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In April 1925, Pierpont was arrested in Detroit and was soon returned to Indiana to face trial. Once the robbers reached an area near Lytle Creek they again engaged the pursuers. After this, Nelson began to rob banks with Homer Van Meter and Eddie Green. Votes: 20,895 | Gross: $0.42M John Dillinger (June 22, 1903-July 22, 1934) While the Great Depression that ravaged the 1930s created a perfect storm that propagated the country with scores of robbers looking to make an easy . As it became evident that Green was paying off his debts, the townspeople began to wonder where the money had come from. Butch Cassidy: Butch Cassidy was the leader of one of the famous robbery gangs, Wild Butch Gang. Barrow was imprisoned in 1927, for robbery of a gas station and it was here that he committed his first killing. Police caught him 15 minutes later with the knife and 410 in cash stolen from a Tesco in King's Lynn, Norfolk. Ted Conrad was working as a teller at the . Whether armed with guns, coordinated with a gang or using explosives, anything was on the table if it meant leaving the building with bags of money. There's one . Robbing banks was Dillingers bread and butter, and often included elaborate plans that placed him front and center, demanding attention of security, tellers and customers. Willie Sutton. He was arrested in Dayton, Ohio, transferred to the Allen County Jail, and escaped with the aid of gang members who dressed as Indiana policemen and killed Allen County, Sheriff Jess Sarber. Along with his partner Sundance Kid, the couple was famous for famous historic robberies. They fired grenades, mortar rounds, and bullets into the building. One of the largest bank robberies of all time was committed without the use of force, without any injuries, and without any real chance of catching the perpetrators or recovering the missing cash. The well-armed gangs often outgunned the police, and violent crime took an upsurge. They impersonated police officers, telling the Sheriff they had come to extradite Dillinger to Indiana. A fresh take on sports: the biggest news and most entertaining lists. Thom Hatch. You can reach David on Twitter @david_s_grant and his website www.pulpscribbler.com. On April 23, 1934, the gang were confronted by police and, during a getaway, Hamilton was wounded and died shortly after. According to reports, 18 perpetrators are still at large. Approximately a year later, the same man robbed another Spokane bank, stealing $14,000, this time setting off a dye pack that he was given. Hoover wouldnt have to wait long. 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. This led Dillinger to be admired by many who considered the banks who foreclosed on homes and farms as the real enemy. In April 1930, Nelson robbed his first bank and got away with $4000. Box 146, folder 2. Fred Barker and his mother were gunned down by the FBI in their homes, in 1935. Sutton was the Cal Ripken of bank robbers, participating in over 100 bank robberies over a 35-year span. Theodore J. Conrad pulled off one of the biggest bank robberies in Cleveland's history. It goes without saying that it takes balls to rob a bank, so I guess the term brass balls would apply to Henry Starr. After serving seven years in prison, Van Meter was paroled. W. D. Jones, Playboy Magazine. Shots were fired at the robbers outside while their three companions were still inside, who shot the clerk in the head and fled. The Lord never seeks re- election. Two of them survived, as did a fourteen-month-old child, who was not shot because the robbers ammunition ran out. Given he was born in 1866, not likely. Karpis continued his armed robbery career, although it became more and more difficult for him to escape capture. 1. Bells and sirens were replaced in many cases by silent alarms, which sent a signal to law enforcement, allowing them to confront the robbers as they exited the buildings, after several instances when robbers reacted to the loud alarms by shielding themselves with employees and customers as hostages. A payroll master targeted in the robbery described Floyd as: The gang even participated in kidnappings, however this proved to be their downfall. Once the driver realized what was happening, he manipulated the vehicles controls to cause the engine to stall, after they had covered the seven miles aforementioned, and the robbers were forced to continue their flight on foot. Herman Baron Lamm was a German American bank robber who is widely considered the father of modern bank robbery. 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. So he told the police, the police told the bank, the bank checked the video..and they saw her take it. 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. The chase covered seven miles before police caught up with them. He ran errands for gangsters when he was 10 years old, and soon garnered a reputation for reliability. ; Arrest the Culprit Green. The New York Times. Authorities in four states joined in the search for the fugitives. Via cbsnews.com. On Feb. 10, 1997, Bowman and Kirkpatrick robbed the Seafirst Bank of $4,461,681.00. 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. The skies darkened when Cassidy got close, thats how badass he was during the time of the Wild Wild West. In 1998, robbers struck the Bank of America at 1 World Trade Center in New York City, a feat believed to be impossible after the increase in security at the complex following the bombing in 1993. AP. That would be the equivalent of approximately $5 million today. The only money the gang managed to take during the robbery was a few bags of nickels. made Dillinger a priority and brought him down one night in Chicago by shooting him several times in front of a mob of people, as if Dillinger planned it himself. Online, The Boss: J. Edgar Hoover and the Great American Inquisition. Most bank robbers, at least the popular ones, had characteristics that set them apart. 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. The pair robbed banks together during the 1930s. 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. Ill admit that Patty Hearst probably belongs more in a Most Interesting versus Greatest bank robbers list, but here you go anyway. In addition to violence, Baby Face Nelson also robbed banks, completing his first job by the age of 21 years old. French "Vacuum Gang" Since 2006, in France, an unknown gang of thieves have been emptying supermarket safes, using nothing more than a drill and a modified vacuum cleaner. A mere boy a pretty boy with apple cheeks.. Members of the Palestinian Liberation Organization decided to launch an attack on the British Bank of the Middle East. The duo stole firearms and bullet proof vests. The next day, the depot was robbed. At 8.30 in the morning of January 14, 1998, the Brinks truck arrived and the guards were transferring the cash when they were overpowered by the gang assembled by Guarino. Moments later, cops were racing through San Isidro, a leafy, affluent suburb north . Dillinger was paroled in 1933, at the height of the great depression, when a convicted criminal had almost no option of employment. As a young man he enlisted in the US Navy, but was dishonorably discharged after he deserted. On the afternoon of November 24, 1971, a nondescript man calling himself Dan Cooper approached the counter of Northwest Orient Airlines in Portland, Oregon. Often several different gangs occupied it simultaneously, though they did not coordinate their various nefarious activities. The pursuit included the local militia, who killed or captured the remaining members of the gang. No referenda as to which road to take. Whilst in prison he tried to escape with another prisoner. But to me, the money was the chips, thats all.. He was buried by Dillinger. In 1997, Allen Pace was fired from Dunbar Armored, Inc. - an armored car courier service often used by banks - for tampering with a company vehicle. Hole in the floor Photo by Craig Sunter - Wikimedia. In June 1986, bank officials opened for business on a Monday morning to find a 20-by-25-inch hole in the bottom of the vault, deposit boxes strewn all over the floor and about $172,000 in cash . 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. After being arrested and imprisoned in the escape proof Lake County jail, Dillinger was able to use a carved wooden pistol to trick guards, and lock them in his cell. Hunt rushed to the scene to begin investigating what would turn out to be the biggest bank robbery in San Antonio history. "I never felt guilty because I didn't attack or assault anyone. I simply walked up to them when it was my turn to be helped, and I told them -- usually via handwritten instructions on an envelope -- to give me their $50s and $100s. 1. She just shrugged -- palms up like a little kid -- and said, "That's all I got." He has been a guest speaker on numerous national radio and television stations and is a five time published author. People worth millions dont typically get involved in robbing banks (unless of course that is how you made your millions). Hamilton went on to commit a spree of chaotic, yet lucrative, bank robberies with the Dillinger gang. Jamie founded Listverse due to an insatiable desire to share fascinating, obscure, and bizarre facts. Young had contacts with Confederate agents in Canada, who authorized the raid on St. Albans, which was actually the simultaneous robbery of the three banks in the town. 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. The robbers thought they were going to steal 3 million in cash. He was nicknamed slick for the many disguises he wore on the job. The fugitive behind one of America's most notorious bank robberies has been identified after a 52-year search, law enforcement officials have announced. The robbery had yielded a haul of about $20,000, most of which was recovered and the three surviving robbers were convicted of 46 felonies for their crimes, and all three were sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. A crowd gathers at Chicagos Biograph theater after the death of John Dillinger, July 22, 1934. 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. Hamilton began his criminal career by robbing a gas station in Indiana, and being sentenced to a very long prison term of 25 years. The Central Bank of Iraq Robbery - $920 million. Wikimedia. Early in the afternoon a man entered the bank, took the staff he found there into the back, forced them to lie on the floor, and then stabbed them to death. A determined J Edgar Hoover had even vowed to personally arrest Karpis. Escaping successfully, Pierpont was involved in several additional bank robberies with Dillinger. Considered to be the most sensational bank robberies in India to date. The young men produced shotguns and ordered the chief cashier, a man named Birge, and his aides to hand over all available cash. The robbery was a near disaster though he still managed to make a clean getaway. In 1879, Jesse returned to crime, with a new gang he engaged in a string of robberies in Missouri, Mississippi, and Louisiana, though Frank had by then given up the life of robberies and running. The robbers weren't caught until January 1956. The robbery was led by the notorious likes of outlaw Butch Cassidy and his sidekicks. Maybe its not balls; maybe cocky is the right word to describe him. 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. Among his associate criminals of his time, such as Baby Face Nelson, Homer Van Meter and John Red Hamilton, Dillinger was, by far, the most notorious. The year was 2005 and at only 19 years of age, the "Cell Phone Bandit," Candice Rose Martinez, was famous for her bank robbery execution. He managed to shoot his way to an escape, although his pregnant girlfriend was shot in the thigh. His reply was: Because thats where the money is. Jesse James didnt spread the wealth, he was in it for himself and sometimes that meant a few eggs would be broken (he mistakenly killed a cashier during a heist in Missouri). Someone should have. 5. The Birds were then ordered into the vault and the two men left. During the sixties, Williams was linked to over 60 robberies across the East Coast and Midwest. When those convictions were overturned (they had been tried together) they have tried again, in separate trials, and again both were convicted. James and his brother Frank robbed banks, stagecoaches, trains, and once even a fair. Jesse James. 1. Hamilton attended the liberation at Lima Jail but did not enter the building, instead serving as a lookout. Amazingly, they were never caught. Online. Grim bank officials told Hunt that someone had . 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. In addition, banks lost an estimated $482 million due to robberies. He was a master of disguise who often impersonated a postal telegraph messenger, police . The brothers were sentenced on federal charges and later received additional time on state charges. Click to learn more. The cab driver sets American Zed up with Zoe in his Paris hotel. He would simply slide a piece of paper with the word ROBBERY on it to the teller. John Dillinger left a bloody trail all across the Midwest. The Barker family were a notorious gang of siblings who robbed banks and killed without provocation. The Great Depression began with the Wall Street crash in 1929, and lasted well into the following decades. I enjoyed everything about it so much that one or two weeks later Id be out looking for the next job. Released on parole in May, 1933, he robbed his first bank the following month, in New Carlisle, Ohio. Two of them, John and Clarence, were transferred within the federal prison system after attempting to escape from Atlanta, first to Leavenworth, where they also attempted to escape, and finally to the allegedly escape-proof prison at Alcatraz. To me, its just natural, given that a bank has a vault full of cash and money makes the world go around. Thomas Limerick, a onetime boxcar bandit, became a "public enemy" bank robber in the Gage County area in the 1930s. United California bank robbery. Eventually, most of the Tape bandits were rounded up, including Nelson. After being on the run for two years, Nelson robbed his first major bank. Hunter. Hamilton was at the top of the public enemy list, whilst Dillinger and associate Harry Pierpoint were imprisoned. Johnny D. Boggs, True West Magazine. Floyd grew up in Oklahoma, and was first arrested at age 18, after stealing $3.50 from a post office. Guarino brought in three additional known criminals of his acquaintance to assist in the robbery, which was of a Brinks shipment of cash, which was to be taken to the eleventh floor facility after arriving at the complex. Also, Starr starred in a silent movie based on his criminal activity titled A Debtor to the Law. ", "In their top drawer, [tellers usually had] less than $10k. Four days after his arrest, Dillinger oversaw the smuggling of weapons into his friends prison cells, and they escaped, but not before killing two guards. In the late 1920s Lester Gillis, who used the alias George Nelson, was developing a budding criminal career by performing home invasions stealing cash, jewelry, and furs, and robbing stores and taverns. The duo and their gang went on to rob numerous other stores and banks before their downfall. Eventually he would do some time (all bank robbers eventually do some time), but that didnt keep Williams from his day job. Volney Davis was the boyfriend of Edna rabbits Murray. Karpis was raised in Kansas and began associating with criminals from an early age. Parker was soon arrested during a botched robbery of a hardware store, although she was soon released having not been charged. Valerio and his associates entered the facility, pretending to be customers. Dillinger wanted to be more famous than Capone and let everyone know who he was. He has also escaped from prison multiple times. In 1881, the brothers returned to Missouri. Wikimedia. Willie Sutton loved using disguises to rob banks. Oh-so-coincidentally, the next day, six bandits got into the garage with keys in hand, then tied up . 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. She started screaming "lock the doors, lock the doors" but I ignored it and just kept walking like nothing was happening. Insane, huh? Pierpont was found guilty and sentenced to a minimum of ten years in the Indiana Reformatory. 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. Whether the raid was an act of war or a bank robbery has been debated ever since. After the United States government protested to the British authorities the raiders were arrested in Canada and the money seized. In January, 1934, the gang robbed a bank in Chicago escaping with $20,376. 01/10/2022. He ended up being sentenced to a long prison term for a train robbery. He also stole the Sheriffs new Ford car to make his getaway. Though he's probably one of Texas's most famous outlaws, Sam Bass is widely regarded to have been a rather inept criminal. August 6, 2012, The Last Outlaws: The Lives and Legends of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. 5. I studied countless reports of other robberies that had gone wrong and people who were caught. Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow are among the most famous outlaws in history. After numerous convictions were attained using his information he entered the Witness Protection Program. Arguably the third largest heist in history, a robbery masterminded by . When Guarino was identified as the leader of the robbery he was taken into custody at his home on Staten Island, and within a few days he arranged to work as an informant, transferring information to the FBI and New York authorities on the activities of his various mob contacts. They were the first bank robbers to be caught through the use of security cameras, though they were far from the last, as local newscasts have broadcast the video images of thieves on a routine basis ever since. The case eluded officials for decades, until an obituary appeared online and family secrets began to unravel. But what the terrified customers and police didn't know was that the bold robbery was merely a carefully crafted distraction to keep . His bank robbery style became known as the Lamm Technique, and was widely imitated by other famous bank robbers, such as John Dillinger. After the death of John Dillinger, Floyd was elevated to Public Enemy Number One by the FBI. 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. Baby Face didnt have a long career, killed by federal agents at the age of 25. Green was not a suspect at first, the citizens of Malden unable to believe that a man in his position was capable of such a heinous crime. Nash was a jack of all trades when it came to robbing banks. Eventually, Pierpont was tried for the murder of the Allen County Sheriff in Ohio, convicted and sentenced to death. To me, its just natural, given that a. 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. Wikimedia. Modern day pop culture has kept the tradition alive with movies such as Point Break, HEAT and Reservoir Dogs. David lives and works in New York City. In 1997, a Dunbar Armored Co. employee was fired for tampering with the company's vehicles. He was never caught and the loot from the heist was never found. RCDSA. Dillinger buried his friend at the home of Volney Davis and Edna Murray. After many successful bank robberies and kidnappings, Davis was captured and charged with kidnapping. Ruth Brown, New York Post. Dillinger and his gang began a spree of bank robberies across Indiana, accumulating over $300,000 in total. Tulsa World. Library of Congress. By then Jesse James had been dead for seven years, but the two remaining Younger brothers, Jim and Cole, continued to maintain their silence over any crimes committed by the James brothers, including the Northfield robbery. An estimated $5. John Hamilton was hit and died shortly after. 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. Floyd robbed more than thirty banks and killed at least ten men during his criminal career. Whoever the culprits had been, they had burrowed through 100 feet of soil from a nearby sewer drain, and had drilled . His demise finally came when he attended the Biograph Theatre, in Chicago. Before they left, the Termites started a fire that set off the sprinkler system and flooded the building. In yet another gun battle with police, a second robber was killed. 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. 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. His numerous prison escapes also added to his legend. Via: The Richest. On Friday, February 28th, 1997 the Los Angeles Police Department would face one of the most dangerous criminal acts in its history - The North Hollywood Bank Shootout. 2003, The Great Northfield Raid Revisited. $5 Million of it was stolen in cash while $875,000 was in Jewels and at the time of the crime made it the largest cash robbery to happen in American History. Wikimedia. FBI. 4. As robbers and thieves, nobody was better than the comparatively low-profile Newton and his brothers, who later were popularized in a middling 1998 movie as "The Newton Boys."In a blink of about five years in the 1920s, the Newtons (and an occasional accomplice) pulled off about 70 bank heists (give or take a dozen), ripped off six trains and, in their pice de rsistance, cleared somewhere . "I think morality is very subjective. Homer Van Meter was a young member of John Dillingers gang, with a reputation for being particularly bloodthirsty. Hearst, the heir to millions, was kidnapped and later arrested as an accomplice with the Symbionese Liberation Armyafter they robbed a bank in San Francisco. This time he escaped through a tunnel along with other convicts, although he was recaptured the same day. It was 12:38 in the afternoon on January 13, 2006, when the call went out to police: a bank robbery in progress. In March the crime spree began again, and in that month alone three additional Indiana banks were robbed by Pierpont and his associates, in New Harmony, Kokomo, and Laketon. He was famous for his likable personality and charm. Most bank robbers act solo or with groups of accomplices, but Bonnie and Clyde were the rare duo that went on a crime spree that included bank robberies as well as gas stations and retail outlets. There has to be some disappointment that comes with getting caught because cameras picked up the license plate of a stolen getaway car. ", On the final job that didn't go as planned, "The teller freaked out as soon as I turned to leave the bank. Two bank robbers and one deputy died in the gun battle, nine officers were wounded. I have tried to rank in order of reputation and skill. Train robberies. This makes the act of tunneling into a bank, or other unlawful entry such as forcing the locks, technically a burglary rather than a robbery, but in the public imagination they are one and the same thing for the most part. On January 17, 1950, 11 men steal more than $2 million ($29 million today) from the . In addition to being a master bank robber he was also a master of escaping from prison (which is good when your job is robbing banks on the outside). The men were John, Clarence, and Alfred Anglin, and they did not wear masks. Whilst incarcerated he became embittered against society, and began to mix with notorious criminals such as Harry Pierpoint and James Oklahoma Jack Clark. The infamous Ohio State Penitentiary in Columbus was one of the nations most notorious prisons when Pierpont was sent there for execution. . Sutton later answered the question, after admitting he never said the famous quote: Why did I rob banks? He was executed at the Oklahoma State Penitentiary in 2002, by lethal injection. At the time, it was described as "the crime of the century." The gang gained entry to the warehouse from security guard Anthony Black. Regardless, some of them found more success than others, however, all of them eventually were caught and persecuted. After the second gun battle in San Bernardino County, the surviving robbers escaped into the San Bernardino Mountains. "No threat. Clyde Barrow and Bonnie Parker left a trail of dead lawmen and bystanders in their wake during their crime spree of robbery and murder. John and Clarence Anglin, along with fellow inmate Frank Morris, escaped from Alcatraz in June 1962. 9 Million was stolen (which translates to $21.6 Million today). He moved to America shortly before the outbreak of World War I, and became a hold up man; quickly adapting his military training, his study of tactics and his precision and discipline to the art of crime. The pair robbed banks together during the 1930s. The robbers were armed with rifles, handguns, and shotguns. 1964, The Maiden Murder. In 1997, Los Angeles residents witnessed what became the deadliest bank robbery in the history of America. Eventually someone caught on, but talk about not being able to keep a good man (or bad man) down. 8. Think Natural Born Killers without Rodney Dangerfield and Quentin Tarantino/Oliver Stone script/director drama. One difference of course is that he used a machine gun versus a bow and arrow. While it's too early to say whether the Berlin coin robbery will go down in history like the following 10 unsolved heists, it definitely fits the bill as an interesting crime caper. Clipping from the Minneapolis Tribune, March 14, 1934. 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. Rebecca Seales, The Daily Mail. The Burrowing Burglars. Wikimedia. These criminals werent like the bank robbers of today; handing a note to a teller and escaping with $100, only to be caught the next day. Dillinger was killed in Chicago in 1934, and more than 15,000 people waited in line to view his body before his internment in Crown Hill Cemetery in Indianapolis, Indiana. The riders escaped pursuit by a posse. ", "No. Frank Eugene Converse, whose family later founded the Converse Shoe Company, was a seventeen-year-old clerk at the First Malden Bank in Malden, Middlesex County, Massachusetts, in December of 1863. He spent his time planning heists with his new found friends, that they would commit shortly after being released. Sutton carried on his criminal career whilst on the run, but eventually ended up spending more than half his adult life in prison. Robbing a bank is the ultimate risk and reward, full of thrills, hard cash and consequences if caught. In March of 1934, Nelson partnered with John Dillinger to rob the Security National Bank in Sioux Falls, followed a week later by the First National Bank of Mason City, Iowa. The most significant result of the St. Albans raid was the shift of public opinion in Canada regarding support for the Confederacy, with the majority turning against the Confederate activity in Canada, and there were no more raids launched across the northern border. 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 . The police in automobiles were able to run them down quickly, and they were apprehended and taken to jail. Christopher Goodwin, The Times (London). He writes about pop culture and humor, he is also a degenerate gambler (which he also writes about). May 6, 1925, Its an old up! John Dillinger spent nine years in prison for assault and battery committed while he was robbing a grocery store, and spent his time there being tutored in the art of bank robbery.
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