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Silhoutte of man held at gun point. Photo By Maxim Hopman –

10 Things to know about the 1950 Great Brink’s Truck Robbery

On the evening of January 17^th, 1950, men dressed in chauffeur caps alighted from a vehicle parked alongside Brink’s building in North End, Boston. This marked the beginning of what would then be termed the greatest bank robbery of the 20^th century.

It was some minutes past 7 p.m. when the Great Brink’s Truck Robbery took place. The eleven-man job left no trace of who took part in the crime. The heist was executed flawlessly.

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1. It Was Planned For Nearly Two Years

Present-day North Terminal Garage in Boston, site of the Great Brink’s Robbery in 1950. Photo By Tim Pierce – Wikimedia Commons

The plan to rob the Great Brink’s Truck was first hatched in 1947. The initial plot was to have a robbery with no guns but the security within the building made it impossible to do so. 

The burglars had made frequent visits to the premise and obtained copies of the necessary lock keys. They had also made themselves familiar with the building and knew exactly where and when they would strike.

On the day of the robbery, the men made their way toward the building accessing it through the Prince Street door.

2. The Burglars of the Great Brink’s Truck Robbery Were Heavily Disguised

The gang had thoroughly thought through their plan. From the timing, disguises, escape, and hideouts.

Each of the gang members was dressed in a Halloween mask, double-breasted coat, and chauffeur’s cap. They wore gloves on their hands to avoid traces of fingerprints and shoes with rubber soles to deter attention from their footsteps. 

3. The Amount Of Money Stolen Weighed Over Half A Tonne

Banknotes. Photo By Freddie Collins –

At the time of the robbery, five of the company employees were yet to clock out of duty. They were in a caged room returning the day’s undelivered cash when five of the robbers stormed in. Each of the thieves had a gun in hand.

The workers were forced to lie down. They were immobilized as the rest of the gang members transferred the money into their bags. In about ten minutes, the room had been wiped off of 2.7 million USD, an amount estimated to have weighed 500 kilos!

4. The Great Brink’s Truck Robbers Didn’t Only Steal Cash

The Great Brink’s heist didn’t just involve the theft of hard cash. The robbers made away with 1.557 million dollars in money orders, cheques, and bank securities. They also took four revolvers from security guards.

After some time, the employees who had been tied up managed to free themselves. It was however a little too late. The robbers had already escaped and were on their way to Roxbury, approximately 8 kilometers from the scene of the crime.

5. The Witnesses Of Great Brink’s Truck Robbery Gave Different Accounts Of The Heist

The Boston Police department opened the case for investigation minutes after the robbery was reported. The company employees who were at the scene at the time of the heist each gave an account of how it took place.

Investigators were caught off guard when the five witnesses had diverse versions of the story yet they were all in the same room. They weren’t even consistent on the number of burglars who took part in the theft!

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6. O’Keefe Was Amongst The First Persons To Be Questioned

Gambling/Game of Pocker. Photo By MichaÅ‚ Parzuchowski –

Years before Joseph O’Keefe blew the cover on his fellow gang members, the police had called him in for questioning. He was among the first suspected hoodlum that was under close scrutiny.

Joseph was no foreigner to the police. He was a well-known criminal who had been convicted severally for crap games and facilitating illegal gambling.

When he was questioned by the police, O’Keefe mentioned only hearing of the robbery on the radio. He denied being part of it. Having zero incriminating evidence, the police released him.

7. The First Evidence Of The Great Brink’s Truck Robbery Was Discovered Almost A Month After The Crime

The robbery at Brick’s building brought conflict among the Massachusetts State Police, F.B.I, and Boston Police Department. These bodies of law enforcement pointed fingers at each other claiming that witnesses and possible leads were being withheld by either of them.

On February 5^th 1950, a local policeman in Somerville, Massachusetts retrieved a gun belonging to a guard at Brink’s building; it was linked to the robbery. Parts of the get-away vehicle were also found 4 weeks later near one of the suspects’ homes.

8. Two Of The Gang Members Were Arrested Prior To The Indictment Of The Robbery

Months after the heist, the authorities hadn’t gathered enough solid evidence for the arrest of the criminals. They sought the assistance of O’Keefe and Stanely Gusciora.

The two suspected gang members were already in custody for another burglary in Pennsylvania. When the police approached them for information about the heist, they both denied being involved in the crime.

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9. The Mystery Of The Great Brink’s Truck Robbery Was Solved After Nearly Six Years

By 1955, O’Keefe’s share of the money had run out. He had used the majority to fight legal allegations in court. He began demanding more from his accomplices and constantly sent threats while he was in prison.

Soon after, O’Keefe became a thorn in the flesh. Anthony Pino, one of the gang members, put a hit out on him marking his third attempted assassination since the heist. Joseph’s patience ran thin and upon realizing his life was in danger, he ratted out all his accomplices in exchange for police protection and leniency.

The six-year statute of limitations on Brick’s robbery was bound to run out five days before O’Keefe’s confession. The case would have been dismissed had it not been for him. The trial began on August 6^th, 1956.

10. The Great Brick’s Truck Robbery Was Executed By Eleven Men

Jail cell. Photo By Umanoide – Unsplash

The robbery, executed by eleven men, was led by criminal mastermind Anthony Pino. Joseph McGinnis was responsible for clearing all physical evidence including clothing and guns. Other members of the gang arrested were Adolph Maffie, Stanely Gusciora, Thomas Richardson, Joseph Banfield, Michael Geagan, Henry Baker, Joseph O’Keefe, James Faherty, and Vincent Costa.    

Faherty, Geagan, and Costa were released on parole by 1971. Adolph, who died in 1988, was the last surviving member of the gang.

Of the money stolen, 2.6 million is yet to be recovered until today. The Great Brinks Truck robbery was adopted into four crime films Six Bridges to Cross (1955), Blueprint for Robbery (1961), Brinks: The Great Robbery (1976), and The Brink’s Job (1978).

Read this article on the top 30 bank robbery movies on the website.