The Great Brinks Robbery: Inside Boston's Criminal Underworld Part 1

What happens when a group of seasoned criminals meticulously plans one of the most audacious heists in American history? Join us as we recount the daring Great Brinks Robbery of January 17, 1950, a night when a crew of masked and disguised thieves managed to infiltrate the heavily fortified Brinks Armored Car Depot in Boston, making off with $2.7 million in cash, coins, checks, and money orders. This episode tracks the incredible precision of the robbers, who left the crime scene spotless, and the ensuing all-out investigation by the FBI and Boston Police, capturing the public's imagination and leading to a wave of tips and theories.

Get to know the key players behind the heist, such as Joseph James O'Keefe and Stanley Albert Gusciora, whose criminal backgrounds and suspicious activities drew intense scrutiny from investigators. We also explore the internal conflicts and legal battles that plagued the Brinks crew, including Pino's fight against deportation and O'Keefe's escalating confrontations with fellow gang members. Listen in to uncover the intricate connections within Boston's criminal underworld and the relentless pursuit by authorities to solve the case of the century. This is a gripping narrative you won't want to miss.

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Transcript

Speaker 1: 1:03

Welcome back crime connoisseurs to another thrilling case where we dive into some of the most notorious crimes and unsolved mysteries in history. Today we're going back to 1950, a year marked by what was dubbed the crime of the century in Boston, massachusetts. This audacious heist was not only meticulously planned, but also executed with military precision. Join me as we unravel the details of this infamous crime, the characters involved and the aftermath that shocked the nation. This is the case of the Great Brinks robbery. It was a cold, crisp evening on January 17, 1950. The streets of Boston were blanketed in snow as the bustling city began to wind down for the night, but in the shadows, a group of men were gearing up for what would become one of the most infamous heists in American history.

Speaker 1: 2:41

The Brinks Armored Car Depot, located at 165 Prince Street in the north end of Boston, was a fortress of security boasting thick walls, steel doors and state-of-the-art alarm systems. This made it a prime target for a crew of seasoned criminals who had been meticulously planning the heist for over two years. On the night of the robbery, the crew entered the Brinks Depot shortly after 7 pm, donning navy peacoats, chauffeur's caps, rubber Halloween masks and gloves to disguise themselves and avoid leaving fingerprints. With precision and coordination, they used duplicate key to gain access to the depot. Once inside, they overpowered and bound five employees at gunpoint. They moved swiftly and silently, overpowering the five employees who were occupied preparing money for shipment. The crew tied up the employees, taped their mouths shut and then proceeded to fill their loot bags with cash, coins, checks and money orders. The robbers did little talking. They moved with a precision that suggested the crime had been carefully planned and rehearsed in the preceding months. Somehow the crew had opened at least three, possibly four, locked doors to gain entrance to the second floor of Brinks, where the five employees were completing their nightly duties of checking and storing the money collected from Brinks customers.

Speaker 1: 4:25

That day, all five employees had been forced at gunpoint to lie face down on the floor. Their hands were tied behind their backs and adhesive tape was placed over their mouths. During this time, one of the employees had lost his glasses. They later could not be found on the Brink' premises. A buzzer sounded as the loot was being placed in bags and stacked between the second and third doors leading to the Prince Street entrance. The robbers removed the adhesive tape from the mouth of one of the employees and learned that the buzzer signified that someone wanted to enter the vault area. The person ringing the buzzer was a garage attendant. Two of the crew members moved toward the door to capture him, but seeing the garage attendant walk away, seemingly unaware of the robbery was being committed, they did not pursue him. The entire operation took approximately 30 minutes. To further cover their tracks, the crew carefully wiped down the premises to remove any fingerprints and left with minimal trace evidence. The crew made off with $2.7 million in total, a staggering sum in 1950, equivalent to nearly $30 million today. The haul included $1.2 million in cash and the rest in securities. They filled 14 canvas bags with cash, coins, checks and money orders for a total weight of more than half a ton, making this the largest robbery in US history. At the time, as the robbers sped from the scene, a Brinks employee called the Boston Police Department. Minutes later, police arrived at Brinks Building and special agents with the FBI quickly joined in the investigation.

Speaker 1: 6:31

At the beginning of the investigation, the investigators had very few facts. From the interviews with the five employees whom the criminals had confronted, it was learned that between five and seven robbers had entered the building. All of them wore navy-type peacoats, gloves and chauffeur's caps. Each robber's face was completely concealed behind a Halloween-type mask. According to the FBI, one of the robbers wore crepe-soled shoes to muffle their footsteps and the others wore rubbers. In addition to the general descriptions from the Brinks employees, the investigators obtained several pieces of physical evidence. The rope and adhesive tape used to bind and gag the employees, and a chauffeur's cap that one of the robbers had worn was left at the crime scene. The FBI also learned that four revolvers had been taken by the group. The descriptions and serial numbers of the guns were carefully noted, since they might prove a valuable link to the men responsible for the crime.

Speaker 1: 7:43

In the hours immediately following the robbery, the underworld began to feel the heat from the investigation. Well-known Boston criminals were picked up and questioned by police From Boston. The pressure quickly spread to other cities. Seasoned criminals throughout the US found their movements during mid-January the subject of official questioning. Since Brinks was situated in a densely populated tenement area, numerous hours were spent conducting interviews to locate individuals in the neighborhood who might possess valuable information about the heist. An investigation was conducted to check current and former Brinks employees thoroughly. The staff working in the three-story building that housed the Brinks offices were interviewed. Inquiries were also made about salesmen, messengers and other individuals who had visited Brinks and might have knowledge about its layout and operational procedures. Efforts were quickly made to gather information about the missing cash and securities. Brinks customers were asked about the packaging and shipping materials they used. Any identifying markers on currency and securities were recorded and appropriate measures were taken at banking institutions nationwide.

Speaker 1: 9:14

The FBI and local police were baffled by the precision and cleanliness of the crime scene, leaving few clues. Initially there were no clues and the public began speculating whether the crime would ever be solved. The Brinks company offered a substantial reward for information, but progress slowed. The Brinks case was front page news Even before Brinks Incorporated offered a $100,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the individuals responsible. The case had captured the attention of millions of Americans. Well-meaning people nationwide began sending the FBI tips and theories which they hoped would assist in the investigation. For example, a person in California suggested that the loot might be concealed in the Atlantic Ocean near Boston.

Speaker 1: 11:38

The FBI had previously conducted a detailed survey of the Boston waterfront. Former inmates of prison institutions reported conversations they had overheard while incarcerated concerning the robbery of Brinks. Each of these leads were checked out. However, none proved fruitful. Various pieces of information were obtained. There were reports of a man in Fayetteau, new Jersey, who had limited resources but was apparently spending a significant amount of money at nightclubs, purchasing new cars and displaying a new sudden wealth. An extensive investigation was conducted to determine his whereabouts on the evening of January 17, 1950. It was confirmed that he was not connected to the Brinks robbery. It was confirmed that he was not connected to the Brinks robbery.

Speaker 1: 12:36

Rumors from the underworld pointed suspicion at several criminal gangs. Members of the Purple Gang from the 1930s found that there was renewed interest in their activities. Another old gang specializing in hijacking bootlegged whiskey in the Boston area during Prohibition also became a subject of inquiries. Again, the FBI's investigation resulted merely in the elimination of more possible suspects. Many tips were received from anonymous individuals. Many tips were received from anonymous individuals. On the night of January 17, 1952, exactly two years after the robbery occurred, the FBI's Boston office received an anonymous call from an individual who claimed he was sending a letter identifying the Brinks robbers. Information received from this individual linked nine well-known criminals with the crime. After carefully checking, the FBI eliminated eight of the suspects. The ninth man had long been a main suspect Of the hundreds of New England criminals contacted by the FBI agents in the weeks immediately following the robbery, few were willing to be interviewed.

Speaker 1: 14:01

Occasionally, an offender who was facing prison time would say that he had hot information, saying things like quote you get me released and I'll solve this case in no time end. Quote you get me released and I'll solve this case in no time end quote. According to the FBI, one Massachusetts racketeer told the agents interviewing him quote if I knew who pulled the job, I wouldn't be talking to you now because I'd be too busy trying to figure a way to lay my hands on some of that loot. End quote. In their thorough approach, the FBI reached out to several resorts across the US to gather information about individuals known to have unusually large amounts of money after the robbery. They also looked into racetracks and gambling establishments in hopes of tracing some of the stolen money. This part of the investigation caused concern among many gamblers. Some discontinued their operations, while others strongly desired that the robbers be identified and apprehended.

Speaker 1: 15:09

The mass of information gathered during the early weeks of the investigation was continuously sifted. All efforts to identify the robbers through the chauffeur's hat, the rope and the adhesive tape that had been left in the brinks proved unsuccessful. However, on February 5, 1950, a police officer in Somerville, massachusetts, recovered one of the four revolvers that the robbers had taken. The investigation showed that this gun, as well as another rusty revolver, had been found by a group of boys who were playing on a sandbar at the edge of the Mystic River in Somerville just the day prior. Shortly after these two guns were found, one of them was placed in a trash barrel and was taken to the city dump. The other gun was picked up by the officer and identified as having been taken during the Brinks robbery. A detailed search for additional weapons was made at the Mystic River but yielded no results.

Speaker 1: 16:17

Through the interviews of those in the vicinity of the Brinks offices on the evening of January 17, the FBI learned that a 1949 Green Ford stakebody truck with a canvas top had been parked near the Prince Street door of Brinks around the time of the robbery. From the size of the loot and the number of men involved, it was logical that the crew might have used truck. This lead was pursued intensively. On March 4, 1950, pieces of an identical truck were found at a dump in Stoughton, massachusetts. An acetylene torch had been used to cut up the truck and it appeared that a sledgehammer had also been used to smash many of the heavy parts, such as the motor. The truck pieces were concealed in fiber bags. When they were found, had the ground not been frozen, the person or persons who abandoned the bags probably would have attempted to bury them. The truck found at the dump had been reported stolen by a Ford dealer near Fenway Park in Boston on November 3, 1949. All efforts to identify the persons responsible for the theft and the persons who had cut up the truck were unsuccessful. The fiber bags used to conceal the pieces were identified as bags for beef bones shipped from South America to a gelatin manufacturing company in Massachusetts. Thorough inquiries were made about what happened to the bags after they were received by the company in Massachusetts. This phase of the investigation was pursued exhaustively but ultimately it proved unproductive. Nonetheless, finding the truck parts in Stoughton proved to be a valuable break in the case. Two of the members in the Brinks robbery lived in the Stoughton area and after the truck parts were found, additional suspicion was placed on these men.

Speaker 1: 18:34

As the investigation continued and thousands of leads were followed to dead ends, the broad field of possible suspects gradually began to narrow. Among the early suspects was Anthony Tony Pino, a man who had been a prime suspect in numerous major robberies and burglaries in Massachusetts. Pino was known in the underworld as an excellent caseman, and it was said that the casing of the Brinks offices had his trademark. When questioned about his whereabouts on the evening of January 17, 1950, pino had a good alibi Almost too good. Pino had been at his home in the Roxbury section of Boston until approximately 7 pm. Then he walked to Joseph McGinnis' nearby liquor store. Later he engaged in a conversation with McGinnis and a Boston police officer. The officer verified this meeting. His alibi was strong but not conclusive. The police officer said that he had been talking to McGinnis first and then Pino arrived later to join them. The trip from the liquor store in Roxbury to the Brinks offices took about 15 minutes. So Pino could have been at McGinnis' liquor store shortly after 7 30 pm on January 17th and still have participated in the robbery. And what about McGinnis himself, you may be asking? Commonly regarded as a dominant figure in the Boston underworld, mcginnis had previously been convicted of robbery and narcotics violations. Underworld sources described him as fully capable of planning and executing the Brinks robbery. He too had left his home shortly before 7 pm on the night of the robbery and met the Boston police officer soon after that. If local criminals were involved, it was difficult to believe that McInnes was as ignorant of the crime as he claimed. Neither Pino nor McInnes was known to be the type of criminal who would take on such a potentially dangerous crime without the best strong arm support available.

Speaker 1: 20:59

Two of the prime suspects whose nerve and gun handling experience suited them for the Brinks robbery were Joseph James O'Keefe and Stanley Albert Gusciora. O'keefe and Gusciora reportedly had worked together on several occasions. Both had served prison sentences and were well known to the underworld on the East Coast. O'keefe's reputation for nerve was legendary. Reports had been received alleging that he had held up several gamblers in the Boston area and had been involved in shakedowns of bookies. Like Gusquiorra, o'keefe was known to have associated with Pino. Before the Brinks robbery, boston authorities had questioned both of these strong-armed suspects following the robbery. Neither had too convincing of an alibi. O'keefe claimed that he left his hotel room in Boston at approximately 7 pm on January 17. Following the robbery, authorities attempted unsuccessfully to locate him at the hotel. His explanation he had been drinking at a bar in Boston. Guschiara also claimed to have been drinking that evening. Boston Guschiara also claimed to have been drinking that evening.

Speaker 1: 23:57

The families of O'Keefe and Guschiara resided in the area of Stoughton, massachusetts. When the pieces of the 49 Green Ford truck were found at the dump in Stoughton on March 4, 1950, additional focus was placed on the investigations concerning them. Local officers searched their homes but no evidence was found linking them with the truck or the robbery. In April 1950, the FBI received information indicating that part of the Brinks' loot was hidden in the home of one of O'Keefe's relatives in Boston. A federal search warrant was obtained and agents searched the home on April 27, 1950. Several hundred dollars were found hidden in the house but could not be identified as part of the money from the robbery.

Speaker 1: 24:53

On June 2, 1950, o'keefe and Guskiara left Boston by car to supposedly visit the grave of Guskiara's brother in Missouri. They had planned a leisurely trip with an abundance of extracurricular activities with an abundance of extracurricular activities. On June 12, 1950, they were both arrested at Tawanda, pennsylvania, and found in their possession were guns, clothing and loot from burglaries in Kane and Quartersport, pennsylvania. Following their arrests, a bondsman in Boston made regular trips to Tawanda in an unsuccessful effort to secure their release on bail. On September 8, 1950, o'keefe was sentenced to three years in the Bradford County Jail at Tawanda and fined $3,000 for violation of the Uniform Firearms Act. Although Guschiara was acquitted of the charges against him in Tawanda, he was moved to McKean County in Pennsylvania to stand trial for burglary, larceny and receiving stolen goods. On October 11, 1950, guschiara was sentenced to serve 5 to 20 years in the Western Pennsylvania Penitentiary at Pittsburgh.

Speaker 1: 26:22

Even after being convicted, o'keefe and Guschiara continued to seek their release. From 1950 to 1954, there were rumors in the underworld that pressure was being exerted on Boston criminals to contribute money for the legal fight of these convicted individuals against the charges in Pennsylvania. Mcginnis, adolph Jazz Maffie and Henry Baker were frequently mentioned in these rumors and it was said that they had been involved with O'Keefe. In quote the big job end quote, even though there wasn't much evidence or witnesses for the court case. As the investigation continued, it became clear that O'Keefe was a key figure in the Brinks robbery. Pino was also connected to the robbery and it seemed like that O'Keefe believed Pino was betraying him now that O'Keefe was in jail.

Speaker 1: 27:28

O'keefe and Guschiora had been interviewed multiple times about the Brinks robbery but consistently claimed complete ignorance. Fbi agents hoped that a divide had formed between the two criminals in jail in Pennsylvania and the other members living freely in Massachusetts. Agents visited Gusquiora and O'Keefe but the two showed no respect for law enforcement. The FBI followed up rumors about the main suspects in the Brinks case and identified more potential crew members. One of the suspects, adolph Jazz Maffie, was allegedly under pressure to contribute money for the legal battle of O'Keeffe and Gusquiora against Pennsylvania authorities. When questioned about his whereabouts on January 17, 1950, he couldn't provide a specific account of where he had been.

Speaker 1: 28:31

Henry Baker, another seasoned criminal who was rumored to be contributing to the Pennsylvania Defense Fund, had spent several years of his adult life in prison. He had been released on parole from Norfolk Massachusetts prison colony on August 22, 1949, colony on August 22, 1949,. Only five months before the robbery, baker served two concurrent terms of four to ten years at the prison colony imposed in 1944 for quote breaking and entering in larceny and possession of burglar tools. End quote. At the time of Baker's release in 1949, pino was on hand to drive him back to Boston. Questioned by Boston police on the day following the robbery, baker claimed that he had eaten dinner with his family on the evening of January 17th and then left home at about 7 pm to walk around the neighborhood for about two hours. Since he claimed to have met no one and stopped nowhere during his walk, he could have been doing anything on the night of the crime crime Prominent among the other strong suspects was Vincent James Costa, pino's brother-in-law.

Speaker 1: 29:59

Costa was associated with Pino in the operation of a motor terminal and a lottery in Boston. He had been convicted of armed robbery in 1940 and served several months in the Massachusetts State Reformatory and the Norfolk Massachusetts prison colony. Costa claimed that after working at the motor terminal until approximately 5 pm on January 17th, he had gone home to eat dinner. Then, at about 7 pm, he left to return to the terminal and worked until about 9 pm. The FBI's analysis of the alibis offered by the suspects showed that the hour of 7 pm on January 17, 1950, was frequently mentioned. O'keefe had left his hotel at approximately 7 pm. Pino and Baker separately decided to go out at 7 pm. Costa started back to the motor terminal at about 7 pm.

Speaker 1: 31:02

Other principal suspects could not provide compelling accounts of their activities that night. Since the robbery occurred between approximately 7 10 and 7 27 pm, it was probable that a crew as well-drilled as the Brinks robbers obviously were would have arranged to rendezvous at a specific time. By fixing this time as close as possible to the minute at which the robbery was to begin, the robbers would have alibis to cover their activities up to the final moment. Any doubts that the Brinks thieves had that the FBI was on the right track in the investigation were dispelled when the federal grand jury began hearings in Boston on November 25, 1952 regarding this crime. The FBI's jurisdiction to investigate this robbery was based on the fact that cash checks, postal notes and United States money orders from the Federal Reserve Bank and the Veterans Administration District Office in Boston were included in the loop.

Speaker 1: 32:16

After nearly three years of investigation, the government hoped a witness or participants who had remained silent for so long might come forward before the grand jury. Unfortunately, this hope turned out to be in vain. After completing its hearings on January 9, 1953, the grand jury retired to weigh the evidence. In a report that was released just one day shy of the third anniversary on Januaryth 1953. The grand jury disclosed that its members did not feel that they possessed complete, positive information as to the identity of the participants of the Brinks robbery because the participants were effectively disguised, there was a lack of eyewitnesses to the crime itself and certain witnesses refused to give testimony and the grand jury was unable to compel them to do so. Ten of the individuals who appeared before this grand jury were able to breathe more easily when they learned that no indictments had been returned. Following the federal grand jury hearings, the FBI's intense investigation continued. The Bureau was convinced that it had identified the actual robbers, but evidence and witnesses had to be found.

Speaker 1: 33:51

While O'Keefe and Guschiora remained in jail in Pennsylvania, pino encountered his own difficulties. Born in Italy in 1907, pino was a young child when he entered the United States but never became a naturalized citizen. Due to his criminal record, the Immigration and Naturalization Service instituted proceedings in 1941 to deport him. This occurred while he was in the state prison at Charlestown, massachusetts, serving sentences for breaking and entering with the intent to commit a felony and for having burglar tools in his possession. That prison term, together with Pino's conviction in March 1928 for the sexual abuse of a girl, for the sexual abuse of a girl, provided the basis for the deportation action. Pino was determined to fight against deportation. In the late summer of 1944, he was released from the state prison and was taken into custody by the immigration authorities. During the prior year, however, he had filed a petition for pardon in the hopes of removing one of the criminal convictions from his record. In September 1949, pino's efforts to evade deportation were successful. The acting governor of Massachusetts granted him a full pardon. The pardon meant that his record no longer contained the second conviction. Therefore, the Immigration and Naturalization Service no longer had grounds to deport him.

Speaker 1: 35:40

On January 10, 1953, following his appearance before the federal grand jury in connection with the Brinks case, pino was taken into custody, once again as a deportable alien. The new proceedings were based upon the fact that Pino had been arrested in December 1948 for a larceny involving less than $100. He received a one-year sentence for this offense. However, on January 30, 1950, the sentence was revoked and the case was placed on file. Pina was released on bail on January 12, 1953, pending a deportation hearing. 1953, pending a deportation hearing Again. He was determined to fight, arguing that his conviction for the 1948 larceny offense was not a basis for deportation. After surrendering himself in December 1953 in compliance with the Immigration and Naturalization Service order, he began an additional battle to win release from custody while his case was being argued. Adding to these problems was the constant pressure being exerted on Pino by O'Keefe from the county jail in Tawanda, pennsylvania. In the deportation fight that lasted more than two years, pino won the final victory. His case had gone to the highest court. On April 11, 1955, the Supreme Court ruled that Pino's conviction in 1948 for larceny the sentence that was revoked in the case placed on file, the sentence that was revoked in the case placed on file had not quote attained such finality as to support an order of deportation. End quote. So Pino could not be deported. During the period in which Pino's deportation troubles were mounting, o'keefe completed his sentence at Tawanda, pennsylvania.

Speaker 1: 37:48

In early January 1954, o'keefe was released to McKean County, pennsylvania authorities to stand trial for burglary, larceny and receiving stolen goods. He was also faced with a detainer filed by Massachusetts authorities. Filed by Massachusetts authorities. The detainer involved O'Keefe's violation of probation in connection with a 1945 conviction for carrying concealed weapons. Before his trial in McKean County, he was released on a $17,000 bond. While on bond, he returned to Boston. On January 23, 1954, he appeared on probation violation charge in the Boston Municipal Court. When this case was continued until April 1, 1954, o'keefe was released on a $1,500 bond. During his brief stay in Boston he was in contact with other robbery crew members. He needed money for his defense against the charges in McKean County and it was unmistakable that he had developed a resentful attitude towards several of his close underworld associates or World Associates.

Speaker 1: 40:14

Returning to Pennsylvania in February 1954 to stand trial, o'keefe was found guilty of burglary by the state court in McKean County on March 4, 1954. An appeal was promptly noted and he was released on a $15,000 bond. O'keefe immediately returned to Boston to await the appeal's results. Within two months of his return, another member of the crew suffered a legal setback. Jazz Maffie was convicted of federal income tax evasion and began serving a nine-month sentence in the federal penitentiary at Danbury, connecticut, in June 1954. There were rumors in the underworld that Maffie and Henry Baker were at the top of O'Keefe's list because they had taken a large amount of money from him. If Baker heard these rumors, he didn't stick around to find out if they were true. Shortly after O'Keefe returned in March 1954, baker and his wife left Boston on a vacation.

Speaker 1: 41:19

O'keefe paid his respects to the other members of the Brinks crew in Boston on several occasions in the spring of 1954, and it was apparent to the agents handling the investigation that he was trying to demand money. He was so cold and persistent in these dealings with his co-conspirators that the agents hoped he might be attempting to obtain a large sum of money, perhaps his share of the Brinks loot. During these weeks O'Keefe renewed his association with a Boston racketeer who had actively solicited funds for the defense of O'Keefe and Guschiora in 1950. Soon the underworld rang with the startling news concerning this pair, news concerning this pair. It was reported that on May 18, 1954, o'keefe and his racketeer associate took Vincent Costa to a hotel room and held him for several thousand dollars ransom. Allegedly other members of the Brinks crew arranged for O'Keefe to be paid a small part of the ransom he demanded, and Costa was released on May 20, 1954. Special agents later interviewed Costa and his wife, pino and his wife the racketeer, and O'Keefe. All of them denied any knowledge of the alleged incident. Yet several members of the Brinks crew were visibly shaken and appeared to be abnormally worried during the latter part of May and early June 1954.

Speaker 1: 43:03

Two weeks of relative quiet in the crew members' lives were shattered on June 5, 1954, when an attempt was made on O'Keefe's life. The Boston underworld rumbled with reports that an automobile had pulled alongside O'Keefe's car in Dorchester, massachusetts, during the early morning hours of June 5th. Seemingly suspicious O'Keefe crouched low in the front seat of his car as the would-be assassins fired bullets that pierced the windshield. A second shooting incident occurred on the morning of June 14th 1954 in Dorchester, massachusetts, when O'Keefe and his racketeer friend paid a visit to Baker. By this time Baker was suffering from a bad case of nerves. Allegedly he pulled a gun on O'Keefe. The two men exchanged gunfire, but none of the bullets hit their target. Baker escaped and the brief confrontation ended.

Speaker 1: 44:10

A third attempt on O'Keefe's life was made on June 16, 1954. This incident also took place in Dorchester and involved the firing of more than 30 shots. O'keefe was wounded in the wrist and chest, but again he managed to escape with his life. Police who arrived to investigate found a large amount of blood, a man's shattered wristwatch and a .45 caliber pistol at the scene. Five bullets that had missed their mark were found in a nearby building were found in a nearby

Speaker 1: 44:54

building. The following day, on June 17, 1954, the Boston police arrested Elmer Trigger Burke and charged him with possession of a machine gun. Later, this machine gun was identified as having been used in the attempt on O'Keefe's life. Burke, a professional killer allegedly had been hired by underworld associates of O'Keefe's life. Burke, a professional killer, allegedly had been hired by underworld associates of O'Keefe to assassinate him. After being wounded on June 16th, o'keefe disappeared On August 1st 1954,. He was arrested in Leicester, massachusetts, and turned over to the Boston police, who held him for violating probation on a gun-carrying charge. O'keefe was sentenced on August 5, 1954, to serve 27 months in prison. As a protective measure. He was incarcerated in the Hampton County Jail in Springfield, massachusetts, rather than the Sulphur County Jail in

Speaker 1: 45:54

Boston. O'keefe's racketeer associate, who allegedly had assisted him in holding Costa for ransom and was present during the shooting between O'Keefe and Baker, disappeared on August 3, 1954. The missing racketeer's car was found near his home. However, his whereabouts remain a mystery to this day. Underworld figures in Boston have genuinely speculated that the racketeer was killed because of his association with O'Keefe, that the racketeer was killed because of his association with

Speaker 1: 46:32

O'Keefe. Other members of the robbery crew also were having their troubles. There was James Ignatius Faraday, an armed robbery specialist whose name had been mentioned in the Underworld Conversations in January 1950 concerning a score on which the crew members used binoculars to watch their intended victims count large sums of money. Faraday had been questioned on the night of the robbery. He claimed he had been drinking in various taverns from approximately 5.10 pm until 7.45 pm. Some individuals claimed to have seen him. The continuous investigation, however, had linked him with the

Speaker 1: 47:17

crew. In 1936 and 1937, verity was convicted of armed robbery violations. He was paroled in the fall of 1944 and remained on parole through March 1954 when he was met with misfortune Due to unsatisfactory conduct, drunkenness, refusal to seek employment and his association with known criminals. His parole was revoked and he was returned to the Massachusetts State Prison. However, seven months later he was again paroled. Mcginnis had been arrested at the site of a still in New Hampshire in February 1954, charged with unlawful possession of liquor distillery equipment and violation of the internal revenue laws. He had many headaches during the time in which O'Keefe was giving so much trouble to the crew. Mcginnis's trial in March 1955 on the liquor charge resulted in a sentence of 30 days imprisonment and a fine of $1,000. In the fall of 1955, an upper court overruled the conviction on the grounds that the search and seizure of the still were

Speaker 1: 48:41

illegal. Adolph Jazz Maffey, who had been convicted of income tax violations in June 1954, was released from the Federal Corrections Institution at Danbury, connecticut, on January 30, 1955. Two days before Maffey's release, another strong suspect died of natural causes died of natural causes. There were reoccurring rumors that this criminal, joseph Sylvester Banfield, had been there on the night of the crime. Banfield had been a close associate of McGinnis for many years. Although he had known to carry a gun, burglary rather than armed robbery was his criminal specialty and his exceptional driving skill was an invaluable asset during criminal getaways. Like the others, banfield had been questioned concerning his activities on the night of January 17, 1950. He was unable to provide a specific account, claiming that he became drunk on New Year's Eve and remained intoxicated through the entire month of January. One of his former girlfriends, who recalled having seen him on the night of the robbery, stated that he definitely was not drunk. Even Pino, whose deportation troubles then were a heavy burden, was arrested by the Boston police in August

Speaker 1: 50:18

1954. On the afternoon of August 28, 1954, trigger Burke escaped from the Suffolk County Jail in Boston where he was being held on the gun possession charge stemming from the June 16th shooting of O'Keefe. During the regular exercise time, burke separated himself from the other prisoners and moved toward a heavy steel door leading to solitary confinement. As a guard moved to intercept him, burke started to run, the door opened and an armed, masked man wearing a prison guard type uniform commanded the guard quote back up or I'll blow your brains out. End quote. Burke and the armed man disappeared through the door and fled in a vehicle parked nearby. A vehicle identified as the car used in the escape was located near a Boston hospital and police officers hid themselves in the area. On August 29, 1954, an automobile that circled the general vicinity of the abandoned car on five occasions provoked the officer's suspicions. This vehicle was traced through the motor vehicle records to Pino. On August 30th he was taken into custody as a suspicious person. Pino admitted having been in the area, claiming that he was looking for a parking spot to visit a relative in the hospital. After denying any knowledge of Trigger Burke's escape, pino was

Speaker 1: 51:57

released. Burke was arrested by FBI agents in Foley Beach, south Carolina, on August 27, 1955, and he returned to New York to face murder charges that were outstanding against him there. He subsequently was convicted and executed, even though members of the robbery crew spent considerable amounts of money during 1954 defending themselves against legal proceedings alone. The year ended without the location of any bills identifiable as part of the Brinks loop. In addition, although violent conflict had developed within the crew, there was still no indication that any men were ready to talk. However, based on the available information, the FBI felt that O'Keefe's disgust was reaching the point where he would possibly turn against his partners. During an interview with him in the jail in Springfield, massachusetts, in October 1954, special agents found that the missing Boston racketeer was weighing on O'Keefe's mind. In December 1954, he indicated to the agents that Pino could look for rough treatment if he were released again From his cell in Springfield. O'keefe wrote bitter letters to members of the Brinks crew and persisted in his demands for money. The conviction for burglary in McKean County, pennsylvania, still hung over his head and legal fees remained to be

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paid. In 1955, o'keefe carefully contemplated his position. 1955, o'keefe carefully contemplated his position. He felt like he would be in prison for the rest of his life, while his co-conspirators would be enjoying luxuries. He believed that even if he were released, his life would still be in danger. In June 1954, there were three attempts on his life and he was sure that the frustrated assassins were waiting for his return to Boston, it became clear that O'Keefe had accepted the fact that he would either spend many years in prison or have a short life outside. He became increasingly bitter towards his former co-conspirators as they repeatedly made empty promises of help and intentionally delayed any assistance. O'keefe began to realize that his threats were being ignored. He understood that while in prison he couldn't physically harm the other Brinks crew members in Boston, crew members in Boston. The crew also believed that the likelihood of him revealing information was low, as he too would be implicated in the Brinks robbery along with the

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others. Two days after Christmas of 1955, fbi agents paid another visit to O'Keefe. Paid another visit to O'Keefe. After a period of hostility, he began to display a friendly attitude. When he was interviewed again on December 28, 1955. He talked more freely and it was obvious that the agents were gradually winning his respect and confidence. At 4.20 pm on January 6, 1956, o'keefe made his final decision. And that, my fellow crime connoisseurs, is where we will leave off. But come back next week for the final part of this case, because if it wasn't already wild to you, it's going to get even more insane. Thank you for listening and following along. If you've enjoyed the podcast. Please subscribe, leave a review and share it with your loved ones. You can find Crime Connoisseurs wherever you listen to your podcasts Crime Connoisseurs wherever you listen to your podcasts, and you can follow us on social media at Crime Connoisseurs. In the meantime, keep it classy, connoisseurs, and I'll catch you on the next case. We'll be right back. I'm out.