It was rumored that American gangster, Jimmy Bruke, was the mastermind of the heist though was never formally charged. Eventually, the thieves were caught by the FBI. All maps, graphics, flags, photos and original descriptions © 2021 worldatlas.com, Biggest Heists And Bank Robberies In American History. But police denied the possibility. Given that the policy regarding safe deposit boxes was not to state their contents, only an estimate of the stolen amount could be made. Iraq was Saddam Hussein’s fiefdom, so the Central Bank of Iraq was “his personal bank … 1. At 6:30AM on the 26th November, 1981, a gang of six armed robbers from South London broke into the Brink’s-Mat warehouse at Heathrow Airport. The mastermind was none other than Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein. They “cleaned” the jewelry store without firing a bullet. The first notable period of bank robbery in American history coincides with the country’s expansion westward. The Loomis, Fargo And Company was created partly to prevent that. Valerio put out a sign saying that the warehouse was temporarily closed to prevent other customers from entering, and then let other accomplices by creating his own entry. Medium is an open platform where 170 million readers come to find insightful and dynamic thinking. Pace was convicted and was sentenced to 24 years in prison and some of the money has never been recovered. This robbery happened in Lebanon, when the place was going through a civil war in the year 1971. 30 million dollars may not seem a lot today or compare to other robberies, but back in 1972, it was big money. It was the biggest cash robbery in US history at that time. Leonardo Notarbartolo, a 30-year-old career thief, was the leader of the criminal group. 7. The biggest heists of all time made national headlines and seized millions of dollars. The police turned up a townhouse that was said to be the headquarters and original searches revealed nothing until the dishwasher was checked. He set up meetings and had a few small transactions. Three bank guards were believed to have fled with the $ 282 million safe — more than the economies of small countries! Initially it was decided that they should spend the money frugally for a year or two to avoid suspicion, but Chambers believing that the FBI could not connect him to Ghantt choose to disregard that. Doning clothing to the bank's uniform they also added rubber Halloween masks, gloves and rubber soled shoes. 95% of the money taken was recovered by the FBI. The Great Mining. Ghantt was a prime suspect from the start and connecting him to Campbell was easy the hard part came connecting him to Chambers. Two men dressed as police officers convinced two inexperienced Gardner Museum guards that they had been summoned following a complaint. They were handcuffed and locked in the museum basement. When Loomis Fargo employees could not open the vault the next morning they called the authorities and because 95 % of the money handled at Loomis Fargo was money owned by banks it made the crime a federal offense. They were apprehended when his wife made her bank suspicious by asking questions regarding how large a deposit has to be before they would alert the FBI. The Securitas depot robbery was a large heist in Tonbridge, Kent, England. 5. Four gunmen broke into the downtown Harry Winston-owned luxury jewelry store shortly after closing time. While working he had time to take photographs and inspect the Armored Car depot and after recruiting 5 of his childhood friends they attempted the robbery. Keith Cheeseman was arrested in connection with the crime and received six and a half years in prison. On February 25, the thieves went directly to a KLM truck carrying a large safe containing uncut diamonds which was heading to Antwerp. The story of the largest gold heist in British history is a cautionary tale about how tenuous the concept of honour amongst thieve Fencing that much gold bullion was a tough job. After posing as police and kidnapping both the Securitas branch manager and his family, the heavily armed gang of thieves brought him to the depot where they then bound his 14 employees and forced him to open the cash cages. They rented office space in the building where the safe was located three years in advance, and here Leonardo claimed to be an Italian diamond dealer to gain the trust of others. From the times that the pyramids were raised to the end of the cold war in this publication you will find it all. It’s easy and free to post your thinking on any topic. 4 Bank of England Treasury - $300 million On May 1990 John Goddard, a 58 year-old messenger, left the Bank of England Treasury carrying millions in bonds. Goddard delivers treasury bills from banks and construction companies. Central Bank of Iraq. On March 29th, 1997 Philip Noel Johnson, who worked as an armored car driver for Loomis Fargo, pulled off an $18.8 Million ($28.1 Million today) robbery after over powering two of his co-workers and leaving them at different areas. Known to history as the Lufthansa Heist the robbery took place December 11th, 1978 at the JFK International Airport in New York, New York. No matter how secure you think you are, this can happen. In late October of 1878, the Manhattan Savings Institution was relieved of nearly $2.5 million worth of cash, stocks, and bonds. It took several years to plan in detail the robbery in which at least 4 people were involved. And that brings us to top of our list. Countries With the Largest Populations Without Bank Accounts, The World's Two Double Landlocked Countries, United California Bank, Laguna Niguel, California, March 24, 1972, Pierre Hotel, New York, New York, January 2, 1972, Dunbar Armored Facility, Los Angeles, California, September 12, 1997, Loomis Fargo, Jacksonville, Florida, March 29, 1997, Brink's Building, Boston, Massachusetts, January 17, 1950, Sentry Armored Courier, New York, New York, December 12, 1982, Loomis Fargo, Charlotte, North Carolina, October 4, 1997, The Manhattan Company, New York, New York, January of 1935, JFK International Airport, New York, New York, December 11, 1978, Wells Fargo Depot, West Hartford, Connecticut, September 12, 1983. The other $ 350 million was considered lost because it could no longer be found. Some robberies require careful planning. Dar Es Salaam bank employees came to work one morning and were stunned to find that the doors were unlocked, the safe was open, and all the money was missing. The Dunbar Armored Car robbery has the honor of being named the largest cash robbery to have occurred in the United States with $18.9 Million ($28.3 Million today) being taken. Wikimedia Commons A Napoleonic eagle, like this one, was stolen by the thieves, possibly in … The group detonated the wall of the bank that was shared with that of a neighboring Catholic church. The largest cash robbery to have ever occurred in the US also happened be an inside job. It also went down in history as the "crime of the century" and was the work of an eleven member gang. The case has not been resolved and there is still a $ 5 million reward for any information about the artwork. The majority of the gang was arrested five days before the statute of limitations ran out. It was a world record at the time. 5. Some robberies require careful planning, others used brute force. The Company. It happened September 12, 1997 and was engineered by Allen Pace, who had been a regional safety inspector for Dunbar. He was arrested at Playa del Carmen which is a resort near Cozumel. Christo was arrested February 2nd 1983 in San Juan while he vacationed at a private resort. Eight of them received maximum life sentences, all were paroled in 1971 except for McGinnis who had died in prison. The Police said that Legaki and Potamtsis were not alone in the crime. Then, in the next 81 minutes, the two sat down and leisurely chose 12 pieces of art that together were worth $ 300 million the value of 25 years ago. However, in 1994 an offer was made to return the paintings for $ 2.6 million and to guarantee immunity from justice. But only about $8 million of the total amount was ever recovered, making this the biggest robbery in the history of Brazil. Make sure … You might not lose millions, but these robberies are a reminder that security is key. Filberto Ojeda Rios, another of the leaders and not physically present at his hearing, was sentenced to 55 years in prison. The plan was that Ghantt would commit the actual robbery and then flee to Mexico City where he would stay until he felt enough time had passed for him to reenter the United States, he would leave the majority of the money with Campbell and split it evenly when he returned with Campbell wiring him enough money to live on. With their copied keys the gang came to the second floor of locked doors and bound, gagged and surprised those who were working at the time. This is one of the biggest robberies in the world history, and took place in Italy in the year 1986. They say never leave it in the hands of the judges and these fights are big reasons why. The next day, after finding out about the robbery, it was found that the stock of Harry Winston's company decreased by 9%. He was killed in 2000 on the day of his release in Italy, following an exchange of fire with the police. Most of what was taken was recovered and Dinsilo self-published a book on the events called Inside the Vault with the help of his daughter. Five of the perpetrators were sent to prison, but the authorities managed to recover only $1.5 million of stolen money. The largest single bank heist of all time was committed the day before the Coalition invaded Iraq in 2003, when Saddam Hussein sent his son, … Except for two receipts, all were recovered by police. It was the UK's largest cash robbery and the gang left behind another £154 million only because it did not have the room to take it. Hollywood just made a movie about this one: Masterminds. He was sentenced to 22 years in prison. Which Countries Are Not Members Of The World Bank? The group claimed that apart of the money was sent to a poor communities of Puerto Rico to fund education, food, clothing, housing and toys for children. The last of the biggest robberies took place on March 18, 2003 at the Central Bank of Baghdad in Iraq. Check your inboxMedium sent you an email at to complete your subscription. Christo's partner in crime, 21 year old George Legaki's was arrested when he voluntarily showed up for questioning. The Brink’s-Mat Robbery is the largest gold bullion heist in British history. He was arrested when attempting to re-enter the US and gave the customs worker need for suspicion. Frankos apparently threatened to kill Nalo for ripping him off but was cheated of that chance by an unknown gunman in 1988, Comfort was killed by the mafia bosses he fenced some of the jewels to when he tried to retrieve them. However, some of these delinquents have made the perfect plan and managed to get away with sums of cash that have added up to have a higher worth than some countries. The largest bank robbery in U.S. History, the 1997 Loomis Fargo Robbery in North Carolina, was imperfect and definitely not what you expect to see in the movies. Nobody suspected anything. A group of men robbed the bank and took away 25 million Pounds. Police believe the robbery was committed by Patrick Thomas, but he was found dead by shooting himself in the head. Avid Writer with invaluable knowledge in Business Studies, History and Psychology. The number of safes was so large that thieves simply could not carry everything and were limited to 123 out of 189 safes. Accomplished using only a metal bar, the tale of the theft has entered British history. The crime was planned for a weekend before millions of dollars in cash receipts would go to the banks on Monday. He hid most of the money in a storage shed in Mountain Home, North Carolina and then moved to Mexico City. October 1997 Loomis Fargo robbery Under the watchful eye of many witnesses, they threatened the drivers, asking them to get out of the car, and fled in the truck. Valerio fled to Latin America, and his accomplices were arrested. Others use brute force. After the two were taken to the safe, they attacked the manager and the guards. If most of the robberies involved careful planning and impeccable execution, this was more rudimentary. An estimated $5. The Dunbar Armored Car robbery has the honor of being named the largest cash robbery to have occurred in the United States with $18.9 Million ($28.3 Million today) being taken. He was found with multiple passports. Take a look. The theft of £2.6 million (US$3.4 million) doesn’t sound that much these days, but that was big money when thieves stole mailbags from a Royal Mail train in England in 1963. On March 24th, 1972 Amill Dinsilo led a group that consisted of his nephews, brother-in-law, brother, and two alarm experts to the United California Bank in Laguna Niguel and made off with $30 million (which is around 172.4 million in today's money). Joseph “Big Joe” McGinnis was the leader of the gang and the one who came up with the idea to begin with. Valerio Vicci emigrated to England from Italy in 1986, where he was wanted by police for more than 50 armed robberies. On September 12, 1997, six men robbed the Dunbar Armored facility on Mateo St. in Downtown Los Angeles, California of US$18.9 million (equivalent to $30.1 million in 2019). It ended with the arrest of John Philipp Spanos who had fled and eluded capture for four years as a fugitive in Greece. This lead to finding unwashed dishes with fingerprints all over them. By signing up, you will create a Medium account if you don’t already have one. In 1999 he was one of the FLAN members who had their sentence commuted by President Bill Clinton. Gang commits largest robbery in British history In the early morning hours of February 22, 2006, a gang of at least six men, some of them armed, steal … 1. Below is a list of the greatest robberies in human history! “You make your own life” atapalaga97@gmail.com. Check out the most robberies to date: Millennium Dome Robbery. Samuel Nalo and Robert Comfort have gone down in history with their ability to pull of 1972's robbery of the Peirre Hotel in New York. The group came out with 25 million pounds in gold, jewelry, and currency, which today would have been worth over 100 million dollars. Ghantt was arrested March 1st,1998 when the FBI successfully traced a phone call. The briefcase contained 292 million pounds in bonds(around 384 million US dollars). The press did not discuss the incident too much at that time. And soon, people involved in the robbery started turning up dead. He was a ghost to the neighbors, who had no idea he had once been a ringleader in the largest cash robbery in British history at that time: the 1983 Security Express Job, in which a … Review our Privacy Policy for more information about our privacy practices. But the largest in history was as simple was it was effective. 25 people were arrested for robbery, aged between 22 and 67. The estimated amount is 120 million dollars because many of the precious stones were not cut, which makes it more difficult to specify their value, this means that their worth could have been even bigger. Loomis Fargo in Charlotte, North Carolina found itself the target of a robbery on October 4th, 1997 by one of their vault security guards, David Ghantt and his girlfriend, Kelly Campbell who had been a former employee at the time. The law on these says that whoever carries them is considered the owner. When the police realized the two crimes were linked they checked transportation records and saw the entire group had been on the same flight to California. Millennium Dome . Dubbed one of the largest robberies in the world the Knightsbridge Security Deposit found itself targeted by Valerio Viccei, a lawyers son who already had fifty armed robberies under his belt. After abducting the manager of the depot and his family, the gang forced entry to the depot. Most likely the thieves were not art lovers, as they damaged a series of paintings and left behind much more valuable works. The error came when one of them paid a real estate associate with a stack of bills in their original binds. Only $58,000 of the $2.7 Million was ever recovered. The city has a fairly rich history of robberies, but one, in particular, has gone down in history — both in terms of the amount stolen and the method used by thieves. 9 Million was stolen (which translates to $21.6 Million today). Anonymous companies purchased mines in little amount, about 1- 16th of their original values and they resold them at full price and siphoned out money that was supposed to be for the state. The absurd quantity, complete lack of investigatory results, as well as the manner in which everyone just seemed to forget about it, makes this the largest and strangest of robberies. The theft of $1.5 Million ($25.6 Million today) from the Manhattan Company in January of 1935 was linked to the $590,000 ($4 Million today) by then FBI Director J Edgar Hoover who also linked it to an international bank robbery ring that was based out of Southern France. The safe was protected with 10 levels of security, including infrared heat detectors, Doppler radar, magnetic field, a seismic sensor, and a locking system with 100 million possible combinations.
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