Top 10 Worst Swindlers in History

5. Soapy Smith


Ryolph Jefferson “Soapy” Smith II was a gangster and con artist from the Wild West era who set up criminal operation in Alaska and Colorado. Through sleight-of-hand and various manipulation methods he tricked buyers, while posing as a soap seller. Smith promised that some cakes of soap in his display case contained $100 bills. He died in the “Shootout of the Juneau Wharf”, after grabbing a sack of gold from a returning miner.