Who Said I Rob Banks Because That's Where The Money Is

For the American football game role player, see Will Sutton.

American banking company robber

Willie Sutton
FBI 10 Most Wanted Fugitive
Charges	Bank robbery
Description
Born	William Francis Sutton Jr. (1901-06-30)June 30, 1901 Brooklyn, New York
Died	Nov ii, 1980(1980-11-02) (aged 79) Bound Hill, Florida
Status
Added	March xx, 1950
Caught	February 1952
Number	eleven
Captured

William Francis Sutton Jr. (June xxx, 1901 – November two, 1980) was an American depository financial institution robber.^[1] During his xl-twelvemonth robbery career he stole an estimated $two million, and he somewhen spent more than half of his adult life in prison and escaped three times. For his talent at executing robberies in disguises, he gained two nicknames, "Willie the Actor" and "Slick Willie". Sutton is likewise known as the namesake of the so-chosen Sutton'due south law although he denied originating it.^[2]

Early life [edit]

Sutton was born into an Irish gaelic-American family on June thirty, 1901 in Brooklyn, New York to William Francis Sutton Sr., a blacksmith, and Mary Ellen Bowles.^[3] His family unit lived on the corner of Gilt and Nassau Streets in the neighborhood of Irishtown, Brooklyn, now called Vinegar Hill. According to his biography, Where the Money Was, at the age of three the family relocated to Loftier Street. His female parent was, co-ordinate to the biography, born in Ireland; nevertheless, according to the 1910 U.S. Census, she was built-in in Maryland and her parents were born in Republic of ireland. By 1910, she had given birth to v children, of whom three were still alive. According to the 1910 Demography, his maternal grandfather, James Bowles, and his two maternal uncles were besides living with the family. Sutton was the fourth of v children, and did not attend schoolhouse later the 8th form.^{[four] [five]}

Career in crime [edit]

Sutton became a criminal at an early on age, though throughout his professional person criminal career, he did not kill anyone. He was described past Mafioso Donald Frankos as "a little bright-eyed guy, just 5'vii" and always talking, chain-smoking ... cigarettes with Balderdash Durham tobacco." Frankos stated also that Sutton "dispensed mounds of legal advice" to whatever convict willing to mind. Inmates considered Sutton a "wise onetime head" in the prison population. When incarcerated at "The Tombs" (Manhattan Business firm of Detention) he did non have to worry about assault because Mafia friends protected him. In chat with Donald Frankos he would sadly reminisce about the 1920s and 1930s when he was most active in robbing banks and would always tell beau convicts that in his stance, during the days of Al Capone and Charles Luciano, better known equally Lucky Luciano, the criminals were the bloodiest. Gangsters from the fourth dimension flow, and many incarcerated organized crime inmates, enjoyed having Sutton for companionship. He was witty and not-violent. Frankos declared that Sutton made legendary bank thieves Jesse James and John Dillinger seem like amateurs.^[half-dozen]

Sutton was an accomplished banking concern robber. He unremarkably carried a pistol or a Thompson submachine gun. "You lot can't rob a bank on charm and personality," he one time observed. In an interview in the Reader's Digest published shortly before his death, Sutton was asked if the guns that he used in his robberies were loaded. He responded that he never carried a loaded gun because somebody might get hurt. He stole from the rich and kept it, though public stance later on made him into a type of admirer thief, like Robin Hood. He allegedly never robbed a bank when a woman screamed or a babe cried.^[vii]

Sutton was captured and recommitted in June 1931, charged with set on and robbery. He failed to complete his xxx-year sentence however, escaping on December 11, 1932, using a smuggled gun and holding a prison guard earnest. With the guard as leverage, Sutton acquired a 45-ft (thirteen.5 meter) ladder to scale the 30-ft (nine meter) wall of the prison house grounds.^[8]

On Feb 15, 1933, Sutton attempted to rob the Corn Exchange Bank and Trust Visitor in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He came in disguised as a postman, simply an alert passerby foiled the crime. Sutton escaped. On January 15, 1934, he and two companions broke into the same bank through a skylight.^{[ citation needed ]}

The FBI record observes:

Sutton besides conducted a Broadway jewelry store robbery in broad daylight, impersonating a postal telegraph messenger. Sutton's other disguises included a police officer, messenger and maintenance man. He usually arrived at banks or stores shortly before they opened for business.

Sutton was apprehended on February five, 1934, and was sentenced to serve 25 to 50 years in the Eastern Country Penitentiary in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, for the machine gun robbery of the Corn Substitution Bank. On April 3, 1945, Sutton was one of 12 convicts who escaped the institution through a tunnel. The convicts bankrupt through to the other side during daylight hours, and were spotted immediately past a passing police patrol. The 12 men were forced to chop-chop abscond the scene, with all existence chop-chop apprehended.^[9] Sutton was recaptured the same day by Philadelphia police officer Mark Kehoe.

Sentenced to life imprisonment as a fourth time offender, Sutton was transferred to the Philadelphia Canton Prison, Holmesburg department of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. On February 10, 1947, Sutton and other prisoners dressed equally prison guards carried two ladders beyond the prison house yard to the wall later dark. When the prison house'due south searchlights hit him, Sutton yelled, "It's all right!" No one stopped him.^[2]

On March 20, 1950, Sutton was the eleventh listed of the FBI's FBI 10 Most Wanted Fugitives, created only a week before, on March fourteen.^{[ citation needed ]}

During February 1952, Sutton was captured by police after having been recognized on a subway and followed past Arnold Schuster, a 24-year-old Brooklyn wearable salesman and amateur detective. Schuster later appeared on tv set and described how he had assisted in Sutton'due south apprehension. Albert Anastasia, Mafia boss of the Gambino crime family, disliked Schuster because he was a "rat" and a "squealer". Co-ordinate to Mafia renegade and first major authorities informant, Joe Valachi, Anastasia ordered the murder of Schuster, who was and so shot dead outside his home on March 9, 1952.

Approximate Peter T. Farrell presided over a 1952 trial in which Sutton was convicted of the 1950 robbery of $63,942 (equal to $720,166 soon) from a bank of the Manufacturers Trust Company in Sunnyside, Queens. He received a sentence of 30 to 120 years in Attica Land Prison.^[10]

In December of 1969, Farrell ruled that Sutton'south adept behavior, forth with his deteriorating health, justified commuting his sentence to fourth dimension served. At the hearing Sutton responded, "Thanks, your Honor. God bless yous," and wept every bit he was led out of the court building.

Later his release, Sutton delivered lectures on prison reform and consulted with banks on theft-deterrent techniques. He made a television commercial for New United kingdom of great britain and northern ireland Bank and Trust Company in Connecticut for their credit card with movie identification on it. His lines were, "They call it the 'face card.' Now when I say I'1000 Willie Sutton, people believe me."^[11]

Personal life and death [edit]

Sutton married Louise Leudemann in 1929. She divorced him while he was in jail. Their daughter Jeanie was born the next year. His 2nd wife was Olga Kowalska, whom he married during 1933. His longest period of (legal) employment lasted for 18 months.^{[ citation needed ]}

A serial of decisions past the U.s.a. Supreme Court during the 1960s resulted in his release on Christmas Eve, 1969, from Attica State Prison. He was in ill health at the fourth dimension, suffering from emphysema and in demand of an operation on the arteries of his legs.^{[ citation needed ]}

Sutton died in 1980 at the age of 79; before this, he had spent his last years with his sister in Spring Hill, Florida.^[12] He frequented the Jump Hill Restaurant where he kept to himself. Afterwards Sutton's death, his family arranged a quiet burial in Brooklyn in the family unit plot.

"Sutton'south law" [edit]

A famous counterfeit story is that Sutton was asked by reporter Mitch Ohnstad why he robbed banks. According to Ohnstad, he replied, "Because that'due south where the coin is". The quote evolved into Sutton's police force, which is often invoked to medical students as a metaphor for emphasizing the most likely diagnosis, rather than wasting time and money investigating every conceivable possibility.

In his autobiography, Sutton denied originating the pithy rejoinder:

The irony of using a bank robber's maxim as an instrument for education medicine is compounded, I will now confess, by the fact that I never said it. The credit belongs to some enterprising reporter who apparently felt a demand to fill out his copy. I can't even call back where I showtime read it. It only seemed to announced one solar day, and then it was everywhere. If everyone had asked me, I'd have probably said it. That's what almost anybody would say ... information technology couldn't be more obvious.

However, he also said:

Why did I rob banks? Because I enjoyed information technology. I loved it. I was more live when I was inside a bank, robbing it, than at any other time in my life. I enjoyed everything about it so much that 1 or two weeks later I'd exist out looking for the side by side job. But to me the coin was the fries, that's all.^[2]

The Redlands Daily Facts published the earliest documented example of Sutton's law on March 15, 1952 in Redlands, California.^[13]

A corollary, the "Willie Sutton rule," used in direction bookkeeping, stipulates that activity-based costing (in which activities are prioritized by necessity, and budgeted accordingly) should be applied where the greatest costs occur, because that is where the greatest savings can be found.^[14]

References [edit]

1. ^ "Willie Sutton". Federal Bureau of Investigation . Retrieved 2020-ten-12 .
2. ^ ^{a b c} Sutton W, Linn E: Where the Money Was: The Memoirs of a Bank Robber. Viking Press (1976), p. 160. ISBN 067076115X
3. ^ Henstell, Bruce (1999). "Sutton, Willie (1901-1980), banking concern robber". American National Biography (online ed.). New York: Oxford University Press. doi:ten.1093/anb/9780198606697.article.2001447. (subscription required)
4. ^ 1905 N.Y.S. Census
5. ^ 1910 U.S. Census
6. ^ Hoffman, William; Headley, Lake (1992). Contract Killer: The Explosive Story of the Mafia's Most Notorious Hitman -- Donald "Tony the Greek" Frankos . New York City: Thunder'southward Oral cavity Press. pp. 116–118. ISBN9781560250456.
7. ^ Walsh, Anthony; Jorgensen, Cody (2017). Criminology: The Essentials. SAGE Publications. ISBN9781506372020.
8. ^ "Sing Sing's notorious escapes".
9. ^ Linn, Edward; Sutton, William (2004). Where the Money Was: The Memoirs of a Bank Robber (Library of Larceny). Broadway Books. ISBN9780767916325.
10. ^ Step, Eric (Nov 10, 1992). "Peter T. Farrell, 91; Judge Who Presided At the Sutton Trial". The New York Times. Accessed October 11, 2009.
11. ^ "Business: Willie Sutton, Bankers' Friend". Time. Oct 26, 1970.
12. ^ Lawrence Block (2004). Gangsters, Swindlers, Killers, and Thieves: The Lives and Crimes of Fifty American Villains. OUP United states of america. p. 219. ISBN0195169522.
13. ^ Mikkelson, David (Nov 14, 2008). "Willie Sutton – 'That'south Where the Money Is'". Snopes . Retrieved July 28, 2015.
14. ^ Cost and Effect, Kaplan, R.S. and Cooper, R., Harvard Business organization Schoolhouse Printing, Boston MA, 1998, ISBN 0-87584-788-9

Further reading [edit]

• Hoffman, William; Headley, Lake (1992). Contract Killer: The Explosive Story of the Mafia'southward About Notorious Hitman -- Donald "Tony the Greek" Frankos . New York City: Thunder's Mouth Press. ISBN9781560250456.
• Moehringer, JR. Sutton. Thorndike Press (2012). ISBN 1410451119. (Biography)
• Duffy, Peter (February 17, 2002). "Willie Sutton, Urbane Scoundrel". New York Times.

External links [edit]

• FBI website entry on William Sutton
• 'Willie Sutton Is Dead At 79', New York Times obituary, Nov 19, 1980

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Willie_Sutton

Posted by: hyltontiese1993.blogspot.com

Share this post