The Incredible 1950 Brink's Heist That Tore A Gang Apart While Bringing Boston Together
By Sarah Norman | August 31, 2023
A late-night robbery shook Boston
The Brink's building heist of 1950 is one of the most daring robberies of the 20th century. Like something from a movie, the robbery itself went off without a hitch, but the aftermath brought the crack crew down. These guys were serious pros; no one was hurt, and everything was gravy until one of the group's members folded under pressure while he was in jail years later. Like a Scorsese movie but shorter, this is the story of a crew that could have made almost $3 million in 1950 money (that's just around $38 million in 2023) if they'd just kept their cool. Instead, greed brought them down, and no one made off with any of that sweet, sweet Brink's cash.
This crew was ready to rock and roll
Around 7:30 P.M. on January 17, 1950, a gang of armed men wearing creepy masks, pea coats, and chauffeur's hats charged into the Brink's Building in Boston, Massachusetts. These cats were prepared: No one heard them stomping down the hall because their footsteps were muffled with crepe-soled shoes. Once inside, the robbers forced the five employees on duty to the floor, took a pair of their glasses, and emptied the vault of $1,218,211.29 in cash and $1,557,183.83 in checks, money orders, and other securities. Once the gang exited the building, they were like ghosts.
The Brink's Job Was Dreamt Up By Tony "Fats" Pino
Tony "Fats" Pino, a notable figure in the Boston underworld, etched his legacy through his remarkable burglary prowess, garnering attention not only from the criminal circles but also Massachusetts law enforcement. Originating from Sicily, Pino's reputation was built on his adeptness at orchestrating heists that left a trail of admiration and intrigue. However, it was his insatiable appetite for a grander score that led him to mastermind one of the most audacious heists in history—the Brink's theft of 1950. A defining moment arrived when Pino uncovered the daily routine of Brink's, funneling all of the city's collected wealth through their North End headquarters every night. This revelation ignited an obsession within Pino, fueling his ambition to assemble a select group of skilled accomplices to carry out an audacious robbery that would go down in infamy. The idea of intercepting the city's daily proceeds while they rested within the Brink's building became Pino's driving force, propelling him into the role of the ultimate orchestrator. In his cunning and calculated approach, Pino demonstrated his ability to elevate his criminal acumen, showcasing his determination to elevate the art of heist to unprecedented heights.
The Robbery Was Supposed To Take Place Three Years Earlier
The elaborate planning of the Great Brink's Robbery of 1950 was a meticulous endeavor that spanned years, marked by both setbacks and strategic adaptations. Initiated in 1947, the initial scheme took shape with the intent of executing a burglary to acquire the substantial wealth held within the Brink's facility. Yet, an unforeseen obstacle arose in 1948 when the group discovered that Brink's had relocated to a new site, necessitating a reevaluation of their meticulous plans. The challenge of circumventing the building's robust burglar alarm system forced them to reconsider their approach, ultimately shifting their focus towards a daring armed robbery. Impeccable attention was paid to the schedules and movements of the security personnel, leading them to pinpoint the optimal moment for the heist—just past 7 pm, a time when the vault doors would be accessible and the number of guards on duty would be diminished.
Pino Kept His Gang Excited About The Money For Years Before The Heist
While speaking with the Washington Post in 1978, John Adolph “Jazz” Maffie explained that Pino kept his crew excited about the job by focusing on the money:
It was an adventure. Pino kept telling us the money was in there, he never stopped. It's hard to explain but it was exciting, we were younger, of course I wouldn't do it now.
Months Of Practice Went Into The Crime
With calculated precision, the group embarked on a months-long endeavor to surreptitiously remove and replicate the locks securing the building, a technique that would facilitate their entry without raising suspicion. The orchestration of their getaway was equally intricate, involving the theft of a truck for transporting the stolen fortune and a strategically acquired car to impede any potential pursuit. The watchful eye of Vincent Costa, stationed as a lookout on a nearby rooftop, served as the critical signal for initiating the operation. After enduring five thwarted attempts, Costa finally granted the green light on the fateful night of January 17, 1950, setting in motion a daring heist that would become legendary.
The FBI needed a hand
Source: New England Historical Society
When the FBI arrived on the scene, it became apparent that the gang had planned every detail of the crime down to the last second. Outside of a scant few traces of physical evidence—some rope, some adhesive tape, and a chauffeur's cap—there was nothing to lead investigators directly to the thieves. The most interesting evidence that the feds found was something that wasn't there: four revolvers that had been taken from employees working in the building.
The Guns Were The Only Lead
The agents hoped that the gang would try to sell these guns, which they could track from the serial numbers. Aside from that, all the FBI could do was interview everyone who worked at the bank to make sure that they weren't a part of the heist.
The Heist Turned Up The Heat On The Criminal Underworld Of The Northeast
According to a report by the FBI:
In the hours immediately following the robbery, the underworld began to feel the heat of the investigation. Well-known Boston hoodlums were picked up and questioned by police. From Boston, the pressure quickly spread to other cities. Veteran criminals throughout the United States found their activities during mid-January the subject of official inquiry.
Everyone knew someone involved with the theft
To find the Brink's Bandits, the FBI offered a $100,000 reward for information leading to their arrest. This brought in a flood of questionable tips from people hoping to score the cash, but it didn't bring the feds anywhere closer to catching their men. In their attempts to catch the gang, agents followed a tip to the bottom of the Boston waterfront, interviewed former federal inmates, and even tracked down people who were reported to be spending more money than usual, be it in nightclubs, on car lots, or just in general.
Recovering the revolvers
On the upside, the FBI recovered two of the four revolvers that went missing from the Brink's Building. One was in a trash can, and the other was rusting deep in a sand bar at the edge of the Mystic River in Somerville. Two months after the robbery, the FBI discovered parts of a green 1949 Ford stake-body truck that was seen outside the Brink's Building buried in a dump in Stoughton, Massachusetts, which meant that at least one of the people they were looking for lived in the area.
Things fell into place... kind of
Source: Boston Public Library
Around the time that the FBI made the dump discovery, they brought in Specs O'Keefe, a fantastically named, nearsighted criminal known for robbing bookies and craps games. Initially, O'Keefe was let go, but after he was pulled over for speeding six months later, police found five guns in his car. After a thorough search of his home, they discovered $70,000 in a chair belonging to his sister, and Specs officially had some explaining to do. He was left to stew in a Pennsylvania jail, which is exactly what his associates didn't want.
O'Keefe talked, because of course he did
Initially, Specs didn't talk to the authorities, as his crew feared he would. Instead, he opted for sending demanding letters to the rest of the gang, threatening to turn informer unless he was given a larger cut of the money. They didn't bite, but as a grand jury trial against the gang got underway, the feds still hadn't found any of the stolen bills aside from what was in O'Keefe's sister's chair. The gang was falling apart at the seams, but none of them wanted to talk except for Specs. Realizing that he was facing down decades in prison, he decided to turn on the 10 other members of the crew.
O'Keefe walks and the gang goes down
Following O'Keefe's confession on January 11, 1956, the United States Attorney at Boston gave the go-ahead to the FBI to charge the 11 members of the gang with conspiracy to commit theft of government property, robbery of government property, and obviously, bank robbery. O'Keefe was allowed to walk from prison, but that opened him up to the hit that one of his former gang members had placed on him. The hitman shot at O'Keefe with a machine gun, but he survived with a few scrapes.
Everyone Did Time... Sort Of
Two members of the gang passed away before they stood trial, but the rest of the members were convicted of all charges and sentenced to life in prison, which they all served together at the state prison in Walpole, Massachusetts. Curiously, only $58,000 of the $2.7 million was ever recovered. If anyone knows where the money is, they're not saying.
O'Keefe Stayed In Control Of Narrative
The Brink's job of 1950 is such a intriguing story that's managed to stay relevant not only because it has a kind of Robin Hood energy, but because everyone loves a heist. Aside from news stories that break down the event, the first piece of literature about the heist was The Men Who Robbed Brink's from 1961. The book was written by Bob Considine, but it features an "as told to by" credit from none other than Joseph "Specs" O'Keefe.
The Robbery Spawned A Handful Of Films
In the years that followed the Brink's Job numerous films cashed in on the story of these regular Joes robbing a massive bank and almost getting away with it. Six Bridges To Cross and Blueprint for Robbery were both released within six years of the initial crime, while Brinks: The Great Robbery was a TV-movie released in 1976. However, the most interesting of the group is The Brink's Job, directed by William Friedkin (The Exorcist, The French Connection) which was filmed on location in Boston and became a bit of its own crime caper during production.
Thieves Snatched 15 Reels Of Film From 'The Brink's Job'
In a bizarre twist of events during the production of The Brink's Job, the unexpected theft of 15 unedited reels of the movie unfolded in August 1978. In a daring and audacious move, the thieves brandished guns and absconded with the reels, demanding a hefty ransom of $1 million for their return. However, their criminal caper revealed a distinct lack of understanding of the film industry, as they had unwittingly seized outtakes and dailies instead of the precious final cut. This peculiar misstep rendered their ransom demand futile, and the production team opted not to comply with their demands.
Friedkin Wasn't Too Concerned With The Theft
Fortunately, the integral positive prints of the negatives were safely housed with the Technicolor Company in New York City, ensuring that the stolen material could be swiftly replaced without significant disruption. The audacious robbery triggered an investigation by the FBI, adding a layer of intrigue to the real-life drama surrounding the film's production. During the subsequent ransom call, director William Friedkin wryly quipped for the robbers to "get a projector and enjoy the film; it was all theirs," highlighting the irony of their ill-conceived scheme.
Boston Was Proud Of The Heist
Stephanie Schorow, author of Crime of the Century, told WGBH:
It wasn’t like the robbers knocked off the local church or the local orphanage. They picked a big company that could afford—in the minds of many—to lose this money so people took a perverse pride in it.
