who was involved in the brinks robbery

Many of the details had previously been obtained during the intense six-year investigation. A search of the hoodlums room in a Baltimore hotel (registered to him under an assumed name) resulted in the location of $3,780 that the officers took to police headquarters. 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. By Beth Rose. Shortly after 6.40am, six armed robbers in balaclavas entered a warehouse at Heathrow airport belonging to security company Brinks-Mat. During the trip from Roxbury, Pino distributed Navy-type peacoats and chauffeurs caps to the other seven men in the rear of the truck. Because the money in the cooler was in various stages of decomposition, an accurate count proved most difficult to make. The I think a fellow just passed a counterfeit $10.00 bill on me, he told the officer. Brinks customers were contacted for information regarding the packaging and shipping materials they used. Shortly before 7:30 p.m., they were surprised by five menheavily disguised, quiet as mice, wearing gloves to avoid leaving fingerprints and soft shoes to muffle noise. After continuing up the street to the end of the playground which adjoined the Brinks building, the truck stopped. (On January 18, 1956, OKeefe had pleaded guilty to the armed robbery of Brinks.) Pino, Costa, Maffie, Geagan, Faherty, Richardson, and Baker received life sentences for robbery, two-year sentences for conspiracy to steal, and sentences of eight years to ten years for breaking and entering at night. During this visit, Gusciora got up from his bed, and, in full view of the clergyman, slipped to the floor, striking his head. She also covered the 1950s Brinks robbery and was a medical reporter for the Boston Herald. Inside this container were packages of bills that had been wrapped in plastic and newspapers. Several hundred dollars were found hidden in the house but could not be identified as part of the loot. On June 17, 1954, the Boston police arrested Elmer Trigger Burke and charged him with possession of a machine gun. They were checked against serial numbers of bills known to have been included in the Brinks loot, and it was determined that the Boston criminal possessed part of the money that had been dragged away by the seven masked gunmen on January 17, 1950. Both had served prison sentences, and both were well known to underworld figures on the East Coast. 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. Andrew Cuomo commuted her 75-year-to-life sentence to time served and made her eligible for parole for the three slayings in the All were denied, and the impaneling of the jury was begun on August 7. The gang at that time included all of the participants in the January 17, 1950, robbery except Henry Baker. Pino could have been at McGinnis liquor store shortly after 7:30 p.m. on January 17, 1950, and still have participated in the robbery. 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. 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. The alibi was strong, but not conclusive. OKeefe was wounded in the wrist and chest, but again he managed to escape with his life. Nonetheless, the finding of the truck parts at Stoughton, Massachusetts, was to prove a valuable break in the investigation. 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. With the death of Gusciora, only eight members of the Brinks gang remained to be tried. 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. Extensive efforts were made to detect pencil markings and other notations on the currency that the criminals thought might be traceable to Brinks. At 10:25 p.m. on October 5, 1956, the jury retired to weigh the evidence. As a protective measure, he was incarcerated in the Hampden County jail at Springfield, Massachusetts, rather than the Suffolk County jail in Boston. 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. In addition, McGinnis was named in two other complaints involving the receiving and concealing of the loot. He claimed he had been drinking in various taverns from approximately 5:10 p.m. until 7:45 p.m. 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. OKeefe and Gusciora reportedly had worked together on a number of occasions. The FBI approached O'Keefe in the hospital and on January 6, 1956, he decided to talk. His case had gone to the highest court in the land. 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. Two days after Christmas of 1955, FBI agents paid another visit to OKeefe. Pino was determined to fight against deportation. They were held in lieu of bail which, for each man, amounted to more then $100,000. Thirteen people were detained in the hours following the robbery, including two former employees of Brink's. 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. 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. The eight men were sentenced by Judge Forte on October 9, 1956. In June 1950, OKeefe and Gusciora were arrested in Pennsylvania for a burglary. OKeefe was bitter about a number of matters. John had a smelter in his garden hut near Bath. Adding to these problems was the constant pressure being exerted upon Pino by OKeefe from the county jail in Towanda, Pennsylvania. He subsequently was convicted and executed.). All five employees had been forced at gunpoint to lie face down on the floor. In examining the bill, a Federal Reserve note, the officer observed that it was in musty condition. A thorough investigation was made concerning his whereabouts on the evening of January 17, 1950. 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. 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. Pino was known in the underworld as an excellent case man, and it was said that the casing of the Brinks offices bore his trademark.. 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. Examination revealed the cause of his death to be a brain tumor and acute cerebral edema. Again, he was determined to fight, using the argument that his conviction for the 1948 larceny offense was not a basis for deportation. Fat John announced that each of the packages contained $5,000. Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. McGinness masterminded the crime. WebNext 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 Special agents subsequently interviewed Costa and his wife, Pino and his wife, the racketeer, and OKeefe. Apparently in need of money he kidnapped Vincent Costa and demanded his part of the loot for ransom. Shortly thereafterduring the first week of Novembera 1949 green Ford stake-body truck was reported missing by a car dealer in Boston. 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. 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 Underworld sources described him as fully capable of planning and executing the Brinks robbery. 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. 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. They had brought no tools with them, however, and they were unsuccessful. Underworld figures in Boston have generally speculated that the racketeer was killed because of his association with OKeefe. You get me released, and Ill solve the case in no time, these criminals would claim. The loot was quickly unloaded, and Banfield sped away to hide the truck. FBI.gov is an official site of the U.S. Department of Justice. In a series of interviews during the succeeding days, OKeefe related the full story of the Brinks robbery. A federal search warrant was obtained, and the home was searched by agents on April 27, 1950. Robinson died in a London The only physical evidence left at the crime scene was a cap and the tape and rope used to bind up the employees. 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. None of these materialized because the gang did not consider the conditions to be favorable. O'Keefe later claimed that he had never seen his portion of the loot after he had given it to Maffie for safekeeping. 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. Apparently suspicious, OKeefe crouched low in the front seat of his car as the would-be assassins fired bullets that pierced the windshield. Speaking on film for the first time since the robbery almost 40 years ago, Detective Chief Superintendent Brian Boyce, head of the investigation and DC Tony Yeoman, disclose the challenges they faced and the strategy they used in A detailed search for additional weapons was made at the Mystic River. Adolph Maffie was convicted and sentenced to nine months for income tax evasion. All identifying marks placed on currency and securities by the customers were noted, and appropriate stops were placed at banking institutions across the nation. In the late summer of 1944, he was released from the state prison and was taken into custody by Immigration authorities. 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. Neither had too convincing an alibi. Faherty had been questioned on the night of the robbery. The amusement arcade operator told the officer that he had followed the man who passed this $10.00 bill to a nearby tavern. The removal of the lock cylinder from the outside door involved the greatest risk of detection. Subsequently, this machine gun was identified as having been used in the attempt on OKeefes life. Rumors from the underworld pointed suspicion at several criminal gangs. Many other types of information were received. 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. This phase of the investigation was pursued exhaustively. An immediate effort also was made to obtain descriptive data concerning the missing cash and securities. Much of the money taken from the money changer appeared to have been stored a long time. Pino, Richardson, and Costa each took $20,000, and this was noted on a score sheet. 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. This article is about the 1950 robbery. WebGordon John Parry, Brian Perry, Patrick Clark, and Jean Savage were all convicted at the Old Bailey. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. This man claimed to have no knowledge of Pinos involvement in the Brinks robbery.). By this time, Baker was suffering from a bad case of nerves. All right, he told two FBI agents, what do you want to know?. Well-meaning persons throughout the country began sending the FBI tips and theories which they hoped would assist in the investigation. Approximately one and one-half hours later, Banfield returned with McGinnis. Race tracks and gambling establishments also were covered in the hope of finding some of the loot in circulation. Members of the Purple Gang of the 1930s found that there was renewed interest in their activities. 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. Pino paid a small ransom but then decided to try to kill O'Keefe. Reports had been received alleging that he had held up several gamblers in the Boston area and had been involved in shakedowns of bookies. After these plans were reviewed and found to be unhelpful, OKeefe and Gusciora returned them in the same manner. Following their arrests, a former bondsman in Boston made frequent trips to Towanda in an unsuccessful effort to secure their release on bail. First, there was the money. Their hands were tied behind their backs and adhesive tape was placed over their mouths. WebRobbery Seven of the group went into the Brink's building: OKeefe, Gusciora, Baker, Maffie, Geagan, Faherty, and Richardson. 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. 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. Fat John and the business associate of the man arrested in Baltimore were located and interviewed on the morning of June 4, 1956. During the period in which Pinos deportation troubles were mounting, OKeefe completed his sentence at Towanda, Pennsylvania. It was billed as the perfect crime and the the crime of the century.. 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. Banfield, the driver, was alone in the front. Due to his criminal record, the Immigration and Naturalization Service instituted proceedings in 1941 to deport him. Jazz Maffie was convicted of federal income tax evasion and began serving a nine-month sentence in the Federal Penitentiary at Danbury, Connecticut, in June 1954. The defense immediately filed motions which would delay or prevent the trial. While the officer and amusement arcade operator were talking to him, the hoodlum reached into his pocket, quickly withdrew his hand again and covered his hand with a raincoat he was carrying. In the succeeding two weeks, nearly 1,200 prospective jurors were eliminated as the defense counsel used their 262 peremptory challenges. Information received from this individual linked nine well-known hoodlums with the crime. During their forays inside the building, members of the gang took the lock cylinders from five doors, including the one opening onto Prince Street. When this case was continued until April 1, 1954, OKeefe was released on $1,500 bond. 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. Vincent Costa was the group's lookout, and signalled with a flashlight from a nearby rooftop when he saw the vault being opened. WebJudith Clark was paroled in 2019 after then Gov. The robbers did little talking. The wall partition described by the Boston criminal was located in Fat Johns office, and when the partition was removed, a picnic-type cooler was found. As the truck drove past the Brinks offices, the robbers noted that the lights were out on the Prince Street side of the building. Each of these leads was checked out. 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. (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. There was Adolph Jazz Maffie, one of the hoodlums who allegedly was being pressured to contribute money for the legal battle of OKeefe and Gusciora against Pennsylvania authorities. To muffle their footsteps, one of the gang wore crepe-soled shoes, and the others wore rubbers. This chauffeurs cap was left at the scene of the crime of the centurythe 1950 robbery of a Brink's bank branch in Massachusetts. WebInvestigators didnt know if this money was related to the Brinks-Mat robbery, but Diamond led officers to investigate the British Virgin Islands, and one accountant in particular. 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. Like Gusciora, OKeefe was known to have associated with Pino prior to the Brinks robbery. Nothing suggests it was a stick-em-up robbery or strong-arm heist. More than 100 persons took the stand as witnesses for the prosecution and the defense during September 1956. It was at the time the largest robbery in the history of the United States, and has been called "the crime of the century". As a government witness, he reluctantly would have testified against him. On June 5 and June 7, the Suffolk County grand jury returned indictments against the three mencharging them with several state offenses involving their possessing money obtained in the Brinks robbery. 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. 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. A passerby might notice that it was missing. OKeefe had left his hotel at approximately 7:00 p.m. Pino and Baker separately decided to go out at 7:00 p.m. Costa started back to the motor terminal at about 7:00 p.m. Other principal suspects were not able to provide very convincing accounts of their activities that evening. 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. The thieves quickly bound the employees and began hauling away the loot. [16] At 7:10 pm, they entered the building and tied up the five employees working in the vault area. On August 30, he was taken into custody as a suspicious person. He was certain he would be considered a strong suspect and wanted to begin establishing an alibi immediately.) 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. Investigation revealed that Geagan, a laborer, had not gone to work on January 17 or 18, 1950.). During 1955, OKeefe carefully pondered his position. Many problems and dangers were involved in such a robbery, and the plans never crystallized. The truck found at the dump had been reported stolen by a Ford dealer near Fenway Park in Boston on November 3, 1949. Using the outside door key they had previously obtained, the men quickly entered and donned their masks. Shakur's conviction includes planning the $1.6 million Brinks robbery in Rockland on Oct. 20, 1981. 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. This phase of the investigation greatly disturbed many gamblers. He had been convicted of armed robbery in 1940 and served several months in the Massachusetts State Reformatory and the Norfolk, Massachusetts, Prison Colony. 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. He was not with the gang when the robbery took place. From interviews with the five employees whom the criminals had confronted, it was learned that between five and seven robbers had entered the building. Even in their jail cells, however, they showed no respect for law enforcement. Minutes later, police arrived at the Brinks building, and special agents of the FBI quickly joined in the investigation. Commonly regarded as a dominant figure in the Boston underworld, McGinnis previously had been convicted of robbery and narcotics violations. If Baker heard these rumors, he did not wait around very long to see whether they were true. [19] Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, J. Edgar Hoover, took over supervision of the investigation.[20]. As of 2004, it was Born in Italy in 1907, Pino was a young child when he entered the United States, but he never became a naturalized citizen. In addition, McGinnis received other sentences of two years, two and one-half to three years, and eight to ten years. 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. 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. While on bond he returned to Boston; on January 23, 1954, he appeared in the Boston Municipal Court on the probation violation charge. Gusciora died on July 9. There had been three attempts on his life in June 1954, and his frustrated assassins undoubtedly were waiting for him to return to Boston. [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. After receiving the go ahead signal from Costa, the seven armed men walked to the Prince Street entrance of Brinks. WebBrian Robinson was convicted of armed robbery and sentenced to 25 years in prison. In the end, the perfect crime had a perfect endingfor everyone but the robbers. Other members of the robbery gang also were having their troubles. WebWho Was Involved In The Brinks Robbery? Accordingly, another lock cylinder was installed until the original one was returned. 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 FBIs analysis of the alibis offered by the suspects showed that the hour of 7:00 p.m. on January 17, 1950, was frequently mentioned. The month preceding January 17, 1950, witnessed approximately a half-dozen approaches to Brinks. ), (After serving his sentence, Fat John resumed a life of crime. Both OKeefe and Gusciora had been interviewed on several occasions concerning the Brinks robbery, but they had claimed complete ignorance. 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. 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. Banfield had been a close associate of McGinnis for many years. Thieves stole more than $1.2 million in cash and another $1.5 million in checks and. 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.. It was given to him in a suitcase that was transferred to his car from an automobile occupied by McGinnis and Banfield. Later, when he counted the money, he found that the suitcase contained $98,000. OKeefe and Gusciora had been close friends for many years. This was in their favor. Prior to his murder, The Great Brink's Robbery, and the 70-year-old question: What happened to the money? Allegedly, he pulled a gun on OKeefe; several shots were exchanged by the two men, but none of the bullets found their mark. He was not involved in the Brinks robbery.

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