The legend of Robin Hood and his Merry Men has enchanted people of all ages through literature, song and film for generations. Perhaps some think of Robin Hood as the dashing Errol Flynn from the 1938 film, The Adventures of Robin Hood, while others remember Russell Crowe donning the green tights in the 2010 film directed by Ridley Scott.
Here are others in everyday life that fancied themselves Robin Hoods - people who took from the rich and gave to the poor.
1The female bandit who showed her breasts to those she robbed before fleeing the scene
Leonarda Emilia was an indigenous Mexican woman who was who hell bent on revenge after her lover, a French soldier, was executed by the Mexican Government. From then on, she became “La Carambada,” a bandit who robbed from the elite – dressed as a man –to give to the less fortunate.
Emilia had a little trick to help her escape. Every time she robbed someone, she exposed her breasts to shame her victims with the knowledge that a woman attacked them. Her flashing trick worked for a while until she was shot down by the police.
2The famous Italian Robin Hood who was rumored to have faked his own death
One of Italy's best known bandits, Salvatore Giuliano was a confident, good looking man. Dubbed the “Sicilian Robin Hood,” Giuliano had a reported 600 followers who robbed rich landlords and gave their earnings to the poor. He and his army killed more than 100 police officers and 40 civilians. Giuliano stole more than $1 million during his criminal career.
After his named dropped out of the headlines, Giuliano wrote to newspapers declaring war on Italy and challenging government officials. In 1949, a 2,000-man task force searched for the outlaw. They finally found him and gunned him down the following year. Or did they?
Since Giuliano's death, there have been conspiracy theories that he faked his own demise after an investigating journalist found out that the shootout he was in was staged and that he had been betrayed. Giuliano was supposedly shot by his cousin, Gaspare Pisciotta, who in turn, was later poisoned. Since then, Giuliano's legend grew, becoming the subject of his own film in 1962 and inspiring Mario Puzo's character of Michael Corleone in book and film adaptations of The Godfather and The Sicilian.
Authorities have since exhumed the body of the bandit and have concluded that it is 90% likely the remains are indeed those of the Sicilian outlaw.
3The Robin Hood who robbed gravel to fill potholes
Ron Chane of Jackson, Mississippi got so tired of dealing with potholes on his street that he took matters into his own hands – literally. The “Pothole Robin Hood,” as he's been called in the local news, got the police's attention after admitting to taking asphalt from Jackson's road-repair reserves without permission. Chane then used the material — made from oil and sand or gravel — to fill potholes plaguing the city's streets.
The Pothole Robin Hood met his goal of filling over 100 potholes on the lunar-like streets of Jackson with each pothole having a white circle and an arrow pointing to it with the words “Citizen Fixed.”
4The minister who helped thousands attend college by committing fraud
Detroit, Michigan native Dr. Ozel Clifford Brazil was a Los Angeles resident who was extremely affected by both the riots in Detroit in 1967 and in L.A. in 1992. The clergyman helped thousands of African American teens attend college, before being convicted for student-aid fraud in 2003. Brazil made it his mission “to usher as many students as possible off the streets and into college,” according to one of his former students, Robyn Price Pierre. Brazil fudged finances for families who would otherwise have trouble applying for financial aid.
Even though the judge in Brazil's case knew he had the best of intentions, he gave the minister three and a half years in federal prison and $716,000 in restitution to the United States government, explaining, “I mean, even if he is Robin Hood, it's still a crime.”
5The mayoral Robin Hood who raided supermarkets to feed the poor
Mayor Juan Manuel Sanchez Gordillo of Marinaleda, Spain has had enough. In August 2012, the Andalusian mayor and his supporters took part in at least two raids on local supermarkets. Gordillo shouted encouraging words from a megaphone outside while supporters filled up shopping carts of food inside.
In an area of Spain where a third of the workforce is unemployed, people are facing tough times. The mayor proclaimed, “There are people who don't have enough to eat. In the 21st century, this is an absolute disgrace.”
Seven labor union activists were arrested for taking part in the raids, but Gordillo is protected by political immunity.
6The Robin Hood who's a favorite of drug lords
Jesús Malverde was a known for being the Mexican Robin Hood until he was gunned down by the police in 1909. Since then, he has been much revered. Who are among his biggest fans? Drug lords. His image is thought to offer protection from the law.
Considered the patron saint of drug dealers, a shrine has been built atop his grave in Culiacán, in the Mexican state of Sinaloa – a city associated with marijuana and opium trafficking.
Immigrants have since have brought his image across the border, where the face of Malverde adorns all sorts of merchandise including candles, rosaries and bathroom products.
Authorities in Mexico and the United States have also found Malverde statues, tattoos and amulets as potential tip-offs to illegal activity. Malverde merch has been admissible evidence in drug and money-laundering cases in courts in California, Kansas, Nebraska and Texas.
A new microbrewery in Jalisco, Mexico recently introduced a beer called Malverde. According to authorities, the beer is very popular amongst drug smugglers.
7The Robin Hood who stole a bread truck while in his underwear
We feel for truck drivers who have to work in the wee hours of the morning to make deliveries, we really do. Maybe 30-year old David Bastar of Nanuet, New York felt the same when he robbed a Grimaldi's Home of Bread truck earlier this year? Or maybe the guy's just plain nuts!
In May 2014, Bastar, clad only in his underwear, stole a bread truck loaded with $8,000 worth of baguettes around 3:00 am on the Upper East Side in New York City. The bread bandit then decided to make some deliveries to restaurants and stores after finding delivery instructions in the front seat. Bastar then went into full Robin Hood mode, tossing loaves of bread to the needy before he was finally arrested.
I've heard of Robin Hood: Men In Tights but how about Robbing Bread: Man In Tighty Whities? Yeesh.
8The “sainted” Venezuelan bandits that stole from the rich and gave to the poor
Caracas, Venezuela is known for being one of the deadliest places on earth. The crime rate started to soar in 1989 when people became less than enthused over President Carlos Andrez Perez's economic policies. This led the way to the infamous protests of Caracazo. with thousands of people protesting against corruption and an enormous amount of illegal firearms on the streets.
After these protests, people turned their attention to the Santos Malandros, or Holy Thugs, a group of Merry Men from the 1960s and 70s, led by a man known as the Venezuelan Robin Hood, Ismael Sanchez.
Sanchez held up trucks with the help of his gang. He stole food to give to the locals until he was gunned down by the police.
Today Sanchez and his Holy Thugs have a shrine at the Cementerio General del Sur. Their graves are marked with statues of the “sainted” outlaws. Sanchez' 3' tall statue has him wearing a baseball cap, smoking a cigarette, sporting a pair of Nikes and having a gun tucked in the waist of his pants. Supposedly, this “sainted” rebel can help devotees get out of jail, kick their drug habits, aid in surgeries and grant revenge against a person's enemies.
Viva the Holy Thugs!
9The Chinese Robin Hood who led a double life
Dubbed “Boss Yu” by his friends and colleagues, 27-year old Yu was known as being a kind hearted philanthropist who donated to local welfare houses and other charity organizations. The public found out another side to Yu when authorities arrested him on burglary charges in December 2014.
It all started when residents in high-rise buildings started reporting missing items, such as gold necklaces, rings, bracelets and tablet computers. Investigators concluded that the robber crept into houses via gas conduits to steal more than $80,802 worth of property.
It was also discovered that Yu had been living in a five-star hotel for months, no doubt funded by the treasures of the crimes that he confessed to.
Hey, if you're going to play Robin Hood, you might as well give to yourself first, right “Boss Yu”?