Leona Helsmley

Leona Helmsley's downfall from one of the richest and most glamorous women in New York City to tax evasion convict was spectacular by any standards. The hotel tycoon, along with her husband Harry, formed a property empire worth millions, including the Empire State Building, the Park Lane Hotel and a 100-seat private jet. She became the poster girl for all the worst excesses of Reagan's 1980s run on capitalism and money-making - not least for her tyrannical behaviour behind closed doors. She was prone to tantrums and rages against her staff for infractions as small as a tilted lampshade, lending her the nickname "Queen of Mean." Terrified employees even set up an alarm system to alert each other to when she left her house and was heading for a particular hotel.

Her cruelty was of legendary proportions, as was her disdain for the "little people". But Karma had its day when Helmsley was arrested in 1989 and sentenced to 16 years in prison. In the end, she served 18 months behind bars. But the damage to her reputation was done; during Helmsley's trial, her housekeeper famously testified that she overheard her former boss saying, "We don't pay taxes. Only the little people pay taxes." Even Helmsley's own lawyer described her as a "tough bitch" in her defence and the judge described her as "arrogant... a product of naked greed." Helmsley died of a heart attack aged 87 in 2007.