By 1992, Kevin Mitnick was the most wanted hacker in America — and he had a trick up his sleeve that nobody in law enforcement saw coming.

He had hacked into the cell phone network and set up an early warning system — essentially tapping the phones of the FBI agents who were investigating him. When any agent’s phone pinged a tower near his apartment, he got an alert. He knew they were coming before they even turned onto his street.

So what did he do with that warning?

He cleared out all his equipment and evidence. Then he went to the store, bought a box of donuts, put them in his refrigerator, wrote “FBI Donuts” on the label — and walked out the door.

When agents arrived for their “surprise” raid, they found an empty apartment. And a snack.

Mitnick stayed on the run for three more years before finally being caught in 1995. He served five years in prison. After his release he became one of the world’s most respected cybersecurity experts — consulting for governments and corporations on the exact vulnerabilities he once exploited.

He passed away in July 2023 from pancreatic cancer. But the legend of the “FBI Donuts” raid lives on as one of the most audacious pranks ever pulled on federal law enforcement.

The man didn’t just hack computers. He hacked the people chasing him.