Pino could have been at McGinnis liquor store shortly after 7:30 p.m. on January 17, 1950, and still have participated in the robbery. involved His records showed that he had worked on the offices early in April 1956 under instructions of Fat John. The loot could not have been hidden behind the wall panel prior to that time. O'Keefe received four years and was released in 1960. In the hours immediately following the robbery, the underworld began to feel the heat of the investigation. The robbers removed the adhesive tape from the mouth of one employee and learned that the buzzer signified that someone wanted to enter the vault area. OKeefe was bitter about a number of matters. Vincent Costa was the group's lookout, and signalled with a flashlight from a nearby rooftop when he saw the vault being opened. Since he claimed to have met no one and to have stopped nowhere during his walk, he actually could have been doing anything on the night of the crime. Reports had been received alleging that he had held up several gamblers in the Boston area and had been involved in shakedowns of bookies. A systematic check of current and past Brinks employees was undertaken; personnel of the three-story building housing the Brinks offices were questioned; inquiries were made concerning salesmen, messengers, and others who had called at Brinks and might know its physical layout as well as its operational procedures. During this operation, one of the employees had lost his glasses; they later could not be found on the Brinks premises. Even Pino, whose deportation troubles then were a heavy burden, was arrested by the Boston police in August 1954. Pino admitted having been in the area, claiming that he was looking for a parking place so that he could visit a relative in the hospital. Underworld sources described him as fully capable of planning and executing the Brinks robbery. Brinks One Massachusetts racketeer, a man whose moral code mirrored his long years in the underworld, confided to the agents who were interviewing him, If I knew who pulled the job, I wouldnt be talking to you now because Id be too busy trying to figure a way to lay my hands on some of the loot.. In April 1950, the FBI received information indicating that part of the Brinks loot was hidden in the home of a relative of OKeefe in Boston. When this case was continued until April 1, 1954, OKeefe was released on $1,500 bond. A few weeks later, OKeefe retrieved his share of the loot. Much of the money taken from the money changer appeared to have been stored a long time. ), (After serving his sentence, Fat John resumed a life of crime. Prominent among the other strong suspects was Vincent James Costa, brother-in-law of Pino. This incident also took place in Dorchester and involved the firing of more than 30 shots. Thus, when he and Gusciora were taken into custody by state authorities during the latter part of January 1950, OKeefe got word to McGinnis to recover his car and the $200,000 that it contained. Subsequently, this machine gun was identified as having been used in the attempt on OKeefes life. An appeal was promptly noted, and he was released on $15,000 bond. The following is a brief account of the data which OKeefe provided the special agents in January 1956: Although basically the brain child of Pino, the Brinks robbery was the product of the combined thought and criminal experience of men who had known each other for many years. Burlap money bags recovered in a Boston junk yard from the robbery, Some of the recovered money from the robbery. Before the robbers could take him prisoner, the garage attendant walked away. When the pieces of the 1949 green Ford stake-body truck were found at the dump in Stoughton on March 4, 1950, additional emphasis was placed on the investigations concerning them. The recovery of part of the loot was a severe blow to the gang members who still awaited trial in Boston. They apprehended Faherty and Richardson on May 16 in Dorchester. All identifying marks placed on currency and securities by the customers were noted, and appropriate stops were placed at banking institutions across the nation. A trial began on August 6, 1956. Examination by the FBI Laboratory subsequently disclosed that the decomposition, discoloration, and matting together of the bills were due, at least in part, to the fact that all of the bills had been wet. 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. At the time of his arrest, there also was a charge of armed robbery outstanding against him in Massachusetts. During November and December 1949, the approach to the Brinks building and the flight over the getaway route were practiced to perfection. This lead was pursued intensively. Allegedly, other members of the Brinks gang arranged for OKeefe to be paid a small part of the ransom he demanded, and Costa was released on May 20, 1954. Eight of the gang's members received maximum sentences of life imprisonment. (Geagan and Richardson, known associates of other members of the gang, were among the early suspects. 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. Three and one-half hours later, the verdict had been reached. Since the robbery had taken place between approximately 7:10 and 7:27 p.m., it was quite probable that a gang, as well drilled as the Brinks robbers obviously were, would have arranged to rendezvous at a specific time. Many problems and dangers were involved in such a robbery, and the plans never crystallized. As a government witness, he reluctantly would have testified against him. After careful checking, the FBI eliminated eight of the suspects. Apparently in need of money he kidnapped Vincent Costa and demanded his part of the loot for ransom. A passerby might notice that it was missing. The truck found at the dump had been reported stolen by a Ford dealer near Fenway Park in Boston on November 3, 1949. Each carried a pair of gloves. After a couple of attempts he hired underworld hitman Elmer "Trigger" Burke to kill O'Keefe. In a report which was released on January 16, 1953, the grand jury disclosed that its members did not feel they possessed complete, positive information as to the identify of the participants in the Brinks robbery because (1) the participants were effectively disguised; (2) there was a lack of eyewitnesses to the crime itself; and (3) certain witnesses refused to give testimony, and the grand jury was unable to compel them to do so. Each robbers face was completely concealed behind a Halloween-type mask. Brink's At 10:25 p.m. on October 5, 1956, the jury retired to weigh the evidence.
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