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. Escaping successfully, Pierpont was involved in several additional bank robberies with Dillinger. 8 Candice Rose Martinez. This marked the beginning of forty-four minutes of endless shooting all caught live. Townspeople raised the alarm and armed men were awaiting the robbers as they exited the bank. The night watchman was murdered in this incident, and Davis was sentenced to life imprisonment. Baby Face didnt have a long career, killed by federal agents at the age of 25. Nelson remained on the run with his wife, usually staying at the auto camps which were common in the 1930s. Mikhaylich was known as the Holiday Bandit due his frequent robberies in late December. James and his brother Frank robbed banks, stagecoaches, trains, and once even a fair. 8. In 1945 Sutton, along with 11 other prisoners, escaped from Eastern State in a prisoner-dug tunnel that went almost 100 feet . It was the largest bank robbery in U.S. history at the time. Martinez, an attractive college student, would approach a bank teller while talking on her cell phone. However, instead of returning to prison, he went on the run. 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. He was the last remaining public enemy, all the others having being captured or killed. Previously they had broken into banks after hours, hoping to avoid any injury to themselves or others. 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. Regardless, some of them found more success than others, however, all of them eventually were caught and persecuted. Karpis nearly met his own violent death when the FBI located him in New Jersey. Votes: 20,895 | Gross: $0.42M Sometimes you are born into the lifestyle, and for Lester M. Gillis that came at the tender age of 12 when he first shot someone with a gun. In the early afternoon of April 12, 1957, Steven Ray Thomas and Wanda DiCenzi entered the St. Clair Savings and Loan in Cleveland, and while Steven held a teller at gunpoint Wanda stole about $2,000 from the cash drawers, and the two made their escape, driven from the scene by a third accomplice, Rose ODonnell. Although rumored to have been a nice guy, he murdered his partner, Nollie Humpy Wortman, after they completed a job. Dillinger and his gang, which included for a time notorious gangster George "Baby Face" Nelson, were suspected of robbing $52,000 from the First National Bank in Mason City on March 13, 1934. Guarino acted on the information given him by an employee at the World Trade Center, who also gave him his security pass. During their exceedingly violent career together the pair probably robbed less than a dozen banks, and in several cases the robbery was interrupted by law enforcement, forcing the thieves to flee before securing all of the cash, often in a hail of bullets from Clyde Barrows weapon of choice, the Browning Automatic Rifle (BAR). After a failed escape attempt, and after serving 7 years, he applied for a 20 month leave of absence which was granted. A mere boy a pretty boy with apple cheeks.. It was she who labeled him as having a baby face and the sobriquet Baby Face Nelson was quickly bandied about in the press of the day when describing his crimes. Wikimedia. ", On how he didn't carry a gun or threaten people. Bank of Bangladesh Cyber Robbery ($81M) North Korean hackers attempted to steal $1B from the . In 1997, a Dunbar Armored Co. employee was fired for tampering with the company's vehicles. He also participated in many high profile bank robberies until his death at the Battle of Barrington. Volney Davis. A patrol car with visible bullet damage following the Norco shootout, following a bank robbery. Moments later, cops were racing through San Isidro, a leafy, affluent suburb north . The pursuit included the local militia, who killed or captured the remaining members of the gang. Whether the raid was an act of war or a bank robbery has been debated ever since. This led Dillinger to be admired by many who considered the banks who foreclosed on homes and farms as the real enemy. Forcing the employees to lay on the floor and binding the hands of the banks president, Walter Oakley, they rifled the drawers and vault and made off with about $19,000 in cash. One of the fake heads used by the Anglin brothers and Frank Morris bank robbers all during their 1962 escape from Alcatraz. It was one of the more successful bank robberies for Bonnie and Clyde, who preferred to rob grocery stores, gas stations, and other less lucrative targets. Dale Ingram, Tulsa World. On January 17, 1950, 11 men steal more than $2 million ($29 million today) from the . Sam Bass 1851-1878. Pretty Boy Floyd believed in having the right tool for the job, which is why he always brought his machine gun to a bank job. Whilst in prison he tried to escape with another prisoner. Most of the robbers were caught but the gold remains at large. On September 26, 1933, a total of 10 men, including Hamilton, escaped using smuggled guns from the recently paroled John Dillinger. Is it strange that every time I walk into a bank I lightly case the joint? Published Tue, Jul 31 2012 12:33 PM EDT Updated Fri, Sep 13 . Dar Es Salaam Bank - Take the Money and Stroll. The Bank of Montpelier/Facebook. 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. He was sentenced to life imprisonment and spent most of his adult life in Alcatraz. He died after being shot by cops during a failed rescue attempt by his crew (Nash was on his way to prison). Willie Sutton. (Bank Robber) Willie Sutton, born as William Francis Sutton, was an American bank robber notorious for his prolific criminal career which lasted for forty years. Unbeknownst to the three was that they were being monitored by security cameras, the film from which was broadcast that night on national television. The remaining three were taken into custody. Jesse James was a ruthless bank robber whowas so confident in his work he would leave behind press releases of his recent crimes. In prison he met Fred Barker who was serving a sentence for bank burglary. The earliest recorded bank heist in the States, as far as we know, was in 1798. Grim bank officials told Hunt that someone had . On August 23rd, 1934, Van Meter was ambushed by four police officers and brutally gunned down. "She also pocketed a $100 bill for herself. 5. 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. Facebook boast Tesco robber jailed No referenda as to which road to take. Dillinger was born in Indiana and originally had no ties to crime. As it became evident that Green was paying off his debts, the townspeople began to wonder where the money had come from. 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. An illustration from an 1882 book on the lives of Frank and Jesse James and the Younger brothers. At the time of his death, he was 31 years old. 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. Sutton claimed he never actually said it. It was September 21, 1991. Dillinger was paroled in 1933, at the height of the great depression, when a convicted criminal had almost no option of employment. In January of 1934 Hamilton and his crew robbed over $20,000 from a bank and gunned downed an officer. Authorities in four states joined in the search for the fugitives. The first time he was serving a 30 year sentence for robbery, he used a smuggled gun to hold a prison guard hostage, before using a ladder to scale the prison wall. 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. The case eluded officials for decades, until an obituary appeared online and family secrets began to unravel. 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. Athan G. Theoharis, John Stuart Cox. The South Malabar Gramin Bank's Chelembra branch robbery was inspired by the Bollywood movie Dhoom. Butch Cassidy: Butch Cassidy was the leader of one of the famous robbery gangs, Wild Butch Gang. The robbers thought they were going to steal 3 million in cash. In Indiana, Van Meter robbed a police station with Dillinger. Before they left, the Termites started a fire that set off the sprinkler system and flooded the building. David S. Grant is the author of several books including "Blood: The New Red." Released on parole in May, 1933, he robbed his first bank the following month, in New Carlisle, Ohio. A driver remained in the car. ; Arrest the Culprit Green. The New York Times. I wouldn't steal from an individual person because I'm not comfortable with that. $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. John Dillinger was almost as famous as Al Capone. 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 . This time he escaped through a tunnel along with other convicts, although he was recaptured the same day. May 2, 2004, Frank and Jesse James: The Story Behind the Legend. 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. Eventually the F.B.I. It was 1976 in Beirut. It was later claimed that Butch Cassidy had been one of the robbers. 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. After the second gun battle in San Bernardino County, the surviving robbers escaped into the San Bernardino Mountains. He was shot dozens of times, and several of his fingers were blown off. 01/10/2022. 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. The gang even participated in kidnappings, however this proved to be their downfall. Who wouldnt be curious? In yet another gun battle with police, a second robber was killed. 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. He also stole the Sheriffs new Ford car to make his getaway. Cold-blooded murder. He writes about pop culture and humor, he is also a degenerate gambler (which he also writes about). 3. After another robbery three months later, a composite sketch was finally able to be drawn up and . On the morning of February 27, Henry and his sons were at work in the bank when two men Clyde Barrow and Red Hamilton entered the building. One of the most famous bank robbers in American History, "Slick Willie" spent 11 years at Eastern State Penitentiary. I don't use that to make bank robbery "okay" but that's what made it okay for me at the time. They were the ultimate on the run couple living on the farthest point of the ledge. The Brink's-MAT robbery occurred on November 26th, 1983, when six robbers broke into the Brink's-MAT warehouse at Heathrow Airport, London. Increased security in the aftermath of the 1993 World Trade Center bombing did not prevent Ralph Guarino and colleagues from robbing Bank of America there. The duo and their gang went on to rob numerous other stores and banks before their downfall. Arguably the third largest heist in history, a robbery masterminded by . The most famous of the gangs which used the pass was that known as the Wild Bunch, led by Robert Leroy Parker, also known as Butch Cassidy, and his partner Harry Longabaugh, known to history as the Sundance Kid. They then left the bank with about $7,000 in mostly small bills. The first bank robbery caught on camerafrom 1957. He ended up being sentenced to a long prison term for a train robbery. 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). Nelson was finally cornered and killed by FBI agents in November 1934, in a gun battle in which two FBI agents were also killed. Dillinger broke out, however, and Hamilton joined him once again to commit more robberies. These gangsters graduated into armed robbers and became known as the Tape Bandits, of which Nelson was a respected member. His demise finally came when he attended the Biograph Theatre, in Chicago. He received a life sentence but escaped during a prison transfer. Two bank robbers and one deputy died in the gun battle, nine officers were wounded. Tumey has set up a Kickstarter to fund a book he intends to write about how 'bank robbery changed my life'. 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. 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. Also, Starr starred in a silent movie based on his criminal activity titled A Debtor to the Law. Here are our sources: The Canadian View of the Confederate Raid on Saint Albans. Three men entered the First National Bank and demanded that the cashier, George Nixon, open the safe and give up the gold coins within. theunredacted 26 Feb 2018. 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. After the United States government protested to the British authorities the raiders were arrested in Canada and the money seized. After Pretty Boy Floyd was killed Nelson inherited the designation of Public Enemy Number One. He was charged with the murder of a police officer during his criminal career, though many witnesses insisted John Hamilton performed the killing. 1. The riders escaped pursuit by a posse. 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. He is renowned for his brilliant and efficient style, planning and executing robberies like military operations. 1. The heist inspired three films: 10 Million Dollar Getaway, the Big Heist, and Goodfellas. David lives and works in New York City. Hamilton went on to commit a spree of chaotic, yet lucrative, bank robberies with the Dillinger gang. The group soon became the hot target of the . The Banco Central burglary Stolen: $71.6 million. Jesse James fame was so widespread that many towns claim to have been robbed by him, despite little evidence of it being true. On September 19, 1900, members of the Wild Bunch entered the town of Winnemucca, Nevada. On Feb. 10, 1997, Bowman and Kirkpatrick robbed the Seafirst Bank of $4,461,681.00. That would be the equivalent of approximately $5 million today. In May 1936, the FBI located Karpis in New Orleans, and surrounded his car. There's no discussion. She started screaming "lock the doors, lock the doors" but I ignored it and just kept walking like nothing was happening. Green had come to rob the bank, and the fact that he was so well known meant that he could not leave behind any witnesses. They killed at least nine people during their spree, including civilians. 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. Over the next few years he participated in several bank robberies, and it was in this period that he acquired his nickname. 7. FBI. Stolen: $20 million - $50 million. All three were identified by persons who knew them and subsequently captured by the Cleveland police. No deliberation. United California bank robbery. It was later determined that Hamilton left over $300 in quarters and half-dollars in the cash drawers. After ensuring that the teenager was alone in the bank, Green shot him in the back of the head and left with about $5,000. Photo: Stanislav Kozlovskiy / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 3.0. After many successful bank robberies and kidnappings, Davis was captured and charged with kidnapping. It took about fifteen minutes for the thieves to leave the World Trade Center, taking with them $1.6 million in cash. Via cbsnews.com. 1986 FBI Miami shootout, deadly shootout between FBI and two bank robbers. The police in automobiles were able to run them down quickly, and they were apprehended and taken to jail. One difference of course is that he used a machine gun versus a bow and arrow. When asked why he did it, his response was because it felt good, sometimes for days at a time. The story is an interesting tale of false accusation, coupled with the usual case of not-so-witting, post-heist behaviors of the robbers. RCDSA. Local newspapers led the speculation that the robbery was the work of former Confederate guerrillas, others speculated that the robbers had been from Kansas, so called Redlegs who had been supportive of the Union cause during the recently concluded Civil War. One of the most famous bank robberies is that of the Coffeyville raid in Kansas. He remained on the run for three years before crashing his car in thick fog. Five days later they were arrested in Ohio. Over a dozen people were murdered by this duo until cops finally killed them. Jesse James. When a man going by the name Brushy Bill Roberts (above, left) surfaced in Texas in 1950 seeking pardon for the crimes of Billy the Kid, the media took notice. The trio then proceeded to rob a bank in Minnesota for $32,000. Floyd grew up in Oklahoma, and was first arrested at age 18, after stealing $3.50 from a post office. ", On the final job that didn't go as planned, "The teller freaked out as soon as I turned to leave the bank. 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. The most famous aspect of the Lamm Technique was casing the bank before the robbery, and planning getaway routes so as to leave nothing to chance. 5. The escapees then travelled to Lima County jail to liberate Dillinger. They impersonated police officers, telling the Sheriff they had come to extradite Dillinger to Indiana. He began to associate with big time Kansas City mobsters. 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.. Willie Sutton loved using disguises to rob banks. Wikimedia. 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. Along with his partner Sundance Kid, the couple was famous for famous historic robberies. It was the largest amount ever stolen from a bank in U.S. history. As a punishment, Van Meter spent two months in solitary confinement where he was severely beaten by guards. 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. Jesse Woodson James was an American outlaw, bank and train robber, guerrilla, and leader of the James-Younger Gang. Robbing a bank is the ultimate risk and reward, full of thrills, hard cash and consequences if caught. In February 1933, bank robberies had become so common in some parts of Texas that private banker R. P. Henry, who with his sons ran a bank in Lancaster, Texas, took to hiding cash in file cabinets, rather than keeping it in the vault safe, in expectation of a visit from criminals. 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. I look for video cameras, security guard positioning and speculate where the vault is. He was cornered by over 200 police, and shot himself in the head to avoid punishment. Eventually, most of the Tape bandits were rounded up, including Nelson. W. D. Jones, Playboy Magazine. Is it possible he is still alive? Volney Davis was the boyfriend of Edna "rabbits" Murray. In April 1925, Pierpont was arrested in Detroit and was soon returned to Indiana to face trial. 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. 3. For instance, he has robbed banks dressed as a maintenance man, a postman and a police officer. Eventually someone caught on, but talk about not being able to keep a good man (or bad man) down. 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. After staying unidentified for more than 50 years, an infamous bank robber from the USA has finally been identified. 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. For his third escape, he dressed as a prison guard and carried a ladder to the prison wall at night; when the searchlight hit him he shouted: its ok! and nobody stopped him. Shootouts. John Hamilton was hit and died shortly after. Most historians agree she was completely smitten with him, and willingly joined him as his partner in crime. Hunter robbed his first bank when he was 86 years old. 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. What was also known to most of the towns residents was that Green was heavily in debt, and the postmaster position, which was a political patronage job, provided an income which was insufficient for Green to pay his debts. Whilst incarcerated, he began to associate with prominent bank robbers such as John Dillinger, Harry Pierpoint and Homer Van Meter. 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. Williams and his gang were known for being able to do bank jobs in under a minute. 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. A posse of rangers opened fire into Barrows stolen car as he approached, at high speed, down a rural Louisiana road. 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. Dillinger and his gang began a spree of bank robberies across Indiana, accumulating over $300,000 in total. At the time of his death, he was only 25 years old. John Dillinger left a bloody trail all across the Midwest. Taking place in Tokyo, it was the greatest bank job in the history of Japan. One of the men asked for change for a ten-dollar bill, and as William opened the cash drawer the men produced pistols and demanded that a sack be filled with all the available cash. 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. By 1932 Nelson had been caught, convicted, and sentenced to prison, though he escaped during a prison transfer in 1932. 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). The skies darkened when Cassidy got close, thats how badass he was during the time of the Wild Wild West. The British Bank of the Middle East Robbery. A determined J Edgar Hoover had even vowed to personally arrest Karpis. He managed to shoot his way to an escape, although his pregnant girlfriend was shot in the thigh. The innovative group of bandits found a weakness in French supermarket Monopri. Charles Arthur, a.k.a. The murderers and thieves, Jay Wesley Neill, who did the killings, and Robert Grady Johnson, were arrested on December 17 in a San Francisco hotel, traced there by the trail of marked bills which had paid for their transit. 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. He would often flirt with female bank tellers whom he was robbing, and would also sometimes leap over the counter, a stunt he imitated from the movies. The pair robbed banks together during the 1930s. He has been a guest speaker on numerous national radio and television stations and is a five time published author. 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. On October 19 the citizens of the town were held at gunpoint on the town common while the raiders robbed the banks, drove off the towns horses to discourage pursuit, and fled to Canada. I never told anyone what I was doing. Only one of the robbers wore a mask, the others were easily identified and arrested. It took exactly zero technology to catch the bad . Cattle rustling. Before the American Civil War, most thefts from banks were burglaries, among them the taking of over $150,000 from the Bank of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia in 1798, when the thief or thieves entered the bank after hours, leaving no sign of force. . 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. His bank robbery style became known as the Lamm Technique, and was widely imitated by other famous bank robbers, such as John Dillinger. Volney Davis was the boyfriend of Edna rabbits Murray. Famous American Bank Robbers. If you ever got robbed by John Dillinger you knew it because he would have told you so.