1 00:00:02,080 --> 00:00:09,119 Speaker 1: Welcome to brain Stuff from How Stuff Works. Hey everybody, 2 00:00:09,160 --> 00:00:12,800 Speaker 1: I'm Christian Sager. Welcome to brain Stuff. Little note first, 3 00:00:12,880 --> 00:00:15,760 Speaker 1: I only agreed to do this episode about bank robbing 4 00:00:16,000 --> 00:00:18,560 Speaker 1: if I could make references to all of my favorite 5 00:00:18,600 --> 00:00:21,960 Speaker 1: heist films. We've all seen bank robberies in movies like 6 00:00:22,000 --> 00:00:24,840 Speaker 1: Point Break or Heat, and I'll admit I've got a 7 00:00:24,880 --> 00:00:27,240 Speaker 1: little bit of an addiction to the video game pay 8 00:00:27,360 --> 00:00:31,280 Speaker 1: Day two. But moral quandries aside, bank robbers have often 9 00:00:31,360 --> 00:00:36,880 Speaker 1: been romanticized throughout history, especially during times of economic instability. 10 00:00:37,320 --> 00:00:40,600 Speaker 1: Just think of Bonnie and Clyde, John Dillinger, and Jesse James. 11 00:00:40,920 --> 00:00:43,560 Speaker 1: So it's no wonder that across the United States, people 12 00:00:43,600 --> 00:00:47,320 Speaker 1: from various walks of life have occasionally thought, why shouldn't 13 00:00:47,360 --> 00:00:50,560 Speaker 1: I rob a bank? Let me stop you right there, slick. 14 00:00:50,840 --> 00:00:53,400 Speaker 1: There are several reasons you shouldn't, even if you think 15 00:00:53,440 --> 00:00:58,280 Speaker 1: you have the perfect plan. First, it is dangerous. Completely 16 00:00:58,320 --> 00:01:02,240 Speaker 1: innocent people could and do die in robberies. Criminals in 17 00:01:02,280 --> 00:01:05,839 Speaker 1: this town used to believe in things on her respect. 18 00:01:06,120 --> 00:01:10,199 Speaker 1: And it's also obviously illegal, not some wishy washy blue 19 00:01:10,280 --> 00:01:12,839 Speaker 1: law kind of illegal like selling beer on a Sunday. Either, 20 00:01:12,920 --> 00:01:16,240 Speaker 1: it is a straight up felony. The average sentence for 21 00:01:16,280 --> 00:01:19,280 Speaker 1: federal bank robbery, which means robbing any f D I 22 00:01:19,360 --> 00:01:23,080 Speaker 1: C member bank, can vary widely depending on several factors. 23 00:01:23,480 --> 00:01:26,680 Speaker 1: In the US, these factors are outlined under Title eighteen, 24 00:01:26,840 --> 00:01:30,320 Speaker 1: Section two one one three of the Federal Sentencing Guidelines. 25 00:01:30,720 --> 00:01:33,479 Speaker 1: Was anyone injured? How much money did the criminals take? 26 00:01:33,560 --> 00:01:36,640 Speaker 1: Were weapons involved? These factors add up quickly, and when 27 00:01:36,640 --> 00:01:39,440 Speaker 1: the robbers are caught, they can be looking at decades 28 00:01:39,520 --> 00:01:42,520 Speaker 1: in jail. Not to mention the findes. Notice that I 29 00:01:42,600 --> 00:01:46,200 Speaker 1: said when they're caught, not if that's the second thing. 30 00:01:46,280 --> 00:01:48,720 Speaker 1: If you rub a bank, you will probably get caught. 31 00:01:48,960 --> 00:01:52,400 Speaker 1: According to the Department of Justice, the FBI's clearance rank 32 00:01:52,480 --> 00:01:56,240 Speaker 1: for a bank robbery is nearly sixty and about half 33 00:01:56,280 --> 00:01:59,320 Speaker 1: of those are solved within thirty days. It makes sense 34 00:01:59,360 --> 00:02:01,920 Speaker 1: when you think of about the typical bank robbery. Of 35 00:02:01,960 --> 00:02:05,320 Speaker 1: the five thousand and fourteen US bank robberies that took 36 00:02:05,400 --> 00:02:09,480 Speaker 1: place in eleven most occurred during the day, meaning there 37 00:02:09,480 --> 00:02:13,320 Speaker 1: were multiple witnesses. The police are notified as quickly as possible, 38 00:02:13,360 --> 00:02:17,040 Speaker 1: and it is a safe bet that there's photographic evidence too. 39 00:02:17,200 --> 00:02:20,000 Speaker 1: Tuesdays and Fridays are the most popular days of the 40 00:02:20,040 --> 00:02:23,760 Speaker 1: week for a bank robbery, and most robbers are total amateurs. 41 00:02:23,960 --> 00:02:27,200 Speaker 1: More than eighty percent have no prior convictions for bank crime, 42 00:02:27,440 --> 00:02:31,720 Speaker 1: and eight percent operate alone using predictable patterns. These guys 43 00:02:31,800 --> 00:02:34,160 Speaker 1: don't imagine a fellow smarter than themselves and try to 44 00:02:34,200 --> 00:02:38,120 Speaker 1: think what would he do. These criminals are often apprehended 45 00:02:38,200 --> 00:02:40,720 Speaker 1: on the same day of the robbery, and banks are 46 00:02:40,840 --> 00:02:45,000 Speaker 1: full of strategies for catching them, including exploding die packs. 47 00:02:45,600 --> 00:02:47,600 Speaker 1: But let's say you've already thought of that, right. You've 48 00:02:47,600 --> 00:02:50,440 Speaker 1: seen heist films like Oceans eleven or The Joker Heist 49 00:02:50,440 --> 00:02:52,280 Speaker 1: in the Dark Night, and you know that a well 50 00:02:52,400 --> 00:02:55,600 Speaker 1: organized team can mean the difference between early retirement in 51 00:02:55,600 --> 00:02:59,160 Speaker 1: the Caymans or a long bid in sing Sing. Professional 52 00:02:59,160 --> 00:03:02,960 Speaker 1: bank robbers ten operating crews using weapons and stolen vehicles, 53 00:03:03,160 --> 00:03:05,280 Speaker 1: and it's true that a crew can up your chances 54 00:03:05,320 --> 00:03:08,840 Speaker 1: of a successful heist. Teams can divide the robbery tasks 55 00:03:08,919 --> 00:03:12,640 Speaker 1: and also tend to spend more time on planning and reconnaissance. 56 00:03:13,040 --> 00:03:16,160 Speaker 1: This strategy can lead to a larger overall take. A 57 00:03:16,200 --> 00:03:19,919 Speaker 1: study by several British economists found that quote every extra 58 00:03:20,040 --> 00:03:22,760 Speaker 1: member of the gang raises the expected value of the 59 00:03:22,840 --> 00:03:26,600 Speaker 1: robbery proceeds by nine thousand and thirty three pounds or 60 00:03:27,080 --> 00:03:30,400 Speaker 1: fifteen thousand, two hundred and twelve dollars. But keep in 61 00:03:30,440 --> 00:03:32,920 Speaker 1: mind that the hall per person will go down with 62 00:03:33,000 --> 00:03:36,640 Speaker 1: each new member still set on a career in heists, 63 00:03:36,680 --> 00:03:39,720 Speaker 1: Remember you can't let yourself get attached to anything you 64 00:03:39,760 --> 00:03:42,280 Speaker 1: are not willing to walk out on in thirty seconds 65 00:03:42,320 --> 00:03:45,760 Speaker 1: flat if you feel the heat around the corner. Are 66 00:03:45,800 --> 00:03:48,560 Speaker 1: the terrible odds, the legal consequences, and the risk to 67 00:03:48,680 --> 00:03:52,520 Speaker 1: innocent life not enough to dissuade you? Well? Consider this 68 00:03:52,640 --> 00:03:55,680 Speaker 1: last fact. Bank robberies don't actually make that much money. 69 00:03:55,960 --> 00:03:58,760 Speaker 1: According to the study I just mentioned, the average return 70 00:03:58,840 --> 00:04:01,840 Speaker 1: on a bank heist in the UK is about nineteen thousand, 71 00:04:01,880 --> 00:04:05,400 Speaker 1: seven hundred dollars per person per heist. In the US 72 00:04:05,520 --> 00:04:08,680 Speaker 1: it's even worse, a bit over four thousand dollars in 73 00:04:08,720 --> 00:04:11,200 Speaker 1: two thousand nine. While that might sound like a lot 74 00:04:11,240 --> 00:04:13,880 Speaker 1: of scratch, it's not enough to set you up for life. 75 00:04:14,280 --> 00:04:18,200 Speaker 1: As of the current US poverty threshold is an annual 76 00:04:18,240 --> 00:04:22,240 Speaker 1: income of eleven thousand, four ninety dollars for one person. 77 00:04:22,760 --> 00:04:24,880 Speaker 1: This means you would have to rob three banks a 78 00:04:24,960 --> 00:04:28,200 Speaker 1: year and keep all of the loot just to stay 79 00:04:28,240 --> 00:04:32,599 Speaker 1: out of the poorhouse. Hardly a glamorous lifestyle. Of course, 80 00:04:32,720 --> 00:04:35,520 Speaker 1: this doesn't mean that heist movies aren't cool, just that 81 00:04:35,600 --> 00:04:38,440 Speaker 1: you shouldn't try them at home or in a bank. 82 00:04:43,440 --> 00:04:45,440 Speaker 1: Check out the brain stuff channel on YouTube, and for 83 00:04:45,520 --> 00:04:47,960 Speaker 1: more on this and thousands of other topics, visit how 84 00:04:48,000 --> 00:05:02,719 Speaker 1: stuff works dot com.