These Insane Robbery Mysteries Were Finally SOLVED...

Top 10 Craziest Robbery Mysteries That Were Finally Solved

Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down the most dramatic heists of financial institutions that were initially tough to crack, but which were solved after an extended amount of time or in unexpected ways.

#10: The United California Bank Burglary

The United California Bank burglary occurred in a city in California named Laguna Niguel. On March 24, 1972, a group of thieves broke into the bank’s vault by blowing its concrete roof with dynamite. They walked out with $9 million in cash and valuables, the modern equivalent of $63 million. The robbery went unsolved for several months - that is, until a very similar theft occurred in Ohio. The FBI were able to link the two robberies, identifying the group and finding the townhouse they used as headquarters. They found fingerprints on the dishwasher, and with that, the robbers were identified and arrested. One of the burglars, a man named Charles Broeckel, testified against his conspirators and went into witness protection.

#9: The Wołów Bank Robbery

The People's Republic of Poland was rocked by a high profile bank robbery on August 19, 1962. Six men robbed the National Bank of Poland of 12.5 million złotys, making it the largest bank robbery in the country’s history. While a staggering amount of money, it was all in specific print runs of 100 and 500 notes, prompting the Polish government to monitor those bills. And this worked. One woman soon attempted to deposit 18,000 złotys in a bank using some of that run of 100 and 500 bills, prompting the teller to call the police. And then later another woman tried paying for a luxury carpet with a $500 bill. Both instances led to an investigation, which, in turn, helped eventually lead to the arrests of the robbers.

#8: The Dunbar Armored Robbery

It’s amazing how often stupid mistakes lead to capture. Like the aforementioned paying for a carpet in marked bills. Or, say, giving a real estate broker a stack of cash inside a currency strap. Allen Pace orchestrated the historic Dunbar Armored robbery, which occurred in Los Angeles on September 12, 1997. Pace and five others robbed the Dunbar Armored facility of $18.9 million in cash, making it the largest cash robbery in American history. They drove off into the night and remained free for over two years. But then one of the robbers, Eugene Hill, paid a real estate broker with cash bound in their original currency straps. The broker called the police, Hill was arrested, and he went on to name everyone involved.

#7: Águila Blanca Heist

Before the Dunbar Armored robbery, it was Águila Blanca that held the record for the largest cash heist in American history. Meaning “White Eagle” in English, Águila Blanca occurred on September 12, 1983, with a Connecticut Wells Fargo depot being emptied of $7 million. The crime was perpetrated by a Puerto Rican militant group dubbed Los Macheteros. An extensive investigation tracked those responsible, who remained on the lam for nearly two years. Most of the suspects were arrested on August 30, 1985, with leader Juan Palmer eventually being given a 65-year prison sentence. One of the members, Víctor Gerena, remains free and spent 32 years on the FBI's Top Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list.

#6: Herman Lamm’s Robberies

This actually isn’t just one bank robbery, but many, and they were all conducted by a German immigrant named Herman Lamm. Lamm is considered a pioneer in the field of bank robbery, influencing the likes of John Dillinger through his famous “Lamm Technique.” When it comes to “casing” a joint before a major robbery, criminals have Lamm to thank, as he devised the idea. Lamm and his gang were considered the most successful bank robbers of the 1910s and ‘20s, stealing more than $1 million from dozens of institutions around the country. But just when the authorities were starting to put the story together, Lamm botched a robbery on December 16, 1930 and took his own life rather than be captured.

#5: The NOKAS Heist

We again travel across the Atlantic, this time to Norway. The country’s largest heist occurred on April 5, 2004, when a large group of heavily-armed men raided Nokas Cash Handling. This was not a quiet robbery, as the gang used automatic weapons, smoke grenades, and vehicle spike strips to fight off the responding police. An officer was killed in the shootout and the gang walked away with the equivalent of $10 million. The case went unsolved for about a year before thirteen men were charged in 2005. Sentencing was handed down on March 10, 2006, with the men receiving a cumulative prison term of 181 years.

#4: The Bank of Australia Robbery

Needless to say, it wasn’t easy to catch criminals in 1828. The first bank robbery in Australia took place on September 14 of that year, with five men robbing the Bank of Australia in Sydney. The criminals dug through a sewage tunnel straight into the vault and took off with a huge fortune, leaving the bank’s employees none the wiser. The crime went unsolved for two years, until one of the men, William Blackstone, came clean to the authorities. Blackstone informed on his partners in crime, resulting in two convictions. The other two did not face punishment, as one was already dead and the other had fled Australia.

#3: Johnny Williams’s Robberies

Considered America’s most prolific bank robber, Johnny Williams stole from 56 savings & loans institutions between 1986 and 1993. One of his robberies took place in Solana Beach, California in 1987 when he stole $920 from a drive-through and shot his gun into the ceiling. This act resulted in his nickname “The Shootist,” and he would go on to rob many more places with his wife and getaway driver, Carol. His most profitable robbery also took place in 1987, when he got away with a haul of $43,500. But Williams’s undoing came in 1993, when an accomplice turned him in for a reward. He was sentenced to decades in prison but was released for health reasons in 2021.

#2: The Society National Bank Robbery

Many bank robberies are inside jobs, and Ohio’s Society National Bank case is one of them. On July 11, 1969, a teller named Theodore Conrad put $215,000 inside a paper bag and just walked out. This incident occurred on a Friday night, and Conrad was already long gone when the bank became aware of the missing money the following Monday. Conrad moved to Massachusetts and began a new life as “Thomas Randele.” U.S. Marshals didn’t crack the case until 2021, when they matched paperwork filled out by Theodore Conrad in the ‘60s and Thomas Randele in the 2010s. However, Conrad had since died of lung cancer, making him the rare bank robber to have gotten away with it.

#1: The Great Brink’s Robbery

The name Brink’s is synonymous with security, yet one of their buildings was robbed of nearly $2.8 million on January 17, 1950. It was the largest robbery in American history at the time, and it remained unsolved for years. And it might have remained unsolved if it wasn’t for robber Joseph O’Keefe. O’Keefe eventually had a falling out with the rest of the group, claiming he was never given his full portion of the money. After a wild series of convictions and kidnappings, another member, Anthony Pino, then tried to have O’Keefe killed. Eventually, he ratted on his accomplices and had them arrested just five days before the statute of limitations was set to expire.

What do you think was the craziest robbery mystery? Tell us in the comments!