Big Safe: The Milwaukee Crew and the Reno Redfield Heist

Some say it was the biggest theft in American history. Maybe it was.

The multimillion-dollar burglary at eccentric gambler LaVere Redfield's Reno mansion was an endless comedy of errors. A target who hides from cameras and gets embarrassed for his dog. A failed songwriter "mastermind" who can't keep her mouth shut. A safecracker who can't pick a lock. And a convicted killer who allows his ill-gotten gains to be stolen while his pants are down. In almost every way, the 1952 Reno Heist is a study in how not to commit a crime, which is likely why the case lives on in infamy.

Historian Gavin Schmitt unfolds the notorious misadventures of bumbling crooks, shady casino owners and femme fatales.

Author: Gavin Schmitt
Binding Type: Paperback
Publisher: History Press
Published: 02/18/2025
Series: True Crime
Pages: 128
Weight: 0.65lbs
Size: 9.00h x 6.00w x 0.40d
ISBN: 9781467156639