Philip N. Johnson
Encyclopedia
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.
Johnson overpowered two of his co-workers and left them handcuffed in different locations. He stashed most of the $18.8 million in a storage shed in Mountain Home, North Carolina
, and moved to Mexico City
.
On August 30, 1997, a U.S. Customs Agent
at a border crossing from Mexico pulled a passenger from a bus bound for Houston, Texas
, suspicious of his responses to her questions. Upon further investigation the agent found the identification offered by the passenger to be a known alias for Johnson, and he was arrested when multiple passports were found in his possession.
Independent of Johnson's apprehension, investigators were already following a trail of clues that led to the North Carolina storage shed on September 18, 1997. Approximately $18 million was recovered from the shed.
Johnson was convicted and sentenced to 25 years in prison.
or the storage facility of an armored car firm.
This March 1997 robbery of $18.8 million (95% recovered) is similar in size to the September 1997 Dunbar Armored robbery
($18.9 million, roughly 47% recovered - currently considered the "largest cash robbery" in U.S. history) and the 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.
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...
employed by Loomis Fargo & Company
Loomis Fargo & Company
Loomis is an armored car company. The modern company was formed in 1997 by the consolidation of two armored security concerns, Wells Fargo Armored Service and Loomis Armored Inc...
in Jacksonville, Florida
Jacksonville, Florida
Jacksonville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Florida in terms of both population and land area, and the largest city by area in the contiguous United States. It is the county seat of Duval County, with which the city government consolidated in 1968...
. 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.
Johnson overpowered two of his co-workers and left them handcuffed in different locations. He stashed most of the $18.8 million in a storage shed in Mountain Home, North Carolina
Mountain Home, North Carolina
Mountain Home is a census-designated place in Henderson County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 2,169 at the 2000 census...
, and moved to Mexico City
Mexico City
Mexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole...
.
On August 30, 1997, a U.S. Customs Agent
United States Customs Service
Until March 2003, the United States Customs Service was an agency of the U.S. federal government that collected import tariffs and performed other selected border security duties.Before it was rolled into form part of the U.S...
at a border crossing from Mexico pulled a passenger from a bus bound for Houston, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, suspicious of his responses to her questions. Upon further investigation the agent found the identification offered by the passenger to be a known alias for Johnson, and he was arrested when multiple passports were found in his possession.
Independent of Johnson's apprehension, investigators were already following a trail of clues that led to the North Carolina storage shed on September 18, 1997. Approximately $18 million was recovered from the shed.
Johnson was convicted and sentenced to 25 years in prison.
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 March 1997 robbery of $18.8 million (95% recovered) is similar in size to the September 1997 Dunbar Armored robbery
Dunbar Armored robbery
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....
($18.9 million, roughly 47% recovered - currently considered the "largest cash robbery" in U.S. history) and the 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.