OK, confess! UPDATED

[YeahToast]

‘Significant’ Amount Of Money Stolen From Brinks Office

 

By Laurie Omness

Published: January 18, 2009

 

COLUMBUS, Ohio—Federal authorities are investigating the theft of a significant amount of money from a local Brinks office Saturday night or Sunday morning.

 

Police said the break-in occurred at the Brinks facility on Essex Avenue sometime between 7 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m. Sunday, when someone used a blowtorch to gain access to the building.

 

FBI sources tell NBC 4’s Lauren Diedrich that someone carved an opening in the roof and took rolls of coins that were wrapped in Brinks labels and stored on pallets in the one-story building. Authorities wouldn’t give details on how much money was missing but said that the coins included rolls of Susan B. Anthony dollars.

 

The FBI is working on the case because some of the money belongs to federally-insured banks, which makes the theft a federal crime. Columbus police and firefighters are also investigating. The Columbus Division of Fire is involved because the blowtorch means of entry set off a small fire that brought engines to the scene.

 

Authorities will not say if the fire interrupted the thief or thieves or if they were gone when the fire call came in at 11 a.m. However, officials said it took several hours to remove the coins.

 

Police would not describe the type of security used to protect the building.

 

But, the theft surprised the lone residential occupant on the block on Essex Avenue where the Brinks building is located. Bobby Lee Jr. said he has watched the trucks come and go for years. “You never would’ve dreamed somebody tried to rob them. I would say it’s like Fort Knox, you would think.”

 

FBI Special Agent Harry Trombitas would not say how much the burglars got away with, but did say the amount was “significant.” A reward of up to $10,000 is offered for information leading to arrests in this case; call Central Ohio Crime Stoppers at 614-645-TIPS.

[Revenant]

Ok. I admit it. I couldn't resist. I just had to travel from Texas all the way to Ohio to get me some Susans. Then when I got there the dang thing was closed and I just couldn't stand for that!

[bsshog40]

Man I think I would have gone for rolls of prez dollars so I could find smoothe edges. There's not too many SBA's that get that much money.

[ldhair]

That's going to be a bit tough caching in on all those rolls.

 

[Bill L]

Send me some 81 Type 2's bsshog.

[YeahToast]

$10,000 reward set in Brink's burglary

Monday, January 19, 2009 11:27 PM

By Theodore Decker

 

THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

The FBI has received "some good tips" about the weekend theft of several thousand pounds of coins from a Brink's Inc. facility, an agent said today.

 

"We're confident we're going to get it resolved," said Harry Trombitas of the FBI's Columbus office.

 

A $10,000 reward has been offered for the identification and arrest of the thieves who broke into the company's building near the state fairgrounds at 1362 Essex Ave., just west of I-71 and south of 11th Avenue.

 

The burglary was discovered about 9 a.m. Sunday when employees showed up for work, Trombitas said. It happened sometime late Saturday or early Sunday.

 

Few details about the burglary have been released. According to Columbus police, the thieves cut a hole in the roof of the building to get inside.

 

The thieves used a blowtorch to gain "limited access" to a cash vault where some cash was taken, according to the FBI. They also went to the "coin room," where they removed a "significant amount" of coins.

 

"They were certainly professional enough to pull it off, to the point where they were able to get into the vault, get coins and get away," he said. "There's some level of sophistication there."

 

Authorities would not say how much money was stolen, but Trombitas said about two pallets of boxed coins were missing. Authorities said they were a mix of dollar and half-dollar coins.

 

Each pallet likely weighed about 3,000 pounds, Trombitas said.

 

A dollar coin weighs just over 8 grams, according to the U.S. Mint. If all 6,000 pounds of coins had been dollar coins, the thieves would have netted about $340,000. A half-dollar, according to the Mint, weighs 11.3 grams. If all the coins were half-dollars, a 6,000-pound haul would be worth about $120,000.

 

Calls to Brink's Inc. headquarters were not returned today.

 

Calls to the local office were greeted with a voice-mail message that it was "experiencing some difficulties currently." An employee fielding calls at another office said only that the phone lines in the Columbus office were down.

 

Trombitas would not say whether the thieves disabled phone lines or alarm systems, or what kind of security Brink's has at the site.

 

"It's safe to say they have security measures there," he said. "In general, it's a very secure location. It's not uncommon for them to have sums of money on hand."

 

Trombitas said the investigation was two-pronged.

 

"We always take a look at individuals on the inside as well as on the outside," he said.

 

According to Columbus police records, four of the six crimes reported at the building since 2003 involved embezzlement.

[Conder101]

Authorities will not say if the fire interrupted the thief or thieves or if they were gone when the fire call came in at 11 a.m. However, officials said it took several hours to remove the coins.

If the fire didn't interupt them and it took several hours to remove the coins I think they need better smoke detectors.

 

Also note the fire call came in at 11AM

 

The burglary was discovered about 9 a.m. Sunday when employees showed up for work

Well if the employees discovered the burglary at 9AM th fire probably didn't interrupt them, but why was it two hours between the discover of the burglary and the discovery of the fire?

 

"It's safe to say they have security measures there," he said. "In general, it's a very secure location. It's not uncommon for them to have sums of money on hand."

Wow! Who would have thought that BRINK'S would commonly have sums of money on hand!

[YeahToast]

FBI Focuses On Coins In Brink’s Theft Probe

 

Associated Press

Published: January 21, 2009

 

COLUMBUS, Ohio - The FBI is focusing part of its investigation into a weekend burglary at a Brink’s Inc. armored car office on the coins that were taken.

 

FBI Special Agent Harry Trombitas says the FBI is asking the public to be alert to any large amounts of Susan B. Anthony or Sacagawea dollars. A large amount of those coins were taken in the theft at the Brink’s office in Columbus.

 

The thieves also took 50-cent pieces in the theft that apparently occurred sometime between 7 p.m. Saturday and 9 a.m. Sunday.

 

Trombitas says the FBI typically doesn’t release total amounts. He says authorities are still trying to determine the amount of missing currency since some burned as a result of thieves using a blowtorch.

 

~ Considering these coins don't circulate in any great quantity how many comprise a large amount?

[YeahToast]

ROLL SEARCHERS - BEWARE!

 

Brinks Ups The Ante To $50K For Tips In Burglary

 

By Donna Willis

Web Content Coordinator

Published: February 5, 2009

 

COLUMBUS, Ohio—CPD detectives and the FBI continued to investigate the burglary of a local Brinks, Inc.

 

Several individuals broke into Brinks, 1362 Essex Ave., through the roof sometime between the hours of 7 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 17 and 9 a.m. Sunday, Jan, 18, according to Special Agent Harry Trombitas.

The suspects used some type of cutting torch, gained limited access into the vault and removed some cash, Trombitas said.

 

Embers from the cutting torch ignited materials inside the vault, including some of the money.

 

The smoke and fire caused the burglars to abandon their attempts at removing additional cash, Trombitas said.

 

The suspects were able to enter a coin room where a significant amount of Susan B. Anthony, Sacagawea and Presidential $1 coins, along with silver 50-cent pieces were taken, according to police.

 

The cash and coin apparently were loaded onto some type of vehicle and driven away, Trombitas said.

 

Employees showed up for work Sunday morning and saw that someone had gained entrance into the facility. Employees also smelled smoldering materials and saw smoke.

 

Columbus fire was called to the scene to extinguish the small vault fire.

 

CPD and the FBI were contacted, and the investigation was initiated.

 

Since the burglary, investigators have concentrated their efforts in three areas:

- Detailed interviews with current and previous employees, as well as polygraphs of select persons, have been conducted and were continuing.

- Law enforcement initiated numerous investigations and interviewed several individuals named as possible suspects by the public, mostly through tips to Central Ohio Crime Stoppers.

- Reports of significant deposits of coin and/or large purchases made with coin resulted in leads being followed throughout Ohio as well as the states of Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Indiana, Kentucky, and Tennessee.

 

Although several leads remain, the case remains unsolved.

 

Brinks, Inc., increased the reward for information leading to the identification and arrest of the persons responsible for the burglary to $50,000.

 

Investigators asked the public, retail stores, banks and credit unions, storage facilities and truck-rental companies to be on the lookout for anything unusual that could be related to the Brinks burglary.

 

Contact Central Ohio Crime Stoppers at 614-645-TIPS immediately to report information.

[WoodenJefferson]

Question: Well if the employees discovered the burglary at 9AM the fire probably didn't interrupt them,

but why was it two hours between the discover of the burglary and the discovery of the fire?

 

 

Get-Away vehicle parked outside the Brinks building captured on hidden surveillance camera.

 

 

It has been noted in the reports, that in order to make room for their haul, the perpetrators left

behind several cartons of skinless wieners. The Brinks employees took advantage of this

situation and that explains the missing time gap.

 

 

[MunkyMan95]

ROLL SEARCHERS - BEWARE!

 

Brinks Ups The Ante To $50K For Tips In Burglary

 

By Donna Willis

Web Content Coordinator

Published: February 5, 2009

 

COLUMBUS, OhioCPD detectives and the FBI continued to investigate the burglary of a local Brinks, Inc.

 

Several individuals broke into Brinks, 1362 Essex Ave., through the roof sometime between the hours of 7 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 17 and 9 a.m. Sunday, Jan, 18, according to Special Agent Harry Trombitas.

The suspects used some type of cutting torch, gained limited access into the vault and removed some cash, Trombitas said.

 

Embers from the cutting torch ignited materials inside the vault, including some of the money.

 

The smoke and fire caused the burglars to abandon their attempts at removing additional cash, Trombitas said.

 

The suspects were able to enter a coin room where a significant amount of Susan B. Anthony, Sacagawea and Presidential $1 coins, along with silver 50-cent pieces were taken, according to police.

 

The cash and coin apparently were loaded onto some type of vehicle and driven away, Trombitas said.

 

Employees showed up for work Sunday morning and saw that someone had gained entrance into the facility. Employees also smelled smoldering materials and saw smoke.

 

Columbus fire was called to the scene to extinguish the small vault fire.

 

CPD and the FBI were contacted, and the investigation was initiated.

 

Since the burglary, investigators have concentrated their efforts in three areas:

- Detailed interviews with current and previous employees, as well as polygraphs of select persons, have been conducted and were continuing.

- Law enforcement initiated numerous investigations and interviewed several individuals named as possible suspects by the public, mostly through tips to Central Ohio Crime Stoppers.

- Reports of significant deposits of coin and/or large purchases made with coin resulted in leads being followed throughout Ohio as well as the states of Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Indiana, Kentucky, and Tennessee.

 

Although several leads remain, the case remains unsolved.

 

Brinks, Inc., increased the reward for information leading to the identification and arrest of the persons responsible for the burglary to $50,000.

 

Investigators asked the public, retail stores, banks and credit unions, storage facilities and truck-rental companies to be on the lookout for anything unusual that could be related to the Brinks burglary.

 

Contact Central Ohio Crime Stoppers at 614-645-TIPS immediately to report information.

 

 

It's been 3 weeks and this is all the information they have?

 

they broke in "around" a 14-hour period?

The got away in "some type" of vehicle?

 

This is not promising.