Through the interviews of persons in the vicinity of the Brinks offices on the evening of January 17, 1950, the FBI learned that a 1949 green Ford stake-body truck with a canvas top had been parked near the Prince Street door of Brinks at approximately the time of the robbery. Shortly thereafterduring the first week of Novembera 1949 green Ford stake-body truck was reported missing by a car dealer in Boston. 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. OKeefe had no place to keep so large a sum of money. Fat John and the business associate of the man arrested in Baltimore were located and interviewed on the morning of June 4, 1956. That prison term, together with Pinos conviction in March 1928 for carnal abuse of a girl, provided the basis for the deportation action. WebBrian Robinson was convicted of armed robbery and sentenced to 25 years in prison. 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 Their hands were tied behind their backs and adhesive tape was placed over their mouths. 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. The pair recruited criminal Kenneth Noye, an expert in his field, who WebThe Brinks Robbery The idea for the heist came from Joseph Big Joe McGinniss, but career criminal Anthony Fats Pino. The The robbers carefully planned routine inside Brinks was interrupted only when the attendant in the adjoining Brinks garage sounded the buzzer. 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. Faherty and Richardson fled to avoid apprehension and subsequently were placed on the list of the FBIs Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list. Three of the remaining five gang members were previously accounted for, OKeefe and Gusciora being in prison on other charges and Banfield being dead. Thirteen people were detained in the hours following the robbery, including two former employees of Brink's. On June 17, 1954, the Boston police arrested Elmer Trigger Burke and charged him with possession of a machine gun. [3] After five aborted runs, Costa finally gave the go-ahead on the night of January 17, 1950. A lock () or https:// means you've safely connected to the .gov website. This is not the first time that Cuomo has commuted a sentence for someone involved in the Brink's robbery. Banfield, the driver, was alone in the front. [15] Two vehicles were stolen: a truck, to carry away the loot from the robbery; and a car, which would be used to block any pursuit. Brinks customers were contacted for information regarding the packaging and shipping materials they used. His records showed that he had worked on the offices early in April 1956 under instructions of Fat John. The loot could not have been hidden behind the wall panel prior to that time. 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. All had been published in Boston between December 4, 1955, and February 21, 1956. Following their arrests, a former bondsman in Boston made frequent trips to Towanda in an unsuccessful effort to secure their release on bail. THE brains behind the 26million Brinks-Mat bullion robbery has died penniless. At 4:20 p.m. on January 6, 1956, OKeefe made the final decision. 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. 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. 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. OKeefe was wounded in the wrist and chest, but again he managed to escape with his life. O'Keefe pleaded guilty January 18. On February 5, 1950, however, a police officer in Somerville, Massachusetts, recovered one of the four revolvers that had been taken by the robbers. The detainer involved OKeefes violation of probation in connection with a conviction in 1945 for carrying concealed weapons. 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. ), (After serving his sentence, Fat John resumed a life of crime. Both are real characters. Another week passedand approximately 500 more citizens were consideredbefore the 14-member jury was assembled. She also covered the 1950s Brinks robbery and was a medical reporter for the Boston Herald. After being wounded on June 16, OKeefe disappeared. WebRobbery Seven of the group went into the Brink's building: OKeefe, Gusciora, Baker, Maffie, Geagan, Faherty, and Richardson. At approximately 9:50 p.m., the details of this incident were furnished to the Baltimore Field Office of the FBI. 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. The robbers killed Peter Paige at the Nanuet Mall in front of a bank. At the time it was Britains Occasionally, an offender who was facing a prison term would boast that he had hot information. In addition to mold, insect remains also were found on the loot. The serial numbers of several of these bills were furnished to the FBI Office in Baltimore. [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. He arrived in Baltimore on the morning of June 3 and was picked up by the Baltimore Police Department that evening. 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. The defense immediately filed motions which would delay or prevent the trial. One of these officers quickly grabbed the criminals hand, and a large roll of money fell from it. 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. 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. Shortly after 6.40am, six armed robbers in balaclavas entered a warehouse at Heathrow airport belonging to security company Brinks-Mat. 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 receiving the go ahead signal from Costa, the seven armed men walked to the Prince Street entrance of Brinks. 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. A second shooting incident occurred on the morning of June 14, 1954, in Dorchester, Massachusetts, when OKeefe and his racketeer friend paid a visit to Baker. 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. In the late summer of 1944, he was released from the state prison and was taken into custody by Immigration authorities. Commonly regarded as a dominant figure in the Boston underworld, McGinnis previously had been convicted of robbery and narcotics violations. McGinness masterminded the crime. And it nearly was. It was used by the defense counsel in preparing a 294-page brief that was presented to the Massachusetts State Supreme Court. Even in their jail cells, however, they showed no respect for law enforcement. Several hundred dollars were found hidden in the house but could not be identified as part of the loot. [19] Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, J. Edgar Hoover, took over supervision of the investigation.[20]. Other information provided by OKeefe helped to fill the gaps which still existed. Extensive efforts were made to detect pencil markings and other notations on the currency that the criminals thought might be traceable to Brinks. In addition, McGinnis received other sentences of two years, two and one-half to three years, and eight to ten years. 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. 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. acknowledges it was involved in the gold transport. Burlap money bags recovered in a Boston junk yard from the robbery, Some of the recovered money from the robbery. Subsequently, he engaged in a conversation with McGinnis and a Boston police officer. Within two months of his return, another member of the gang suffered a legal setback. Adolph Maffie, who had been convicted of income tax violation in June 1954, was released from the Federal Corrections Institution at Danbury, Connecticut, on January 30, 1955. [14] By 7:37, one of the Brink's employees managed to free themselves and raise the alarm. 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. 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. 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. Both men remained mute following their arrests. An automobile identified as the car used in the escape was located near a Boston hospital, and police officers concealed themselves in the area. 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. From interviews with the five employees whom the criminals had confronted, it was learned that between five and seven robbers had entered the building. 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. This man, subsequently identified as a small-time Boston underworld figure, was located and questioned. Special agents subsequently interviewed Costa and his wife, Pino and his wife, the racketeer, and 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. Two days after Christmas of 1955, FBI agents paid another visit to OKeefe. 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. Thieves stole more than $1.2 million in cash and another $1.5 million in checks and. 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. The Bureau was convinced that it had identified the actual robbers, but evidence and witnesses had to be found. The families of OKeefe and Gusciora resided in the vicinity of Stoughton, Massachusetts. While OKeefe and Gusciora lingered in jail in Pennsylvania, Pino encountered difficulties of his own. other securities in the 1950 Brinks heist. Fat John announced that each of the packages contained $5,000. In the deportation fight that lasted more than two years, Pino won the final victory. At 10:25 p.m. on October 5, 1956, the jury retired to weigh the evidence. Underworld figures in Boston have generally speculated that the racketeer was killed because of his association with OKeefe. Apparently suspicious, OKeefe crouched low in the front seat of his car as the would-be assassins fired bullets that pierced the windshield. The alibi was strong, but not conclusive. 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. 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. Approximately one and one-half hours later, Banfield returned with McGinnis. 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. 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. 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. Prior to his murder, The FBI approached O'Keefe in the hospital and on January 6, 1956, he decided to talk. From left, Sgt. 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. Gordon 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. 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. WebGordon John Parry, Brian Perry, Patrick Clark, and Jean Savage were all convicted at the Old Bailey. Pino also Subsequently, OKeefe left his carand the $200,000in a garage on Blue Hill Avenue in Boston. 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. Banfield drove the truck to the house of Maffies parents in Roxbury. As the truck drove past the Brinks offices, the robbers noted that the lights were out on the Prince Street side of the building. On March 4, 1950, pieces of an identical truck were found at a dump in Stoughton, Massachusetts. Banfield had been a close associate of McGinnis for many years. Pino paid a small ransom but then decided to try to kill O'Keefe. After denying any knowledge of the escape of Trigger Burke, Pino was released. On the afternoon of July 9, he was visited by a clergyman. After the truck parts were found, additional suspicion was attached to these men. He claimed he had been drinking in various taverns from approximately 5:10 p.m. until 7:45 p.m. The month preceding January 17, 1950, witnessed approximately a half-dozen approaches to Brinks. [14] They each wore a chauffeur cap, pea Costa claimed that after working at the motor terminal until approximately 5:00 p.m. on January 17, 1950, he had gone home to eat dinner; then, at approximately 7:00 p.m., he left to return to the terminal and worked until about 9:00 p.m. Even fearing the new bills might be linked with the crime, McGinnis suggested a process for aging the new money in a hurry.. One of his former girl friends who recalled having seen him on the night of the robbery stated that he definitely was not drunk. When questioned concerning his activities on the night of January 17, 1950, Richardson claimed that after unsuccessfully looking for work he had several drinks and then returned home. Burke traveled to Boston and shot O'Keefe, seriously wounding him but failed to kill him. 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. Race tracks and gambling establishments also were covered in the hope of finding some of the loot in circulation. Instead, they said the trailer was targeted near Frazier Park in the mountains along I-5. A few weeks later, OKeefe retrieved his share of the loot. When this case was continued until April 1, 1954, OKeefe was released on $1,500 bond. Shortly after these two guns were found, one of them was placed in a trash barrel and was taken to the city dump. 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. A federal search warrant was obtained, and the home was searched by agents on April 27, 1950. A detailed search for additional weapons was made at the Mystic River. O'Keefe received four years and was released in 1960. 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 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. This was in their favor. WebJudith Clark was paroled in 2019 after then Gov. After O'Keefe was released he was taken to stand trial for another burglary and parole violations and was released on a bail of $17,000. All efforts to identify the persons responsible for the theft and the persons who had cut up the truck were unsuccessful. The Brinks case was front page news. Like the others, Banfield had been questioned concerning his activities on the night of January 17, 1950. He was through with Pino, Baker, McGinnis, Maffie, and the other Brinks conspirators who had turned against him. Had the ground not been frozen, the person or persons who abandoned the bags probably would have attempted to bury them. [18] The total amount stolen was $1,218,211 in cash and $1,557,183 in checks and other securities. 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. 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. 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. Investigation revealed that Geagan, a laborer, had not gone to work on January 17 or 18, 1950.). A third attempt on OKeefes life was made on June 16, 1954. 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. Prior to this time, McGinnis had been at his liquor store. 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.. Later, when he counted the money, he found that the suitcase contained $98,000. Considerable thought was given to every detail. Six members of the gangBaker, Costa, Geagan, Maffie, McGinnis, and Pinowere arrested by FBI agents on January 12, 1956. Former inmates of penal institutions reported conversations they had overheard while incarcerated which concerned the robbing of Brinks. The alibi, in fact, was almost too good. By Beth Rose. Had any particles of evidence been found in the loot which might directly show that they had handled it? From Boston, the pressure quickly spread to other cities. Of the hundreds of New England hoodlums contacted by FBI agents in the weeks immediately following the robbery, few were willing to be interviewed. 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. Baker fled and the brief meeting adjourned. He had been released on parole from the Norfolk, Massachusetts, Prison Colony on August 22, 1949only five months before the robbery. Livvy standing in the middle of two masked people involved in kidnap gangs. (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. The loot was quickly unloaded, and Banfield sped away to hide 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. [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. Then the lock cylinders were replaced. A passerby might notice that it was missing. As this bag was being emptied later that evening, the glasses were discovered and destroyed by the gang. 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.