The Man Who Sold the Eiffel Tower (Twice)
In 1925, a well-dressed man checked into a Paris hotel claiming to be a government official. Within days, he had convinced a group of scrap metal dealers that the Eiffel Tower—then seen as an expensive, rusting relic—was about to be sold off for demolition. They believed him, and he disappeared with their money.
Astonishingly, he came back and tried the same scheme again. His name was Victor Lustig, and his daring cons would make him one of history’s most notorious swindlers.
Paris Gave Him the Perfect Opportunity
Image via Wikimedia Commons/Page from a 1935 Philadelphia newspaper
By the mid-1920s, the Eiffel Tower had become an expensive public burden. Maintenance required constant painting, elevator repairs, and regular inspections. Newspapers published speculation about tearing it down. Victor Lustig noticed the opportunity and posed as a government official from the Ministry of Posts and Telegraphs and rented a suite in the Hôtel de Crillon.
He invited six scrap metal buyers to a confidential meeting, while claiming that the authorities wanted to sell the tower quietly to avoid public backlash. His forged documents included official-looking stamps and stationery. The setting, the story, and his appearance gave the entire performance credibility. His title, demeanor, and French-accented charm sold the illusion.
One of the invited men, André Poisson, was eager to climb the business ladder in Paris. Lustig spotted that ambition immediately and leveraged it to get Poisson to agree to a bribe and the full price of the tower. However, Lustig wasted no time in disappearing with his sweet pot. Surprisingly, no police report was filed in the aftermath.
He Returned to Repeat the Scam
After the success of his first Eiffel Tower hoax, Lustig left Paris and stayed underground. He waited to see if any news broke or if police began to investigate. Nothing appeared in the press because the victim remained silent. Encouraged by the lack of fallout, the con man returned to Paris to try again.
This time, he gathered a new group of scrap dealers and staged the meeting again at the same hotel. He used the fake title he had used before, identical documents, and the story about a confidential government plan to scrap the Eiffel Tower.
The setup went smoothly at first, but an invited dealer had doubts and contacted authorities to verify the plan. Police recognized the narrative as a fraud in progress and were prepared to intervene. Before they arrived, Lustig was tipped off and escaped Paris again. His second attempt nearly led to his arrest, but his exit came in time.
Counterfeiting Finally Brought Him Down
Image via Wikimedia Commons/United States Department of Justice
Eventually, the perpetrator turned his attention to counterfeiting. Working with forger William Watts, he produced extremely convincing fake $100 bills, which moved through the economy without being detected. The operation grew so large that U.S. officials feared it could damage international confidence in American currency.
For this reason, the Secret Service assigned agent Peter Rubano to track him. But Lustig had a long history of evading capture. He had even once escaped a federal jail using bedsheets as a rope. Dressed as a window washer, he climbed out of his cell and walked away.
Rubano gradually caught him on a New York street in May 1935, and after that, the culprit was sentenced to 20 years in captivity and sent to Alcatraz.