I got out before the doors were locked, but a guy walking into the bank seconds later already found them locked. Valerio Viccei was the mastermind behind the heist that took place on July 12, 1987 and resulted in a robbery involving $66 million, worth about $154.7 million as of today. May 2, 2004, Frank and Jesse James: The Story Behind the Legend. James started as a soldier in the Civil War and then, after the war was over, set out to knock off financial institutions to become rich. They were never caught, and are believed to be behind similar heists in Paris during the following weeks. Hamilton was at the top of the public enemy list, whilst Dillinger and associate Harry Pierpoint were imprisoned. When Jesse read newspaper reports of robberies which were attributed to him he often wrote to the papers editor protesting his innocence of the crime in question. They often took photographs of themselves posing together with the weapons they used during armed robberies. In prison he met Fred Barker who was serving a sentence for bank burglary. He was arrested after being recognized during the robbery and sentenced to 10 to 20 years imprisonment, which was a very harsh sentence, indeed, for a first time offender. The most famous of the gangs which used the pass was that known as the Wild Bunch, led by Robert Leroy Parker, also known as Butch Cassidy, and his partner Harry Longabaugh, known to history as the Sundance Kid. Police caught him 15 minutes later with the knife and 410 in cash stolen from a Tesco in King's Lynn, Norfolk. The case eluded officials for decades, until an obituary appeared online and family secrets began to unravel. Butch Cassidy: Butch Cassidy was the leader of one of the famous robbery gangs, Wild Butch Gang. In yet another gun battle with police, a second robber was killed. For a short while, Nelson was number one on the FBI list of public enemies. Once the robbers reached an area near Lytle Creek they again engaged the pursuers. A mere boy a pretty boy with apple cheeks.. As great of a criminal as Butch Cassidy was, there are still questions as to how he died. Only one of the robbers wore a mask, the others were easily identified and arrested. As the sons of migrant farmworkers, they had often visited Michigan in the spring and early summer as their parents picked fruit. On Feb. 10, 1997, Bowman and Kirkpatrick robbed the Seafirst Bank of $4,461,681.00. 2003, The Great Northfield Raid Revisited. As in the earlier days in the west, where criminals such as Jesse James gained the sympathy and even the admiration of citizens who agreed with their activities, some of the famous robbers and murderers of the days of the roving gangs became folk heroes among the poor and the outcast of the depression. Beginning in the 1930s, and in some cases even earlier in larger cities and towns, banks installed security mechanisms to protect themselves and their employees from robberies. Wikimedia. January 14, 1998, 3 Survivors of Geronimo Bank Robbery Testify at Neill Retrial. Valerio and his associates entered the facility, pretending to be customers. One of the main things I learned from research was that an overwhelming number of people are caught because they didn't do it solo. During his criminal career, which was a short and violent one, he was only accused of personally killing one individual, an East Chicago police officer, though his associates killed many more while committing robberies and eluding capture. After the Kansas City massacre, in which three police officers and an FBI agent were killed when escorting Frank Nash during a change of custody (Nash was also killed), Pretty Boy Floyd was named by the FBI as one of the gunmen. After a bank robbery it wasnt uncommon to find Pretty Boy handing out bags of cash to people and ripping up mortgage papers also stolen from the bank. Via: The Richest. The Banco Central burglary Stolen: $71.6 million. The Bank of Montpelier/Facebook. Bass's one and only big haul was in September of . I told him I was 100% sure that they had the amount wrong. He also stole the Sheriffs new Ford car to make his getaway. One of the thieves, the one who had worn a ski mask, made it as far as Albuquerque, New Mexico before he was arrested two days following the robbery. Considered to be the most sensational bank robberies in India to date. The 300 million yen robbery caught the interest of international media when it took place in 1968. The brothers were sentenced on federal charges and later received additional time on state charges. Escaping successfully, Pierpont was involved in several additional bank robberies with Dillinger. Wikimedia. The small explosion occurred in public outside the bank, causing witnesses to take notice of the man. Wikimedia. Wikimedia. Guarino acted on the information given him by an employee at the World Trade Center, who also gave him his security pass. Here are some of the most notorious bank robberies or robbers in American history. This time he escaped through a tunnel along with other convicts, although he was recaptured the same day. Whilst incarcerated he became embittered against society, and began to mix with notorious criminals such as Harry Pierpoint and James Oklahoma Jack Clark. In December a robbery attempt was foiled when a bank worker pushed an alarm button, forcing the would-be robbers to flee empty-handed, but a week later they were more successful at a bank in Upland, Indiana. In January, 1934, the gang robbed a bank in Chicago escaping with $20,376. Stolen: $20 million - $50 million. ", On morals, and whether he regrets what he did. Train and stagecoach robberies were more common since they could be carried out in remote locations, without having to contend with the inconvenience of local law enforcement. Floyds support from the public was especially evident in Oklahoma, where residents sheltered and protected him, in return for financial largesse, an eventuality which infuriated J. Edgar Hoover. Two of them survived, as did a fourteen-month-old child, who was not shot because the robbers ammunition ran out. Karpis immediately joined them after he was paroled, and together they formed the Karpis-Barker gang. I wouldn't steal from an individual person because I'm not comfortable with that. FBI agent Melvin Purvis hunted down Pretty Boy Floyd to an Ohio field. He was nicknamed slick for the many disguises he wore on the job. 8 Candice Rose Martinez. Butch Cassidy (seated at right) and the Wild Bunch, one of several gangs which used Hole in the Wall Pass as a hideout. It goes without saying that it takes balls to rob a bank, so I guess the term brass balls would apply to Henry Starr. A group of robbers of 6 people, led by a man named Amil Dinsio, committed an extremely interesting bank robbery on March 24, 1972 in California, USA. Nelson was finally cornered and killed by FBI agents in November 1934, in a gun battle in which two FBI agents were also killed. Online, The Boss: J. Edgar Hoover and the Great American Inquisition. In 1972, the name of then US President Richard Nixon was . The heist inspired three films: 10 Million Dollar Getaway, the Big Heist, and Goodfellas. Is it strange that every time I walk into a bank I lightly case the joint? Is it possible he is still alive? United California bank robbery. Also, Starr starred in a silent movie based on his criminal activity titled A Debtor to the Law. The safety deposit raid in 1971 is one of the most baffling in British criminal history, and rumours that its true purpose has been covered up by the British establishment . Here are our sources: The Canadian View of the Confederate Raid on Saint Albans. When asked why he did it, his response was because it felt good, sometimes for days at a time. During the heist, a police officer was gunned down and Dillinger was officially charged with the murder, even though many witnesses named Hamilton as the shooter. Volney Davis was the boyfriend of Edna rabbits Murray. Dillinger wanted to be more famous than Capone and let everyone know who he was. It was 1976 in Beirut. The escapees then travelled to Lima County jail to liberate Dillinger. He conned his way into a program that allowed him out of prison during the day to attend the University of Michigan. I studied countless reports of other robberies that had gone wrong and people who were caught. Hunt rushed to the scene to begin investigating what would turn out to be the biggest bank robbery in San Antonio history. After the United States government protested to the British authorities the raiders were arrested in Canada and the money seized. Dillinger was paroled in 1933, at the height of the great depression, when a convicted criminal had almost no option of employment. Johnny D. Boggs, True West Magazine. 3. Although rumored to have been a nice guy, he murdered his partner, Nollie Humpy Wortman, after they completed a job. Arthur was a modern day Robin Hood, providing a service for people in need by stealing. The Bureau of Investigation (BOI), formed in 1908, expanded into the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in the 1920s and became involved in the investigation of bank robberies and the apprehension of the robbers in the 1930s. After getting pinched for robbing a gas station, he met John Dillinger and others in prison who taught himthe trade, and then escaped prison to work with Dillinger and his associates. As they were mounting their horses, shots rang out, and a nineteen-year-old college student was killed, evidently by a stray bullet. A fresh take on sports: the biggest news and most entertaining lists. It was later claimed that Butch Cassidy had been one of the robbers. I love the story of J.L. Frank Nash knocked over 200 banks in his time and is known by many as the most successful bank robber of all time. After being on the run for two years, Nelson robbed his first major bank. 01/10/2022. John Hamilton was hit and died shortly after. When he was 19, he participated in a botched burglary and was imprisoned for 10 years. Still, theres got to be something to walking into the prison yard and being asked what you do and reply with Bank Robber. There are much worse things to put on your prison resume. The group soon became the hot target of the . bank. The robbery was a near disaster though he still managed to make a clean getaway. One difference of course is that he used a machine gun versus a bow and arrow. Click to learn more. Despite this, he has still gotten away with over 45 armed bank robberies; an amazing feat considering that, statistically, over 65% of armed bank robbery cases in the US are solved. 1. So he told the police, the police told the bank, the bank checked the video..and they saw her take it. I look for video cameras, security guard positioning and speculate where the vault is. Director: Roger Avary | Stars: Eric Stoltz, Julie Delpy, Martin Raymond, Eric Pascal Chaltiel. One of the men asked for change for a ten-dollar bill, and as William opened the cash drawer the men produced pistols and demanded that a sack be filled with all the available cash. Professional burglars Amil and James Dinsio with their nephews, brother-in-law, and two other associates, who were good at disarming the alarms, pull off the largest heist in U.S. history. Later, when Parker was visiting her mother, officers moved in to arrest her again, but Barrow and an associate gunned them down, committing what was Barrows first murder of a lawman. Moments later, cops were racing through San Isidro, a leafy, affluent suburb north . Frank surrendered to the authorities later that year and was tried for two robberies, one in Missouri and one in Alabama. Amazingly, they were never caught. Authorities in four states joined in the search for the fugitives. Nov 18, 2020. The most notorious outlaws of the Wild West have long been . Fred Barker and his mother were gunned down by the FBI in their homes, in 1935. After the second gun battle in San Bernardino County, the surviving robbers escaped into the San Bernardino Mountains. Increased security in the aftermath of the 1993 World Trade Center bombing did not prevent Ralph Guarino and colleagues from robbing Bank of America there. Christopher Goodwin, The Times (London). John Dillinger, Bonnie and Clyde, Pretty Boy Floyd, and several others, were cheered by those who had been hurt by the banks during the collapse of many of them in the early days of the depression. If you ever got robbed by John Dillinger you knew it because he would have told you so. On the morning of June 9th, 1986, employees at Hollywood's First Interstate Bank showed up for work, preparing for the long week ahead. Barrow was armed with a sawed-off shotgun. Clyde Barrow and Bonnie Parker were ambushed, in May 1934. In 1909, according to the Rich Hill (Missouri) Tribune edition of August 19, 1909, two perpetrators identified only as young men arrived in front of the Valley Bank of Santa Clara, California, and entered the bank. As it became evident that Green was paying off his debts, the townspeople began to wonder where the money had come from. The bank was closed for renovations at the time, so the gang took its time, spending days breaking in and several hours emptying boxes. The Great Depression began with the Wall Street crash in 1929, and lasted well into the following decades. It was the first known instance of an automobile being used as a getaway car following both an armed robbery and a bank robbery. No deliberation. Regardless, some of them found more success than others, however, all of them eventually were caught and persecuted. He was not, but it was likely that the Sundance Kid was, and if so Cassidy certainly knew about the robbery, which took place as he was in Tipton, Wyoming, making plans for another train robbery. James was not positively identified by any witnesses (though he was well known in the area), and none of the money was ever recovered. He surrendered peacefully although no agents had brought any handcuffs, as they assumed Karpis would fight to the death. The banks customers were shoved aside and gathered with the employees, all of them forced to lie on the floor while Barrow watched over them with the shotgun and Hamilton filled a sack with the cash from the drawers. After many successful bank robberies and kidnappings, Davis was captured and charged with kidnapping. Rebecca Seales, The Daily Mail. Whichever teller was available to help me is the one I robbed. Descriptions of some of the robbers led to arrests and authorities learned of plans for further robberies during interrogations, but the police were unable to locate the ringleader of the group, Harry Pierpont. Butch was capable of robbing a bank with nothing but a pistol, but his men have been caught before. Dillinger was charged; however, many claim it was Hamilton who pulled the trigger. Baron Lamm died, aged 40, after a botched bank robbery when his gang crashed their getaway car. Volney Davis was the boyfriend of Edna "rabbits" Murray. Their point of entry was a tunnel they dug from the sewers. In February 1933, bank robberies had become so common in some parts of Texas that private banker R. P. Henry, who with his sons ran a bank in Lancaster, Texas, took to hiding cash in file cabinets, rather than keeping it in the vault safe, in expectation of a visit from criminals. Robbing a bank is the ultimate risk and reward, full of thrills, hard cash and consequences if caught. The night watchman was murdered in this incident, and Davis was sentenced to life imprisonment. He was shot dozens of times, and several of his fingers were blown off. He aligned himself with Baby Face Nelson and Tommy Carroll to rob a Michigan bank, escaping with $30,000.