1: An imperfect crime

Many years after the heist, the man behind it makes his confession. Is it the whole truth? Father Pat and Sam emerge on the far side of the Brinks story, but questions and unknowns remain.

The four accused men prepare to face trial together, but cracks begin to appear in the relationship between Father Pat and Sam Millar. The prosecution sets up their case, but do they have enough hard evidence to convince the jury? The trial becomes a major news story, with media watching every move and Father Pat happy to declare his innocence publicly. As the start date nears there is cause for concern on all sides, as Sam and Pat fight for their freedom and the FBI fight to prove they have unraveled the Brinks mystery.

The apartment becomes the focus, for Sam and Pat, and for the FBI. As the investigators try to get closer to the suspects, and the millions, they hear something that makes them think the time to make their move could be running out.

As the FBI watch Sam Millar they start looking closely at the priest he has been meeting with, Father Patrick Moloney. And he is no ordinary priest. For Moloney, the story of the Brinks is just the latest in a lifetime of remarkable events. The investigation into the heist intensifies, but months after the robbery the FBI are still no closer to the cash. A change in routine could offer them the breakthrough they've been waiting for.

The FBI’s search for Sam Millar leads them to New York City. Surveillance agents begin scouring the streets of Queens to find the fugitive Irishman, and as they close in on Sam what they find takes them by surprise, as comic books take centre stage in the Brinks investigation, and an Irish priest appears on the scene.

As the FBI hunt for the Brinks thieves, they know there is one lead they have to track down: Sam Millar. But Sam is very different to most people they track down. His story takes us back to the days of the Troubles in Northern Ireland, through years imprisoned in the notorious H Blocks of Long Kesh and the Blanket protests, and a daring entry to the United States.

On an icy night in January, 1993, masked gunmen walk into a Brinks vault in Rochester, New York. They leave with $7.4m in cash and a hostage. It was one of the largest heists in American history. But was this the work of criminal masterminds, or something very different? As police arrive on the scene they find some interesting clues, and an early hunch for investigators could prove critical.

What do an Irish priest, an IRA man turned comic book dealer, and a retired New York cop have in common? In 1993, they were implicated in one of the biggest heists in American history, the theft of $7.4m in cash from a Brinks vault in New York. This GoLoud Original podcast chronicles the remarkable story of the 1993 Rochester Brinks heist, bringing us inside the FBI hunt for those responsible, and on an epic journey from the IRA Blanket Protests of Long Kesh prison to the underground casinos of Manhattan, the world of comic books, and into the lives of the fascinating cast of characters who make up this incredible tale. First episodes available February 23rd, with new episodes available weekly.