what happened to the money from the brinks robberysewell funeral home obituaries
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Rumors from the underworld pointed suspicion at several criminal gangs. This man subsequently identified locks from doors which the Brinks gang had entered as being similar to the locks which Pino had brought him. It was given to him in a suitcase that was transferred to his car from an automobile occupied by McGinnis and Banfield. 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. Occasionally, an offender who was facing a prison term would boast that he had hot information. And what of McGinnis himself? 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. This man, subsequently identified as a small-time Boston underworld figure, was located and questioned. Police recovered only $58,000 of the $2.7 million stolen. 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. Then the lock cylinders were replaced. He had been convicted of armed robbery in 1940 and served several months in the Massachusetts State Reformatory and the Norfolk, Massachusetts, Prison Colony. Thorough inquiries were made concerning the disposition of the bags after their receipt by the Massachusetts firm. 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. On this day, Jawarski made history by pulling off the nation's first armored car robbery. Even in their jail cells, however, they showed no respect for law enforcement. The results were negative. Banfield had been a close associate of McGinnis for many years. An acetylene torch had been used to cut up the truck, and it appeared that a sledge hammer also had been used to smash many of the heavy parts, such as the motor. Two other Baltimore police officers who were walking along the street nearby noted this maneuver. 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. The ninth man had long been a principal suspect. Each man also was given a pistol and a Halloween-type mask. The other keys in their possession enabled them to proceed to the second floor where they took the five Brinks employees by surprise. They put the entire $200,000 in the trunk of OKeefes automobile. Shortly thereafterduring the first week of Novembera 1949 green Ford stake-body truck was reported missing by a car dealer in Boston. A detailed search for additional weapons was made at the Mystic River. And it nearly was. From his cell in Springfield, OKeefe wrote bitter letters to members of the Brinks gang and persisted in his demands for money. 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. Two days after Christmas of 1955, FBI agents paid another visit to OKeefe. They were held in lieu of bail which, for each man, amounted to more then $100,000. It was almost the perfect crime. Even after these convictions, OKeefe and Gusciora continued to seek their release. Because the money in the cooler was in various stages of decomposition, an accurate count proved most difficult to make. Soon after OKeefes return in March 1954, Baker and his wife left Boston on a vacation.. 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. 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. Had any particles of evidence been found in the loot which might directly show that they had handled it? The truck found at the dump had been reported stolen by a Ford dealer near Fenway Park in Boston on November 3, 1949. Nonetheless, the finding of the truck parts at Stoughton, Massachusetts, was to prove a valuable break in the investigation. 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 gang members who remained at the house of Maffies parents soon dispersed to establish alibis for themselves. Due to his criminal record, the Immigration and Naturalization Service instituted proceedings in 1941 to deport him. When the employees were securely bound and gagged, the robbers began looting the premises. They stole 26 million in gold bullion - the biggest robbery of . Both of these strong-arm suspects had been questioned by Boston authorities following the robbery. While OKeefe and Gusciora lingered in jail in Pennsylvania, Pino encountered difficulties of his own. On November 26, 1981, six armed men from South London broke into the Brink's-Mat warehouse near London Heathrow. During this operation, one of the employees had lost his glasses; they later could not be found on the Brinks premises. 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. 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. OKeefe had no place to keep so large a sum of money. He had been released on parole from the Norfolk, Massachusetts, Prison Colony on August 22, 1949only five months before the robbery. The incident happened outside of a Chase Bank in . All five employees had been forced at gunpoint to lie face down on the floor. The criminals had been looking to do a. Many tips were received from anonymous persons. Commonly regarded as a dominant figure in the Boston underworld, McGinnis previously had been convicted of robbery and narcotics violations. The robbers did little talking. Again, he was determined to fight, using the argument that his conviction for the 1948 larceny offense was not a basis for deportation. Well-meaning persons throughout the country began sending the FBI tips and theories which they hoped would assist in the investigation. He was sentenced to 25 years in prison in 1984 for involvement in the Brink's Mat job. A few weeks later, OKeefe retrieved his share of the loot. There were recurring rumors that this hoodlum, Joseph Sylvester Banfield (pictured), had been right down there on the night of the crime. The group were led by Mickey McAdams and Brian Robinson who planned to find 3 million in cash. This cooler contained more than $57,700, including $51,906 which was identifiable as part of the Brinks loot. 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 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. Almost immediately, the gang began laying new plans. 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. 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. The stolen 6,800 gold ingots, diamonds and cash would be worth 100million today. All denied any knowledge of the alleged incident. He had been short changed $2,000. After completing its hearings on January 9, 1953, the grand jury retired to weigh the evidence. 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 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. Reports had been received alleging that he had held up several gamblers in the Boston area and had been involved in shakedowns of bookies. FBI.gov is an official site of the U.S. Department of Justice. He was not involved in the Brinks robbery. The amusement arcade operator told the officer that he had followed the man who passed this $10.00 bill to a nearby tavern. After continuing up the street to the end of the playground which adjoined the Brinks building, the truck stopped. The other gun was picked up by the officer and identified as having been taken during the Brinks robbery. The recovery of part of the loot was a severe blow to the gang members who still awaited trial in Boston. On June 4, 1956 a man named "Fat John" admitted he had money that was linked to the Brink's robbery in his possession. Geagan claimed that he spent the evening at home and did not learn of the Brinks robbery until the following day. The heist happened on Prince Street in Boston's North End on Jan. 17, 1950. During the trip from Roxbury, Pino distributed Navy-type peacoats and chauffeurs caps to the other seven men in the rear of the truck. An official website of the United States government. Had the ground not been frozen, the person or persons who abandoned the bags probably would have attempted to bury them. Banfield, the driver, was alone in the front. After being wounded on June 16, OKeefe disappeared. 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. Minutes later, police arrived at the Brinks building, and special agents of the FBI quickly joined in the investigation. A systematic check of current and past Brinks employees was undertaken; personnel of the three-story building housing the Brinks offices were questioned; inquiries were made concerning salesmen, messengers, and others who had called at Brinks and might know its physical layout as well as its operational procedures. 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. 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. In December 1948, Brinks moved from Federal Street to 165 Prince Street in Boston. 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. 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. 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. Among the early suspects was Anthony Pino, an alien who had been a principal suspect in numerous major robberies and burglaries in Massachusetts.
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