Start your Independent Premium subscription today. "Only the Internet. It took about fifteen minutes for the thieves to leave the World Trade Center, taking with them $1.6 million in cash. Ill admit that Patty Hearst probably belongs more in a Most Interesting versus Greatest bank robbers list, but here you go anyway. So he told the police, the police told the bank, the bank checked the video..and they saw her take it. J. Edgar Hoover exploited the rash of bank robberies during the Great Depression to increase the authority of the FBI and his own personal influence. Previously they had broken into banks after hours, hoping to avoid any injury to themselves or others. Green was the local postmaster and was of course well known to nearly all of the towns citizens, including Frank. He was nicknamed slick for the many disguises he wore on the job. Cassidy didnt need much, just his crew and a reputation that bled intimidation. David lives and works in New York City. It was the largest bank robbery in U.S. history at the time. Floyd grew up in Oklahoma, and was first arrested at age 18, after stealing $3.50 from a post office. The banks, however, consider this kind of theft an acceptable loss, so that was okay with me being part of the loss that they consider acceptable. Once the robbers reached an area near Lytle Creek they again engaged the pursuers. The Banco Central burglary Stolen: $71.6 million. He was a master of disguise who often impersonated a postal telegraph messenger, police . Jesse James. Two of them survived, as did a fourteen-month-old child, who was not shot because the robbers ammunition ran out. He received a life sentence but escaped during a prison transfer. Dale Ingram, Tulsa World. There's one . To pull it off, a 25-member gang set up a fake landscaping business. Escaping successfully, Pierpont was involved in several additional bank robberies with Dillinger. On the afternoon of November 24, 1971, a nondescript man calling himself Dan Cooper approached the counter of Northwest Orient Airlines in Portland, Oregon. He also put his men through rehearsals using full scale mock ups of the bank interior, and didnt commit the actual robbery unless he felt sure his gang knew exactly what they were doing. Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in, Unlike in the movies, he never used weapons, teams or threats, Find your bookmarks in your Independent Premium section, under my profile. In the end Sutton worked as a security consultant for banks. Despite FFR1000 charged, she's an art student with day jobs e.g. As it became evident that Green was paying off his debts, the townspeople began to wonder where the money had come from. He ran errands for gangsters when he was 10 years old, and soon garnered a reputation for reliability. Needless to say, she got fired. I keep telling myself that if I live to be old (over eighty) that would be a good time to try heroin or other drugs because, why not? Insane, huh? Dillinger was charged; however, many claim it was Hamilton who pulled the trigger. The robber named Theodore John Conrad was at the top of the United States' most wanted list at the age of 20 when he was working as a bank teller at the Society National Bank in Cleveland, Ohio. The earliest recorded bank heist in the States, as far as we know, was in 1798. Alarm buzzers and bells, which rang loudly inside and outside of the bank, were one of the earliest. It was to be delivered to a local . The crime spree started with the robbery of the South Marion State Bank in November 1924. After being on the run for two years, Nelson robbed his first major bank. 10 Things That Developed Because Of The Great Depression, Top 10 Tips From History On How You Can Survive A Depression, 10 Lesser-Known Facts About Revolutionary-Era America, 10 Ingenious Cutlery Inventions From The Victorian Era, 10 Moments In The Disturbing History Of The Jim Crow Era, Top 10 Facts And Mysteries From The Mesolithic Era, Top 10 Victorian Era Crime Solving Techniques, Top 10 Fascinating Facts And Firsts Of Historical, Top 10 High-Stakes Gamblers Who Managed to Break the Bank, 10 Controversial Toys You Might Already Have in Your Home, Ten Absolutely Vicious Fights over Inherited Fortunes, 10 Female Film Pioneers Who Shaped the Movies, Ten True Tales from Americas Toughest Prison, 10 Times Members of Secretive Societies and Organizations Spilled the Beans, 10 Common Idioms with Unexpectedly Dark Origins, 10 North American Animals with Misplaced Reputations, Top 10 Lesser Known Examples Of Mans Cruelty, 10 South African Serial Killers You Probably Dont Know, Ten Chilling Details of Already Horrific Murders, Top 10 Heartbreaking Stories About Killers On Death Row. " Will Rogers (1879-1935) " Rev. The British Bank of the Middle East robbery. The failed robbery and the resulting pursuit brought all of the Younger gang to heel, except the James brothers, who separated from the rest and fled to Missouri. On January 17, 1950, 11 men steal more than $2 million ($29 million today) from the . These gangsters graduated into armed robbers and became known as the Tape Bandits, of which Nelson was a respected member. They were shot over 50 times, including numerous headshots on each corpse. His reply was: Because thats where the money is. Wikimedia. May 6, 1925, Its an old up! He took part in the Dillinger gangs last bank raid, in which four innocent bystanders were murdered. At the time, it was described as "the crime of the century." The gang gained entry to the warehouse from security guard Anthony Black. Eventually, Pierpont was tried for the murder of the Allen County Sheriff in Ohio, convicted and sentenced to death. Hamilton went on to commit a spree of chaotic, yet lucrative, bank robberies with the Dillinger gang. Eventually someone caught on, but talk about not being able to keep a good man (or bad man) down. A payroll master targeted in the robbery described Floyd as: The World's Most Entertaining Car Website, The Highest-Grossing Tracy Morgan Movies, Ranked, 8 Outrageous Ways Joel Osteen Spends His Massive $100 Million Fortune, The Spielberg Way: 10 Ways Steven Spielberg Earns & Spends His Billions, Counting Stars: Here's How One Republic's Ryan Tedder Made His $150 Million Fortune, The 8 Biggest Deals On Shark Tank Ever, Ranked, America's 10 Highest-Grossing Reality TV Shows Of All Time, A Peek Inside Jennifer Aniston's Stunning $15 Million Montecito Farmhouse, The 8 Most Expensive Photographs Ever Sold At Auctions, The 10 Greatest Billboard Hits Of Nicki Minaj, Ranked, A Look At How Jack Harlow Spends His $5 Million Fortune, The Richest Members Of The Gyllenhaal Family, Ranked, Lizzo Has Been Invited To Perform At James Madison's House In Virginia After She Played His Flute, Lawyer Reveals How Tom Brady & Giseles Prenup Affects Their Divorce, The 10 Most Expensive Purchases Of Kelly Clarkson, Ranked, Maroon 5 Lands Las Vegas Residency Amid Adam Levines Cheating Scandal, The Richest Kid In The World: Inside The Lavish Life Of Princess Charlotte Of Cambridge, All Of Khloe Kardashian's Boyfriends, Ranked By Net Worth, After Being Sued, Elon Musk Agrees (Again) To Buy Twitter For $44 Billion, Jake Paul Offers NBA Star Draymond Green For Boxing Match For $10 Million. OK, in terms of actual . Maybe it was how they asked for the money, their appearance or getaway. 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. A fellow inmate sexually assaulted him over the course of a year, until Clyde eventually cracked his skull with a metal bar. For instance, he has robbed banks dressed as a maintenance man, a postman and a police officer. The story is an interesting tale of false accusation, coupled with the usual case of not-so-witting, post-heist behaviors of the robbers. As a punishment, Van Meter spent two months in solitary confinement where he was severely beaten by guards. They were the ultimate on the run couple living on the farthest point of the ledge. 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. The Great Northfield, Minnesota, Raid. He committed his first major robbery in the 1920s, burglarizing a hospital in Tulsa. Whoever the culprits had been, they had burrowed through 100 feet of soil from a nearby sewer drain, and had drilled . Barrow soon killed again, after a robbery at a grocery store where he shot the owner for showing resistance; during the robbery they stole just $28 and a few groceries. Charles Arthur Floyd was a gun happy bank robber who during his violent career cultivated a favorable image with the general public by spreading rumors that in the course of his robberies he also destroyed mortgage documents, saving many from foreclosure. However, instead of returning to prison, he went on the run. The pair and their group were famous for carrying thefts from trains and banks. The following year he robbed a bank in Grand Haven, Michigan. Five days later they were arrested in Ohio. Elisha Converse was a founder and president of the bank in which his son was murdered in the first armed bank robbery in American history. Kent, UK; 2006. He escaped from prison but was sentenced, in absentia, to 12-15 years behind bars. Guarino acted on the information given him by an employee at the World Trade Center, who also gave him his security pass. After serving seven years in prison, Van Meter was paroled. Rebecca Seales, The Daily Mail. Sutton later answered the question, after admitting he never said the famous quote: Why did I rob banks? They were able to do so thanks to the driver, who was not an accomplice but was provided along with the vehicle, which had been rented by the two bank robbers. Published Tue, Jul 31 2012 12:33 PM EDT Updated Fri, Sep 13 . Their point of entry was a tunnel they dug from the sewers. They were both convicted of the crimes in 1985 and sentenced to death for capital murder and several other crimes in connection with the robbery. Warsaw Daily Times. Willie Sutton loved using disguises to rob banks. I studied countless reports of other robberies that had gone wrong and people who were caught. The North Hollywood Bank of America Robbery. On April 23, 1934, the gang were confronted by police and, during a getaway, Hamilton was wounded and died shortly after. She just shrugged -- palms up like a little kid -- and said, "That's all I got." This time he escaped through a tunnel along with other convicts, although he was recaptured the same day. 8 Candice Rose Martinez. He was executed at the Oklahoma State Penitentiary in 2002, by lethal injection. When he was 19, he participated in a botched burglary and was imprisoned for 10 years. The Great Depression began with the Wall Street crash in 1929, and lasted well into the following decades. Security Pacific Bank, Norco, California, 1980, deadly shootout between local law enforcement and five bank robbers. Cattle rustling. 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. 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. A legend of the Wild West, in addition to robbing banks James was an expert train robber, because if you cant get your kicks robbing banks then try to steal from something that is moving! Two years later, the first successful getaway by automobile following a bank robbery took place in France. The robbers left with $6,700 in cash, unwittingly leaving behind another $9,000 safely hidden in file cabinets. Spaggiari is one of the most famous bank robbers in history. The Youngers never admitted that Jesse and Frank James were part of the foiled robbery. 5. On a Friday in 1976, Spaggiari led a team of 20 men into the bank vault. Johnny D. Boggs, True West Magazine. Knightsbridge Security Deposit Robbery of $98 Million, 1987. Jesse James is arguably Americas most famous thief and murderer, certainly the most famous of the western outlaws during the two decades which followed the American Civil War. Securitas Depot Robbery. A determined J Edgar Hoover had even vowed to personally arrest Karpis. Valerio and his associates entered the facility, pretending to be customers. 9. The robbers weren't caught until January 1956. The first bank robbery caught on camerafrom 1957. Editorial Reviews. The driver then sped off, and since the make and model of the vehicle were not reported in the Tribune, it is impossible to determine what speeds were attained, but they were pursued by citizens and police also in automobiles. I just told them what I wanted, and they complied. The gang soon became one of the most formidable in the country, brutally murdering anyone who stood in their way as they robbed banks, even innocent bystanders. Martinez and her boyfriend would rob 4 banks in Northern Virginia, stealing just under $50,000 before they got caught and prosecuted. It was the largest amount ever stolen from a bank in U.S. history. I was more alive when I was inside a bank, robbing it, than at any other time in my life. Shutterstock. The duo stole firearms and bullet proof vests. He reunited with girlfriend, and partner in crime, Edna Murray before joining Alvin Karpis and the Barker gang, who were at the peak of their criminal success. Shots were fired at the robbers outside while their three companions were still inside, who shot the clerk in the head and fled. Bank robberies are a major plot device in films, particularly the once-popular western genre, though in reality bank robberies in the American western frontier days were relatively rare. 1988, Americas Own Robin Hood: The Dillinger Legend. In August he robbed another, in Bluffton, Ohio. Someone should have. The 2005 Banco Central burglary in Fortaleza, Brazil, was once recognized by Guinness Book of World Records as the world's greatest bank robbery. Philadelphia authorities suspected the theft to have been an inside job and entry achieved using a key. He is renowned for his brilliant and efficient style, planning and executing robberies like military operations. Anyway, here are the stories of five famous bank robberies. Wikimedia. The Wild Bunch favored robbing trains, hoping to avoid shootouts in the aftermath of a robbery, and it has been falsely reported that during their career the gang never killed anyone in the course of one of their crimes. Today its very hard to pull off a bank job, yet each day approximately 20 banks are robbed in the U.S. alone! Floyd killed at least three police officers and several other underworld figures, including bootleggers, which indicates he may have supplemented his income from bank robberies by serving as a hitman for organized crime figures. It took exactly zero technology to catch the bad . Whilst incarcerated he became embittered against society, and began to mix with notorious criminals such as Harry Pierpoint and James Oklahoma Jack Clark. Barrow was killed instantly by a headshot and Parker, in the passenger seat, was sprayed with bullets soon afterwards. 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. 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. He also participated in many high profile bank robberies until his death at the Battle of Barrington. Dillinger buried his friend at the home of Volney Davis and Edna Murray. They then left the bank with about $7,000 in mostly small bills. The gang of outlaws which included Jesse and Frank James and the Younger brothers robbed banks, trains, stagecoaches, at least one fair, stores, and other victims from around 1867 until 1876, when a bank robbery in Northfield, Minnesota went wrong for the criminals. Dillinger was paroled in 1933, at the height of the great depression, when a convicted criminal had almost no option of employment. The plan was pretty simply stay out of our way or die. He was paroled in 1932, and began to commit small time robberies with Parker. Ted Conrad was working as a teller at the . According to reports, 18 perpetrators are still at large. Read through and the next time you visit your bank, remember to take a look up and smile for the camera. It is important to keep in mind that Butch Cassidy and his "Hole-in-the-Wall Gang" are one of the few successful bands of bank robbers during this time period. The innovative group of bandits found a weakness in French supermarket Monopri. 01/10/2022. Whether the raid was an act of war or a bank robbery has been debated ever since. As great of a criminal as Butch Cassidy was, there are still questions as to how he died. 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. 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. But the James brothers aren't the only bank robbers to become household names. The Hole in the Wall Pass in Wyoming was an easily defended, difficult to approach hideout for several criminal gangs which took sanctuary there from the 1860s through the early twentieth century. Famous quotes containing the words united and/or kingdom: " The United States never lost a war or won a conference. In the 1920s a surge of bank robberies across the United States began which continued through the Great Depression of the 1930s. The two were killed in an ambush in Louisiana on May 23, 1934, and the murderous Clyde Barrow and blithe Bonnie Parker remain romanticized in the twenty-first century. Because I enjoyed it. So I never let anyone (not even my wife or best friend) know what I was doing. According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, in 2019, out of 267,988 robberies, 1.4% were linked to banks. In addition to violence, Baby Face Nelson also robbed banks, completing his first job by the age of 21 years old. In 1984, the First National Bank of Chattanooga in Geronimo, Oklahoma, was the site of one of the most vicious bank robberies in American history on December 14 of that year. Nelson also demonstrated a propensity for violence and committed his first known murder during a botched tavern robbery. Athan G. Theoharis, John Stuart Cox. Before he became one of the most wanted outlaws in the west, Cassidy was born as Robert Leroy Parker in Utah. United California bank robbery. 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. Dillinger was portrayed by Jonny Depp in the 2009 film Public Enemies, though the film has some major inaccuracies, such as the timeline of deaths of Pretty Boy Floyd and Baby Face Nelson. In February 1864, Green was arrested and after questioning admitted that he had committed the murder and robbery, informing the authorities where the remaining money was hidden. Hunter robbed his first bank when he was 86 years old. Homer Van Meter was a young member of John Dillingers gang, with a reputation for being particularly bloodthirsty. Two members of his gang survived and James Oklahoma Jack Clark went on to join the Dillinger gang after being imprisoned, though Dillinger told Clark he couldnt join them unless he told him everything he knew about the Lamm Technique. Dillinger in particular exploited the image by robbing banks but not the customers who were present when he committed his crimes (he was not above stealing their cars though). After the United States government protested to the British authorities the raiders were arrested in Canada and the money seized. In 1976, when Lebanon was in the midst of a civil war, a group of robbers decided to cash in on the confusion. Wikimedia. At the time of the robbery, Jesse James was bedridden as he recovered from a chest wound, and while it is likely that the thieves were members of the gang with which Jesse later rode, he was most likely not present at the robbery which later became known as his first. After being apprehended again, he was sentenced to 50 years imprisonment. I look for video cameras, security guard positioning and speculate where the vault is. Often several different gangs occupied it simultaneously, though they did not coordinate their various nefarious activities. Here are our sources: The Canadian View of the Confederate Raid on Saint Albans. Floyd robbed more than thirty banks and killed at least ten men during his criminal career. Butch Cassidy (seated at right) and the Wild Bunch, one of several gangs which used Hole in the Wall Pass as a hideout. Fred Barker and his mother were gunned down by the FBI in their homes, in 1935. Taking place in Tokyo, it was the greatest bank job in the history of Japan. After this, Nelson began to rob banks with Homer Van Meter and Eddie Green. 3. 1. Butch was capable of robbing a bank with nothing but a pistol, but his men have been caught before. A driver remained in the car. Stolen: 53.1 million ($83 million) This brazen heist remains the largest cash robbery in British history and was executed with a more violent vision . Turns out she was talking with her accomplice, a boyfriend driving the getaway car outside the banks. The newly formed group of escapees became the first Dillinger gang. Nelson robbed his first bank in April 1930, another in October, and in Chicago that year robbed jewelry from the mayor of Chicagos wife. The robbers were armed with rifles, handguns, and shotguns. I guess you can blame Stockholm Syndrome here, but this is pretty crazy even to me (someone that totally believes Johnny Utah would join the Dead Presidents in their bank robbing adventures). Although Al Capone had been named Public Enemy Number One by the city of Chicago in 1930, John Dillinger was the first to hold the title as bestowed nationally by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. He was executed at the Ohio State Penitentiary in October 1934, after a failed escape attempt left him severely wounded. ", On morals, and whether he regrets what he did. He robbed a bank in Ohio, but was captured soon after. Arguably the third largest heist in history, a robbery masterminded by . Hamilton, along with Dillinger, were public enemy number one (or one and two I guess) as their gang robbed several banks around the Chicago area. Wikimedia. Library of Congress. They were not in uniform and were not connected to any existing command of the Confederate Army, though they were under the ostensible command of Bennett Young, a former member of Morgans Raiders who had surrendered with Morgan but escaped to Canada. The only caveat is, it's successful as long as you don't get caught. The men beat a guard unconscious but were soon apprehended. Cassidy was the ring leader of the gang known as the Wild Bunch, a group of Wild West criminals that loved to stick up banks, rob trains and then (presumably) drink whiskey and fight in saloons. Lebanon's civil war was in full swing. Given he was born in 1866, not likely. He started with several banks in New York City and then moved to New Jersey before coming back to the city where he would eventually get caught driving a stolen delivery car. Dillinger and his gang began a spree of bank robberies across Indiana, accumulating over $300,000 in total. The Norco shootout in the town of that name in California took place on May 9, 1980, between five bank robbers and deputies of the Riverside County and later San Bernardino County sheriff's departments. On September 19, 1900, members of the Wild Bunch entered the town of Winnemucca, Nevada. Riverside deputies were assisted in the high-speed chase by officers of other agencies as it entered Sam Bernardino County. In 2005-2006, Clay Tumey "studied and perfected the art of bank robbery", never getting caught but still going to prison about five months after his last robbery because he turned himself in, serving "three years and some change". It was 1976 in Beirut. Volney Davis was the boyfriend of Edna rabbits Murray. After the cashier reluctantly complied the men made their escape with about $32,000, most of it in gold. Train robberies. He has been a guest speaker on numerous national radio and television stations and is a five time published author. He was tied up with a necktie and eventually sentenced to life imprisonment, which he served in Alcatraz. He remained on the run for three years before crashing his car in thick fog. The South Malabar Gramin Bank's Chelembra branch robbery was inspired by the Bollywood movie Dhoom. Jesse was murdered there by Bob Ford in 1882 in St. Joseph. Over a dozen people were murdered by this duo until cops finally killed them. Baby Face didnt have a long career, killed by federal agents at the age of 25. The banks lost about $482 million due to robberies, or $4,213 per offense. Though he's probably one of Texas's most famous outlaws, Sam Bass is widely regarded to have been a rather inept criminal. I got out before the doors were locked, but a guy walking into the bank seconds later already found them locked. People worth millions dont typically get involved in robbing banks (unless of course that is how you made your millions). The Birds were then ordered into the vault and the two men left. Pretty ballsy on her part. After the death of John Dillinger, Floyd was elevated to Public Enemy Number One by the FBI. While traveling and searching for new ways to put some money in his pocket for a better life, he stumbled upon Mike . Arthur was a modern day Robin Hood, providing a service for people in need by stealing. Nash was a jack of all trades when it came to robbing banks. The most famous line about robbing banks was coined by Willie Sutton when asked why he continued to rob banks: Because thats where the money is.. It was later claimed that Butch Cassidy had been one of the robbers. Not fake talking on her phone as a distraction, but carrying on an actual conversation while slipping the teller a this is a robbery note. I'd always thought, "If I was that rich, I could change the world instead of just piling up cash." David S. Grant is the author of several books including "Blood: The New Red." Martinez, an attractive college student, would approach a bank teller while talking on her cell phone. There's been a lot of train robberies in American history, but one of the most famous is likely the robbery of the Union Pacific Overland Flyer No.
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