You hear in movies how authorities "don't negotiate with kidnappers," but the truth is that ransoms often get paid.
We've ranked the biggest ransoms of the modern era (adjusted for inflation).
Wealthy heirs, wealthy businessmen, and oil tankers have all been targeted. An incredible number of these cases came during a few years in the early 70s, especially in Argentina.
This list is missing cases where the ransom was not made public. It also leaves off pre-modern ransoms, including literal king's ransoms, due to limits of available records.
#18 Bobby Greenlease Jr.
Ransomed for $600,000 in 1953.
Equivalent to $5.1 million today.
The 6-year-old son of one of Kansas City's richest men, Greenlease was captured from school by a man whose girlfriend pretended to be his aunt. The boy was quickly killed and buried in the girlfriend's backyard, but the duo was still able to make off with a ransom of $600,000 in tens and twenties.
Kidnappers Carl Austin Hall and Bonnie Brown Heady were caught days later after attracting attention through free spending. They confessed and were executed within months.
Most of the ransom money had been spent or gone missing.
#17 Ronald Grove
Ransomed for $1 million in 1972.
Equivalent to $5.48 million today.
Grove, one of the top employees at the Vesty meat packing company, was one of the many individuals captured by Argentine guerrillas ERP in the 1970s. He was the first person in the country to command a seven-figure ransom price.
#16 Vincenzo Russo
Ransomed for $1 million in 1972.
Equivalent to $5.48 million today.
The Argentine terrorist group Montoneros captured Russo, an ITT exec, a few days after Grove's kidnapping and demanded the same amount.
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