Fat John announced that each of the packages contained $5,000. 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 . 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. Discover the true story of the Brink's-Mat Robbery that inspired BBC's The robbery. In addition, McGinnis received other sentences of two years, two and one-half to three years, and eight to ten years. 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. OKeefe claimed that he left his hotel room in Boston at approximately 7:00 p.m. on January 17, 1950. 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 November, 26, 1983, three tonnes of solid gold bullion was taken by six armed robbers from the Brink's-Mat security depot near . 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. The Gold: What was the Brinks Mat robbery 'curse'? Nyack Sketch Log: The Brink's Robbery - Nyack News & Views 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. On June 2, 1950, OKeefe and Gusciora left Boston by automobile for the alleged purpose of visiting the grave of Guscioras brother in Missouri. Even if released, he thought, his days were numbered. The robbers carefully planned routine inside Brinks was interrupted only when the attendant in the adjoining Brinks garage sounded the buzzer. Apparently suspicious, OKeefe crouched low in the front seat of his car as the would-be assassins fired bullets that pierced the windshield. The Brinks Mat Robbery: The real story that inspired The Gold. He was not with the gang when the robbery took place. He was paroled in the fall of 1944 and remained on parole through March 1954 when misfortune befell him. He later was to be arrested as a member of the robbery gang. Some persons claimed to have seen him. Accordingly, another lock cylinder was installed until the original one was returned. The full details of this important development were immediately furnished to the FBI Office in Boston. Following their arrests, a former bondsman in Boston made frequent trips to Towanda in an unsuccessful effort to secure their release on bail. During this visit, Gusciora got up from his bed, and, in full view of the clergyman, slipped to the floor, striking his head. Even after these convictions, OKeefe and Gusciora continued to seek their release. 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. Noye is currently being depicted in a new six-part BBC series into the infamous Brinks-Mat robbery, which took place in 1983. It ultimately proved unproductive. Armed crooks wearing Halloween masks and chauffeur . Their plan was to enter the Brinks building and take a truck containing payrolls. 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. Where is Nikki Jennings now? The Brink's-Mat police woman explained Two weeks of comparative quiet in the gang members lives were shattered on June 5, 1954, when an attempt was made on OKeefes life. His case had gone to the highest court in the land. Among the early suspects was Anthony Pino, an alien who had been a principal suspect in numerous major robberies and burglaries in Massachusetts. In pursuing the underworld rumors concerning the principal suspects in the Brinks case, the FBI succeeded in identifying more probable members of the gang. What Was the Brink's-Mat Heist and What Happened to All the Gold? FBI.gov is an official site of the U.S. Department of Justice. Although the attendant did not suspect that the robbery was taking place, this incident caused the criminals to move more swiftly. 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. Despite the lack of evidence and witnesses upon which court proceedings could be based, as the investigation progressed there was little doubt that OKeefe had been one of the central figures in the Brinks robbery. A $7.4 Million Heist Made for Hollywood - The New York Times After completing its hearings on January 9, 1953, the grand jury retired to weigh the evidence. A new BBC crime drama series follows the gripping twists and turns of what was dubbed the "crime of the century" in the 1980s. ROCHESTER, N.Y. (AP) _ A Catholic priest and an ex-guerrilla from Northern Ireland were convicted Monday of charges related to the $7.4 million robbery of a Brink's armored car depot. All had been published in Boston between December 4, 1955, and February 21, 1956. The theft changed the face of the British underworld. Even fearing the new bills might be linked with the crime, McGinnis suggested a process for aging the new money in a hurry.. (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. All efforts to identify the persons responsible for the theft and the persons who had cut up the truck were unsuccessful. Continuous investigation, however, had linked him with the gang. The crime inspired at least four movies and two books, including The Story of the Great Brink's Robbery, as Told by the FBI. He subsequently was convicted and executed.). 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. Heist! The True Story Of Charlotte's $17 Million Loomis Fargo Theft - WFAE The other keys in their possession enabled them to proceed to the second floor where they took the five Brinks employees by surprise. The FBI also succeeded in locating the carpenter who had remodeled the offices where the loot was hidden. 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. In the new series, Tallchief tells the true story of the $3.1 million dollar Vegas heist she committed with her boyfriend Roberto Solis. He. Nonetheless, the finding of the truck parts at Stoughton, Massachusetts, was to prove a valuable break in the investigation. Sentenced to serve from five to seven years for this offense, he was released from prison in September 1941. An inside man by the name of Anthony . From Boston, the pressure quickly spread to other cities. FBI investigating $150 million jewelry heist of Brinks truck traveling from San Mateo County to Southern California. 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. In a series of interviews during the succeeding days, OKeefe related the full story of the Brinks robbery. This underworld character told the officers that he had found this money. Captain Marvel mask used as a disguise in the robbery. All were denied, and the impaneling of the jury was begun on August 7. A federal search warrant was obtained, and the home was searched by agents on April 27, 1950. This cooler contained more than $57,700, including $51,906 which was identifiable as part of the Brinks loot. One of these officers quickly grabbed the criminals hand, and a large roll of money fell from it. The Brinks Mat Robbery: The real story that inspired The Gold. 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 trip from the liquor store in Roxbury to the Brinks offices could be made in about 15 minutes. OKeefe was the principal witness to appear before the state grand jurors. On November 26, 1981, six armed men from South London broke into the Brink's-Mat warehouse near London Heathrow. Since the robbery had taken place between approximately 7:10 and 7:27 p.m., it was quite probable that a gang, as well drilled as the Brinks robbers obviously were, would have arranged to rendezvous at a specific time. He had been short changed $2,000. Mr. Gilbert was 37 on the day of the attack, Oct. 20, 1981, when nearly $1.6 million in cash was stolen from an armored Brink's car outside the Nanuet Mall near Nyack. Where is Edwyn Cooper of the Brink's-Mat robbery now? | TV & Radio 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. A thorough investigation was made concerning his whereabouts on the evening of January 17, 1950. Had any particles of evidence been found in the loot which might directly show that they had handled it? 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. Both of these strong-arm suspects had been questioned by Boston authorities following the robbery. 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. 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.. In examining the bill, a Federal Reserve note, the officer observed that it was in musty condition. Within two months of his return, another member of the gang suffered a legal setback. 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. 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. Seventy years ago today, a group of men stole $1.2 million in cash and $1.5 million in checks. Soon after OKeefes return in March 1954, Baker and his wife left Boston on a vacation.. Allegedly, he pulled a gun on OKeefe; several shots were exchanged by the two men, but none of the bullets found their mark. 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. Next year January 2023 to be precise will mark 30 years since the Brink's depot in Rochester was looted for $7.4 million, then the fifth largest armored car company heist in the country. 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. 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.