. >> who was douglas latchford?behind the greatest art heist in history. >> the greatest art heist in history? >> yes, in terms of scope and multitude of crime sites and the enormous amount of statues that were taken out. >> reporter: latchford lived in thailand. an enigmatic british businessman, he began collecting in the 1960s. he had, it seems, two great loves, cambodian antiquities and thai body builders. he sponsored bangkok's biggest bodybuilding competition, the latchford classic. >> how would you describe him? >> he was extremely deceptive. i think in many ways he was ruthless. but he hid that behind this incredible facade of charm. >> reporter: latchford portrayed himself as a scholar and protector of cambodia's culture, a reputation he burnished by donating sculptures to the metropolitan museum of art in new york and other prestigious institutions. he also published three books filled with the finest examples of cambodian antiquities. many of them, it turns out, latchford had stolen. >> he was using the bo