The long shadow of the Brink’s Armored Car Robbery continues to loom over New England, but tonight, the Federal Bureau of Investigation has struck a significant blow against the web of Gangsters terrorizing Bay State Financial Institutions. Following a series of lightning-fast raids stretching from the quiet suburbs of Needham to the diner-lined streets of Providence, Federal Agents have obtained Warrants for a four-person Holdup Crew responsible for the brazen $13,000 Robbery of the South Norwood Branch of the Norwood Bank and Banking Company.
The Norwood Holdup, which occurred eight months ago on September 13, 1951, had largely gone cold as Police “plugged away” at a string of unsolved Bank hits. However, the recent capture of the notorious Harvey “Mad Dog” Bistany—a one-eyed Former Boxer from Lawrence and known associate of the infamous Willie “The Actor” Sutton—has acted as a skeleton key for Law Enforcement. Special Agent in Charge Donald S. Hostetter of the FBI’s Boston Division announced shortly before midnight that the trail led directly to a collection of Ex-Convicts and Aliens whose Criminal records read like a map of the Massachusetts State Prison system.
🟡 Fun Fact: Police found a clerical collar and a priest’s vest in a getaway bag—the ultimate disguise for a 1950s bank robber!
Among those named in the Federal Warrants is David S. Jacobanis, 43, of Needham. A Russian Native and former Foundry Worker and Boxing Promoter, Jacobanis is a hardened Ex-Convict who previously served a decade for Armed Robbery. In a staggering display of recidivism, Hostetter revealed that Jacobanis finished his Parole on August 31, 1951—only to engage in the Norwood heist just fifteen days later. Joining him in the FBI’s crosshairs is Theodore Green, a Boston Outlaw who remains at large, and his wife, Helen Green, a mother of two and former Waitress in Downtown Boston. Mrs. Green is currently in Custody, charged with receiving a portion of the Stolen Currency from the South Norwood job.
The sheer scale of the Criminal network supporting these Men was revealed during a pre-dawn raid on a home in Medford. There, State Police Detective James Conniff discovered an Arsenal that suggested a small army was “ready for a job.” The inventory included Machine Guns, a Sawed-Off Shotgun, Dynamite, and Blasting Caps. Most chillingly, Agents seized a Clerical Collar and Vest—the kind worn by Clergymen—intended to allow a Robber to blend into the Norwood crowds without suspicion.
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