The gang at that time included all of the participants in the January 17, 1950, robbery except Henry Baker. 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. After being wounded on June 16, OKeefe disappeared. Both OKeefe and Gusciora had been interviewed on several occasions concerning the Brinks robbery, but they had claimed complete ignorance. 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. Police who arrived to investigate found a large amount of blood, a mans shattered wrist watch, and a .45 caliber pistol at the scene. While the theft was originally intended to be a burglary, rather than an armed robbery, they could not find a way around the building's burglar alarm. Each carried a pair of gloves. Banfield had been a close associate of McGinnis for many years. Two weeks of comparative quiet in the gang members lives were shattered on June 5, 1954, when an attempt was made on OKeefes life. Allegedly, he pulled a gun on OKeefe; several shots were exchanged by the two men, but none of the bullets found their mark. Henry Baker, another veteran criminal who was rumored to be kicking in to the Pennsylvania defense fund, had spent a number of years of his adult life in prison. One of his former girl friends who recalled having seen him on the night of the robbery stated that he definitely was not drunk. Six members of the gangBaker, Costa, Geagan, Maffie, McGinnis, and Pinowere arrested by FBI agents on January 12, 1956. WebNahome was a "financer" and associate of the Adams family, who were also suspected of having been involved in the laundering of the Brink's-Mat gold. Many problems and dangers were involved in such a robbery, and the plans never crystallized. Eight of the gang's members received maximum sentences of life imprisonment. In a report which was released on January 16, 1953, the grand jury disclosed that its members did not feel they possessed complete, positive information as to the identify of the participants in the Brinks robbery because (1) the participants were effectively disguised; (2) there was a lack of eyewitnesses to the crime itself; and (3) certain witnesses refused to give testimony, and the grand jury was unable to compel them to do so. Pino had been questioned as to his whereabouts on the evening of January 17, 1950, and he provided a good alibi. [21] Any information police could get from their informers initially proved useless. 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. Underworld rumors alleged that Maffie and Henry Baker were high on OKeefes list because they had beaten him out of a large amount of money. Fact or fiction? The truth behind TV crime dramas When the employees were securely bound and gagged, the robbers began looting the premises. [14] By 7:37, one of the Brink's employees managed to free themselves and raise the alarm. WebBrian Robinson was convicted of armed robbery and sentenced to 25 years in prison. While the others stayed at the house to make a quick count of the loot, Pino and Faherty departed. In September 1949, Pinos efforts to evade deportation met with success. They moved with a studied precision which suggested that the crime had been carefully planned and rehearsed in the preceding months. In 1936 and 1937, Faherty was convicted of armed robbery violations. If local hoodlums were involved, it was difficult to believe that McGinnis could be as ignorant of the crime as he claimed. [17] Approximately a million dollars in silver and coins was left behind by the robbers, as they were not prepared to carry it. There was James Ignatius Faherty, an armed robbery specialist whose name had been mentioned in underworld conversations in January 1950, concerning a score on which the gang members used binoculars to watch their intended victims count large sums of money. Executive producers are Tommy Bulfin for the BBC; Neil Forsyth and Ben Farrell for Tannadice Pictures; and Kate Laffey and Claire Sowerby-Sheppard for VIS. (Investigation to substantiate this information resulted in the location of the proprietor of a key shop who recalled making keys for Pino on at least four or five evenings in the fall of 1949. During this visit, Gusciora got up from his bed, and, in full view of the clergyman, slipped to the floor, striking his head. Information received from this individual linked nine well-known hoodlums with the crime. Three of the newspapers used to wrap the bills were identified. Shortly after 6.40am, six armed robbers in balaclavas entered a warehouse at Heathrow airport belonging to security company Brinks-Mat. Two days after Christmas of 1955, FBI agents paid another visit to OKeefe. Examination by the FBI Laboratory subsequently disclosed that the decomposition, discoloration, and matting together of the bills were due, at least in part, to the fact that all of the bills had been wet. Nonetheless, several members of the Brinks gang were visibly shaken and appeared to be abnormally worried during the latter part of May and early in June 1954. A private security and protection company was co-ordinating the shipment of $20 million worth of gold and high-value goods when they were stolen from Toronto Pearson International Airport. As the truck drove past the Brinks offices, the robbers noted that the lights were out on the Prince Street side of the building. The FBI approached O'Keefe in the hospital and on January 6, 1956, he decided to talk. The results were negative. At the centre of The Gold are the detective Brian Boyce, played by Hugh Bonneville, and Kenneth Noye, played by Jack Lowden. [14] They each wore a chauffeur cap, pea Where are gangsters from the Brinks-Mat robbery now? THE Brink's-Mat robbery is one of the most notorious crimes in British history. He was released in 2000, after serving 16 years of his term. All identifying marks placed on currency and securities by the customers were noted, and appropriate stops were placed at banking institutions across the nation. (Geagan and Richardson, known associates of other members of the gang, were among the early suspects. WebAt 6.30 am on 26 November 1983, a South London gang of six armed robbers, headed by Brian Robinson and Mickey McAvoy, broke into the Brinks Mat warehouse at Heathrow Airport, expecting to make off with about 3 million in cash. OKeefe paid his respects to other members of the Brinks gang in Boston on several occasions in the spring of 1954, and it was obvious to the agents handling the investigation that he was trying to solicit money. All efforts to identify the persons responsible for the theft and the persons who had cut up the truck were unsuccessful. That prison term, together with Pinos conviction in March 1928 for carnal abuse of a girl, provided the basis for the deportation action. Each robbers face was completely concealed behind a Halloween-type mask. First, there was the money. 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. The truck pieces were concealed in fiber bags when found. Pino had been at his home in the Roxbury Section of Boston until approximately 7:00 p.m.; then he walked to the nearby liquor store of Joseph McGinnis. (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. Fat John and the business associate of the man arrested in Baltimore were located and interviewed on the morning of June 4, 1956. He was not involved in the Brinks robbery. The month preceding January 17, 1950, witnessed approximately a half-dozen approaches to Brinks. The police officer said he had been talking to McGinnis first, and Pino arrived later to join them. Both of these strong-arm suspects had been questioned by Boston authorities following the robbery. Edward O'Grady, Officer Waverly Brown and Brink's guard Peter Paige were killed during the Oct. 20, 1981, robbery in Nanuet, New York. The This phase of the investigation greatly disturbed many gamblers. Like the others, Banfield had been questioned concerning his activities on the night of January 17, 1950. When this case was continued until April 1, 1954, OKeefe was released on $1,500 bond. It was positively concluded that the packages of currency had been damaged prior to the time they were wrapped in the pieces of newspaper; and there were indications that the bills previously had been in a canvas container which was buried in ground consisting of sand and ashes. WebOne of the robbers, Micky McAvoy, entrusted his share to associates Brian Perry and George Francis. By Beth Rose. The robbers killed Peter Paige at the Nanuet Mall in front of a bank. All of them wore Navy-type peacoats, gloves, and chauffeurs caps. Livvy standing in the middle of two masked people involved in kidnap gangs. It was at the time the largest robbery in the history of the United States, and has been called "the crime of the century". 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. The Brink's Mat Bullion Heist 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 truck that the robbers had used was found cut to pieces in Stoughton, Massachusetts, near O'Keefe's home. Two members of the gang were quickly caught but the Of the eleven people involved in the robbery, eight would receive life sentences after a trial, with two others dying before they could be convicted. On January 12, 1956, just five days before the statute of limitations was to run out, the FBI arrested Baker, Costa, Geagan, Maffie, McGinnis, and Pino. 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. Sentenced to serve from five to seven years for this offense, he was released from prison in September 1941. All were denied, and the impaneling of the jury was begun on August 7. Using the outside door key they had previously obtained, the men quickly entered and donned their masks. Baker fled and the brief meeting adjourned. On August 30, he was taken into custody as a suspicious person. 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. (Geagan, who was on parole at the time, left the truck before it arrived at the home in Roxbury where the loot was unloaded. WebRobbery Seven of the group went into the Brink's building: OKeefe, Gusciora, Baker, Maffie, Geagan, Faherty, and Richardson. After each interview, FBI agents worked feverishly into the night checking all parts of his story which were subject to verification. WebOn the evening of January 17th 1950, a group of armed gunmen entered the Brinks Building on Prince Street and robbed the company of $1.2 million in cash and $1.6 million in The truck found at the dump had been reported stolen by a Ford dealer near Fenway Park in Boston on November 3, 1949. 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. Although he had been known to carry a gun, burglaryrather than armed robberywas his criminal specialty, and his exceptional driving skill was an invaluable asset during criminal getaways. Another week passedand approximately 500 more citizens were consideredbefore the 14-member jury was assembled. 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. OKeefe was the principal witness to appear before the state grand jurors. This man, subsequently identified as a small-time Boston underworld figure, was located and questioned. [16] Brink's, Inc. offered a $100,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those involved in the robbery, with an additional 5% of recovered cash offered by the insurance company. WebGordon John Parry, Brian Perry, Patrick Clark, and Jean Savage were all convicted at the Old Bailey. Only $58,000 of the $2.7 million was recovered. Before the robbery was carried out, all of the participants were well acquainted with the Brinks premises. Until the FBI and its partners painstakingly solved the case. Pino, Richardson, and Costa each took $20,000, and this was noted on a score sheet. Extensive efforts were made to detect pencil markings and other notations on the currency that the criminals thought might be traceable to Brinks. Gusciora also claimed to have been drinking that evening. At least four movies were based, or partially based, on the Great Brink's Robbery: Coordinates: .mw-parser-output .geo-default,.mw-parser-output .geo-dms,.mw-parser-output .geo-dec{display:inline}.mw-parser-output .geo-nondefault,.mw-parser-output .geo-multi-punct{display:none}.mw-parser-output .longitude,.mw-parser-output .latitude{white-space:nowrap}422202N 710327W / 42.3672N 71.0575W / 42.3672; -71.0575. In December 1954, he indicated to the agents that Pino could look for rough treatment if he (OKeefe) again was released. (The arrests of Faherty and Richardson also resulted in the indictment of another Boston hoodlum as an accessory after the fact). It was billed as the perfect crime and the the crime of the century.. OKeefe was bitter about a number of matters. His explanation: He had been drinking at a bar in Boston. 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. He claimed he had been drinking in various taverns from approximately 5:10 p.m. until 7:45 p.m. After a period of hostility, he began to display a friendly attitude. 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. During November and December 1949, the approach to the Brinks building and the flight over the getaway route were practiced to perfection. This is good money, he said, but you cant pass it around here in Boston.. Even before Brinks, Incorporated, offered a $100,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the persons responsible, the case had captured the imagination of millions of Americans. It ultimately proved unproductive. Pino paid a small ransom but then decided to try to kill O'Keefe. Interviews with him on June 3 and 4, 1956, disclosed that this 31-year-old hoodlum had a record of arrests and convictions dating back to his teens and that he had been conditionally released from a federal prison camp less than a year beforehaving served slightly more than two years of a three-year sentence for transporting a falsely made security interstate. (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.). After careful checking, the FBI eliminated eight of the suspects. He claimed there was a large roll of bills in his hotel roomand that he had found that money, too. 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. Because the money in the cooler was in various stages of decomposition, an accurate count proved most difficult to make. 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. Brink's robbery Neither had too convincing an alibi. 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. [17], Immediately following the robbery, Police Commissioner Thomas F. Sullivan sent a mobilization order for all precinct captains and detectives. Despite the arrests and indictments in January 1956, more than $2,775,000, including $1,218,211.29 in cash, was still missing. A third attempt on OKeefes life was made on June 16, 1954. This was a question which preyed heavily upon their minds. Within two months of his return, another member of the gang suffered a legal setback. An official website of the United States government. Shakur's conviction includes planning the $1.6 million Brinks robbery in Rockland on Oct. 20, 1981. Brinks Neither Pino nor McGinnis was known to be the type of hoodlum who would undertake so potentially dangerous a crime without the best strong-arm support available. Three years later, almost to the day, these ten men, together with another criminal, were to be indicted by a state grand jury in Boston for the Brinks robbery. Shortly thereafterduring the first week of Novembera 1949 green Ford stake-body truck was reported missing by a car dealer in Boston. 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. 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 material to the company safe on the second floor. For other similarly-named robberies in 1981, 1983 and 2008, see, "Historical Photos: Boston's Great Brinks Robbery", "A quarter-century laterBrink's robber admits guilt to Globe", "O'Keefe Says Brink's Holdup Gang Vowed To Kill Any Member Who Periled Others", "Specs O'Keefe, Informant In Brink's Robbery, Dies", "Tony Pino, 67, Participated In '50 Boston Brinks Holdup", "Adolph (Jazz) Maffie; Last Survivor of Brink's Gang", "Six Arrests Break $1,218,211 Brink's Robbery", "Brink Robbery History Recalled After Decade", "$1,500,000 HOLDUP: 7 Masked Men Rob Brink's, Boston; Leave Another Million", "The False-Face Bandits: Greed Wrecked the Brink's Case Gang", "Gang of Nine Robs Brink's at Boston; $150,000 Reward Out", Historical Photos: Boston's Great Brinks Robbery. WebMore than 6,000 gold bars were stolen in the robbery from a warehouse on the outskirts of Heathrow on 26 November, 1983. In June 1950, OKeefe and Gusciora were arrested in Pennsylvania for a burglary. The money inside the cooler which was concealed in the wall of the Tremont Street office was wrapped in plastic and newspaper. Brinks Robbery FBI - Federal Bureau of Investigation The Great Brink's Robbery, and the 70-year-old question: What happened to the money? Two of the participants in the Brinks robbery lived in the Stoughton area. They spent about twenty minutes inside the vault, putting money into large canvas bags. He had been short changed $2,000. WebThe Brinks Robbery The idea for the heist came from Joseph Big Joe McGinniss, but career criminal Anthony Fats Pino. During his brief stay in Boston, he was observed to contact other members of the robbery gang. Pino previously had arranged for this man to keep his shop open beyond the normal closing time on nights when Pino requested him to do so. From this lookout post, Costa was in a position to determine better than the men below whether conditions inside the building were favorable to the robbers. WebGordon John Parry, Brian Perry, Patrick Clark, Jean Savage and Anthony Black were all given between five and 10 years in prison for their part in the crime. He received a one-year sentence for this offense; however, on January 30, 1950, the sentence was revoked and the case was placed on file.. This chauffeurs cap was left at the scene of the crime of the centurythe 1950 robbery of a Brink's bank branch in Massachusetts. WebJudith Clark was paroled in 2019 after then Gov. Burke traveled to Boston and shot O'Keefe, seriously wounding him but failed to kill him. Soon after OKeefes return in March 1954, Baker and his wife left Boston on a vacation.. Boston Strangler starring Keira Knightley as Milton reporter hits Hulu Burke, a professional killer, allegedly had been hired by underworld associates of OKeefe to assassinate him. Inside the building, the gang members carefully studied all available information concerning Brinks schedules and shipments. In examining the bill, a Federal Reserve note, the officer observed that it was in musty condition. Subsequently, he engaged in a conversation with McGinnis and a Boston police officer. 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. 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. Many tips were received from anonymous persons. 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. The recovery of part of the loot was a severe blow to the gang members who still awaited trial in Boston. Police heard through their informers that O'Keefe and Gusciora demanded money from Pino and MacGinnis in Boston to fight their convictions. Even fearing the new bills might be linked with the crime, McGinnis suggested a process for aging the new money in a hurry.. Since Brinks was located in a heavily populated tenement section, many hours were consumed in interviews to locate persons in the neighborhood who might possess information of possible value. John Palmer: How Brinks-Mat millions came to Bedminster The families of OKeefe and Gusciora resided in the vicinity of Stoughton, Massachusetts.
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