I think a fellow just passed a counterfeit $10.00 bill on me, he told the officer. Their plan was to enter the Brinks building and take a truck containing payrolls. The eight men were sentenced by Judge Forte on October 9, 1956. The other gun was picked up by the officer and identified as having been taken during the Brinks robbery. During his brief stay in Boston, he was observed to contact other members of the robbery gang. 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. 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. On October 20, 1981, a Brinks Company armored car was robbed of $1,589,000 in cash that it was preparing to transfer from the Nanuet National Bank in Clarkstown, N.Y. One of the guards of the. At 10:25 p.m. on October 5, 1956, the jury retired to weigh the evidence. The casing operation was so thorough that the criminals could determine the type of activity taking place in the Brinks offices by observing the lights inside the building, and they knew the number of personnel on duty at various hours of the day. Despite the lack of evidence and witnesses upon which court proceedings could be based, as the investigation progressed there was little doubt that OKeefe had been one of the central figures in the Brinks robbery. Sentenced to serve from five to seven years for this offense, he was released from prison in September 1941. An attempted armored truck heist in South Africa was caught on camera recently; it illustrates the dangers of the job. (A detailed survey of the Boston waterfront previously had been made by the FBI.) Unfortunately, this proved to be an idle hope. An immediate effort also was made to obtain descriptive data concerning the missing cash and securities. Again, the FBIs investigation resulted merely in the elimination of more possible suspects. The person ringing the buzzer was a garage attendant. Occasionally, an offender who was facing a prison term would boast that he had hot information. 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. Again, he was determined to fight, using the argument that his conviction for the 1948 larceny offense was not a basis for deportation. Special agents subsequently interviewed Costa and his wife, Pino and his wife, the racketeer, and OKeefe. 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. What Happened To The Brinks Mat Robbery? The Great Brinks Robbery was the biggest armed robbery in U.S. history at the time. A new BBC crime drama series follows the gripping twists and turns of what was dubbed the "crime of the century" in the 1980s. This man claimed to have no knowledge of Pinos involvement in the Brinks robbery.). The mass of information gathered during the early weeks of the investigation was continuously sifted. It was billed as the perfect crime and the the crime of the century.. CHICAGO (CBS) - A woman has been charged after more than $100,000 was stolen from Brinks truck outside Edgewater bank on Monday afternoon. (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. Each carried a pair of gloves. The police officer said he had been talking to McGinnis first, and Pino arrived later to join them. T he robbers were there because they knew there was 3 million in cash locked in the . From masked gunmen and drugs to kidnappings and bags of cash, the $7.4 million robbery had it all. There were recurring rumors that this hoodlum, Joseph Sylvester Banfield (pictured), had been right down there on the night of the crime. 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. 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. He ran a gold and jewellery dealing company, Scadlynn Ltd, in Bristol with business partners Garth Victor Chappell and Terence Edward James Patch. Inside the building, the gang members carefully studied all available information concerning Brinks schedules and shipments. As the truck drove past the Brinks offices, the robbers noted that the lights were out on the Prince Street side of the building. Some of the bills were in pieces. Several hundred dollars were found hidden in the house but could not be identified as part of the loot. Despite the arrests and indictments in January 1956, more than $2,775,000, including $1,218,211.29 in cash, was still missing. Immediately upon leaving, the gang loaded the loot into the truck that was parked on Prince Street near the door. He claimed he had been drinking in various taverns from approximately 5:10 p.m. until 7:45 p.m. During 1955, OKeefe carefully pondered his position. The planning and practice had a military intensity to them; the attention to detail including the close approximation of the uniform of the Brinks guards was near . The group had expected to find foreign currency at the security depot but instead happened upon 26 million worth of goods. Like Gusciora, OKeefe was known to have associated with Pino prior to the Brinks robbery. A 32-year-old Cuban immigrant living in Miami, Karls Monzon was . The money inside the cooler which was concealed in the wall of the Tremont Street office was wrapped in plastic and newspaper. Like the others, Banfield had been questioned concerning his activities on the night of January 17, 1950. 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. Former inmates of penal institutions reported conversations they had overheard while incarcerated which concerned the robbing of Brinks. Democrat and Chronicle. He was found brutally murdered in his car in 1987. You get me released, and Ill solve the case in no time, these criminals would claim. What happened to the other half of the Brink's-Mat gold? He claimed there was a large roll of bills in his hotel roomand that he had found that money, too. While on bond he returned to Boston; on January 23, 1954, he appeared in the Boston Municipal Court on the probation violation charge. On November 26, 1981, six armed men from South London broke into the Brink's-Mat warehouse near London Heathrow. Almost. 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. There are still suspicions among some readers that the late Tom O'Connor, a retired cop who worked Brinks security during the robbery, was a key player, despite his acquittal on robbery charges at . Early in June 1956, however, an unexpected break developed. The full details of this important development were immediately furnished to the FBI Office in Boston. 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. On November 26 1983, six armed robbers entered the Brink's-Mat security warehouse at the Heathrow International Trading Estate. 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. 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. 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. 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. On June 2, 1950, OKeefe and Gusciora left Boston by automobile for the alleged purpose of visiting the grave of Guscioras brother in Missouri. Subsequently, OKeefe left his carand the $200,000in a garage on Blue Hill Avenue in Boston. The alibi was strong, but not conclusive. 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. None proved fruitful. Perhaps most remarkable, its mastermind didn't even have a criminal record when he planned it out. 00:29. By fixing this time as close as possible to the minute at which the robbery was to begin, the robbers would have alibis to cover their activities up to the final moment. During the trip from Roxbury, Pino distributed Navy-type peacoats and chauffeurs caps to the other seven men in the rear of the truck. 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 hoodlum was taken to police headquarters where a search of his person disclosed he was carrying more than $1,000, including $860 in musty, worn bills. Even with the recovery of this money in Baltimore and Boston, more than $1,150,000 of currency taken in the Brinks robbery remained unaccounted for. The month preceding January 17, 1950, witnessed approximately a half-dozen approaches to Brinks. A third attempt on OKeefes life was made on June 16, 1954. The other gang members would not talk. On October 11, 1950, Gusciora was sentenced to serve from five to 20 years in the Western Pennsylvania Penitentiary at Pittsburgh. This occurred while he was in the state prison at Charlestown, Massachusetts, serving sentences for breaking and entering with intent to commit a felony and for having burglar tools in his possession. It unleashed a trail of eight murders and a global hunt for. Perkins was handed a 22-year jail sentence for that one, but absconded from open prison in 1995 and managed to . The hideout also was found to contain more than $5,000 in coins. The results were negative. The Brinks vehicle, followed closely by guards traveling in an automobile, turned onto a stone-paved lane called Old Bethel Road. The conviction for burglary in McKean County, Pennsylvania, still hung over his head, and legal fees remained to be paid. He was paroled in the fall of 1944 and remained on parole through March 1954 when misfortune befell him. Extensive efforts were made to detect pencil markings and other notations on the currency that the criminals thought might be traceable to Brinks. 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. The robbers carefully planned routine inside Brinks was interrupted only when the attendant in the adjoining Brinks garage sounded the buzzer. Ten of the persons who appeared before this grand jury breathed much more easily when they learned that no indictments had been returned. Since he claimed to have met no one and to have stopped nowhere during his walk, he actually could have been doing anything on the night of the crime. Neither had too convincing an alibi. 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. On January 13, 1956, the Suffolk County grand jury returned indictments against the 11 members of the Brinks gang. Well-known Boston hoodlums were picked up and questioned by police. The BBC has greenlit a documentary telling the real story of the 26M ($31.2M) Brink's-Mat robbery spotlighted in Neil Forsyth drama The Gold. 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. 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. 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. At 6:30am, six armed robbers from a south London gang entered the premises of the Brink's-Mat warehouse at Heathrow. The crime inspired at least four movies and two books, including The Story of the Great Brink's Robbery, as Told by the FBI. Two of the participants in the Brinks robbery lived in the Stoughton area. Three years later, Great Train Robber. Subsequently, he engaged in a conversation with McGinnis and a Boston police officer. How much money was stolen in the Brinks robbery? 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. OKeefes reputation for nerve was legend. During this visit, Gusciora got up from his bed, and, in full view of the clergyman, slipped to the floor, striking his head. This incident also took place in Dorchester and involved the firing of more than 30 shots. 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. In the deportation fight that lasted more than two years, Pino won the final victory. Local officers searched their homes, but no evidence linking them with the truck or the robbery was found. 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 . A lock () or https:// means you've safely connected to the .gov website. Costa was associated with Pino in the operation of a motor terminal and a lottery in Boston. After continuing up the street to the end of the playground which adjoined the Brinks building, the truck stopped. The truck found at the dump had been reported stolen by a Ford dealer near Fenway Park in Boston on November 3, 1949. On the afternoon of August 28, 1954, Trigger Burke escaped from the Suffolk County jail in Boston, where he was being held on the gun-possession charge arising from the June 16 shooting of OKeefe. Binoculars were used in this phase of the casing operation. The. 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. He was certain he would be considered a strong suspect and wanted to begin establishing an alibi immediately.) 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. Banfield had been a close associate of McGinnis for many years. He told the interviewing agents that he trusted Maffie so implicitly that he gave the money to him for safe keeping. Before the robbery was committed, the participants had agreed that if anyone muffed, he would be taken care of. OKeefe felt that most of the gang members had muffed. Talking to the FBI was his way of taking care of them all. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. The robbers did little talking. Even fearing the new bills might be linked with the crime, McGinnis suggested a process for aging the new money in a hurry.. They had brought no tools with them, however, and they were unsuccessful. 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. Evidently resigned to long years in prison or a short life on the outside, OKeefe grew increasingly bitter toward his old associates. While action to appeal the convictions was being taken on their behalf, the eight men were removed to the State prison at Walpole, Massachusetts. Photo courtesy Boston Public Library, Leslie Jones Collection. Police who arrived to investigate found a large amount of blood, a mans shattered wrist watch, and a .45 caliber pistol at the scene. This cooler contained more than $57,700, including $51,906 which was identifiable as part of the Brinks loot. Following the federal grand jury hearings, the FBIs intense investigation continued. The missing racketeers automobile was found near his home; however, his whereabouts remain a mystery. In addition, McGinnis received other sentences of two years, two and one-half to three years, and eight to ten years. Soon after OKeefes return in March 1954, Baker and his wife left Boston on a vacation.. He was not with the gang when the robbery took place. The removal of the lock cylinder from the outside door involved the greatest risk of detection. On January 11, 1956, the United States Attorney at Boston authorized special agents of the FBI to file complaints charging the 11 criminals with (1) conspiracy to commit theft of government property, robbery of government property, and bank robbery by force and violence and by intimidation, (2) committing bank robbery on January 17, 1950, and committing an assault on Brinks employees during the taking of the money, and (3) conspiracy to receive and conceal money in violation of the Bank Robbery and Theft of Government Property Statutes. The loot was quickly unloaded, and Banfield sped away to hide the truck. As a guard moved to intercept him, Burke started to run. Fat John announced that each of the packages contained $5,000. The gang members who remained at the house of Maffies parents soon dispersed to establish alibis for themselves. (On January 18, 1956, OKeefe had pleaded guilty to the armed robbery of Brinks.) He advised that he and his associate shared office space with an individual known to him only as Fat John. According to the Boston hoodlum, on the night of June 1, 1956, Fat John asked him to rip a panel from a section of the wall in the office, and when the panel was removed, Fat John reached into the opening and removed the cover from a metal container. Even after these convictions, OKeefe and Gusciora continued to seek their release. When this case was continued until April 1, 1954, OKeefe was released on $1,500 bond. Many tips were received from anonymous persons. At approximately 7:30 p.m. on June 3, 1956, an officer of the Baltimore, Maryland, Police Department was approached by the operator of an amusement arcade. As the robbers sped from the scene, a Brinks employee telephoned the Boston Police Department. After being wounded on June 16, OKeefe disappeared. The Great Brinks Robbery of 1950 met all of these requirementsa great pile of cash disappeared with no evidence, leads, or suspects. When OKeefe admitted his part in the Brinks robbery to FBI agents in January 1956, he told of his high regard for Gusciora. OKeefe was enraged that the pieces of the stolen Ford truck had been placed on the dump near his home, and he generally regretted having become associated at all with several members of the gang. This man, subsequently identified as a small-time Boston underworld figure, was located and questioned. 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. A few months prior to the robbery, OKeefe and Gusciora surreptitiously entered the premises of a protective alarm company in Boston and obtained a copy of the protective plans for the Brinks building. Inside this container were packages of bills that had been wrapped in plastic and newspapers. 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 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. From Boston, the pressure quickly spread to other cities. Two died before they were tried. 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. Other members of the robbery gang also were having their troubles. 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. (The arrests of Faherty and Richardson also resulted in the indictment of another Boston hoodlum as an accessory after the fact). More than 100 persons took the stand as witnesses for the prosecution and the defense during September 1956. Apparently, they had planned a leisurely trip with an abundance of extracurricular activities.. On November 26, 1983, six armed robbers broke into the Brink-Mat security depot near Heathrow Airport in hopes of stealing 3.2 million in cash. They put the entire $200,000 in the trunk of OKeefes automobile. McGinnis had been arrested at the site of a still in New Hampshire in February 1954. In July 1956, another significant turn of events took place. 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.. Three and one-half hours later, the verdict had been reached. All right, he told two FBI agents, what do you want to know?. His case had gone to the highest court in the land. He had been released on parole from the Norfolk, Massachusetts, Prison Colony on August 22, 1949only five months before the robbery. (Geagan and Richardson, known associates of other members of the gang, were among the early suspects.