Yet, it only amounted to a near perfect crime. Local officers searched their homes, but no evidence linking them with the truck or the robbery was found. A few years before the Brink's-Mat robbery . The results were negative. Todd Williamson/Getty Images David Ghantt attends the 2016 after party for the Hollywood premiere of Masterminds, based on the Loomis Fargo heist that he helped carry out. In examining the bill, a Federal Reserve note, the officer observed that it was in musty condition. Except for $5,000 that he took before placing the loot in Maffies care, OKeefe angrily stated, he was never to see his share of the Brinks money again. During these approaches, Costaequipped with a flashlight for signaling the other men was stationed on the roof of a tenement building on Prince Street overlooking Brinks. After weighing the arguments presented by the attorneys for the eight convicted criminals, the State Supreme Court turned down the appeals on July 1, 1959, in a 35-page decision written by the Chief Justice. On March 4, 1950, pieces of an identical truck were found at a dump in Stoughton, Massachusetts. A gang of 11 men set out on a meticulous 18-month quest to rob the Brinks headquarters in Boston, the home-base of the legendary private security firm. The Great Brinks Robbery was the biggest armed robbery in U.S. history at the time. On April 11, 1955, the Supreme Court ruled that Pinos conviction in 1948 for larceny (the sentence that was revoked and the case placed on file) had not attained such finality as to support an order of deportation. Thus, Pino could not be deported. (Burke was arrested by FBI agents at Folly Beach, South Carolina, on August 27, 1955, and he returned to New York to face murder charges which were outstanding against him there. The criminals had been looking to do a. Examination revealed the cause of his death to be a brain tumor and acute cerebral edema. McGinnis, who had not been at the scene on the night of the robbery, received a life sentence on each of eight indictments that charged him with being an accessory before the fact in connection with the Brinks robbery. A detailed search for additional weapons was made at the Mystic River. Mr. Gilbert was 37 on the day of the attack, Oct. 20, 1981, when nearly $1.6 million in cash was stolen from an armored Brink's car outside the Nanuet Mall near Nyack. The loot was quickly unloaded, and Banfield sped away to hide the truck. In pursuing the underworld rumors concerning the principal suspects in the Brinks case, the FBI succeeded in identifying more probable members of the gang. Adding to these problems was the constant pressure being exerted upon Pino by OKeefe from the county jail in Towanda, Pennsylvania. Fat John and the business associate of the man arrested in Baltimore were located and interviewed on the morning of June 4, 1956. The other gun was picked up by the officer and identified as having been taken during the Brinks robbery. On June 5 and June 7, the Suffolk County grand jury returned indictments against the three mencharging them with several state offenses involving their possessing money obtained in the Brinks robbery. Due to unsatisfactory conduct, drunkenness, refusal to seek employment, and association with known criminals, his parole was revoked, and he was returned to the Massachusetts State Prison. A passerby might notice that it was missing. The mass of information gathered during the early weeks of the investigation was continuously sifted. At approximately 7:00 p.m. on January 17, 1950, members of the gang met in the Roxbury section of Boston and entered the rear of the Ford stake-body truck. It unleashed a trail of eight murders and a global hunt for. Following their arrests, a former bondsman in Boston made frequent trips to Towanda in an unsuccessful effort to secure their release on bail. He needed money for his defense against the charges in McKean County, and it was obvious that he had developed a bitter attitude toward a number of his close underworld associates. When OKeefe admitted his part in the Brinks robbery to FBI agents in January 1956, he told of his high regard for Gusciora. He subsequently was convicted and executed.). Each robbers face was completely concealed behind a Halloween-type mask. As a government witness, he reluctantly would have testified against him. Gusciora now had passed beyond the reach of all human authority, and OKeefe was all the more determined to see that justice would be done. Prior to this time, McGinnis had been at his liquor store. The public called the robbery the crime of the century: On January 17, 1950, armed men stole more than $2.7 million in cash, checks, money orders, and other securities from a Brink's in. The officer verified the meeting. Two weeks of comparative quiet in the gang members lives were shattered on June 5, 1954, when an attempt was made on OKeefes life. Burke, a professional killer, allegedly had been hired by underworld associates of OKeefe to assassinate him. After denying any knowledge of the escape of Trigger Burke, Pino was released. The roofs of buildings on Prince and Snow Hill Streets soon were alive with inconspicuous activity as the gang looked for the most advantageous sites from which to observe what transpired inside Brinks offices. The Brinks Job, 1950. He had been questioned concerning his whereabouts on January 17, 1950, and he was unable to provide any specific account of where he had been. Prominent among the other strong suspects was Vincent James Costa, brother-in-law of Pino. They stole 26 million in gold bullion - the biggest robbery of . On September 8, 1950, OKeefe was sentenced to three years in the Bradford County jail at Towanda and fined $3,000 for violation of the Uniform Firearms Act. It was almost the perfect crime. While some gang members remained in the building to ensure that no one detected the operation, other members quickly obtained keys to fit the locks. An appeal was promptly noted, and he was released on $15,000 bond. They did not expect to find the Aladdin's cave to contain some 26m in gold bullion and diamonds that they stumbled upon. Despite the fact that substantial amounts of money were being spent by members of the robbery gang during 1954, in defending themselves against legal proceedings alone, the year ended without the location of any bills identifiable as part of the Brinks loot. In the back were Pino, OKeefe, Baker, Faherty, Maffie, Gusciora, Michael Vincent Geagan (pictured), and Thomas Francis Richardson. In 1936 and 1937, Faherty was convicted of armed robbery violations. From their prison cells, they carefully followed the legal maneuvers aimed at gaining them freedom. The police officer said he had been talking to McGinnis first, and Pino arrived later to join them. Some of the bills were in pieces. Immediately upon leaving, the gang loaded the loot into the truck that was parked on Prince Street near the door. Until now, little has been known about the dogged methods police used to infiltrate the criminal underworld behind the 1983 robbery. As of January 1956, more than $2,775,000, including $1,218,211.29 in cash was still unaccounted for. Shortly before 7:30 p.m., they were surprised by five menheavily disguised, quiet as mice, wearing gloves to avoid leaving fingerprints and soft shoes to muffle noise. Five bullets which had missed their mark were found in a building nearby. T he robbers were there because they knew there was 3 million in cash locked in the . Photo courtesy Boston Public Library, Leslie Jones Collection. On August 29, 1954, the officers suspicions were aroused by an automobile that circled the general vicinity of the abandoned car on five occasions. After dousing security guards with petrol and threatening them with a lit match if they didn't open the safes, the six men made an amazing discovery when they stumbled upon 3,000kg worth of gold bars. Since the robbery had taken place between approximately 7:10 and 7:27 p.m., it was quite probable that a gang, as well drilled as the Brinks robbers obviously were, would have arranged to rendezvous at a specific time. Accordingly, another lock cylinder was installed until the original one was returned. While on bond he returned to Boston; on January 23, 1954, he appeared in the Boston Municipal Court on the probation violation charge. Perkins was handed a 22-year jail sentence for that one, but absconded from open prison in 1995 and managed to . Each of them had surreptitiously entered the premises on several occasions after the employees had left for the day. The discovery of this money in the Tremont Street offices resulted in the arrests of both Fat John and the business associate of the criminal who had been arrested in Baltimore. Soon after OKeefes return in March 1954, Baker and his wife left Boston on a vacation.. Some of the jewelry might. Before fleeing with the bags of loot, the seven armed men attempted to open a metal box containing the payroll of the General Electric Company. All were denied, and the impaneling of the jury was begun on August 7. "A search warrant was executed in Boston covering the Tremont Street offices occupied by the three men" (FBI). All efforts to identify the gang members through the chauffeurs hat, the rope, and the adhesive tape which had been left in Brinks proved unsuccessful. Three and one-half hours later, the verdict had been reached. The descriptions and serial numbers of these weapons were carefully noted since they might prove a valuable link to the men responsible for the crime. Jewelers report over $100 million in losses after Brinks armored truck robbed in California. The alibi, in fact, was almost too good. During these weeks, OKeefe renewed his association with a Boston racketeer who had actively solicited funds for the defense of OKeefe and Gusciora in 1950. The trip from the liquor store in Roxbury to the Brinks offices could be made in about 15 minutes. ROCHESTER, N.Y. (AP) _ A Catholic priest and an ex-guerrilla from Northern Ireland were convicted Monday of charges related to the $7.4 million robbery of a Brink's armored car depot. He later was to be arrested as a member of the robbery gang. Soon the underworld rang with startling news concerning this pair. The recovery of part of the loot was a severe blow to the gang members who still awaited trial in Boston. During an interview with him in the jail in Springfield, Massachusetts, in October 1954, special agents found that the plight of the missing Boston racketeer was weighing on OKeefes mind. During this operation, a pair of glasses belonging to one of the employees was unconsciously scooped up with other items and stuffed into a bag of loot. July 18, 2022, 9:32 AM UTC. One Massachusetts racketeer, a man whose moral code mirrored his long years in the underworld, confided to the agents who were interviewing him, If I knew who pulled the job, I wouldnt be talking to you now because Id be too busy trying to figure a way to lay my hands on some of the loot.. He had been convicted of armed robbery in 1940 and served several months in the Massachusetts State Reformatory and the Norfolk, Massachusetts, Prison Colony. The Bureau was convinced that it had identified the actual robbers, but evidence and witnesses had to be found. More than 100 persons took the stand as witnesses for the prosecution and the defense during September 1956. Evidently resigned to long years in prison or a short life on the outside, OKeefe grew increasingly bitter toward his old associates. There had been three attempts on his life in June 1954, and his frustrated assassins undoubtedly were waiting for him to return to Boston. The Great Brinks Robbery of 1950 met all of these requirementsa great pile of cash disappeared with no evidence, leads, or suspects. In addition to mold, insect remains also were found on the loot. The Brinks case was front page news. The Brink's-Mat robbery remains to this day one of Britain's biggest and most audacious heists. All right, he told two FBI agents, what do you want to know?. At the time of his arrest, there also was a charge of armed robbery outstanding against him in Massachusetts. LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Jewelry, gems, high-end watches and other valuables worth millions of dollars were stolen from a transport vehicle in Southern California. Inside the building, the gang members carefully studied all available information concerning Brinks schedules and shipments. Occasionally, an offender who was facing a prison term would boast that he had hot information. A roll of waterproof adhesive tape used to gag and bind bank employees that was left at the scene of the crime. On October 20, 1981, members of the Black Liberation Army robbed a Brink's truck at the Nanuet Mall. Had the ground not been frozen, the person or persons who abandoned the bags probably would have attempted to bury them. In a film-style series of events, criminals broke into the. The ninth man had long been a principal suspect. A second shooting incident occurred on the morning of June 14, 1954, in Dorchester, Massachusetts, when OKeefe and his racketeer friend paid a visit to Baker. He was found brutally murdered in his car in 1987. While action to appeal the convictions was being taken on their behalf, the eight men were removed to the State prison at Walpole, Massachusetts. There was Adolph Jazz Maffie, one of the hoodlums who allegedly was being pressured to contribute money for the legal battle of OKeefe and Gusciora against Pennsylvania authorities. As long as he was in prison, he could do no physical harm to his Boston criminal associates. In April 1950, the FBI received information indicating that part of the Brinks loot was hidden in the home of a relative of OKeefe in Boston. Those killed in the. In addition, McGinnis received other sentences of two years, two and one-half to three years, and eight to ten years. The month preceding January 17, 1950, witnessed approximately a half-dozen approaches to Brinks. Questioned by Boston police on the day following the robbery, Baker claimed that he had eaten dinner with his family on the evening of January 17, 1950, and then left home at about 7:00 p.m. to walk around the neighborhood for about two hours. This chauffeurs cap was left at the scene of the crime of the centurythe 1950 robbery of a Brink's bank branch in Massachusetts. In the hope that a wide breach might have developed between the two criminals who were in jail in Pennsylvania and the gang members who were enjoying the luxuries of a free life in Massachusetts, FBI agents again visited Gusciora and OKeefe. The Great Brink's Robbery was an armed robbery of the Brink's building in the North End of Boston, Massachusetts, on January 17, 1950. The trial of these eight men began on the morning of August 6, 1956, before Judge Feliz Forte in the Suffolk County Courthouse in Boston. At the time of the Brinks robbery, Geagan was on parole, having been released from prison in July 1943, after serving eight years of a lengthy sentence for armed robbery and assault. I think a fellow just passed a counterfeit $10.00 bill on me, he told the officer. FBI.gov is an official site of the U.S. Department of Justice. After these plans were reviewed and found to be unhelpful, OKeefe and Gusciora returned them in the same manner. Others fell apart as they were handled. They were checked against serial numbers of bills known to have been included in the Brinks loot, and it was determined that the Boston criminal possessed part of the money that had been dragged away by the seven masked gunmen on January 17, 1950. How much money was stolen in the Brinks robbery? Years earlier, a private investigator, Daniel Morgan, was said to have been looking into the robbery. (The arrests of Faherty and Richardson also resulted in the indictment of another Boston hoodlum as an accessory after the fact). Stanley Gusciora (pictured left), who had been transferred to Massachusetts from Pennsylvania to stand trial, was placed under medical care due to weakness, dizziness, and vomiting. The $2.775 million ($31.3 million today) theft consisted of $1,218,211.29 in cash and $1,557,183.83 in checks, money orders, and other securities. From interviews with the five employees whom the criminals had confronted, it was learned that between five and seven robbers had entered the building. In the years following a shared event, like an assassination, everyone remembers where they were when it happened. Even fearing the new bills might be linked with the crime, McGinnis suggested a process for aging the new money in a hurry.. The theft occurred in July when a Brink's big rig paused at a Grapevine truck stop while transporting jewelry from a Northern California trade show to the Southland. This cooler contained more than $57,700, including $51,906 which was identifiable as part of the Brinks loot. He, too, had left his home shortly before 7:00 p.m. on the night of the robbery and met the Boston police officer soon thereafter. A lock () or https:// means you've safely connected to the .gov website. Within two months of his return, another member of the gang suffered a legal setback. On November, 26, 1983, three tonnes of solid gold bullion was taken by six armed robbers from the Brink's-Mat security depot near . An attempted armored truck heist in South Africa was caught on camera recently; it illustrates the dangers of the job. The stolen 6,800 gold ingots, diamonds and cash would be worth 100million today. By this time, Baker was suffering from a bad case of nerves. Underworld sources described him as fully capable of planning and executing the Brinks robbery. (Geagan and Richardson, known associates of other members of the gang, were among the early suspects. This was in their favor. The truck pieces were concealed in fiber bags when found. The Brink Mat robbery was a heist that occurred at Heathrow International Trading Estate on November 26, 1983, when six armed robbers broke into a warehouse run by a US and British joint venture, Brink's Mat. Of the hundreds of New England hoodlums contacted by FBI agents in the weeks immediately following the robbery, few were willing to be interviewed. On this day, Jawarski made history by pulling off the nation's first armored car robbery. OKeefe did not know where the gang members had hidden their shares of the lootor where they had disposed of the money if, in fact, they had disposed of their shares. Thieves vanished after stealing $2.7 million, leaving few clues. Fat John announced that each of the packages contained $5,000. Almost. Two of the prime suspects whose nerve and gun-handling experience suited them for the Brinks robbery were Joseph James OKeefe and Stanley Albert Gusciora. It ultimately proved unproductive. Almost immediately, the gang began laying new plans. Subsequently, he engaged in a conversation with McGinnis and a Boston police officer. After careful checking, the FBI eliminated eight of the suspects. This underworld character told the officers that he had found this money. Even in their jail cells, however, they showed no respect for law enforcement. On the night of January 18, 1950, OKeefe and Gusciora received $100,000 each from the robbery loot. During November and December 1949, the approach to the Brinks building and the flight over the getaway route were practiced to perfection. When this case was continued until April 1, 1954, OKeefe was released on $1,500 bond. He was so cold and persistent in these dealings with his co-conspirators that the agents hoped he might be attempting to obtain a large sum of moneyperhaps his share of the Brinks loot. The Brinks vehicle, followed closely by guards traveling in an automobile, turned onto a stone-paved lane called Old Bethel Road. On the evening of January 17, 1950, employees of the security firm Brinks, Inc., in Boston, Massachusetts, were closing for the day, returning sacks of undelivered cash, checks, and other. Several hundred dollars were found hidden in the house but could not be identified as part of the loot.