This Day in History: The Great Brinks Robbery of 1950, an Almost Perfect Crime

January 13, 2022

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By: Kaysey A. Richardson

On January 17, 1950, the Great Brinks Robbery became one of the largest armed robberies in United States history.  Leaving very few clues, thieves disappeared after stealing $2.7 million.  And they almost got away with it…almost.

Planning the Heist

The idea of the heist originated from Joseph “Big Joe” McGinniss and Anthony “Fats” Pino. After two years of thorough planning, the two gathered a group of eleven people and successfully robbed the Brinks Armored Car depot in Boston’s North End.  All seemed well, until the group got into a dispute about how to divide the spoils.  This dispute ultimately led police to catching the robbers and the police arrested all men with only five days until the statute of limitations would expire. 

To prepare for the heist, the gang stole plans for the depot’s alarm system and returned them undetected.  They then removed cylinders from locks, one at a time, and had a locksmith duplicate the keys.  In the two years of planning this heist, they attempted the robbery six times before their success on January 17.

The Day of the Heist

The gang’s outfits for the day of the heist were similar to Brinks uniforms: navy peacoats and chauffeur’s caps with the addition of rubber Halloween masks.  At 6:55 PM, on January 17, seven of the gang members ambushed five employees in the counting room.  They bound and gagged the employees,  lying them face down on the floor.  In only thirty-five minutes, the thieves cleaned out everything except for the General Electric payroll, loading fourteen canvas bags with a half-ton of cash, coins, checks, securities, and money orders.  Two other gang members waited outside in the getaway truck.  The group had successfully and quickly robbed Brinks.

After the Heist

There were only three clues left behind after the robbery: a chauffeur’s cap, the adhesive tape used to gag the Brinks employees, and the rope used to tie them up.  No employees were hurt during the robbery.  The thieves divided up a small portion of their wealth and stored the rest of the money away, agreeing not to touch it until six years passed and the statute of limitations would run out.  Then, they split up and established their alibis.

At this point, the gang looked to be in the clear.Investigators had very little leads nor did they have solid evidence.  The FBI found the robbers’ truck, but it was cut to pieces and did not lead to any other clues.  They were at a loss.

BUSTED

Joseph “Specs” O’Keefe, one of the gang members, ruined it for everyone.  Having to serve a prison sentence for another crime, he was forced to leave his earnings with another member while he was behind bars.  During this time, he began to write angry letters to his cohorts to demand his money and began threatening to talk if they did not comply.  Once O’Keefe was out of prison and not wanting to risk his stolen earnings, Fats Pino sent a hitman to kill him.  The hitman ended up shooting O’Keefe with a machine gun, but he was able to escape with minor wounds.  Following the unsuccessful killing of O’Keefe, he made a deal with the FBI to testify against the gang.  Two died before the trail began, and the other eight were caught and convicted.

In the end, the gang was caught because of internal disagreements and greed.  Although they were convicted, only $58,000 of the $2.7 million  stolen was recovered.  The crime also inspired several movies and two books.  So, while they did not get a chance to keep that money, their heist would go down in history as one of the most expensive robberies in history,  not to mention there is $2.2 million that disappeared, never to be seen again.