Dunbar Armored robbery
Encyclopedia
The Dunbar Armored robbery is the largest cash robbery to have occurred in the United States
. It occurred in 1997 at the Dunbar Armored facility in Los Angeles, California
. The thieves made off with some US$18.9 million.
The robbery was masterminded by Allen Pace, who worked for Dunbar as a regional safety inspector. While on the job, Pace had time to photograph and examine the company's Los Angeles armored car
depot. He recruited five of his childhood friends, and on the night of Friday, September 12, 1997, Pace used his keys to gain admittance to the facility. Pace had timed the security cameras and determined how they could be avoided. Once inside, they waited within the staff cafeteria, ambushing the guards one by one. Pace knew that on Friday nights the vault was open due to the large quantities of money being moved. Rushing the vault guards, the robbers managed to subdue them before they could signal any alarms. In half an hour, the robbers had loaded millions of dollars into a waiting U-Haul
. Pace knew exactly which bags contained the highest denomination and non-sequential bills. He also knew where the recording devices for the security cameras were located and took these.
The police immediately realized it was an inside job
and closely examined Pace, but could find nothing. The gang worked hard to conceal their new wealth, laundering
it through property deals and phony businesses. Eventually, one of the gang members, Eugene Lamar Hill, erred when he gave an unknowing associate a stack of bills still wrapped with the original cash straps. The associate went to the police, leading to the arrest of Hill, who soon confessed and named his associates. Allen Pace was arrested and sentenced to twenty-four years in prison. Less than half of the money was ever recovered, with some $10 million still unaccounted for.
or the storage facility of an armored car firm.
This September 1997 Dunbar Armored robbery - at $18.9 million (roughly 47% recovered) still considered the "largest cash robbery" in U.S. history - is similar in size to the March 1997 Loomis Fargo armored car robbery by Philip N. Johnson
($18.8 million, 95% recovered) and the unrelated October 1997 Loomis Fargo Bank Robbery
($17.3 million, 95% recovered).
These three robberies were the first to surpass the previous holder of the title "largest cash robbery" in U.S. history, the $7.1 million of the White Eagle robbery in September 1983.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It occurred in 1997 at the Dunbar Armored facility in Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
. The thieves made off with some US$18.9 million.
The robbery was masterminded by Allen Pace, who worked for Dunbar as a regional safety inspector. While on the job, Pace had time to photograph and examine the company's Los Angeles armored car
Armored car (valuables)
A common meaning of armored car is as an armored van or truck, used in transporting valuables, such as large quantities of money . The armored car is a multifunctional vehicle designed to protect and ensure the well being of the transported individuals and/or contents...
depot. He recruited five of his childhood friends, and on the night of Friday, September 12, 1997, Pace used his keys to gain admittance to the facility. Pace had timed the security cameras and determined how they could be avoided. Once inside, they waited within the staff cafeteria, ambushing the guards one by one. Pace knew that on Friday nights the vault was open due to the large quantities of money being moved. Rushing the vault guards, the robbers managed to subdue them before they could signal any alarms. In half an hour, the robbers had loaded millions of dollars into a waiting U-Haul
U-Haul
U-Haul International, Inc. is an American equipment rental company, based in Phoenix, Arizona, that has been in operation since 1945. The company was founded by Leonard Shoen U-Haul International, Inc. is an American equipment rental company, based in Phoenix, Arizona, that has been in operation...
. Pace knew exactly which bags contained the highest denomination and non-sequential bills. He also knew where the recording devices for the security cameras were located and took these.
The police immediately realized it was an inside job
Inside job
Inside job refers to a crime committed by a person with a position of trust, such as insider trading.Inside job may also refer to:* Inside Job , a 2005 novella by Connie Willis* Inside Job , a 2000 studio album by Don Henley...
and closely examined Pace, but could find nothing. The gang worked hard to conceal their new wealth, laundering
Money laundering
Money laundering is the process of disguising illegal sources of money so that it looks like it came from legal sources. The methods by which money may be laundered are varied and can range in sophistication. Many regulatory and governmental authorities quote estimates each year for the amount...
it through property deals and phony businesses. Eventually, one of the gang members, Eugene Lamar Hill, erred when he gave an unknowing associate a stack of bills still wrapped with the original cash straps. The associate went to the police, leading to the arrest of Hill, who soon confessed and named his associates. Allen Pace was arrested and sentenced to twenty-four years in prison. Less than half of the money was ever recovered, with some $10 million still unaccounted for.
Comparison to other robberies
As of 2010, the three largest cash robberies ever committed on American soil were all carried out in 1997. In all three robberies, the target was an armored carArmored car (valuables)
A common meaning of armored car is as an armored van or truck, used in transporting valuables, such as large quantities of money . The armored car is a multifunctional vehicle designed to protect and ensure the well being of the transported individuals and/or contents...
or the storage facility of an armored car firm.
This September 1997 Dunbar Armored robbery - at $18.9 million (roughly 47% recovered) still considered the "largest cash robbery" in U.S. history - is similar in size to the March 1997 Loomis Fargo armored car robbery by Philip N. Johnson
Philip N. Johnson
Philip Noel Johnson was an armored car driver employed by Loomis Fargo & Company in Jacksonville, Florida. On March 29, 1997, Johnson pulled off what was then the largest cash heist in U.S. history, taking $18.8 million from the armored vehicle he was driving....
($18.8 million, 95% recovered) and the unrelated October 1997 Loomis Fargo Bank Robbery
Loomis Fargo Bank Robbery
The Loomis Fargo Bank Robbery was the $17.3 million cash robbery of the Charlotte, North Carolina, regional office vault of Loomis Fargo & Company on the evening of October 4, 1997, by armored car driver and vault supervisor David Scott Ghantt...
($17.3 million, 95% recovered).
These three robberies were the first to surpass the previous holder of the title "largest cash robbery" in U.S. history, the $7.1 million of the White Eagle robbery in September 1983.