Pierre Hotel Robbery
Encyclopedia
The 1972 Pierre Hotel Robbery in New York City was a hotel robbery planned by Samuel Nalo and Robert Comfort, an associate of the Lucchese crime family
, and carried out by several of his associates. It began in early November 1971. This robbery would later be listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the largest, most successful hotel robbery in history.
and the St. Regis. Nalo was the true genius behind all the heists but the equally courageous Robert Comfort was also a major organizer. It was not until December 30 in the back room of Nalo's night club, the Port Said
, that Nalo brought the team together and informed them of their intended target. The team consisted of Lucchese crime family
associate Robert "Bobby" Germaine, whose job would consist of prying open lock box
es maintained for guests in an open vault, Ali-Ben, a Turkish
-Albanian
contract killer who worked primarily for the Turkish Mafia, Al Green, the brother-in-law
of Ali Ben, a hotel burglar only identified as "Petey", Alan Visconti a Lucchese crime family
mob associate and freelance contract killer Donald Frankos
.
This group arrived at the Hotel Pierre at 3:50 a.m. on January 2, 1972. Ten minutes later Al Green, dressed in a chauffeur's uniform, drove a black Cadillac limousine up to the 61st Street entrance. Robert G, with "Pete" and Al Visconti got out and told the security guard, "Reservations, Dr. Foster's party." The security guard called the registration desk and confirmed that a Dr. Foster (Robert Comfort) had paid for a room, and the guard unlocked the door. They held the guard at gunpoint as they entered the hotel. Al Green remained on watch outside. The date of the robbery was perfect. Most of the hotel's guests were soundly sleeping off their escapades from the previous New Year's Eve
extravaganzas, which they had attended wearing their finest jewels. The jewels were kept in safety deposit boxes downstairs until more secure bank vaults re-opened at 9:00 that morning. Also, because of the holiday, the hotel had only a skeleton crew, including guards. The men quickly rounded up all the staff. Donald guarded the 61st Street entrance, handcuffing anyone who confronted him and leading them to Al Visconti, who brought the hostages to a large alcove near the registration desk, where he ordered them to lie face down on the floor. The number of hostages grew steadily, ultimately totaling nineteen, but the robbers had brought three dozen pairs of handcuffs to deal with the situation.
The robbers were all dressed in disguises. Sam Nalo wore a huge wig, fake nose and eyeglasses and all the burglars wore gloves and carried guns. Nalo forced the hotel auditor to provide the index cards that matched the boxes to depositors. They only broke into lock boxes of people whose names they recognized, which included Harold Uris
, Tom Yawkey
and Calliope Kulukundis. The burglars did not handcuff anyone who looked ill or sick, and referred to their hostages as "sir" and "miss", never raising their voices. The entire robbery took two and a half hours. Within that time Bobby G and Comfort were able to break into close to one quarter of the 208 lock boxes in the vault. At 6:15 Bobby Comfort informed the hostages that they were leaving and to not tell the police if they were able to identify anyone or they would be murdered. Before departing Comfort gave a $20 bill to each hotel employee that they had detained except for the security guards, and they all left at 6:30, just ahead of the hotel's incoming 7:00 a.m. shift.
to fence the stolen goods. Corallo demanded an outraging 33% of the take. Nalo became so enraged that he transported the bulk of it to a friend's house in Detroit, Michigan
. Robert Comfort returned from Rochester, New York
where he lived, to help Nalo fence the jewels. Comfort owed a lot of money to illegal bookmaker
s who were threatening his life. The police were notified of his whereabouts by an informant
and he was arrested at the Royal Manhattan Hotel.
became nervous and turned over $750,000 in jewels to police. Millions more in currency and jewels were taken by another friend of Nalo's who absconded to Mexico and was never heard of again.
, where they cherished their wealth for several years. Robert Comfort then fenced the jewellery to mobsters in the Rochester, New York
Mafia. The mobsters kept the loot and when Comfort attempted to retrieve some of it, they nearly murdered him. Donald Frankos was supposed to receive $750,000, and was enraged that all he initially received was $50,000. Over time, Donald was given a total of $175,000, the same with Bobby G and Al Visconti. Donald's friend known as "Peter" received $250,000. Ali-Ben and Al Green spent most of their money in Europe. Robert Comfort ended up with $1.5 million and Samuel Nalo received his jewels that his friends had not stolen. His nickname was City but his real name was unknown.
Lucchese crime family
The Lucchese crime family is one of the "Five Families" that dominates organized crime activities in New York City, United States, within the nationwide criminal phenomenon known as the Mafia . The family originated in the early 1920s with Gaetano "Tommy" Reina serving as boss up until his murder...
, and carried out by several of his associates. It began in early November 1971. This robbery would later be listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the largest, most successful hotel robbery in history.
Planning and execution
Samuel Nalo and Robert Comfort were professional burglars and thieves. They had previously stolen $1,000,000 in jewelry and cash from the Sherry Netherland Hotel and performed major robberies/burglaries at the Regency Hotel, the Drake Hotel, the Carlyle HotelCarlyle Hotel
The Carlyle Hotel, known formally as The Carlyle, is a combination luxury and residential hotel located at 35 East 76th Street on the northeast corner of Madison Avenue, in the Upper East Side area of New York City...
and the St. Regis. Nalo was the true genius behind all the heists but the equally courageous Robert Comfort was also a major organizer. It was not until December 30 in the back room of Nalo's night club, the Port Said
Port Said
Port Said is a city that lies in north east Egypt extending about 30 km along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea, north of the Suez Canal, with an approximate population of 603,787...
, that Nalo brought the team together and informed them of their intended target. The team consisted of Lucchese crime family
Lucchese crime family
The Lucchese crime family is one of the "Five Families" that dominates organized crime activities in New York City, United States, within the nationwide criminal phenomenon known as the Mafia . The family originated in the early 1920s with Gaetano "Tommy" Reina serving as boss up until his murder...
associate Robert "Bobby" Germaine, whose job would consist of prying open lock box
Lock box
Lock box banking is a service offered by commercial banks that simplifies collection and processing of account receivables by having payments mailed directly to a location accessible by the bank.-General:...
es maintained for guests in an open vault, Ali-Ben, a Turkish
Turkish people
Turkish people, also known as the "Turks" , are an ethnic group primarily living in Turkey and in the former lands of the Ottoman Empire where Turkish minorities had been established in Bulgaria, Cyprus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Greece, Kosovo, Macedonia, and Romania...
-Albanian
Albanians
Albanians are a nation and ethnic group native to Albania and neighbouring countries. They speak the Albanian language. More than half of all Albanians live in Albania and Kosovo...
contract killer who worked primarily for the Turkish Mafia, Al Green, the brother-in-law
Brother-in-law
A brother-in-law is the brother of one's spouse, the husband of one's sibling, or the husband of one's spouse's sibling.-See also:*Affinity *Sister-in-law*Brothers in Law , a 1955 British comedy novel...
of Ali Ben, a hotel burglar only identified as "Petey", Alan Visconti a Lucchese crime family
Lucchese crime family
The Lucchese crime family is one of the "Five Families" that dominates organized crime activities in New York City, United States, within the nationwide criminal phenomenon known as the Mafia . The family originated in the early 1920s with Gaetano "Tommy" Reina serving as boss up until his murder...
mob associate and freelance contract killer Donald Frankos
Donald Frankos
Donald "Tony the Greek" George Frankos, November 10, 1938 Hackensack, New Jersey, was a Greek-Italian contract killer and mob associate of the Lucchese crime family, who later became a government witness....
.
This group arrived at the Hotel Pierre at 3:50 a.m. on January 2, 1972. Ten minutes later Al Green, dressed in a chauffeur's uniform, drove a black Cadillac limousine up to the 61st Street entrance. Robert G, with "Pete" and Al Visconti got out and told the security guard, "Reservations, Dr. Foster's party." The security guard called the registration desk and confirmed that a Dr. Foster (Robert Comfort) had paid for a room, and the guard unlocked the door. They held the guard at gunpoint as they entered the hotel. Al Green remained on watch outside. The date of the robbery was perfect. Most of the hotel's guests were soundly sleeping off their escapades from the previous New Year's Eve
New Year's Eve
New Year's Eve is observed annually on December 31, the final day of any given year in the Gregorian calendar. In modern societies, New Year's Eve is often celebrated at social gatherings, during which participants dance, eat, consume alcoholic beverages, and watch or light fireworks to mark the...
extravaganzas, which they had attended wearing their finest jewels. The jewels were kept in safety deposit boxes downstairs until more secure bank vaults re-opened at 9:00 that morning. Also, because of the holiday, the hotel had only a skeleton crew, including guards. The men quickly rounded up all the staff. Donald guarded the 61st Street entrance, handcuffing anyone who confronted him and leading them to Al Visconti, who brought the hostages to a large alcove near the registration desk, where he ordered them to lie face down on the floor. The number of hostages grew steadily, ultimately totaling nineteen, but the robbers had brought three dozen pairs of handcuffs to deal with the situation.
The robbers were all dressed in disguises. Sam Nalo wore a huge wig, fake nose and eyeglasses and all the burglars wore gloves and carried guns. Nalo forced the hotel auditor to provide the index cards that matched the boxes to depositors. They only broke into lock boxes of people whose names they recognized, which included Harold Uris
Harold Uris
Harold D. Uris was an American builder, real estate investor and philanthropist. After earning a civil engineering degree from Cornell in 1925, Harold joined his brother, Percy, who had a 1920 business degree from Columbia University, and their father, Harris, founder of an ornamental ironwork...
, Tom Yawkey
Tom Yawkey
Thomas Austin Yawkey, born Thomas Austin , was an American industrialist and Major League Baseball executive. Born in Detroit, Michigan, Yawkey became president of the Boston Red Sox in 1933, and was the sole owner of the team for 44 seasons, longer than anyone else in baseball history.-Early...
and Calliope Kulukundis. The burglars did not handcuff anyone who looked ill or sick, and referred to their hostages as "sir" and "miss", never raising their voices. The entire robbery took two and a half hours. Within that time Bobby G and Comfort were able to break into close to one quarter of the 208 lock boxes in the vault. At 6:15 Bobby Comfort informed the hostages that they were leaving and to not tell the police if they were able to identify anyone or they would be murdered. Before departing Comfort gave a $20 bill to each hotel employee that they had detained except for the security guards, and they all left at 6:30, just ahead of the hotel's incoming 7:00 a.m. shift.
Fencing the Goods
Nalo went to Anthony CoralloAnthony Corallo
Anthony "Tony Ducks" Corallo was a New York City mobster and boss of the Lucchese crime family.-Early life:...
to fence the stolen goods. Corallo demanded an outraging 33% of the take. Nalo became so enraged that he transported the bulk of it to a friend's house in Detroit, Michigan
Detroit, Michigan
Detroit is the major city among the primary cultural, financial, and transportation centers in the Metro Detroit area, a region of 5.2 million people. As the seat of Wayne County, the city of Detroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and serves as a major port on the Detroit River...
. Robert Comfort returned from Rochester, New York
Rochester, New York
Rochester is a city in Monroe County, New York, south of Lake Ontario in the United States. Known as The World's Image Centre, it was also once known as The Flour City, and more recently as The Flower City...
where he lived, to help Nalo fence the jewels. Comfort owed a lot of money to illegal bookmaker
Bookmaker
A bookmaker, or bookie, is an organization or a person that takes bets on sporting and other events at agreed upon odds.- Range of events :...
s who were threatening his life. The police were notified of his whereabouts by an informant
Informant
An informant is a person who provides privileged information about a person or organization to an agency. The term is usually used within the law enforcement world, where they are officially known as confidential or criminal informants , and can often refer pejoratively to the supply of information...
and he was arrested at the Royal Manhattan Hotel.
Arrests and Convictions
Nalo was also arrested for his alleged participation in the robbery and the two burglars each received four-year sentences. Shortly after the arrests of Comfort and Nalo, Nalo's friend in MichiganMichigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
became nervous and turned over $750,000 in jewels to police. Millions more in currency and jewels were taken by another friend of Nalo's who absconded to Mexico and was never heard of again.
Aftermath
Ali-Ben and his brother-in-law Al Green read in the newspaper about the stolen property recovered in Michigan and perceived that Nalo had tried to swindle them out of their share. They fled the country to somewhere in EuropeEurope
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, where they cherished their wealth for several years. Robert Comfort then fenced the jewellery to mobsters in the Rochester, New York
Rochester, New York
Rochester is a city in Monroe County, New York, south of Lake Ontario in the United States. Known as The World's Image Centre, it was also once known as The Flour City, and more recently as The Flower City...
Mafia. The mobsters kept the loot and when Comfort attempted to retrieve some of it, they nearly murdered him. Donald Frankos was supposed to receive $750,000, and was enraged that all he initially received was $50,000. Over time, Donald was given a total of $175,000, the same with Bobby G and Al Visconti. Donald's friend known as "Peter" received $250,000. Ali-Ben and Al Green spent most of their money in Europe. Robert Comfort ended up with $1.5 million and Samuel Nalo received his jewels that his friends had not stolen. His nickname was City but his real name was unknown.