1:03

Welcome back crime connoisseurs to

1:05

another thrilling case where we dive

1:08

into some of the most notorious crimes

1:10

and unsolved mysteries in history

1:12

. Today we're going back

1:14

to 1950 , a year

1:16

marked by what was dubbed the crime of

1:18

the century in Boston , massachusetts

1:21

. This audacious

1:23

heist was not only meticulously

1:25

planned , but also executed

1:28

with military precision . Join

1:31

me as we unravel the details

1:33

of this infamous crime , the

1:35

characters involved and the

1:37

aftermath that shocked the nation . This

1:40

is the case of the Great Brinks

1:42

robbery . It

2:18

was a cold , crisp evening on

2:21

January 17 , 1950

2:23

. The streets of Boston

2:25

were blanketed in snow as the

2:27

bustling city began to wind down

2:29

for the night , but in

2:32

the shadows , a group of men

2:34

were gearing up for what would become

2:36

one of the most infamous heists in

2:38

American history . The

2:41

Brinks Armored Car Depot , located

2:44

at 165 Prince Street

2:46

in the north end of Boston , was

2:49

a fortress of security boasting

2:51

thick walls , steel doors

2:53

and state-of-the-art alarm systems

2:56

. This made it a prime

2:58

target for a crew of seasoned

3:01

criminals who had been meticulously

3:03

planning the heist for over two

3:06

years . On

3:08

the night of the robbery , the crew entered

3:10

the Brinks Depot shortly after

3:12

7 pm , donning navy

3:15

peacoats , chauffeur's caps

3:17

, rubber Halloween masks

3:19

and gloves to disguise themselves

3:21

and avoid leaving fingerprints . With

3:25

precision and coordination , they

3:27

used duplicate key to gain

3:29

access to the depot . Once

3:33

inside , they overpowered and

3:35

bound five employees at

3:37

gunpoint . They moved

3:39

swiftly and silently , overpowering

3:42

the five employees who were occupied

3:44

preparing money for shipment

3:46

. The crew tied up the

3:48

employees , taped their mouths

3:51

shut and then proceeded to fill

3:53

their loot bags with cash , coins

3:55

, checks and money orders . The

3:58

robbers did little talking . They

4:01

moved with a precision that suggested

4:03

the crime had been carefully planned and

4:05

rehearsed in the preceding months

4:08

. Somehow the

4:10

crew had opened at least three

4:12

, possibly four , locked doors

4:14

to gain entrance to the second floor

4:16

of Brinks , where the five employees

4:19

were completing their nightly duties of

4:21

checking and storing the money collected

4:23

from Brinks customers . That day , all

4:27

five employees had been forced

4:29

at gunpoint to lie face down

4:31

on the floor . Their

4:33

hands were tied behind their backs and

4:35

adhesive tape was placed over their mouths

4:38

. During this time

4:40

, one of the employees had lost his

4:42

glasses . They later could

4:44

not be found on the Brink' premises

4:46

. A buzzer

4:49

sounded as the loot was being placed

4:51

in bags and stacked between the second

4:53

and third doors leading to

4:55

the Prince Street entrance . The

4:58

robbers removed the adhesive tape

5:00

from the mouth of one of the employees and

5:03

learned that the buzzer signified that

5:05

someone wanted to enter the vault area

5:07

. The person ringing

5:09

the buzzer was a garage attendant

5:12

. Two of the crew members

5:14

moved toward the door to capture him

5:16

, but seeing the garage attendant

5:18

walk away , seemingly unaware

5:21

of the robbery was being committed , they

5:23

did not pursue him . The

5:26

entire operation took approximately

5:28

30 minutes . To

5:30

further cover their tracks , the crew

5:33

carefully wiped down the premises to

5:35

remove any fingerprints and

5:37

left with minimal trace evidence

5:39

. The crew made

5:42

off with $2.7 million

5:44

in total , a staggering sum

5:47

in 1950 , equivalent

5:49

to nearly $30 million today

5:51

. The haul included

5:54

$1.2 million in

5:56

cash and the rest in securities

5:59

. They filled 14

6:01

canvas bags with cash , coins

6:03

, checks and money orders for

6:06

a total weight of more than half

6:08

a ton , making this the largest

6:10

robbery in US history . At the

6:12

time , as

6:15

the robbers sped from the scene , a

6:17

Brinks employee called the Boston Police

6:19

Department . Minutes later

6:21

, police arrived at Brinks Building

6:23

and special agents with the

6:26

FBI quickly joined in the investigation

6:28

. At

6:31

the beginning of the investigation , the

6:33

investigators had very few facts

6:35

. From the interviews with the five

6:38

employees whom the criminals had confronted

6:40

, it was learned that between five

6:42

and seven robbers had entered

6:45

the building . All of them

6:47

wore navy-type peacoats , gloves

6:49

and chauffeur's caps . Each

6:52

robber's face was completely concealed

6:54

behind a Halloween-type mask . According

6:58

to the FBI , one of the robbers

7:01

wore crepe-soled shoes to muffle

7:03

their footsteps and the others wore

7:05

rubbers . In

7:08

addition to the general descriptions from

7:10

the Brinks employees , the investigators

7:13

obtained several pieces of physical

7:15

evidence . The rope

7:17

and adhesive tape used to bind

7:19

and gag the employees , and a chauffeur's

7:22

cap that one of the robbers had worn

7:24

was left at the crime scene . The

7:27

FBI also learned that four

7:30

revolvers had been taken by the group

7:32

. The descriptions and

7:34

serial numbers of the guns were carefully

7:36

noted , since they might prove

7:39

a valuable link to the men responsible

7:41

for the crime . In

7:44

the hours immediately following the

7:46

robbery , the underworld began

7:48

to feel the heat from the investigation

7:50

. Well-known Boston

7:53

criminals were picked up and questioned

7:55

by police From

7:57

Boston . The pressure quickly spread

8:00

to other cities . Seasoned

8:02

criminals throughout the US found

8:04

their movements during mid-January

8:06

the subject of official questioning

8:08

. Since Brinks

8:10

was situated in a densely populated

8:13

tenement area , numerous

8:15

hours were spent conducting interviews

8:18

to locate individuals in the

8:20

neighborhood who might possess valuable

8:22

information about the heist . An

8:25

investigation was conducted to

8:27

check current and former Brinks employees

8:30

thoroughly . The staff

8:32

working in the three-story building that

8:34

housed the Brinks offices were interviewed

8:37

. Inquiries were also

8:39

made about salesmen , messengers

8:42

and other individuals who had visited

8:45

Brinks and might have knowledge

8:47

about its layout and operational

8:49

procedures . Efforts

8:52

were quickly made to gather information

8:55

about the missing cash and securities

8:57

. Brinks customers

8:59

were asked about the packaging and shipping

9:01

materials they used . Any

9:04

identifying markers on currency

9:06

and securities were recorded and

9:08

appropriate measures were taken at

9:10

banking institutions nationwide

9:12

. The FBI

9:14

and local police were baffled by

9:17

the precision and cleanliness of the crime

9:19

scene , leaving few clues . Initially

9:22

there were no clues and the

9:24

public began speculating whether the crime

9:27

would ever be solved . The

9:29

Brinks company offered a substantial

9:31

reward for information , but progress

9:34

slowed . The Brinks

9:36

case was front page news

9:38

Even before Brinks Incorporated

9:41

offered a $100,000 reward

9:43

for information leading to the arrest

9:46

and conviction of the individuals

9:48

responsible . The case had captured

9:50

the attention of millions of

9:52

Americans . Well-meaning

9:55

people nationwide began

9:57

sending the FBI tips and theories

9:59

which they hoped would assist in the

10:01

investigation . For

10:04

example , a person in California

11:32

suggested that the loot might

11:34

be concealed in the Atlantic Ocean near

11:36

Boston . The FBI

11:39

had previously conducted a detailed

11:41

survey of the Boston waterfront

11:43

. Former inmates

11:46

of prison institutions reported

11:48

conversations they had overheard

11:50

while incarcerated concerning

11:52

the robbery of Brinks . Each

11:55

of these leads were checked out

11:57

. However , none proved

11:59

fruitful . Various

12:02

pieces of information were obtained

12:04

. There were reports of a

12:06

man in Fayetteau , new Jersey , who

12:08

had limited resources but was

12:10

apparently spending a significant

12:12

amount of money at nightclubs , purchasing

12:15

new cars and displaying

12:18

a new sudden wealth . An

12:20

extensive investigation was conducted

12:23

to determine his whereabouts on

12:25

the evening of January 17

12:27

, 1950 . It

12:29

was confirmed that he was not connected

12:32

to the Brinks robbery . It was confirmed

12:34

that he was not connected to the Brinks robbery . Rumors

12:36

from the underworld pointed suspicion

12:38

at several criminal gangs . Members

12:48

of the Purple Gang from the 1930s found that there

12:50

was renewed interest in their activities . Another old gang specializing in hijacking

12:52

bootlegged whiskey in the Boston area

12:54

during Prohibition also

12:57

became a subject of inquiries . Again

13:00

, the FBI's investigation

13:02

resulted merely in the elimination

13:05

of more possible suspects . Many

13:09

tips were received from anonymous

13:11

individuals . Many tips were

13:13

received from anonymous individuals . On

13:19

the night of January 17 , 1952 , exactly two years after

13:21

the robbery occurred , the FBI's Boston office received an anonymous

13:23

call from an individual who claimed

13:26

he was sending a letter identifying

13:28

the Brinks robbers . Information

13:32

received from this individual linked

13:34

nine well-known criminals with

13:37

the crime . After carefully

13:39

checking , the FBI eliminated

13:42

eight of the suspects . The

13:44

ninth man had long been

13:46

a main suspect Of

13:49

the hundreds of New England criminals

13:51

contacted by the FBI agents

13:54

in the weeks immediately following

13:56

the robbery , few were

13:58

willing to be interviewed . Occasionally

14:01

, an offender who was facing prison time

14:04

would say that he had hot information

14:06

, saying things like quote you

14:09

get me released and I'll solve this case

14:11

in no time end . Quote you

14:14

get me released and I'll solve this case in no time

14:16

end quote . According

14:20

to the FBI , one Massachusetts racketeer told the agents interviewing him quote if I knew who

14:22

pulled the job , I wouldn't be talking to you now

14:24

because I'd be too busy trying

14:26

to figure a way to lay my hands on

14:28

some of that loot . End quote . In

14:32

their thorough approach , the FBI

14:35

reached out to several resorts

14:37

across the US to gather information

14:40

about individuals known to have

14:42

unusually large amounts of money

14:44

after the robbery . They

14:47

also looked into racetracks and

14:49

gambling establishments in hopes

14:51

of tracing some of the stolen money . This

15:01

part of the investigation caused concern among many gamblers . Some discontinued their operations

15:03

, while others strongly desired that the robbers

15:05

be identified and apprehended . The

15:09

mass of information gathered

15:11

during the early weeks of the investigation

15:13

was continuously sifted

15:15

. All efforts to

15:17

identify the robbers through the chauffeur's

15:20

hat , the rope and the adhesive

15:22

tape that had been left in the brinks

15:24

proved unsuccessful . However

15:27

, on February 5 , 1950

15:29

, a police officer in Somerville

15:32

, massachusetts , recovered one

15:34

of the four revolvers that the robbers

15:37

had taken . The

15:39

investigation showed that this gun

15:41

, as well as another rusty revolver

15:44

, had been found by a group of boys

15:46

who were playing on a sandbar at

15:48

the edge of the Mystic River in Somerville

15:51

just the day prior . Shortly

15:54

after these two guns were found , one

15:57

of them was placed in a trash barrel and

15:59

was taken to the city dump . The

16:08

other gun was picked up by the officer and identified as having been taken during

16:10

the Brinks robbery . A detailed search for additional weapons was made

16:12

at the Mystic River but yielded

16:15

no results . Through

16:18

the interviews of those in the vicinity

16:20

of the Brinks offices on the evening

16:22

of January 17 , the

16:31

FBI learned that a 1949 Green Ford stakebody truck with

16:33

a canvas top had been parked near the Prince Street door of Brinks around

16:36

the time of the robbery . From

16:39

the size of the loot and the number of

16:41

men involved , it was logical

16:43

that the crew might have used truck

16:45

. This lead was

16:47

pursued intensively . On

16:50

March 4 , 1950 , pieces

16:53

of an identical truck were found

16:56

at a dump in Stoughton , massachusetts

16:59

. An

17:11

acetylene torch had been used to cut up the truck and it appeared that

17:13

a sledgehammer had also been used to smash many of the heavy parts , such as the motor

17:15

. The truck pieces were concealed in fiber bags . When

17:17

they were found , had the ground not been frozen

17:19

, the person or persons

17:21

who abandoned the bags probably

17:24

would have attempted to bury them . The

17:28

truck found at the dump had been reported

17:30

stolen by a Ford dealer near

17:32

Fenway Park in Boston on November

17:34

3 , 1949 . All

17:38

efforts to identify the persons

17:40

responsible for the theft and the

17:42

persons who had cut up the truck were

17:44

unsuccessful . The

17:47

fiber bags used to conceal

17:49

the pieces were identified

17:51

as bags for beef bones

17:53

shipped from South America

17:55

to a gelatin manufacturing company

17:57

in Massachusetts . Thorough

18:00

inquiries were made about what

18:02

happened to the bags after they were

18:04

received by the company in Massachusetts

18:07

. This phase of the investigation

18:09

was pursued exhaustively

18:12

but ultimately it proved

18:14

unproductive . Nonetheless

18:17

, finding the truck parts in Stoughton

18:19

proved to be a valuable break in the

18:22

case . Two of the members

18:24

in the Brinks robbery lived

18:26

in the Stoughton area and after

18:28

the truck parts were found , additional

18:31

suspicion was placed on these men

18:33

. As the investigation

18:35

continued and thousands

18:37

of leads were followed to dead ends

18:40

, the broad field of possible

18:42

suspects gradually began to

18:44

narrow . Among

18:47

the early suspects was Anthony

18:49

Tony Pino , a man

18:51

who had been a prime suspect in numerous

18:54

major robberies and burglaries

18:56

in Massachusetts . Pino

18:59

was known in the underworld as an excellent

19:01

caseman , and it was said

19:03

that the casing of the Brinks offices

19:05

had his trademark . When

19:08

questioned about his whereabouts on the evening

19:11

of January 17 , 1950

19:13

, pino had a good alibi

19:15

Almost too good . Pino

19:19

had been at his home in the Roxbury

19:21

section of Boston until approximately

19:24

7 pm . Then he

19:26

walked to Joseph McGinnis' nearby

19:28

liquor store . Later

19:30

he engaged in a conversation with

19:32

McGinnis and a Boston police officer

19:35

. The officer verified

19:37

this meeting . His

19:40

alibi was strong but not

19:42

conclusive . The police

19:44

officer said that he had been talking

19:46

to McGinnis first and then Pino

19:48

arrived later to join them . The

19:51

trip from the liquor store in Roxbury

19:53

to the Brinks offices took

19:55

about 15 minutes . So

19:58

Pino could have been at McGinnis' liquor

20:00

store shortly after 7 30

20:02

pm on January 17th

20:04

and still have participated in

20:07

the robbery . And what

20:09

about McGinnis himself , you may be asking

20:11

? Commonly regarded

20:13

as a dominant figure in the Boston

20:15

underworld , mcginnis had previously

20:17

been convicted of robbery and narcotics

20:20

violations . Underworld

20:22

sources described him as fully

20:24

capable of planning and executing

20:27

the Brinks robbery . He

20:29

too had left his home shortly before

20:31

7 pm on the night of the robbery

20:33

and met the Boston police officer

20:36

soon after that . If

20:38

local criminals were involved

20:40

, it was difficult to believe that

20:42

McInnes was as ignorant of the crime

20:44

as he claimed . Neither

20:47

Pino nor McInnes was known

20:50

to be the type of criminal who would take

20:52

on such a potentially dangerous crime

20:54

without the best strong arm support

20:56

available . Two

20:59

of the prime suspects whose nerve

21:01

and gun handling experience suited

21:04

them for the Brinks robbery were

21:06

Joseph James O'Keefe and

21:09

Stanley Albert Gusciora

21:11

. O'keefe

21:13

and Gusciora reportedly

21:15

had worked together on several occasions

21:18

. Both had served prison

21:20

sentences and were well known

21:22

to the underworld on the East Coast

21:24

. O'keefe's

21:26

reputation for nerve was

21:28

legendary . Reports

21:31

had been received alleging that he

21:33

had held up several gamblers in

21:35

the Boston area and had been involved

21:37

in shakedowns of bookies . Like

21:40

Gusquiorra , o'keefe was known

21:42

to have associated with Pino . Before

21:44

the Brinks robbery , boston

21:48

authorities had questioned both of these

21:51

strong-armed suspects following

21:53

the robbery . Neither

21:56

had too convincing of an alibi

21:58

. O'keefe claimed

22:00

that he left his hotel room in

22:02

Boston at approximately 7

22:05

pm on January 17 . Following

22:08

the robbery , authorities attempted

22:10

unsuccessfully to locate him

22:13

at the hotel . His

22:15

explanation he had been

22:17

drinking at a bar in Boston . Guschiara

22:20

also claimed to have been drinking

23:52

that evening . Boston

23:55

Guschiara also claimed to have been drinking that evening . The families of O'Keefe and Guschiara

23:58

resided in the area of Stoughton , massachusetts . When

24:01

the pieces of the 49 Green Ford

24:03

truck were found at the dump in Stoughton

24:06

on March 4 , 1950

24:08

, additional focus was placed

24:11

on the investigations concerning

24:13

them . Local officers

24:15

searched their homes but

24:17

no evidence was found linking them

24:19

with the truck or the robbery . In

24:23

April 1950 , the

24:26

FBI received information

24:28

indicating that part of the Brinks'

24:31

loot was hidden in the home of

24:33

one of O'Keefe's relatives in Boston

24:35

. A federal search

24:37

warrant was obtained and agents

24:39

searched the home on April 27

24:41

, 1950 . Several

24:44

hundred dollars were found hidden in

24:46

the house but could not be identified

24:49

as part of the money from the robbery . On

24:53

June 2 , 1950 , o'keefe

24:56

and Guskiara left Boston

24:58

by car to supposedly

25:00

visit the grave of Guskiara's

25:03

brother in Missouri . They

25:06

had planned a leisurely trip with

25:08

an abundance of extracurricular

25:10

activities with

25:17

an abundance of extracurricular activities . On June 12 , 1950

25:20

, they were both arrested at Tawanda , pennsylvania , and found in their possession were

25:22

guns , clothing and loot from burglaries

25:24

in Kane and Quartersport

25:26

, pennsylvania . Following

25:29

their arrests , a bondsman in

25:31

Boston made regular trips

25:33

to Tawanda in an unsuccessful

25:36

effort to secure their release on

25:38

bail . On September

25:41

8 , 1950 , o'keefe

25:43

was sentenced to three years in

25:45

the Bradford County Jail at Tawanda

25:47

and fined $3,000

25:49

for violation of the Uniform

25:52

Firearms Act . Although

25:55

Guschiara was acquitted of the charges

25:57

against him in Tawanda , he

25:59

was moved to McKean County in

26:01

Pennsylvania to stand

26:03

trial for burglary , larceny

26:05

and receiving stolen goods . On

26:09

October 11 , 1950

26:11

, guschiara was sentenced to serve

26:13

5 to 20 years in

26:15

the Western Pennsylvania Penitentiary

26:17

at Pittsburgh . Even

26:22

after being convicted , o'keefe

26:25

and Guschiara continued to seek their

26:27

release . From

26:44

1950 to 1954 , there were rumors

26:46

in the underworld that pressure was being exerted on Boston criminals to contribute money for

26:48

the legal fight of these convicted individuals against the charges in Pennsylvania . Mcginnis

26:50

, adolph Jazz Maffie and Henry Baker were

26:52

frequently mentioned in these rumors

26:55

and it was said that

26:57

they had been involved with O'Keefe

26:59

. In quote the big job

27:01

end quote , even

27:05

though there wasn't much evidence or

27:07

witnesses for the court case . As

27:10

the investigation continued , it

27:12

became clear that O'Keefe was

27:14

a key figure in the Brinks robbery

27:16

. Pino was

27:18

also connected to the robbery

27:20

and it seemed like that O'Keefe

27:22

believed Pino was betraying

27:24

him now that O'Keefe was in jail

27:26

. O'keefe and

27:28

Guschiora had been interviewed

27:31

multiple times about the Brinks robbery

27:33

but consistently claimed complete

27:35

ignorance . Fbi

27:38

agents hoped that a divide

27:41

had formed between the two criminals

27:43

in jail in Pennsylvania and

27:45

the other members living freely in

27:47

Massachusetts . Agents

27:50

visited Gusquiora and O'Keefe

27:52

but the two showed no respect

27:55

for law enforcement . The

27:57

FBI followed up rumors about

28:00

the main suspects in the Brinks case

28:02

and identified more potential crew

28:04

members . One

28:08

of the suspects , adolph Jazz

28:10

Maffie , was allegedly under

28:12

pressure to contribute money for

28:15

the legal battle of O'Keeffe and

28:17

Gusquiora against Pennsylvania

28:19

authorities . When

28:21

questioned about his whereabouts on January

28:24

17 , 1950 , he

28:26

couldn't provide a specific account

28:28

of where he had been . Henry

28:31

Baker , another seasoned criminal

28:34

who was rumored to be contributing

28:36

to the Pennsylvania Defense Fund , had

28:38

spent several years of his adult

28:40

life in prison . He

28:43

had been released on parole from Norfolk

28:45

Massachusetts prison colony

28:48

on August 22 , 1949

28:51

, colony

28:59

on August 22 , 1949,

29:01

. Only five months before the robbery , baker served two concurrent

29:03

terms of four to ten years at the prison colony imposed in 1944

29:06

for quote breaking and entering in larceny

29:08

and possession of burglar

29:10

tools . End quote . At

29:13

the time of Baker's release in 1949

29:16

, pino was on hand to

29:18

drive him back to Boston . Questioned

29:23

by Boston police on the day following

29:25

the robbery , baker claimed

29:27

that he had eaten dinner with his family

29:29

on the evening of January 17th

29:32

and then left home at about

29:34

7 pm to walk around the neighborhood

29:36

for about two hours . Since

29:40

he claimed to have met no one

29:42

and stopped nowhere during his walk

29:44

, he could have been doing anything

29:47

on the night of the crime crime

29:57

Prominent among the other strong suspects was Vincent James Costa , pino's brother-in-law . Costa was associated

30:00

with Pino in the operation of

30:02

a motor terminal and a lottery

30:04

in Boston . He

30:13

had been convicted of armed robbery in 1940

30:15

and served several months in the Massachusetts State Reformatory and the

30:17

Norfolk Massachusetts prison colony . Costa claimed

30:19

that after working at the motor terminal

30:21

until approximately 5 pm on

30:24

January 17th , he

30:26

had gone home to eat dinner . Then

30:28

, at about 7 pm , he

30:30

left to return to the terminal and worked

30:33

until about 9 pm . The

30:36

FBI's analysis of the alibis

30:39

offered by the suspects showed

30:41

that the hour of 7 pm on

30:43

January 17 , 1950

30:46

, was frequently mentioned

30:48

. O'keefe had left his hotel

30:50

at approximately 7 pm . Pino

30:54

and Baker separately decided to go out at 7 pm

30:56

. Costa started

30:58

back to the motor terminal at about 7

31:01

pm . Other principal

31:03

suspects could not provide compelling

31:05

accounts of their activities that night

31:08

. Since the robbery

31:10

occurred between approximately 7

31:12

10 and 7 27 pm

31:14

, it was probable that a crew

31:17

as well-drilled as the Brinks robbers

31:19

obviously were would have arranged

31:22

to rendezvous at a specific

31:24

time . By

31:26

fixing this time as close as possible

31:28

to the minute at which the robbery

31:30

was to begin , the robbers

31:32

would have alibis to cover their activities

31:35

up to the final moment . Any

31:38

doubts that the Brinks thieves had

31:40

that the FBI was on the right

31:42

track in the investigation were

31:45

dispelled when the federal grand

31:47

jury began hearings in Boston

31:50

on November 25 , 1952

31:53

regarding this crime . The

31:57

FBI's jurisdiction to investigate

31:59

this robbery was based on the fact

32:02

that cash checks , postal

32:04

notes and United States money

32:07

orders from the Federal Reserve Bank

32:09

and the Veterans Administration

32:11

District Office in Boston were

32:14

included in the loop . After

32:17

nearly three years of investigation

32:19

, the government hoped a

32:21

witness or participants

32:23

who had remained silent for so

32:26

long might come forward before

32:28

the grand jury . Unfortunately

32:31

, this hope turned out to be in

32:33

vain . After

32:35

completing its hearings on January

32:37

9 , 1953 , the

32:39

grand jury retired to weigh

32:41

the evidence . In

32:44

a report that was released just one

32:46

day shy of the third anniversary

32:49

on Januaryth 1953

32:52

. The grand jury disclosed

32:55

that its members did not

32:57

feel that they possessed complete

32:59

, positive information as

33:02

to the identity of the participants

33:04

of the Brinks robbery because

33:07

the participants were effectively

33:09

disguised , there was a lack

33:12

of eyewitnesses to the crime itself

33:14

and certain witnesses

33:16

refused to give testimony

33:19

and the grand jury was unable

33:21

to compel them to do so . Ten

33:24

of the individuals who appeared before

33:27

this grand jury were able to breathe

33:29

more easily when they learned that no

33:31

indictments had been returned . Following

33:35

the federal grand jury hearings , the

33:38

FBI's intense investigation

33:40

continued . The

33:42

Bureau was convinced that it had

33:44

identified the actual robbers

33:46

, but evidence and witnesses

33:49

had to be found . While

33:52

O'Keefe and Guschiora remained

33:54

in jail in Pennsylvania , pino

33:56

encountered his own difficulties

33:58

. Born

34:00

in Italy in 1907

34:03

, pino was a young child

34:05

when he entered the United States but

34:07

never became a naturalized citizen

34:09

. Due to his criminal

34:12

record , the Immigration and Naturalization

34:15

Service instituted proceedings

34:17

in 1941 to deport

34:19

him . This occurred

34:22

while he was in the state prison at

34:24

Charlestown , massachusetts , serving

34:27

sentences for breaking and entering

34:29

with the intent to commit a felony

34:31

and for having burglar tools

34:33

in his possession . That

34:37

prison term , together with Pino's

34:39

conviction in March 1928

34:41

for the sexual abuse of a girl

34:43

, for

34:48

the sexual abuse of a girl , provided the basis for the deportation action . Pino was

34:50

determined to fight against deportation

34:52

. In the late summer

34:55

of 1944 , he

35:03

was released from the state prison and was taken

35:05

into custody by the immigration authorities . During

35:08

the prior year , however , he had filed a petition for pardon in the hopes of removing

35:10

one of the criminal convictions from his record

35:13

. In September

35:15

1949 , pino's

35:17

efforts to evade deportation

35:19

were successful . The

35:22

acting governor of Massachusetts

35:24

granted him a full pardon . The

35:33

pardon meant that his record no longer contained the second conviction

35:35

. Therefore

35:38

, the Immigration and Naturalization Service no longer had grounds to deport him . On January

35:41

10 , 1953 , following

35:44

his appearance before the federal grand

35:46

jury in connection with the Brinks

35:48

case , pino

35:56

was taken into custody , once again as a deportable alien . The new proceedings were based upon

35:58

the fact that Pino had been arrested in December 1948

36:01

for a larceny involving

36:03

less than $100 . He

36:06

received a one-year sentence for

36:08

this offense . However , on

36:11

January 30 , 1950

36:13

, the sentence was revoked and the

36:15

case was placed on file . Pina

36:19

was released on bail on January

36:21

12 , 1953 , pending

36:23

a deportation hearing . 1953

36:32

, pending a deportation hearing Again . He was determined to fight , arguing that his conviction

36:34

for the 1948 larceny offense

36:36

was not a basis for deportation . After surrendering himself

36:38

in December 1953 in

36:40

compliance with the Immigration and Naturalization

36:43

Service order , he began an

36:45

additional battle to win release

36:47

from custody while his case

36:50

was being argued . Adding

36:52

to these problems was the constant

36:54

pressure being exerted on

36:57

Pino by O'Keefe from the

36:59

county jail in Tawanda , pennsylvania

37:01

. In

37:04

the deportation fight that lasted

37:06

more than two years , pino

37:08

won the final victory . His

37:11

case had gone to the highest court . On

37:14

April 11 , 1955

37:16

, the Supreme Court ruled that

37:18

Pino's conviction in 1948

37:20

for larceny the sentence

37:22

that was revoked in the case placed on file

37:25

, the sentence that was revoked in the case placed on file had not quote

37:27

attained such finality as

37:29

to support an order of deportation

37:32

. End quote . So

37:34

Pino could not be deported

37:36

. During

37:45

the period in which Pino's deportation troubles were mounting , o'keefe completed his

37:47

sentence at Tawanda , pennsylvania . In early January 1954

37:50

, o'keefe was released to McKean County

37:52

, pennsylvania authorities to stand

37:54

trial for burglary , larceny

37:56

and receiving stolen goods . He

37:59

was also faced with a detainer

38:02

filed by Massachusetts authorities

38:04

. Filed

38:08

by Massachusetts authorities . The detainer involved O'Keefe's violation of probation in

38:10

connection with a 1945 conviction for carrying

38:12

concealed weapons . Before

39:19

his trial in McKean County , he

39:21

was released on a $17,000

39:23

bond . While on

39:25

bond , he returned to Boston . On

39:28

January 23 , 1954

39:31

, he appeared on probation violation

39:33

charge in the Boston Municipal

39:35

Court . When this case

39:37

was continued until April 1 , 1954

39:41

, o'keefe was released on a $1,500

39:44

bond . During his

39:46

brief stay in Boston he was

39:48

in contact with other robbery crew

39:50

members . He needed

39:53

money for his defense against the charges

39:55

in McKean County and it

39:57

was unmistakable that he had

39:59

developed a resentful attitude

40:02

towards several of his close underworld

40:04

associates or

40:14

World Associates . Returning to Pennsylvania in February 1954

40:16

to stand trial , o'keefe was found guilty of burglary by the state court in McKean County

40:18

on March 4 , 1954 . An

40:22

appeal was promptly noted and

40:24

he was released on a $15,000

40:27

bond . O'keefe

40:33

immediately returned to Boston to await the appeal's results . Within

40:35

two months of his return , another

40:37

member of the crew suffered a legal setback

40:39

. Jazz Maffie

40:42

was convicted of federal

40:44

income tax evasion and began

40:46

serving a nine-month sentence in

40:48

the federal penitentiary at Danbury

40:50

, connecticut , in June 1954

40:53

. There were rumors

40:55

in the underworld that Maffie and Henry

40:58

Baker were at the top of O'Keefe's

41:00

list because they had taken a large

41:02

amount of money from him . If

41:05

Baker heard these rumors , he

41:07

didn't stick around to find out if they were true

41:09

. Shortly after O'Keefe

41:11

returned in March 1954

41:13

, baker and his wife left

41:16

Boston on a vacation . O'keefe

41:19

paid his respects to the other members

41:21

of the Brinks crew in Boston

41:23

on several occasions in the spring

41:25

of 1954 , and

41:28

it was apparent to the agents handling

41:30

the investigation that he was trying

41:32

to demand money . He

41:34

was so cold and persistent

41:36

in these dealings with his co-conspirators

41:39

that the agents hoped he might

41:41

be attempting to obtain a large

41:43

sum of money , perhaps

41:45

his share of the Brinks loot . During

41:49

these weeks O'Keefe renewed

41:51

his association with a Boston

41:53

racketeer who had actively

41:55

solicited funds for the defense of O'Keefe

41:58

and Guschiora in 1950

42:00

. Soon the underworld

42:02

rang with the startling news concerning

42:05

this pair , news

42:14

concerning this pair . It was reported that on May 18 , 1954

42:16

, o'keefe and his racketeer associate took Vincent Costa to a hotel room and held

42:18

him for several thousand dollars

42:20

ransom . Allegedly

42:23

other members of the Brinks

42:25

crew arranged for O'Keefe to

42:27

be paid a small part of

42:29

the ransom he demanded , and

42:31

Costa was released on May 20 , 1954

42:34

. Special

42:37

agents later interviewed Costa

42:39

and his wife , pino and

42:41

his wife the racketeer

42:43

, and O'Keefe . All

42:46

of them denied any knowledge

42:48

of the alleged incident . Yet

42:50

several members of the Brinks

42:53

crew were visibly shaken

42:55

and appeared to be abnormally worried

42:57

during the latter part of May and

42:59

early June 1954

43:01

. Two

43:04

weeks of relative quiet in the crew

43:06

members' lives were shattered on

43:08

June 5 , 1954

43:10

, when an attempt was made on

43:12

O'Keefe's life . The

43:16

Boston underworld rumbled with reports

43:19

that an automobile had pulled alongside

43:21

O'Keefe's car in Dorchester , massachusetts

43:24

, during the early morning hours

43:26

of June 5th . Seemingly

43:29

suspicious O'Keefe crouched low

43:31

in the front seat of his car as

43:34

the would-be assassins fired bullets

43:36

that pierced the windshield . A

43:39

second shooting incident occurred

43:41

on the morning of June 14th 1954

43:44

in Dorchester , massachusetts , when

43:47

O'Keefe and his racketeer friend

43:49

paid a visit to Baker . By

43:51

this time Baker was suffering

43:53

from a bad case of nerves . Allegedly

43:57

he pulled a gun on O'Keefe . The

44:00

two men exchanged gunfire , but

44:02

none of the bullets hit their target . Baker

44:05

escaped and the brief confrontation

44:08

ended . A

44:10

third attempt on O'Keefe's life

44:12

was made on June 16

44:15

, 1954 . This

44:17

incident also took place in

44:19

Dorchester and involved the

44:21

firing of more than 30 shots

44:23

. O'keefe was wounded

44:26

in the wrist and chest , but again

44:28

he managed to escape with his life

44:30

. Police who arrived

44:33

to investigate found a large amount

44:35

of blood , a man's shattered

44:37

wristwatch and a .45

44:39

caliber pistol at the scene . Five

44:42

bullets that had missed their mark were found

44:45

in a nearby building were

44:53

found in a nearby building . The following day , on June 17 , 1954

44:56

, the Boston police arrested Elmer Trigger Burke and charged him with

44:58

possession of a machine gun . Later , this

45:00

machine gun was identified as

45:02

having been used in the attempt

45:05

on O'Keefe's life . Burke

45:08

, a professional killer allegedly had been hired by underworld associates of O'Keefe's

45:10

life . Burke , a professional killer , allegedly had been hired by underworld

45:12

associates of O'Keefe to

45:14

assassinate him . After

45:18

being wounded on June 16th

45:20

, o'keefe disappeared On

45:23

August 1st 1954,

45:25

. He was arrested in Leicester

45:27

, massachusetts , and turned over

45:29

to the Boston police , who held

45:32

him for violating probation on

45:34

a gun-carrying charge . O'keefe

45:38

was sentenced on August 5 , 1954

45:40

, to serve 27 months

45:42

in prison . As

45:45

a protective measure . He was incarcerated

45:48

in the Hampton County Jail in

45:50

Springfield , massachusetts , rather

45:52

than the Sulphur County Jail in Boston

45:55

. O'keefe's

45:58

racketeer associate , who allegedly

46:00

had assisted him in holding

46:02

Costa for ransom and was present

46:04

during the shooting between O'Keefe and Baker

46:07

, disappeared on August

46:09

3 , 1954 . The

46:12

missing racketeer's car was found near

46:14

his home . However , his whereabouts

46:17

remain a mystery to this day . Underworld

46:21

figures in Boston have genuinely

46:23

speculated that the racketeer

46:25

was killed because of his association

46:28

with O'Keefe , that

46:30

the racketeer was killed because of his association

46:32

with O'Keefe . Other

46:36

members of the robbery crew also were having their troubles

46:38

. There

46:43

was James Ignatius Faraday , an armed robbery specialist whose name

46:45

had been mentioned in the Underworld Conversations in January 1950

46:47

concerning a score on which the crew

46:49

members used binoculars to

46:51

watch their intended victims

46:53

count large sums of money . Faraday

46:57

had been questioned on the night

46:59

of the robbery . He

47:01

claimed he had been drinking in various

47:04

taverns from approximately 5.10

47:06

pm until 7.45

47:09

pm . Some individuals

47:11

claimed to have seen him . The

47:14

continuous investigation , however , had

47:16

linked him with the crew . In

47:19

1936 and 1937

47:22

, verity was convicted of

47:24

armed robbery violations . He

47:27

was paroled in the fall of 1944

47:30

and remained on parole through

47:32

March 1954 when

47:35

he was met with misfortune Due

47:38

to unsatisfactory conduct , drunkenness

47:42

, refusal to seek employment

47:44

and his association with known

47:46

criminals . His parole was

47:48

revoked and he was returned

47:50

to the Massachusetts State Prison

47:52

. However , seven

47:55

months later he was again paroled

47:57

. Mcginnis

47:59

had been arrested at the site

48:01

of a still in New Hampshire in February

48:04

1954 , charged

48:06

with unlawful possession of liquor

48:09

distillery equipment and violation

48:12

of the internal revenue laws . He

48:14

had many headaches during the time in

48:16

which O'Keefe was giving so much

48:18

trouble to the crew . Mcginnis's

48:21

trial in March 1955

48:24

on the liquor charge resulted

48:26

in a sentence of 30 days imprisonment

48:28

and a fine of $1,000

48:31

. In the fall of 1955

48:34

, an upper court overruled

48:36

the conviction on the grounds that the

48:38

search and seizure of the still

48:40

were illegal . Adolph

48:44

Jazz Maffey , who had been convicted

48:46

of income tax violations in June

48:48

1954 , was

48:51

released from the Federal Corrections Institution

48:54

at Danbury , connecticut , on

48:56

January 30 , 1955

48:59

. Two days before

49:01

Maffey's release , another strong

49:03

suspect died of natural causes

49:05

died

49:12

of natural causes . There were reoccurring rumors that this criminal , joseph Sylvester

49:14

Banfield , had been there on the night of the crime . Banfield

49:18

had been a close associate of McGinnis

49:20

for many years . Although

49:23

he had known to carry a gun , burglary

49:26

rather than armed robbery was

49:28

his criminal specialty and

49:30

his exceptional driving skill was

49:33

an invaluable asset during criminal

49:35

getaways . Like

49:38

the others , banfield had been questioned

49:40

concerning his activities on the night

49:42

of January 17 , 1950

49:45

. He was unable

49:47

to provide a specific account , claiming

49:51

that he became drunk on New Year's

49:53

Eve and remained intoxicated

49:56

through the entire month

49:58

of January . One

50:01

of his former girlfriends , who recalled

50:03

having seen him on the night of the robbery

50:06

, stated that he definitely

50:08

was not drunk . Even

50:11

Pino , whose deportation troubles

50:13

then were a heavy burden , was

50:16

arrested by the Boston police in

50:18

August 1954 . On

50:21

the afternoon of August 28 , 1954

50:24

, trigger Burke escaped

50:26

from the Suffolk County Jail in Boston

50:29

where he was being held on

50:31

the gun possession charge stemming

50:33

from the June 16th shooting of

50:35

O'Keefe . During

50:37

the regular exercise time , burke

50:40

separated himself from the other prisoners

50:42

and moved toward a heavy steel

50:44

door leading to solitary confinement

50:47

. As a guard moved

50:49

to intercept him , burke started

50:52

to run , the door opened

50:54

and an armed , masked man wearing

50:56

a prison guard type uniform commanded

50:58

the guard quote back up or

51:01

I'll blow your brains out . End quote

51:03

. Burke and the armed

51:05

man disappeared through the door and

51:07

fled in a vehicle parked nearby

51:09

. A vehicle identified

51:12

as the car used in the escape

51:14

was located near a Boston

51:16

hospital and police officers

51:18

hid themselves in the area . On

51:22

August 29 , 1954

51:24

, an automobile that circled

51:26

the general vicinity of the abandoned

51:28

car on five occasions

51:31

provoked the officer's suspicions

51:33

. This vehicle

51:35

was traced through the motor vehicle records

51:37

to Pino . On August

51:40

30th he was taken into custody

51:42

as a suspicious person . Pino

51:45

admitted having been in the area

51:47

, claiming that he was looking for a parking

51:50

spot to visit a relative in the hospital

51:52

. After denying

51:54

any knowledge of Trigger Burke's escape

51:56

, pino was released . Burke

52:00

was arrested by FBI agents

52:02

in Foley Beach , south Carolina

52:04

, on August 27 , 1955

52:07

, and he returned to New York to

52:09

face murder charges that

52:11

were outstanding against him there . He

52:14

subsequently was convicted and

52:16

executed , even

52:19

though members of the robbery crew spent

52:22

considerable amounts of money during

52:24

1954 defending

52:26

themselves against legal proceedings alone

52:28

. The year ended without the

52:31

location of any bills identifiable

52:34

as part of the Brinks loop . In

52:37

addition , although violent conflict

52:39

had developed within the crew , there

52:41

was still no indication that

52:44

any men were ready to talk . However

52:47

, based on the available information

52:50

, the FBI felt that

52:52

O'Keefe's disgust was reaching

52:54

the point where he would possibly

52:56

turn against his partners . During

52:59

an interview with him in the jail

53:01

in Springfield , massachusetts , in

53:04

October 1954 , special

53:07

agents found that the missing

53:09

Boston racketeer was weighing

53:11

on O'Keefe's mind . In

53:13

December 1954 , he

53:16

indicated to the agents that Pino

53:18

could look for rough treatment

53:20

if he were released again From

53:24

his cell in Springfield . O'keefe

53:26

wrote bitter letters to members of

53:28

the Brinks crew and persisted

53:31

in his demands for money . The

53:34

conviction for burglary in McKean

53:36

County , pennsylvania , still

53:38

hung over his head and legal

53:41

fees remained to be paid . In

53:43

1955 , o'keefe

53:46

carefully contemplated his position

53:48

. 1955

53:53

, o'keefe carefully contemplated his position . He felt like he would be in prison for the

53:55

rest of his life , while his co-conspirators would be enjoying luxuries . He

53:57

believed that even if he were

53:59

released , his life would still

54:01

be in danger . In June 1954

54:04

, there were three attempts on his life

54:07

and he was sure that the

54:09

frustrated assassins were waiting

54:11

for his return to Boston , it

54:14

became clear that O'Keefe had

54:16

accepted the fact that he would either

54:18

spend many years in prison or

54:21

have a short life outside . He

54:24

became increasingly bitter towards

54:26

his former co-conspirators as

54:28

they repeatedly made empty promises

54:30

of help and intentionally delayed

54:33

any assistance . O'keefe

54:36

began to realize that his threats were

54:38

being ignored . He understood

54:40

that while in prison he couldn't physically

54:42

harm the other Brinks crew members in

54:44

Boston , crew

54:51

members in Boston . The crew also believed that the likelihood of him revealing information

54:53

was low , as he too would be implicated in

54:55

the Brinks robbery along with the others

54:57

. Two

54:59

days after Christmas of 1955

55:02

, fbi agents paid

55:04

another visit to O'Keefe . Paid

55:12

another visit to O'Keefe . After a period of hostility , he began to display a friendly attitude . When

55:14

he was interviewed again on December 28 , 1955

55:18

. He talked more

55:20

freely and it was obvious that

55:22

the agents were gradually winning

55:24

his respect and confidence

55:26

. At

55:29

4.20 pm on January

55:31

6 , 1956 , o'keefe

55:34

made his final decision . And

55:37

that , my fellow crime connoisseurs , is

55:40

where we will leave off . But

55:42

come back next week for the final part

55:44

of this case , because if

55:46

it wasn't already wild to you

55:48

, it's going to get even more

55:50

insane . Thank

55:53

you for listening and following along . If

55:55

you've enjoyed the podcast . Please

55:58

subscribe , leave a review

56:00

and share it with your loved ones . You

56:03

can find Crime Connoisseurs wherever

56:06

you listen to your podcasts Crime

56:10

Connoisseurs wherever you listen to your podcasts , and you can follow us on

56:12

social media at Crime Connoisseurs . In the meantime , keep

56:15

it classy , connoisseurs , and I'll catch

56:17

you on the next case . We'll

56:43

be right

56:49

back

56:55

. I'm out .