting strong boxes and made off with an estimated half a billion dollars in diamonds, cash jewelry, bonds and other valuables.

When security entered the vault on Monday morning, the floor was covered with less valuable items such as smaller diamonds and even a gold bar which the thieves just couldn’t carry.

It would have been a perfect heist except for some bad luck when trash from the apartment was discarded in an out of the way forest with a very diligent forest-keeper. The trash led detectives to the thieves.

However – Belgian law has a maximum of a 5 year penalty for theft, no matter how large the theft is. A ringleader can be given ten years. So, while the trials were pretty much open and shut, incarceration was only five years for most of the men and ten years for Notarbartado. It is also a fact that convicts in Belgium usually serve only a third of their time. Very, very little of the loot was recovered. In effect, the thieves served two or three years in Belgian prisons for hundreds of million dollars each in payoff.

Hard to see a downside.

Fascinating look at the Antwerp diamond district, an almost Oceans 11 type theft and the Belgian justice system. Although there are several conflicting stories on how the theft was accomplished, the authors include a detailed bibliography of their research, giving this account an air of authenticity.

[Linden · Rating 5 out of 5]

This non-fiction account of the 2003 break-in at the Antwerp Diamond Center is a class act. In every area it is strong, has the best kind of reporting, and is arranged in the shape of a novel.

The robbers from Italy who came to be called "The School of Turin" spent two years on research and planning, the manufacture of assistive devices, and scrupulous observation and troubleshooting. As planned, there was no violence. It likely involved seven men, only four of whom were discovered. It also involved human frailties in both those responsible for the security of the vault as well as those who breached it.

Out of more than a dozen, there were only two weaknesses in the authors' overview of the Antwerp Diamond Center's layers of security that I anticipated as being useful to the robbers before they were identified by the thieves...though of course I hadn't the slightest idea of how one might make use of them.

The story was particularly strong in helping the reader visualize internal components of locks, safe workings, the structure of safe deposit boxes and how closed circuit TV and infrared surveillance work. This made the work-arounds the thieves invented all the more amazing.

A detail: While I seldom read the chapter epigraphs in books, once I noticed these, I went back to read them all. They were excellent and spoke directly to the content. Here are three favorites:

If you want to steal, steal a little cleverly in a nice way. Only if you steal so much as to become rich overnight, you will be caught.
--Mobutu Sese Seko, President of Zaire

A diamond the the hardest substance known to man, especially if he's trying to get it back. --Proverb

Whether we fall by ambition, blood, or lust, Like diamonds, we are cut with our own dust.
--Duke Ferdinand, The Duchess of Malfi (1613 or 1614)

In every way this was a fascinating story.

[McKayla · Rating 5 out of 5]

Imagine stealing over $100 million dollars and getting away with at least $20 million of that and only going to jail for 6 years. W H A T ? This whole book was insane and I kept saying that I wish I could see recordings of the theft because it’s unreal. The level of detail the group went to in order to pull this off (semi-successfully) blew my mind. From an insurance broker standpoint, this book had me looking into how insurance policies changed as a result of this heist. The lack of effective security systems mixed with embarrassing examples of human error was really the only reason this heist was able to happen. So, what did I learn? 1. Make sure to sleep well prior to thieving or else your sleepy mistakes may cost you 2. The mistakes you made might be worth the 6 years spent in jail 😭😩 **I AM KIDDING I AM NOT A THIEF**

[Debbie · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Flawless" is an exciting and interesting true crime book. I love the eye-catching cover--the diamonds on the cover are iridescent.

The first part of the book set up the crime: who the criminals were, what their personalities were like, and the previous crimes they'd committed. It also explained the technology the criminals had to overcome, and a bit about how diamonds are processed (from digging them from the ground to selling the finished stones in the Diamond District) and how they've been stolen during these stages in the past.

Everything came together very nicely in the second part as the authors described the actual theft and investigation. Because of the initial information, it was clear what a breathtakingly bold crime was committed. Even knowing the general outcome, my heart was pounding due to the suspense in these scenes. Very well written.

They also described the difficulty of trying the criminals, who had gone over the border to another country, and the fallout for everyone (the thieves, those who lost items, the building security, etc.).

The book contained a general map of the layout of the Diamond District and of the Diamond Center so that the descriptions were easy to follow. Overall, I'd highly recommend this well-written book to those interested in true crime and detective stories--especially to readers with an interest in diamonds.


I received this book as a free copy from the publisher.

[Elisha Condie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was certainly interesting, and entertaining. Leonardo Notarbartolo is a small time Italian crook and he, along with several crook buddies (who form an informal organization called the School of Turin) plan to rob a vault in Antwerp's Diamond District. Just like the cover says, it's all very "Ocean's Eleven". There's the electronics guy, the supply guy, the charismatic leader guy.

And they are so close to getting away with it when just a couple of bad coincidences tie them to the crime. And the funny thing is, you really want them to get away with it. It's so shocking, and so unexpected that this vault in the Diamond District was robbed that you really root for the crooks (see - I told you it was like "Oceans Eleven").

So, Notarbartolo and a few other guys go to prison for a short stint, but never ever admit that they have the diamonds. The millions of dollars in diamonds are still missing to this day and the author points out that a few years in prison was probably worth it to them, since they will someday presumably be living in luxury off their diamond heist.

The only slow parts of the book were when the authors exhaustively described the layout of the street and vault - it takes a lot of planning to rob a joint, did you know? Although after having read this book I feel like I have the know how to rob one of my own. Now - to just assemble a team. Anyone interested?

[Ryan Dower · Rating 5 out of 5]

Probably one of the most fascinating real-life stories about the largest Diamond heist in history.

[Heidi Willis · Rating 5 out of 5]

I listened to the audio version of this book, so that may have colored how much I loved it, but I found this book totally fascinating. I didn't know anything about this particular diamond heist, even though it took place only a few years ago. I didn't know anything about the diamond industry, period. This was a fantastic and engrossing immersion into both.

Like Devil in the White City, this non-fiction takes a somewhat novelistic approach, reading like a story with plot and characters and conflict. There was much detail about the industry - the history of diamonds, the de Beer monopoly, thievery - as well as great explanation of the city of Antwerp, the diamond district itself, and the massive security in the Diamond Center. Much of this was front-loaded, however, and once half-way through the book, the story of the heist gets going full steam.

I can see how some readers might find the more research-oriented aspects tedious if they pick up the book for a good solid heist story, expecting a gem-oriented Oceans Eleven. You get that, if you're willing to accept the solid information first. I loved learning so much about a topic I knew nothing about, though, and found it always hard to put down. The fact that this was spoon-fed to me through a great voice through my earphones didn't hurt either.

[Valerie · Rating 5 out of 5]

The first two or three times I put this book on reserve at my library, it came in at a time when I didn't have time to read it because of school. When I did finally got a chance to read it, I was afraid the reality would not measure up to my anticipation of it. Thankfully, it was everything I anticipated and more!

I really enjoyed reading this book and reading about all the ingenious ideas and gadgets these men came up with in order to thwart the various security measures of the diamond vault in Antwerp. I'm not condoning it, but if one is going to go about robbing a vault, one should be as ingenious as these gentlemen. Unfortunately, through a couple of strokes of bad luck, the police caught onto them rather quickly after their getaway.

I found the story to be well-written and it flowed smoothly from one segment to another. If you enjoy reading or watching movies about heists or about criminals who find ways of meeting their goals without violence (like "The Italian Job" or "Ocean's Eleven"), you will enjoy this book!