Robbers
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Robbers, as the name suggests, are people who take illegal procession of something which they do not own. They try to snatch valuable items either by force or by threatening the owner of those items. It may seem that the crime may be small but many a times it involves violence and in some cases even fatalities. There are several types of robbery. When robbers commit their act by using deadly weapons, it is called armed robbery. There are many instances where robbers engaged themselves in criminal activities in public places like a highway then the incident is known as highway robbery. When robbers steal cars from parking lot, it is called carjacking. They also steal cars by threatening the owners of those cars. Robbers involved in bank robbery steal important belongings of bank by forcing and threatening bank employees and customers of bank. Generally bank robbery occurs mostly in cities and large towns when banks are known to have more customers leading to higher amounts of cash stored at the bank. Issues like unemployment and poverty can play a dominant role in the occurrence of a robbery. What follows is a collection of the biographies, timelines, trivia and other information about the professional and personal lives of some of the world's most notorious robbers.
Rank the Most Wicked Robbers
1
Bonnie Parker
(Bank Robber)
Birthdate: October 1, 1910
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Rowena, Texas, United States
Died: May 23, 1934
Best known as part of the legendary criminal couple Bonnie and Clyde, Bonnie Parker was infamous for her bank robberies with her partner Clyde Chestnut Barrow. They apparently murdered several policemen, too. Their crimes were romanticized in many movies including a 1967 film starring Faye Dunaway as Bonnie.
2
Ronald Kray(Gangster Involved in Organised Crime in the East End of London, England, from the late 1950s to 1967)
Birthdate: October 24, 1933
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Haggerston, London, England
Died: March 17, 1995
Ronald Kray was a British criminal involved in organized crime in the East End of London in the 1950s and 1960s. Along with his twin brother, Reggie, he ran a gang that was notorious for committing murders, armed robberies, and arson among other criminal activities. The brothers were arrested in 1968 and sentenced to life imprisonment.
Birthdate: June 22, 1903
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Indianapolis, Indiana, United States
Died: July 22, 1934
A gangster of the Great Depression era, John Dillinger led a group known as the "Dillinger Gang". His gang was accused of robbing 24 banks and four police stations. He was a master evader and escaped the police’s attempts to capture him many times. He was finally shot to death by the authorities in 1934.
4
Jesse James(American Outlaw, Bank and Train Robber and Leader of the 'James–Younger Gang')
Birthdate: September 5, 1847
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Kearney, Missouri, United States
Died: April 3, 1882
Jesse James was an outlaw from Missouri, who robbed trains, stagecoaches, and banks. He was also a guerrilla and led the James–Younger Gang. Along with his brother Frank, he joined pro-Confederate “bushwhackers” during the American Civil War. James became a legendary Wild West figure after his death.
5
Ned Kelly(Australian Bushranger, Gang Leader and Convicted Police-Murderer)
Birthdate: 1854
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Beveridge, Australia
Died: November 11, 1880
The Robin Hood of Australia for many and villain for others, Ned Kelly become immortal not just for his murderous confrontation with the police, but also for his reported last words “such is life”. The bushranger and outlaw remains a cult figure in Australia even a century after his execution. His sympathizers considered his as a champion of the poor.
6
Butch Cassidy(Train, Bank Robber and the Leader of a Gang of Criminal Outlaws ‘Wild Bunch’)
Birthdate: April 13, 1866
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Beaver, Utah, United States
Died: November 7, 1908
Train and bank robber Butch Cassidy was the leader of a gang of criminal outlaws known as the "Wild Bunch" in the Old West. The son of ranchers, he ran away from home as a teenager and became involved in a life of crime. He started with minor criminal offenses and eventually became a much-feared robber.
Birthdate: February 3, 1904
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Adairsville, Georgia, United States
Died: October 22, 1934
Pretty Boy Floyd was the nickname of Charles Arthur Floyd, a bank robber who operated in the West and Central states of America. While the law enforcement officials considered him a criminal, the public had a positive opinion of him as he burned mortgage documents during the robberies, freeing many people from their debts. The FBI killed him in 1934.
Birthdate: December 6, 1908
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Chicago, Illinois
Died: November 27, 1934
Baby Face Nelson was an American bank robber. He gained notoriety during the early and mid-1930s for leading his own gang and carrying out organized crime, such as bank robbery. He was responsible for killing many FBI agents and was killed in a furious gun battle called The Battle of Barrington. His life inspired many films, including Baby Face Nelson.
Birthdate: 1867 AD
Birthplace: Mont Clare, Pennsylvania, United States
Died: November 7, 1908
Sundance Kid was the nickname of Harry Alonzo Longabaugh, an outlaw and member of Butch Cassidy's Wild Bunch in the American Old West. He first met Cassidy around 1896 and became part of his gang. As a Wild Bunch member, Sundance Kid participated in several train and bank robberies. He is believed to have been killed in 1908.
10
Veerappan
(Indian criminal)
Birthdate: January 18, 1952
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Gopinatham, Mysore State, India
Died: October 18, 2004
11
Alvin Karpis(Depression-Era Gangster and Leader of the 'Barker–Karpis' Gang )
Birthdate: August 10, 1907
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Montreal, Canada
Died: August 26, 1979
Alvin Karpis was a criminal best remembered for leading the infamous Barker-Karpis gang in the 1930s. Renowned for his sinister smile, Karpis, who was nicknamed Creepy, was captured by the FBI in 1936. He was then sentenced to life imprisonment and was released on parole in 1969. He spent his later years writing memoirs like The Alvin Karpis Story.
Birthdate: January 10, 1843
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Clay County, Missouri, USA
Died: February 18, 1915
Frank James was an American Confederate soldier turned outlaw. He was a good student and once aspired to be a teacher. He served in the American Civil War and was later pushed into the world of crime. He became a part of the James-Younger Gang and participated in many robberies. He eventually quit crime to work other jobs.
Birthdate: July 21, 1845
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Logan, Kentucky
Died: November 13, 1900
Zerelda Mimms was the wife of bank and train robber Jesse James. She was the daughter of a pastor. Her mother, Mary Elizabeth, and Jesse James' father, Robert S. James, were siblings, making Zerelda and Jesse first cousins. Zerelda married Jesse in 1874. The couple had four children, two of whom died in infancy.
Birthdate: June 30, 1901
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Greenpoint, Brooklyn
Died: November 2, 1980
Willie Sutton was a bank robber with a criminal career spanning four decades. He entered the world of crime at a young age and spent more than half of his adult life in prison. He managed to escape from prison thrice. He was a master of disguise and was also known as “Willie the Actor.” He never killed anyone.
Birthdate: June 26, 1923
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Oakland, California, United States
Died: June 3, 1955
Barbara Graham was a convicted criminal who was executed in the gas chamber at San Quentin Prison in 1955. She became the third woman in California to be executed by gas. Born to an unwed teenage sex worker, she had a troubled childhood. As a young woman, she became involved with hardened criminals and took to a life of crime.
16
Randall Woodfield
(Serial killer)
Birthdate: December 26, 1950
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Salem, Oregon, United States
Randall Woodfield is a serial killer and rapist linked to a total of 18 murders and is suspected of having killed up to 44 victims. He was dubbed the I-5 Killer or the I-5 Bandit by the media. He began committing sexual assaults and robberies in 1975 and started murdering people in 1980. He was finally arrested in March 1981.
17
Jacques Mesrine
(French Murderer, Burglar and Kidnapper)
Birthdate: December 28, 1936
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Clichy, France
Died: November 2, 1979
Jacques Mesrine was a French criminal who carried out numerous burglaries, bank robberies, and kidnappings in the US, France, and Canada. He also killed many people and escaped repeatedly from prison, which earned him notoriety. Nicknamed The Man of a Thousand Faces, Jacques Mesrine was an expert in hiding his true identity. His life inspired a two-part film titled Mesrine.
18
Black Bart
(American Outlaw Noted for the Poetic Messages He Left Behind After Two of His Robberies)
Birthdate: 1829 AD
Birthplace: Norfolk, England
Died: February 28, 1888
Black Bart was the nickname of Charles E. Boles, an outlaw who was one of the most notorious stagecoach robbers to operate in Northern California during the 1870s and early 1880s. He was considered a “gentleman bandit” with a love for sophistication. His final robbery took place in 1883, following which he was arrested. He was released in 1888.
19
Bill Doolin
(American Bandit Outlaw and Founder of the Wild Bunch)
Birthdate: 1858 AD
Birthplace: Johnson County, Arkansas, United States
Died: August 24, 1896
Bill Doolin was an outlaw and bandit who founded the Wild Bunch, also known as the Doolin-Dalton Gang. This group of criminals committed a series of bank robberies and train robberies in Arkansas, Kansas, Indiana, and Oklahoma during the 1890s. His gang was extremely powerful. He was relentlessly pursued by lawmen and was shot to death in 1896.
Birthdate: March 28, 1980
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Murray, Kentucky, United States
Rod Ferrell is an American cult leader and murderer. A member of the Vampire Clan, Ferrell claimed to be a vampire. It was later ascertained that he had become obsessed with a game called Vampire: The Masquerade. In 1998, Rod Ferrell became the youngest American on Death Row after pleading guilty to the double murder of a couple from Florida.
Birthdate: April 10, 1929
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Los Angeles, California, United States
Died: November 8, 1993
22
John Wojtowicz
(Bank robber, Soldier)
Birthdate: March 9, 1945
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: New York City, United States
Died: January 2, 2006
23
Irina Gaidamachuk
(Serial killer)
Birthdate: September 26, 1972
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Nyagan, Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug, Soviet Union
Birthdate: January 27, 1931
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Lambeth, London, England
Died: November 28, 1994
Birthdate: January 21, 1954
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Kangeyanallur, Vellore, Tamil Nadu, India
Died: April 27, 1995
26
Bruce Reynolds
(English Criminal and the Mastermind Behind the 1963 'Great Train Robbery')
Birthdate: September 7, 1931
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Strand, London, England
Died: February 28, 2013
Bruce Reynolds was a British criminal who was the mastermind behind the Great Train Robbery in 1963. Although he was sentenced to 25 years in prison in 1969, Reynolds was released in 1978 post which he published three books and became a popular public figure, performing alongside Alabama 3. His life and career have inspired several films and TV series.
27
Raymond Shrimp Boy Chow
(Arms trafficker)
Birthdate: December 31, 1959
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: British Hong Kong
28
William Brodie
(Criminal, Politician)
Birthdate: September 28, 1741
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Edinburgh, Scotland
Died: October 1, 1788
William Brodie was a Scottish cabinet-maker, Edinburgh city councilor, and deacon of a trades guild. Brodie was also a housebreaker, a secret which he maintained almost all his life. He used the stolen money to fund his gambling habit and to maintain the household of his two mistresses. He was captured in 1788 and was sentenced to death by hanging.
29
Robert Chambers
(Criminal, Drug trafficker)
Birthdate: September 25, 1966
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: United States
30
Elzy Lay
(Outlaw of the Old West in the United States)
Birthdate: November 25, 1869
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Mount Pleasant, Ohio, United States
Died: November 10, 1934
Elzy Lay was an American outlaw who was part of the infamous Butch Cassidy's Wild Bunch. A close associate of the founder of the gang Butch Cassidy, Lay played an important role in leading the gang which operated out of a remote pass called Hole-in-the-Wall in Johnson County, Wyoming. Lay's arrest in 1899 led to the collapse of the gang.
31
Lucio Urtubia
(Spanish Anarchist)
Birthdate: February 18, 1931
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Cascante, Spain
Died: July 18, 2020
Birthdate: January 7, 1978
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Richmond, Utah, United States
Died: December 2, 2012
Israel Keyes was a serial killer, rapist, and burglar, who had killed at least three people. He previously owned a construction business and had served the U.S. army. Israel was fond of Ted Bundy and committed suicide while awaiting trail in the case related to the murder of Samantha Koenig.
Birthdate: May 23, 1949
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Dublin, Ireland
Died: August 18, 1994
34
Claude Duval
(French Highwayman Whose Life Has Inspired Novels, Dramas & Operas)
Birthdate: 1643 AD
Birthplace: Domfront, Orne, Normandy, France
Died: January 21, 1670
Claude Duval was a French highwayman who is often associated with a popular legend, according to which, he abhorred violence. He is also depicted as someone who was courteous to his victims and famous among women, making him an ideal choice for artists and writers. Claude Duval's life has inspired novels, dramas, and operas.
Birthdate: 1639 AD
Birthplace: Wortley, England
Died: March 4, 1684
36
Captain Moonlite
(Public speaker, Bank robber)
Birthdate: July 5, 1842
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Rathfriland, Ireland
Died: January 20, 1880
Birthdate: October 30, 1980
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Ireland
38
Mark Brandon Read
(Criminal)
Birthdate: November 17, 1954
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Died: October 9, 2013
A convicted criminal and author, Mark Brandon Read began his criminal career by robbing drug dealers at a very early age, eventually graduating to kidnapping and torturing of other criminals for money, as well as armed robbery. Being incarcerated for long periods, he later turned to writing, publishing fifteen books between 1991 and 2011
39
Yasunori Suzuki
(Serial killer)
Birthdate: 1969 AD
Birthplace: Nogata, Fukuoka, Japan
Died: August 2, 2019
Birthdate: 1963 AD
Birthplace: Dublin, Ireland
Birthdate: August 8, 1929
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Stockwell, Lambeth, London, England
Died: December 18, 2013
Birthdate: September 21, 1705
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Hempstead, United Kingdom
Died: April 7, 1739
Birthdate: January 15, 1870
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Sinaloa, Mexico
Died: May 3, 1909
44
Muktar Said Ibrahim
(Involvement in the attempted 21 July attacks on London's public transport system in 2005)
Birthdate: January 24, 1978
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Eritrea
Birthdate: January 1, 1880
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Washington, USA
Died: October 7, 1911
Elmer McCurdy was a bank and train robber. Born to an unwed teenage mother, he struggled a lot in his early life and took to a life of crime. He was a heavy drinker and often sabotaged his gang’s robberies. He was killed in a shootout after robbing a Katy Train in Oklahoma in October 1911.
46
Roberto Solis
(Nicaraguan Criminal & Convicted Murderer)
Birthdate: 1945 AD
Birthplace: Nicaragua
Roberto Solis is a Nicaraguan criminal, armored car robber, and convicted murderer. He is also known for writing poetry while spending time in prison. He spent 23 years in prison for killing a security guard named Louis Dake. Roberto Solis was given parole in 1992 and has been missing since 1993.
47
Vincenzo Peruggia
(Italian Museum Worker Best Known for Stealing the 'Mona Lisa' Painting on 21 August 1911)
Birthdate: October 8, 1881
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Dumenza, Varese, Italy
Died: October 8, 1925
Known as the man who stole the Mona Lisa, La Giaconda was an amateur artist and a worker at the Louvre. Though he hid the painting in his apartment in Paris and then took it to Florence, he failed to sell it, and was eventually caught by the police after 2 years.
48
Caryl Chessman
(American Convicted Robber, Kidnapper and Rapist)
Birthdate: May 27, 1921
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: St. Joseph, Michigan, United States
Died: May 2, 1960
Caryl Chessman was a convicted criminal who was sentenced to death for a series of crimes he committed, including robbery, kidnapping, and rape. He had a difficult childhood and resorted to crimes as a young man. He joined a gang and committed a series of crimes with them before being arrested. He was executed in 1960.
49
Sam Bass
(American Train Robber and Outlaw Gang Leader)
Birthdate: July 21, 1851
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Mitchell, Indiana, United States
Died: July 21, 1878
Sam Bass was a 19th-century train robber and outlaw. Having lost his parents as a child, he lived with an uncle for a few years before leaving home. He started doing odd jobs but was dissatisfied with the pay. So, he took to a life of crime and participated in numerous train robberies. He was killed by the lawmen.
Birthdate: May 19, 1943
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Greenwich Village, New York, United States