Other members of the robbery gang also were having their troubles. As the robbers sped from the scene, a Brinks employee telephoned the Boston Police Department. They moved with a studied precision which suggested that the crime had been carefully planned and rehearsed in the preceding months. Sentenced to serve from five to seven years for this offense, he was released from prison in September 1941. Members of the Purple Gang of the 1930s found that there was renewed interest in their activities. Ten of the persons who appeared before this grand jury breathed much more easily when they learned that no indictments had been returned. Banfield had been a close associate of McGinnis for many years. They did not expect to find the Aladdin's cave to contain some 26m in gold bullion and diamonds that they stumbled upon. LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Jewelry, gems, high-end watches and other valuables worth millions of dollars were stolen from a transport vehicle in Southern California. OKeefe claimed that he left his hotel room in Boston at approximately 7:00 p.m. on January 17, 1950. 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. The thieves quickly bound the employees and began hauling away the loot. Photo courtesy Boston Public Library, Leslie Jones Collection. He had been released on parole from the Norfolk, Massachusetts, Prison Colony on August 22, 1949only five months before the robbery. 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. 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. What happened to the other half of the Brink's-Mat gold? Again, the FBIs investigation resulted merely in the elimination of more possible suspects. 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. 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. He was found brutally murdered in his car in 1987. OKeefe was sentenced on August 5, 1954, to serve 27 months in prison. The hideout also was found to contain more than $5,000 in coins. Brinks customers were contacted for information regarding the packaging and shipping materials they used. Six armed men stole diamonds, cash and three tonnes of gold bullion from a warehouse close to . He was sentenced to 25 years in prison in 1984 for involvement in the Brink's Mat job. Some of the jewelry might. Using the outside door key they had previously obtained, the men quickly entered and donned their masks. On November, 26, 1983, three tonnes of solid gold bullion was taken by six armed robbers from the Brink's-Mat security depot near . OKeefes reputation for nerve was legend. Each of the five lock cylinders was taken on a separate occasion. In 1936 and 1937, Faherty was convicted of armed robbery violations. On November 26 1983, six armed robbers entered the Brink's-Mat security warehouse at the Heathrow International Trading Estate. 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. Commonly regarded as a dominant figure in the Boston underworld, McGinnis previously had been convicted of robbery and narcotics violations. One of the biggest robberies in U.S. history happened here. A third attempt on OKeefes life was made on June 16, 1954. FBI.gov is an official site of the U.S. Department of Justice. The money inside the cooler which was concealed in the wall of the Tremont Street office was wrapped in plastic and newspaper. Micky McAvoy, believed by police to be the mastermind behind the robbery, was arrested ten days after the robbery. 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 FBI also succeeded in locating the carpenter who had remodeled the offices where the loot was hidden. Three of the newspapers used to wrap the bills were identified. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. Before his trial in McKean County, he was released on $17,000 bond. A federal search warrant was obtained, and the home was searched by agents on April 27, 1950. 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. Yet, it only amounted to a near perfect crime. He claimed there was a large roll of bills in his hotel roomand that he had found that money, too. Prominent among the other strong suspects was Vincent James Costa, brother-in-law of Pino. OKeefe wore crepe-soled shoes to muffle his footsteps; the others wore rubbers. Allegedly, other members of the Brinks gang arranged for OKeefe to be paid a small part of the ransom he demanded, and Costa was released on May 20, 1954. The Brinks vehicle, followed closely by guards traveling in an automobile, turned onto a stone-paved lane called Old Bethel Road. The full details of this important development were immediately furnished to the FBI Office in Boston. Because the money in the cooler was in various stages of decomposition, an accurate count proved most difficult to make. In the years following the infamous 1983 Brink's-Mat robbery, many of the criminals and police alike were killed, leading to speculation there might be . Although the attendant did not suspect that the robbery was taking place, this incident caused the criminals to move more swiftly. The series surrounds the 1983 Brink's-Mat robbery in which 26 million (equivalent to 93.3 million in 2021) worth of gold bullion, diamonds, and cash were stolen from a storehouse near Heathrow Airport. Pino would take the locks to the mans shop, and keys would be made for them. He subsequently was convicted and executed.). And it nearly was. This was a question which preyed heavily upon their minds. In the fall of 1955, an upper court overruled the conviction on the grounds that the search and seizure of the still were illegal.). All but Pino and Banfield stepped out and proceeded into the playground to await Costas signal. Others fell apart as they were handled. Two other men, ex-Brink's guard Thomas O'Connor and unemployed teacher Charles McCormick, were acquitted. In July 1956, another significant turn of events took place. . Micky McAvoy, who masterminded the 1983 robbery of 26million from Brinks-Mat's Heathrow depot, has died aged 70 and never got his hands on the money stolen in the mega-heist Like the others, Banfield had been questioned concerning his activities on the night of January 17, 1950. 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. At the time of their arrest, Faherty and Richardson were rushing for three loaded revolvers that they had left on a chair in the bathroom of the apartment. The gang at that time included all of the participants in the January 17, 1950, robbery except Henry Baker. By this time, Baker was suffering from a bad case of nerves. The FBI further learned that four revolvers had been taken by the gang. In the end, the perfect crime had a perfect endingfor everyone but the robbers. 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. All five employees had been forced at gunpoint to lie face down on the floor. Information received from this individual linked nine well-known hoodlums with the crime. Jewelers report over $100 million in losses after Brinks armored truck robbed in California. The month preceding January 17, 1950, witnessed approximately a half-dozen approaches to Brinks. This incident also took place in Dorchester and involved the firing of more than 30 shots. He was through with Pino, Baker, McGinnis, Maffie, and the other Brinks conspirators who had turned against him. Two weeks of comparative quiet in the gang members lives were shattered on June 5, 1954, when an attempt was made on OKeefes life. The gang members who remained at the house of Maffies parents soon dispersed to establish alibis for themselves. Underworld figures in Boston have generally speculated that the racketeer was killed because of his association with OKeefe. After each interview, FBI agents worked feverishly into the night checking all parts of his story which were subject to verification. Reports had been received alleging that he had held up several gamblers in the Boston area and had been involved in shakedowns of bookies. Like Gusciora, OKeefe was known to have associated with Pino prior to the Brinks robbery. A detective examines the Brinks vault after the theft. Democrat and Chronicle. In pursuing the underworld rumors concerning the principal suspects in the Brinks case, the FBI succeeded in identifying more probable members of the gang. During an interview with him in the jail in Springfield, Massachusetts, in October 1954, special agents found that the plight of the missing Boston racketeer was weighing on OKeefes mind. 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 roofs of buildings on Prince and Snow Hill Streets soon were alive with inconspicuous activity as the gang looked for the most advantageous sites from which to observe what transpired inside Brinks offices. The amusement arcade operator told the officer that he had followed the man who passed this $10.00 bill to a nearby tavern. 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. "A search warrant was executed in Boston covering the Tremont Street offices occupied by the three men" (FBI). 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 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. In examining the bill, a Federal Reserve note, the officer observed that it was in musty condition. Following the federal grand jury hearings, the FBIs intense investigation continued. 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. Unfortunately, this proved to be an idle hope. He was not involved in the Brinks robbery. Born in Italy in 1907, Pino was a young child when he entered the United States, but he never became a naturalized citizen. The Brinks Job, 1950. The Boston hoodlum told FBI agents in Baltimore that he accepted six of the packages of money from Fat John. The following day (June 2, 1956), he left Massachusetts with $4,750 of these bills and began passing them. This chauffeurs cap was left at the scene of the crime of the centurythe 1950 robbery of a Brink's bank branch in Massachusetts. After continuing up the street to the end of the playground which adjoined the Brinks building, the truck stopped. CHICAGO (CBS) - A woman has been charged after more than $100,000 was stolen from Brinks truck outside Edgewater bank on Monday afternoon. In the deportation fight that lasted more than two years, Pino won the final victory. This vehicle was traced through motor vehicle records to Pino. 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. Immediately upon leaving, the gang loaded the loot into the truck that was parked on Prince Street near the door. During 1955, OKeefe carefully pondered his position. All had been published in Boston between December 4, 1955, and February 21, 1956. 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. Even Pino, whose deportation troubles then were a heavy burden, was arrested by the Boston police in August 1954. The FBIs jurisdiction to investigate this robbery was based upon the fact that cash, checks, postal notes, and United States money orders of the Federal Reserve Bank and the Veterans Administration district office in Boston were included in the loot. 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. Many of the details had previously been obtained during the intense six-year investigation. He had been convicted of armed robbery in 1940 and served several months in the Massachusetts State Reformatory and the Norfolk, Massachusetts, Prison Colony. On November 26, 1982, six armed robbers forced their way into the Brink's-Mat warehouse, the plan was to steal the 3.2m in cash they were expecting to find stored there. All right, he told two FBI agents, what do you want to know?. A lock () or https:// means you've safely connected to the .gov website. Estimates range from $10 million to $100 million. Shortly thereafterduring the first week of Novembera 1949 green Ford stake-body truck was reported missing by a car dealer in Boston. Their hands were tied behind their backs and adhesive tape was placed over their mouths. After these plans were reviewed and found to be unhelpful, OKeefe and Gusciora returned them in the same manner. He was so cold and persistent in these dealings with his co-conspirators that the agents hoped he might be attempting to obtain a large sum of moneyperhaps his share of the Brinks loot. Baker fled and the brief meeting adjourned. The robbery of 26m of gold bars from a warehouse near Heathrow airport is one of Britain's most notorious - and biggest - heists. 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. From masked gunmen and drugs to kidnappings and bags of cash, the $7.4 million robbery had it all. At approximately 9:50 p.m., the details of this incident were furnished to the Baltimore Field Office of the FBI. They stole 26 million in gold bullion - the biggest robbery of . Even after these convictions, OKeefe and Gusciora continued to seek their release. While action to appeal the convictions was being taken on their behalf, the eight men were removed to the State prison at Walpole, Massachusetts. The Brink Mat robbery was a heist that occurred at Heathrow International Trading Estate on November 26, 1983, when six armed robbers broke into a warehouse run by a US and British joint venture, Brink's Mat. 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. 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. When this case was continued until April 1, 1954, OKeefe was released on $1,500 bond. Inside the building, the gang members carefully studied all available information concerning Brinks schedules and shipments. During this operation, one of the employees had lost his glasses; they later could not be found on the Brinks premises. On the 26 November 1983, half a dozen armed men broke into the Brink's-Mat depot near London's Heathrow Airport, where they were expecting to find a million pounds worth of foreign currency.. Masterminded by Brian 'The Colonel' Robinson and Mickey McAvoy, the gang hoped to make off with 3 million in cash, a sum that's now equivalent to just over 9 million. The Transit's heavily armed occupants had stolen the bullion less than an hour earlier from the Brink's-Mat security warehouse 12 miles away at Heathrow. The truck found at the dump had been reported stolen by a Ford dealer near Fenway Park in Boston on November 3, 1949. The Great Brinks Robbery of 1950 met all of these requirementsa great pile of cash disappeared with no evidence, leads, or suspects. How much money was stolen in the Brinks robbery? Costa was associated with Pino in the operation of a motor terminal and a lottery in Boston. McGinnis had been arrested at the site of a still in New Hampshire in February 1954. They did not expect to find the Aladdin's cave to contain some 26m in gold bullion and diamonds that they stumbled upon. Many other types of information were received. Another old gang that had specialized in hijacking bootlegged whiskey in the Boston area during Prohibition became the subject of inquiries. 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. Among the early suspects was Anthony Pino, an alien who had been a principal suspect in numerous major robberies and burglaries in Massachusetts. From the size of the loot and the number of men involved, it was logical that the gang might have used a truck. Subsequently, OKeefe left his carand the $200,000in a garage on Blue Hill Avenue in Boston. His case had gone to the highest court in the land. Subsequently, he engaged in a conversation with McGinnis and a Boston police officer. 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 $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. The group were led by Mickey McAdams and Brian Robinson who planned to find 3 million in cash. During this visit, Gusciora got up from his bed, and, in full view of the clergyman, slipped to the floor, striking his head. Three years later, Great Train Robber. The missing racketeers automobile was found near his home; however, his whereabouts remain a mystery. Well-known Boston hoodlums were picked up and questioned by police. Some of the bills were in pieces. Between 1950 and 1954, the underworld occasionally rumbled with rumors that pressure was being exerted upon Boston hoodlums to contribute money for these criminals legal fight against the charges in Pennsylvania. 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. Terry Perkins celebrated his 67th birthday on the weekend of the Hatton Garden job, exactly 32 years after he'd taken part in another gigantic Easter raid: the 6 million armed robbery of a London security depot. 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. The other gun was picked up by the officer and identified as having been taken during the Brinks robbery. Due to his criminal record, the Immigration and Naturalization Service instituted proceedings in 1941 to deport him. The mass of information gathered during the early weeks of the investigation was continuously sifted. 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 material to the company safe on the second floor. At the outset, very few facts were available to the investigators. The Brink's-Mat robbery remains to this day one of Britain's biggest and most audacious heists. The Brinks Mat Robbery: The real story that inspired The Gold. Burlap money bags recovered in a Boston junk yard from the robbery, Some of the recovered money from the robbery. 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 . 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. McAvoy had attempted to reach a settlement with prosecutors in the case when he offered to repay his share, but by that time the money was gone. A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States. It ultimately proved unproductive. ), (After serving his sentence, Fat John resumed a life of crime. 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. Nonetheless, the finding of the truck parts at Stoughton, Massachusetts, was to prove a valuable break in the investigation. Pino had been questioned as to his whereabouts on the evening of January 17, 1950, and he provided a good alibi. He later was to be arrested as a member of the robbery gang. Their success in evading arrest ended abruptly on May 16, 1956, when FBI agents raided the apartment in which they were hiding in Dorchester, Massachusetts. 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. Police who arrived to investigate found a large amount of blood, a mans shattered wrist watch, and a .45 caliber pistol at the scene. On November 26, 1982, six armed robbers forced their way into the Brink's-Mat warehouse, the plan was to steal the 3.2m in cash they were expecting to find stored there. The. When OKeefe admitted his part in the Brinks robbery to FBI agents in January 1956, he told of his high regard for Gusciora. A man of modest means in Bayonne, New Jersey, was reported to be spending large sums of money in night clubs, buying new automobiles, and otherwise exhibiting newly found wealth. The serial numbers of several of these bills were furnished to the FBI Office in Baltimore. Pino also was linked with the robbery, and there was every reason to suspect that OKeefe felt Pino was turning his back on him now that OKeefe was in jail. First, there was the money. Underworld sources described him as fully capable of planning and executing the Brinks robbery. 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. 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. T he robbers were there because they knew there was 3 million in cash locked in the . Perhaps most remarkable, its mastermind didn't even have a criminal record when he planned it out. 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.. On June 2, 1950, OKeefe and Gusciora left Boston by automobile for the alleged purpose of visiting the grave of Guscioras brother in Missouri. As of January 1956, more than $2,775,000, including $1,218,211.29 in cash was still unaccounted for. The other keys in their possession enabled them to proceed to the second floor where they took the five Brinks employees by surprise. The most important of these, Specs OKeefe, carefully recited the details of the crime, clearly spelling out the role played by each of the eight defendants. He told the interviewing agents that he trusted Maffie so implicitly that he gave the money to him for safe keeping. Occasionally, an offender who was facing a prison term would boast that he had hot information. Captain Marvel mask used as a disguise in the robbery. 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. This was in their favor. Then, there was the fact that so much dead wood was includedMcGinnis, Banfield, Costa, and Pino were not in the building when the robbery took place. Six members of the gangBaker, Costa, Geagan, Maffie, McGinnis, and Pinowere arrested by FBI agents on January 12, 1956. 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. All of them wore Navy-type peacoats, gloves, and chauffeurs caps. On January 12, 1953, Pino was released on bail pending a deportation hearing. Although Gusciora was acquitted of the charges against him in Towanda, he was removed to McKean County, Pennsylvania, to stand trial for burglary, larceny, and receiving stolen goods. This underworld character told the officers that he had found this money. OKeefe had no place to keep so large a sum of money. This man subsequently identified locks from doors which the Brinks gang had entered as being similar to the locks which Pino had brought him. 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 defense immediately filed motions which would delay or prevent the trial. He claimed he had been drinking in various taverns from approximately 5:10 p.m. until 7:45 p.m. 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. 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. One of his former girl friends who recalled having seen him on the night of the robbery stated that he definitely was not drunk. For the Rockland County community, the Brink's Robbery rises to that historic standard. The robbery. 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. In a report which was released on January 16, 1953, the grand jury disclosed that its members did not feel they possessed complete, positive information as to the identify of the participants in the Brinks robbery because (1) the participants were effectively disguised; (2) there was a lack of eyewitnesses to the crime itself; and (3) certain witnesses refused to give testimony, and the grand jury was unable to compel them to do so. 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. 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. 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 incident happened outside of a Chase Bank in . Thorough inquiries were made concerning the disposition of the bags after their receipt by the Massachusetts firm. OKeefe immediately returned to Boston to await the results of the appeal. What Happened To The Brinks Mat Robbery? He was not able to provide a specific account, claiming that he became drunk on New Years Eve and remained intoxicated through the entire month of January. During his brief stay in Boston, he was observed to contact other members of the robbery gang. The Bureau was convinced that it had identified the actual robbers, but evidence and witnesses had to be found. He was certain he would be considered a strong suspect and wanted to begin establishing an alibi immediately.) Somehow the criminals had opened at least threeand possibly fourlocked doors to gain entrance to the second floor of Brinks, where the five employees were engaged in their nightly chore of checking and storing the money collected from Brinks customers that day. Allegedly, he pulled a gun on OKeefe; several shots were exchanged by the two men, but none of the bullets found their mark. 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. To muffle their footsteps, one of the gang wore crepe-soled shoes, and the others wore rubbers. More than $7 million was stolen in a brazen holdup at a Brink's armored car service in Rochester in 1993. From his cell in Springfield, OKeefe wrote bitter letters to members of the Brinks gang and persisted in his demands for money.

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