Contents
- 1 Who was involved in the Brinks mat
- 2 Who was involved in the 1950 Brinks robbery
- 3 What happened to Micky McAvoy Brink’s mat
- 4 Who committed the biggest bank robbery
- 5 What is the biggest unsolved heist in history
- 6 Did all 6 Brinks mat robbers get caught
- 7 Where is Mickey McAvoy now
- 8 How did 100 million in jewels disappear in 27 minutes
- 9 What is the biggest heist in US history
- 10 Who were the members of the Dunbar Armored robbery
- 11 Who did Brinks robbery in New York
- 12 Who committed the first bank robbery
Who was involved in the Brinks mat
Related Article – Brian Reader, who was also at the property at the time, was put on trial for murder but was acquitted. In 1986, seven men, including Noye, Reader, security guard Anthony Black (who was complicit in the robbery), Garth Chappell and Terence Patch, were put on trial for handling the stolen gold.
Noye was accused of masterminding and controlling the operation to launder the robbery proceeds. In 1986, Noye was found guilty of conspiracy to handle the stolen goods. He was sentenced to 14 years in prison and fined £500,000, with an additional £200,000 in costs. He was released in 1994. In 1996, he murdered 21-year-old motorist Stephen Cameron on a slip road of the M25 motorway near Swanley in Kent in a road rage incident.
Noye was given a life sentence. He was released on licence in 2019. The Ministry of Justice said at the time: “Like all life sentence prisoners released by the independent Parole Board, Kenneth Noye will be on licence for the remainder of his life, subject to strict conditions and faces a return to prison should he fail to comply.” Sources have reported that Noye is “over the moon” with how he has been portrayed in The Gold,
However, the family of victim Stephen Cameron have been critical of the decision to portray him as a “loveable rogue”. Stephen’s girlfriend identified Noye and went into witness protection. George Francis, an associate of Micky McAvoy, was shot dead while getting out of his car in south London in 2003, aged 63.
Solicitor Michael Relton, thought to be the real person behind the character Edwyn Cooper in The Gold, was sentenced to 12 years in prison. He is reportedly living in the US. McAvoy married Kathleen when he was in prison and went on to live in Spain. He died aged earlier this year aged 71.
- Athleen McAvoy was given an 18-month suspended sentence for handling stolen money.
- She died in 2022.
- Brian Reader received an eight-year sentence for conspiracy to handle stolen goods.
- He was also involved in the 2015 Hatton Garden raid,
- Gordon John Parry, Brian Perry, Patrick Clark, Jean Savage and Anthony Black were all given between five and 10 years in prison for their part in the crime.
As of 2004, it was reported that £25m in cash and other assets had been recovered. Speaking in The Gold: The Inside Story, Detective Chief Superintendent Brian Boyce explains: “Our task was far greater than just arresting the robbers, we hadn’t even recovered the dust of the gold.
Who was involved in the 1950 Brinks robbery
Robbery – Seven of the group went into the Brink’s building: O’Keefe, Gusciora, Baker, Maffie, Geagan, Faherty, and Richardson. They each wore a chauffeur cap, pea coat, rubber Halloween mask, and each had a,38 caliber revolver, At 7:10 pm, they entered the building and tied up the five employees working in the vault area.
Was a guard involved in Brinks mat robbery?
Brian Robinson – Robinson was arrested in December 1983 after he was exposed by Stephen Black – the security guard who gave the robbers entry to the warehouse. After being found guilty of armed robbery, Robinson was sentenced to 25 years in prison. Robinson passed away in his London nursing home in October. He was 76, and had been ill for sometime.
Who was the lead investigator in Brinks mat robbery?
Brian Boyce DCI : who was The Gold detective, what has he said about Brink’s-Mat – is he still alive? BBC drama series The Gold follows the infamous 1983 robbery at a Brink’s-Mat warehouse in Heathrow, which saw £26 million in gold bullion, diamonds and cash stolen.
What happened to Micky McAvoy Brink’s mat
Brink’s-Mat robber Mick ‘The Nutter’ McAvoy dies aged 71 Published: 21:35 BST, 6 January 2023 | Updated: 22:33 BST, 6 January 2023
- Brink’s-Mat robber Micky McAvoy has died aged 71 just months after his wife passed away from,
- McAvoy, dubbed ‘The Nutter’, was part of the criminal gang which stole £26million worth of gold ingots, diamond and cash in the ‘crime of the century’ after raiding the warehouse at Airport in 1983.
- The career criminal, who was known as one of the country’s most prolific and violent armed robbers, played a major role in one of the largest bullion heists in British history.
- McAvoy had suffered from cancer and passed away on New Year’s Eve at his Bromley flat in south east London, where he lived alone, reports.
Brink’s-Mat robber Micky McAvoy has died aged 71 just months after his wife passed away from cancer. He is pictured above in the summer of 2000 after his release from prison Micky McAvoy, dubbed ‘The Nutter’, was part of the criminal gang which stole £26million worth of gold ingots, diamond and cash in the ‘crime of the century’ after raiding the warehouse at Heathrow Airport in 1983
- Police had long suspected McAvoy was still active in criminal circles during his time in prison, with one informant suggesting he was involved in a drug-smuggling plot.
- In his last days, McAvoy was said to have been struggling financially after devoting himself to caring for his ailing wife, Kathy who died from cancer just six months ago.
- The pair wed in prison in 1987, three years after McAvoy was sentenced to 25 years behind bars for his role in the Brink’s-Mat robbery.
- At the time of his most lucrative crime, McAvoy was just 30, and the youngest of the gang of six robbers who masterminded the Brink-Mat heist on November 26, 1983.
- McAvoy used his painting and decorator career as a front, but was known to Scotland Yard and was even part of their 20-strong database on London’s most prolific armed robbers.
- Just three years before the Heathrow heist, McAvoy was involved in another major robbery after making off with more than £811,000 in cash after ramming a crane into a Brink’s-Mat van in London.
- He, along with his criminal accomplices, were suspected of a string of other high-profile crimes in the capital during their heyday.
McAvoy used his painting and decorator career as a front, but was known to Scotland Yard and was even part of their 20-strong database on London’s most prolific armed robbers
- Ex-Scotland Yard chief Roy Ramm told the Sun: ‘McAvoy was one of the most violent and prolific robbers of his generation.
- ‘He was feared among his peers and had been a top target of Scotland Yard for years.
- ‘When he was eventually imprisoned for Brink’s-Mat there was a sense of a job well done and relief.’
- Tributes for the career criminal poured in on social media, including one heartfelt post by Tyson Fury’s uncle who posted on Instagram: ‘My true friend gave up his battle last night to be with his loving wife Kathy.
‘Your together now, love you both beyond life, until we walk together again. Micky McAvoy RIP.’
- During the Brink’s-Mat robbery, Brian ‘The Colonel’ Robinson was joined by his brother-in-law Anthony Black and associate Michael McAvoy and three others as they raided the warehouse at Heathrow airport.
- The gang made international headlines afterstealing 6,800 gold ingots, diamonds and cash which would be worth well over £100million today.
- The property belonged to security company Brink’s Mat and the robbers were there because they knew there was £3million in cash tucked away inside the vault.
- Security guard Anthony Black, had pre-warned them about the cash and even opened the door of the warehouse to let the criminals in.
- The gang tied up the guards and poured petrol over them, threatening to light it if they didn’t comply.
- Over the years, with less than half of the Brink’s-Mat gold recovered, an extraordinary number of McAvoy’s criminal associates have been murdered or disappeared.
It is estimated that more than 20 people with some kind of connection to the robbery have been killed, as Britain’s criminal underworld turned on itself in a desperate attempt to find the gold – most of which has never been found Pictured: The crime scene at Heathrow Airport in 1983
- It is estimated that more than 20 people with some kind of connection to the robbery have been killed, as Britain’s criminal underworld turned on itself in a desperate attempt to find the gold – most of which has never been found.
- McAvoy’s share of the £26million loot was later stolen while he was locked up, with police suspecting he ordered the contract killing of the man entrusted to guard his loot.
- His death comes as a six-part BBC drama on the Brink’s-Mat heist is due to be broadcast later this year.
- The Gold will follow the decades-long chain of events that followed what has been described as ‘the crime of the century’ and air across six episodes on BBC One and Paramount+ globally.
Shortly after 6.40am on November 26, 1983, six armed men in balaclavas – including one wearing a Trilby – entered a warehouse at Heathrow airport. The property belonged to security company Brink’s Mat and the robbers were there because they knew there was £3million in cash in the vault.
- They knew because their inside man, security guard Anthony Black, had told them.
- He even opened the door of the warehouse to let them in.
- Led by Black’s brother-in-law, Brian Robinson, and Trilby-clad Michael ‘Micky’ McAvoy, the gang tied up the guards and poured petrol over them, threatening to light it if they didn’t comply.
Thanks to Black, they were able to identify the two most senior guards who, between them, held the keys and combination numbers for the vault where three safes were located. Inside was more than three tonnes of gold bullion. Packed into more than 70 cardboard boxes were almost 7,000 gold bars.
Someone had to fetch the van. Weighed down by a heap of gold, the van idled its way out of Heathrow after one of the robbers wished the security guards a merry Christmas. It didn’t take the police long to connect Black to the raid and he soon implicated Robinson and McAvoy (who punched Black when he went to identify him in a police line-up).
Shortly after 6.40am on November 26, 1983, six armed men in balaclavas – including one wearing a Trilby – entered a warehouse at Heathrow airport The pair hadn’t exactly laid low after the robbery, spending cash on property in Kent. It was rumoured McAvoy had bought two rottweilers to protect his new home and named them Brinks and Mat.
- The two were later sentenced to 25 years in prison.
- Black was sentenced to six years.
- Stealing the gold had been relatively easy.
- The bigger challenge was selling it.
- The robbers turned to crime boss Kenneth Noye, who, along with another criminal, Brian Reader, handled the gold.
- It was regularly taken to a smelting company near Bristol where it was mixed with copper and brass to look like scrap gold.
About £13millon-worth was disposed of in this way. The movement of cash through a local bank soon aroused the suspicion of the Bank of England and surveillance operations of known villains began. Noye appeared in court in 1986 after police found 11 gold bars worth £100,000 on his premises.
- He is currently serving time in prison for the 1996 roadrage killing of 21-year-old Stephen Cameron on the M25 in Kent.
- Only two of the gang that entered the warehouse were ever convicted of the crime but there were greater repercussions.
- It is estimated that more than 20 people with some kind of connection to the robbery have been killed, as Britain’s criminal underworld turned on itself.
Meanwhile Reader, Noye’s former right-hand man, was the ringleader behind the £14million Hatton Garden jewellery raid. He was sentenced to six years and three months in jail last month. : Brink’s-Mat robber Mick ‘The Nutter’ McAvoy dies aged 71
How many people were involved in the Brinks robbery?
The Brink’s robbery has captivated the collective memory of Boston for decades. This audacious heist, carried out on a cold January day, sent shockwaves through the streets of Boston, leaving an indelible mark on its history. Let’s jump into the details of this world-famous event.
- BACKGROUND On January 17, 1950, the North End was rocked by one of the most brazen robberies in history.
- The target was the Brink’s Garage, located on Commercial Street.
- Brink’s, a trusted name in armored transportation, had unwittingly become the center of an audacious plot that would leave authorities astounded.
THE HEIST Under the cover of darkness, a gang of 11 criminals executed their meticulously planned operation. Armed with guns and dressed in police uniforms, they gained access to the Brink’s Garage, overpowering the guards who were making their rounds.
- The robbers disabled the alarm system, leaving the building vulnerable.
- Over the course of several hours, the gang systematically looted the vault, making off with $1.2 million in cash, a huge amount of for that time.
- THE INVESTIGATION The Brink’s robbery triggered one of the largest and most intensive manhunts in Boston’s history.
Law enforcement agencies, led by the Boston Police Department, spared no effort in their pursuit of the perpetrators. However, despite tireless efforts, the robbers managed to elude capture for nearly six years, frustrating both authorities and the general public.
- INFAMOUS FIGURES The Brink’s robbery was notable for its audacity and the notorious people involved.
- One of the masterminds behind the heist was Anthony “Fats” Pino, a career criminal and a central figure in the Boston underworld.
- Pino’s cunning and meticulous planning played a significant role in the success of the robbery.
Other notorious figures, such as Joseph “Specs” O’Keefe and Stanley Gusciora, were also involved, further cementing the event’s place in Boston’s criminal lore. THE AFTERMATH Eventually, the robbers’ luck ran out. In 1956, following a tip-off, law enforcement authorities apprehended several members of the gang, including Pino, O’Keefe, and Gusciora which resulted in multiple convicitons.
The authorities were also able to recover a significant portion of the stolen money from the Brink’s robbery. After a relentless pursuit and investigation, law enforcement officials managed to seize approximately $58,000 of the stolen $1.2 million. However, a substantial portion of the loot remained unaccounted for despite their efforts.
The whereabouts of the remaining money remained a mystery, adding another layer of intrigue. LEGACY AND IMPACT The Brink’s robbery is forever etched into the annals of Boston’s criminal history. The incident also prompted significant improvements in security measures for banks and armored transportation, helping to safeguard valuable assets in the future.
Who committed the biggest bank robbery
1. Central Bank of Iraq ($1bn, 2003) – What is by far the largest bank robbery in history was not perpetrated by a normal off-the-street criminal. In fact, in an audacious move, nearly $1bn was stolen from Iraq’s Central Bank by its very own dictator,
What is the biggest unsolved heist in history
The Antwerp Diamond Centre | |
Date | February 15–16, 2003 |
---|---|
Location | Antwerp, Belgium |
Coordinates | 51°12′58″N 4°25′04″E / 51.2162°N 4.4177°E |
Type | Heist |
Participants | Leonardo Notarbartolo |
Outcome | More than $100 million of property stolen |
Missing | Diamonds, gold, silver and other types of jewelry |
Sentence | 10 years imprisonment |
The Antwerp diamond heist, dubbed the “heist of the century”, was the largest ever diamond heist and one of the largest robberies in history. Thieves stole loose diamonds, gold, silver and other types of jewelry valued at more than $100 million. It took place in Antwerp, Belgium, during the weekend of 15–16 February 2003.
Did all 6 Brinks mat robbers get caught
Was anyone caught and convicted for the Brink’s-Mat robbery? – The Brinks-Mat robbery was carried out by a gang of six thieves, but only three have ever been convicted. The gang was able to pull off their heist with the help of inside man Anthony Black, who was working at the depot as a security guard.
- During the investigation, detectives realised that Black was the brother-in-law of London criminal Brian Robinson.
- When brought in for questioning, Black confessed and gave up key information about Robinson and other members of the gang.
- Black’s testimony led to the convictions of Robinson and Mickey McAvoy, who were each jailed for 25 years for their parts in the raid.
Black was jailed for six years. A security van carrying Anthony Black, Michael McAvoy and Brian Robinson leaves the Old Baily during the trial of the men accused of the £26m Brink’s-Mat gold robbery. Robinson and McAvoy were the only members of the original armed robbers who were jailed, but at least 14 people were convicted in connection with the raid.
Most were convicted of conspiring to handle stolen goods or fraudulently conspiring to evade VAT payments. After escaping with the gold, the thieves turned to notorious criminal Kenneth Noye for help in turning the bullion into cash. Noye was able to disguise some of the gold by combining it with copper, but police later found 11 gold bars worth £100,000 at his former home.
While he was under investigation, he stabbed to death an undercover detective who was monitoring him at his West Kingsdown home. Noye was cleared of murder after pleading self-defence, but was later sentenced to 14 years and fined £500,000 plus £200,000 costs for helping to launder some of the stolen cash. Undated Kent Police handout of Kenneth Noye, who was was sentenced to 14 years for money laundering. Several of Noye’s associates were also convicted of money laundering and evading VAT payments: Garth Chappell was jailed for ten years, Brian Reader was jailed for eight years, and Matteo Constantino received a 12-month suspended sentence.
Noye was released from jail in 1994 after serving eight years. In 1996, he stabbed a man to death in a road rage incident on an M25 slip road and was eventually convicted in 2000 after fleeing to Spain. In July 1988, solicitor Michael Relton was convicted of helping to launder the heist’s proceeds by bringing money smuggled into bank accounts overseas back to the UK, where he invested it in the property boom in London’s Docklands.
He was jailed for 12 years. McAvoy’s wife Kathleen was convicted of conspiring to handle the stolen gold and handed an 18-month suspended sentence. In August 1992, nearly a decade after the heist, property developer Gordon Parry, McAvoy’s associate Brian Perry, former nightclub owner Patrick Clark, and tobacconist Jean Savage were convicted of money laundering.
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Where is Mickey McAvoy now
When did Micky McAvoy die? – McAvoy died on January 6, 2023, at the age of 71. He was thought to have been suffering from cancer, and was found dead in the flat in which he lived alone in the Bromley area of South East London, McAvoy kept a low profile and never publicly discussed his role in the Brink’s-Mat raid.
Who was the robber at the end of the gold?
The Millwall Fan on the Costa del Sol – The Gold finale opens on a Spanish villa with a mystery man listening to a Millwall v Arsenal football match on the radio. Incensed by the ref awarding Arsenal the penalty they need to equalise in this FA Cup round, he rants about class inequality and throws his radio over the edge of the property.
Then in The Gold ‘s final moments, he and his Spanish girlfriend are seen sunbathing and laughing, while in flashback, we identify him as one of the six armed robbers who committed the original robbery and escaped to Spain to live on his share of the proceeds. The character, played by Sam Spruell, is named as Charlie Miller in the episode credits.
Micky McAvoy and Brian Robinson were the only two of the six actual robbers sentenced for the Brink’s-Mat heist. The real identity of this mystery man, therefore, is not public knowledge. “Charlie Miller” is likely an invention, but perhaps inspired by elements of real-life armed robber Charlie Wilson.
- Charlie Wilson was shot dead aged 57 at his £500,000 Marbella home on the Costa del Sol in 1990.
- A career criminal, he had been the treasurer of the 1963 Great Train Robbery, for which he received a 30-year sentence but escaped custody and spent four years on the run before being recaptured, and was eventually released from prison in 1978.
During his time in Spain, Wilson was suspected of involvement in drug-smuggling and of laundering proceeds from the Brink’s-Mat robbery. Join our mailing list Get the best of Den of Geek delivered right to your inbox! It’s by no means a perfect fit as “Charlie Miller” is concretely identified in The Gold as having been one of the Brink’s-Mat robbers (and the game he’s listening to on the radio appears to have taken place in January 1994), but there’s enough crossover in the stories to believe Wilson may have served as an inspiration for the mystery Millwall fan living on the lam in Spain.
What is the biggest heist in history?
1. The Central Bank of Iraq robbery – Stolen: Over $920 million Another robbery in Baghdad became the largest bank heist in history. The mastermind was none other than Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein. One day before the Iraq War began in 2003, he sent three large trucks to the Central Bank.
- He also sent his son Qusay with a handwritten note asking to withdraw nearly $1 billion to keep it from enemy hands.
- The money was loaded into vans and driven away.
- Most of the cash was recovered in the ensuing raids — but it doesn’t end here.
- Tasked with counting the illicit loot, American soldiers made off with hundreds of thousands of dollars for themselves and their families.
Thirty-five service members were caught.
How did 100 million in jewels disappear in 27 minutes
After possibly the most expensive jewelry heist in U.S. history, Brink’s went after the victims. – California sheriff’s deputies search the back of the Brink’s truck where millions in jewelry were stolen last year. Photo: Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department California sheriff’s deputies search the back of the Brink’s truck where millions in jewelry were stolen last year. Photo: Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Jean Malki was carefully wrapping up a necklace containing more than 25 carats of fancy yellow diamonds, a rare Australian-mined Lightning Ridge black opal, and a deep-magenta Burmese ruby after a long day of sales at the International Gem & Jewelry Show when a bewildering announcement came over the loudspeaker.
Strange and suspicious individuals have been seen hanging around the expo, the show organizer warned, urging people to leave with extreme caution. Up until then, July 10, 2022, had been a normal day for Malki, a veteran jeweler for 40 years who sold most of his estate collection at shows like this one in San Mateo, California, just south of San Francisco.
Malki, who got his first taste of the industry by moving diamonds for Zales, is a traveling salesman who continually packs and unpacks items that are sometimes worth millions apiece. These shows feature dozens of jewelers from all over the country selling everything from decorative beads to rare Rolexes.
Instead of moving the merchandise himself in his car, Malki had opted for what he thought was the safest possible alternative: a Brink’s armored truck. He handed his entire collection to a Brink’s guard who packed the items into the truck and told Malki he would receive them the following day for another show five hours south in Pasadena.
Soon, Malki learned he had made the wrong decision. Just after 2 a.m. the next day, at an unremarkable truck stop right at the Los Angeles County line, the guard driving the Brink’s truck went inside to grab a bite. His co-pilot was asleep in a berth in the cab.
- When the driver returned 27 minutes later, dozens of bags of precious gems and watches sent by Malki and 14 other dealers estimated to be worth up to $100 million were gone.
- The heist, by some estimates, is the largest jewelry theft by value in modern U.S. history.
- In the ten months since, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and the FBI have announced no suspects.
Even if the thieves are found, it might not help most of the jewelers whose livelihoods were effectively wiped out; they are locked in a bitter legal fight with Brink’s that has prevented them from receiving any insurance money. They say they feel robbed twice: first by the thieves, then by Brink’s refusal to pay them for what they believe is the company’s own negligence.
Founded in the 19th century, Brink’s has been transporting valuables, mostly cash, between banks for so long that its name is synonymous with high security. Its trucks, a fleet of rolling vaults, have long tempted thieves, from the 1981 heist that killed two police officers and a Brink’s guard in New York to a string of armed robberies last month in Chicago,
In the jewelry trade, Brink’s has also become something of a monopoly, according to jewelers. It’s often the only option for shipping valuables securely at shows like the San Mateo expo. (In 2018, the company bought a major competitor, Dunbar, for $520 million,) It is so dominant that jewelers and showrunners I spoke with said they fear criticizing Brink’s will lead the company to ban them as customers, which could end their businesses.
- The vehicle transporting millions of dollars in jewelry from San Mateo was not one of the company’s famous armored cars but a semitruck.
- While the cab was armored, according to a review of sheriff’s deputies’ body-camera footage, the trailer actually carrying the valuables was not.
- There were no surveillance cameras, and an incident report noted the jewelry was secured inside the trailer by a single locking device in the rear.
The thieves simply cut the lock, as evidenced by the slivers of metal left behind, and appeared to have taken it with them. That’s not the level of security the jewelers thought they had signed up for. The truck’s lock was taken after it was cut. Photo: Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department “Brink’s was supposed to use an armored truck.
They didn’t use an armored truck; they used a trailer to transport our jewelry,” said Ming Cheng, a jeweler who worked the show with his wife. He lost his entire stock in the theft, mostly hundreds of pieces of pearl jewelry. “And only two armed guards — one was sleeping, and one went to get some food, and they didn’t keep an eye on the truck.
How could this happen?” The Brink’s guards seemed just as shocked. That night, James Beaty had been sleeping in a small compartment behind the seats, taking what Brink’s says was part of the federally required ten hours off per day that limit how much time a driver can be awake on the road.
- Tandy Motley had been behind the wheel for hours when he pulled into the Flying J truck stop in Lebec.
- When he came out after his meal, he noticed the red seal wrapping the back of the truck had been torn and was lying on the ground.
- He called 911.
- The guards determined that 24 of the 73 bags Brink’s had initially said were onboard were missing, according to the body-camera footage, though Brink’s would later put the figure at 22.
“Holy shit,” Beaty said after counting. “I’ve been here eight years, and I’ve never seen anything like this.” They began piecing the night together, telling the two officers who arrived that they thought they had been followed from the show in San Mateo.
I just had a weird feeling,” said Motley between puffs on his vape, about a figure at the show. “He was staring me right in the eye. And I looked — it’s like why is this guy dogging me? He had a beard, driving a silver SUV. And then just sitting there for like two minutes. And then I was — after that, I was kind of watching to see if anyone was following me They had to have come in here with a fucking trailer.” The guards and deputies agreed it appeared to be a calculated theft for another reason: The stolen items were not the most convenient to grab, as the bags from the immediate opening of the back door would have been were the thieves in a hurry to take what they could.
The missing bags were stowed further back and had been seemingly handpicked even though the entire load was wrapped in identical, bright-orange heavy plastic bags that concealed what was inside. “Well, what doesn’t make sense to me is you would think the back half of the trailer would be empty rather than leapfrogging the stuff,” said one deputy.
“As much as they took in a little amount of time — they knew what they was getting,” said Beaty. Consequently, the guards suggested the thief could have been one of the jewelers. “It almost makes me wonder if the jeweler robbed himself, you know? Like he knew exactly what they had or something, right, for insurance,” said Motley.
Later, Motley said he was worried the suspicion might turn on him. “You know what worries me the most is they always want to blame the employee first,” he confided to one of the deputies. Each of the 73 bags was labeled with a distinctive colored tag, but it’s in dispute whether those tags denoted value, destination, or ownership.
After the deputies arrived, Beaty called the Brink’s guard who had packed up the shipments at the show, whose name was given as Nelson. Based on what Beaty claimed was their conversation, he told deputies the tags indicated value. “He thinks that all the LAX stuff is what got stolen because it’s the highest value,” Beaty said of Nelson, referring to bags that were headed to Los Angeles International Airport instead of the Pasadena show.
“But that’s right there,” Motley said, confused. “It says LAX on it.” “I’m just telling you what he said,” Beaty replied, and the contradiction wasn’t pursued any further. It later was determined that the jewelry stolen was indeed among some of the most expensive pieces being shipped, according to Gerald L.
Kroll, the lawyer representing the victims against Brink’s. Taken together, the ease of the theft and the weak security have left some of them believing it was an inside job. “Reading the police report that we had, it’s just kind of hard to believe it’s just a coincidence that some people decided to rob a Brink’s truck.
And they knew when they were going to leave. They knew where they’re going to stop. They knew how long they’re going to stop,” said Malki. Sergeant Michael Mileski confirmed that the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Major Crimes Bureau and the FBI were looking into that angle.
- He said authorities have so far served several warrants at various residences and businesses for records and to search property but have no updates to announce.
- The lack of answers has allowed rumors to swirl about where the gemstones and watches went, including that some of the pieces ended up in Israel.
Others believe the thieves are playing it smart by holding on to the jewelry and will likely do so for years until the spotlight fades. Bags were stolen from deep inside the truck, suggesting the thieves knew what they were looking for. Photo: Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Some of the jewelers learned their collections had been stolen not through Brink’s but through word of mouth.
- Cheng found out something was wrong when his items didn’t arrive at the Pasadena show and he went to the Brink’s office in downtown L.A.
- For answers.
- Even then, he couldn’t get any information.
- Not until two days after the heist did Brink’s send letters to each jeweler alerting them of a “loss incident.” The company said it couldn’t comment on an active investigation but promised that it “strives to implement the best security practices to protect our customers’ assets.” Cheng said his takeaway from Brink’s handling of the situation was “they’re hiding something, that’s for sure.” Brink’s eventually returned with an offer: They would pay the jewelers back the amount they had bought in insurance for the theft but no more.
The total the jewelers had purchased from Brink’s, in addition to their own insurance they had elsewhere, was just under $10 million. The majority of the jewelers, who argue that their collections totalled a true value nearly ten times that, scoffed. So two months later, Brink’s sued them in a New York federal court, in part accusing the jewelers of breach of contract and of fraud because they had allegedly undervalued their items.
- Brink’s believes that each Defendant seeks to recover more from Brink’s than is permitted under the Contract,” the company wrote in its suit.
- Brink’s did not respond to requests for comment.) The lawyer defending the jewelers sees it differently.
- We feel confident that we have enough evidence to prove the purported contract is unconscionable.
The clients were told to write down how much insurance they wanted,” Kroll said, not the value of their goods. “The example would be like fire insurance on your home. Who insures 100 percent of their house? Your house might be worth many millions of dollars, but you get to decide how much insurance you want for an event of a fire.” “Our contracts are clear, easy to read, and, except to Mr.
- Roll, uncontroversial,” Brink’s shot back.
- The contracts clearly ask our customers to state the actual value of their goods, and explain that we will reimburse losses promptly up to that declared value.
- Two weeks later, 14 of the 15 victims countersued Brink’s in Los Angeles County Superior Court, seeking $200 million in total damages.
(Since then, three have settled for an undisclosed sum.) They accuse the company of negligence for putting their valuables in a lightly protected truck, especially after being warned of heightened security risk at the expo. The show manager, Arnold Duke, said in an interview that he had alerted the Brink’s guards.
- We say in this case that Brink’s should have paid them the insurance value on day one,” said Kroll.
- That’s what the people paid for, and that’s what they expect to see.
- I think Brink’s is trying to hold that money as a tactic to get these people to capitulate.
- Most of these people have lost everything.
These are mom-and-pop businesses. This is not the lifestyle of the rich and famous.” “Our customers trust us to cover them for any losses, however unlikely,” Brink’s said. “In turn, we trust our customers to declare the full and correct value of the goods they ask us to transport.
According to the information the customers provided to us before they shipped their items, the total value of the missing items is less than $10 million. In this case, we held up our end and fulfilled our contract, promptly settling a claim by one of the affected customers and subsequently settling two more.
The others have chosen to litigate, admitting under oath that they undervalued their goods, and even did so regularly. While we are deeply disappointed by this breach of our trust and the plain language of our contracts, the courts have responded favorably to our position, and we remain willing to compensate these customers for the declared value of their goods.” The lawsuits have also revealed strange inconsistencies in the theft’s timeline.
- First, that the truck left San Mateo at midnight and arrived 300 miles away at the Flying J truck stop in just two hours — meaning the semi would have had to be going about 150 miles per hour.
- But in a deposition, the driving guard said they actually left much earlier, at 8:25 p.m.
- Second, Beaty said in a deposition that he went to sleep at 3:39 p.m.
on the day the jewelry was loaded onto the truck and wasn’t woken up until after the heist at almost 3 a.m. Brink’s in its lawsuit argues that Beaty followed standard company practices and was “in compliance” with federal regulations that allow drivers time to sleep and take breaks.
- But Kroll said that by the time the truck had pulled into the rest stop just after 2 a.m., Beaty’s ten hours of mandated sleep were up.
- When deposed by Kroll, Beaty acknowledged that he could have been woken up and outside on guard by then.
- Since the lawsuits began, Brink’s has cut off all ties with the jewelers involved and won’t allow them to use their company for security.
The jewelers aren’t sure if it’s a lifetime ban. “It’s like you’re killing somebody and then on the day of their funeral, you’ll be the first one to walk in,” said Malki, who is struggling to support three young children. With no resolution in sight, Cheng is stuck paying rent for an empty showroom because, he said, his landlord won’t let him out of the lease.
- After immigrating to Los Angeles from Hong Kong, he got into the jewelry business at 21 and learned English from his customers.
- For the past 30 years, he has flown to a show almost every week, traveling what he estimates as 3 million miles in total.
- Earlier this month, he started a new job: working six days a week as a sous-chef at a Chinese restaurant.
“I don’t think anybody could prepare for this. What comes worse than death? I think besides death, this is something worse to happen to you,” Cheng said through tears. “I’m 66 years old now — the only thing I know is the jewelry business, I don’t speak very good English, and I wasn’t educated too much.
What is the biggest heist in US history
Biggest Heists and Bank Robberies in American History –
Rank | Location | Year | Value Stolen (USD in the year of the heist) |
---|---|---|---|
1 | United California Bank Robbery | 1972 | $30 million |
2 | Pierre Hotel | 1972 | $27 million |
3 | Dunbar Armoured Robbery | 1997 | $18.9 million |
4 | Loomis Fargo Robbery (March) | 1997 | $18.8 million |
5 | Loomis Fargo Robbery (October) | 1997 | $17.3 million |
6 | Sentry Armoured Car Company | 1982 | $11 million |
7 | JFK International Airport | 1978 | $5.9 million |
8 | Brinks Building | 1950 | $2.8 million |
Who were the members of the Dunbar Armored robbery
Dunbar Armored robbery 1997 robbery in Los Angeles On September 12, 1997, six men robbed the Dunbar Armored facility on Mateo St. in, of US$18.9 million (equivalent to $34.5 million in 2022). The robbery was orchestrated by Allen Pace III, of, with childhood friends Erik Damon Boyd, of ; Eugene Lamar Hill Jr., of ; Freddie Lynn McCrary Jr., of ; Terry Wayne Brown Sr., of Los Angeles; and Thomas Lee Johnson, of,,
It is the largest cash to have occurred in the United States. While the group left almost no evidence, Hill was implicated two years later when he accidentally gave a real estate broker a stack of banknotes that were still secured in their original ; the broker contacted the police. Hill confessed, implicating the five other robbers, and three other men who had assisted in the money.
Pace was sentenced to 24 years in prison in 2001; Boyd was sentenced to 17 years, and the other four robbers received sentences ranging from 8 to 10 years. Two of the men who assisted in money laundering were sentenced to 2.5 years.
Who did Brinks robbery in New York
This article is about the 1981 robbery in New York. For other similarly-named robberies, see Brinks robbery,
1981 Brink’s robbery | |
---|---|
Location | Nanuet, New York |
Date | October 20, 1981 |
Target | Brink’s armored car |
Attack type | Robbery |
Weapons | M16 assault rifles |
Deaths | 3 |
Injured | 3 |
Perpetrators | May 19th Communist Organization ( Black Liberation Army and Weather Underground members) |
The 1981 Brink’s robbery was an armed robbery and three related murders committed on October 20, 1981, by several Black Liberation Army members and four former members of the Weather Underground, who were at the time associated with the May 19th Communist Organization,
The plan called for the BLA members – including Kuwasi Balagoon, Mtayari Sundiata, Samuel Brown and Mutulu Shakur – to carry out the robbery, with the M19CO members – David Gilbert, Judith Alice Clark, Kathy Boudin, and Marilyn Buck – to serve as getaway drivers in switchcars. The conspirators stole $1.6 million in cash from a Brink’s armored car at the Nanuet National Bank at Nanuet Mall, in Nanuet, New York, killing a Brink’s guard, Peter Paige, seriously wounding Brink’s guard Joseph Trombino, and slightly wounding Brink’s truck driver guard, James Kelly.
Resisting apprehension during the getaway, the robbers killed two Nyack police officers, Edward O’Grady and Waverly Brown, and seriously wounded Police Detective Artie Keenan.
Who committed the first bank robbery
When asked by a curious reporter why he kept robbing banks, “Slick Willie” Sutton responded curtly: “because that’s where the money is.” Robbery, the act of entering an open bank and extracting money by force or threat of force, is distinct from burglary, which constitutes breaking into a closed bank.
- The first notable period of bank robbery in American history coincides with the country’s expansion westward.
- Roaming gangs of outlaws like Butch Cassidy’s Wild Bunch and the James-Younger Gang swept across the fabled, lawless Wild West, robbing banks, holding up trains, and killing law-enforcement officers.
Historians believe the first bank robbery in the United States occurred when associates of Jesse and Frank James robbed the Clay County Savings Association in Liberty, Missouri on February 13, 1866. The bank was owned by former Republican militiamen and the James brothers and their associates were staunch and bitter ex-Confederates.
- The gang escaped with $60,000 and wounded an innocent bystander in the getaway process.
- Soon after, the James brothers joined forces with outlaw Cole Younger and a few other former Confederates to form the James-Younger Gang.
- They traveled across the southern and western United States, choosing to rob banks and stagecoaches often in front of large crowds of people.
They became larger-than-life anti-heroes of the West and the old Confederacy. The Wild Bunch, operating in the early 1900s and featuring Butch Cassidy, the Sundance Kid, and Ben Kilpatrick, was another iconic outlaw gang of the Wild West. While they primarily robbed trains, The Wild Bunch was responsible for several bank robberies including one at the First Nation Bank in Winnemucca, Nevada for over $32,000.
- As increasing numbers of people settled and developed the West, the era of the bank-robbing outlaw waned, only to be replaced by the “Public Enemy” era of the 1930s.
- The increase in bank robberies and organized crime during the 1920s and 1930s forced J.
- Edgar Hoover to develop an enhanced Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI),
He appropriated the term “public enemy” as a publicity stunt referring to wanted criminals already charged with crimes. Hoover passed down the dubious distinction of being “Public Enemy No.1″ to outlaws John Dillinger, Pretty Boy Floyd, Baby Face Nelson, and Alvin “Creepy” Karpis respectively, as each were either killed or arrested.
Set against the backdrop of the Great Depression, the bank robberies of each “public enemy” loomed large and glamorous. Nearly forgotten today, Harvey John Bailey, whose bank robbing between 1920 and 1933 netted him over $1 million, was called “The Dean of American Bank Robbers.” John Dillinger and his associated gang robbed dozens of banks between 1933 and 1934 and may have accumulated over $300,000.
While Dillinger occupied an almost Robin Hood-like place in American culture, his partner, Baby Face Nelson, was the antithesis. Nelson was notorious for shooting both lawmen and innocent bystanders, and holds the record for killing more FBI agents in the line of duty than any other criminal.
- The success of these “public enemies” was short lived; in 1934 the FBI trapped and killed Dillinger, Nelson, and Floyd.
- While bank robberies remained common in the early 1900s with perpetrators like Bonnie & Clyde, the evolution of anti-robbery technology has made it much more difficult to rob a bank and get away with it in the modern era.
Exploding dye packs, security cameras, and silent alarms have all contributed to the drop in successful bank robberies. Although the heyday of the American bank robber is behind us, the crime continues to be attempted by many who are looking for easy money.
Who was leader of great train robbery?
Criminal career – After undertaking some petty crime and spending time in HMP Wormwood Scrubs and Borstal for theft (from which he escaped and was eventually caught and sent to Reading Prison), he spent six weeks of the required two years doing National Service in the British Army, before absconding to return to petty crime.
- Sentenced to three years imprisonment in 1952 for breaking and entering, he was sent to the juvenile wing of Wandsworth Prison in London.
- He then embarked on jewellery thefts from large country houses.
- In 1957 Reynolds was arrested, together with Terry Hogan, for assault and robbery of £500 from a bookmaker returning from White City Greyhounds,
The police stated their belief that the intent of the cosh attack was grievous bodily harm and not robbery. Hogan was sentenced to 2½ years and Reynolds to 3½ years imprisonment. After spending time in HMP Wandsworth and HMP Durham, on release in 1960 he then became an antiques dealer and thief.
- He joined a gang with a future close friend Harry Booth and his future brother-in-law John Daly.
- Later on, he worked with Jimmy White and met Buster Edwards at Charlie Richardson ‘s club.
- Richardson in turn introduced him to Gordon Goody,
- Reynolds gained the nickname Napoleon,
- Then in 1962 his gang stole £62,000 in a security van robbery at London, Heathrow Airport,
They then attempted to rob a Royal Mail train at Swindon, which netted only £700. But Reynolds, now looking for his career-criminal defining moment, started planning his next train robbery over a period of three months. Reynolds organised a gang of 15 men to undertake the 1963 Great Train Robbery (which he later referred to as his ” Sistine Chapel ceiling”).
- After the robbery, Reynolds spent six months in a mews house in South Kensington waiting for a false passport.
- He then travelled via Elstree Airfield to Ostend, and was driven to Brussels Airport, before flying to Mexico City via Toronto,
- Assuming the name Keith Clement Miller, he was joined by his wife Frances, who changed her name to Angela, and their son Nick.
I was beginning to see the thief as an artist, Nothing could match the tension, excitement and sense of fulfillment. Reynolds to The Daily Telegraph Reynolds (far right) at Ronnie Biggs ‘ (far left) 70th birthday with their sons For Christmas 1964, the family were joined in Acapulco by fellow train robbers Buster Edwards, who had not yet been caught, and treasurer Charlie Wilson, who had escaped from HMP Winson Green,
- Reynolds and his family later moved to Montreal, Quebec, Canada, where Wilson had settled with his family, but a proposed theft of Canadian dollars was stopped due to Royal Canadian Mounted Police observation.
- Reynolds then moved to Vancouver, before returning that summer to the South of France,
- The family returned to London, then moving to Torquay, Devon,
Assuming the name Keith Hiller, Reynolds began settling with his family into his childhood holiday town, before he had the urge to make contact with his old friends back in London. The Metropolitan Police realised that “Hiller” was Reynolds, and arrested him in Torquay on 9 November 1968.
- Offered a deal by the Director of Public Prosecutions to plead guilty and avoid their pursuing his son, wife and family on further criminal charges, Reynolds agreed to plead guilty and was sentenced to 25 years imprisonment.
- All of the Great Train robbers were held in maximum security in a specially built unit at HMP Durham,
After making friends with both Charlie and Eddie Richardson whilst in prison, Reynolds was released from HMP Maidstone in 1978. After a failed attempt in the textile trade, he began trafficking and money laundering for many South London drug gangs. Arrested for dealing amphetamines, he was jailed in the 1980s for three years.