In the end, the perfect crime had a perfect endingfor everyone but the robbers. On the night of January 17, 1952exactly two years after the crime occurredthe FBIs Boston Office received an anonymous telephone call from an individual who claimed he was sending a letter identifying the Brinks robbers. 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. 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.
The Brinks Job, 1950 - Crimes of the Century - TIME Where is Nikki Jennings now? The Brink's-Mat police woman explained The Brinks Mat robbery: If The Gold is a true story and where Kenneth During the trip from Roxbury, Pino distributed Navy-type peacoats and chauffeurs caps to the other seven men in the rear of the truck. Nonetheless, the finding of the truck parts at Stoughton, Massachusetts, was to prove a valuable break in the investigation. 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. A new BBC crime drama series follows the gripping twists and turns of what was dubbed the "crime of the century" in the 1980s. During questioning by the FBI, the money changer stated that he was in business as a mason contractor with another man on Tremont Street in Boston. After being wounded on June 16, OKeefe disappeared. OKeefe claimed that he left his hotel room in Boston at approximately 7:00 p.m. on January 17, 1950. Seventy years ago today, a group of men stole $1.2 million in cash and $1.5 million in checks.
The Great Brink's Robbery, and the 70-year-old question: What happened Neither had too convincing an alibi.
A $7.4 Million Heist Made for Hollywood - The New York Times In the series Edwyn Cooper (played by Dominic Cooper) is a lawyer who gets involved in the robbery, deciding he wants to earn some big bucks. This phase of the investigation was pursued exhaustively. They did not expect to find the Aladdin's cave to contain some 26m in gold bullion and diamonds that they stumbled upon. Both men remained mute following their arrests. It was reported that on May 18, 1954, OKeefe and his racketeer associate took Vincent Costa to a hotel room and held him for several thousand dollars ransom. Like Gusciora, OKeefe was known to have associated with Pino prior to the Brinks robbery. Yet, it only amounted to a near perfect crime. The removal of the lock cylinder from the outside door involved the greatest risk of detection. Before removing the remainder of the loot from the house on January 18, 1950, the gang members attempted to identify incriminating items. A few weeks later, OKeefe retrieved his share of the loot. More than 100 persons took the stand as witnesses for the prosecution and the defense during September 1956. 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.
Robbers in California steal $100 million of jewelry from Brink Truck The following is a brief account of the data which OKeefe provided the special agents in January 1956: Although basically the brain child of Pino, the Brinks robbery was the product of the combined thought and criminal experience of men who had known each other for many years. On November 26, 1982, six armed robbers forced their way into the Brink's-Mat warehouse, the plan was to steal the 3.2m in cash they were expecting to find stored there. All but Pino and Banfield stepped out and proceeded into the playground to await Costas signal. When questioned concerning his activities on the night of January 17, 1950, Richardson claimed that after unsuccessfully looking for work he had several drinks and then returned home. Paul Jawarski (sometimes spelled Jaworski) in a yellowed newspaper . Apparently, they had planned a leisurely trip with an abundance of extracurricular activities.. Two days after Christmas of 1955, FBI agents paid another visit to OKeefe. Had any particles of evidence been found in the loot which might directly show that they had handled it? In the succeeding two weeks, nearly 1,200 prospective jurors were eliminated as the defense counsel used their 262 peremptory challenges. McGinnis had been arrested at the site of a still in New Hampshire in February 1954. Officials said the incident happened at a Wendy's in a strip mall at 87th and Lafayette, right off the Dan Ryan Expressway. The theft changed the face of the British underworld. On November 26, 1982, six armed robbers forced their way into the Brink's-Mat warehouse, the plan was to steal the 3.2m in cash they were expecting to find stored there. Well-meaning persons throughout the country began sending the FBI tips and theories which they hoped would assist in the investigation. The alibi, in fact, was almost too good. After the truck parts were found, additional suspicion was attached to these men. Six armed men stole diamonds, cash and three tonnes of gold bullion from a warehouse close to . The robbers removed the adhesive tape from the mouth of one employee and learned that the buzzer signified that someone wanted to enter the vault area. Prior to this time, McGinnis had been at his liquor store. Masterminded by Brian 'The Colonel' Robinson and Mickey McAvoy, the gang hoped to make off with 3 million in cash, a sum that's now equivalent to just over 9 million. The Brink's-Mat robbery occurred at the Heathrow International Trading Estate, London, United Kingdom, on 26 November 1983 and was one of the largest robberies in British history. Interviewed again on December 28, 1955, he talked somewhat more freely, and it was obvious that the agents were gradually winning his respect and confidence. California thieves pulled off a heist straight out of "Ocean's 11'' swiping up to $150 million in jewels from a Brink's armored truck as it drove from one convention show to . His records showed that he had worked on the offices early in April 1956 under instructions of Fat John. The loot could not have been hidden behind the wall panel prior to that time. At the time of their arrest, Faherty and Richardson were rushing for three loaded revolvers that they had left on a chair in the bathroom of the apartment.
'Holy Heist' documentary to bring the Rochester Brink's heist to TV The money inside the cooler which was concealed in the wall of the Tremont Street office was wrapped in plastic and newspaper.
BBC's The Gold: The true story of the Brink's-Mat Robbery He was certain he would be considered a strong suspect and wanted to begin establishing an alibi immediately.) A man of modest means in Bayonne, New Jersey, was reported to be spending large sums of money in night clubs, buying new automobiles, and otherwise exhibiting newly found wealth. Geagan claimed that he spent the evening at home and did not learn of the Brinks robbery until the following day. 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. The Gold is a 2023 television series created for BBC One and Paramount+. If passing police had looked closer early that Saturday morning on November 26, 1983, they would have noticed the van was weighted down below its wheel arches with three tons of gold. And what of McGinnis himself? One of these officers quickly grabbed the criminals hand, and a large roll of money fell from it. From his cell in Springfield, OKeefe wrote bitter letters to members of the Brinks gang and persisted in his demands for money. Perkins was handed a 22-year jail sentence for that one, but absconded from open prison in 1995 and managed to . Former inmates of penal institutions reported conversations they had overheard while incarcerated which concerned the robbing of Brinks. He was through with Pino, Baker, McGinnis, Maffie, and the other Brinks conspirators who had turned against him.
Where are gangsters from the Brink's-Mat robbery now? 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.
Great Brink's Robbery - Wikipedia This is good money, he said, but you cant pass it around here in Boston.. The door opened, and an armed masked man wearing a prison guard-type uniform commanded the guard, Back up, or Ill blow your brains out. Burke and the armed man disappeared through the door and fled in an automobile parked nearby. The other gang members would not talk. The detainer involved OKeefes violation of probation in connection with a conviction in 1945 for carrying concealed weapons. Following their arrests, a former bondsman in Boston made frequent trips to Towanda in an unsuccessful effort to secure their release on bail. On February 5, 1950, however, a police officer in Somerville, Massachusetts, recovered one of the four revolvers that had been taken by the robbers. Costa claimed that after working at the motor terminal until approximately 5:00 p.m. on January 17, 1950, he had gone home to eat dinner; then, at approximately 7:00 p.m., he left to return to the terminal and worked until about 9:00 p.m. Before the robbery was carried out, all of the participants were well acquainted with the Brinks premises. When the robbers decided that they needed a truck, it was resolved that a new one must be stolen because a used truck might have distinguishing marks and possibly would not be in perfect running condition. (Costa, who was at his lookout post, previously had arrived in a Ford sedan which the gang had stolen from behind the Boston Symphony Hall two days earlier.). There had been three attempts on his life in June 1954, and his frustrated assassins undoubtedly were waiting for him to return to Boston. Each carried a pair of gloves. Returning to Pennsylvania in February 1954 to stand trial, OKeefe was found guilty of burglary by the state court in McKean County on March 4, 1954. At 4:20 p.m. on January 6, 1956, OKeefe made the final decision. He claimed there was a large roll of bills in his hotel roomand that he had found that money, too. The hideout also was found to contain more than $5,000 in coins. If local hoodlums were involved, it was difficult to believe that McGinnis could be as ignorant of the crime as he claimed. Even if released, he thought, his days were numbered.
Chicago police suspect Edgewater Brinks truck robbery - CBS Chicago Minutes later, police arrived at the Brinks building, and special agents of the FBI quickly joined in the investigation. However, the group were shocked to find a massive 26 million in gold . Underworld sources described him as fully capable of planning and executing the Brinks robbery. Brian Robinson was arrested in December 1983 after Stephen Black - the security guard who let the robbers into the Brink's-Mat warehouse, and Robinson's brother-in-law - named him to police. 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. At 6:30am, six armed robbers from a south London gang entered the premises of the Brink's-Mat warehouse at Heathrow. Faherty had been questioned on the night of the robbery. At that time, Pino approached OKeefe and asked if he wanted to be in on the score. His close associate, Stanley Gusciora, had previously been recruited, and OKeefe agreed to take part. McGinnis previously had discussed sending a man to the United States Patent Office in Washington, D.C., to inspect the patents on the protective alarms used in the Brinks building. Three of the newspapers used to wrap the bills were identified. The officer verified the meeting. They were held in lieu of bail which, for each man, amounted to more then $100,000.
The True Story Of The 2005 Miami Brinks Heist And Karls Monzon While on bond he returned to Boston; on January 23, 1954, he appeared in the Boston Municipal Court on the probation violation charge. Although Gusciora was acquitted of the charges against him in Towanda, he was removed to McKean County, Pennsylvania, to stand trial for burglary, larceny, and receiving stolen goods. On January 12, 1953, Pino was released on bail pending a deportation hearing. (The arrests of Faherty and Richardson also resulted in the indictment of another Boston hoodlum as an accessory after the fact).
Brink's-Mat robbery - Wikipedia OKeefe was bitter about a number of matters. After nearly three years of investigation, the government hoped that witnesses or participants who had remained mute for so long a period of time might find their tongues before the grand jury. The Brink's truck was robbed in the early morning . CHICAGO (CBS) - A woman has been charged after more than $100,000 was stolen from Brinks truck outside Edgewater bank on Monday afternoon. Perhaps most remarkable, its mastermind didn't even have a criminal record when he planned it out. A roll of waterproof adhesive tape used to gag and bind bank employees that was left at the scene of the crime. Then the lock cylinders were replaced. He was not involved in the Brinks robbery. Each of them had surreptitiously entered the premises on several occasions after the employees had left for the day. This man subsequently identified locks from doors which the Brinks gang had entered as being similar to the locks which Pino had brought him. In pursuing the underworld rumors concerning the principal suspects in the Brinks case, the FBI succeeded in identifying more probable members of the gang. While the others stayed at the house to make a quick count of the loot, Pino and Faherty departed. Other information provided by OKeefe helped to fill the gaps which still existed. OKeefes reputation for nerve was legend. 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. Between 1950 and 1954, the underworld occasionally rumbled with rumors that pressure was being exerted upon Boston hoodlums to contribute money for these criminals legal fight against the charges in Pennsylvania. OKeefe was wounded in the wrist and chest, but again he managed to escape with his life.
The Great Brinks Robbery of 1950: Not Quite the Perfect Crime 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. It unleashed a trail of eight murders and a global hunt for. Through long weeks of empty promises of assistance and deliberate stalling by the gang members, he began to realize that his threats were falling on deaf ears. He was paroled in the fall of 1944 and remained on parole through March 1954 when misfortune befell him. It was given to him in a suitcase that was transferred to his car from an automobile occupied by McGinnis and Banfield. LOS ANGELES COUNTY, Calif. (KGO) -- The FBI and the Los Angeles County. From interviews with the five employees whom the criminals had confronted, it was learned that between five and seven robbers had entered the building. The missing racketeers automobile was found near his home; however, his whereabouts remain a mystery. All were guilty. They had brought no tools with them, however, and they were unsuccessful. Next year January 2023 to be precise will mark 30 years since the Brink's depot in Rochester was looted for $7.4 million, then the fifth largest armored car company heist in the country. Approximately one and one-half hours later, Banfield returned with McGinnis. The crime inspired at least four movies and two books, including The Story of the Great Brink's Robbery, as Told by the FBI. Instead, they found three tonnes of gold bullion. The team of burglars bypassed the truck's locking mechanism and used the storage containers to haul away precious gems, gold and other valuables. Well-known Boston hoodlums were picked up and questioned by police. The conviction for burglary in McKean County, Pennsylvania, still hung over his head, and legal fees remained to be paid.
The curse of Brink's-Mat: What happened to the Brink's-Mat robbers? Before his trial in McKean County, he was released on $17,000 bond. His case had gone to the highest court in the land. (Geagan, who was on parole at the time, left the truck before it arrived at the home in Roxbury where the loot was unloaded. A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States. After continuing up the street to the end of the playground which adjoined the Brinks building, the truck stopped. They did not expect to find the Aladdin's cave to contain some 26m in gold bullion and diamonds that they stumbled upon. 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. Six members of the gangBaker, Costa, Geagan, Maffie, McGinnis, and Pinowere arrested by FBI agents on January 12, 1956. The record of the state trial covered more than 5,300 pages. The month preceding January 17, 1950, witnessed approximately a half-dozen approaches to Brinks. He was not able to provide a specific account, claiming that he became drunk on New Years Eve and remained intoxicated through the entire month of January. (A detailed survey of the Boston waterfront previously had been made by the FBI.) A thorough investigation was made concerning his whereabouts on the evening of January 17, 1950. In its determination to overlook no possibility, the FBI contacted various resorts throughout the United States for information concerning persons known to possess unusually large sums of money following the robbery. In examining the bill, a Federal Reserve note, the officer observed that it was in musty condition. A detailed search for additional weapons was made at the Mystic River.
The Brinks Robbery: Crime of the Century by Gianna Ortiz In addition to the general descriptions received from the Brinks employees, the investigators obtained several pieces of physical evidence. OKeefes racketeer associate, who allegedly had assisted him in holding Costa for ransom and was present during the shooting scrape between OKeefe and Baker, disappeared on August 3, 1954. As of January 1956, more than $2,775,000, including $1,218,211.29 in cash was still unaccounted for. During his brief stay in Boston, he was observed to contact other members of the robbery gang. While action to appeal the convictions was being taken on their behalf, the eight men were removed to the State prison at Walpole, Massachusetts. Much of the money taken from the money changer appeared to have been stored a long time. Investigation established that this gun, together with another rusty revolver, had been found on February 4, 1950, by a group of boys who were playing on a sand bar at the edge of the Mystic River in Somerville.