Perth Mint Swindle

Perth Mint

The Perth Mint Swindle is the popular name for the robbery of 49 gold bars weighing 69 kilograms (152 pounds; 2,200 troy ounces) from the Perth Mint in Western Australia on 22 June 1982. The bullion was valued at A$653,000 at that time (equivalent to $2,587,607 in 2022). As of November 2024, the value of 68 kilograms (150 lb) of gold would be in excess of A$8.4 million. According to police at the time, three brothers—Ray, Peter, and Brian Mickelberg—orchestrated the robbery. The three went to trial and were found guilty of the conspiracy and sentenced in 1983 to twenty, sixteen and twelve years in jail, respectively.

All three convictions were overturned in 2004. To date, the case remains unsolved and continues to be fought by the Mickelbergs who maintain their innocence and allege a conspiracy by the Western Australia Police to frame them.