who was involved in the brinks robbery

The other keys in their possession enabled them to proceed to the second floor where they took the five Brinks employees by surprise. 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. The officer verified the meeting. One of his former girl friends who recalled having seen him on the night of the robbery stated that he definitely was not drunk. On August 1, 1954, he was arrested at Leicester, Massachusetts, and turned over to the Boston police who held him for violating probation on a gun-carrying charge. https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Great_Brink%27s_Robbery&oldid=1134169121, All Wikipedia articles written in American English, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 17 January 2023, at 09:19. 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. 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. THE brains behind the 26million Brinks-Mat bullion robbery has died penniless. And the gang felt that the chances of his talking were negligible because he would be implicated in the Brinks robbery along with the others. Sentenced to serve from five to seven years for this offense, he was released from prison in September 1941. This is good money, he said, but you cant pass it around here in Boston.. The amusement arcade operator told the officer that he had followed the man who passed this $10.00 bill to a nearby tavern. 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. All five employees had been forced at gunpoint to lie face down on the floor. This is not the first time that Cuomo has commuted a sentence for someone involved in the Brink's robbery. Some of the bills were in pieces. The last false approach took place on January 16, 1950the night before the robbery. In July 1956, another significant turn of events took place. Prominent among the other strong suspects was Vincent James Costa, brother-in-law of Pino. (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. Born in Italy in 1907, Pino was a young child when he entered the United States, but he never became a naturalized citizen. Shortly after 6.40am, six armed robbers in balaclavas entered a warehouse at Heathrow airport belonging to security company Brinks-Mat. Brinks Robbery FBI - Federal Bureau of Investigation 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. Veteran criminals throughout the United States found their activities during mid-January the subject of official inquiry. 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. WebHe was the police intelligence officer who identified Noye as a suspect in the notorious Brink's-Mat 26m gold bullion robbery and began the surveillance operation from an old The loot was quickly unloaded, and Banfield sped away to hide the truck. OKeefe wore crepe-soled shoes to muffle his footsteps; the others wore rubbers. Race tracks and gambling establishments also were covered in the hope of finding some of the loot in circulation. Costa was associated with Pino in the operation of a motor terminal and a lottery in Boston. Two days before Maffies release, another strong suspect died of natural causes. Great Brink's Robbery - Wikipedia The thieves quickly bound the employees and began hauling away the loot. 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. The only physical evidence left at the crime scene was a cap and the tape and rope used to bind up the employees. Thus, when he and Gusciora were taken into custody by state authorities during the latter part of January 1950, OKeefe got word to McGinnis to recover his car and the $200,000 that it contained. This man claimed to have no knowledge of Pinos involvement in the Brinks robbery.). On June 19, 1958, while out on appeal in connection with a five-year narcotics sentence, he was found shot to death in an automobile that had crashed into a truck in Boston.). They apprehended Faherty and Richardson on May 16 in Dorchester. 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. They spent about twenty minutes inside the vault, putting money into large canvas bags. Unfortunately, this proved to be an idle hope. He was granted a full pardon by the acting governor of Massachusetts. On June 2, 1950, OKeefe and Gusciora left Boston by automobile for the alleged purpose of visiting the grave of Guscioras brother in Missouri. Another old gang that had specialized in hijacking bootlegged whiskey in the Boston area during Prohibition became the subject of inquiries. Brinks Many of the details had previously been obtained during the intense six-year investigation. 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. In a series of interviews during the succeeding days, OKeefe related the full story of the Brinks robbery. Released to McKean County, Pennsylvania, authorities early in January 1954 to stand trial for burglary, larceny, and receiving stolen goods, OKeefe also was confronted with a detainer filed by Massachusetts authorities. In December 1954, he indicated to the agents that Pino could look for rough treatment if he (OKeefe) again was released. 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. Well-meaning persons throughout the country began sending the FBI tips and theories which they hoped would assist in the investigation. The detainer involved OKeefes violation of probation in connection with a conviction in 1945 for carrying concealed weapons. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. 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. What Happened To The Brinks Mat Robbery? Who Was Involved Within two months of his return, another member of the gang suffered a legal setback. It ultimately proved unproductive. He later was to be arrested as a member of the robbery gang. Within a week, six of the Brinks suspects Costa, Anthony Pino, Henry Baker, Michael Vincent Geagan, Adolph Jazz Maffie, and Joseph McGinnis were arrested by FBI agents. 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.. Captain Marvel mask used as a disguise in the robbery. Two of the gang members moved toward the door to capture him; but, seeing the garage attendant walk away apparently unaware that the robbery was being committed, they did not pursue him. The conviction for burglary in McKean County, Pennsylvania, still hung over his head, and legal fees remained to be paid. Binoculars were used in this phase of the casing operation. The record of the state trial covered more than 5,300 pages. After completing its hearings on January 9, 1953, the grand jury retired to weigh the evidence. Meet the man who cracked one of Britain's biggest heists Both men remained mute following their arrests. One of these officers quickly grabbed the criminals hand, and a large roll of money fell from it. [18] The total amount stolen was $1,218,211 in cash and $1,557,183 in checks and other securities. Brink's robbery Approximately one and one-half hours later, Banfield returned with McGinnis. More than 100 persons took the stand as witnesses for the prosecution and the defense during September 1956. On the afternoon of July 9, he was visited by a clergyman. Of the hundreds of New England hoodlums contacted by FBI agents in the weeks immediately following the robbery, few were willing to be interviewed. If local hoodlums were involved, it was difficult to believe that McGinnis could be as ignorant of the crime as he claimed. Fact or fiction? The truth behind TV crime dramas Brinks robbery-murders: Where the are key players now - The Two days after Christmas of 1955, FBI agents paid another visit to OKeefe. Former inmates of penal institutions reported conversations they had overheard while incarcerated which concerned the robbing of Brinks. Two hours later he was dead. All were paroled by 1971 except McGinnis, who died in prison. Brian Reader, 76, was jailed over the 26m Brink's-Mat armed robbery in 1983. [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. During November and December 1949, the approach to the Brinks building and the flight over the getaway route were practiced to perfection. Apparently in need of money he kidnapped Vincent Costa and demanded his part of the loot for ransom. An official website of the United States government. 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. 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. 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. When the pieces of the 1949 green Ford stake-body truck were found at the dump in Stoughton on March 4, 1950, additional emphasis was placed on the investigations concerning them. Shakur's conviction includes planning the $1.6 million Brinks robbery in Rockland on Oct. 20, 1981. In addition, although violent dissension had developed within the gang, there still was no indication that any of the men were ready to talk. Based on the available information, however, the FBI felt that OKeefes disgust was reaching the point where it was possible he would turn against his confederates. [14] By 7:37, one of the Brink's employees managed to free themselves and raise the alarm. Pino had been questioned as to his whereabouts on the evening of January 17, 1950, and he provided a good alibi. He had been short changed $2,000. She also covered the 1950s Brinks robbery and was a medical reporter for the Boston Herald. O'Keefe later claimed that he had never seen his portion of the loot after he had given it to Maffie for safekeeping. Two other Baltimore police officers who were walking along the street nearby noted this maneuver. First, there was the money. It appeared to him that he would spend his remaining days in prison while his co-conspirators would have many years to enjoy the luxuries of life. During the regular exercise period, Burke separated himself from the other prisoners and moved toward a heavy steel door leading to the solitary confinement section. Eight of the gang's members received maximum sentences of life imprisonment. Both are real characters. At the time of his arrest, there also was a charge of armed robbery outstanding against him in Massachusetts. Because the money in the cooler was in various stages of decomposition, an accurate count proved most difficult to make. None of these materialized because the gang did not consider the conditions to be favorable. 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. In September 1949, Pinos efforts to evade deportation met with success. An appeal was promptly noted, and he was released on $15,000 bond. At approximately 9:50 p.m., the details of this incident were furnished to the Baltimore Field Office of the FBI. 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. OKeefe was sentenced on August 5, 1954, to serve 27 months in prison. Livvy standing in the middle of two masked people involved in kidnap gangs. As of 2004, it was Each carried a pair of gloves. On January 10, 1953, following his appearance before the federal grand jury in connection with the Brinks case, Pino was taken into custody again as a deportable alien. At the outset, very few facts were available to the investigators. Police heard through their informers that O'Keefe and Gusciora demanded money from Pino and MacGinnis in Boston to fight their convictions. Why the $20M Pearson airport gold heist was likely an inside job 'Holy Heist' documentary to bring the Rochester Brink's heist to TV During the period in which Pinos deportation troubles were mounting, OKeefe completed his sentence at Towanda, Pennsylvania. Seven months later, however, he was again paroled. 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. OKeefe had no place to keep so large a sum of money. The month preceding January 17, 1950, witnessed approximately a half-dozen approaches to Brinks. OKeefe was sentenced to three years in Bradford County Jail and Gusciora to 5-to-20 years in the Western State Penitentiary at Pittsburgh. Of the $4,822 found in the small-time criminals possession, FBI agents identified $4,635 as money taken by the Brinks robbers. Due to his criminal record, the Immigration and Naturalization Service instituted proceedings in 1941 to deport him. 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. The recovery of part of the loot was a severe blow to the gang members who still awaited trial in Boston. As the robbers sped from the scene, a Brinks employee telephoned the Boston Police Department. 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. Following the robbery, authorities attempted unsuccessfully to locate him at the hotel. Burlap money bags recovered in a Boston junk yard from the robbery, Some of the recovered money from the robbery. A few weeks later, OKeefe retrieved his share of the loot. Fat John and the business associate of the man arrested in Baltimore were located and interviewed on the morning of June 4, 1956. involved 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. In addition, McGinnis was named in two other complaints involving the receiving and concealing of the loot. Had any particles of evidence been found in the loot which might directly show that they had handled it? An acetylene torch had been used to cut up the truck, and it appeared that a sledge hammer also had been used to smash many of the heavy parts, such as the motor. The pardon meant that his record no longer contained the second conviction; thus, the Immigration and Naturalization Service no longer had grounds to deport him. As the truck sped away with nine members of the gangand Costa departed in the stolen Ford sedanthe Brinks employees worked themselves free and reported the crime. While action to appeal the convictions was being taken on their behalf, the eight men were removed to the State prison at Walpole, Massachusetts. WebThe series stars Hugh Bonneville as Brian Boyce, the detective chief inspector on the case, and the cast also includes Jack Lowden, Adam Nagaitis, Tom Cullen and Dominic Investigation revealed that Geagan, a laborer, had not gone to work on January 17 or 18, 1950.). 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. (Following pleas of guilty in November 1956, Fat John received a two-year sentence, and the other two men were sentenced to serve one years imprisonment. The truck pieces were concealed in fiber bags when found. Thirteen people were detained in the hours following the robbery, including two former employees of Brink's. Before removing the remainder of the loot from the house on January 18, 1950, the gang members attempted to identify incriminating items. The Gold - Meet the cast of the drama inspired by the true story In the deportation fight that lasted more than two years, Pino won the final victory. During the preceding year, however, he had filed a petition for pardon in the hope of removing one of the criminal convictions from his record. Underworld figures in Boston have generally speculated that the racketeer was killed because of his association with OKeefe. Until the FBI and its partners painstakingly solved the case. Brinks O'Keefe pleaded guilty January 18. 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. The truck that the robbers had used was found cut to pieces in Stoughton, Massachusetts, near O'Keefe's home. According to the criminal who was arrested in Baltimore, Fat John subsequently told him that the money was part of the Brinks loot and offered him $5,000 if he would pass $30,000 of the bills. John Palmer: How Brinks-Mat millions came to Bedminster The FBIs jurisdiction to investigate this robbery was based upon the fact that cash, checks, postal notes, and United States money orders of the Federal Reserve Bank and the Veterans Administration district office in Boston were included in the loot. WebWho Was Involved In The Brinks Robbery? The person ringing the buzzer was a garage attendant. While Maffie claimed that part of the money had been stolen from its hiding place and that the remainder had been spent in financing OKeefes legal defense in Pennsylvania, other gang members accused Maffie of blowing the money OKeefe had entrusted to his care. The Brinks Mat robbery gang now: What happened to Kenneth

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