1 00:00:02,208 --> 00:00:03,833 The target is tempting. 2 00:00:03,958 --> 00:00:06,583 A haul that could net over $30 million. 3 00:00:06,708 --> 00:00:09,458 From the outside, looks like an ordinary bank. 4 00:00:09,583 --> 00:00:12,583 But on the inside it's anything but ordinary. 5 00:00:12,708 --> 00:00:15,667 With ties to big labor, a US president, 6 00:00:15,792 --> 00:00:17,000 and the mafia... 7 00:00:17,000 --> 00:00:21,333 There's Nixon campaign money in this one remote bank. 8 00:00:21,458 --> 00:00:26,125 This heist isn't just daring, it's dangerous. 9 00:00:26,125 --> 00:00:28,500 Outside of the vault they hear footsteps. 10 00:00:28,625 --> 00:00:30,833 Is he Secret Service? Does he work for the bank? 11 00:00:30,833 --> 00:00:33,250 Is he security? Everyone is panicking. 12 00:00:34,875 --> 00:00:35,667 What the [bleep]? 13 00:00:36,792 --> 00:00:37,792 Maybe this isn't as easy 14 00:00:37,792 --> 00:00:39,750 as we thought it might be. 15 00:00:44,875 --> 00:00:46,833 The masterminds behind every great heist 16 00:00:46,958 --> 00:00:50,208 see what most people don't: 17 00:00:50,375 --> 00:00:53,250 risking everything to pull off the score of a lifetime. 18 00:00:53,375 --> 00:00:56,542 It takes a bold plan... 19 00:00:56,708 --> 00:00:58,583 the right team... 20 00:00:58,708 --> 00:01:01,500 and the skill to stay one step ahead of the law. 21 00:01:23,167 --> 00:01:24,625 Watch out. 22 00:01:25,458 --> 00:01:26,458 This way. 23 00:01:36,375 --> 00:01:40,000 United California Bank in Laguna Niguel. 24 00:01:40,125 --> 00:01:42,458 It's isolated, in a town with a lot of money, 25 00:01:42,583 --> 00:01:44,750 and its vault is filled with the safe deposit 26 00:01:44,875 --> 00:01:47,792 boxes of wealthy locals. 27 00:01:47,792 --> 00:01:50,750 It's also allegedly heist-proof. 28 00:02:01,708 --> 00:02:05,208 The United California Bank was structurally well built. 29 00:02:05,375 --> 00:02:09,333 It had a vault inside about 12 by 15 30 00:02:09,333 --> 00:02:13,625 with very, very thick walls and rebar all the way around it. 31 00:02:14,375 --> 00:02:17,792 The vault door is fireproof and blast proof, 32 00:02:17,792 --> 00:02:20,458 and weighs nearly 1,000 pounds. 33 00:02:20,458 --> 00:02:23,083 Its time-lock mechanism means that it 34 00:02:23,208 --> 00:02:25,667 can't be opened after hours... 35 00:02:25,667 --> 00:02:29,125 at least not by law-abiding citizens. 36 00:02:29,125 --> 00:02:32,042 It was significant and state of the art 37 00:02:32,208 --> 00:02:34,000 for that time period. 38 00:02:34,125 --> 00:02:36,208 But it has a secret that makes 39 00:02:36,375 --> 00:02:39,667 a crew of professional thieves travel 2,400 40 00:02:39,792 --> 00:02:41,750 miles from Ohio to rob it. 41 00:02:41,875 --> 00:02:44,167 United California Bank, from the outside, 42 00:02:44,292 --> 00:02:46,417 looks like an ordinary bank. 43 00:02:46,542 --> 00:02:50,250 But on the inside is anything but ordinary. 44 00:02:50,375 --> 00:02:54,208 The tipster says that there is a $30 million stash 45 00:02:54,333 --> 00:02:56,333 rumored to be dirty money 46 00:02:56,458 --> 00:02:58,500 belonging to President Richard Nixon 47 00:02:58,667 --> 00:03:00,333 inside this bank. 48 00:03:00,500 --> 00:03:04,500 And that's the background that gets this all going. 49 00:03:07,208 --> 00:03:08,708 It's a few months before Watergate 50 00:03:08,833 --> 00:03:12,500 and Richard Nixon is already known as Tricky Dick. 51 00:03:12,625 --> 00:03:14,542 Nixon is running for reelection 52 00:03:14,667 --> 00:03:16,500 and he's amassing his war chest. 53 00:03:16,625 --> 00:03:19,375 And the money is coming in from some interesting sources, 54 00:03:19,500 --> 00:03:21,917 including the Teamsters. 55 00:03:22,042 --> 00:03:24,333 Jimmy Hoffa, who's the president of the Teamsters, 56 00:03:24,333 --> 00:03:26,833 is serving 4 years of a 13-year sentence 57 00:03:27,000 --> 00:03:29,208 for bribery and fraud. 58 00:03:29,333 --> 00:03:33,250 Hoffa wants out of prison, so he allegedly 59 00:03:33,375 --> 00:03:35,875 tries to cut a deal with President Nixon. 60 00:03:36,042 --> 00:03:41,250 As the story goes, Nixon says in exchange for a pardon 61 00:03:41,375 --> 00:03:44,750 he wants $3 million and an endorsement 62 00:03:44,875 --> 00:03:47,333 from the Teamsters Union. 63 00:03:47,458 --> 00:03:50,625 So Hoffa goes along with this agreement. 64 00:03:50,625 --> 00:03:53,333 But the money comes with a condition. 65 00:03:53,458 --> 00:03:56,000 The caveat is that Hoffa 66 00:03:56,125 --> 00:03:57,750 cannot serve as the head of the Teamsters 67 00:03:57,875 --> 00:03:59,583 for nine whole years. 68 00:03:59,708 --> 00:04:03,583 And when he does get out of prison, he's pissed 69 00:04:03,708 --> 00:04:05,792 and he wants his $3 million back. 70 00:04:05,917 --> 00:04:09,667 Jimmy Hoffa uses his mob ties to figure out 71 00:04:09,792 --> 00:04:11,500 that this money, this fund, is held in a bank 72 00:04:11,625 --> 00:04:13,792 in little old Laguna Niguel. 73 00:04:13,792 --> 00:04:17,417 And so using his mobster connections, 74 00:04:17,542 --> 00:04:21,250 Hoffa decided to call it the best burglars in the country. 75 00:04:21,375 --> 00:04:24,208 The question goes out to mobsters everywhere: 76 00:04:24,375 --> 00:04:26,292 who would you use on a bank job 77 00:04:26,417 --> 00:04:29,167 if your life depended on it? 78 00:04:29,292 --> 00:04:33,125 There's one answer: the Dinsio brothers, 79 00:04:33,125 --> 00:04:35,375 out of Youngstown, Ohio. 80 00:04:37,542 --> 00:04:40,000 Cleveland mafia members, on behalf of Hoffa, 81 00:04:40,000 --> 00:04:43,833 approached Amil Dinsio 82 00:04:44,000 --> 00:04:47,500 and his brother James Dinsio. 83 00:04:48,333 --> 00:04:52,000 The Dinsio brothers, with this $30 million heist, 84 00:04:52,167 --> 00:04:55,542 and of course they can't refuse that. 85 00:04:55,708 --> 00:04:58,750 The mastermind will be Amil Dinsio. 86 00:04:58,875 --> 00:05:03,333 Born in 1936 to Italian immigrant parents, 87 00:05:03,458 --> 00:05:06,417 his father's restaurant hosted backroom gambling 88 00:05:06,542 --> 00:05:08,667 run by local mafiosos. 89 00:05:08,792 --> 00:05:12,250 These men mentored young Amil in the art of the heist, 90 00:05:12,375 --> 00:05:15,375 and he was their star student. 91 00:05:15,500 --> 00:05:18,500 Amil Dinsio is the brains. He's the mastermind. 92 00:05:18,667 --> 00:05:22,250 He's methodical, his attention to detail is second to none, 93 00:05:22,375 --> 00:05:25,750 and he's exactly who you want in a heist like this. 94 00:05:27,458 --> 00:05:31,167 I met with Amil Dinsio multiple occasions, 95 00:05:31,167 --> 00:05:32,667 and he made it a point to tell me, 96 00:05:32,667 --> 00:05:34,292 you know, "We never hurt nobody." 97 00:05:34,417 --> 00:05:38,500 Amil Dinsio is a popular folk hero, 98 00:05:38,500 --> 00:05:41,500 and crimes like this were part of the way of life. 99 00:05:41,625 --> 00:05:44,667 So not only is Amil the best burglar in the world, 100 00:05:44,667 --> 00:05:47,542 he's also the planner and the recruiter, 101 00:05:47,708 --> 00:05:51,500 and he wants to build the best team to pull this thing off. 102 00:05:51,625 --> 00:05:53,500 So he starts building his crew, 103 00:05:53,667 --> 00:05:57,250 and it starts with his brother James Dinsio. 104 00:05:57,375 --> 00:05:59,208 James Dinsio, who's Amil's older brother, 105 00:05:59,333 --> 00:06:02,208 is a self-taught explosives expert. 106 00:06:02,333 --> 00:06:03,875 And he has a gift. And we know he has a gift, 107 00:06:04,042 --> 00:06:06,208 because he has all 10 fingers. 108 00:06:06,333 --> 00:06:07,542 James and Amil have been hitting banks 109 00:06:07,667 --> 00:06:09,292 since they were teenagers. 110 00:06:09,292 --> 00:06:10,708 They've worked together, they trust each other. 111 00:06:10,833 --> 00:06:13,500 Together they form the core of the crew. 112 00:06:13,667 --> 00:06:15,417 The deal is that Hoffa is made whole, 113 00:06:15,542 --> 00:06:18,458 he gets his $3 million back, the mob gets 5%, 114 00:06:18,583 --> 00:06:20,125 and the team splits the rest. 115 00:06:20,250 --> 00:06:21,542 They've done a lot of heists. 116 00:06:21,708 --> 00:06:23,292 They've done something like 70-plus heists, 117 00:06:23,417 --> 00:06:26,542 but never anything like a $30 million heist. 118 00:06:27,250 --> 00:06:29,708 The brothers' first step is a scout 119 00:06:29,875 --> 00:06:31,583 to learn all the obstacles standing 120 00:06:31,708 --> 00:06:34,958 between them and $30 million. 121 00:06:34,958 --> 00:06:40,042 That means trading Ohio snow for some California sunshine. 122 00:06:41,750 --> 00:06:43,500 When you're doing a heist, 123 00:06:43,625 --> 00:06:46,000 you have to case the place, check out the security, 124 00:06:46,125 --> 00:06:47,667 check out the environment. 125 00:06:47,833 --> 00:06:49,500 They're casing the shopping center day and night. 126 00:06:49,625 --> 00:06:51,667 How busy is it during the day, after it closes? 127 00:06:51,833 --> 00:06:53,917 And what they're finding out is after 10:00 p.m., 128 00:06:54,042 --> 00:06:55,792 it's pretty much dead. 129 00:06:57,542 --> 00:07:00,167 The lack of nightlife is expected. 130 00:07:00,292 --> 00:07:02,542 But the lack of after-hours security 131 00:07:02,667 --> 00:07:05,583 is a welcome surprise. 132 00:07:05,708 --> 00:07:08,000 Laguna Niguel is essentially Sleepy Hollow. 133 00:07:08,167 --> 00:07:10,667 There was very little in the way of law enforcement. 134 00:07:10,792 --> 00:07:13,292 The Orange County Sheriff's Department had jurisdiction 135 00:07:13,292 --> 00:07:16,583 over the entire county, and at nighttimes 136 00:07:16,708 --> 00:07:20,125 they only had allotted one car for South County, 137 00:07:20,125 --> 00:07:22,833 which was the entire area from Tustin, California, 138 00:07:22,958 --> 00:07:26,500 all the way down to Laguna Niguel. 139 00:07:26,625 --> 00:07:29,417 They realized that the bank closes Friday evening, 140 00:07:29,542 --> 00:07:31,667 a cleaning crew comes through, and then 141 00:07:31,667 --> 00:07:33,417 they have the whole weekend to do whatever 142 00:07:33,542 --> 00:07:35,542 they want in the bank. 143 00:07:37,750 --> 00:07:39,875 So Amil and James are casing the place. 144 00:07:40,000 --> 00:07:41,500 They are going through the bushes. 145 00:07:41,667 --> 00:07:43,667 It's like the dead of night. 146 00:07:43,792 --> 00:07:46,667 They're doing it very, very carefully, very covertly, 147 00:07:46,792 --> 00:07:48,667 hiding behind these bushes. 148 00:07:48,792 --> 00:07:52,000 They're trying to figure out what makes this bank tick 149 00:07:52,125 --> 00:07:53,750 when a car pulls up. 150 00:07:55,542 --> 00:07:58,000 A car pulls up into the plaza, 151 00:07:58,125 --> 00:08:00,042 right in front of the bank. 152 00:08:00,167 --> 00:08:02,958 A man gets out. He's dressed in dark clothing. 153 00:08:03,083 --> 00:08:06,750 Opens up the back door and a German shepherd gets out, 154 00:08:06,875 --> 00:08:10,958 and the dog starts patrolling the perimeter of the bank. 155 00:08:11,083 --> 00:08:14,125 The dog, meanwhile, gets closer and closer to them. 156 00:08:14,125 --> 00:08:16,167 Amil and James are thinking, who is this guy? 157 00:08:16,333 --> 00:08:19,042 Is he just taking his dog out for a midnight stroll? 158 00:08:19,167 --> 00:08:21,708 Or is he some kind of security they didn't know about? 159 00:08:21,875 --> 00:08:25,083 The Dinsios fear the worst. 160 00:08:25,208 --> 00:08:29,417 If this is a canine patrol, they're dead on arrival. 161 00:08:29,542 --> 00:08:31,875 And then the dog starts getting closer 162 00:08:32,042 --> 00:08:33,458 and closer to where they're hiding 163 00:08:33,458 --> 00:08:36,167 and then looks directly at them. 164 00:08:42,667 --> 00:08:45,125 With millions on the line, Amil and James Dinsio 165 00:08:45,125 --> 00:08:48,042 are scouting the biggest heist of their careers. 166 00:08:50,833 --> 00:08:54,333 But an encounter with what looks like a canine patrol 167 00:08:54,458 --> 00:08:56,500 could stop this job before it begins. 168 00:09:02,875 --> 00:09:05,500 If they get caught, it's all the planning down the drain, 169 00:09:05,625 --> 00:09:07,667 millions of dollars down the drain, 170 00:09:07,667 --> 00:09:09,792 and then having to answer to the Cleveland mob. 171 00:09:11,500 --> 00:09:13,458 They think, we've been found out. 172 00:09:20,250 --> 00:09:22,500 But then the dog leaves. 173 00:09:22,625 --> 00:09:24,917 Gets back in the car and they drive away. 174 00:09:25,042 --> 00:09:26,917 Even after the man and the dog leave, 175 00:09:27,042 --> 00:09:28,833 there's this wild-card element that 176 00:09:28,833 --> 00:09:30,333 they have to contend with. 177 00:09:30,458 --> 00:09:32,625 Is he security for the plaza? 178 00:09:32,750 --> 00:09:35,708 Is he FBI? Is he Secret Service? 179 00:09:35,833 --> 00:09:39,000 And will it get in the way of them pulling this thing off? 180 00:09:41,375 --> 00:09:43,583 It's an alarming prospect. 181 00:09:43,708 --> 00:09:45,833 And has the team worried about 182 00:09:45,958 --> 00:09:49,625 what kind of security system the bank has. 183 00:09:49,750 --> 00:09:51,500 What's standard in a bank at this time 184 00:09:51,625 --> 00:09:53,958 is an outside alarm, an alarm that makes a sound, 185 00:09:53,958 --> 00:09:56,833 and an alarm in the vault, a silent alarm. 186 00:09:56,958 --> 00:09:58,833 Now these guys are pros. 187 00:09:58,833 --> 00:10:00,333 They know there are going to be two kinds of alarms. 188 00:10:00,458 --> 00:10:01,792 They're creeping around the perimeter of the bank 189 00:10:01,917 --> 00:10:03,917 to find that exterior alarm bell. 190 00:10:04,042 --> 00:10:07,125 Amil finds it and he notices the company name. 191 00:10:07,125 --> 00:10:10,625 Amil looks up and he sees Diebold Alarm, 192 00:10:10,625 --> 00:10:13,833 and a smile is on his face. 193 00:10:13,958 --> 00:10:15,667 He knows a lot about Diebold. 194 00:10:15,792 --> 00:10:19,333 He's robbed a number of bank vaults with Diebold, 195 00:10:19,458 --> 00:10:21,167 so this is the best-case scenario. 196 00:10:21,292 --> 00:10:23,667 So they have the exterior alarm covered; 197 00:10:23,792 --> 00:10:25,958 it's that silent alarm they need more information on. 198 00:10:25,958 --> 00:10:28,042 And they know there's going to be at least a wire that 199 00:10:28,167 --> 00:10:30,333 goes from the vault to either the police 200 00:10:30,500 --> 00:10:32,000 or the alarm company. 201 00:10:35,125 --> 00:10:36,958 Amil and James begin to work out 202 00:10:36,958 --> 00:10:39,292 a plan for a two-night heist. 203 00:10:39,292 --> 00:10:42,250 Night one, they'll cut a hole through the roof 204 00:10:42,375 --> 00:10:45,042 and drop a few feet down onto the top of the vault. 205 00:10:45,208 --> 00:10:47,208 They'll disable the loud exterior 206 00:10:47,333 --> 00:10:50,333 alarm and then the interior silent alarm 207 00:10:50,500 --> 00:10:52,333 that alerts the police. 208 00:10:52,333 --> 00:10:55,792 James will then drill holes down into the vault's ceilings 209 00:10:55,792 --> 00:10:57,750 and fill them with explosives. 210 00:10:57,875 --> 00:11:00,208 From there, they'll use sandbags to muffle 211 00:11:00,375 --> 00:11:03,667 the sound and direct the blast into the vault. 212 00:11:03,667 --> 00:11:06,500 On night two, they'll use brute force 213 00:11:06,667 --> 00:11:08,500 to bust into hundreds of safe deposit 214 00:11:08,667 --> 00:11:10,958 boxes and get the loot. 215 00:11:10,958 --> 00:11:13,833 It's simple, but it's a lot of work 216 00:11:14,000 --> 00:11:16,250 and the devil will be in the details. 217 00:11:18,208 --> 00:11:20,083 Now that they've completed their very thorough recon 218 00:11:20,208 --> 00:11:21,875 and have the broad strokes of a plan, 219 00:11:22,000 --> 00:11:23,625 they need to build out the rest of the team. 220 00:11:23,750 --> 00:11:25,708 And that means 221 00:11:25,833 --> 00:11:28,833 going back to Ohio. 222 00:11:29,000 --> 00:11:31,750 After Amil and James fly home and report in, 223 00:11:31,875 --> 00:11:35,917 their mafia handlers make an offer they can't refuse. 224 00:11:36,042 --> 00:11:39,500 They add a mob-connected alarm specialist to their crew. 225 00:11:41,833 --> 00:11:43,625 My name is Philip Christopher, 226 00:11:43,625 --> 00:11:46,500 and they call me the Super Thief. 227 00:11:50,958 --> 00:11:53,542 Born and raised Cleveland, Ohio. 228 00:11:53,708 --> 00:11:55,333 Still there to this day. 229 00:11:55,458 --> 00:11:57,417 Cleveland was home to some of the best 230 00:11:57,542 --> 00:11:59,167 burglars in the world. 231 00:11:59,292 --> 00:12:01,958 Phil Christopher is known as an alarm guy. 232 00:12:02,083 --> 00:12:03,708 They want the best of the best, 233 00:12:03,833 --> 00:12:05,625 so they're going to recruit that. 234 00:12:05,750 --> 00:12:07,375 They would come to us because they knew 235 00:12:07,500 --> 00:12:09,000 damn well we were the best. 236 00:12:09,000 --> 00:12:11,125 Nobody could beat the alarms like I could. 237 00:12:11,125 --> 00:12:14,125 But I got in there, you know, by hook or by crook. 238 00:12:14,250 --> 00:12:15,625 I was going to get in there because 239 00:12:15,625 --> 00:12:17,792 I wasn't going home empty. 240 00:12:17,917 --> 00:12:19,500 The next member of the Dinsios 241 00:12:19,500 --> 00:12:22,167 add to the team is Chuck Mulligan. 242 00:12:22,292 --> 00:12:25,875 He'll acquire the specialized gear to get the job done 243 00:12:26,000 --> 00:12:28,250 without leaving a trail. 244 00:12:28,375 --> 00:12:30,833 They go to Chuck Mulligan, who is their brother-in-law 245 00:12:30,833 --> 00:12:31,833 so they trust him. 246 00:12:32,000 --> 00:12:34,083 They've worked with him before. 247 00:12:34,208 --> 00:12:37,333 Meanwhile, James Dinsio begins building some 248 00:12:37,333 --> 00:12:39,833 of the custom tools they'll need for the job, 249 00:12:39,958 --> 00:12:41,833 including a drill... 250 00:12:42,000 --> 00:12:44,958 one you can't just pick up in your local hardware store. 251 00:12:44,958 --> 00:12:47,208 This drill runs on 2,500 RPMs 252 00:12:47,375 --> 00:12:50,000 and has a 3/8-inch carbon tip drill bit 253 00:12:50,167 --> 00:12:51,542 that can pulverize concrete. 254 00:12:51,667 --> 00:12:54,042 And it is super, super quiet. 255 00:12:54,167 --> 00:12:55,917 This is a critical element, because not only will they 256 00:12:56,042 --> 00:12:58,333 be able to drill the hole that they need, 257 00:12:58,333 --> 00:13:01,417 it'll be quiet enough that no one else will hear it. 258 00:13:01,542 --> 00:13:05,667 Busting into safe deposit boxes takes serious muscle, 259 00:13:05,667 --> 00:13:10,083 so the Cleveland mob also adds Charles Broeckel to the team. 260 00:13:10,208 --> 00:13:12,375 He's not just an associate, he's also 261 00:13:12,500 --> 00:13:13,833 Phil Christopher's cousin. 262 00:13:13,958 --> 00:13:15,292 He's a mobbed-up partner. 263 00:13:15,292 --> 00:13:16,792 He's worked with Phil. 264 00:13:16,792 --> 00:13:20,000 He is someone that Phil trusts. 265 00:13:20,125 --> 00:13:22,042 So he's not going to let anything happen to me, 266 00:13:22,208 --> 00:13:24,042 you know, because we were close. 267 00:13:24,167 --> 00:13:25,667 The mob puts two of their guys on, 268 00:13:25,833 --> 00:13:26,958 so when they're splitting up the money, 269 00:13:27,083 --> 00:13:28,708 no one forgets how to do math. 270 00:13:31,833 --> 00:13:33,917 With an ace team, a great plan, 271 00:13:34,042 --> 00:13:36,042 and custom gear packed and ready, 272 00:13:36,208 --> 00:13:39,000 it's time to fly back to California. 273 00:13:39,125 --> 00:13:42,000 The Dinsios are determined that the biggest heist 274 00:13:42,125 --> 00:13:44,667 of their careers be flawless. 275 00:13:44,667 --> 00:13:47,542 So Charlie and I got to the airport 276 00:13:47,667 --> 00:13:48,833 and they tell Charlie, Charlie, where's 277 00:13:48,958 --> 00:13:52,500 our driver's license, our phony ID that we had made up? 278 00:13:52,667 --> 00:13:54,708 And he said, oh, I forgot them. 279 00:13:54,875 --> 00:13:56,667 I said, how the hell are we going to get 280 00:13:56,792 --> 00:13:58,458 on a plane with no phony ID? 281 00:13:58,583 --> 00:14:02,792 Because I had to be careful because I was on probation. 282 00:14:02,917 --> 00:14:05,833 Nobody knows how long the cash will remain 283 00:14:05,833 --> 00:14:08,000 in the bank in California, 284 00:14:08,167 --> 00:14:10,042 so the heist team has to decide, 285 00:14:10,167 --> 00:14:13,167 do they make their move now... 286 00:14:13,292 --> 00:14:16,000 or lie low for one more week? 287 00:14:16,167 --> 00:14:18,792 When Charlie Broeckel forgets the fake IDs, 288 00:14:18,792 --> 00:14:20,792 they use their real IDs, their real names. 289 00:14:20,792 --> 00:14:22,500 They still got on the planes. 290 00:14:22,625 --> 00:14:24,875 I didn't want to do it, but I knew the other guys were 291 00:14:25,042 --> 00:14:27,167 on a plane waiting for us and I didn't want to say, 292 00:14:27,292 --> 00:14:28,792 well, we'll catch you on the next flight. 293 00:14:28,792 --> 00:14:31,625 I didn't want to make it seem like we 294 00:14:31,625 --> 00:14:34,167 didn't know what was doing. 295 00:14:34,333 --> 00:14:36,167 Once they arrive in Laguna Niguel, 296 00:14:36,167 --> 00:14:38,042 they're joined by the last member 297 00:14:38,167 --> 00:14:42,750 of the crew, getaway driver and radioman Harry Barber. 298 00:14:42,875 --> 00:14:46,125 So Harry Barber is a nephew. 299 00:14:46,250 --> 00:14:48,125 Again, it's mostly a family affair. 300 00:14:48,250 --> 00:14:49,833 These are people he's worked with, 301 00:14:49,958 --> 00:14:51,250 these are people he trusts. 302 00:14:53,167 --> 00:14:55,417 Chuck Mulligan picks up the last items 303 00:14:55,542 --> 00:14:58,792 on his unusual shopping list, walkie talkies, 304 00:14:58,917 --> 00:15:02,083 nitroglycerine, and a getaway car. 305 00:15:02,208 --> 00:15:05,042 The team gathers for final preparations. 306 00:15:05,208 --> 00:15:06,917 Harry Barber rented a place down there 307 00:15:07,042 --> 00:15:10,333 at the West Nine in Laguna Niguel, which 308 00:15:10,500 --> 00:15:12,167 is a condominium area about a couple 309 00:15:12,292 --> 00:15:14,708 of miles east from the bank. 310 00:15:14,875 --> 00:15:16,500 It was like perfect. 311 00:15:16,500 --> 00:15:18,375 The condo's on the edge of the golf course, 312 00:15:18,542 --> 00:15:22,167 so nobody's going to see us approach the bank at all. 313 00:15:31,083 --> 00:15:34,250 At 10:00 p.m. on Friday, the heist team heads out, 314 00:15:34,375 --> 00:15:37,333 carrying their tools across the golf course... 315 00:15:37,458 --> 00:15:41,167 on the way to a different kind of green. 316 00:15:41,292 --> 00:15:45,000 Charlie Mulligan takes his position on top of the hill 317 00:15:45,125 --> 00:15:47,500 as we walk down the embankment. 318 00:15:47,625 --> 00:15:50,833 For the duration of this mission, he's the lookout. 319 00:15:50,833 --> 00:15:52,958 Harry Barber stays back at the condo, 320 00:15:53,083 --> 00:15:55,042 listening to the police scanner, 321 00:15:55,208 --> 00:15:57,125 and he's on standby with the getaway car in case anything 322 00:15:57,125 --> 00:15:58,875 goes wrong. 323 00:16:00,667 --> 00:16:05,333 Friday, March 24, 1972, at 11:00 p.m., 324 00:16:05,458 --> 00:16:09,292 the Dinsio crew is ready to put their plan, their gear, 325 00:16:09,292 --> 00:16:11,750 and their nerves to the test. 326 00:16:11,875 --> 00:16:14,042 The heist starts now. 327 00:16:19,625 --> 00:16:21,833 Amil, James, and Phil make their way up the ladder 328 00:16:21,958 --> 00:16:23,917 to the roof, leaving Broeckel down 329 00:16:24,042 --> 00:16:26,625 below as a secondary lookout. 330 00:16:26,625 --> 00:16:28,375 Their first order of business? 331 00:16:28,500 --> 00:16:31,500 To cut a hole in the roof to get to the vault below. 332 00:16:31,625 --> 00:16:35,083 We were drilling our holes where we estimated 333 00:16:35,208 --> 00:16:37,208 the top of the vault would be. 334 00:16:37,333 --> 00:16:41,583 Then we drilled four holes in the square and then got a saw 335 00:16:41,708 --> 00:16:44,667 and cut it and then made sure we didn't drop it because it 336 00:16:44,792 --> 00:16:48,000 might have a vibration alarm inside the vault. 337 00:16:48,125 --> 00:16:51,500 So we had to be careful not to drop anything on there. 338 00:16:53,292 --> 00:16:55,000 So once they have the hole cut, 339 00:16:55,000 --> 00:16:57,167 they bring the ladder up from the side of the building 340 00:16:57,333 --> 00:16:59,667 and lower it down above the vault. 341 00:16:59,792 --> 00:17:02,250 Amil and Phil enter the building to look 342 00:17:02,375 --> 00:17:05,125 for the vault's silent alarm. 343 00:17:05,250 --> 00:17:07,125 As silently as possible. 344 00:17:07,125 --> 00:17:11,250 Any vibrations could land the crew in handcuffs. 345 00:17:14,292 --> 00:17:18,583 Amil and I, we crawl down on top of the vault. 346 00:17:18,708 --> 00:17:21,500 At this point, we're looking for a junction box 347 00:17:21,667 --> 00:17:24,458 where the alarm was coming from inside the vault. 348 00:17:24,458 --> 00:17:26,833 They came in through the roof and they 349 00:17:26,958 --> 00:17:28,167 were trying to find the alarm. 350 00:17:28,333 --> 00:17:31,250 They were looking for wires all around. 351 00:17:31,375 --> 00:17:34,500 Phil and Amil finally find the junction box 352 00:17:34,500 --> 00:17:37,708 that should contain the wires for the silent alarm. 353 00:17:37,833 --> 00:17:42,000 But they can't figure out which ones, if any, 354 00:17:42,167 --> 00:17:44,417 are the actual alarm. 355 00:17:44,542 --> 00:17:45,333 They were looking for the wires that 356 00:17:45,458 --> 00:17:47,167 will connect to this box that sends 357 00:17:47,292 --> 00:17:49,333 a frequency to the police. 358 00:17:49,458 --> 00:17:52,375 And they could not for the life of them find these things. 359 00:17:52,542 --> 00:17:55,500 Did they underestimate this suburban bank? 360 00:17:55,625 --> 00:17:57,833 Does it have a kind of silent alarm 361 00:17:57,833 --> 00:18:00,042 system they've never seen? 362 00:18:00,167 --> 00:18:02,458 With millions at stake and the Cleveland mob 363 00:18:02,458 --> 00:18:06,708 expecting results, they need answers... fast. 364 00:18:06,833 --> 00:18:09,167 So they're thinking, is this bigger than we ever thought? 365 00:18:09,167 --> 00:18:10,917 What's going on? Are we in over our heads? 366 00:18:11,042 --> 00:18:12,458 They were freaked out. 367 00:18:17,833 --> 00:18:20,500 In Laguna Niguel, an elite crew of criminals 368 00:18:20,667 --> 00:18:23,000 is attempting to steal $30 million 369 00:18:23,125 --> 00:18:25,583 from the United California Bank. 370 00:18:25,708 --> 00:18:27,333 But the silent alarm they need to find 371 00:18:27,458 --> 00:18:31,083 might as well be invisible. 372 00:18:31,208 --> 00:18:33,333 Amil says, there ain't no alarm. 373 00:18:33,500 --> 00:18:35,167 I said, no, there's gotta be an alarm. 374 00:18:35,167 --> 00:18:37,167 I said, move over. 375 00:18:37,292 --> 00:18:40,292 So I'm checking the same way he was doing. 376 00:18:40,292 --> 00:18:42,375 And I said, dang, you're right, what the hell? 377 00:18:42,542 --> 00:18:44,542 It's got to be in here somewhere. 378 00:18:44,708 --> 00:18:48,292 They're in the middle of this crazy, intense situation. 379 00:18:48,417 --> 00:18:51,667 The clock is ticking and they can't find it. 380 00:18:51,792 --> 00:18:54,167 Maybe there's another box in here somewhere. 381 00:18:54,333 --> 00:18:56,792 So we looked around, looked around, looked around. 382 00:18:56,917 --> 00:18:58,083 We couldn't find it. 383 00:19:00,250 --> 00:19:02,750 So now we figured we've been in there long enough, 384 00:19:02,875 --> 00:19:04,333 let's get out of here. 385 00:19:04,458 --> 00:19:06,333 So after hours of searching, they decide 386 00:19:06,458 --> 00:19:08,500 to regroup back at the condo. 387 00:19:08,625 --> 00:19:10,375 But before they leave on that first night, they make 388 00:19:10,500 --> 00:19:12,625 sure to cover their tracks, which means 389 00:19:12,750 --> 00:19:15,500 the hole that they've cut into the roof, they take it 390 00:19:15,667 --> 00:19:17,958 and they put it back and they seal it with a light layer 391 00:19:18,083 --> 00:19:20,167 of tar, which means people from above 392 00:19:20,167 --> 00:19:22,167 won't know that anything has happened to the roof. 393 00:19:22,333 --> 00:19:23,833 Nobody is the wiser. 394 00:19:31,542 --> 00:19:33,250 This team of elite thieves isn't 395 00:19:33,375 --> 00:19:35,250 feeling very elite right now. 396 00:19:35,375 --> 00:19:36,833 The heist of the century? 397 00:19:37,000 --> 00:19:40,417 Well, it has fizzled after four hours. 398 00:19:40,542 --> 00:19:43,833 They retreat to the condo filled with doubt. 399 00:19:43,833 --> 00:19:46,667 If the bank's rumored connection to President Nixon 400 00:19:46,667 --> 00:19:50,667 are true, then its security setup could be something 401 00:19:50,792 --> 00:19:52,667 they've never seen before. 402 00:19:52,792 --> 00:19:57,417 Then, Phil Christopher considers another possibility. 403 00:19:57,542 --> 00:20:00,375 It dawned on me after a lot of thinking, 404 00:20:00,542 --> 00:20:03,042 could it be possible they got it the old way? 405 00:20:03,208 --> 00:20:04,917 I mean, no, they can't have it... 406 00:20:05,042 --> 00:20:06,417 I mean, can they have it? 407 00:20:06,542 --> 00:20:08,750 Phil suspects that the silent alarm 408 00:20:08,875 --> 00:20:11,417 might be the simplest kind there is, 409 00:20:11,542 --> 00:20:14,083 a configuration so out of date 410 00:20:14,208 --> 00:20:15,750 that they can't imagine a well-protected 411 00:20:15,875 --> 00:20:17,583 bank would still use it. 412 00:20:18,792 --> 00:20:20,292 They're unsure. 413 00:20:20,292 --> 00:20:23,458 It looks almost too simple for what this heist is. 414 00:20:23,583 --> 00:20:25,667 At this time, they expected the bank had the kind of alarm 415 00:20:25,833 --> 00:20:28,542 that they would need all their sophisticated tools to jump. 416 00:20:28,708 --> 00:20:31,625 But what if it has the old style of alarm? 417 00:20:31,750 --> 00:20:34,500 And Amil and James, they look at one another, 418 00:20:34,500 --> 00:20:38,583 and look back at me--you know, it's possible, you know? 419 00:20:40,625 --> 00:20:43,333 After dark on day two, the crew 420 00:20:43,458 --> 00:20:45,333 hikes back across the golf course 421 00:20:45,458 --> 00:20:48,500 to the bank to see if they can salvage the job. 422 00:20:48,667 --> 00:20:50,375 Considering the Cleveland mob indicates 423 00:20:50,500 --> 00:20:52,000 that there might be Nixon campaign funds 424 00:20:52,167 --> 00:20:53,958 in the bank, 425 00:20:53,958 --> 00:20:56,458 they're thinking to themselves, can it really be this simple? 426 00:20:56,583 --> 00:21:00,167 The team is risking 30 million on Phil's guess, 427 00:21:00,292 --> 00:21:03,417 but before he tries to jump or bypass 428 00:21:03,542 --> 00:21:07,333 the interior vault alarm, Amil Dinsio needs 429 00:21:07,458 --> 00:21:09,375 to disable the exterior one. 430 00:21:09,542 --> 00:21:12,333 To do this, he takes some inspiration 431 00:21:12,333 --> 00:21:14,625 from the local surf scene. 432 00:21:16,083 --> 00:21:18,167 To beat the exterior alarm, 433 00:21:18,167 --> 00:21:22,500 Amil uses this liquid surf foam 434 00:21:22,667 --> 00:21:25,500 that is used to prepare surfboards. 435 00:21:27,500 --> 00:21:30,708 Amil drills a hole in the audible alarm and injects 436 00:21:30,833 --> 00:21:34,750 a fast-setting foam that causes the alarm bell 437 00:21:34,875 --> 00:21:37,667 to seize up and not gong. 438 00:21:38,542 --> 00:21:40,542 So they have the exterior alarm covered; 439 00:21:40,667 --> 00:21:43,250 it's that silent alarm they need to jump. 440 00:21:43,375 --> 00:21:44,667 It looks like Phil was right; 441 00:21:44,833 --> 00:21:46,458 it looks like a closed-loop circuit alarm. 442 00:21:46,583 --> 00:21:48,875 And a closed-loop circuit alarm can 443 00:21:49,000 --> 00:21:51,500 be bypassed by creating a loop that keeps 444 00:21:51,667 --> 00:21:53,333 the circuit from breaking. 445 00:21:53,458 --> 00:21:55,000 And the alarm system thinks that 446 00:21:55,125 --> 00:21:56,833 it's still guarding the vault. 447 00:21:56,958 --> 00:21:59,750 Because if you cut it, it'll be an open circuit; that's 448 00:21:59,875 --> 00:22:01,750 when the alarm goes off. 449 00:22:01,875 --> 00:22:03,667 So they have to keep the circuit going 450 00:22:03,792 --> 00:22:05,167 while they're both cutting the wire, 451 00:22:05,333 --> 00:22:07,250 soldering it almost instantaneously. 452 00:22:13,958 --> 00:22:17,500 They retreat to the nearby bushes to watch and wait. 453 00:22:17,625 --> 00:22:19,500 If they're right about the silent alarm, 454 00:22:19,625 --> 00:22:21,625 they'll be heading back into the bank. 455 00:22:21,625 --> 00:22:25,583 If they're wrong, they might be heading to jail. 456 00:22:28,875 --> 00:22:32,042 After 20 minutes, Harry radios them. 457 00:22:33,708 --> 00:22:37,250 No alarms, no police, no problem... 458 00:22:37,375 --> 00:22:38,667 except one-- 459 00:22:38,833 --> 00:22:40,750 Time. 460 00:22:40,875 --> 00:22:42,958 So they're behind schedule, the clock is ticking, 461 00:22:43,083 --> 00:22:45,875 they're under pressure, there is a lot at stake. 462 00:22:48,458 --> 00:22:51,833 The next step involves backbreaking work. 463 00:22:51,958 --> 00:22:54,833 Before they can bring bags of loot down from the roof, 464 00:22:54,833 --> 00:22:58,125 they need to bring bags of sand up to it. 465 00:22:58,250 --> 00:23:01,917 The sandbags not only serve as a way to muffle the sound, 466 00:23:02,042 --> 00:23:05,375 but also to direct the energy downward as they 467 00:23:05,500 --> 00:23:07,458 explode into the vault. 468 00:23:07,583 --> 00:23:11,500 That is intensive work that requires some muscles. 469 00:23:11,625 --> 00:23:13,750 They definitely had muscle with them. 470 00:23:13,875 --> 00:23:16,042 With sandbags in place, the team 471 00:23:16,167 --> 00:23:19,792 is ready to blast down through steel-reinforced concrete. 472 00:23:19,792 --> 00:23:22,708 It's the part of the plan that separates the pros 473 00:23:22,833 --> 00:23:25,500 from the amateurs, and if they're not careful, 474 00:23:25,625 --> 00:23:27,792 limbs from torsos. 475 00:23:27,792 --> 00:23:30,000 So James, our explosive expert, gets 476 00:23:30,125 --> 00:23:32,958 to work drilling holes in the roof of the vault 477 00:23:32,958 --> 00:23:35,625 and filling it with nitroglycerin putty. 478 00:23:35,750 --> 00:23:38,500 There's a very delicate balance filling these holes. 479 00:23:38,625 --> 00:23:41,917 You need enough nitroglycerin putty to get into the vault, 480 00:23:42,042 --> 00:23:45,250 but not too much so everything crumbles or anyone hears you. 481 00:23:45,375 --> 00:23:47,167 People think it just blows up, but no. 482 00:23:47,292 --> 00:23:49,833 You put the dynamite cap in and then 483 00:23:49,833 --> 00:23:52,000 put the wires together to bring them 484 00:23:52,125 --> 00:23:53,833 all up to the top of the roof. 485 00:23:53,833 --> 00:23:56,667 This is a good way of blowing the concrete out. 486 00:23:56,833 --> 00:23:58,375 And then when that's all hooked up 487 00:23:58,500 --> 00:23:59,833 together, got to know what they're doing 488 00:24:00,000 --> 00:24:01,250 or they're going to meet their maker. 489 00:24:06,375 --> 00:24:08,583 So this is the moment of truth. 490 00:24:08,708 --> 00:24:11,000 They have these giant sandbags, they've placed 491 00:24:11,125 --> 00:24:15,000 the explosives in the holes. 492 00:24:15,000 --> 00:24:18,583 They're very excited to get this going. 493 00:24:18,708 --> 00:24:21,125 They want this to be a one-shot deal. 494 00:24:21,250 --> 00:24:24,458 James looks at Amil, nods. 495 00:24:24,458 --> 00:24:27,292 James flips the switch. 496 00:24:28,875 --> 00:24:30,542 Boom! 497 00:24:35,917 --> 00:24:38,417 Sometimes the phrase "blowing the roof off a place" 498 00:24:38,542 --> 00:24:41,000 is a figure of speech. 499 00:24:41,000 --> 00:24:43,042 On this job, it's real. 500 00:24:43,167 --> 00:24:47,500 The Dinsio's explosive charges breach the vault roof 501 00:24:47,667 --> 00:24:50,500 of the United California Bank in Laguna Niguel 502 00:24:50,500 --> 00:24:52,250 and they're in. 503 00:24:52,375 --> 00:24:53,750 And it's incredible. 504 00:24:53,875 --> 00:24:56,083 You expect to hear this loud explosion, 505 00:24:56,208 --> 00:24:57,958 and they felt it in their bodies 506 00:24:57,958 --> 00:25:01,042 but all they heard was a muffled thud. 507 00:25:01,167 --> 00:25:02,417 And it's exciting. 508 00:25:02,542 --> 00:25:03,792 And it's great. 509 00:25:03,917 --> 00:25:05,000 But they're also worried that maybe 510 00:25:05,125 --> 00:25:06,875 they've tripped something. 511 00:25:07,000 --> 00:25:08,000 So they have to make sure that there's no alarms that 512 00:25:08,125 --> 00:25:09,542 are sounded, that nobody has been 513 00:25:09,708 --> 00:25:11,750 notified of this explosion or otherwise. 514 00:25:11,875 --> 00:25:13,833 They check in back at the condo, 515 00:25:13,958 --> 00:25:17,000 make sure the police scanner hasn't heard anything. 516 00:25:18,208 --> 00:25:20,458 No one hears it. 517 00:25:20,458 --> 00:25:22,208 No one calls the police. 518 00:25:22,333 --> 00:25:25,042 No car alarms are going off. 519 00:25:25,167 --> 00:25:26,958 So now it's showtime. 520 00:25:26,958 --> 00:25:29,208 They have to cut through a few pieces of rebar 521 00:25:29,375 --> 00:25:30,458 and they're in the vault. 522 00:25:33,000 --> 00:25:35,917 Dinsio's crew is now inside what some mobsters call 523 00:25:36,042 --> 00:25:38,083 Nixon's vault. 524 00:25:38,208 --> 00:25:41,167 They still have to contend with 500 safe deposit boxes, 525 00:25:41,292 --> 00:25:43,458 but they're so close now 526 00:25:43,458 --> 00:25:46,083 they can practically smell the money. 527 00:25:48,083 --> 00:25:50,708 Whenever you got into a vault or a safe 528 00:25:50,833 --> 00:25:53,542 was always exciting because you find out what 529 00:25:53,667 --> 00:25:55,917 reward you had coming to you. 530 00:25:56,042 --> 00:26:00,167 They see these 500 pristine security boxes, 531 00:26:00,292 --> 00:26:04,083 just Nixon's money waiting for them to take it. 532 00:26:07,833 --> 00:26:09,625 Now, this is really tough work. 533 00:26:09,750 --> 00:26:12,500 They have so many safety deposit boxes to bust into, 534 00:26:12,667 --> 00:26:15,250 and not a lot of time. 535 00:26:15,375 --> 00:26:17,667 They're in this tiny vault. The clock is ticking 536 00:26:17,667 --> 00:26:20,250 and they've got to get as many of these as they can 537 00:26:20,375 --> 00:26:22,292 before their time is up. 538 00:26:22,417 --> 00:26:23,750 Rocco comes in. He's the muscle, 539 00:26:23,875 --> 00:26:25,333 and he's going to help them open those 540 00:26:25,333 --> 00:26:27,167 500 safety deposit boxes. 541 00:26:27,292 --> 00:26:30,417 There was a special tool that was used on this job, 542 00:26:30,542 --> 00:26:33,583 and that tool was a snout nose hammer, 543 00:26:33,708 --> 00:26:35,500 in which the end of the hammer 544 00:26:35,625 --> 00:26:37,500 was milled to the circumference 545 00:26:37,625 --> 00:26:39,833 of the lock boxes. 546 00:26:39,958 --> 00:26:42,917 So you place that hammer up against the lock, 547 00:26:43,042 --> 00:26:46,375 you take a sledge, and you pound the lock through. 548 00:26:46,500 --> 00:26:48,625 And then you're in. 549 00:26:51,375 --> 00:26:52,917 Charlie and I started working, 550 00:26:53,042 --> 00:26:57,000 hammering, beating on these boxes, popping them open. 551 00:26:57,125 --> 00:26:59,333 They're finding money, they're finding jewelry, 552 00:26:59,458 --> 00:27:01,333 they're finding valuables. 553 00:27:01,458 --> 00:27:03,583 It was the score of a lifetime. 554 00:27:05,208 --> 00:27:06,708 There's so much money in this place, 555 00:27:06,833 --> 00:27:08,250 you know our hearts are pounding, 556 00:27:08,375 --> 00:27:10,750 we're sweating there. 557 00:27:10,875 --> 00:27:13,708 I mean, there's so much that it's burning our eyes 558 00:27:13,833 --> 00:27:18,792 and because of the adrenaline, the heat, and the work. 559 00:27:18,792 --> 00:27:21,542 With less than five hours to go before sunrise, 560 00:27:21,667 --> 00:27:26,000 the Dinsio gang works hard to bag as much loot as possible. 561 00:27:26,125 --> 00:27:29,000 But delays have run out the clock, 562 00:27:29,125 --> 00:27:33,333 and they still haven't found the so-called Nixon cash. 563 00:27:33,458 --> 00:27:36,000 As dawn approaches, 564 00:27:36,000 --> 00:27:39,625 they have a $30 million decision to make. 565 00:27:39,625 --> 00:27:41,667 It comes to a point where they have to decide, 566 00:27:41,667 --> 00:27:44,708 should we keep going or should we get out while we can? 567 00:27:44,833 --> 00:27:46,958 And by dawn, even though they didn't get all the boxes 568 00:27:46,958 --> 00:27:49,750 they call it-- it's time to get out of there. 569 00:27:51,125 --> 00:27:53,167 The Dinsio crew retreats through 570 00:27:53,167 --> 00:27:56,625 the diminishing darkness to the safety of the condo. 571 00:27:56,625 --> 00:27:59,042 The team spends all day Sunday debating 572 00:27:59,167 --> 00:28:01,708 whether to take the loot already in hand 573 00:28:01,833 --> 00:28:05,375 or risk one more night in the vault for more. 574 00:28:05,500 --> 00:28:07,833 The guys are on edge, but they listen to the police 575 00:28:07,833 --> 00:28:09,250 scanner the whole next day. 576 00:28:09,375 --> 00:28:11,042 Nothing. 577 00:28:11,167 --> 00:28:14,000 Laguna Niguel is blissfully unaware that their bank 578 00:28:14,125 --> 00:28:16,125 is being robbed. 579 00:28:16,125 --> 00:28:18,208 They have a great crew and they have a great opportunity, 580 00:28:18,333 --> 00:28:19,958 so they make their way back. 581 00:28:24,125 --> 00:28:27,875 The crew decides going back into the vault on Sunday night 582 00:28:28,000 --> 00:28:32,875 is less risky than going back to the mob empty-handed. 583 00:28:33,833 --> 00:28:35,875 There's no more cutting, there's nothing left 584 00:28:36,000 --> 00:28:39,167 to blow up--they just spend the whole night 585 00:28:39,167 --> 00:28:42,000 going through those boxes and getting that loot. 586 00:28:43,833 --> 00:28:45,667 They found a treasure trove. 587 00:28:45,667 --> 00:28:50,208 It's euphoric and sweaty, and then all of a sudden they get 588 00:28:50,333 --> 00:28:51,375 a call on the walkie talkie. 589 00:28:54,833 --> 00:28:55,917 James says, quiet, quiet. 590 00:28:56,042 --> 00:28:57,917 We all stop, what, what? 591 00:28:58,042 --> 00:29:00,000 He's pointing to the walkie. 592 00:29:00,167 --> 00:29:02,000 And Mulligan says, somebody just 593 00:29:02,125 --> 00:29:03,958 pull up in front of the place. 594 00:29:05,833 --> 00:29:07,542 It gets worse. 595 00:29:07,667 --> 00:29:10,208 Mulligan lets them know that somebody got out of the car 596 00:29:10,333 --> 00:29:12,333 and is heading towards the bank. 597 00:29:12,458 --> 00:29:13,625 And they're thinking the worst. 598 00:29:13,625 --> 00:29:16,125 I said, oh s***. 599 00:29:16,125 --> 00:29:19,000 Then Charlie says, he's coming inside. 600 00:29:19,000 --> 00:29:21,875 We're just beside ourselves now. 601 00:29:22,000 --> 00:29:23,875 What are we going to do here? 602 00:29:24,000 --> 00:29:27,000 He comes inside and we're all listening 603 00:29:27,167 --> 00:29:29,458 because we don't understand. 604 00:29:29,458 --> 00:29:32,750 We've got the alarms shut down and everything. 605 00:29:32,875 --> 00:29:34,750 What the hell is going on here? 606 00:29:34,875 --> 00:29:37,250 And outside of the vault they hear footsteps, 607 00:29:37,375 --> 00:29:40,750 footsteps walking slowly around the bank. 608 00:29:40,875 --> 00:29:43,417 They are trying to make no sound 609 00:29:43,542 --> 00:29:45,208 at all if at all possible. 610 00:29:46,583 --> 00:29:47,750 It's so quiet. 611 00:29:47,875 --> 00:29:50,333 Next thing we know, Charlie coughs. 612 00:29:50,333 --> 00:29:52,375 We turn to look at him. 613 00:29:56,625 --> 00:29:58,167 What the [bleep]? 614 00:30:02,208 --> 00:30:04,000 Dinsio Crew is finally getting their hands 615 00:30:04,000 --> 00:30:08,750 on the real money when an uninvited visitor arrives. 616 00:30:08,875 --> 00:30:10,833 And at the most pressure-packed moment 617 00:30:11,000 --> 00:30:14,708 of the heist, Charlie Broeckel chokes, 618 00:30:14,833 --> 00:30:16,833 literally. 619 00:30:16,958 --> 00:30:19,750 Amil and James look at him, too, in disbelief. 620 00:30:19,875 --> 00:30:21,917 Coughing--now we're listening real hard. 621 00:30:22,042 --> 00:30:24,375 We're listening to see if the guy might have heard us. 622 00:30:28,333 --> 00:30:30,333 Keep in mind, they're in a confined space, 623 00:30:30,458 --> 00:30:33,667 and there's particles of dust, particles of concrete, 624 00:30:33,833 --> 00:30:37,042 and he cannot stop coughing. 625 00:30:37,167 --> 00:30:38,875 Then Charlie coughs again. 626 00:30:39,000 --> 00:30:40,333 I was in disbelief. 627 00:30:40,333 --> 00:30:42,500 I look at him, get the [bleep] outta here. 628 00:30:42,625 --> 00:30:44,083 You know? 629 00:30:44,208 --> 00:30:46,792 He's trying to climb around to get up on the stool 630 00:30:46,792 --> 00:30:48,750 to get up on top of the cabinets 631 00:30:48,875 --> 00:30:50,750 so he can go up out of the hole. 632 00:30:50,875 --> 00:30:53,500 And he put his feet in our hands 633 00:30:53,500 --> 00:30:57,250 and we just like threw him all the way up to the hole 634 00:30:57,375 --> 00:30:59,167 to get him out of there, you know? 635 00:31:01,500 --> 00:31:05,167 And then they wait for 30 agonizing minutes. 636 00:31:06,958 --> 00:31:08,833 Finally, Mulligan gets on the walkie. 637 00:31:08,958 --> 00:31:11,292 The person has left. 638 00:31:11,292 --> 00:31:14,792 Harry chimes in, there's no chatter on the police scanner. 639 00:31:14,792 --> 00:31:16,375 They gather up as much loot as they can, 640 00:31:16,500 --> 00:31:18,833 and they get out of there. 641 00:31:18,833 --> 00:31:22,167 So after the guy came out and he got in his car 642 00:31:22,167 --> 00:31:25,750 and he took off, well, we figured we were good to go. 643 00:31:25,875 --> 00:31:28,708 The heist team has miraculously pulled off 644 00:31:28,833 --> 00:31:31,167 the biggest haul of their careers. 645 00:31:31,292 --> 00:31:33,458 With sunrise minutes away, 646 00:31:33,458 --> 00:31:37,875 it's time to make those millions disappear. 647 00:31:38,000 --> 00:31:40,125 They give themselves extra time 648 00:31:40,125 --> 00:31:43,167 by giving a coup de grace to the vault door. 649 00:31:43,292 --> 00:31:46,000 They disable the door by driving something 650 00:31:46,000 --> 00:31:47,917 into the locking mechanism. 651 00:31:48,042 --> 00:31:50,417 Amil Dinsio showing his expertise, 652 00:31:50,542 --> 00:31:53,667 he's able to damage the vault lock from the inside, 653 00:31:53,667 --> 00:31:55,708 so that when Monday morning arrives 654 00:31:55,875 --> 00:31:58,000 and employees return to work, they're not going to be able 655 00:31:58,125 --> 00:32:00,500 to get inside this vault right away. 656 00:32:02,042 --> 00:32:03,375 The gang is cutting it close, 657 00:32:03,500 --> 00:32:05,750 so this is going to buy them more time 658 00:32:05,875 --> 00:32:08,667 to hopefully get away safely. 659 00:32:08,833 --> 00:32:12,917 I felt like Santa Claus when I was going back to the condo. 660 00:32:13,042 --> 00:32:14,125 So they get back to the condo, 661 00:32:14,125 --> 00:32:18,333 and it's the first time seeing what they got. 662 00:32:18,333 --> 00:32:20,042 And it is a fortune. 663 00:32:20,167 --> 00:32:22,167 And according to Amil Dinsio, 664 00:32:22,167 --> 00:32:24,333 they got the Nixon millions and more. 665 00:32:24,458 --> 00:32:28,042 When I pressed Amil for details, he smiled. 666 00:32:28,167 --> 00:32:30,583 It proved out to be a great job. 667 00:32:30,708 --> 00:32:33,042 It was $30 million, 668 00:32:33,167 --> 00:32:34,917 you know, can't ask for more than that 669 00:32:35,042 --> 00:32:36,333 when you're a burglar. 670 00:32:36,458 --> 00:32:39,208 By the time I went to lay down to sleep, 671 00:32:39,333 --> 00:32:41,750 Charlie already had $20 million, 672 00:32:41,875 --> 00:32:44,125 and there was that much more, if not more, 673 00:32:44,125 --> 00:32:46,000 left to be tabulated. 674 00:32:46,000 --> 00:32:47,833 There was around $30 million to $40 million 675 00:32:47,833 --> 00:32:49,292 that I could see. 676 00:32:54,625 --> 00:32:57,250 And by the time the bank opens on Monday morning, 677 00:32:57,375 --> 00:33:00,375 the crew is not even in Southern California. 678 00:33:00,500 --> 00:33:02,917 The Cleveland guys are flying home, 679 00:33:03,042 --> 00:33:06,333 and Amil, James, and Chuck are heading to Vegas 680 00:33:06,458 --> 00:33:07,458 to fence the loot. 681 00:33:09,333 --> 00:33:11,167 I recall sometime around mid-morning, 682 00:33:11,333 --> 00:33:13,125 my partner at the time says, 683 00:33:13,125 --> 00:33:16,167 I just got a call from United California Bank. 684 00:33:16,292 --> 00:33:18,583 He said, they told me they can't get into their vault. 685 00:33:18,708 --> 00:33:20,167 We think we need you down here. 686 00:33:20,292 --> 00:33:23,375 There's a hole in the roof. 687 00:33:23,500 --> 00:33:25,042 Jim says, don't touch anything. 688 00:33:25,167 --> 00:33:27,125 We'll be right down. 689 00:33:27,250 --> 00:33:29,333 I drove down to the bank. 690 00:33:29,333 --> 00:33:31,792 I go over to the vault, and I'm looking down. 691 00:33:31,792 --> 00:33:35,000 You looked right into the vault down below. 692 00:33:35,167 --> 00:33:38,167 You knew right then and there, this is a career case. 693 00:33:41,625 --> 00:33:45,625 Initially, investigators fear the thieves stole $50,000. 694 00:33:45,750 --> 00:33:50,000 But reported losses soon passed $2 million, 695 00:33:50,000 --> 00:33:53,292 $4 million, $8 million. 696 00:33:53,417 --> 00:33:56,250 That's when the FBI realizes 697 00:33:56,375 --> 00:34:01,042 this heist is unlike any they've ever seen. 698 00:34:01,208 --> 00:34:02,750 We told them it was going to be a big one. 699 00:34:02,875 --> 00:34:05,125 We're going to have to have manpower. 700 00:34:05,250 --> 00:34:09,333 I was working bank robberies in the Los Angeles office 701 00:34:09,458 --> 00:34:12,208 at the time the Laguna Niguel burglary occurred. 702 00:34:12,375 --> 00:34:14,583 And I got involved shortly thereafter 703 00:34:14,708 --> 00:34:19,167 when we realized that the loss was substantially greater. 704 00:34:19,167 --> 00:34:21,000 The FBI realizes this is a big deal, 705 00:34:21,125 --> 00:34:23,333 so they put eight agents on the case. 706 00:34:23,333 --> 00:34:25,750 J. Edgar Hoover is the boss of the FBI 707 00:34:25,875 --> 00:34:27,333 during this time period. 708 00:34:27,333 --> 00:34:30,750 Mr. Hoover was a very motivated guy, 709 00:34:30,875 --> 00:34:33,458 and therefore he motivated us. 710 00:34:33,458 --> 00:34:35,250 Then J. Edgar Hoover gets involved 711 00:34:35,375 --> 00:34:37,167 and the number of agents jumps from eight 712 00:34:37,292 --> 00:34:40,500 to 125 in the first few weeks. 713 00:34:40,500 --> 00:34:43,750 Hoover personally committing the FBI to the case 714 00:34:43,875 --> 00:34:46,708 stokes rumors about what might have been stolen 715 00:34:46,833 --> 00:34:49,500 from the sleepy little bank in Laguna Niguel. 716 00:34:49,500 --> 00:34:52,083 2,000 miles away, 717 00:34:52,208 --> 00:34:55,167 the crew is confident they made a clean getaway. 718 00:34:55,167 --> 00:34:58,208 So when a Amil Dinsio gets a new tip, 719 00:34:58,333 --> 00:35:00,458 it's too tempting to pass up. 720 00:35:00,458 --> 00:35:02,792 They decide to do another heist. 721 00:35:02,792 --> 00:35:05,125 This one is in Lordstown, Ohio, 722 00:35:05,250 --> 00:35:08,167 at a bank across the street from a GM factory. 723 00:35:08,292 --> 00:35:09,750 I talked to Dinsio about this, 724 00:35:09,875 --> 00:35:12,000 and I was like, why would you do this at this point? 725 00:35:12,125 --> 00:35:13,333 You just got all this money. 726 00:35:13,458 --> 00:35:15,000 They decided a haul like this 727 00:35:15,167 --> 00:35:17,583 doesn't come around often, let's do it again. 728 00:35:17,708 --> 00:35:20,167 I don't believe we should have made another move 729 00:35:20,333 --> 00:35:22,917 on that Lordstown bank 730 00:35:23,042 --> 00:35:25,000 because we had so much already, 731 00:35:25,000 --> 00:35:27,917 we didn't need that job. 732 00:35:28,042 --> 00:35:29,917 I had a bad feeling about it. 733 00:35:30,042 --> 00:35:32,667 There's a lot of similarities in ammo, 734 00:35:32,792 --> 00:35:34,875 method of operation, between the two. 735 00:35:35,042 --> 00:35:36,792 So much so that it was pretty clear 736 00:35:36,792 --> 00:35:41,000 that our players were involved in that bank burglary. 737 00:35:44,292 --> 00:35:46,667 I concluded that we needed to figure out 738 00:35:46,792 --> 00:35:50,292 how the bad guys got to Laguna Niguel, California. 739 00:35:50,292 --> 00:35:53,000 We had identified a large group of people. 740 00:35:53,125 --> 00:35:55,375 We asked the major hubs for airlines 741 00:35:55,542 --> 00:35:58,875 to run all of these names through their system. 742 00:35:59,000 --> 00:36:01,958 We found subsequently the five names 743 00:36:02,083 --> 00:36:05,708 we were looking for within a couple of days. 744 00:36:05,875 --> 00:36:07,375 I admired the job they did. 745 00:36:07,500 --> 00:36:09,167 They were fantastic bank burglars 746 00:36:09,333 --> 00:36:11,833 but lousy criminals. 747 00:36:12,000 --> 00:36:16,375 The phone records gave us a witness named Earl Dawson 748 00:36:16,542 --> 00:36:19,000 who turned out to be living in Tustin, California, 749 00:36:19,000 --> 00:36:22,042 and a friend of Mulligan's. 750 00:36:22,208 --> 00:36:24,333 I got the call late in the afternoon 751 00:36:24,333 --> 00:36:27,333 to check out Earl Randall Dawson. 752 00:36:27,333 --> 00:36:30,000 But the thing that really hit me is his place of birth 753 00:36:30,125 --> 00:36:31,417 was Youngstown, Ohio. 754 00:36:31,542 --> 00:36:35,500 And you don't have to be an FBI agent to say that's a clue. 755 00:36:35,625 --> 00:36:39,042 Frank Calley and his partner go to Earl Dawson's residence 756 00:36:39,208 --> 00:36:42,417 and show him photos of the usual suspects. 757 00:36:42,542 --> 00:36:45,375 He immediately picks out Chuck Mulligan 758 00:36:45,500 --> 00:36:48,292 and says his old friend from Ohio asked 759 00:36:48,417 --> 00:36:52,083 if he could park a car in Earl's garage for a few weeks. 760 00:36:54,208 --> 00:36:55,750 While I'm talking to him, the phone rings 761 00:36:55,875 --> 00:36:57,292 and he picks it up. 762 00:36:57,292 --> 00:36:58,333 He looks at me, and he-- 763 00:36:58,458 --> 00:37:00,167 just a sec, I'll be right with you. 764 00:37:00,333 --> 00:37:01,833 He says, it's Mulligan. 765 00:37:09,583 --> 00:37:10,917 June 1972, 766 00:37:11,042 --> 00:37:12,625 more than nine weeks after one 767 00:37:12,625 --> 00:37:14,417 of the largest heists in history, 768 00:37:14,542 --> 00:37:17,042 the Feds get one of the most implausible 769 00:37:17,208 --> 00:37:18,250 breaks of their careers. 770 00:37:19,667 --> 00:37:21,417 They're interviewing an associate 771 00:37:21,542 --> 00:37:25,000 of Dinsio's gang when Chuck Mulligan phones 772 00:37:25,125 --> 00:37:27,542 to discuss getting rid of evidence. 773 00:37:27,708 --> 00:37:30,292 I said, do you mind if we listen in on the conversation? 774 00:37:30,292 --> 00:37:33,333 Mulligan says, hey, Earl, how you been? 775 00:37:33,458 --> 00:37:36,250 Then he said, I'm flying out to LA tonight, get there late, 776 00:37:36,375 --> 00:37:37,958 and then I'm going to come down to your house. 777 00:37:37,958 --> 00:37:40,667 I got to get rid of the car in the garage, he says. 778 00:37:40,667 --> 00:37:42,500 Have the FBI or anybody been around? 779 00:37:42,625 --> 00:37:44,917 And he said, no, nobody's been around down here. 780 00:37:45,042 --> 00:37:45,833 He says, are you sure? 781 00:37:46,000 --> 00:37:47,042 He said, no, nobody's come around. 782 00:37:48,708 --> 00:37:52,000 And I said, this guy we can trust. 783 00:37:52,125 --> 00:37:54,167 Could the car in the garage 784 00:37:54,167 --> 00:37:56,375 Mulligan is coming to get rid of 785 00:37:56,500 --> 00:37:59,083 be the vehicle used in the heist? 786 00:37:59,208 --> 00:38:01,458 Calley tells the FBI bosses 787 00:38:01,458 --> 00:38:03,583 that a suspect is coming to him, 788 00:38:03,708 --> 00:38:06,833 and he quickly gets a warrant to search the vehicle. 789 00:38:08,667 --> 00:38:11,083 They pop open the trunk and they find ski masks, 790 00:38:11,208 --> 00:38:13,417 they find guns, and they find the tools 791 00:38:13,542 --> 00:38:16,083 that were used in the Laguna Niguel heist. 792 00:38:16,208 --> 00:38:18,792 It was clear that everything in the car, 793 00:38:18,792 --> 00:38:23,000 everything in the trunk had been wiped down significantly, 794 00:38:23,167 --> 00:38:26,542 with the exception of a fingerprint behind the mirror 795 00:38:26,708 --> 00:38:30,208 when somebody apparently was adjusting the mirror. 796 00:38:30,333 --> 00:38:31,792 Mulligan shows up. 797 00:38:31,792 --> 00:38:34,000 I walked up, said, Mulligan? And he said, yes. 798 00:38:34,000 --> 00:38:35,500 The FBI. 799 00:38:35,625 --> 00:38:38,167 He said, what? I said, you're under arrest. 800 00:38:38,167 --> 00:38:39,708 A true professional, 801 00:38:39,833 --> 00:38:42,500 Mulligan doesn't rat out his crew. 802 00:38:42,500 --> 00:38:47,250 Even when FBI agents locate the condo Harry Barber rented, 803 00:38:47,375 --> 00:38:49,375 the heist team isn't worried. 804 00:38:49,542 --> 00:38:51,792 They're confident they've made quite literally 805 00:38:51,792 --> 00:38:53,500 a clean getaway. 806 00:38:53,667 --> 00:38:57,875 That place was wiped from ceiling to floor 807 00:38:58,000 --> 00:39:01,750 of anything that could possibly be evidence, 808 00:39:01,875 --> 00:39:05,958 anything, with the exception of the dishwasher. 809 00:39:08,000 --> 00:39:10,000 Five people were identified from the fingerprints 810 00:39:10,167 --> 00:39:13,333 on dirty dishes, in that someone forgot 811 00:39:13,333 --> 00:39:15,333 to push the Start button. 812 00:39:15,458 --> 00:39:17,583 Fingerprints will get you every time. 813 00:39:19,458 --> 00:39:21,708 They knew who did it, they knew. 814 00:39:21,875 --> 00:39:25,333 They just couldn't figure out how they were going to jam us. 815 00:39:25,333 --> 00:39:27,458 And that's why they were on this like night and day. 816 00:39:27,583 --> 00:39:28,542 They had a great plan. 817 00:39:28,667 --> 00:39:30,833 They had the appropriate team players. 818 00:39:30,833 --> 00:39:34,208 They had the right bank. They had everything. 819 00:39:34,333 --> 00:39:35,542 However, they were above it all. 820 00:39:35,667 --> 00:39:37,792 Now let's go to Lordstown. 821 00:39:37,917 --> 00:39:41,708 FBI agents in Ohio arrest Amil Dinsio, 822 00:39:41,833 --> 00:39:43,458 and in a search of his house, 823 00:39:43,458 --> 00:39:45,875 find rare coins belonging to one 824 00:39:46,000 --> 00:39:49,167 of the United California Bank customers. 825 00:39:49,167 --> 00:39:52,167 Agents also find cash they can trace 826 00:39:52,292 --> 00:39:54,083 to the Lordstown bank job. 827 00:39:54,208 --> 00:39:58,042 From there, they focus on the so-called super thief, 828 00:39:58,167 --> 00:39:59,458 Phil Christopher. 829 00:39:59,458 --> 00:40:01,500 The FBI come to my home, 830 00:40:01,667 --> 00:40:05,708 and they came there to arrest me for a probation violation. 831 00:40:05,833 --> 00:40:07,958 And sure enough, because I didn't have 832 00:40:08,083 --> 00:40:10,625 the phony ID that day I went on the airplane-- 833 00:40:10,750 --> 00:40:12,083 they would have never got me. 834 00:40:12,208 --> 00:40:14,708 Never would have got me. 835 00:40:14,833 --> 00:40:20,500 In October 1972, 215 days after the heist, 836 00:40:20,625 --> 00:40:23,208 trials are held for both the Laguna Niguel 837 00:40:23,333 --> 00:40:25,417 and Lordstown jobs. 838 00:40:25,542 --> 00:40:27,625 For all their meticulous planning, 839 00:40:27,625 --> 00:40:30,292 the Dinsio crew didn't plan on this. 840 00:40:30,417 --> 00:40:33,208 Amil Dinsio, Charles Mulligan, 841 00:40:33,333 --> 00:40:35,500 and Phil Christopher are convicted 842 00:40:35,500 --> 00:40:37,833 and sentenced to 20 years in prison. 843 00:40:37,958 --> 00:40:40,833 James is convicted and gets sentenced to 15 years. 844 00:40:41,000 --> 00:40:43,000 Harry Barber is a fugitive for eight years 845 00:40:43,125 --> 00:40:44,833 before he's caught. 846 00:40:44,958 --> 00:40:46,667 But what about the huge haul taken 847 00:40:46,792 --> 00:40:48,917 from the United California Bank? 848 00:40:49,042 --> 00:40:51,917 Whatever happened to what Amil Dinsio insisted 849 00:40:52,042 --> 00:40:53,667 were Nixon's millions? 850 00:40:55,667 --> 00:40:58,750 After a heist of $20 million, even $30 million or more, 851 00:40:58,875 --> 00:41:01,625 only a small fraction was ever recovered. 852 00:41:01,625 --> 00:41:03,833 I don't think there's a good final estimate. 853 00:41:03,958 --> 00:41:07,542 I personally believe it's $50 million, plus or minus. 854 00:41:07,667 --> 00:41:09,083 But the feds, they recovered 855 00:41:09,208 --> 00:41:11,625 somewhere between $2 million and $4 million. 856 00:41:11,750 --> 00:41:13,750 There is a lot more money out there. 857 00:41:13,875 --> 00:41:15,458 According to the burglars, it's something 858 00:41:15,458 --> 00:41:17,167 between $12 million and $30 million. 859 00:41:17,292 --> 00:41:20,333 Where's the rest of the money? 860 00:41:20,458 --> 00:41:22,500 Somebody out there got rich off this heist. 861 00:41:25,292 --> 00:41:28,875 For some, the missing money just reinforces 862 00:41:29,000 --> 00:41:31,125 the Dinsio gang's reputation... 863 00:41:32,833 --> 00:41:34,917 As the best heist crew ever. 864 00:41:35,042 --> 00:41:37,625 I haven't seen anybody compare to us. 865 00:41:37,625 --> 00:41:39,833 You tell me if we're the best. I know we are. 866 00:41:39,833 --> 00:41:42,875 Even the FBI said we were the best. 867 00:41:43,000 --> 00:41:45,542 That burglary just blew everybody away. 868 00:41:45,708 --> 00:41:47,458 They were meticulous. 869 00:41:47,458 --> 00:41:49,625 This is the biggest bank burglary in history 870 00:41:49,625 --> 00:41:51,667 at that time in America 871 00:41:51,792 --> 00:41:55,833 with a very sophisticated plan and some major bad guys. 872 00:41:59,500 --> 00:42:02,667 In the case of the United California Bank burglary, 873 00:42:02,792 --> 00:42:04,958 there are still unanswered questions. 874 00:42:04,958 --> 00:42:08,542 Was labor leader Jimmy Hoffa really the catalyst? 875 00:42:08,667 --> 00:42:12,417 Was he trying, as mastermind Amil Dinsio insists, 876 00:42:12,542 --> 00:42:15,333 to get back what he considered his money? 877 00:42:15,458 --> 00:42:17,750 Whatever the answers, the ingenious plan, 878 00:42:17,875 --> 00:42:21,375 bold execution, and millions of dollars associated 879 00:42:21,500 --> 00:42:24,250 with the United California Bank job place it 880 00:42:24,375 --> 00:42:26,833 among history's greatest heists.