It was 1866 in Liberty, Missouri, a little town. Jesse James and his crew will complete their first alleged heist in early February of that year. The perpetrators used a handgun to beat a cashier over the head and took over $60,000 in assets. In today's money, that equates to over $1 million. Jesse James' crime spree would go another 16 years. ¹⁾

The year was 1889 in Telluride, Colorado. Butch Cassidy was on his way to completing his first major heist. When he attacked the bank, he was armed. Warner and McCarty were his accomplices. While Cassidy loaded his sacks with cash, they slowed down the teller. The robbers took over $20,000 in cash. This equates to about $500,000 now. Butch Cassidy's career spanned 20 years. It all came to an end when he died from a gunshot wound. ²⁾

America witnessed its first severe bank heist in the summer of 1798. In Philadelphia, Isaac Davis and his accomplice Patrick Lyon attacked Carpenter's Hall. They stole around $162,000 in all. That may not appear to be much, yet it would be worth millions of dollars today. Lyon died of yellow fever shortly after the crime. Isaac Davis began to feel remorse. He ended up gradually putting the money back into the Bank of Pennsylvania. They made the decision to question him. He confessed and returned the money during the interview. He was subsequently exonerated. ³⁾

In 1933, John Dillinger was four months into his criminal spree. This would be his biggest theft. On October 23rd of that year, he started working at the Central National Bank and Trust in Greencastle, Indiana. He got away with more than $76,000 in cash. That equates to over $1.5 million today. After that, the American criminal robbed six more banks. He was caught several times but fled before being punished. In late 1934, John Dillinger was shot by an FBI agent. ⁴⁾

The operation's masterminds were George Leslie and Shang Draper. It was the autumn of 1878. They were both lethal guys with a penchant for riches and violence. The theft of the Manhattan Savings Institution was eventually carried out in late October. The two made off with around $2.5 million in equities, bonds, and cash. At the time, this was the biggest sum of money ever stolen in the United States. George Leslie was responsible for many bank robberies in the past but was never apprehended. This would be his final heist. In New York City, he was finally killed by his companion. ⁵⁾

It was the year 1935 in New York City. The Manhattan Company towered above several of Wall Street's skyscrapers. That's when John Philipp Spanos comes into play. He robbed the bank with four others. The gang got away with $1.5 million. Spanos, interestingly, was a member of a global robbery organization based in southern France. That controversial link would lead to his detention by J Edgar Hoover, Director of the FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigations). His accomplices were all apprehended between 1935 and 1939. Spanos, on the other hand, was the last to be apprehended in Greece. ⁶⁾

Because the offenders wore trench coats on the day of the theft, this incident became known as the trench coat robbery. Ray Bowman and William Kirkpatrick were experienced bank robbers and locksmiths with a 15-year track record of success. This would be their final heist in 1997. The two robbed the Seafirst Bank in Lakewood, Washington, of over $5 million. Later that year, Kirkpatrick was arrested. Soon after, Bowman was arrested. They were both charged with conspiracy to commit robbery. Bowman received a sentence of 24 years in jail. Due to an unlawful search, the accusations against Kirkpatrick were eventually dismissed. ⁷⁾

The year was 2006 in the Handan. One of China's most audacious thefts was about to take place. Ren Xiaofeng and Ma Xiangjing worked for the Agricultural Bank of China as vault managers. They grabbed 200,000 yuan, which is around 28,000 US dollars. They did, however, continue to steal throughout March and April of 2007. The total value of the heist was $4.3 million. They were quickly apprehended and convicted of stealing. The duo were executed in April of 2008. ⁸⁾

Hartford, Connecticut's capital city, is a tiny town. However, in 1983, they became the site of one of the largest bank robberies in history. A group of five Puerto Rican nationalists carried it out. They were dubbed “Los Maceteroes.” The extremists were attempting to fund a coup against the US in Puerto Rico. They took more than $7 million from a Wells Fargo bank in Hartford. They were arrested by 1989. Juan Segarra Palmer was their leader. Norman Ramirez Talavera, Antonio Comacho Negron, and Roberto Maldonado Rivera were his accomplices. Carlos Ayes Suarez was also suspected, although he was later exonerated of all accusations. ⁹⁾

In 1950, one of the most sophisticated crimes of the century was committed in Boston. Big Joe McGinnis and 11 accomplices robbed Brinks Bank on January 17th. They committed the crime while dressed in bank uniforms and masks. The group also duplicated keys in order to get access to the second level. Every employee was restrained and gagged. They grabbed little less than $3 million in cash, money orders, cheques, and other kinds of currency. Within two years after the crime in Massachusetts, the gang was apprehended. The majority of them were sentenced to life in prison but were granted release in 1971. Big Joe McGinnis, on the other hand, died in prison before he could be released. Two other offenders died in prison as well. ¹⁰⁾

The Loomis Fargo bank in Charlotte, North Carolina, was compromised in 1997 by one of its own security guards, his wife, and eight of their associates. It was the beginning of October. David Ghantt, Kelly Campbell, and their associates stole $17.3 million. They were apprehended within a few months. The eight co-conspirators were also arrested. David Ghantt was sentenced to more than seven years in prison. However, he was released for good conduct after just five years in prison. Kelly Campbell, on the other hand, was sentenced to six years in jail and two years in a drug and alcohol treatment facility. However, one of their conspirators, Steve Chambers, was sentenced to 11 years in prison. ¹¹⁾

When it comes to robberies, Loomis Fargo appears to have bad luck. This also happened in 1997. Once again, a bank employee committed the crime. Loomis Fargo employed Philip Noel Johnson as an armored vehicle driver. He battled off two bank staff before ultimately overpowering them. In the end, he stole around $19 million. Following that, he escaped to Mexico. He was captured and sentenced to 25 years in jail upon his re-entry. ¹²⁾

This robbery was one of France's largest heists of the century. It took held in Toulon in 1992. The offenders were impetuous and violent. They threatened a bank employee's families and attached explosives to a guard. Once inside, the thieves took more than $30 million in francs. The crime was committed by ten guys, but the alleged ringleader was Marc Armando. He was never convicted of the crime, but he was arrested on drug charges later on. Armando committed suicide while incarcerated in 2013. ¹³⁾

The year was 1972, and Laguna Niguel, California was the setting. That's when Amil Dinsio, James Dinsio, Harry Barber, Ronald Barber, Charles Mulligan, Phil Christopher, and Charles Broeckel pulled off one of America's largest bank robberies. The robbers stole around $30 million. They were later linked to a similar incident in Ohio. As a result, the gang was apprehended. Amil Dinsio, the ringleader, was only sentenced to ten years in jail. ¹⁴⁾

In 2015, a gang tunneled into the Hatton Gardens vault and took more than $31 million in cash and valuables. Eleven conspirators were apprehended within a few months. Nine people were detained and charged with conspiracy to commit robbery. Surprisingly, the men's ages ranged from 48 to 76. The majority were condemned to more than six years in jail. The prisoners were recently sentenced to pay 27.5 million pounds or serve an additional seven years in prison. John Collins, Daniel Jones, Terry Perkins, and Brian Reader were the major perpetrators. Michael Seed was also detained in early 2018. He was accused with burgling conspiracy and concealing illicit goods. His trial is still underway. ¹⁵⁾