Is it strange that every time I walk into a bank I lightly case the joint? Dillinger wanted to be more famous than Capone and let everyone know who he was. I studied countless reports of other robberies that had gone wrong and people who were caught. ", "Walked in the bank and waited in line like a regular customer. bank. ", On morals, and whether he regrets what he did. Not fake talking on her phone as a distraction, but carrying on an actual conversation while slipping the teller a this is a robbery note. He remained on the run for three years before crashing his car in thick fog. One difference of course is that he used a machine gun versus a bow and arrow. In reality, they killed several. These crimes labelled Van Meter 18th on the public enemies list. Each year there are approximately 3,000-4,000 bank robberies. His means of robbing banks were never violent; in fact the machine gun he carried was empty. Train robberies. In 1909, according to the Rich Hill (Missouri) Tribune edition of August 19, 1909, two perpetrators identified only as young men arrived in front of the Valley Bank of Santa Clara, California, and entered the bank. Stolen: $20 million - $50 million. 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. The gang of outlaws which included Jesse and Frank James and the Younger brothers robbed banks, trains, stagecoaches, at least one fair, stores, and other victims from around 1867 until 1876, when a bank robbery in Northfield, Minnesota went wrong for the criminals. Released on parole in May, 1933, he robbed his first bank the following month, in New Carlisle, Ohio. A fellow inmate sexually assaulted him over the course of a year, until Clyde eventually cracked his skull with a metal bar. 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. I look for video cameras, security guard positioning and speculate where the vault is. 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 was gunned down in the so called Battle of Barrington, but not before taking FBI agents Herman Hollis and Samuel P Cowley with him. After the Northfield, robbery attempt led to the destruction of the James-Younger gang Jesse and his brother Frank escaped, and for a time lived under an assumed name in Nashville, Tennessee. 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. By 1909 automobiles were being used to race across the country, as did this Model T, and to rob banks. 5. Sam Bass 1851-1878. A driver remained in the car. 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. Floyd killed at least three police officers and several other underworld figures, including bootleggers, which indicates he may have supplemented his income from bank robberies by serving as a hitman for organized crime figures. Jesse Woodson James was an American outlaw, bank and train robber, guerrilla, and leader of the James-Younger Gang. 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. This time he escaped through a tunnel along with other convicts, although he was recaptured the same day. Karpis nearly met his own violent death when the FBI located him in New Jersey. Again, right tool for the job, that makes sense. In April 1925, Pierpont was arrested in Detroit and was soon returned to Indiana to face trial. Eventually, most of the Tape bandits were rounded up, including Nelson. To me, its just natural, given that a. 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. His reply was: Because thats where the money is. He was tied up with a necktie and eventually sentenced to life imprisonment, which he served in Alcatraz. After another robbery three months later, a composite sketch was finally able to be drawn up and . So many classic movies have been made with the premise of a bank robbery, many based on the jobs pulled from people on this list. Journalist Smith (Now Go to Hell) delivers a rollicking portrait of his cousin Daniel David Courson, the scion of a prominent evangelical Christian family who is also a notorious bank robber.According to Smith, the Coursons are "a gilded evangelical Christian Camelot," with members serving as megachurch pastors and missionaries in California and Oregon and . Although Jesse James was never tried for any of his crimes, his brother Frank was twice, acquitted both times. 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. Shirlee Pigeon, Riverside Sheriffs Association, 2010. Library of Congress. January 24, 2018, Harry Pierpont Turns State Evidence In His Trial For Bank Robbery. He spent his time planning heists with his new found friends, that they would commit shortly after being released. September 25, 1992, The Norco Bank Robbery. Hunter. Butch was capable of robbing a bank with nothing but a pistol, but his men have been caught before. The Soboba Grab and Dash was a casino heist straight out of the Hollywood movies. Herman Baron Lamm was a German American bank robber who is widely considered the father of modern bank robbery. The Youngers never admitted that Jesse and Frank James were part of the foiled robbery. Warsaw Daily Times. Wikimedia. On December the 10 th, just under 300 million yen was loaded into one of the bank's transportation cars. The surviving Youngers were imprisoned, Bob Younger died while in custody in 1889, from tuberculosis. Eventually the F.B.I. 7. The plan was pretty simply stay out of our way or die. Escaping successfully, Pierpont was involved in several additional bank robberies with Dillinger. 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. By 1932 Nelson had been caught, convicted, and sentenced to prison, though he escaped during a prison transfer in 1932. On September 26, 1933, a total of 10 men, including . He was sentenced to life imprisonment and spent most of his adult life in Alcatraz. 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. James was not positively identified by any witnesses (though he was well known in the area), and none of the money was ever recovered. The 300 million yen robbery caught the interest of international media when it took place in 1968. 1. Sutton later answered the question, after admitting he never said the famous quote: Why did I rob banks? August 6, 2012, The Last Outlaws: The Lives and Legends of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. Here are some of the most notorious bank robberies or robbers in American history. 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. At the time, it was described as "the crime of the century." The gang gained entry to the warehouse from security guard Anthony Black. He was nicknamed slick for the many disguises he wore on the job. Nelson robbed his first bank in April 1930, another in October, and in Chicago that year robbed jewelry from the mayor of Chicagos wife. He was cornered by over 200 police, and shot himself in the head to avoid punishment. This is how it works in America because the amount of money a bank gives up ($5-$7k on average) per bank robbery is infinitely less than the amount of business they'd lose if shit got wild in a bank full of customers. Dillinger and his gang began a spree of bank robberies across Indiana, accumulating over $300,000 in total. Before he became one of the most wanted outlaws in the west, Cassidy was born as Robert Leroy Parker in Utah. A patrol car with visible bullet damage following the Norco shootout, following a bank robbery. Wikimedia. 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. No deliberation. On April 23, 1934, the gang were confronted by police and, during a getaway, Hamilton was wounded and died shortly after. North Hollywood shootout, 1997, deadly . 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 . There has to be some disappointment that comes with getting caught because cameras picked up the license plate of a stolen getaway car. Nelson was arrested for theft and joyriding at age 13, and was sent to a penal school for 18 months. 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. Whether the raid was an act of war or a bank robbery has been debated ever since. As such, they've always been pretty intriguing, especially how old-fashioned they are in an age of hacking and cryptocurrencies. Hamilton began his criminal career by robbing a gas station in Indiana, and being sentenced to a very long prison term of 25 years. He was shot dozens of times, and several of his fingers were blown off. The Barker family were a notorious gang of siblings who robbed banks and killed without provocation. Facebook boast Tesco robber jailed 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 law eventually caught up with Floyd, and in 1930, he was arrested and charged with the robbery of the Sylvania Ohio Bank. 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. Published Tue, Jul 31 2012 12:33 PM EDT Updated Fri, Sep 13 . Volney Davis was the boyfriend of Edna rabbits Murray. His bank robbery style became known as the Lamm Technique, and was widely imitated by other famous bank robbers, such as John Dillinger. This led Dillinger to be admired by many who considered the banks who foreclosed on homes and farms as the real enemy. Wikimedia. November 1968, Why family believes Alcatraz escapees survived their journey. The gang even participated in kidnappings, however this proved to be their downfall. The father of a man who was kidnapped was friends with President Franklin D Roosevelt, and as a result the FBI stepped up their efforts greatly to foil this type of crime. Barrow was armed with a sawed-off shotgun. Eventually he would do some time (all bank robbers eventually do some time), but that didnt keep Williams from his day job. He used cash to buy a one-way ticket on . Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in, Unlike in the movies, he never used weapons, teams or threats, Find your bookmarks in your Independent Premium section, under my profile. May 2, 2004, Frank and Jesse James: The Story Behind the Legend. 5. The Norco shootout in the town of that name in California took place on May 9, 1980, between five bank robbers and deputies of the Riverside County and later San Bernardino County sheriff's departments. "No threat. Only one of the robbers wore a mask, the others were easily identified and arrested. He was acquitted in both cases, and though Missouri had other cases in which the surviving James brother could have been charged, he was never again brought to trial. Baghdad holds the infamous record for the . The police in automobiles were able to run them down quickly, and they were apprehended and taken to jail. Before they left, the Termites started a fire that set off the sprinkler system and flooded the building. They were not in uniform and were not connected to any existing command of the Confederate Army, though they were under the ostensible command of Bennett Young, a former member of Morgans Raiders who had surrendered with Morgan but escaped to Canada. Hoover wouldnt have to wait long. They impersonated police officers, telling the Sheriff they had come to extradite Dillinger to Indiana. The . The men were John, Clarence, and Alfred Anglin, and they did not wear masks. Photo: Stanislav Kozlovskiy / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 3.0. 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). Bank robbers became part of American folklore in many cases, among them being the James brothers, Butch Cassidy and the Hole in the Wall Gang, the Younger Brothers, and in a later era John Dillinger, Bonnie and Clyde, Willie Sutton, and many others. Knightsbridge Security Deposit Robbery of $98 Million, 1987. There's no discussion. In January 1958, three brothers brandishing toy pistols robbed the Bank of Columbia in Columbia, Alabama. The riders escaped pursuit by a posse. 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. 1. Jesse James. 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. It was to be delivered to a local . 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. Despite FFR1000 charged, she's an art student with day jobs e.g. Pretty ballsy on her part. Online, The Boss: J. Edgar Hoover and the Great American Inquisition. Dar Es Salaam Bank - Take the Money and Stroll. The Great Depression began with the Wall Street crash in 1929, and lasted well into the following decades. Most bank robbers, at least the popular ones, had characteristics that set them apart. You can reach David on Twitter @david_s_grant and his website www.pulpscribbler.com. When he was paroled he vowed to never see the inside of another prison. His demise finally came when he attended the Biograph Theatre, in Chicago. 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 victim said: He was good looking, hardly more than a boy. Eric A. Aguilera and his accomplish Luda Ramos robbed The Soboba Casino in Las Vegas in 2005. Later, when Parker was visiting her mother, officers moved in to arrest her again, but Barrow and an associate gunned them down, committing what was Barrows first murder of a lawman. The robbery was a near disaster though he still managed to make a clean getaway. On April 23, 1934, the gang were confronted by police and, during a getaway, Hamilton was wounded and died shortly after. J.D. He is renowned for his brilliant and efficient style, planning and executing robberies like military operations. Frank Nash knocked over 200 banks in his time and is known by many as the most successful bank robber of all time. Although rumored to have been a nice guy, he murdered his partner, Nollie Humpy Wortman, after they completed a job. On February 13, 1866, a Tuesday, a group of riders rode into Liberty, Missouri. Bank robbery is a federal crime in the United States, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation defines the act of robbery as taking or attempting to take property through the use of, or the implied use of force. So he told the police, the police told the bank, the bank checked the video..and they saw her take it. But many robbers do find themselves behind bars eventually. Oh-so-coincidentally, the next day, six bandits got into the garage with keys in hand, then tied up . Johnson was sentenced to four life sentences and Neill was again given the death penalty. The British Bank of the Middle East Robbery. I'd always thought, "If I was that rich, I could change the world instead of just piling up cash." Pity. It's hard to regret something that has turned into something so good.". After serving seven years in prison, Van Meter was paroled. 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. Regardless, some of them found more success than others, however, all of them eventually were caught and persecuted. I wouldn't steal from an individual person because I'm not comfortable with that. The infamous Ohio State Penitentiary in Columbus was one of the nations most notorious prisons when Pierpont was sent there for execution. The pair and their group were famous for carrying thefts from trains and banks. Baron Lamm died, aged 40, after a botched bank robbery when his gang crashed their getaway car. Bank robberies are a major plot device in films, particularly the once-popular western genre, though in reality bank robberies in the American western frontier days were relatively rare. Lebanon's civil war was in full swing. In 1976, when Lebanon was in the midst of a civil war, a group of robbers decided to cash in on the confusion. However, this was invented by a reporter who never even interviewed Sutton. 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. They were the ultimate on the run couple living on the farthest point of the ledge. 2002, Riding with Bonnie and Clyde. The Rich Hill Tribune, August 19, 1909. 2013, Bank Robbers In Motorcar. Eventually, Pierpont was tried for the murder of the Allen County Sheriff in Ohio, convicted and sentenced to death. Townspeople raised the alarm and armed men were awaiting the robbers as they exited the bank. He took part in the Dillinger gangs last bank raid, in which four innocent bystanders were murdered. A legend of the Wild West, in addition to robbing banks James was an expert train robber, because if you cant get your kicks robbing banks then try to steal from something that is moving!