8. When Jesse read newspaper reports of robberies which were attributed to him he often wrote to the papers editor protesting his innocence of the crime in question. Athan G. Theoharis, John Stuart Cox. The driver then sped off, and since the make and model of the vehicle were not reported in the Tribune, it is impossible to determine what speeds were attained, but they were pursued by citizens and police also in automobiles. I studied countless reports of other robberies that had gone wrong and people who were caught. Hoover wouldnt have to wait long. It was September 21, 1991. For instance, he has robbed banks dressed as a maintenance man, a postman and a police officer. Security Pacific Bank, Norco, California, 1980, deadly shootout between local law enforcement and five bank robbers. As a young man he enlisted in the US Navy, but was dishonorably discharged after he deserted. The innovative group of bandits found a weakness in French supermarket Monopri. This time he escaped through a tunnel along with other convicts, although he was recaptured the same day. In April 1925, Pierpont was arrested in Detroit and was soon returned to Indiana to face trial. The robbery had yielded a haul of about $20,000, most of which was recovered and the three surviving robbers were convicted of 46 felonies for their crimes, and all three were sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Knightsbridge Security Deposit Robbery of $98 Million, 1987. It was hit during the night of June 1 to 2, 1899, and the story as it's often told is the heist was pulled off by Butch Cassidy and his gang. 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). He was cornered by over 200 police, and shot himself in the head to avoid punishment. 8. Previously they had broken into banks after hours, hoping to avoid any injury to themselves or others. The fugitive behind one of America's most notorious bank robberies has been identified after a 52-year search, law enforcement officials have announced. ", On how he didn't carry a gun or threaten people. The post-war violence between the former Confederate supporters and Unionists led to him being a popular figure among the former, despite the frequency and violence of his crimes. One of the most famous bank robbers in American History, "Slick Willie" spent 11 years at Eastern State Penitentiary. Valerio Viccei was the mastermind behind the heist that took place on July 12, 1987 and resulted in a robbery involving $66 million, worth about $154.7 million as of today. James was not positively identified by any witnesses (though he was well known in the area), and none of the money was ever recovered. Needless to say, she got fired. 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 nicknamed slick for the many disguises he wore on the job. The crime spree started with the robbery of the South Marion State Bank in November 1924. His demise finally came when he attended the Biograph Theatre, in Chicago. The pair robbed numerous banks as well as some gas stations and stores in rural areas. The remaining three were taken into custody. Over the next few years he participated in several bank robberies, and it was in this period that he acquired his nickname. An illustration from an 1882 book on the lives of Frank and Jesse James and the Younger brothers. The men beat a guard unconscious but were soon apprehended. News on all your favorite celebs, reality TV, and movies. 2002, Riding with Bonnie and Clyde. On a Friday in 1976, Spaggiari led a team of 20 men into the bank vault. Willie Sutton loved using disguises to rob banks. . 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. The two were killed in an ambush in Louisiana on May 23, 1934, and the murderous Clyde Barrow and blithe Bonnie Parker remain romanticized in the twenty-first century. There has to be some disappointment that comes with getting caught because cameras picked up the license plate of a stolen getaway car. After another robbery three months later, a composite sketch was finally able to be drawn up and . On February 13, 1866, a Tuesday, a group of riders rode into Liberty, Missouri. He committed his first major robbery in the 1920s, burglarizing a hospital in Tulsa. The two men had extracted roughly $60,000 from the Savings Association, and though many historians attribute the robbery to being led by Jesse James, it was never officially solved. 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. There's one . Via: The Richest. Most historians agree she was completely smitten with him, and willingly joined him as his partner in crime. The first bank robbery caught on camerafrom 1957. Hamilton went on to commit a spree of chaotic, yet lucrative, bank robberies with the Dillinger gang. It goes without saying that it takes balls to rob a bank, so I guess the term brass balls would apply to Henry Starr. The next day, the depot was robbed. Editorial Reviews. The Hole in the Wall Pass in Wyoming was an easily defended, difficult to approach hideout for several criminal gangs which took sanctuary there from the 1860s through the early twentieth century. In the end Sutton worked as a security consultant for banks. Director: Roger Avary | Stars: Eric Stoltz, Julie Delpy, Martin Raymond, Eric Pascal Chaltiel. Barrow was killed instantly by a headshot and Parker, in the passenger seat, was sprayed with bullets soon afterwards. " Will Rogers (1879-1935) " Rev. The 2005 Banco Central burglary in Fortaleza, Brazil, was once recognized by Guinness Book of World Records as the world's greatest bank robbery. As it became evident that Green was paying off his debts, the townspeople began to wonder where the money had come from. After being on the run for two years, Nelson robbed his first major bank. For John Hamilton, robbing banks wasnt his first choice. Where do we find this stuff? OK, in terms of actual . Bettmann Archive/Getty Images. 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. He ran errands for gangsters when he was 10 years old, and soon garnered a reputation for reliability. They then left the bank with about $7,000 in mostly small bills. Because I enjoyed it. I told him I was 100% sure that they had the amount wrong. He married Beryl Hovious, in 1924, but the marriage ended in divorce. After serving seven years in prison, Van Meter was paroled. 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. He spent his time planning heists with his new found friends, that they would commit shortly after being released. As great of a criminal as Butch Cassidy was, there are still questions as to how he died. Considered to be the most sensational bank robberies in India to date. Before he became one of the most wanted outlaws in the west, Cassidy was born as Robert Leroy Parker in Utah. Hamilton attended the liberation at Lima Jail but did not enter the building, instead serving as a lookout. These ruthless thieves would burst in and ransack the bank, usually forcing a manager to open the vault. 2003, The Great Northfield Raid Revisited. Despite this, he has still gotten away with over 45 armed bank robberies; an amazing feat considering that, statistically, over 65% of armed bank robbery cases in the US are solved. 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 skies darkened when Cassidy got close, thats how badass he was during the time of the Wild Wild West. The North Hollywood Bank of America Robbery. There's been a lot of train robberies in American history, but one of the most famous is likely the robbery of the Union Pacific Overland Flyer No. Christopher Goodwin, The Times (London). The robbers were armed with rifles, handguns, and shotguns. After being apprehended again, he was sentenced to 50 years imprisonment. In April 1930, Nelson robbed his first bank and got away with $4000. There was some armed resistance from the citizens of the town, and gunfire was exchanged leading to one townsman being killed and another wounded, with one of the raiders, wounded as well. That would be the equivalent of approximately $5 million today. 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. Is it strange that every time I walk into a bank I lightly case the joint? Johnny D. Boggs, True West Magazine. There are many perks to the gangster lifestyle; long life expectancy isnt one of them. Nash was a jack of all trades when it came to robbing banks. Sutton carried on his criminal career whilst on the run, but eventually ended up spending more than half his adult life in prison. But many robbers do find themselves behind bars eventually. Whilst incarcerated, he began to associate with prominent bank robbers such as John Dillinger, Harry Pierpoint and Homer Van Meter. John Dillinger (June 22, 1903-July 22, 1934) While the Great Depression that ravaged the 1930s created a perfect storm that propagated the country with scores of robbers looking to make an easy . 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. ", "No. His means of robbing banks were never violent; in fact the machine gun he carried was empty. Nelson remained on the run with his wife, usually staying at the auto camps which were common in the 1930s. After robbing the wife of the Chicago mayor, he earned his nickname. The group soon became the hot target of the . 5. $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. Here are 10 of the most famous and notorious of these outlaws of the Wild West. 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Sutton later answered the question, after admitting he never said the famous quote: Why did I rob banks? Born in 1847 and raised in the "Little Dixie" area of western Missouri, James and his slave-owning family maintained strong . They remained at large until two days later when they were encountered in the general region of the second shootout. 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. When talking about famous thieves, one can't leave out Albert Spaggiari. Conrad was a 20-year-old bank teller at the Society National Bank in Cleveland when he walked . The well-armed gangs often outgunned the police, and violent crime took an upsurge. Bass's one and only big haul was in September of . The pair and their group were famous for carrying thefts from trains and banks. 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. In March the crime spree began again, and in that month alone three additional Indiana banks were robbed by Pierpont and his associates, in New Harmony, Kokomo, and Laketon. 5. Cassidy ordered the bank vault's location and made away with a box full of money amounting to more than twenty thousand dollars. On September 26, 1933, a total of 10 men, including Hamilton, escaped using smuggled guns from the recently paroled John Dillinger. The earliest recorded bank heist in the States, as far as we know, was in 1798. 1988, Americas Own Robin Hood: The Dillinger Legend. After linking up with the Dillinger gang, he participated in some other high profile bank robberies. Sutton claimed he never actually said it. In 1972, the name of then US President Richard Nixon was . Ted P. Yeatman. The robbers escaped in a car to a nearby town, where Bonnie Parker awaited them in another car, though in transferring between vehicles some of the money was dropped. Library of Congress. Dillinger was killed in Chicago in 1934, and more than 15,000 people waited in line to view his body before his internment in Crown Hill Cemetery in Indianapolis, Indiana. He aligned himself with Baby Face Nelson and Tommy Carroll to rob a Michigan bank, escaping with $30,000. He wasnt hurt, but the car was disabled, and soon after he engaged in a chase with police. Taking place in Tokyo, it was the greatest bank job in the history of Japan. Martinez, an attractive college student, would approach a bank teller while talking on her cell phone. In 2005-2006, Clay Tumey "studied and perfected the art of bank robbery", never getting caught but still going to prison about five months after his last robbery because he turned himself in . 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. Ill admit that Patty Hearst probably belongs more in a Most Interesting versus Greatest bank robbers list, but here you go anyway. Three men entered the First National Bank and demanded that the cashier, George Nixon, open the safe and give up the gold coins within. Read through and the next time you visit your bank, remember to take a look up and smile for the camera. 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. They would routinely rob fancy houses and steal jewelry. He remained on the run for three years before crashing his car in thick fog. I never told anyone what I was doing. Of course Chaz rarely made it to class; instead, organizing bank heists to steal more federal money. During his first brief stint in prison, the director of research wrote the following: This fellow is a criminal of the most dangerous type. But what the terrified customers and police didn't know was that the bold robbery was merely a carefully crafted distraction to keep . In January, 1934, the gang robbed a bank in Chicago escaping with $20,376. 9. Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow are among the most famous outlaws in history. If you want to know the best heist films you should definitely watch our picks for the best Bank Robbery movies.Discover the best popcorn machine: https:/. 1. The banks customers were shoved aside and gathered with the employees, all of them forced to lie on the floor while Barrow watched over them with the shotgun and Hamilton filled a sack with the cash from the drawers. The pair robbed banks together during the 1930s. 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. Feb 14, 1864, Missouri Bank Cashes In on Jesse James. In reality, they killed several. Despite FFR1000 charged, she's an art student with day jobs e.g. On the morning of June 9th, 1986, employees at Hollywood's First Interstate Bank showed up for work, preparing for the long week ahead. At this time, unemployment in the USA had risen to 25% and many more people were resorting to crime. Arthur was a modern day Robin Hood, providing a service for people in need by stealing. Most bank robbers act solo or with groups of accomplices, but Bonnie and Clyde were the rare duo that went on a crime spree that included bank robberies as well as gas stations and retail outlets. When it comes to weapons, 44.8% of robbers used strong-arm tactics, 36.4% used firearms, and 8.5% used knives or cutting instruments. At the time of his death, he was 31 years old. Hunter robbed his first bank when he was 86 years old. The gang were determined to free him, but first they needed cash to fund the break out. After numerous convictions were attained using his information he entered the Witness Protection Program. Still, theres got to be something to walking into the prison yard and being asked what you do and reply with Bank Robber. There are much worse things to put on your prison resume. Only one of the robbers wore a mask, the others were easily identified and arrested. He was shot dozens of times, and several of his fingers were blown off. theunredacted 26 Feb 2018. 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. Moral sense is perverted and he has no intention of following anything but a life of crime He is a murderer at heart, and if society is to be safeguarded, his type must be confined throughout their natural lives..