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The True Story Behind the Hulu Documentary The Jewel Thief · Murder Files Unsealed

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  Speaker 1: The Jewel Thief, a documentary set to premiere on Hulu
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  on July thirteenth, explores the life of Gerald Blanchard, who
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  was once referred to as the world's most ingenious thief.
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  The film not only recounts Blanchard's infamous Crown Jewel heist,
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  but also reveals the intricate web of his criminal activities
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  that spanned decades and the detectives who ultimately apprehended him.
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  Filmmaker Landon van Surst first became aware of Blanchard in
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  two thousand seven, when he gained national attention for returning
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  the SISI Star, an Austrian crown jewel he had stolen
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  in nineteen ninety eight. In creating the documentary, Van Sust
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  aimed to uncover the deeper narratives surrounding Blanchard and his
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  illicit endeavors. As I investigated further, I realized that the
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  jewel was merely the tip of the iceberg, revealing a
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  lifetime filled with criminal obsession and ambition he shared with time,
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  he continually escalated to larger, more intricate, and more elaborate heists. Blanchard,
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  who features in the documentary, expresses pride in his controversial journey.
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  My story is likely very captivating because many people wish
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  they could accomplish what I have, he states in the film.
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  As children, people fantasize about robbing banks. I believe it
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  is a dream that most individuals harbour, yet few have
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  acted upon it as I have. Who is Gerald Blanchard. Blanchard,
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  who was born in nineteen seventy two, spent his early
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  years in Canada before relocating to Omaha, Nebraska with his
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  mother and sister. His mother, Carol Fegley, describes him as
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  a reserved child with a fascination for dismantling electronic devices.
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  If he had told me he would become a mastermind
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  international thief, I would have dismissed it, she remarks in
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  the documentary. The film The Jewel Thief chronicles Blanchard's life
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  by blending his personal memories with testimonies from those who
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  have known him, portraying him as an unreliable narrator prone
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  to embellishment. In the documentary, he asserts that he pilfered
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  milk from neighbours during his childhood, parachuted away from a heist,
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  and eluded media attention while escaping another incident. These claims
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  are challenged by various individuals featured in the film, including
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  his mother, who recount the same events with less dramatic flare.
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  Throughout the movie, Blanchard's former educators and childhood friends reflect
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  on their experiences with him, highlighting his desire for attention
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  and his pension for being in front of the camera.
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  He recorded much of his life on video, including his
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  criminal endeavors, which ultimately contributed to his downfall. A life
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  of pickpocketing and bank robberies leads to a stolen Austrian
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  jewel Blanchard's foray into a life of crime commenced during
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  his teenage years, initially engaging in shoplifting and pickpocketing jewelry
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  and various merchandise. He subsequently escalated his criminal activities to
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  include the theft of electronics and the creation of counterfeit
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  receipts for his stolen items. Yet he felt a sense
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  of dissatisfaction. He reflected, I realized why am I pursuing
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  these minor returns for minimal profit when I could simply
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  rob a bank. After initiating more sophisticated criminal operations, Blanchard
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  was apprehended at the age of fifteen and charged with
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  grand theft. Following a three month incarceration, he resumed his
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  illicit activities, amassing a significant fortune. Reportedly, he had one
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  hundred thousand dollars concealed in garbage bags and had purchased
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  a house by the time he turned sixteen. Blanchard managed
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  to evade capture on two occasions, once by crawling through
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  the ceiling of a police station and another time by
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  escaping in a police vehicle, before being deported to Canada
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  in nineteen ninety seven. I could have stopped a long
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  time ago, but you always need that thrill. It's actually
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  an addiction because I've had tens of millions of dollars
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  throughout my life and I continued doing crimes, he says
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  in the documentary. In nineteen ninety eight, Blanchard executed what
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  is considered his most infamous heist, absconding with a rare
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  jewel that belonged to Empress Elizabeth of Austria from the
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  Schoenbrun Palace in Vienna, subsequently substituting it with a replica
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  purchased from a gift shop. In the film, Blanchard asserts
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  that the theft of the jewel was part of a
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  larger scheme. He intended to utilize it as leverage in
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  future criminal negotiations with law enforcement. Additionally, it was esthetically pleasing,
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  he remarks. In two thousand and four, Blanchard successfully pilfered
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  approximately five hundred thousand dollars from the ATMs of a
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  soon to be opened Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce CIBC
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  in Winnipeg, Canada. At that time, this was merely one
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  of his numerous bank related offenses, yet it would ultimately
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  lead to his downfall. That same evening, a Walmart employee
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  adjacent to the bank observed the vehicle driven by Blanchard.
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  The car was rented in Blanchard's name, which enabled detectives
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  to wiretap his phone and monitor his activities. Following his apprehension,
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  Blanchard collaborated with law enforcement officials, confessing to his offenses
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  and providing intricate details regarding the methods he employed.