Here are 15 of the greatest bank robbers of all time, some with a little fame, others not as much and some the basis for major motion pictures. He fled into an apple orchard where he was shot and killed. A payroll master targeted in the robbery described Floyd as: Philadelphia authorities suspected the theft to have been an inside job and entry achieved using a key. Two years later, the first successful getaway by automobile following a bank robbery took place in France. The crime spree started with the robbery of the South Marion State Bank in November 1924. The Rich Hill Tribune, August 19, 1909. made Dillinger a priority and brought him down one night in Chicago by shooting him several times in front of a mob of people, as if Dillinger planned it himself. 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. Nelson survived the confrontation only to die of his wounds at a safe house a short time later. It was later determined that Hamilton left over $300 in quarters and half-dollars in the cash drawers. Baby Face didnt have a long career, killed by federal agents at the age of 25. Beginning in the 1930s, and in some cases even earlier in larger cities and towns, banks installed security mechanisms to protect themselves and their employees from robberies. Over a dozen people were murdered by this duo until cops finally killed them. Jesse James is arguably Americas most famous thief and murderer, certainly the most famous of the western outlaws during the two decades which followed the American Civil War. In case you havent heard, theres a movie (1967 Arthur Penn film) that details the adventures of Bonnie and Clyde. 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. Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies. Martinez and her boyfriend would rob 4 banks in Northern Virginia, stealing just under $50,000 before they got caught and prosecuted. ; Arrest the Culprit Green. The New York Times. Mikhaylich never wore a mask and at 65 it is surprising he had a successful 2-year run before finally being caught. Library of Congress. Other aspects involved each gang member being assigned a job such vault man, driver or lobby man. The young men produced shotguns and ordered the chief cashier, a man named Birge, and his aides to hand over all available cash. 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. Online. 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:/. There are many perks to the gangster lifestyle; long life expectancy isnt one of them. His demise finally came when he attended the Biograph Theatre, in Chicago. Because no bodies were ever found, the US Marshal service still considers the escape to be an open case. 8. On September 26, 1933, a total of 10 men, including Hamilton, escaped using smuggled guns from the recently paroled John Dillinger. Considered to be the most sensational bank robberies in India to date. Most bank robbers, at least the popular ones, had characteristics that set them apart. They were pursued by a hastily formed posse, and later by Pinkertons, but they eluded the chase. Baron Lamm died, aged 40, after a botched bank robbery when his gang crashed their getaway car. John and Clarence Anglin, along with fellow inmate Frank Morris, escaped from Alcatraz in June 1962. 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 . Eventually someone caught on, but talk about not being able to keep a good man (or bad man) down. After serving seven years in prison, Van Meter was paroled. Here are some of the most notorious bank robberies or robbers in American history. After the United States government protested to the British authorities the raiders were arrested in Canada and the money seized. He was alone at work when Edward Green entered the bank. 5. Given he was born in 1866, not likely. 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. Alarm buzzers and bells, which rang loudly inside and outside of the bank, were one of the earliest. 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.. After linking up with the Dillinger gang, he participated in some other high profile bank robberies. Feb 14, 1864, Missouri Bank Cashes In on Jesse James. Is it strange that every time I walk into a bank I lightly case the joint? After Pretty Boy Floyd was killed Nelson inherited the designation of Public Enemy Number One. The gang soon became one of the most formidable in the country, brutally murdering anyone who stood in their way as they robbed banks, even innocent bystanders. He was nicknamed slick for the many disguises he wore on the job. The attempted robbery of the First National Bank of Northfield on September 7 was stopped when the clerk refused to open the safe, claiming that it was equipped with a time lock which prevented him from doing so, while another clerk fled out the back door, wounded in the shoulder. W. D. Jones, Playboy Magazine. John D. Kazar, Vermont History. 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. Once the robbers reached an area near Lytle Creek they again engaged the pursuers. Officially the FBI considered the men dead, drowned in the cold waters off Alcatraz Island, but numerous sightings of the brothers were reported over many years in Georgia, Alabama, and South Carolina. He was executed at the Ohio State Penitentiary in October 1934, after a failed escape attempt left him severely wounded. Eventually he would do some time (all bank robbers eventually do some time), but that didnt keep Williams from his day job. 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. The robbery was led by the notorious likes of outlaw Butch Cassidy and his sidekicks. Limerick joined the Maurice Denning gang in 1934, and their spree of heists . Someone should have. The remaining three were taken into custody. 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. 2013, Bank Robbers In Motorcar. During the sixties, Williams was linked to over 60 robberies across the East Coast and Midwest. After exiting the theatre the FBI were waiting for him and he was shot down as he tried to escape down a nearby alleyway. Barrow was armed with a sawed-off shotgun. When a group of armed robbers burst into a Buenos Aires bank on Jan.13, 2006, they immediately grabbed the attention of investigators, seasoned hostage negotiators and media outlets, who broadcast the tense standoff with police throughout Argentina. The Wild Bunch favored robbing trains, hoping to avoid shootouts in the aftermath of a robbery, and it has been falsely reported that during their career the gang never killed anyone in the course of one of their crimes. John Dillinger, Bonnie and Clyde, Pretty Boy Floyd, and several others, were cheered by those who had been hurt by the banks during the collapse of many of them in the early days of the depression. 9 Million was stolen (which translates to $21.6 Million today). Warsaw Daily Times. 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. Nelson was arrested for theft and joyriding at age 13, and was sent to a penal school for 18 months. It was 12:38 in the afternoon on January 13, 2006, when the call went out to police: a bank robbery in progress. Most of the robbers were caught but the gold remains at large. It is important to keep in mind that Butch Cassidy and his "Hole-in-the-Wall Gang" are one of the few successful bands of bank robbers during this time period. There's no discussion. It was the largest bank robbery in U.S. history at the time. Hearst, the heir to millions, was kidnapped and later arrested as an accomplice with the Symbionese Liberation Armyafter they robbed a bank in San Francisco. 3. Wikimedia. 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. Hamilton, along with Dillinger, were public enemy number one (or one and two I guess) as their gang robbed several banks around the Chicago area. Whilst in prison he tried to escape with another prisoner. Liddell: The Kingdom of God is not a democracy. After this, Nelson began to rob banks with Homer Van Meter and Eddie Green. He was convicted of bank robbery in Ohio and sentenced to 15 years in the infamous Ohio State Penitentiary in November of 1930 but escaped and continued his life of crime. 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. ", On how he didn't carry a gun or threaten people. Police caught him 15 minutes later with the knife and 410 in cash stolen from a Tesco in King's Lynn, Norfolk. It was the first known instance of an automobile being used as a getaway car following both an armed robbery and a bank robbery. Wikimedia. Ill admit that Patty Hearst probably belongs more in a Most Interesting versus Greatest bank robbers list, but here you go anyway. 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. In May 1936, the FBI located Karpis in New Orleans, and surrounded his car. Kent, UK; 2006. Via cbsnews.com. The newly formed group of escapees became the first Dillinger gang. Three men entered the First National Bank and demanded that the cashier, George Nixon, open the safe and give up the gold coins within. FBI. I loved it. The Central Bank of Iraq Robbery - $920 million. Pretty ballsy on her part. 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He has killed more FBI agents than any other single American citizen. Members of the Palestinian Liberation Organization decided to launch an attack on the British Bank of the Middle East. In 1998, robbers struck the Bank of America at 1 World Trade Center in New York City, a feat believed to be impossible after the increase in security at the complex following the bombing in 1993. 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). They were never caught, and are believed to be behind similar heists in Paris during the following weeks. Authorities in four states joined in the search for the fugitives. Hoover wouldnt have to wait long. They were the ultimate on the run couple living on the farthest point of the ledge. After the Kansas City massacre, in which three police officers and an FBI agent were killed when escorting Frank Nash during a change of custody (Nash was also killed), Pretty Boy Floyd was named by the FBI as one of the gunmen. In January 1958, three brothers brandishing toy pistols robbed the Bank of Columbia in Columbia, Alabama. On the way, Bowman stopped in Utah, Colorado, Nebraska, Iowa, and Missouri. 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. 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. The chase covered seven miles before police caught up with them. The robbers were armed with rifles, handguns, and shotguns. To me, its just natural, given that a. He is estimated to have robbed over 100 banks, stealing around $2 million. The depredations of the roving criminal gangs of the depression years led to bank robbery becoming a federal crime in 1934, if the bank was a National bank or a member bank of the Federal Reserve System. He was executed at the Oklahoma State Penitentiary in 2002, by lethal injection. After this he had difficulty holding down a job and began to plan a robbery with a friend. Previously they had broken into banks after hours, hoping to avoid any injury to themselves or others. Jesse James robbed many banks and killed several men, but his legend overshadows his true history. Herman Baron Lamm was a German American bank robber who is widely considered the father of modern bank robbery. One difference of course is that he used a machine gun versus a bow and arrow. Thom Hatch. He is the mastermind behind the Socit Gnrale Bank heist. Also, Starr starred in a silent movie based on his criminal activity titled A Debtor to the Law. By 1909 automobiles were being used to race across the country, as did this Model T, and to rob banks. 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.. 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. Butch and Sundance were alleged to have been killed in 1908 in South America, though their exact fate remains in question. Shutterstock. . Photo: Stanislav Kozlovskiy / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 3.0. 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 . Although rumored to have been a nice guy, he murdered his partner, Nollie Humpy Wortman, after they completed a job. 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. In yet another gun battle with police, a second robber was killed. After participating in numerous small time robberies, he was eventually jailed for 5 years. Tumey has set up a Kickstarter to fund a book he intends to write about how 'bank robbery changed my life'. 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. Votes: 20,895 | Gross: $0.42M 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. Historians have labelled the 1930s as the Public Enemy era; a time when a small minority of criminals stood out as being particularly notorious and were hunted determinedly by the police and FBI. Think Natural Born Killers without Rodney Dangerfield and Quentin Tarantino/Oliver Stone script/director drama. In January, 1934, the gang robbed a bank in Chicago escaping with $20,376. Eventually, most of the Tape bandits were rounded up, including Nelson. The Brink's-MAT robbery occurred on November 26th, 1983, when six robbers broke into the Brink's-MAT warehouse at Heathrow Airport, London. So I never let anyone (not even my wife or best friend) know what I was doing. January 24, 2018, Harry Pierpont Turns State Evidence In His Trial For Bank Robbery. Theodore J. Conrad pulled off one of the biggest bank robberies in Cleveland's history. They used dynamite to blast a hole in the roof of the safe deposit vault at United California Bank and looted $30 million in cash and valuables. That would be the equivalent of approximately $5 million today. He obviously didn't realize the guy who had just walked out of the bank and past him had just robbed the bank. He asked for credentials, so they shot him and Dillinger escaped with them. Wikimedia. Townspeople raised the alarm and armed men were awaiting the robbers as they exited the bank. Before he became one of the most wanted outlaws in the west, Cassidy was born as Robert Leroy Parker in Utah. 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. Online, The Boss: J. Edgar Hoover and the Great American Inquisition. As robbers and thieves, nobody was better than the comparatively low-profile Newton and his brothers, who later were popularized in a middling 1998 movie as "The Newton Boys."In a blink of about five years in the 1920s, the Newtons (and an occasional accomplice) pulled off about 70 bank heists (give or take a dozen), ripped off six trains and, in their pice de rsistance, cleared somewhere . The story is an interesting tale of false accusation, coupled with the usual case of not-so-witting, post-heist behaviors of the robbers. He took part in the Dillinger gangs last bank raid, in which four innocent bystanders were murdered. 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. I look for video cameras, security guard positioning and speculate where the vault is. Prior to that action, a bank robber in Ohio could escape to a bordering state such as Kentucky or Indiana and avoid pursuit and arrest. Famous American Bank Robbers. Rebecca Seales, The Daily Mail. In 1972, the name of then US President Richard Nixon was . On February 13, 1866, a Tuesday, a group of riders rode into Liberty, Missouri. After being on the run for two years, Nelson robbed his first major bank. Frank Nash knocked over 200 banks in his time and is known by many as the most successful bank robber of all time. 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. This makes the act of tunneling into a bank, or other unlawful entry such as forcing the locks, technically a burglary rather than a robbery, but in the public imagination they are one and the same thing for the most part. Horse thievery. theunredacted 26 Feb 2018. 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. Karpis nearly met his own violent death when the FBI located him in New Jersey. 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. Riverside deputies were assisted in the high-speed chase by officers of other agencies as it entered Sam Bernardino County. The South Malabar Gramin Bank's Chelembra branch robbery was inspired by the Bollywood movie Dhoom. Kit R. Roane, The New York Times. They fled to the north. Eventually, Pierpont was tried for the murder of the Allen County Sheriff in Ohio, convicted and sentenced to death. It was the largest amount ever stolen from a bank in U.S. history. Stolen: 53.1 million ($83 million) This brazen heist remains the largest cash robbery in British history and was executed with a more violent vision . He conned his way into a program that allowed him out of prison during the day to attend the University of Michigan. Because I enjoyed it. The robbers thought they were going to steal 3 million in cash. Under the circumstances, I was as nice as I could possibly be to the bank employees because I did feel a little sympathy for them. Who wouldnt be curious? While traveling and searching for new ways to put some money in his pocket for a better life, he stumbled upon Mike . 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. RCDSA. The Great Northfield, Minnesota, Raid. Dillinger wanted to be more famous than Capone and let everyone know who he was. In December a robbery attempt was foiled when a bank worker pushed an alarm button, forcing the would-be robbers to flee empty-handed, but a week later they were more successful at a bank in Upland, Indiana. Its funny how a lot of bank robbers never wear disguises anymore. During one robbery Nelson was reported to have sprayed innocent bystanders with machine gun bullets while screaming wildly. Unbeknownst to the three was that they were being monitored by security cameras, the film from which was broadcast that night on national television. One of the most famous bank robbers in American History, "Slick Willie" spent 11 years at Eastern State Penitentiary. "No threat. Again, right tool for the job, that makes sense. 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. "One teller skimped out on me and didn't give me all I had asked for, and I told her, "You can do better than that." They then left the bank with about $7,000 in mostly small bills. 1. Williams and his gang were known for being able to do bank jobs in under a minute. A mere boy a pretty boy with apple cheeks.. He aligned himself with Baby Face Nelson and Tommy Carroll to rob a Michigan bank, escaping with $30,000. Each year there are approximately 3,000-4,000 bank robberies. He reunited with girlfriend, and partner in crime, Edna Murray before joining Alvin Karpis and the Barker gang, who were at the peak of their criminal success. 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). 9. John "Red" Hamilton. He started with several banks in New York City and then moved to New Jersey before coming back to the city where he would eventually get caught driving a stolen delivery car. His numerous prison escapes also added to his legend. Two members of his gang survived and James Oklahoma Jack Clark went on to join the Dillinger gang after being imprisoned, though Dillinger told Clark he couldnt join them unless he told him everything he knew about the Lamm Technique. Unfortunately for Rountree he got caught each time he robbed a bank and ended up doing 12 years in prison where he eventually died. The Lord never seeks re- election. Barrow was killed instantly by a headshot and Parker, in the passenger seat, was sprayed with bullets soon afterwards. 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! Over the years souvenir hunters chipped away pieces from his headstone, leading it to be replaced several times, often coinciding with the release of yet another film about his career. On the morning of June 9th, 1986, employees at Hollywood's First Interstate Bank showed up for work, preparing for the long week ahead. Whether the raid was an act of war or a bank robbery has been debated ever since. 300 million yen robbery. When talking about famous thieves, one can't leave out Albert Spaggiari. You can reach David on Twitter @david_s_grant and his website www.pulpscribbler.com. He was famous for his likable personality and charm. When he was 19, he participated in a botched burglary and was imprisoned for 10 years. The robbers left with $6,700 in cash, unwittingly leaving behind another $9,000 safely hidden in file cabinets. 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. 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. Hole in the floor Photo by Craig Sunter - Wikimedia. A driver remained in the car. The men were John, Clarence, and Alfred Anglin, and they did not wear masks. Bank of Bangladesh Cyber Robbery ($81M) North Korean hackers attempted to steal $1B from the . The British Bank of the Middle East robbery. During their spree, they killed around 13 lawmen, although Dillinger was never proven to have killed anyone. This led Dillinger to be admired by many who considered the banks who foreclosed on homes and farms as the real enemy. He committed his first murder when the Tape bandits robbed a tavern and he shot a stockbroker. Sutton carried on his criminal career whilst on the run, but eventually ended up spending more than half his adult life in prison. 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. The men beat a guard unconscious but were soon apprehended. Today its very hard to pull off a bank job, yet each day approximately 20 banks are robbed in the U.S. alone! Homer Van Meter was a young member of John Dillingers gang, with a reputation for being particularly bloodthirsty. Parker first met Clyde Barrow at a friends house. 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. 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. Starr liked to rob banks during the day, sometimes with his picture pasted on a Wanted Man poster on the very walls of the banks he robbed. It is estimated he stole over $2 million from banks. Pity. Knightsbridge Security Deposit Robbery: The "Italian" Work.