The Brink's Job

The Overlook

By Tom Clavin

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This week sees the 75^th anniversary of one of the most daring robberies in U.S. history. A break-in the Brink’s building in Boston yielded almost $3 million or over $35 million in today’s money. The thieves almost got away with it. The crime remained unsolved for nearly six years, until an estranged group member testified only days before the statute of limitations would have expired.

The robbery was first conceived in 1947. However, in 1948, after months of planning, the group of bandits learned that Brink's had moved to a new location. While the theft was originally intended to be a burglary rather than an armed robbery, they could not find a way around the building's burglar alarm. After observing the movements of the guards, they decided that the robbery should take place just after 7 pm, as the vault would be open and fewer guards would be on duty.

Over a period of several months, the robbers removed each lock from the building and had a key made for it before returning the lock. Two vehicles were stolen: a truck, to carry away the loot from the robbery, and a car, which would be used to block any pursuit. Vincent Costa was the group's lookout and he signaled with a flashlight from a nearby rooftop when he saw the vault being opened. After five aborted runs, Costa finally gave the go-ahead on the night of January 17, 1950.

Seven of the group went into the Brink's building: Joseph O’Keefe, Stanley Gusciora, Henry Baker, Adolph Maffie, Michael Geagan, James Faherty, and Thomas Richardson. They each wore a chauffeur cap, pea coat, rubber Halloween mask, and each had a .38-caliber revolver. At 7:10 pm, they entered the building and tied up the five employees working in the vault area. They spent about 20 minutes inside the vault, putting money into large canvas bags. Approximately a million dollars in silver and coins were left behind by the thieves because they were not prepared to carry it. The total amount stolen was $1,218,211 in cash and $1,557,183 in checks and other securities. Soon after the robbers left, one of the Brink's employees managed to free himself and raise the alarm.

Immediately following the robbery, Police Commissioner Thomas Sullivan sent a mobilization order for all precinct captains and detectives. Thirteen people were detained in the hours following the robbery, including two former employees of Brink's. The company offered a $100,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those involved in the robbery, with an additional 5% of recovered cash offered by the insurance company. Director of the FBI J. Edgar Hoover took over supervision of the investigation.

The only physical evidence left at the crime scene was a cap and the tape and rope used to bind the employees. Most of the cash stolen was in denominations of $1 to $20, which made it nearly impossible to trace the bills through serial numbers. Any information police could get from their informers initially proved useless. The truck that the robbers had used was found cut to pieces in Stoughton, Massachusetts.

In June 1950, O’Keefe and Gusciora were arrested in Pennsylvania for a burglary. O’Keefe was sentenced to three years in prison and Gusciora to 5-to-20 years. Police heard through their informers that O'Keefe and Gusciora demanded money from Anthony Pino and Joseph MacGinnis in Boston to fight their convictions. It was later claimed that most of O'Keefe's share from the Brink’s job went to his legal defense.

FBI agents tried to talk to O'Keefe and Gusciora in prison but the two professed ignorance of the Brink's robbery. Other members of the group came under suspicion, but there was not enough evidence for an indictment, so law enforcement kept pressure on the suspects. Adolph Maffie was convicted and sentenced to nine months for income tax evasion.

After O'Keefe was released, he was taken to stand trial for another burglary and parole violations and was released on a bail of $17,000. O'Keefe later claimed that he had never seen his portion of the loot after he had given it to Maffie for safekeeping. Apparently in need of money, he kidnapped Vincent Costa and demanded his share of the haul for ransom.

Pino paid a small ransom but then decided to try to kill O'Keefe. After a couple of attempts, he hired underworld hitman Elmer “Trigger” Burke to kill O'Keefe. Burke traveled to Boston and shot O'Keefe, seriously wounding him but failing to kill him. The FBI approached O'Keefe in the hospital, and on January 6, 1956, he decided to talk.

On January 12, 1956, just five days before the statute of limitations was to run out, the FBI arrested Baker, Costa, Geagan, Maffie, McGinnis, and Pino. They apprehended Faherty and Richardson on May 16. O'Keefe pleaded guilty on January 18. Gusciora died on July 9. Banfield was already dead. A trial began on August 6, 1956.

Eight of the gang's members received maximum sentences of life imprisonment. All were paroled by 1971 except Joseph McGinnis, who died in prison. O'Keefe received four years and was released in 1960. Only $58,000 of the $2.7 million was ever recovered. O'Keefe cooperated with writer Bob Considine on The Men Who Robbed Brink's, a 1961 "as told to" book about the robbery and its aftermath.

Robbers roundup:

According to O'Keefe's testimony, McGinnis was the mastermind behind the robbery; however, this was later disputed by Geagan. McGinnis was responsible for destroying incriminating evidence, including guns, the truck, and clothes. He died in prison on October 5, 1966.

Joseph O'Keefe died in March 1976, at the age of 67.

According to Geagan, Anthony Pino was the leader of the gang. He died in October 1973, at the age of 67.

Adolph Maffie died in September 1988, at the age of 77. He was the last surviving member of the robbery.

Thomas Richardson died in 1980, at the age of 73.

Vincent Costa was released from prison in 1969 after being paroled. He was arrested again in 1985 and charged with cocaine trafficking.

Michael Geagan was released in 1969 after being paroled.

Henry Baker died in prison in 1961, at the age of 54.

James Faherty, along with Geagan and Maffie, was released in 1969 after being paroled.

Joseph Banfield died in 1955, at the age of 45.

Stanley Gusciora died in July 1956 of a brain tumor, before he could be tried for his role in the robbery.

Tom Clavin is the bestselling author/co-author of 25 books. His latest book, Bandit Heaven, was published by St. Martin’s Press last October. Please go to your local bookstore or to Bookshop.org, Amazon.com, BN.com, or tomclavin.com to purchase a copy.