LYNNFIELD, Mass. — A Lynnfield, Mass. native who died in May has just been identified by U.S. Marshals as the man responsible for one of Ohio’s most notorious bank robberies.
Federal agents say Thomas Randele, who was using the name ‘Theodore John Conrad’ while working as a bank teller at a Society National Bank in Cleveland, walked out of the bank at the end of one of his shifts in 1969 with $215,000, or the equivalent of about $1.7 million today.
He carried it out in a paper bag, and then disappeared.
‘Conrad’ was 20 years old at the time. He had a two day head start on investigator before anyone knew the money was gone, according to the U.S. Marshals service.
Investigators say ‘Conrad’ had become obsessed with the movie ‘The Thomas Crown Affair’ starring Steve McQueen. The 1968 movie was based on a bank robbery for sport and the marshals say ‘Conrad’ had watched it more than a half dozen times.
The case had remained unsolved over the last 50 years. The robbery has been the focus of most wanted TV shows. Feds chased leads all over the country, from California to Texas, to Hawaii.
Then, a break in the case this past week.
That’s when marshals from Ohio traveled to Boston and positively identified Thomas Randele of Lynnfield.
Agents says they learned Randele had been living an “unassuming life” in Lynnfield since 1970, near a spot where the original Thomas Crown Affair was filmed.
Feds say they were able to identify Randele by matching documents ‘Conrad’ had completed in the 1960′s.
Randele died of lung cancer in May of 2021. He was 71 when he died.
Feds say Randele’s real date of birth was July 10, 1949, not 1947 as listed in his obituary.
“This is a case I know all too well. My father, John K. Elliott, was a dedicated career Deputy United States Marshal in Cleveland from 1969 until his retirement in 1990, said Peter J. Elliot, US Marshal for Northern Ohio. “My father took an interest in this case early because Conrad lived and worked near us in the late 1960s. My father never stopped searching for Conrad and always wanted closure up until his death in 2020. I hope my father is resting a little easier today knowing his investigation and his US Marshals service brought closure to this decades-long mystery. Everything in real life doesn’t always end like in the movies.”
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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