United California Bank robbery
Encyclopedia
On 24 March 1972, the safe deposit vault at United California Bank in Laguna Niguel, California
, was broken into and looted by professional burglars led by Amil Dinsio. His accomplices were James Dinsio, Harry Barber, Ronald Barber, Phil Christopher, Charles Mulligan, and Charles Brockles. All were from Youngstown, Ohio
.
The total stolen was estimated at $30 million, a world record at the time.
While the robbery itself was executed perfectly, the thieves made the mistake of perpetrating a similar crime back in Ohio a few months later. The FBI linked the two heists, and their investigation of transportation records revealed that the entire gang had travelled to California on a single flight. They also learned of the townhouse
used as an HQ, which had been rented by one of the gang members. A search initially found nothing, until the dishwasher
was checked. The robbers had forgotten to wash their dishes before returning to Ohio, and the recovered fingerprint
s permitted federal arrest warrants to be made, leading to the arrest and conviction of all the burglars, along with the recovery of most of the loot. Surprisingly, the FBI website does not have an account of the incident or the investigation that led to apprehension of the robbers.
Accounts of the robbery and investigation have been shown on truTV and Investigation Discovery.
Laguna Niguel, California
Laguna Niguel is an affluent city located in southern Orange County, California. The name "Laguna Niguel" is derived from the Spanish word "Laguna" which means lagoon, and the word "Nigueli" which was the name of a Juaneño Indian village that was once located on Aliso Creek. The population was...
, was broken into and looted by professional burglars led by Amil Dinsio. His accomplices were James Dinsio, Harry Barber, Ronald Barber, Phil Christopher, Charles Mulligan, and Charles Brockles. All were from Youngstown, Ohio
Youngstown, Ohio
Youngstown is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Mahoning County; it also extends into Trumbull County. The municipality is situated on the Mahoning River, approximately southeast of Cleveland and northwest of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania...
.
The total stolen was estimated at $30 million, a world record at the time.
While the robbery itself was executed perfectly, the thieves made the mistake of perpetrating a similar crime back in Ohio a few months later. The FBI linked the two heists, and their investigation of transportation records revealed that the entire gang had travelled to California on a single flight. They also learned of the townhouse
Townhouse
A townhouse is the term historically used in the United Kingdom, Ireland and in many other countries to describe a residence of a peer or member of the aristocracy in the capital or major city. Most such figures owned one or more country houses in which they lived for much of the year...
used as an HQ, which had been rented by one of the gang members. A search initially found nothing, until the dishwasher
Dishwasher
A dishwasher is a mechanical device for cleaning dishes and eating utensils. Dishwashers can be found in restaurants and private homes.Unlike manual dishwashing, which relies largely on physical scrubbing to remove soiling, the mechanical dishwasher cleans by spraying hot water, typically between ...
was checked. The robbers had forgotten to wash their dishes before returning to Ohio, and the recovered fingerprint
Fingerprint
A fingerprint in its narrow sense is an impression left by the friction ridges of a human finger. In a wider use of the term, fingerprints are the traces of an impression from the friction ridges of any part of a human hand. A print from the foot can also leave an impression of friction ridges...
s permitted federal arrest warrants to be made, leading to the arrest and conviction of all the burglars, along with the recovery of most of the loot. Surprisingly, the FBI website does not have an account of the incident or the investigation that led to apprehension of the robbers.
Accounts of the robbery and investigation have been shown on truTV and Investigation Discovery.
External links
- Bang for the Bucks by Keith Sharon
- Day 12: The largest bank heist in U.S. history targets Nixon’s millions
- 1972 United California Bank Robbery, Laguna Niguel
- Masterminds: "The Laguna Niguel Heist" – on YouTubeYouTubeYouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....