The FBI has recorded rather thorough summaries of hundreds of its cases. In particular, there is the section labeled “Famous Cases & Criminals,” which some may find interesting.
Al Capone and George “Machine Gun” Kelly were among the notorious inmates who spent time at the old maximum security prison of Alcatraz.
In one famous case, on the morning of June 12th, 1962, inmates Clarence, his brother John Anglin, and Frank Morris were not present for bed checks. Instead, three lifelike dummies fashioned from plaster, paint, and human hair were placed in their beds to trick the guards. The whole facility was placed on lockdown, and a thorough search was conducted.
In another case, during a vote in the House of Representatives on March 1, 1954, three men and a woman entered the viewing area above the legislative chamber and sat quietly. All four were members of the Puerto Rican Nationalist Party and had just arrived in Washington, DC.
According to the report, since the United States’ 1898 annexation of Puerto Rico, ties between the island and the central government have been tense. Some Puerto Ricans wanted to keep their ties to the mainland, but others, like the four visitors, advocated for Puerto Rico’s independence.
Because of the lack of security measures in place, the Puerto Rican nationalists were able to enter the museum with firearms. At around 2:30 p.m., they unfurled a Puerto Rican flag on the House Floor and began firing randomly in a violent protest to bring publicity to their call for Puerto Rico’s independence.
Five members of Congress were shot, one critically but survived.
Three attackers were swiftly detained outside the gallery by members, Pages, and law enforcement, but the fourth evaded capture until later that day.
The attackers were captured, tried in two federal courts, and ultimately found guilty. They were all given lengthy incarceration terms that effectively equal life in jail. President Jimmy Carter reduced the sentences they were serving in 1978 and 1979. The group of four was sent back to Puerto Rico.
Other interesting cases can be found HERE.
