During these approaches, Costaequipped with a flashlight for signaling the other men was stationed on the roof of a tenement building on Prince Street overlooking Brinks. They had brought no tools with them, however, and they were unsuccessful. In December 1948, Brinks moved from Federal Street to 165 Prince Street in Boston. Many problems and dangers were involved in such a robbery, and the plans never crystallized. He had been convicted of armed robbery in 1940 and served several months in the Massachusetts State Reformatory and the Norfolk, Massachusetts, Prison Colony. At 6:30am, six armed robbers from a south London gang entered the premises of the Brink's-Mat warehouse at Heathrow. You'd be forgiven for mistaking the 2005 Miami Brinks heist for a movie script. He subsequently was convicted and executed.). 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. Others fell apart as they were handled. Many tips were received from anonymous persons. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. Seven months later, however, he was again paroled. 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. In a series of interviews during the succeeding days, OKeefe related the full story of the Brinks robbery. In the deportation fight that lasted more than two years, Pino won the final victory. He arrived in Baltimore on the morning of June 3 and was picked up by the Baltimore Police Department that evening. On June 2, 1950, OKeefe and Gusciora left Boston by automobile for the alleged purpose of visiting the grave of Guscioras brother in Missouri. At the outset, very few facts were available to the investigators. Well-known Boston hoodlums were picked up and questioned by police. On February 5, 1950, however, a police officer in Somerville, Massachusetts, recovered one of the four revolvers that had been taken by the robbers. Andrew J. Whitaker/Pool/USA Today Network via REUTERSStanding in shackles and a beige prison jumpsuit, the once prominent South Carolina lawyer Alex Murdaugh continued to swear he was innocent Friday as a judge slammed him as a "monster" whose conduct was worse than many offenders who got the death penalty.Judge Clifton Newman sentenced Murdaugh to life in prison for the June 7, 2021 . 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. (Geagan and Richardson, known associates of other members of the gang, were among the early suspects. They did not expect to find the Aladdin's cave to contain some 26m in gold bullion and diamonds that they stumbled upon. Two days after Christmas of 1955, FBI agents paid another visit to OKeefe. This phase of the investigation was pursued exhaustively. Members of the Purple Gang of the 1930s found that there was renewed interest in their activities. 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. 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. After the truck parts were found, additional suspicion was attached to these men. All efforts to identify the persons responsible for the theft and the persons who had cut up the truck were unsuccessful. He. The Brinks Job, 1950. The theft changed the face of the British underworld. Later, when he counted the money, he found that the suitcase contained $98,000. 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. They put the entire $200,000 in the trunk of OKeefes automobile. Each man also was given a pistol and a Halloween-type mask. During this operation, one of the employees had lost his glasses; they later could not be found on the Brinks premises. Two hours later he was dead. After continuing up the street to the end of the playground which adjoined the Brinks building, the truck stopped. Had any particles of evidence been found in the loot which might directly show that they had handled it? 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. If passing police had looked closer early that Saturday morning on November 26, 1983, they would have noticed the van was weighted down below its wheel arches with three tons of gold. 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. The theft occurred in July when a Brink's big rig paused at a Grapevine truck stop while transporting jewelry from a Northern California trade show to the Southland. Brian Robinson was arrested in December 1983 after Stephen Black - the security guard who let the robbers into the Brink's-Mat warehouse, and Robinson's brother-in-law - named him to police. In addition to the general descriptions received from the Brinks employees, the investigators obtained several pieces of physical evidence. The amusement arcade operator told the officer that he had followed the man who passed this $10.00 bill to a nearby tavern. An immediate effort also was made to obtain descriptive data concerning the missing cash and securities. The robbers removed the adhesive tape from the mouth of one employee and learned that the buzzer signified that someone wanted to enter the vault area. Two other men, ex-Brink's guard Thomas O'Connor and unemployed teacher Charles McCormick, were acquitted. Each of the five lock cylinders was taken on a separate occasion. A number of them discontinued their operations; others indicated a strong desire that the robbers be identified and apprehended. The Brinks Mat Robbery: The real story that inspired The Gold. 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. Democrat and Chronicle. 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. Officials said the incident happened at a Wendy's in a strip mall at 87th and Lafayette, right off the Dan Ryan Expressway. BY The Associated Press. A detective examines the Brinks vault after the theft. 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. All of them wore Navy-type peacoats, gloves, and chauffeurs caps. 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. OKeefe did not know where the gang members had hidden their shares of the lootor where they had disposed of the money if, in fact, they had disposed of their shares. Pino was determined to fight against deportation. Within two months of his return, another member of the gang suffered a legal setback. Again, the FBIs investigation resulted merely in the elimination of more possible suspects. The money inside the cooler which was concealed in the wall of the Tremont Street office was wrapped in plastic and newspaper. More than $7 million was stolen in a brazen holdup at a Brink's armored car service in Rochester in 1993. On the afternoon of July 9, he was visited by a clergyman. Thorough inquiries were made concerning the disposition of the bags after their receipt by the Massachusetts firm. 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 removal of the lock cylinder from the outside door involved the greatest risk of detection. 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. Faherty had been questioned on the night of the robbery. Tarr was doomed to the role of unlucky Brinks driver. (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.). This lead was pursued intensively. All right, he told two FBI agents, what do you want to know?. Among the early suspects was Anthony Pino, an alien who had been a principal suspect in numerous major robberies and burglaries in Massachusetts. As the robbers sped from the scene, a Brinks employee telephoned the Boston Police Department. Gusciora now had passed beyond the reach of all human authority, and OKeefe was all the more determined to see that justice would be done. The conviction for burglary in McKean County, Pennsylvania, still hung over his head, and legal fees remained to be paid. Many other types of information were received. Subsequently, OKeefe left his carand the $200,000in a garage on Blue Hill Avenue in Boston. 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. Estimates range from $10 million to $100 million. 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. Both men remained mute following their arrests. Terry Perkins. A passerby might notice that it was missing. The truck pieces were concealed in fiber bags when found. Allegedly, he pulled a gun on OKeefe; several shots were exchanged by the two men, but none of the bullets found their mark. 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. For the Rockland County community, the Brink's Robbery rises to that historic standard. On October 11, 1950, Gusciora was sentenced to serve from five to 20 years in the Western Pennsylvania Penitentiary at Pittsburgh. 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. To his neighbors in Jackson Heights in the early 1990s, Sam . After these plans were reviewed and found to be unhelpful, OKeefe and Gusciora returned them in the same manner. Fat John and the business associate of the man arrested in Baltimore were located and interviewed on the morning of June 4, 1956. First, there was the money. Even fearing the new bills might be linked with the crime, McGinnis suggested a process for aging the new money in a hurry.. On November, 26, 1983, three tonnes of solid gold bullion was taken by six armed robbers from the Brink's-Mat security depot near . 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. 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. Two weeks of comparative quiet in the gang members lives were shattered on June 5, 1954, when an attempt was made on OKeefes life. 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. OKeefes reputation for nerve was legend. Gusciora also claimed to have been drinking that evening. The Brinks Mat Robbery: The real story that inspired The Gold. This chauffeurs cap was left at the scene of the crime of the centurythe 1950 robbery of a Brink's bank branch in Massachusetts. T he robbers were there because they knew there was 3 million in cash locked in the . On November 26, 1981, six armed men from South London broke into the Brink's-Mat warehouse near London Heathrow. 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. BOSTON Friday, Jan. 17, 2020 marks 70 years since a group of armed and masked men stole millions of dollars from an armored car depot in the North End in what the FBI still calls "the crime of the century.". The truck found at the dump had been reported stolen by a Ford dealer near Fenway Park in Boston on November 3, 1949. The Gold is a 2023 television series created for BBC One and Paramount+. A thorough investigation was made concerning his whereabouts on the evening of January 17, 1950. An appeal was promptly noted, and he was released on $15,000 bond. In December 1954, he indicated to the agents that Pino could look for rough treatment if he (OKeefe) again was released. 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. He later was to be arrested as a member of the robbery gang. Thieves vanished after stealing $2.7 million, leaving few clues. Occasionally, an offender who was facing a prison term would boast that he had hot information. The other gun was picked up by the officer and identified as having been taken during the Brinks robbery. This is good money, he said, but you cant pass it around here in Boston.. Underworld sources described him as fully capable of planning and executing the Brinks robbery. The robbery saw six armed men break into a security depot near London . After each interview, FBI agents worked feverishly into the night checking all parts of his story which were subject to verification. Many of the details had previously been obtained during the intense six-year investigation. It unleashed a trail of eight murders and a global hunt for. 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. This man claimed to have no knowledge of Pinos involvement in the Brinks robbery.). The Bureau was convinced that it had identified the actual robbers, but evidence and witnesses had to be found. The Brink's-Mat robbery occurred at the Heathrow International Trading Estate, London, United Kingdom, on 26 November 1983 and was one of the largest robberies in British history. Early in June 1956, however, an unexpected break developed. OKeefe wore crepe-soled shoes to muffle his footsteps; the others wore rubbers. He was found brutally murdered in his car in 1987. Investigation revealed that Geagan, a laborer, had not gone to work on January 17 or 18, 1950.). 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. During their forays inside the building, members of the gang took the lock cylinders from five doors, including the one opening onto Prince Street. 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. After completing its hearings on January 9, 1953, the grand jury retired to weigh the evidence. Shortly after these two guns were found, one of them was placed in a trash barrel and was taken to the city dump. 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. 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. He had been released on parole from the Norfolk, Massachusetts, Prison Colony on August 22, 1949only five months before the robbery. 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.. While on bond he returned to Boston; on January 23, 1954, he appeared in the Boston Municipal Court on the probation violation charge. As the truck drove past the Brinks offices, the robbers noted that the lights were out on the Prince Street side of the building. (Following pleas of guilty in November 1956, Fat John received a two-year sentence, and the other two men were sentenced to serve one years imprisonment. He ran a gold and jewellery dealing company, Scadlynn Ltd, in Bristol with business partners Garth Victor Chappell and Terence Edward James Patch. Immediately upon leaving, the gang loaded the loot into the truck that was parked on Prince Street near the door. The police officer said he had been talking to McGinnis first, and Pino arrived later to join them. In the end, the perfect crime had a perfect endingfor everyone but the robbers. Until now, little has been known about the dogged methods police used to infiltrate the criminal underworld behind the 1983 robbery. 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. All identifying marks placed on currency and securities by the customers were noted, and appropriate stops were placed at banking institutions across the nation. However, the group were shocked to find a massive 26 million in gold . Another old gang that had specialized in hijacking bootlegged whiskey in the Boston area during Prohibition became the subject of inquiries. Fat John announced that each of the packages contained $5,000. 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. An automobile identified as the car used in the escape was located near a Boston hospital, and police officers concealed themselves in the area. 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. At approximately 9:50 p.m., the details of this incident were furnished to the Baltimore Field Office of the FBI. The robbery of 26m of gold bars from a warehouse near Heathrow airport is one of Britain's most notorious - and biggest - heists. This underworld character told the officers that he had found this money. The Great Brinks Robbery was the biggest armed robbery in U.S. history at the time. Three years later, almost to the day, these ten men, together with another criminal, were to be indicted by a state grand jury in Boston for the Brinks robbery. 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. Those killed in the. Three of the newspapers used to wrap the bills were identified. 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. The loot was quickly unloaded, and Banfield sped away to hide the truck. Because the money in the cooler was in various stages of decomposition, an accurate count proved most difficult to make. 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. 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. (Geagan, who was on parole at the time, left the truck before it arrived at the home in Roxbury where the loot was unloaded. During this visit, Gusciora got up from his bed, and, in full view of the clergyman, slipped to the floor, striking his head. During November and December 1949, the approach to the Brinks building and the flight over the getaway route were practiced to perfection. 00:29. He needed money for his defense against the charges in McKean County, and it was obvious that he had developed a bitter attitude toward a number of his close underworld associates. Pino would take the locks to the mans shop, and keys would be made for them. After dousing security guards with petrol and threatening them with a lit match if they didn't open the safes, the six men made an amazing discovery when they stumbled upon 3,000kg worth of gold bars. Chicago police said at about 3 p.m., a 38-year-old male armored truck . On November, 26, 1983, three tonnes of solid gold bullion was taken by six armed robbers from the Brink's-Mat security depot near Heathrow Airport. Banfield, the driver, was alone in the front. For example, from a citizen in California came the suggestion that the loot might be concealed in the Atlantic Ocean near Boston. The eight men were sentenced by Judge Forte on October 9, 1956. A new BBC crime drama series follows the gripping twists and turns of what was dubbed the "crime of the century" in the 1980s. That prison term, together with Pinos conviction in March 1928 for carnal abuse of a girl, provided the basis for the deportation action. On June 19, 1958, while out on appeal in connection with a five-year narcotics sentence, he was found shot to death in an automobile that had crashed into a truck in Boston.). Despite the arrests and indictments in January 1956, more than $2,775,000, including $1,218,211.29 in cash, was still missing. It was given to him in a suitcase that was transferred to his car from an automobile occupied by McGinnis and Banfield. The hoodlum was taken to police headquarters where a search of his person disclosed he was carrying more than $1,000, including $860 in musty, worn bills. As long as he was in prison, he could do no physical harm to his Boston criminal associates. Banfield drove the truck to the house of Maffies parents in Roxbury. 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. You get me released, and Ill solve the case in no time, these criminals would claim. 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. Two of the participants in the Brinks robbery lived in the Stoughton area. More than 100 persons took the stand as witnesses for the prosecution and the defense during September 1956. In September 1949, Pinos efforts to evade deportation met with success. Accordingly, another lock cylinder was installed until the original one was returned. 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. The families of OKeefe and Gusciora resided in the vicinity of Stoughton, Massachusetts. Examination revealed the cause of his death to be a brain tumor and acute cerebral edema. It was billed as the perfect crime and the the crime of the century.. And it nearly was. Well-meaning persons throughout the country began sending the FBI tips and theories which they hoped would assist in the investigation. On November 26, 1981, six armed men from South London broke into the Brink's-Mat warehouse near London Heathrow. OKeefe had no place to keep so large a sum of money. To muffle their footsteps, one of the gang wore crepe-soled shoes, and the others wore rubbers. California thieves pulled off a heist straight out of "Ocean's 11'' swiping up to $150 million in jewels from a Brink's armored truck as it drove from one convention show to . Shortly after 6.40am, six armed robbers in balaclavas entered a warehouse at Heathrow airport belonging to security company Brink's-Mat. As this bag was being emptied later that evening, the glasses were discovered and destroyed by the gang. Neither had too convincing an alibi. An inside man by the name of Anthony . 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. Before his trial in McKean County, he was released on $17,000 bond. The Brinks Mat Robbery: The real story that inspired The Gold. On August 30, he was taken into custody as a suspicious person.