Today we dive into the 1911 theft of the Mona Lisa (!!!) and the investigation that even dragged Pablo Picasso into police questioning. Plus, we set the stage for the modern-day 2025 Louvre robbery that eerily mirrors the past...

Follow us on Instagram:

@MysteryForTwoPodcast

A special thanks to Sarah Schilling for assisting with the research on this episode.

Sources:

NPR Staff. (2011, July 30). The theft that made the “Mona Lisa” a masterpiece. NPR. https://www.npr.org/2011/07/30/138800110/the-theft-that-made-the-mona-lisa-a-masterpiece

Andrews, E. (2016). The heist that made the Mona Lisa famous. History.com. https://www.history.com/articles/the-heist-that-made-the-mona-lisa-famous

Everything we know about the Louvre jewellery heist. (2025). BBC News. https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cg7nrlkg0zxo

In just 7 brazen minutes, thieves grab ‘priceless’ jewels from Louvre. (2025, October 19). The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/19/world/europe/louvre-paris-robbery.html

Four more arrests made following Louvre jewellery heist. (2025). BBC News. https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cr5zm7n8ngpo

Ord, S. (2026). Authorities announce progress in Louvre jewellery heist investigation. Jeweller Magazine. https://www.jewellermagazine.com/Article/14781/Authorities-announce-progress-in-Louvre-jewellery-heist-investigation

Leath, M. (2025). A history of heists at the Louvre: From the Mona Lisa to Napoleon’s jewels. ABC News. https://abcnews.go.com/International/history-heists-louvre-mona-lisa-napoleons-jewels/story?id=126680032

Mona Lisa returns to her home in an improved high-tech display case. Goppion. https://www.goppion.com/journal/mona-lisa-returns-to-her-home-in-an-improved-high-tech-display-case-by-goppion-1

Wilson, B. (n.d.). Vincenzo Peruggia: The man who stole the Mona Lisa. Medium. https://brucewilsonauthor.medium.com/vincenzo-peruggia-the-man-who-stole-the-mona-lisa-71fb61cb7128

Stolen! How the Mona Lisa became the world’s most famous painting. (n.d.). Smithsonian Magazine. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/stolen-how-the-mona-lisa-became-the-worlds-most-famous-painting-16406234/

A mummified “mannequin” hanging in a 1970s amusement park turned out to be something far stranger: the real body of outlaw Elmer McCurdy. What began as a strange prop on a funhouse ride unfolds into one of the most bizarre afterlife stories in American history. This is the unbelievable journey of the outlaw who kept traveling after death!

Follow us on IG:

@MysteryForTwoPodcast

Sources

• https://www.history.com/articles/elmer-mccurdy-mummy-dead-outlaw
• https://www.nytimes.com/1977/04/15/archives/wax-model-identified-as-oklahoma-bandit.html
• https://williams-williams-michael.medium.com/elmer-mccurdy-outlaw-mummy-7521975d08c6
• The Valley Tribune, Wed, Dec 14, 1977 · Page 6 “Elmer the mummified desperado”
• https://blogs.loc.gov/headlinesandheroes/2018/07/elmer-mccurdy-traveling-corpse/
• https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/tcrr-nitroglycerin/
• https://www.oklahoman.com/story/entertainment/2022/04/14/oklahoma-outlaw-turned-mummy-elmer-mccurdy-inspires-musical-dead-outlaw/9427777002/

This week we unravel the infamous “Wine and Cheese Heist” of 1976, masterminded by photographer slash chicken farmer Albert Spaggiari and his 20-man “sewer gang,” who spent months digging a secret tunnel, then casually looted a French bank vault over a holiday weekend, taking their time robbing the place while enjoying a wine and cheese picnic. But a couple of red chisels, stolen gold bars, a CIA tip-off, and one of the most cinematic courtroom escapes in history would ultimately crack the case.

A special thanks to Sarah Schilling for assistance with the research for this case!

SOURCES

• The Heist of the Century: Inside the Société Générale Detectives’ Case. The New York Times. December 19, 1976.
• https://www.nytimes.com/1976/12/19/archives/the-heist-of-the-century-inside-the-soci-t-g-n-rale-detectives.html
• French Hero-Criminal Gets Life in Absentia. The New York Times. November 8, 1979.
• https://www.nytimes.com/1979/11/08/archives/french-herocriminal-gets-life-in-absentia.html
• Albert Spaggiari, 57, Mastermind of Notorious Riviera Bank Heist. The New York Times. June 12, 1989.
• https://www.nytimes.com/1989/06/12/obituaries/albert-spaggiari-57-mastermind-of-notorious-riviera-bank-heist.html
• Mastermind of Notorious Bank Theft in France Dies. Orlando Sentinel. June 12, 1989.
• https://www.orlandosentinel.com/1989/06/12/mastermind-of-notorious-bank-theft-in-france-dies/
• FRANCE: Bank Heist of the Century. Time.
• https://time.com/archive/6848187/france-bank-heist-of-the-century/
• Suspected Mastermind on Trial for France’s ‘Heist of the Century’. The Guardian. February 12, 2018.
• https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/feb/12/jacques-cassandri-suspected-mastermind-societe-generale-france-heist-trial
• French Gangster Jacques Cassandri on Trial for 1976 ‘Heist of the Century’. BBC News.
• https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-43035229
• Albert Spaggiari and the Société Générale Robbery. RivRep.
• https://rivrep.com/history-and-traditions/811-albert-spaggiari-and-the-societe-generale-robbery