Viktor Bout

Viktor Bout is an armaments trader from Russia. He was an entrepreneur and former Soviet military translator who allegedly used his many air transport firms to smuggle weapons from Eastern Europe to Africa and the Middle East when communism fell in the 1990s and early 2000s. Bout was dubbed the Merchant of Death and Sanctions Buster due to his purported broad activities, large clients, and willingness to circumvent embargoes.

Viktor Bout earned his fortune mostly via the trafficking of armaments. He used his air transport firms to illegally carry weapons from Eastern European nations to African and Middle Eastern groups and terror organizations. Bout was arrested in Thailand in 2008 and extradited to the United States. He was sentenced to 25 years in prison. He is now being imprisoned at the Marion Federal Penitentiary. Bout's illicit actions are alleged to have netted him USD 6 billion.

Net worth in 2008: $6 Billion