I gotta be honest, I've been jumping at the chance to tell this story. It's straight out of a Martin Scorsese film. Considered one of the most "elaborate" heists in American history, you better hold on to your seat while you read this.

I don't think the town of Monroe, Washington was prepared for the infamy of D.B. Tuber. Anthony Curcio was a football star in high school, but injuries cut his career short while at Idaho State. He eventually moved back to Monroe where he settled down with his high school sweetheart. But he had what he would describe as a crippling drug problem. At one point, he spent $15,000 a month on pills and alcohol.

When the housing market took a dive, he really felt the pain. So he planned one of the most elaborate heists ever. He almost got away with it, too. It took a month for him to go down.

He scoped out an armored truck in his hometown, hiding in plain sight. He posed as a landscaper, equipped with the costume and everything. To create an illusion, he hired 15 accomplices dressed identically like him. Think John Landis' Three Amigos!, it's seriously the same idea. He was able to blend in with an army of "clones." They had no idea they were in on it. He took $400,000 in cash and booked it. He took off down the street, taking his clothes off and got away on an inner tube in a nearby creek.

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His undoing is the craziest part. He was discovered by a homeless man who picked up on the robbery tools Curcio dumped into a dumpster. The man took down his license plate number. That eye-witness account, paired with Curcio's high-profile in his hometown AND DNA from his mask brought him down.

He would go on to serve 6 years in federal prison, making friends with people like George Jung (Johnny Depp's real-life character from Blow.)

Anthony Curcio has turned his life around. When he's not being a stay-at-home dad, he's a motivational speaker for students and athletes, where he warns them about the dangers of drug addictions. He's still happily married and also writes books and draws illustrations for children.

The craziest heist in American story was almost unsolved and it happened right here in Washington.

 

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