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Today in History: Friday, January 17

1950: Boston thieves pull off historic robbery

On Jan. 17, 1950, eleven men stole more than $2 million from the Brink’s Armored Car depot in Boston, Massachusetts. It was a nearly perfect crime, as the culprits weren’t caught until January 1956, just days before the statute of limitations for the theft expired. Wearing navy blue coats and chauffeur’s caps similar to the Brink’s employee uniforms and rubber Halloween masks, the thieves entered the depot with copied keys. They surprised and tied up several employees inside the company’s counting room. Filling 14 canvas bags with cash, coins, checks and money orders – for a total weight of more than half a ton – the men were out and in the getaway car in about 30 minutes. No one was hurt in the robbery and the thieves left virtually no clues. They might have evaded arrest but for the fact one man, Joseph “Specs” O’Keefe, made a deal with the FBI to testify against his fellow robbers after a dispute over the loot led to an attempt on his life.