Information received from this individual linked nine well-known hoodlums with the crime. During the regular exercise period, Burke separated himself from the other prisoners and moved toward a heavy steel door leading to the solitary confinement section. A third attempt on OKeefes life was made on June 16, 1954. Following their arrests, a former bondsman in Boston made frequent trips to Towanda in an unsuccessful effort to secure their release on bail. None of these materialized because the gang did not consider the conditions to be favorable. Fat John announced that each of the packages contained $5,000. As of 2004, it was On August 30, he was taken into custody as a suspicious person. The robbery remained unsolved for nearly six years, until estranged group member Joseph O'Keefe testified only days before the statute of limitations would have expired. His explanation: He had been drinking at a bar in Boston. Many tips were received from anonymous persons. Considerable thought was given to every detail. 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 mass of information gathered during the early weeks of the investigation was continuously sifted. After denying any knowledge of the escape of Trigger Burke, Pino was released. OKeefe wore crepe-soled shoes to muffle his footsteps; the others wore rubbers. On the afternoon of July 9, he was visited by a clergyman. All right, he told two FBI agents, what do you want to know?. Apparently suspicious, OKeefe crouched low in the front seat of his car as the would-be assassins fired bullets that pierced the windshield. Less than $60,000 of the more than $2.7 million stolen would ever be recovered. O'Keefe cooperated with writer Bob Considine on The Men Who Robbed Brink's, a 1961 "as told to" book about the robbery and its aftermath. During November and December 1949, the approach to the Brinks building and the flight over the getaway route were practiced to perfection. 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. A federal search warrant was obtained, and the home was searched by agents on April 27, 1950. 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. [13] Most of the cash stolen was in denominations of $1 to $20, which made it nearly impossible to trace the bills through serial numbers. Both denied knowledge of the loot that had been recovered. The truck that the robbers had used was found cut to pieces in Stoughton, Massachusetts, near O'Keefe's home. 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. 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. THE Brink's-Mat robbery is one of the most notorious crimes in British history. 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. Apparently, they had planned a leisurely trip with an abundance of extracurricular activities.. The eight men were sentenced by Judge Forte on October 9, 1956. 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 Among the early suspects was Anthony Pino, an alien who had been a principal suspect in numerous major robberies and burglaries in Massachusetts. After the truck parts were found, additional suspicion was attached to these men. Prior to this time, McGinnis had been at his liquor store. On November 16, 1959, the United States Supreme Court denied a request of the defense counsel for a writ of certiorari. 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. Edward O'Grady, Officer Waverly Brown and Brink's guard Peter Paige were killed during the Oct. 20, 1981, robbery in Nanuet, New York. 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. Of the $4,822 found in the small-time criminals possession, FBI agents identified $4,635 as money taken by the Brinks robbers. Executive producers are Tommy Bulfin for the BBC; Neil Forsyth and Ben Farrell for Tannadice Pictures; and Kate Laffey and Claire Sowerby-Sheppard for VIS. 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. An immediate effort also was made to obtain descriptive data concerning the missing cash and securities. The thieves quickly bound the employees and began hauling away the loot. [17], Immediately following the robbery, Police Commissioner Thomas F. Sullivan sent a mobilization order for all precinct captains and detectives. Brains behind the 26million Brink Underworld figures in Boston have generally speculated that the racketeer was killed because of his association with OKeefe. 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. Ten of the persons who appeared before this grand jury breathed much more easily when they learned that no indictments had been returned. As a guard moved to intercept him, Burke started to run. ), (After serving his sentence, Fat John resumed a life of crime. The FBI further learned that four revolvers had been taken by the gang. Early in June 1956, however, an unexpected break developed. If local hoodlums were involved, it was difficult to believe that McGinnis could be as ignorant of the crime as he claimed. 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. From their prison cells, they carefully followed the legal maneuvers aimed at gaining them freedom. During the period immediately following the Brinks robbery, the heat was on OKeefe and Gusciora. Two other Baltimore police officers who were walking along the street nearby noted this maneuver. You get me released, and Ill solve the case in no time, these criminals would claim. Two days before Maffies release, another strong suspect died of natural causes. Soon the underworld rang with startling news concerning this pair. THE brains behind the 26million Brinks-Mat bullion robbery has died penniless. Faherty had been questioned on the night of the robbery. Eight of the gang's members received maximum sentences of life imprisonment. 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. On March 4, 1950, pieces of an identical truck were found at a dump in Stoughton, Massachusetts. Veteran criminals throughout the United States found their activities during mid-January the subject of official inquiry. 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. 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. 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. Each of the five lock cylinders was taken on a separate occasion. There had been three attempts on his life in June 1954, and his frustrated assassins undoubtedly were waiting for him to return to Boston. Fact vs Fiction: The Gold did the Brink's-Mat robbers get caught? 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. 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. After receiving the go ahead signal from Costa, the seven armed men walked to the Prince Street entrance of Brinks. Almost immediately, the gang began laying new plans. Like the others, Banfield had been questioned concerning his activities on the night of January 17, 1950. The truck found at the dump had been reported stolen by a Ford dealer near Fenway Park in Boston on November 3, 1949. Several hundred dollars were found hidden in the house but could not be identified as part of the loot. WebWho Was Involved In The Brinks Robbery? In addition, McGinnis was named in two other complaints involving the receiving and concealing of the loot. Costa was associated with Pino in the operation of a motor terminal and a lottery in Boston. Former inmates of penal institutions reported conversations they had overheard while incarcerated which concerned the robbing of Brinks. Sentenced to serve from five to seven years for this offense, he was released from prison in September 1941. The conviction for burglary in McKean County, Pennsylvania, still hung over his head, and legal fees remained to be paid. On January 12, 1956, just five days before the statute of limitations was to run out, the FBI arrested Baker, Costa, Geagan, Maffie, McGinnis, and Pino. 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 All five employees had been forced at gunpoint to lie face down on the floor. More than 100 persons took the stand as witnesses for the prosecution and the defense during September 1956. The amusement arcade operator told the officer that he had followed the man who passed this $10.00 bill to a nearby tavern. 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. Thirteen people were detained in the hours following the robbery, including two former employees of Brink's. Prior to his murder, If Baker heard these rumors, he did not wait around very long to see whether they were true. In September 1949, Pinos efforts to evade deportation met with success. Adding to these problems was the constant pressure being exerted upon Pino by OKeefe from the county jail in Towanda, Pennsylvania. The detainer involved OKeefes violation of probation in connection with a conviction in 1945 for carrying concealed weapons. In the back were Pino, OKeefe, Baker, Faherty, Maffie, Gusciora, Michael Vincent Geagan (pictured), and Thomas Francis Richardson. Of the hundreds of New England hoodlums contacted by FBI agents in the weeks immediately following the robbery, few were willing to be interviewed. Brinks robbery-murders: Where the are key players now - The WebBrian Robinson was convicted of armed robbery and sentenced to 25 years in prison. 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. Members of the Purple Gang of the 1930s found that there was renewed interest in their activities. As the truck drove past the Brinks offices, the robbers noted that the lights were out on the Prince Street side of the building. This phase of the investigation greatly disturbed many gamblers. A roll of waterproof adhesive tape used to gag and bind bank employees that was left at the scene of the crime. The robbery received significant press coverage, and was eventually adapted into four movies. (Geagan, who was on parole at the time, left the truck before it arrived at the home in Roxbury where the loot was unloaded. OKeefe was enraged that the pieces of the stolen Ford truck had been placed on the dump near his home, and he generally regretted having become associated at all with several members of the gang.