He had been released on parole from the Norfolk, Massachusetts, Prison Colony on August 22, 1949only five months before the robbery. James 'Big Jim' O'Leary. The 1851 Navy, produced from 1851-1872 was the most famous of the cap-and-ball era. 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. The Italian Mafia seems to have a monopoly on crazy nicknames, but the Japanese Yakuza has a few colorful characters as well. Like Gusciora, OKeefe was known to have associated with Pino prior to the Brinks robbery. Continuous investigation, however, had linked him with the gang. Three of the remaining five gang members were previously accounted for, OKeefe and Gusciora being in prison on other charges and Banfield being dead. Photo: John R. Chapin / Wikimedia Commons / Public Domain. Banfield had been a close associate of McGinnis for many years. He had been questioned concerning his whereabouts on January 17, 1950, and he was unable to provide any specific account of where he had been. The loot was quickly unloaded, and Banfield sped away to hide the truck. After denying any knowledge of the escape of Trigger Burke, Pino was released. The robbers carefully planned routine inside Brinks was interrupted only when the attendant in the adjoining Brinks garage sounded the buzzer. Even fearing the new bills might be linked with the crime, McGinnis suggested a process for aging the new money in a hurry.. The pardon meant that his record no longer contained the second conviction; thus, the Immigration and Naturalization Service no longer had grounds to deport him. Well-known Boston hoodlums were picked up and questioned by police. In pursuing the underworld rumors concerning the principal suspects in the Brinks case, the FBI succeeded in identifying more probable members of the gang. 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. Bank Robberies. After a period of hostility, he began to display a friendly attitude. While the others stayed at the house to make a quick count of the loot, Pino and Faherty departed. Others fell apart as they were handled. (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. During this visit, Gusciora got up from his bed, and, in full view of the clergyman, slipped to the floor, striking his head. Thus, when he and Gusciora were taken into custody by state authorities during the latter part of January 1950, OKeefe got word to McGinnis to recover his car and the $200,000 that it contained. 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. Meyer Lansky - Estimated net worth - $400 million. Seven months later, however, he was again paroled. Six Famous People Alive During the 1950 Census. If local hoodlums were involved, it was difficult to believe that McGinnis could be as ignorant of the crime as he claimed. At the outset, very few facts were available to the investigators. His mother was a fashion illustrator, Norma Cripps. It never made it to the air, but in 1953, Frank Sinatra starred in a proposed private eye series called Blues in the Night. A roll of waterproof adhesive tape used to gag and bind bank employees that was left at the scene of the crime. On January 11, 1956, the United States Attorney at Boston authorized special agents of the FBI to file complaints charging the 11 criminals with (1) conspiracy to commit theft of government property, robbery of government property, and bank robbery by force and violence and by intimidation, (2) committing bank robbery on January 17, 1950, and committing an assault on Brinks employees during the taking of the money, and (3) conspiracy to receive and conceal money in violation of the Bank Robbery and Theft of Government Property Statutes. 5. 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. 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. 1950 Fox Feature FAMOUS CRIMES #16 GERBER 6 GOLDEN AGE 10 CENT ISSUE RARE. Later, the life of one of the most notorious criminals of the late 20th century inspired a number of books and movies. 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. Within two months of his return, another member of the gang suffered a legal setback. The Chronicle The Jack the Ripper of the Bay Area: Zodiac is our bogeyman. 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. After receiving the go ahead signal from Costa, the seven armed men walked to the Prince Street entrance of Brinks. Well-meaning persons throughout the country began sending the FBI tips and theories which they hoped would assist in the investigation. The trip from the liquor store in Roxbury to the Brinks offices could be made in about 15 minutes. (The arrests of Faherty and Richardson also resulted in the indictment of another Boston hoodlum as an accessory after the fact). During 1955, OKeefe carefully pondered his position. Also not becoming series were adaptations of old time radio programs like The First Nighter, The Witch's Tale and Mandrake the Magician. This man, subsequently identified as a small-time Boston underworld figure, was located and questioned. As a government witness, he reluctantly would have testified against him. In that way, the world hasn't changed much since the atomic age. There was Adolph Jazz Maffie, one of the hoodlums who allegedly was being pressured to contribute money for the legal battle of OKeefe and Gusciora against Pennsylvania authorities. $50.00 + $17.00 shipping. 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. 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. Information received from this individual linked nine well-known hoodlums with the crime. Here are 9 of Ontario's most notorious criminals ever: 1. 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. Special agents subsequently interviewed Costa and his wife, Pino and his wife, the racketeer, and OKeefe. This is good money, he said, but you cant pass it around here in Boston.. OKeefe paid his respects to other members of the Brinks gang in Boston on several occasions in the spring of 1954, and it was obvious to the agents handling the investigation that he was trying to solicit money. On October 11, 1950, Gusciora was sentenced to serve from five to 20 years in the Western Pennsylvania Penitentiary at Pittsburgh. 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. On August 29, 1954, the officers suspicions were aroused by an automobile that circled the general vicinity of the abandoned car on five occasions. 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. (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. 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. While action to appeal the convictions was being taken on their behalf, the eight men were removed to the State prison at Walpole, Massachusetts. OKeefe wore crepe-soled shoes to muffle his footsteps; the others wore rubbers. All of them wore Navy-type peacoats, gloves, and chauffeurs caps. In addition to mold, insect remains also were found on the loot. OKeefe was wounded in the wrist and chest, but again he managed to escape with his life. 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. Each carried a pair of gloves. Although the attendant did not suspect that the robbery was taking place, this incident caused the criminals to move more swiftly. In addition, McGinnis was named in two other complaints involving the receiving and concealing of the loot. Chuck Cooper, 23 years old. Before the robbers could take him prisoner, the garage attendant walked away. IThis is a very unusual 16mm film from the 1950s that attempts to be a documentary. She was supposedly a practicioner of black magic and voodoo. This incident also took place in Dorchester and involved the firing of more than 30 shots. Paul Kenneth Bernardo has been coined "The Scarborough Rapist". On June 5 and June 7, the Suffolk County grand jury returned indictments against the three mencharging them with several state offenses involving their possessing money obtained in the Brinks robbery. Page 1 of 1 ( 15 Killers ) # 1 Carroll Edward Cole Carroll Cole 16 Victims 33 Years # 2 Elias Xitavhudzi Pangaman, Panga man 16 Victims 10 Years # 3 Florencio Fernndez The Argentine Vampire, The Window Vampire 15 Victims 11 Years # 4 Elifasi Msomi Tokoloshe Killer, The Axe Killer 15 Victims 7 Years # 5 Nannie Doss In the fall of 1955, an upper court overruled the conviction on the grounds that the search and seizure of the still were illegal.). In examining the bill, a Federal Reserve note, the officer observed that it was in musty condition. Unfortunately, this proved to be an idle hope. 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. 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. Folsom's list of famous inmates includes: Rick James, musician. 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. 1950s crimes by city (2 C) 1950s crimes by continent (7 C) 1950s crimes by country (54 C) F French Connection (3 C, 6 P) K Kidnapping in the 1950s (1 P) M Murder in the 1950s (13 C) Categories: 20th-century crimes Crimes by decade Hidden categories: The results were negative. Manson, who had a long history of crime and imprisonment, led a quasi-community nicknamed the Manson Family, who viewed . Fat John announced that each of the packages contained $5,000. Investigation revealed that Geagan, a laborer, had not gone to work on January 17 or 18, 1950.). 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. Following the federal grand jury hearings, the FBIs intense investigation continued. OKeefe was sentenced on August 5, 1954, to serve 27 months in prison. By the end of the decade, six of the ten places on the list remained filled by these elusive long-time fugitives, then still at large: 1950 #14 (ten years), Frederick J. Tenuto 1952 #36 (eight years), James Eddie Diggs 1954 #78 (six years), David Daniel Keegan 1956 #97 (four years), Eugene Francis Newman 1958 #107 (two years), Angelo Luigi Pero Among the early suspects was Anthony Pino, an alien who had been a principal suspect in numerous major robberies and burglaries in Massachusetts. The Axe Man of New Orleans. He was not with the gang when the robbery took place. Early in June 1956, however, an unexpected break developed. Enter US $9.00 or more [ 2 bids] On June 17, 1954, the Boston police arrested Elmer Trigger Burke and charged him with possession of a machine gun. Before fleeing with the bags of loot, the seven armed men attempted to open a metal box containing the payroll of the General Electric Company. 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. Known as the St. Valentine's Day Massacre, the hit saw gunmen employed by Al Capone round up and slaughter seven members of the rival North Side Gang. 10 The New Orleans Axeman1918-1919. On November 16, 1959, the United States Supreme Court denied a request of the defense counsel for a writ of certiorari. 7. They had brought no tools with them, however, and they were unsuccessful. If Baker heard these rumors, he did not wait around very long to see whether they were true. 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. Both of these strong-arm suspects had been questioned by Boston authorities following the robbery. The police officer said he had been talking to McGinnis first, and Pino arrived later to join them. The photo itself is bloody -- as is the bloody story associated with it. They were the first victims of the person who would become known as the Axeman of New Orleans. Subsequently, OKeefe left his carand the $200,000in a garage on Blue Hill Avenue in Boston. Again, the FBIs investigation resulted merely in the elimination of more possible suspects. When the pieces of the 1949 green Ford stake-body truck were found at the dump in Stoughton on March 4, 1950, additional emphasis was placed on the investigations concerning them. From the size of the loot and the number of men involved, it was logical that the gang might have used a truck. Immediately upon leaving, the gang loaded the loot into the truck that was parked on Prince Street near the door. 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. Geagan claimed that he spent the evening at home and did not learn of the Brinks robbery until the following day. This phase of the investigation was pursued exhaustively. Pino would take the locks to the mans shop, and keys would be made for them. 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