13. The Greatest Scheme Few Have Ever Heard Of
In the long history of crooks, few have been as audacious as James Addison Peralta-Reavis (1843 – 1914). Also known as “The Baron of Arizona”, Reavis concocted a scheme to outright own the then-Territory of Arizona. He defrauded thousands of people in a bit to steal most of Arizona from its legal owners.
Reavis’ father was a Welshman who arrived in the US in the 1820s, and his mother was a part Spaniard proud of her Spanish heritage. He grew up in Missouri, and during his childhood, Reavis’ mother fired up his imagination by filling his head with Spanish romantic literature. As a result, he ended up with grandiose notions of himself as a romantic hero in a melodramatic novel. It was reflected in his speech and writing, which was reportedly overly grandiloquent and bombastic.
