Millions of dollars worth of paintings, sculptures, jewellery and coin collections were stolen from the homes of the ultra-rich in the New York City area.

The spree culminated with the theft of two Dutch Old Masters paintings, three six-foot Tiffany lamps, jewellery and cash from a Connecticut mansion. The total haul was well over three quarters of a million dollars.

This is the story of Raymond Flynn, a sophisticated thief who studied art and antiques and pulled his jobs off with flair. While Flynn’s robberies were complex, his method for selecting his targets was ingeniously simple. He referred to a directory of wealthy people called the ‘Social Register’.