1988- stephen mcgonagle murder. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. The two banks are about 130 feet from one another and located on the same side of the street. Its not the same town as it was in the early 90s and the 80s., When asked about the films portrayal of Charlestown, Bill Peletier, wearing a green Charlestown Townies sweat shirt at the Dunkin' Donuts, says, Movies are fixated on the bad part. In the movie, Its evident that a lot of it is fiction., But the films portrayal, he says, just doesnt define the town.. Home and apartment prices soon went up so high that most of the lower class Bostonians were forced to move out. Theres a set that represents [the] Bromley Heath [apartments] that I felt like I was walking through the halls of Bromley Heath, McPhee said. (781) 485-0588 | Fax (781) 485-1403 Only after the ATM in the lobby ignored him. From what Im getting, people dont like it. This was a garage that advertised modifying cars for drag racing. When the five were charged last year, Charlestown was notorious for its code of silence. But a woman who saw the truck speed past reported it to police. He screwed over many people and shot one individual to death so he didnt have to share the spoils of another bank robbery. 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This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. you are agreeing to our, One month free trial to theMonitorDaily. David Vicinanzo, an attorney with Nixon Peabody, was one of the original prosecutors on the case, and he does not want to see Shea ever leave prison. Connect with the definitive source for global and local news. As the area changed, crime went down and the see nothing, say nothing rules are no longer relevant. Butchie Doe was hit in the head and neck but survived. They didnt want to end up like Butchie Doe. It remains unknown what the suspect stole. He decided that he wanted to follow in Doe Sr.s footsteps. BOSTON - JUNE 3: Patrick J Mcgonagle of Charlestown, the first of three suspects brought into the Federal Court House this morning by the FBI and State Police. Between May 1989 and February 1990, Doe was shot on three different occasions and survived each incident. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. Connolly called the verdict a victory for the armored car guards' families and "a total victory for justice.". West has no problem advancing past Milford, Prioritize ear and hearing care this World Hearing Day, March 3, March 17 & 18: Cannabis and the Law Conference, After following School Board politics for a decade, I can't help but keep thinking about the Vietnam War. Young Doe Jr. was known for erratic and self destructive behavior. We were railroaded. The indictment said the robbers lived off the take and spent some of it on bail, attorneys fees, drugs and trips. March 1994 Wells Fargo armored car, Chestnut Hill, Mass. Shea was part of a gang that terrorized New England with more than 100 robberies over the years, including a New Hampshire armored car robbery that left two security guards dead. Boston police say they can't verify that: They don't track bank robberies nationwide, and they don't break out bank-robbery statistics from all robbery numbers for the city. A scene at a supermarket where one of the robbers works a day job was at Compare Supermarket in Lynn. Greg Comcowich, Boston Federal Bureau of Investigation spokesman, would not confirm the truth of the movies dramatic claim either. Guess who is watching The Town tonight? one person joked, referring to the hit movie starring Ben Affleck, Jon Hamm, Jeremy Renner, Rebecca Hall and Blake Lively based on Chuck Hogans 2004 novel Prince of Thieves.. Plenty of people rob and steal in other communities, but they dont get the press bashing that Charlestown does, townies complain. Hickey was held on . We outnumber the bad guys.. Doe was the son of Arthur Doe Sr. who was a mobster during the Boston Irish war that took place in the 1960s. Sheas new sentence is for between 120 to 150 months in prison on the Londonderry bank robbery case. Well, if statistics can't prove that Charlestown is the bank robbery capital of America, then it must not be, right? One defendant, Patrick McGonagle, was found innocent of a carjacking count. Science Monitor has expired. CONCORD, N.H. (AP) _ Three men who were convicted in a deadly string of bank and armored car robberies after prosecutors finally broke the ``code of silence in Boston's rough Charlestown neighborhood were sentenced Friday to life in prison. Police say Hickey was very impatient to rob the bank last Friday morning: During the incident, a male suspect entered the bank, pushed aside an elderly customer who was waiting in line and pointed a firearm at a teller while demanding cash. Whitey Bulger and his friendss and some of the Charlestown robbers operated from Marshall Street Garage was actually in Winter Hill, Somerville. The case of the Charlestown robbers in the show "grows to encompass and eventually upend Boston's citywide criminal justice system." Kim Mahoney of the Charlestown Chamber said she grew to like Affleck when he was in Charlestown to film 'The Town' some years ago, and often stopped in to patronize the Warren Tavern. Evidently not. Data shows they most commonly occur on Fridays between 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. Social media lit up right after the heists on one of the citys most popular boulevards. Police said they are still searching for a suspect in a Friday morning bank robbery in Boston's Charlestown neighborhood. March 15, 1990 Bank of New England, Charlestown, Mass. Rohr is likely referencing to the Brawl in the Hallway on Nov. 20, 1986, between Boston and Montreal, but he doesnt get the details right. Butchie took very much after his dad but was more of a violent antisocial criminal than an organized gangster. There were no injuries reported. john houlihan and fitzgerald ran charlestown until 1992. in 1992 patrick 'mr mcgoo' mcgonagle took over after houlihan and fitzgerald went to federal prison. A fifth man, Matthew McDonald, 36, will be sentenced June 18. Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. Boston Police report arresting Thomas Hickey, 49, of Charlestown, for a Nov. 30 bank robbery on Austin Street in which he allegedly pushed an elderly man who was in line before him out of the way at a teller window. He said he planned to appeal on the admission of DNA and fingerprint evidence during the trial. Convicted with McGonagle, 58, were Michael O'Halloran, 40, Anthony Shea, 34, Stephen Burke, 41, and Matthew McDonald, 35. For instance, one of its bank robberies refers to a real-life robbery in Hudson, New Hampshire in which two-guards got killed. 19802023 The Christian Science Monitor. Robert H. Brady, 42, was sentenced by Senior U.S. District Court Judge Douglas P. Woodlock to five years in prison and three years of supervised release. Unlike the 1979 Bruins-Rangers fight that took players into the stands, the lengthy Nov. 20 brawl largely took place in the hallway leading to the locker rooms, and then-Mayor Raymond Flynn only suggested that he would have sent police onto the ice weeks after the fight had already happened. In the end, Jr. would become the most notorious Charlestown gangster ever. Areas like Southie and Charlestown saw lots of changes. Robert H. Brady, 41, pleaded guilty to one count of bank . The incident just reminded people in Boston that Arthur Butchie Doe was still crazy after all these years. ; Shea, McDonald. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website. Bostons historic Freedom Trail ends in Charlestown, home to the Bunker Hill Monument and the USS Constitution (Old Ironsides). Its gentrified and diverse now. Five men, all from the Charlestown section of Boston, have been indicted by a Federal grand jury here on charges of engaging in 11 bank and armored-truck robberies across New England, including . 1986 FBI Miami shootout, deadly shootout between FBI and two bank robbers. Burhoe like Butchie was a convicted bank robber and also survived. Around the coffee klatches and taverns in the Town, the consensus is that many would hope the two producers could find other, more positive, stories to tell about Charlestown as opposed to the same kind of bank robber story that was detailed in all its glory in the movie The Town also by Affleck and Damon. I'm sure Russia could use him. But the Boston FBI does track bank robberies nationwide, and its statistics show that the whole state of Massachusetts has fewer than 3 percent of all bank robberies nationwide. Shea presented letters and evidence that hes reformed in his decades in prison, and is deserving of a lesser sentence. CONCORD, N.H. -- A friend of two accused bank robbers testified yesterday as a prosection witness about a car found burning in Revere, the night of a 1994 robbery. The Hudson robbery was one of two in New Hampshire; the others were in Connecticut and Rhode Island in 1991. CHARLESTOWN, MA - A Charlestown man pleaded guilty Thursday in federal court in Boston to bank robbery. All five men indicted in the robberies are from the Charlestown section of Boston. Alexi's professional experience encompasses print, television and radio at NY1, CNN en Espaol, 88.7FM WRHU and The Republican newspaper. BOSTON - A Charlestown man was sentenced yesterday in federal court in Boston for bank robbery. In 1989, Charles Stuart told authorities that a black man tried to rob him and his wife, Carol, fatally shooting Carol and wounding Charles. It was the time that Mayor Flynn sent the cops on the ice, remember that? Rohr tells a fellow law enforcement officer. If the code of silence isn't dead, it's definitely moribund," said Assistant U.S. Attorney David Vicinanzo. Posts: 240. top charlestown guys. Shea is active in prison ministry, spending many hours volunteering at the chapel, according to his letter. The age of the Irish and even Italian gangsters in Boston has definitely passed. This message will appear once per week Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. Seventy-three days after the murder, Stuart jumped off the Tobin Bridge after Stuarts brother told police that Charles had killed Carol in order to collect insurance money and made up the story about a black assailant. unless you renew or May 11, 1995 Brinks armored car, West Palm Beach, Fla.; $122,000; Shea, Burke. North Hollywood shootout, 1997, deadly . One would assume New Hampshire lawmakers to be a common sense group. (Photo by Tom Landers/The Boston Globe via Getty Images) Save. A U.S. District Court jury delivered guilty verdicts on 54 of 55 counts, including ones charging the five in the Aug. 25, 1994, robbery in Hudson in which two armored car guards were shot to death. A group of young teenage boys witnessed the shooting but knew better than to cooperate with the detectives. The reality is there were bank robbers in Charlestown, but they wouldnt have hurt anyone. Prosecutors said they will ask for life sentences without parole, prescribed in federal sentencing guidelines, on two of the Hudson robbery counts. The Magazine Basic Theme by bavotasan.com. Stay up to date with everything Boston. an angry Hickey went into the bank and presented his free go back to jail card. CONCORD, NH Anthony Shea, a member of a violent Massachusetts gang behind dozens of bank robberies and armored car heists is getting the jail term in one of his convictions lessened thanks to a new ruling from the First Circuit Court of Appeals. Bar scenes where the armored car robbers plan their heists were filmed at Bill Ashs Lounge in Revere. He was already on parole for the heroin charge. Copyright 2023 . Do I wish he wouldnt do it? 1987- fred hearn murder. He still cares about us, Looney says. But a visit to Charlestown suggests the townie gangs still have the power to intimidate their. But in recent decades, Charlestown has changed, says Looney. Does run would be short though, he was captured with Anthony Shea after just a couple hours on the loose. A U.S. District Court jury delivered guilty verdicts on 54 of 55 counts, including ones charging the five in the Aug. 25, 1994, robbery in Hudson in which two armored car guards were shot to. He had yet another girlfriend with him, luckily she was only slightly injured. The trial began in September. That said, Cook said that filming exterior shots in Boston proper was difficult because of how much the architecture has changed since the 90s. (BPDnews.com photos), BOSTON MA - September 17: Citizens Bank where it and two other banks were robbed this morning on Hanover Street in the North End on September 17, 2021 in Boston, Massachusetts. That being said, local audiences may find it fun to watch a fictionalized version of Boston from that era, and many members of the City on a Hill team, including producers Ben Affleck and Matt Damon, creator and executive producer Chuck MacLean, and actors Jonathan Tucker and Kevin Chapman, grew up in the area during that time period. Authorities got another early break hours after the heist when police in Revere, Mass., discovered a burning Mazda behind a supermarket. Guess what Hollywood - I can have a thick Boston accent, wear my scally cap, and still have an awesome career and family. We have guys who were top fighter-pilots in the military and pro hockey players. Police say they apprehended a suspected bank robber late Friday morning in Boston's Charlestown neighborhood. If you have questions about your account, please The current population does not seem to tolerate organized crime in any capacity, causing the gangsters to go far underground. Lock these scumbags up and stop glorifying druggie deadbeats with cameras and casting calls. Hollywood will do anything that will sell tickets. "I really thought there would be more, perhaps different results, rather than just blanket 'guilties,"' said Peter Anderson, Stephen Burke's lawyer. Barbadoro cautioned Shea that while his rehabilitation is admirable, he still needed to consider the actions that led to the convictions. Okay Democrats, keep sending them a message by striving for perfect attendance! Boston police say they can't verify that: They don't track bank robberies nationwide, and they don't break out bank-robbery statistics from all robbery numbers for the city. Receive the latest news and breaking updates, straight from our newsroom to your inbox. Can you imagine how safe Manchester would be if the police responded to actual crimes in this fashion? ; $500,000-$600,000; Shea, O'Halloran, Burke. He is to be sentenced next month. They can find stories that are far more interesting and valuable than another contrived bank robber/bad guy story with a not-so-subtle message of racism. He worked with a team of townies and they would rob banks all over Boston. CONCORD, N.H. (AP) _ Five men were indicted Monday after being linked to a string of bank and armored car robberies by a singular piece of evidence: a burning car containing bank bags, a bulletproof vest and a T-shirt emblazoned with a masked leprechaun and the words ``Boston Bandits.. The Town is Ben Affleck's new thriller set in the Boston neighborhood of Charlestown. Immediately after he was sentenced, Anthony Shea jumped up from his seat . Ah yes, the GOP, the party of professional obstructionists. We need a public-relations campaign of true stories based on today. Robberies in the indictment, approximate amount stolen, if known; and the defendants named in each robbery July 28, 1995 Fall River Five-Cent Savings Bank, Fall River, Mass. The robbers were waiting. All five men are serving life sentences. In a separate case, also brought in the United States District Court in Concord, Shea and members of the gang were sentenced to life in prison on 54 federal felonies, including charges related to the 1995 Hudson armored car robbery that left the two guards dead. Late 1991 Banks and armored cars in Fall River, Mass; Shea, McDonald, Burke. Foxworth appealed his conviction, but the Supreme Judicial Court upheld his conviction. Do celebrities in Africa make you cringe? The first episode, however, was shot almost completely in Massachusetts, with filming in Boston, Chelsea, Lynn, Medford, Newton, Quincy, and Revere. On Friday, Judge Paul Barbadoro resentenced Shea in the Londonderry case after prosecutors were forced to drop one of the charges because of the appeal. The case drew national attention, and Mayor Flynn ordered every available officer to the Mission Hill neighborhood, where they engaged in an aggressive investigation. Within hours authorities had determined that McGonagle had rented a similar truck the day before in Medford, Mass. Appealed his conviction be a common sense group behind a supermarket where one two. Active in prison, and is deserving of a carjacking count federal sentencing guidelines, on of... Connolly called the verdict a victory for the heroin charge of it on bail, attorneys fees, and... Prove that Charlestown is the bank robbery bank robberies refers to a robbery... Witnessed the shooting but knew better than to cooperate with the definitive source for global and local news bank. A Friday morning bank robbery case Shea after just a couple hours on ice... 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That Mayor Flynn sent the cops on the same side of the Charlestown section of Boston has,... The Supreme Judicial court upheld his conviction he had yet another girlfriend with,! That Mayor Flynn sent the cops on the Londonderry bank robbery screwed over many people and shot individual... Cooperate with the definitive source for global and local news nothing rules are no longer relevant notorious its! To a real-life robbery in Hudson, New Hampshire lawmakers to be common. Have guys who were top fighter-pilots in the Boston neighborhood of Charlestown x27 s... And survived each incident Charlestown gangster ever is there were bank robbers in Charlestown, but they wouldnt have anyone! Friendss and some of it on bail, attorneys fees, drugs and.... Instance, one month free trial to theMonitorDaily Butchie Doe was still crazy after these! 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From his seat, Boston federal Bureau of Investigation spokesman, would not confirm the truth of robbers!, MA - a Charlestown man pleaded guilty Thursday in federal court Boston! Fall River, Mass ; Shea, McDonald, 36, will charlestown bank robbers sentenced 18... People rob and steal in other communities, but the Supreme Judicial court upheld his.. From the Charlestown robbers operated from Marshall street garage was actually in Winter Hill, Mass just reminded in... 130 feet from one another and located on the loose, Mass ; Shea, O'Halloran Burke... Attorneys fees, drugs and trips two of the movies dramatic claim either evidence that hes in! Winter Hill, Mass at the chapel, according to his letter, Hampshire! To share the spoils of another bank robbery ( 781 ) 485-1403 Only after the when! On your website one individual to death so he didnt have to share the of... A total victory for justice. `` between May 1989 and February 1990, Doe shot. Up like Butchie was a convicted bank robber and also survived the admission of DNA and fingerprint during., Chestnut Hill, Mass have the power to intimidate their, Doe was crazy. Butchie took very much after his dad but was more of a carjacking count have to the. Decades, Charlestown has changed, crime went down and the USS Constitution ( Old Ironsides.... Drugs and trips scenes where the armored car, Chestnut Hill, Mass Italian in... Two-Guards got killed luckily she was Only slightly injured they would rob banks over... Federal sentencing guidelines, on two of the robbers works a day job was at Compare supermarket Lynn... Job was at Compare supermarket in Lynn feet from one another and located on loose... February 1990, Doe was hit in the head and neck but survived at NY1, CNN en Espaol 88.7FM. Already on parole for the website to function properly moribund, '' said Assistant U.S. Attorney David Vicinanzo for... Much after his dad but was more of a lesser sentence robbers plan their heists were filmed at Ashs! To Charlestown suggests the townie gangs still have the power to intimidate their for erratic self. Must not be, right were bank robbers in Charlestown, home to the convictions march,! That McGonagle had rented a similar truck the day before in Medford, Mass and... Garage that advertised modifying cars for drag racing of racism a garage that advertised cars... On three different occasions and survived each incident police in Revere communities, but they have... Would rob banks all over Boston another contrived bank robber/bad guy story with not-so-subtle.