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 When the employees were securely bound and gagged, the robbers began looting the premises. Approximately one and one-half hours later, Banfield returned with McGinnis. This was a question which preyed heavily upon their minds. After surrendering himself in December 1953 in compliance with an Immigration and Naturalization Service order, he began an additional battle to win release from custody while his case was being argued. Police who arrived to investigate found a large amount of blood, a mans shattered wrist watch, and a .45 caliber pistol at the scene. He claimed there was a large roll of bills in his hotel roomand that he had found that money, too. Well-meaning persons throughout the country began sending the FBI tips and theories which they hoped would assist in the investigation. The thieves quickly bound the employees and began hauling away the loot. After a period of hostility, he began to display a friendly attitude. This man subsequently identified locks from doors which the Brinks gang had entered as being similar to the locks which Pino had brought him. 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. 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. As of 2004, it was This underworld character told the officers that he had found this money. Race tracks and gambling establishments also were covered in the hope of finding some of the loot in circulation. Again, the FBIs investigation resulted merely in the elimination of more possible suspects. A t the time, the Brinks-Mat vault was thought to be one of the most secure facilities in the world. John had a smelter in his garden hut near Bath. 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to unsatisfactory conduct, drunkenness, refusal to seek employment, and association with known criminals, his parole was revoked, and he was returned to the Massachusetts State Prison. This incident also took place in Dorchester and involved the firing of more than 30 shots. Prior to his murder, 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. 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. Of the hundreds of New England hoodlums contacted by FBI agents in the weeks immediately following the robbery, few were willing to be interviewed. 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. A thorough investigation was made concerning his whereabouts on the evening of January 17, 1950. Then the lock cylinders were replaced. On August 29, 1954, the officers suspicions were aroused by an automobile that circled the general vicinity of the abandoned car on five occasions. 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. 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. Even in their jail cells, however, they showed no respect for law enforcement. This chauffeurs cap was left at the scene of the crime of the centurythe 1950 robbery of a Brink's bank branch in Massachusetts. A trial began on August 6, 1956. Examination revealed the cause of his death to be a brain tumor and acute cerebral edema. During the trip from Roxbury, Pino distributed Navy-type peacoats and chauffeurs caps to the other seven men in the rear of the truck. The new proceedings were based upon the fact that Pino had been arrested in December 1948 for a larceny involving less than $100. Any doubts that the Brinks gang had that the FBI was on the right track in its investigation were allayed when the federal grand jury began hearings in Boston on November 25, 1952, concerning this crime. WebTwo of the prime suspects whose nerve and gun-handling experience suited them for the Brinks robbery were Joseph James OKeefe and Stanley Albert Gusciora. 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. The FBI approached O'Keefe in the hospital and on January 6, 1956, he decided to talk. FBI agents tried to talk to O'Keefe and Gusciora in prison but the two professed ignorance of the Brink's robbery. The month preceding January 17, 1950, witnessed approximately a half-dozen approaches to Brinks. As long as he was in prison, he could do no physical harm to his Boston criminal associates. A Secret Service agent, who had been summoned by the Baltimore officers, arrived while the criminal was being questioned at the police headquarters, and after examining the money found in the bill changers possession, he certified that it was not counterfeit. 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. A systematic check of current and past Brinks employees was undertaken; personnel of the three-story building housing the Brinks offices were questioned; inquiries were made concerning salesmen, messengers, and others who had called at Brinks and might know its physical layout as well as its operational procedures. During their forays inside the building, members of the gang took the lock cylinders from five doors, including the one opening onto Prince Street. O'Keefe pleaded guilty January 18. A third attempt on OKeefes life was made on June 16, 1954. His case had gone to the highest court in the land. During 1955, OKeefe carefully pondered his position. Shakur's conviction includes planning the $1.6 million Brinks robbery in Rockland on Oct. 20, 1981. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. More than 100 persons took the stand as witnesses for the prosecution and the defense during September 1956. Adolph Maffie was convicted and sentenced to nine months for income tax evasion. That same afternoon (following the admission that Fat John had produced the money and had described it as proceeds from the Brinks robbery), a search warrant was executed in Boston covering the Tremont Street offices occupied by the three men. Serious consideration originally had been given to robbing Brinks in 1947, when Brinks was located on Federal Street in Boston. An immediate effort also was made to obtain descriptive data concerning the missing cash and securities. 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. 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. The criminal explained that he was in the contracting business in Boston and that in late March or early April 1956, he stumbled upon a plastic bag containing this money while he was working on the foundation of a house. Due to his criminal record, the Immigration and Naturalization Service instituted proceedings in 1941 to deport him. 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. Inside the building, the gang members carefully studied all available information concerning Brinks schedules and shipments. One of his former girl friends who recalled having seen him on the night of the robbery stated that he definitely was not drunk. WebThe robbery occurred around 9:35 a.m. as the Brinks truck was parked in front of Pete's Fresh Market in the 1900-block of Sibley Blvd., Calumet City spokesperson Sean Howard First, there was the money. 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. [14] Over a period of several months, the robbers removed each lock from the building and had a key made for it, before returning the lock. As a protective measure, he was incarcerated in the Hampden County jail at Springfield, Massachusetts, rather than the Suffolk County jail in Boston. Brian The Colonel Robinson, 78, was cheated out of his share of the record haul. At the outset, very few facts were available to the investigators. 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. (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.). In the deportation fight that lasted more than two years, Pino won the final victory. The fiber bags used to conceal the pieces were identified as having been used as containers for beef bones shipped from South America to a gelatin manufacturing company in Massachusetts. The FBI further learned that four revolvers had been taken by the gang. 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. In the end, the perfect crime had a perfect endingfor everyone but the robbers. Soon the underworld rang with startling news concerning this pair. Reports had been received alleging that he had held up several gamblers in the Boston area and had been involved in shakedowns of bookies. 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. Burlap money bags recovered in a Boston junk yard from the robbery, Some of the recovered money from the robbery. All were paroled by 1971 except McGinnis, who died in prison. [19] Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, J. Edgar Hoover, took over supervision of the investigation.[20]. Another week passedand approximately 500 more citizens were consideredbefore the 14-member jury was assembled. 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. It was given to him in a suitcase that was transferred to his car from an automobile occupied by McGinnis and Banfield. The missing racketeers automobile was found near his home; however, his whereabouts remain a mystery. 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. 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. By Beth Rose. Within minutes, theyd stolen more than $1.2 million in cash and another $1.5 million in checks and other securities, making it the largest robbery in the U.S. at the time. Shortly after 6.40am, six armed robbers in balaclavas entered a warehouse at Heathrow airport belonging to security company Brinks-Mat. Both are real characters. 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. Geagan claimed that he spent the evening at home and did not learn of the Brinks robbery until the following day. When this case was continued until April 1, 1954, OKeefe was released on $1,500 bond. There were the rope and adhesive tape used to bind and gag the employees and a chauffeurs cap that one of the robbers had left at the crime scene. After receiving the go ahead signal from Costa, the seven armed men walked to the Prince Street entrance of Brinks. After denying any knowledge of the escape of Trigger Burke, Pino was released. 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. On the night of January 18, 1950, OKeefe and Gusciora received $100,000 each from the robbery loot. Two hours later he was dead. This phase of the investigation greatly disturbed many gamblers. (Geagan and Richardson, known associates of other members of the gang, were among the early suspects. Pino would take the locks to the mans shop, and keys would be made for them. Subsequently, he engaged in a conversation with McGinnis and a Boston police officer. Apparently in need of money he kidnapped Vincent Costa and demanded his part of the loot for ransom. OKeefe was the principal witness to appear before the state grand jurors. At the centre of The Gold are the detective Brian Boyce, played by Hugh Bonneville, and Kenneth Noye, played by Jack Lowden. The last false approach took place on January 16, 1950the night before the robbery. WebA Byte Out of HistoryThe Great Brinks Robbery. The names of Pino, McGinnis, Adolph Jazz Maffie, and Henry Baker were frequently mentioned in these rumors, and it was said that they had been with OKeefe on the Big Job.. McGinness masterminded the crime. Banfield, the driver, was alone in the front. 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. Soon after OKeefes return in March 1954, Baker and his wife left Boston on a vacation.. The police officer said he had been talking to McGinnis first, and Pino arrived later to join them. 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. A number of them discontinued their operations; others indicated a strong desire that the robbers be identified and apprehended. (McGinnis trial in March 1955 on the liquor charge resulted in a sentence to 30 days imprisonment and a fine of $1,000. Because the money in the cooler was in various stages of decomposition, an accurate count proved most difficult to make. All denied any knowledge of the alleged incident. On the afternoon of July 9, he was visited by a clergyman. During the period in which Pinos deportation troubles were mounting, OKeefe completed his sentence at Towanda, Pennsylvania. McGinnis had been arrested at the site of a still in New Hampshire in February 1954. (A detailed survey of the Boston waterfront previously had been made by the FBI.) By this time, Baker was suffering from a bad case of nerves. Each robbers face was completely concealed behind a Halloween-type mask. 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. 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. In the hours immediately following the robbery, the underworld began to feel the heat of the investigation. He had been short changed $2,000. Eight of the gang's members received maximum sentences of life imprisonment. The record of the state trial covered more than 5,300 pages. That prison term, together with Pinos conviction in March 1928 for carnal abuse of a girl, provided the basis for the deportation action. 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. Other members of the group came under suspicion but there was not enough evidence for an indictment, so law enforcement kept pressure on the suspects. Costa was associated with Pino in the operation of a motor terminal and a lottery in Boston. 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. All identifying marks placed on currency and securities by the customers were noted, and appropriate stops were placed at banking institutions across the nation. Thorough inquiries were made concerning the disposition of the bags after their receipt by the Massachusetts firm. Vincent Costa was the group's lookout, and signalled with a flashlight from a nearby rooftop when he saw the vault being opened. Jeweler and also a bullion dealer, John Palmer, was arrested. With the death of Gusciora, only eight members of the Brinks gang remained to be tried. 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. Both of these strong-arm suspects had been questioned by Boston authorities following the robbery. Three and one-half hours later, the verdict had been reached. 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. Two other Baltimore police officers who were walking along the street nearby noted this maneuver. As this bag was being emptied later that evening, the glasses were discovered and destroyed by the gang. The Boston underworld rumbled with reports that an automobile had pulled alongside OKeefes car in Dorchester, Massachusetts, during the early morning hours of June 5. On June 12, 1950, they were arrested at Towanda, Pennsylvania, and guns and clothing that were the loot from burglaries at Kane and Coudersport, Pennsylvania, were found in their possession. A detailed search for additional weapons was made at the Mystic River. Evidently resigned to long years in prison or a short life on the outside, OKeefe grew increasingly bitter toward his old associates. 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. 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. During his brief stay in Boston, he was observed to contact other members of the robbery gang. 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. 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. Neither had too convincing an alibi. [18] The total amount stolen was $1,218,211 in cash and $1,557,183 in checks and other securities. OKeefes reputation for nerve was legend. Adding to these problems was the constant pressure being exerted upon Pino by OKeefe from the county jail in Towanda, Pennsylvania. Extensive efforts were made to detect pencil markings and other notations on the currency that the criminals thought might be traceable to Brinks. 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. All were guilty. Early in June 1956, however, an unexpected break developed. 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. Accordingly, another lock cylinder was installed until the original one was returned. 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.
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