Austin Bidwell was an American con artist who became famous in the late nineteenth century for his central role in a major financial scandal. Alongside his brother George Bidwell, as well as George MacDonnell and Edwin Noyes, he participated in a highly sophisticated scheme that targeted the Bank of England.
Between January 21 and February 28, 1873, the four men successfully defrauded the Bank of England of £102,217, a sum valued at nearly £10 million in 2015. The scale and execution of the crime shocked the public and the financial sector. The London Times highlighted the sophistication of the operation, describing it as one of the "most skillful attempts to prey upon the complex organization of modern commerce."
The subsequent discovery of the fraud led to a major investigation and trial that captured widespread public attention. Bidwell and his co-conspirators were ultimately convicted at the Old Bailey and sentenced to life imprisonment for their roles in the historic forgery.
