1 00:00:01,752 --> 00:00:03,337 [church bells toll] 2 00:00:02,000 --> 00:00:07,000 Downloaded from YTS.MX 3 00:00:03,337 --> 00:00:04,505 ♪ jazzy espionage music playing ♪ 4 00:00:04,505 --> 00:00:06,590 OFFICER LARRY LEVASSEUR: I've never even heard of anything like this. 5 00:00:06,590 --> 00:00:08,050 Nev-- Never even heard of it. 6 00:00:08,000 --> 00:00:13,000 Official YIFY movies site: YTS.MX 7 00:00:08,050 --> 00:00:09,092 It's ingenious. 8 00:00:09,092 --> 00:00:11,261 It's-it's mind-boggling. 9 00:00:11,261 --> 00:00:14,223 What makes it romantic 10 00:00:14,223 --> 00:00:17,434 is the thievery behind it. 11 00:00:17,434 --> 00:00:19,436 ♪ 12 00:00:19,436 --> 00:00:23,190 - This is the story of a conniving, creative, 13 00:00:23,899 --> 00:00:28,320 intelligent man committing frauds that were fairy-tale like. 14 00:00:28,320 --> 00:00:30,864 ♪ 15 00:00:30,864 --> 00:00:34,284 - Blanchard is probably the savviest criminal mind 16 00:00:34,284 --> 00:00:36,453 I've ever experienced as a police officer. 17 00:00:36,453 --> 00:00:37,871 - He's a professional. 18 00:00:37,871 --> 00:00:39,206 He looks like my doctor. 19 00:00:39,206 --> 00:00:43,085 ♪ 20 00:00:43,085 --> 00:00:45,546 ♪ 21 00:00:45,546 --> 00:00:48,549 - He was like a James Bond kinda guy on the other side of the fence. 22 00:00:48,549 --> 00:00:52,469 - He's been committing crime his entire life and never getting caught. 23 00:00:52,469 --> 00:00:55,305 - It sounds like the script from a Hollywood movie, 24 00:00:55,305 --> 00:00:57,266 from bank robbery and fraud 25 00:00:57,266 --> 00:01:00,644 to stealing a diamond broach from an Austrian museum. 26 00:01:01,228 --> 00:01:04,523 - Okay, this precious, uh, piece of jewelry was, uh, stolen, 27 00:01:04,523 --> 00:01:06,942 but at least by somebody like James Bond. 28 00:01:06,942 --> 00:01:08,652 ♪ 29 00:01:08,652 --> 00:01:10,070 [prison door slams] 30 00:01:10,070 --> 00:01:13,031 DANNY GUNN: Mr. Blanchard ranks at the very top. 31 00:01:13,031 --> 00:01:16,410 There have been more factually complex cases, 32 00:01:16,410 --> 00:01:20,706 but none quite as bizarre and entertaining 33 00:01:21,456 --> 00:01:24,376 and unusual as Mr. Blanchard. 34 00:01:24,376 --> 00:01:29,548 ♪ jazzy espionage music continues ♪ 35 00:01:29,548 --> 00:01:34,469 ♪ 36 00:01:34,469 --> 00:01:40,267 ♪ 37 00:01:45,731 --> 00:01:48,150 [birds chirping] 38 00:01:48,150 --> 00:01:53,739 ♪ light music playing ♪ 39 00:01:53,739 --> 00:01:56,825 CAROL PHEGLY: The son I raised is very caring. 40 00:01:57,993 --> 00:02:01,955 He's very loving to the people that are important to him. 41 00:02:03,207 --> 00:02:05,501 He has a lot of skills 42 00:02:05,501 --> 00:02:10,088 that had he not put them towards a life of crime, 43 00:02:10,714 --> 00:02:13,759 he could have been extremely successful 44 00:02:13,759 --> 00:02:15,928 in whatever he chose to do. 45 00:02:17,679 --> 00:02:19,640 GERALD DANIEL BLANCHARD: For sure I take pride in what I've done. 46 00:02:19,640 --> 00:02:22,309 My story's probably very fascinating 47 00:02:22,309 --> 00:02:26,647 because everyone wishes they could do the things that I've done 48 00:02:26,647 --> 00:02:28,941 or go do these James Bond 007s. 49 00:02:30,567 --> 00:02:33,654 PHEGLY: My son has had a lot of things to overcome. 50 00:02:33,654 --> 00:02:37,741 He had learning disabilities, borderline dyslexia. 51 00:02:37,741 --> 00:02:38,951 BLANCHARD: When you were a little kid, 52 00:02:38,951 --> 00:02:42,120 people dream of robbing banks or making all this money 53 00:02:42,120 --> 00:02:44,915 and living the lifestyle that I've lived. 54 00:02:45,791 --> 00:02:49,503 So I think it's a fantasy that most people have, 55 00:02:49,503 --> 00:02:53,048 but they actually never executed it like I did. 56 00:02:53,048 --> 00:02:55,425 ♪ light music continues ♪ 57 00:02:55,425 --> 00:02:58,887 ♪ 58 00:02:58,887 --> 00:03:01,849 - If he'd have told me that he was gonna be 59 00:03:01,849 --> 00:03:04,434 a mastermind international thief, 60 00:03:05,561 --> 00:03:09,356 I would've just, pfft, blown it off and go, "Yeah, sure you are." 61 00:03:09,898 --> 00:03:11,358 You know, "Okay, kid." 62 00:03:11,358 --> 00:03:15,737 But he's always been, you know, as you say, a little guy. 63 00:03:15,737 --> 00:03:17,406 He looks like a nerd. 64 00:03:18,282 --> 00:03:19,408 You know? [laughs] 65 00:03:19,408 --> 00:03:20,868 He looks like a nerd. 66 00:03:20,868 --> 00:03:22,327 [Blanchard chuckles] 67 00:03:22,327 --> 00:03:25,914 ♪ upbeat music playing ♪ 68 00:03:25,914 --> 00:03:28,917 - When I was a kid I was very quiet and I kept to myself, 69 00:03:28,917 --> 00:03:32,504 and I studied electronics and took things apart. 70 00:03:32,504 --> 00:03:36,800 ♪ 71 00:03:36,800 --> 00:03:37,968 Everyone knew me. 72 00:03:37,968 --> 00:03:40,470 They knew my street name as MacGyver. 73 00:03:40,470 --> 00:03:43,015 I would build like little electronic contraptions 74 00:03:43,015 --> 00:03:47,394 and because I would always do these little jokes with other students. 75 00:03:47,394 --> 00:03:48,770 ♪ 76 00:03:48,770 --> 00:03:51,982 So I was adopted at six days old by my mother, Carol. 77 00:03:51,982 --> 00:03:53,358 ♪ 78 00:03:53,358 --> 00:03:55,611 When my mother and stepfather broke up, 79 00:03:57,112 --> 00:04:00,282 we went from this very nice house in Canada 80 00:04:00,282 --> 00:04:03,327 to basically being poor in Omaha, Nebraska. 81 00:04:04,077 --> 00:04:06,705 ♪ tense music playing ♪ 82 00:04:06,705 --> 00:04:10,000 Omaha, Nebraska, it's not the nicest place to live. 83 00:04:10,000 --> 00:04:13,837 It's actually one of the worst, and only the strongest survive. 84 00:04:13,837 --> 00:04:15,506 ♪ 85 00:04:15,506 --> 00:04:17,382 I remember from early childhood 86 00:04:17,883 --> 00:04:19,760 when the bank was trying to foreclose on the house 87 00:04:19,760 --> 00:04:22,554 that my mother and I and my sister lived in. 88 00:04:22,554 --> 00:04:25,224 I remember my mother crying talking to the bank 89 00:04:25,224 --> 00:04:27,559 saying she would make payments and the bank didn't care. 90 00:04:27,559 --> 00:04:29,436 ♪ 91 00:04:29,436 --> 00:04:31,855 So I've always had this grudge against the banks. 92 00:04:32,689 --> 00:04:35,984 We didn't have milk for the cereal, and I'm not exaggerating, 93 00:04:35,984 --> 00:04:39,154 like, I used to use like, ginger ale for milk. 94 00:04:39,154 --> 00:04:40,405 That's how bad it was. 95 00:04:41,114 --> 00:04:43,033 So I had to go steal milk from the neighbors. 96 00:04:44,159 --> 00:04:46,453 - [sighs] He never stole milk. 97 00:04:47,037 --> 00:04:52,459 I mean, that's part of his story, but they did steal penny candy 98 00:04:52,459 --> 00:04:56,129 and they got walked right back to the store to return it. 99 00:04:56,129 --> 00:05:02,052 So, those kinds of stories I think are just enhanced stories. 100 00:05:02,052 --> 00:05:03,512 [chuckles] 101 00:05:03,512 --> 00:05:05,556 - Things weren't good for us 102 00:05:05,556 --> 00:05:10,185 until I learned to go into the store and I could steal food from the store, 103 00:05:10,185 --> 00:05:13,355 which got my addiction to my life of crime. 104 00:05:13,355 --> 00:05:17,234 ♪ upbeat rock music playing ♪ 105 00:05:17,234 --> 00:05:18,485 BLANCHARD: It's a police officer. 106 00:05:18,485 --> 00:05:19,945 ♪ 107 00:05:19,945 --> 00:05:21,738 Are you video recording me? 108 00:05:21,738 --> 00:05:22,739 CLAY: Yep. 109 00:05:23,448 --> 00:05:24,908 BLANCHARD: You said there's a police officer? 110 00:05:25,909 --> 00:05:27,077 - He wasn't shy about it. 111 00:05:27,077 --> 00:05:29,371 He'd tell the kids in class what he was doin'. 112 00:05:29,371 --> 00:05:30,539 BLANCHARD: Record me. 113 00:05:30,539 --> 00:05:31,373 CLAY: I am recording you. 114 00:05:31,373 --> 00:05:32,457 BLANCHARD: You are? CLAY: Yep. 115 00:05:32,457 --> 00:05:33,709 BLANCHARD: Damn, a police officer. 116 00:05:34,626 --> 00:05:35,794 [Blanchard sneezes] 117 00:05:35,794 --> 00:05:36,712 CLAY: Bless you. 118 00:05:36,712 --> 00:05:38,005 BLANCHARD: Anyways-- 119 00:05:38,005 --> 00:05:38,922 Excuse me, sir. 120 00:05:39,756 --> 00:05:40,591 OFFICER: Yes? 121 00:05:40,591 --> 00:05:42,301 - Do you give lots of tickets for speeding? 122 00:05:42,301 --> 00:05:44,261 LAURIE NELSON: I think he definitely liked the attention 123 00:05:44,261 --> 00:05:47,764 from cameras and stuff that people our age just did not have. 124 00:05:48,765 --> 00:05:49,600 CLAY: Thank you. 125 00:05:49,600 --> 00:05:50,475 BLANCHARD: I'll see you later. 126 00:05:50,475 --> 00:05:52,060 [door hinges creak] 127 00:05:52,060 --> 00:05:54,229 CLAY: And here goes Dan running because he stole a map. 128 00:05:54,229 --> 00:05:56,481 ♪ 129 00:05:56,481 --> 00:06:00,319 - Well, like I say, I documented my whole life from back in the '80s 130 00:06:00,319 --> 00:06:02,279 when the VHS video cameras were out 131 00:06:02,279 --> 00:06:03,947 way back in the day, the big ones. 132 00:06:03,947 --> 00:06:08,619 And I documented my whole entire life so I could look back and watch things. 133 00:06:08,619 --> 00:06:09,828 - No, get away from me! 134 00:06:09,828 --> 00:06:11,747 NELSON: People knowing, you know, 135 00:06:11,747 --> 00:06:14,750 talking about what he did, he liked that attention. 136 00:06:14,750 --> 00:06:18,462 - This was his way to make, make him known, make himself known. 137 00:06:18,462 --> 00:06:19,630 ♪ 138 00:06:19,630 --> 00:06:20,506 [bell ringing] 139 00:06:20,506 --> 00:06:22,674 DYLAN HART: Gangs were super prevalent. 140 00:06:23,759 --> 00:06:27,221 And he had a little, I think it was a slight speech impediment 141 00:06:27,221 --> 00:06:29,932 and with his thick glasses, 142 00:06:29,932 --> 00:06:31,266 you just would think 143 00:06:31,266 --> 00:06:34,269 that th-this little scrawny white kid's gonna get killed. 144 00:06:35,479 --> 00:06:38,440 BLANCHARD: Going to a school that's really tough, 145 00:06:38,440 --> 00:06:40,734 you have to, like, make a name for yourself 146 00:06:41,610 --> 00:06:44,404 in order to be accepted around peers around. 147 00:06:44,404 --> 00:06:47,866 - How-how you feel starin'-starin' at the barrel of a... [echoing] gun? 148 00:06:48,992 --> 00:06:50,994 - He could move in and out of these circles, 149 00:06:51,870 --> 00:06:54,498 and everybody had a certain respect for him. 150 00:06:54,498 --> 00:06:57,751 So he created an individual identity, 151 00:06:57,751 --> 00:07:01,171 and that identity is the one that he carried through. 152 00:07:02,381 --> 00:07:05,259 Uh, I'm gonna say the life of crime that he was living. 153 00:07:06,176 --> 00:07:08,303 - Hey, look, she's busy. - Danny. 154 00:07:08,303 --> 00:07:09,513 - Clay, you smoke, don't you? 155 00:07:10,389 --> 00:07:11,974 [girls laugh] 156 00:07:11,974 --> 00:07:13,392 CLAY: Hurry up, man. 157 00:07:13,976 --> 00:07:15,102 - Shh. 158 00:07:15,102 --> 00:07:16,937 [door bells chime] 159 00:07:17,604 --> 00:07:19,273 [laughter] 160 00:07:21,358 --> 00:07:22,609 [indistinct chatter] 161 00:07:24,278 --> 00:07:25,445 GIRL: He's coming now. 162 00:07:26,196 --> 00:07:27,281 [door bells chime] 163 00:07:28,448 --> 00:07:29,366 BLANCHARD: Oh. 164 00:07:31,952 --> 00:07:33,537 I had to run out and check the gas. 165 00:07:33,537 --> 00:07:34,746 [girl laughs] 166 00:07:36,164 --> 00:07:37,291 - Where'd those cigarettes go? 167 00:07:37,291 --> 00:07:38,625 - Oh, you put those cigarettes up there. 168 00:07:38,625 --> 00:07:40,002 [laughs] 169 00:07:40,711 --> 00:07:42,963 Remember, you stacked them up there? 170 00:07:44,798 --> 00:07:45,632 So-- 171 00:07:45,632 --> 00:07:46,967 [girls laughing] 172 00:07:46,967 --> 00:07:48,260 - Why are you two laughing? 173 00:07:49,553 --> 00:07:51,013 - Well, I don't know. 174 00:07:51,013 --> 00:07:54,057 - Clay, these immature girls don't know anything, like-- 175 00:07:55,726 --> 00:07:57,102 Back in the early days, 176 00:07:57,102 --> 00:07:59,438 I was stealing from the stores and it was all a play. Like, 177 00:08:00,522 --> 00:08:02,232 you have someone go talk to someone, 178 00:08:02,232 --> 00:08:05,110 you distract this person, you steal this, and then you could go sell it, 179 00:08:05,110 --> 00:08:07,696 and it was a challenge to see if you could get away with it. 180 00:08:08,405 --> 00:08:09,615 And I was pretty good at it. 181 00:08:10,449 --> 00:08:12,618 - After he would pull somethin' off, 182 00:08:12,618 --> 00:08:15,621 it was just like, uh, elation almost. 183 00:08:15,621 --> 00:08:19,249 And you could see it just in his eyes, almost what he lived for I think, 184 00:08:19,249 --> 00:08:24,463 and his drug was the thrill of... getting caught. 185 00:08:24,463 --> 00:08:28,967 ♪ Been Caught Stealing by Jane's Addiction playing ♪ 186 00:08:28,967 --> 00:08:30,594 CLAY: Let's get the shoplifter here. 187 00:08:31,512 --> 00:08:32,387 - Please. 188 00:08:33,514 --> 00:08:34,681 - [mouths] What's up? 189 00:08:34,681 --> 00:08:36,391 - I couldn't believe some of the things he pulled off. 190 00:08:36,391 --> 00:08:37,309 They were amazing. 191 00:08:38,977 --> 00:08:41,813 - ♪ And I walk right through the door... ♪ 192 00:08:41,813 --> 00:08:42,940 JEFF FULFS: He likes excitement 193 00:08:42,940 --> 00:08:44,525 and he likes doing stuff 194 00:08:44,525 --> 00:08:47,236 right underneath your nose when you're least expecting it. 195 00:08:48,654 --> 00:08:50,948 We looked for trouble to find excitement 196 00:08:50,948 --> 00:08:54,535 because... you know, the normal life wasn't that exciting. 197 00:08:54,535 --> 00:08:55,744 [laughs] 198 00:08:56,703 --> 00:08:57,955 BLANCHARD: They got a security camera 199 00:08:57,955 --> 00:08:59,248 even doesn't work. 200 00:08:59,248 --> 00:09:00,582 HARLAN: It's not fake. 201 00:09:00,582 --> 00:09:03,126 HART: It was jewelry, silk shirts, 202 00:09:03,126 --> 00:09:07,172 cell phones just coming, and pagers being out there. 203 00:09:07,172 --> 00:09:09,007 RadioShack was sort of like a go-to place. 204 00:09:09,007 --> 00:09:11,426 ♪ 205 00:09:11,426 --> 00:09:14,012 FULFS: Just the idea of walking in there, 206 00:09:14,012 --> 00:09:15,389 distracting the salesman 207 00:09:15,389 --> 00:09:18,308 and havin' a eight-millimeter camera underneath both armpits, 208 00:09:18,308 --> 00:09:19,601 underneath the bomber jacket. 209 00:09:20,310 --> 00:09:22,604 HART: Pretty evident even from an early stage 210 00:09:22,604 --> 00:09:24,857 that he was gonna be, uh, 211 00:09:24,857 --> 00:09:27,025 what I would call, like, a master thief. 212 00:09:27,025 --> 00:09:28,235 CLAY: Look at that butt. 213 00:09:28,235 --> 00:09:31,238 - Yeah, all those girls like that butt. That's the thing about it. 214 00:09:32,531 --> 00:09:35,033 - ♪ Walk right through the door ♪ 215 00:09:35,033 --> 00:09:38,662 - It seemed like he wasn't satisfied, um, 216 00:09:38,662 --> 00:09:42,291 and he wanted to take more and more risks, um, 217 00:09:43,166 --> 00:09:46,795 and not just, you know, shoplifting something. 218 00:09:46,795 --> 00:09:48,463 - ♪ The best stuff ever ♪ 219 00:09:48,463 --> 00:09:49,882 ANNOUNCER: Brought to you by RadioShack. 220 00:09:49,882 --> 00:09:52,509 Put the whole world in your hand, 221 00:09:52,509 --> 00:09:55,304 with RadioShack's new portable cellular phone. 222 00:09:55,304 --> 00:09:56,430 A price and technology-- 223 00:09:56,430 --> 00:09:57,890 CLAY: Stop, I'm getting sucked in. 224 00:09:58,432 --> 00:10:01,643 BLANCHARD: Back in the '80s, RadioShack was like the Best Buy. 225 00:10:01,643 --> 00:10:04,229 It was like, the number one store in North America. 226 00:10:04,229 --> 00:10:05,314 I'm a fugitive. 227 00:10:05,314 --> 00:10:06,732 Freeze, or else I'm gonna blow you. 228 00:10:06,732 --> 00:10:08,192 [device trills] [Clay chuckles] 229 00:10:08,192 --> 00:10:11,361 BLANCHARD: We literally took so much stuff from that store. 230 00:10:11,361 --> 00:10:13,197 Millions of dollars every year. 231 00:10:13,197 --> 00:10:15,699 - It's a nice, strong motor. [steady beeping] 232 00:10:15,699 --> 00:10:17,701 - Yep. This here, trying to steal them all. 233 00:10:17,701 --> 00:10:20,704 And what ended up happening was Easter Sunday, 234 00:10:20,704 --> 00:10:22,998 we actually cleared out the whole entire store. 235 00:10:24,041 --> 00:10:27,419 We, like, disconnected the alarm, took everything out with a moving truck. 236 00:10:27,419 --> 00:10:30,088 ♪ tense music playing ♪ 237 00:10:30,547 --> 00:10:32,257 I just became too confident. 238 00:10:33,008 --> 00:10:35,052 [indistinct chatter on dispatch] 239 00:10:35,886 --> 00:10:37,596 PHEGLY: I was at work, 240 00:10:37,596 --> 00:10:40,349 and when the SWAT team showed up at my house 241 00:10:41,225 --> 00:10:44,394 and broke in my front door with their battering ram-- 242 00:10:44,394 --> 00:10:45,229 [door bangs] 243 00:10:45,229 --> 00:10:48,774 - my son called me and he goes, "Mom, you might wanna come home." 244 00:10:48,774 --> 00:10:51,485 He said, "The police just broke in the front door." 245 00:10:52,319 --> 00:10:53,862 And I was like, "What?" 246 00:10:54,696 --> 00:10:55,531 He said, "Yeah." 247 00:10:55,531 --> 00:10:57,574 He said, "I'm sure they're here to arrest me." 248 00:10:58,450 --> 00:11:01,703 [indistinct radio chatter] 249 00:11:01,703 --> 00:11:04,623 PHEGLY: My house was a chaotic mess. 250 00:11:04,623 --> 00:11:07,042 It looked like a tornado went through everything 251 00:11:07,042 --> 00:11:09,378 and dumped every drawer everywhere. 252 00:11:09,378 --> 00:11:12,172 I mean, underwear drawers. Hello? 253 00:11:12,172 --> 00:11:16,677 What electronics is some woman gonna keep in her underwear drawer, really? 254 00:11:16,677 --> 00:11:19,304 Well, we won't talk about that. 255 00:11:19,304 --> 00:11:23,308 ♪ 256 00:11:23,308 --> 00:11:24,685 BLANCHARD: Race played a big part. 257 00:11:24,685 --> 00:11:27,104 I was the white kid that went to school, 258 00:11:27,104 --> 00:11:30,774 and in the court system when they see this little kid, 259 00:11:30,774 --> 00:11:33,193 "Oh, he stole some stuff from RadioShack. 260 00:11:33,193 --> 00:11:34,278 "Let's give them probation 261 00:11:34,278 --> 00:11:36,822 versus sending him off to juvenile school," 262 00:11:37,614 --> 00:11:38,615 it helped a lot. 263 00:11:44,830 --> 00:11:46,498 It's recording? CLAY: Yep. 264 00:11:46,498 --> 00:11:47,624 - Hi, my name's Dan. 265 00:11:48,792 --> 00:11:52,421 I got back. It's, uh, 22nd of 266 00:11:53,589 --> 00:11:56,175 um... October. 267 00:11:56,175 --> 00:11:58,927 The 2nd of October. This is a commitment. 268 00:11:58,927 --> 00:12:01,305 I'm stayin' outta trouble, and Clay's gonna make sure. 269 00:12:01,305 --> 00:12:02,723 Alright. Thank you. 270 00:12:05,267 --> 00:12:06,435 Hi, Mom. 271 00:12:06,435 --> 00:12:07,686 Aren't you glad I'm home? 272 00:12:07,686 --> 00:12:09,313 - I'm thrilled to death. Hi. 273 00:12:09,313 --> 00:12:11,690 - If I happen to die, anything it's all up to my mom. 274 00:12:11,690 --> 00:12:14,151 If I owe any-any money, tough luck. 275 00:12:14,151 --> 00:12:15,152 [Carol chuckles] 276 00:12:15,152 --> 00:12:16,987 Who knows what might happen? - What do you mean-- 277 00:12:16,987 --> 00:12:21,283 I mean, I didn't know what to do. I was totally dumbfounded. 278 00:12:21,283 --> 00:12:26,705 I could not even fathom that my son 279 00:12:26,705 --> 00:12:29,708 was this person they were talking about. 280 00:12:29,708 --> 00:12:32,628 He ended up living a double life. 281 00:12:33,337 --> 00:12:38,258 So he kept that life away from his family, the people he cared about. 282 00:12:38,926 --> 00:12:42,846 - I ended up getting probation for, like, two years for this. 283 00:12:42,846 --> 00:12:46,016 My probation officer knew about my past. 284 00:12:46,016 --> 00:12:50,604 He worked with a lotta kids in my school, and he basically said, "Look, 285 00:12:53,190 --> 00:12:55,275 can I have some stuff from RadioShack?" 286 00:12:55,275 --> 00:12:57,152 ♪ hip-hop music playing ♪ 287 00:12:57,152 --> 00:12:59,154 ♪ 288 00:13:07,663 --> 00:13:09,623 - I thought for sure that he would straighten up, 289 00:13:09,623 --> 00:13:12,376 but, of course, he couldn't let it go. 290 00:13:12,376 --> 00:13:13,919 He had to keep on doing it. 291 00:13:13,919 --> 00:13:15,796 ♪ 292 00:13:15,796 --> 00:13:18,423 - And he just becomes smarter and better and bigger. 293 00:13:18,423 --> 00:13:21,885 HART: We saw him remove parts off of a cash register 294 00:13:21,885 --> 00:13:24,721 to fabricate receipts that were so authentic 295 00:13:24,721 --> 00:13:28,308 that the stores could not tell that they were a fake receipt. 296 00:13:30,060 --> 00:13:31,979 FULFS: We were coming back from Kansas City. 297 00:13:31,979 --> 00:13:35,315 Uh, we had a carload of stolen merchandise, 298 00:13:35,315 --> 00:13:36,984 and, of course, we get pulled over 299 00:13:36,984 --> 00:13:41,655 and, uh, asked to come in for questioning, and he had receipts for everything. 300 00:13:41,655 --> 00:13:42,906 [indistinct chatter] 301 00:13:42,906 --> 00:13:45,492 HART: Figured out a way to make far more money off that stuff 302 00:13:45,492 --> 00:13:48,161 by returning it right back to the places he took it from, 303 00:13:48,161 --> 00:13:49,079 and they gave him money for it. 304 00:13:49,079 --> 00:13:50,080 It was just shocking. 305 00:13:50,080 --> 00:13:51,206 CLAY: What time is it? 306 00:13:51,206 --> 00:13:52,416 - It's Gucci time. 307 00:13:52,416 --> 00:13:54,960 I would keep everything away from my mom. 308 00:13:54,960 --> 00:13:58,839 I kept stuff in the lockers at the school, at friend's house, in storage lockers. 309 00:13:58,839 --> 00:13:59,923 ♪ 310 00:13:59,923 --> 00:14:01,341 We're gonna make some money here, Dylan. 311 00:14:01,341 --> 00:14:02,301 - I know. 312 00:14:03,093 --> 00:14:04,178 BLANCHARD: What do you say about that, Mom? 313 00:14:04,178 --> 00:14:05,262 Are you down with that? 314 00:14:06,013 --> 00:14:07,139 - Wrong way. 315 00:14:07,139 --> 00:14:08,473 BLANCHARD: No, we're doing it the right way. 316 00:14:08,473 --> 00:14:10,392 Wrong-- PHEGLY: No, the sign says, "Wrong way." 317 00:14:10,392 --> 00:14:13,187 BLANCHARD: Oh. [laughter] 318 00:14:13,187 --> 00:14:14,771 ♪ 319 00:14:14,771 --> 00:14:17,566 But she would always see me with cars coming to the house 320 00:14:17,566 --> 00:14:19,860 with boxes of merchandise and I would just tell her, 321 00:14:19,860 --> 00:14:21,778 "Oh, I'm-I'm reselling stuff 322 00:14:21,778 --> 00:14:24,156 that I bought at an auction or at a garage sale," 323 00:14:24,156 --> 00:14:25,115 stuff like that. 324 00:14:25,115 --> 00:14:27,284 HART: He would fill up U-Haul trailers 325 00:14:27,284 --> 00:14:30,621 sometimes full of merchandise and return 'em 326 00:14:30,621 --> 00:14:33,040 all around the country for cash. 327 00:14:33,040 --> 00:14:35,626 - On a bad week we make about $4,000. 328 00:14:35,626 --> 00:14:38,504 On a good week we make about seven, $8,000. 329 00:14:38,504 --> 00:14:39,338 CLAY: Oh. 330 00:14:39,338 --> 00:14:42,007 HART: A few good holiday seasons, 331 00:14:42,007 --> 00:14:46,094 he was approaching sometimes six figures 332 00:14:46,094 --> 00:14:48,096 of monetary gains. 333 00:14:49,348 --> 00:14:52,518 FULFS: He went from a small-town little thief 334 00:14:52,518 --> 00:14:55,229 to a money-making machine type deal. 335 00:14:55,229 --> 00:14:59,024 - Open a wallet and you got a hundred-- you know, ten $100 bills in there. 336 00:14:59,024 --> 00:15:00,859 You-you're popular all of a sudden. 337 00:15:00,859 --> 00:15:02,736 BLANCHARD: When you make money like I do, 338 00:15:02,736 --> 00:15:03,695 you could buy anything you want. 339 00:15:03,695 --> 00:15:06,114 ♪ hip-hop music playing ♪ 340 00:15:06,114 --> 00:15:08,158 - ♪ Get hip to it, it's a hit ♪ 341 00:15:08,158 --> 00:15:09,952 - One of these days I'm gonna own this place. 342 00:15:09,952 --> 00:15:10,869 I'll buy it. 343 00:15:12,204 --> 00:15:15,624 I had close to 90, $100,000 stored up. 344 00:15:15,624 --> 00:15:18,377 On the backside of our house, we had these concrete bricks 345 00:15:18,377 --> 00:15:19,795 that are two feet by two feet. 346 00:15:19,795 --> 00:15:22,506 I would lift up this brick and I'd put the money in garbage bags, 347 00:15:22,506 --> 00:15:26,009 and I dug a hole through the sand, put the bags in there, 348 00:15:26,009 --> 00:15:30,347 put the sand on top and drop the concrete brick back on top. 349 00:15:30,347 --> 00:15:33,225 I ended up buying a house at the age of 16. 350 00:15:33,225 --> 00:15:35,978 My mom was really surprised when I told her I bought the house, 351 00:15:35,978 --> 00:15:39,356 and I explained to her that I bought it through a friend 352 00:15:39,356 --> 00:15:43,026 and I basically said, "My friend and I are splitting the mortgage cost." 353 00:15:43,026 --> 00:15:44,278 And it felt good. 354 00:15:45,237 --> 00:15:49,032 I didn't have to worry about money 'cause I had plenty. 355 00:15:49,032 --> 00:15:52,661 You work hard, ladies and gentlemen, you can buy anything. 356 00:15:53,537 --> 00:15:55,122 Come on in. [chuckles] 357 00:15:56,373 --> 00:15:57,833 Look at our new kitchen. 358 00:15:58,584 --> 00:16:01,211 Stove came from Mrs. B's. 359 00:16:01,211 --> 00:16:04,131 The dishwasher came from Nebraska Furniture Mart. 360 00:16:04,131 --> 00:16:07,509 These cupboards were designed by somebody, I don't know who. 361 00:16:08,427 --> 00:16:12,181 HART: I think Danny progressed to a crazy level. 362 00:16:12,181 --> 00:16:15,475 It was fun initially, but became very dangerous and dark, 363 00:16:15,475 --> 00:16:17,853 uh, towards the end of our relationship. 364 00:16:18,645 --> 00:16:21,106 And even not with the thefts, uh, 365 00:16:21,106 --> 00:16:24,401 even in the street world with gang members 366 00:16:24,401 --> 00:16:28,906 and other ways of trying to launder money, and, uh-- 367 00:16:28,906 --> 00:16:32,451 It got to the point where I pretty much thought 368 00:16:32,451 --> 00:16:34,494 that he wasn't gonna be around anymore. 369 00:16:34,494 --> 00:16:35,913 BLANCHARD: That fuckin' pig. 370 00:16:35,913 --> 00:16:37,456 HART: Omaha fucking Police. 371 00:16:38,332 --> 00:16:40,167 BLANCHARD: Look at that fuckin' pig. 372 00:16:40,167 --> 00:16:44,004 I think the anger comes from being disrespected. 373 00:16:44,004 --> 00:16:46,673 Everyone should be respected no matter what, 374 00:16:46,673 --> 00:16:50,010 but when someone outright disrespects you, then you have a problem with it. 375 00:16:50,761 --> 00:16:52,513 Or at least I have a problem with it, 376 00:16:53,680 --> 00:16:55,641 and I'll make you pay for it. [chuckles] 377 00:16:57,226 --> 00:16:59,978 For an example, a friend of mine set his car on fire 378 00:16:59,978 --> 00:17:01,813 to collect on insurance. 379 00:17:01,813 --> 00:17:04,191 - Yeah, You know, what it comes down to is, uh, 380 00:17:04,191 --> 00:17:07,110 I-I helped Dan, uh, dispose of a stolen car. 381 00:17:07,110 --> 00:17:08,362 [laughs] 382 00:17:09,196 --> 00:17:10,405 BLANCHARD: And you don't realize 383 00:17:10,405 --> 00:17:14,868 when you put ten gallons of gas on a car, how big of a fire bomb it actually makes. 384 00:17:14,868 --> 00:17:17,329 ♪ tense music playing ♪ 385 00:17:17,329 --> 00:17:20,082 And a police officer was nearby. 386 00:17:20,082 --> 00:17:21,500 FULFS: And we both could've walked away 387 00:17:21,500 --> 00:17:23,043 and it would've been no big deal, 388 00:17:23,043 --> 00:17:25,587 but, uh, he chose to confront the police 389 00:17:25,587 --> 00:17:27,297 and tried to talk himself out of it, 390 00:17:27,297 --> 00:17:29,466 and it didn't work out very well for him. 391 00:17:30,300 --> 00:17:33,303 - I immediately recognized the kid as, uh, as Blanchard, 392 00:17:33,303 --> 00:17:34,638 'cause I've had past dealings with him. 393 00:17:34,638 --> 00:17:36,265 BLANCHARD: He was like, "Hey, what are you doing here?" 394 00:17:36,265 --> 00:17:38,559 I'm like, "I don't know, some car's on fire." 395 00:17:38,559 --> 00:17:41,436 - And as I get closer to him, I could smell gasoline from him. 396 00:17:41,436 --> 00:17:43,063 - I was watching him from afar 397 00:17:43,063 --> 00:17:45,983 and at the time something must have blew up in the car. 398 00:17:45,983 --> 00:17:47,734 The gas tank or somethin' blew up. 399 00:17:47,734 --> 00:17:50,904 [explosion blasts] 400 00:17:50,904 --> 00:17:53,949 FULFS: And at that point in time, Dan was in handcuffs immediately, 401 00:17:53,949 --> 00:17:56,660 and the cop knew he was up to somethin', so-- 402 00:17:56,660 --> 00:17:58,328 [laughs] 403 00:17:58,328 --> 00:17:59,997 Oh, it was comical. 404 00:17:59,997 --> 00:18:01,164 BLANCHARD: They brought me to the police station 405 00:18:01,164 --> 00:18:04,418 and the police officer totally disrespected me, 406 00:18:04,418 --> 00:18:06,753 and I knew I was smarter than him. 407 00:18:06,753 --> 00:18:08,005 I knew I was better than him. 408 00:18:08,005 --> 00:18:09,173 - I hop in the car, um, 409 00:18:09,798 --> 00:18:12,759 turned the scanner on, and I hear, "Suspect escaped from custody." 410 00:18:12,759 --> 00:18:16,054 I'm like, "What? Escaped from custody?" 411 00:18:16,805 --> 00:18:17,639 That's about right. 412 00:18:17,639 --> 00:18:19,141 [indistinct radio chatter] 413 00:18:19,141 --> 00:18:23,061 ♪ tense music playing ♪ 414 00:18:23,061 --> 00:18:25,898 - More or less the police walked outta the interrogation room 415 00:18:25,898 --> 00:18:29,109 probably to regroup 'cause this kid's outsmartin' them. 416 00:18:29,109 --> 00:18:32,279 And in that course of time, yeah, he got up on the table like we're standin' 417 00:18:32,279 --> 00:18:33,989 and scuffles way up of a false ceiling, 418 00:18:33,989 --> 00:18:37,159 put the ceiling pad back and he was up on the ceiling the entire time. 419 00:18:37,159 --> 00:18:38,911 BLANCHARD: I can see, like, the whole ceiling 420 00:18:38,911 --> 00:18:39,995 of the police department. 421 00:18:39,995 --> 00:18:42,039 I'm up there and then I hear the detective come, 422 00:18:42,039 --> 00:18:44,082 and he was like, "Oh, shit!" 423 00:18:44,708 --> 00:18:45,709 OFFICER MARK GALVIN: And we hear just, you know, 424 00:18:45,709 --> 00:18:47,377 some loud footsteps coming down the stairs 425 00:18:47,377 --> 00:18:49,129 and, uh, it's Detective Lieber. 426 00:18:49,129 --> 00:18:50,797 "Did you see him? Where'd he go?" 427 00:18:50,797 --> 00:18:53,133 And we're like, "Wh-what do you mean? Who you talking about?" 428 00:18:53,133 --> 00:18:55,302 "Blanchard. He's gone. He's-he's gone!" 429 00:18:55,302 --> 00:18:57,554 - Me being a kid, not very smart, 430 00:18:57,554 --> 00:19:01,016 I was circling the police station thinkin' Dan's gonna jump out of a bush 431 00:19:01,016 --> 00:19:03,310 and hop in the car and I can help him escape, 432 00:19:03,310 --> 00:19:04,937 and that didn't work out either for me. 433 00:19:04,937 --> 00:19:06,021 [knocking] 434 00:19:06,021 --> 00:19:07,231 ♪ 435 00:19:07,231 --> 00:19:08,857 BLANCHARD: And they come back to the room, 436 00:19:08,857 --> 00:19:11,151 like, 30 minutes later with my friend Jeff. 437 00:19:11,735 --> 00:19:13,237 And his exact words were, 438 00:19:13,237 --> 00:19:16,156 "I came here to help him get away." 439 00:19:16,156 --> 00:19:18,951 And I was like, "Wow. My friend's, like, really solid." 440 00:19:18,951 --> 00:19:21,119 OFFICER GALVIN: We're searching for hours for Blanchard in the area, 441 00:19:21,119 --> 00:19:22,663 and we're getting tired, gettin' worn out. 442 00:19:22,663 --> 00:19:25,123 At one point somebody calls, one of the supervisors calls and says, 443 00:19:25,123 --> 00:19:26,834 "Okay, we're-we're just gonna have to call it for the night." 444 00:19:26,834 --> 00:19:29,753 - He had the patience to hang out there in the ceiling until everybody went home. 445 00:19:29,753 --> 00:19:31,588 ♪ 446 00:19:31,588 --> 00:19:34,800 They shut down the police shop, and then another fun night for him 447 00:19:34,800 --> 00:19:38,428 as he got to explore the inside of a police department, 448 00:19:38,428 --> 00:19:40,472 where no one's allowed all on his own. 449 00:19:40,472 --> 00:19:41,640 [laughs] 450 00:19:42,891 --> 00:19:45,352 BLANCHARD: And the detective that insulted me, 451 00:19:45,352 --> 00:19:48,188 I took his gun, his badge, his walkie-talkie, 452 00:19:48,188 --> 00:19:50,774 the pictures of his wife and kids off of his desk, 453 00:19:50,774 --> 00:19:52,442 his Rolodex file, 454 00:19:52,442 --> 00:19:54,820 and I took a bullet out of his gun, 455 00:19:55,821 --> 00:19:59,575 put a happy face on it and stuck it right on the middle of his desk. 456 00:19:59,575 --> 00:20:00,826 Took his police jacket, 457 00:20:00,826 --> 00:20:04,580 put all the stuff in the police duffel bag and walked out of the police station. 458 00:20:04,580 --> 00:20:05,789 ♪ 459 00:20:05,789 --> 00:20:08,417 Then I thought, there's no way the police 460 00:20:08,417 --> 00:20:10,752 would go to my mom's house to arrest me. 461 00:20:10,752 --> 00:20:12,379 Why would I be so stupid? 462 00:20:13,213 --> 00:20:16,008 But that's what I did. I went to my mom's house. 463 00:20:16,008 --> 00:20:19,845 - He was wore out, he was tired, and that is his weak point. 464 00:20:19,845 --> 00:20:22,097 I mean, he needs rest. 465 00:20:22,097 --> 00:20:25,517 - The police ended up kicking down the door that morning. 466 00:20:25,517 --> 00:20:27,477 I look outside the door and I see, like, 467 00:20:27,477 --> 00:20:30,564 the SWAT vehicles going across the park toward the house. 468 00:20:31,064 --> 00:20:35,110 - I was part of the Omaha ERU, Emergency Response Unit. 469 00:20:35,110 --> 00:20:35,944 Uh, the SWAT team. 470 00:20:35,944 --> 00:20:39,489 From the time we turned the corner when we were running up to the house 471 00:20:39,489 --> 00:20:42,951 to the time we hit that door was 65 seconds. 472 00:20:42,951 --> 00:20:44,620 ♪ 473 00:20:44,620 --> 00:20:47,748 So we searched and we looked, "He's not here, he's not here. 474 00:20:48,498 --> 00:20:49,833 Keep lookin', keep lookin'." 475 00:20:50,667 --> 00:20:54,004 We looked in the closet several times, there were all these boxes, 476 00:20:54,004 --> 00:20:55,672 and it took us, uh, 477 00:20:55,672 --> 00:20:59,676 ten fifteen minutes to get all these boxes out of this closet. 478 00:20:59,676 --> 00:21:04,306 There was a little cubbyhole, and we saw Blanchard hidin' behind, uh, 479 00:21:04,306 --> 00:21:07,684 I think it was a cement chimney stack comin' out of the main level, 480 00:21:07,684 --> 00:21:09,645 but he was just hidin' back there. 481 00:21:09,645 --> 00:21:13,941 Um, he, he was stark naked, but anyway, um-- 482 00:21:13,941 --> 00:21:15,067 I-- and I remember that. 483 00:21:15,067 --> 00:21:16,693 [indistinct radio chatter] 484 00:21:16,693 --> 00:21:17,945 BLANCHARD: So they put me in the police car. 485 00:21:17,945 --> 00:21:19,321 All the cops were giving high-fives. 486 00:21:19,321 --> 00:21:20,280 "Yeah, we got him. 487 00:21:20,280 --> 00:21:21,740 "We found the cop, the badge, 488 00:21:21,740 --> 00:21:23,742 the walkie-talkies from the police station." 489 00:21:23,742 --> 00:21:24,826 - So we're pretty happy, you know? 490 00:21:24,826 --> 00:21:26,286 The officers are like, "Hey, score." 491 00:21:26,286 --> 00:21:29,373 You know, we had had a stolen car, uh, an arson, 492 00:21:29,373 --> 00:21:32,376 um, an escapee all in one night, 493 00:21:32,376 --> 00:21:33,585 and it was, it had been solved. 494 00:21:33,585 --> 00:21:35,838 We got the guy arrested, so we were pretty happy about that. 495 00:21:35,838 --> 00:21:38,131 OFFICER JEFF BAKER: He was already cuffed behind his back. 496 00:21:38,131 --> 00:21:40,300 We put him into the backseat of the cruiser. 497 00:21:40,300 --> 00:21:44,137 Uh, the detective actually told me, "Be careful with this guy. 498 00:21:44,137 --> 00:21:45,347 "Uh, he's kind of slick. 499 00:21:45,347 --> 00:21:48,433 He got away from Council Bluffs Police Department last night." 500 00:21:48,433 --> 00:21:50,644 So I was quick to tell the detective, "Oh, don't worry about it. 501 00:21:50,644 --> 00:21:52,145 You know, this kid's not gonna get away from me." 502 00:21:52,145 --> 00:21:53,605 ♪ 503 00:21:53,605 --> 00:21:54,731 [siren chirps] 504 00:21:54,731 --> 00:21:57,901 OFFICER BAKER: I'm not sure if he had ever been arrested and transported 505 00:21:57,901 --> 00:21:59,486 to Central Station before. 506 00:21:59,486 --> 00:22:03,740 If he had, then he would know what the practice was of leaving-- 507 00:22:03,740 --> 00:22:07,369 - Keys in the car. They walk-- They lock their guns in a little box, 508 00:22:07,369 --> 00:22:08,620 then they come back to the car, 509 00:22:08,620 --> 00:22:11,081 take you out of the car and take you to the jail, 510 00:22:11,081 --> 00:22:13,000 which is in the basement of the police station. 511 00:22:13,000 --> 00:22:14,918 And there was the news media. 512 00:22:14,918 --> 00:22:16,587 [reporters clamoring] 513 00:22:16,587 --> 00:22:18,130 - No, there was no press. 514 00:22:18,130 --> 00:22:20,340 I don't know what the hell he's talkin' about. 515 00:22:20,340 --> 00:22:21,425 Yeah, there was no press. 516 00:22:21,425 --> 00:22:25,012 Um, so I get out, keys are still in the car. 517 00:22:25,012 --> 00:22:26,638 ♪ 518 00:22:26,638 --> 00:22:27,639 BLANCHARD: I jumped in the front seat, 519 00:22:27,639 --> 00:22:28,640 locked the front doors. 520 00:22:28,640 --> 00:22:29,474 [locks click] 521 00:22:29,474 --> 00:22:30,934 - I just happened to glance back 522 00:22:30,934 --> 00:22:34,271 and I noticed Blanchard is no longer handcuffed behind his back. 523 00:22:34,897 --> 00:22:37,316 He's just like this with his handcuffs in front. 524 00:22:37,316 --> 00:22:38,734 ♪ 525 00:22:38,734 --> 00:22:41,945 At this point, my career is starting to flash before my eyes 526 00:22:41,945 --> 00:22:43,405 and I realize what-what's about to happen. 527 00:22:43,405 --> 00:22:44,156 [engine starts] 528 00:22:44,156 --> 00:22:46,575 - And I'm screaming at him at the top of my lungs 529 00:22:46,575 --> 00:22:47,868 that I'm gonna shoot him through the windshield. 530 00:22:48,493 --> 00:22:50,954 The car goes into drive, there's a cacophony, 531 00:22:50,954 --> 00:22:53,665 an explosion of noise and tire smoke. 532 00:22:53,665 --> 00:22:54,708 [tires squeal] 533 00:22:54,708 --> 00:22:56,752 - Police officer slightly gets hit. 534 00:22:56,752 --> 00:22:59,671 [body slams, thuds] 535 00:22:59,671 --> 00:23:00,797 OFFICER BAKER: Son of a bitch! 536 00:23:00,797 --> 00:23:03,175 BLANCHARD: I smashed through the front doors of the police station. 537 00:23:03,175 --> 00:23:05,302 The news media are still outside racking up, 538 00:23:05,302 --> 00:23:06,637 and I'm driving away. 539 00:23:06,637 --> 00:23:09,640 - You know, he's gone in an instant, out-out of the garage. 540 00:23:09,640 --> 00:23:11,600 And I stood up and I, 541 00:23:11,600 --> 00:23:15,729 I-I couldn't believe what had happened. I literally could not believe my eyes. 542 00:23:16,730 --> 00:23:18,690 - Didn't surprise me 'cause we told him. 543 00:23:18,690 --> 00:23:21,443 I know everybody was sayin', telling the cruiser guys, 544 00:23:21,443 --> 00:23:24,947 "You gotta watch him. You-you just can't let your guard down." 545 00:23:24,947 --> 00:23:26,907 So it was like, "Oh, my God, here we go again." 546 00:23:26,907 --> 00:23:27,866 - Well-- [sighs] 547 00:23:27,866 --> 00:23:30,577 Uh, I shit my pants and, uh, figured, 548 00:23:30,577 --> 00:23:33,247 "Well, uh, this-- I, I guess this is the way I'm gonna get fired." 549 00:23:33,247 --> 00:23:35,541 So I ran outside and I took my radio off. 550 00:23:35,541 --> 00:23:36,959 BLANCHARD: And I hear on the police radio, 551 00:23:36,959 --> 00:23:38,710 "Blanchard just escaped from the police station. 552 00:23:38,710 --> 00:23:41,880 All units," blah, blah, blah. And I'm like, "Yeah, he's heading here." 553 00:23:41,880 --> 00:23:43,131 And it's me talking to them, 554 00:23:43,131 --> 00:23:45,300 trying to send them, send them the other way. 555 00:23:45,300 --> 00:23:46,969 - Blanchard takes off and goes back 556 00:23:46,969 --> 00:23:49,596 into the state of Iowa with an Omaha Police car. 557 00:23:49,596 --> 00:23:52,224 He approaches an accident scene 558 00:23:52,224 --> 00:23:54,226 that's being worked by Council Bluffs Police Department, 559 00:23:54,226 --> 00:23:56,228 and that's Officer Galvin if I'm not mistaken. 560 00:23:56,228 --> 00:23:59,773 - I'm just directing traffic, kind of keeping-keeping people moving. 561 00:23:59,773 --> 00:24:01,692 I go up and I wave to the officers to go by 562 00:24:01,692 --> 00:24:03,277 just 'cause that's normally what we do, 563 00:24:03,277 --> 00:24:05,112 uh, and I see the guy. 564 00:24:05,112 --> 00:24:07,865 OFFICER BAKER: He sees Danny Blanchard with no shirt on, 565 00:24:07,865 --> 00:24:11,034 handcuffed and actually slows down and waves. 566 00:24:11,034 --> 00:24:12,119 - He waves back at me. 567 00:24:12,119 --> 00:24:14,872 I-I seriously thought for a second it was just in my head, 568 00:24:14,872 --> 00:24:16,039 but clearly it was him. 569 00:24:16,039 --> 00:24:18,667 - So Galvin literally like drops his clipboard, 570 00:24:18,667 --> 00:24:20,002 drops what he's doing-- 571 00:24:20,002 --> 00:24:22,045 - I got back to my cruiser, I jump in, I take off. 572 00:24:22,045 --> 00:24:24,089 He was weaving in and outta traffic pretty good. 573 00:24:24,089 --> 00:24:26,633 BLANCHARD: I ended up getting off, like, ten minutes later, 574 00:24:26,633 --> 00:24:28,427 took some side roads. 575 00:24:28,427 --> 00:24:29,761 - Officer Brad Wright says, "Hey, I got it. 576 00:24:29,761 --> 00:24:31,555 It's comin' off of Highway 6 right now." 577 00:24:31,555 --> 00:24:32,973 And as he rounds the corner, 578 00:24:32,973 --> 00:24:34,641 Blanchard is jumping outta the cruiser and running 579 00:24:34,641 --> 00:24:36,018 into, like, a wooded area. 580 00:24:36,018 --> 00:24:36,977 OFFICER BAKER: Foot pursuit took place. 581 00:24:36,977 --> 00:24:37,811 OFFICER GALVIN: He starts chasin' him. 582 00:24:37,811 --> 00:24:40,355 He's yellin' for him to stop. "Stop or I'm gonna shoot ya." 583 00:24:40,355 --> 00:24:41,315 Officer Wright realizes-- 584 00:24:41,315 --> 00:24:43,817 He can see that he's handcuffed and doesn't have a weapon, 585 00:24:43,817 --> 00:24:45,944 so he takes off after him and tackles him at that point. 586 00:24:46,570 --> 00:24:49,406 ♪ 587 00:24:49,406 --> 00:24:54,328 ♪ solemn music playing ♪ 588 00:24:54,328 --> 00:24:58,373 - When your child is taken away, 589 00:24:59,625 --> 00:25:02,836 there are all kinds of terrible things going through your mind. 590 00:25:03,462 --> 00:25:07,341 He'd have black eyes, he'd have a fat lip, his face-- 591 00:25:07,341 --> 00:25:09,718 You could tell clearly that he had been beaten, 592 00:25:10,886 --> 00:25:13,222 and it was difficult. 593 00:25:13,222 --> 00:25:15,098 ♪ 594 00:25:15,098 --> 00:25:15,933 [clicks tongue] 595 00:25:15,933 --> 00:25:16,850 [voice breaking] I'm sorry. 596 00:25:16,850 --> 00:25:22,606 ♪ 597 00:25:22,606 --> 00:25:25,859 ♪ 598 00:25:25,859 --> 00:25:29,363 ♪ 599 00:25:29,363 --> 00:25:34,701 His day in prison, I'm sure changed him a lot. 600 00:25:34,701 --> 00:25:37,996 He wasn't the same person that came out of there afterwards. 601 00:25:39,498 --> 00:25:42,167 BLANCHARD: I used to do 1,000 sit-ups a day, 1,000 pushups a day. 602 00:25:42,167 --> 00:25:43,752 I was in the best shape of my life. 603 00:25:44,169 --> 00:25:46,463 I was given a seven-year prison sentence. 604 00:25:46,463 --> 00:25:49,883 That drops down to three and a half years and you're eligible for parole after that. 605 00:25:51,051 --> 00:25:52,845 And then I was deported back to Canada. 606 00:25:52,845 --> 00:25:58,016 ♪ 607 00:26:00,018 --> 00:26:02,771 [train horn blaring] [train chugging] 608 00:26:06,567 --> 00:26:08,819 BLANCHARD: So the first day when I arrived in Canada 609 00:26:08,819 --> 00:26:11,196 after being deported from the States, 610 00:26:12,030 --> 00:26:13,490 no money, no nothing, 611 00:26:13,991 --> 00:26:18,287 uh, Canadian Customs gave me ten dollars to take the bus. 612 00:26:19,538 --> 00:26:23,500 I bought a nine dollar disposable camera, took the sales receipt, 613 00:26:23,500 --> 00:26:26,545 photocopied it at Staples for ten cents, 614 00:26:26,545 --> 00:26:29,840 stole a couple of them and started returning those cameras. 615 00:26:29,840 --> 00:26:32,134 By the end of the day I had a couple hundred dollars. 616 00:26:32,134 --> 00:26:35,888 I felt like I was on top of the world, back to my old self. 617 00:26:35,888 --> 00:26:41,560 ♪ light music playing ♪ 618 00:26:41,560 --> 00:26:43,854 PHEGLY: It was like starting all over. 619 00:26:45,397 --> 00:26:48,775 And he would have to do pretty much everything on his own. 620 00:26:49,651 --> 00:26:52,154 - When I arrived in Winnipeg in 1997, 621 00:26:52,154 --> 00:26:53,822 I met this beautiful blonde girl, 622 00:26:53,822 --> 00:26:56,200 and it happened to be Aaron's girlfriend, 623 00:26:56,200 --> 00:26:57,534 and that's how I met Aaron. 624 00:26:57,534 --> 00:27:00,037 And we became friends and I said to him, 625 00:27:00,037 --> 00:27:02,414 "Hey, if you wanna make some money..." 626 00:27:02,414 --> 00:27:04,541 I said, "...I can help you very easily." 627 00:27:06,627 --> 00:27:08,462 AARON SYBERG: I, you know, I was 15 years old 628 00:27:08,462 --> 00:27:10,506 and I had just gotten out of the Youth Center. 629 00:27:10,506 --> 00:27:11,673 I didn't really-- 630 00:27:11,673 --> 00:27:14,676 Like, I was pretty confused and I was, like, getting into trouble. 631 00:27:16,386 --> 00:27:19,223 Dan came along and he just seemed like kind of exceptional. 632 00:27:19,806 --> 00:27:21,391 The first day I met him, he took me out, 633 00:27:21,391 --> 00:27:22,935 we went to the, to the mall, 634 00:27:22,935 --> 00:27:25,145 and he just had, like, these keys, 635 00:27:25,938 --> 00:27:30,442 and he was opening up like, the showcases and stuff in all of the stores, 636 00:27:30,442 --> 00:27:32,528 and it was just overwhelming 637 00:27:32,528 --> 00:27:35,072 the amount of stuff he was taking from the stores. 638 00:27:35,948 --> 00:27:38,242 BLANCHARD: Aaron, look through the mirror. 639 00:27:38,242 --> 00:27:39,535 SYBERG: Some days, like, with the returns 640 00:27:39,535 --> 00:27:42,329 he would make 30, $50,000, 641 00:27:42,329 --> 00:27:44,706 but I think he was a little bit tired of it by that time. 642 00:27:44,706 --> 00:27:46,792 He'd been doing it for, like, 20 years, you know? 643 00:27:47,501 --> 00:27:49,086 We're in, uh, Polo Park. 644 00:27:49,086 --> 00:27:50,295 This guy's up from the States. - I want-- 645 00:27:50,295 --> 00:27:52,381 SYBERG: Just did four years in Fed, eh? 646 00:27:52,381 --> 00:27:54,800 He's out and he's fuckin' out and about. 647 00:27:55,592 --> 00:27:57,135 Full of mischief and he's, uh-- 648 00:27:57,135 --> 00:27:58,428 - I haven't done anything. 649 00:27:58,428 --> 00:28:00,389 SYBERG: Nothing. He hasn't done a damn thing. 650 00:28:00,389 --> 00:28:02,766 This guy is fuckin' clean as a whistle. 651 00:28:02,766 --> 00:28:04,476 Yeah. He's never done a thing. 652 00:28:04,476 --> 00:28:05,477 MAN: Is it on right now? 653 00:28:07,271 --> 00:28:08,188 [indistinct chatter] 654 00:28:08,188 --> 00:28:09,273 SYBERG: He would often sit there 655 00:28:09,273 --> 00:28:11,692 and stare at things for hours, 656 00:28:11,692 --> 00:28:13,569 and sometimes we would, we would sit 657 00:28:13,569 --> 00:28:15,529 and he would watch a store or a bank or something, 658 00:28:15,529 --> 00:28:18,156 and he would literally spend eight hours sitting there, 659 00:28:19,116 --> 00:28:22,286 uh, you know, eating candy the whole day 660 00:28:22,286 --> 00:28:24,288 and he would be hyper-focused. 661 00:28:24,288 --> 00:28:26,081 ♪ 662 00:28:26,081 --> 00:28:28,208 So, I think that's when he started, you know, 663 00:28:28,208 --> 00:28:30,043 trying to progress to bigger things. 664 00:28:30,043 --> 00:28:34,298 ♪ 665 00:28:34,298 --> 00:28:37,134 BLANCHARD: I was driving one hot summer day, 666 00:28:37,134 --> 00:28:39,595 two o'clock in the morning coming back from a nightclub, 667 00:28:39,595 --> 00:28:42,014 and I passed a Scotiabank in South Edmonton. 668 00:28:42,514 --> 00:28:46,143 And I was like, "You know what? This bank could be taken very easily." 669 00:28:46,143 --> 00:28:47,728 And then I realized, 670 00:28:47,728 --> 00:28:50,606 why am I doing these small returns for small money 671 00:28:50,606 --> 00:28:53,817 when I can actually just take the cash from the bank? 672 00:28:53,817 --> 00:28:58,447 ♪ suspenseful music playing ♪ 673 00:28:58,447 --> 00:29:02,784 So I rented a hotel across the street, set up all my security equipment there, 674 00:29:02,784 --> 00:29:05,078 watching the bank for at least a month and a half. 675 00:29:05,871 --> 00:29:07,956 If someone was inside the bank, I was watching. 676 00:29:08,582 --> 00:29:09,833 I'd studied everything. 677 00:29:09,833 --> 00:29:13,128 "Okay, how am I gonna get into the bank? How do you bypass the security systems? 678 00:29:13,128 --> 00:29:15,047 "How are you gonna bypass the motion sensors? 679 00:29:15,047 --> 00:29:17,341 "Take them apart, figure them out, analyze them. 680 00:29:17,341 --> 00:29:19,092 "Where are the police stations located? 681 00:29:19,092 --> 00:29:21,011 "How are you gonna open up the ATM door? 682 00:29:21,011 --> 00:29:23,222 How are you gonna open up the ATMs? How are you gonna get into--" 683 00:29:23,222 --> 00:29:27,309 Every ATM has five trays, every tray holds about 80 to $100,000. 684 00:29:27,309 --> 00:29:29,353 Measure the whole bank out. How many feet? 685 00:29:29,353 --> 00:29:31,104 Practice exactly what I need to do. 686 00:29:31,104 --> 00:29:33,649 Put tape on the floor, run from here to there. 687 00:29:33,649 --> 00:29:35,025 It's like playing a chess game 688 00:29:35,025 --> 00:29:36,735 because one mistake, 689 00:29:36,735 --> 00:29:38,153 your freedom is gone. 690 00:29:38,153 --> 00:29:42,115 ♪ 691 00:29:42,115 --> 00:29:46,245 That taught me a lesson in life where if you're confident in yourself 692 00:29:46,245 --> 00:29:49,289 and you plan things enough, you'll get away with it. 693 00:29:49,289 --> 00:29:53,085 Like, who else can go into a bank and walk out with half a million dollars? 694 00:29:53,085 --> 00:29:56,296 No one knows anything. Like, it just vanished. 695 00:29:56,296 --> 00:30:00,592 ♪ dramatic music playing ♪ 696 00:30:00,592 --> 00:30:04,096 ♪ 697 00:30:04,096 --> 00:30:07,057 So my feeling is I could only trust myself. 698 00:30:07,641 --> 00:30:10,769 So growing up, basically I was by myself 699 00:30:10,769 --> 00:30:14,189 when I had to do things or learn things. 700 00:30:14,189 --> 00:30:17,276 I didn't have someone I could talk to or take advice from. 701 00:30:17,276 --> 00:30:18,819 [indistinct chatter] 702 00:30:18,819 --> 00:30:20,153 OPERATOR: Scene three, take one. Mark. 703 00:30:20,153 --> 00:30:21,071 - Okay. [chuckles] 704 00:30:21,655 --> 00:30:23,407 My name is Richard Fedoruk, 705 00:30:24,032 --> 00:30:28,120 and I'm the biological father of Gerald Blanchard, 706 00:30:28,120 --> 00:30:30,747 criminal mastermind of the world. 707 00:30:30,747 --> 00:30:34,209 ♪ groovy funk music playing ♪ 708 00:30:34,209 --> 00:30:35,085 Okay. 709 00:30:36,044 --> 00:30:37,546 My girlfriend was 15, 710 00:30:38,130 --> 00:30:40,799 I was 17. We were kids ourself, 711 00:30:41,466 --> 00:30:43,594 and she put him up for adoption. 712 00:30:43,594 --> 00:30:46,221 I had no say. She was the mother. 713 00:30:46,221 --> 00:30:49,641 And my older brother called me up and said, you know, um, 714 00:30:49,641 --> 00:30:53,562 "Your son's here and he'd like to know if he could talk to you." 715 00:30:53,562 --> 00:30:57,274 I said, "Sure, I'd love to talk to him. Why wouldn't I? That's my blood." 716 00:30:58,442 --> 00:31:03,572 And I said-said, um, "Dan, just to let you know I'm recording you, 717 00:31:03,572 --> 00:31:06,033 "so when I hit that rocking chair when I'm 100, 718 00:31:06,033 --> 00:31:07,659 I'll have something to listen to." 719 00:31:08,452 --> 00:31:10,871 And he said, "Don't worry, I'm recording you, too." 720 00:31:10,871 --> 00:31:14,583 So it's kinda like, like father, like son, we're on the same page. 721 00:31:14,583 --> 00:31:15,667 ♪ 722 00:31:15,667 --> 00:31:20,422 Maybe he felt, um, rejected being put up for adoption. 723 00:31:20,422 --> 00:31:24,384 - The way I see my relationship with my father is just friends. 724 00:31:24,384 --> 00:31:26,053 He hasn't been a part of my life. 725 00:31:26,053 --> 00:31:29,681 So I consider him as a friend, but not a father figure. 726 00:31:31,266 --> 00:31:34,228 - Maybe what made him what he is, 727 00:31:34,228 --> 00:31:36,897 I think he just wanted to show the world that... 728 00:31:37,689 --> 00:31:40,817 [laughs] ...the smartest man in the world just got rejected. 729 00:31:41,318 --> 00:31:44,821 - So I was in a new line of work after the very first bank job, 730 00:31:45,447 --> 00:31:47,241 and every bank that I did after that, 731 00:31:47,241 --> 00:31:50,661 I got better and better at my unique techniques 732 00:31:50,661 --> 00:31:51,787 to get into them. 733 00:31:51,787 --> 00:31:55,165 ♪ thrilling TV News theme music plays ♪ 734 00:31:55,165 --> 00:31:57,668 ANNOUNCER: CTV News: Top Stories. 735 00:31:57,668 --> 00:32:01,129 - Tonight, a sophisticated robbery at a CIBC branch 736 00:32:01,129 --> 00:32:02,381 in the Polo Park area. 737 00:32:02,381 --> 00:32:04,383 REPORTER 1: This CIBC branch in Empress Street 738 00:32:04,383 --> 00:32:07,761 hadn't even opened yet, but its automatic teller machines-- 739 00:32:07,761 --> 00:32:09,221 REPORTER 2: Eight ATMs were robbed 740 00:32:09,221 --> 00:32:11,515 while the bank was still under construction. 741 00:32:11,515 --> 00:32:13,433 More than half a million dollars was stolen. 742 00:32:13,433 --> 00:32:14,935 NEWSCASTER: It's got authority shaking their heads 743 00:32:15,519 --> 00:32:18,355 over the high level of sophistication it took 744 00:32:18,355 --> 00:32:19,606 to pull this off. 745 00:32:21,358 --> 00:32:22,651 [indistinct radio chatter] 746 00:32:22,651 --> 00:32:26,113 ♪ 747 00:32:26,113 --> 00:32:29,199 OFFICER LEVASSEUR: For me, it started as a... as a young boy. 748 00:32:29,199 --> 00:32:30,826 [indistinct radio chatter] 749 00:32:30,826 --> 00:32:35,414 - I was always impressed with wanting to be a police officer, 750 00:32:35,956 --> 00:32:39,543 and, uh, that was my dream as a, as a boy 751 00:32:39,543 --> 00:32:42,546 and-and the rest was history, so to say. 752 00:32:42,546 --> 00:32:44,590 ♪ 753 00:32:44,590 --> 00:32:45,841 OFFICER MITCH MCCORMICK: They were looking for the right-winger 754 00:32:45,841 --> 00:32:49,261 on the, uh, Winnipeg Police, uh, hockey team. 755 00:32:49,261 --> 00:32:52,764 They approached me about maybe applying and I ended up getting on and-- 756 00:32:53,974 --> 00:32:55,267 I just kinda, it was my niche. 757 00:32:55,267 --> 00:32:57,269 It was, it was really good because it's a team. 758 00:32:57,269 --> 00:33:01,231 ♪ light music playing ♪ 759 00:33:01,231 --> 00:33:04,735 ♪ 760 00:33:04,735 --> 00:33:06,612 OFFICER LEVASSEUR: I've never even heard of anything like this. 761 00:33:06,612 --> 00:33:08,238 Nev-- Never even heard of it. 762 00:33:08,238 --> 00:33:12,284 An outright theft of, uh, three quarters of a million dollars cash? 763 00:33:12,284 --> 00:33:13,660 That's a big deal. 764 00:33:13,660 --> 00:33:15,579 Um, you know, that's a really big deal. 765 00:33:17,039 --> 00:33:19,458 - This is a very sophisticated-type break and enter. 766 00:33:19,458 --> 00:33:21,376 This is not something we saw every day. 767 00:33:21,376 --> 00:33:24,630 Never saw it in 27 years of, of my career. 768 00:33:24,630 --> 00:33:26,173 OFFICER LEVASSEUR: You know, the CIBC just 769 00:33:27,216 --> 00:33:29,176 constructed this brand new building 770 00:33:29,176 --> 00:33:34,264 that was so secure and, well, it was circumvented. 771 00:33:34,264 --> 00:33:36,391 ♪ 772 00:33:36,391 --> 00:33:39,269 It was really quite a mystery, 773 00:33:39,269 --> 00:33:42,272 quite a mystery how these locked ATMs 774 00:33:42,272 --> 00:33:46,401 could have been opened so quickly, and then the cash taken out 775 00:33:46,401 --> 00:33:49,530 and there was nothing to be seen, nothing to be seen. 776 00:33:49,530 --> 00:33:51,198 ♪ 777 00:33:51,198 --> 00:33:52,449 OFFICER MCCORMICK: People kinda threw up and said, 778 00:33:52,449 --> 00:33:53,325 "Well, there's other work to do 779 00:33:53,325 --> 00:33:56,119 and this one looks a little too hard to get done." 780 00:33:56,119 --> 00:33:58,664 It looked to me that it was solvable. 781 00:33:59,456 --> 00:34:02,668 So we formed a task force that we eventually called Project Kite. 782 00:34:02,668 --> 00:34:03,752 ♪ 783 00:34:03,752 --> 00:34:05,337 OFFICER LEVASSEUR: Uh, we had a war room, you know? 784 00:34:05,337 --> 00:34:07,923 Where desks and cork boards up. 785 00:34:07,923 --> 00:34:11,635 At the high of it, we probably had a dozen, fourteen detectives, you know, 786 00:34:11,635 --> 00:34:14,471 running around for us, gathering what was needed. 787 00:34:14,471 --> 00:34:16,890 - We didn't wanna go to the task force, 788 00:34:16,890 --> 00:34:19,434 but Mitch wanted us and we were forced to go. 789 00:34:19,434 --> 00:34:23,939 - I think the crime scene just really was the open backs of the ATMs. 790 00:34:23,939 --> 00:34:28,318 So at the time, nobody knew how the person even got into the ATMs. 791 00:34:28,318 --> 00:34:30,904 - So, you would've seen media, movies, 792 00:34:30,904 --> 00:34:33,365 and similar interesting thefts 793 00:34:33,365 --> 00:34:36,285 or strange, uh, crimes that have been committed 794 00:34:36,285 --> 00:34:38,829 that were certainly outside the lines of the norm, 795 00:34:38,829 --> 00:34:40,289 and this is one of those. 796 00:34:40,289 --> 00:34:42,708 - So we got a lot of ground to cover 797 00:34:42,708 --> 00:34:47,087 to finally figure out how this happened. 798 00:34:49,173 --> 00:34:50,632 BLANCHARD: Well, what happened was I flew 799 00:34:50,632 --> 00:34:52,885 to Winnipeg to visit my family 800 00:34:52,885 --> 00:34:54,678 and my grandmother was tellin' me 801 00:34:54,678 --> 00:34:57,806 about how they're closing down her CIBC branch. 802 00:34:57,806 --> 00:34:59,099 And I said, "What do you mean?" 803 00:34:59,099 --> 00:35:02,644 And she said, "They're closing all the little smaller branches 804 00:35:02,644 --> 00:35:04,897 "and putting seven or eight smaller branches 805 00:35:04,897 --> 00:35:06,899 into this one big mega branch." 806 00:35:06,899 --> 00:35:08,567 And that piqued my interest. 807 00:35:08,567 --> 00:35:11,236 OFFICER LEVASSEUR: There was a big sign out front saying, 808 00:35:11,236 --> 00:35:14,406 "Future home of the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce." 809 00:35:14,406 --> 00:35:16,074 There, the seed was set. 810 00:35:16,074 --> 00:35:18,118 - 'Cause at that time there was no securities on the banks 811 00:35:18,118 --> 00:35:19,411 when they were being built. 812 00:35:19,411 --> 00:35:21,580 No alarm systems, no guards. 813 00:35:21,580 --> 00:35:23,916 It's just a shell, there's no money, there's no nothing. 814 00:35:23,916 --> 00:35:25,667 BLANCHARD: So I went across the street to Home Depot, 815 00:35:25,667 --> 00:35:28,795 bought a hard hat, a vest, put it on, walked in there. 816 00:35:28,795 --> 00:35:30,672 OFFICER LEVASSEUR: This was an opportunity for him 817 00:35:30,672 --> 00:35:33,509 to put devices into the bank 818 00:35:33,509 --> 00:35:37,054 that would aid him in the future. 819 00:35:37,054 --> 00:35:39,306 Uh, I-- I don't know how people think that way. 820 00:35:39,306 --> 00:35:40,849 - Well, the first time was pretty easy. 821 00:35:40,849 --> 00:35:44,561 I just went to Toys"R"Us and bought a $50 baby monitor. 822 00:35:44,561 --> 00:35:49,066 Screw that in there, plaster it up, sand it down, repaint it, 823 00:35:49,066 --> 00:35:51,652 and within two hours you're done. 824 00:35:51,652 --> 00:35:53,403 OFFICER LEVASSEUR: So, he would've been able to listen 825 00:35:53,403 --> 00:35:55,322 to the general contractor say, 826 00:35:55,322 --> 00:35:57,199 "Okay, well, boys, this room's gotta be done 827 00:35:57,199 --> 00:36:01,078 "by such and such a day because the ATMs are coming on May 13th." 828 00:36:01,078 --> 00:36:02,579 So he would know that. 829 00:36:02,579 --> 00:36:04,122 OFFICER MCCORMICK: As the bank is being built, 830 00:36:04,122 --> 00:36:07,751 he's also putting ways to get in the bank, ways to get outta the bank. 831 00:36:07,751 --> 00:36:10,170 He had gone into the bank when it was being built 832 00:36:10,170 --> 00:36:12,714 into the back of the motion detector, 833 00:36:12,714 --> 00:36:16,802 and he'd soldered the wire and ran it all the way back into the bathroom 834 00:36:16,802 --> 00:36:18,929 so that he can go in there and go, twist. 835 00:36:18,929 --> 00:36:21,515 Now the motion detector in the ATM doesn't work, 836 00:36:21,515 --> 00:36:23,934 so when he drops through the ceiling later, 837 00:36:23,934 --> 00:36:25,102 it doesn't go off. 838 00:36:25,102 --> 00:36:27,813 - The preparation takes as long as it takes to build the building, 839 00:36:27,813 --> 00:36:30,148 which could be several months, could be a year. 840 00:36:30,148 --> 00:36:33,652 The level of patience is just mind blowing to me. 841 00:36:33,652 --> 00:36:36,280 ♪ 842 00:36:36,280 --> 00:36:38,073 SHEILLA LEINBURD: And so, what happened is he realized 843 00:36:38,073 --> 00:36:41,994 that each ATM holds about $100,000 Canadian dollars. 844 00:36:41,994 --> 00:36:44,288 All you need to do is figure out a way 845 00:36:44,288 --> 00:36:46,832 to get into these "little safes." 846 00:36:46,832 --> 00:36:50,460 And he figured out a... brilliant way to do it. 847 00:36:50,460 --> 00:36:52,379 - And the way it works is that, 848 00:36:52,379 --> 00:36:53,714 you know, he brings cart, has a fob, 849 00:36:53,714 --> 00:36:57,301 and then he has, he has to phone in for a code that works once. 850 00:36:57,301 --> 00:37:00,637 So he spins a dial, punches in a code, uses the fob, 851 00:37:00,637 --> 00:37:01,638 and the door opens. 852 00:37:01,638 --> 00:37:05,017 So it's fairly-- It's very secure... normally. 853 00:37:05,475 --> 00:37:06,560 - None of that matters. 854 00:37:06,560 --> 00:37:09,188 It's just show-and-tell. 855 00:37:09,188 --> 00:37:12,107 It's like when you're doing it from the inside out, 856 00:37:12,107 --> 00:37:14,860 modify things, you have full access. 857 00:37:14,860 --> 00:37:18,071 OFFICER LEVASSEUR: Gerald found a way to manipulate 858 00:37:18,071 --> 00:37:23,702 a very sophisticated, well-engineered lock by just manipulating 859 00:37:23,702 --> 00:37:26,622 some of the screws that held that lock in position. 860 00:37:27,122 --> 00:37:30,209 It was ingenious. It was absolutely ingenious. 861 00:37:30,209 --> 00:37:31,919 OFFICER BEN HAEGEMAN: The body of the screw 862 00:37:31,919 --> 00:37:35,672 had been sawed through to about 80% through. 863 00:37:36,798 --> 00:37:39,218 So now when they reef on the locking mechanism, 864 00:37:39,218 --> 00:37:42,596 those already tampered with screws sever, 865 00:37:43,222 --> 00:37:45,390 and they all peel back 866 00:37:45,390 --> 00:37:48,018 and the locking mechanism swings open 867 00:37:48,519 --> 00:37:50,604 and, shazam, there's your money. 868 00:37:51,772 --> 00:37:54,149 OFFICER LEVASSEUR: On the eve of when this bank 869 00:37:54,149 --> 00:37:58,237 was gonna open to the public, they were filled with money 870 00:37:58,237 --> 00:38:01,865 to the tune of about $750,000 cash. 871 00:38:01,865 --> 00:38:03,200 ♪ 872 00:38:03,200 --> 00:38:04,201 BLANCHARD: And I knew all that money 873 00:38:04,201 --> 00:38:05,661 would be in my pockets, 874 00:38:06,203 --> 00:38:10,290 so I just sat patiently and watched and waited until the time was right. 875 00:38:10,290 --> 00:38:15,546 ♪ tense music playing ♪ 876 00:38:15,546 --> 00:38:18,423 I felt like it would be better to have at least two people 877 00:38:19,216 --> 00:38:22,594 because I figured if there's seven bank machines, 878 00:38:22,594 --> 00:38:25,097 there's going to be four trays per machine, 879 00:38:25,097 --> 00:38:28,100 that's quite a bit of boxes to carry out. 880 00:38:28,767 --> 00:38:31,979 So I had my cousin be the driver for the vehicle, 881 00:38:32,729 --> 00:38:36,942 and he's the one who wanted to bring his friend John Doe into the mix. 882 00:38:38,277 --> 00:38:40,529 So that night when I did the robbery, 883 00:38:41,530 --> 00:38:43,448 I climbed up to the roof, 884 00:38:43,448 --> 00:38:46,118 had the steel bars in the air vents precut, 885 00:38:46,910 --> 00:38:49,413 dropped through the air vents, crawled to the other side, 886 00:38:49,413 --> 00:38:51,290 dropped down into the ATM room. 887 00:38:51,290 --> 00:38:52,124 [thuds] 888 00:38:53,000 --> 00:38:56,295 I could hear the fans of the machines and it was nice and quiet. 889 00:38:57,504 --> 00:38:59,256 [ticking] 890 00:38:59,673 --> 00:39:01,675 BLANCHARD: Once I twisted the two wires, 891 00:39:01,675 --> 00:39:04,303 they gave me full access to walk around the ATM room 892 00:39:04,845 --> 00:39:08,140 without any security devices going off. 893 00:39:08,140 --> 00:39:12,019 Now, as soon as I opened the ATM machine, I knew the alarm was going to go off. 894 00:39:12,352 --> 00:39:13,770 [safe door thuds] 895 00:39:14,271 --> 00:39:15,772 [device clatters] 896 00:39:16,815 --> 00:39:19,443 [alarm blaring] 897 00:39:20,903 --> 00:39:24,156 ♪ jazzy espionage music playing ♪ 898 00:39:24,156 --> 00:39:28,202 - He was able to get into these ATMs one after another, 899 00:39:28,202 --> 00:39:30,162 probably within 20 or 30 seconds. 900 00:39:30,162 --> 00:39:32,372 He just-- We could see by the alarms afterwards 901 00:39:32,372 --> 00:39:34,249 that they went bang, bang, bang, bang, bang. 902 00:39:34,249 --> 00:39:36,502 The adrenaline rush must be overwhelming. 903 00:39:36,502 --> 00:39:38,420 BLANCHARD: So I opened up the machine, 904 00:39:38,420 --> 00:39:39,922 twisted the lock, 905 00:39:39,922 --> 00:39:42,216 grabbed the four trays from each machine, 906 00:39:42,216 --> 00:39:43,675 sat them on the dolly. 907 00:39:44,635 --> 00:39:46,303 OFFICER WADE MCDONALD: The police officers responded, 908 00:39:46,303 --> 00:39:47,930 checked the bank. 909 00:39:48,680 --> 00:39:51,975 There was no signs of forced entry, uh, there was nothing suspicious, 910 00:39:52,476 --> 00:39:54,686 and, uh, kinda cleared the call. 911 00:39:55,562 --> 00:39:57,231 BLANCHARD: So after we took all the trays out, 912 00:39:57,231 --> 00:40:00,442 we closed the doors, opened up the fire exit, 913 00:40:01,068 --> 00:40:02,528 we drove away and then we went 914 00:40:02,528 --> 00:40:06,198 to the safe house and started counting the money. 915 00:40:06,198 --> 00:40:07,199 ♪ 916 00:40:07,199 --> 00:40:08,200 [cash register dings] 917 00:40:08,200 --> 00:40:10,744 ♪ 918 00:40:10,744 --> 00:40:12,663 OFFICER LEVASSEUR: If you're the bank manager coming in, 919 00:40:13,372 --> 00:40:15,666 that morning you open the front door, 920 00:40:15,666 --> 00:40:19,878 you look at the six ATM machines, "Mm. Everything looks good here." Right? 921 00:40:19,878 --> 00:40:23,006 It's only when you go into the back room, behind, 922 00:40:23,006 --> 00:40:24,591 where the machines are serviced, 923 00:40:24,591 --> 00:40:27,302 that you would see each one of the doors open, right? 924 00:40:27,302 --> 00:40:28,929 And the cash trays gone. 925 00:40:28,929 --> 00:40:31,056 Everything is, uh, intact. 926 00:40:31,056 --> 00:40:33,141 It looks like if I close the door, it would lock. 927 00:40:33,767 --> 00:40:36,019 - They canvased the area a-and the CIBC 928 00:40:36,019 --> 00:40:38,939 was in a shopping mall area and there was a Walmart. 929 00:40:40,023 --> 00:40:41,900 So it just happened on that night, 930 00:40:41,900 --> 00:40:45,279 there happened to be a Walmart greeter in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada 931 00:40:45,279 --> 00:40:49,032 that was checkin' for license plates, and when they checked the plate, 932 00:40:49,032 --> 00:40:52,619 it came up to a Gerald Daniel Blanchard from Edmonton, Alberta, 933 00:40:52,619 --> 00:40:55,789 and it was being rented from Avis at the airport. 934 00:40:55,789 --> 00:40:59,418 And from there, Gerald Daniel Blanchard became a person of interest. 935 00:41:02,504 --> 00:41:04,923 - Danny Blanchard, he registered that vehicle, 936 00:41:04,923 --> 00:41:06,675 rented it in his name. 937 00:41:07,092 --> 00:41:10,804 - You ask yourself the question, "How could someone so smart be so dumb?" 938 00:41:11,972 --> 00:41:13,098 BLANCHARD: But I must say, when the police 939 00:41:13,098 --> 00:41:17,519 were in the ATM room behind the bank machines, 940 00:41:17,519 --> 00:41:18,687 fingerprinting everything, 941 00:41:18,687 --> 00:41:20,689 trying to figure everything out, I was watching them. 942 00:41:21,398 --> 00:41:23,692 I could see what they were talking about. 943 00:41:23,692 --> 00:41:25,360 And they said, "Hey, this guy, 944 00:41:25,360 --> 00:41:28,822 Gerald Blanchard had this van in the parking lot." 945 00:41:28,822 --> 00:41:31,700 - Uh, the bank manager received a call, 946 00:41:31,700 --> 00:41:34,745 uh, that someone from inside the bank, cons-- 947 00:41:34,745 --> 00:41:37,331 that constructed the bank was responsible. 948 00:41:37,331 --> 00:41:38,290 [phone rings] 949 00:41:39,082 --> 00:41:40,167 [phone beeps] 950 00:41:40,167 --> 00:41:41,668 BLANCHARD [over phone]: Hi, I have a tip for you. 951 00:41:42,336 --> 00:41:46,089 I know who robbed your bank, they're going to rob you again. 952 00:41:46,089 --> 00:41:47,799 But this time with guns blazing. 953 00:41:47,799 --> 00:41:48,842 You better be careful. 954 00:41:49,635 --> 00:41:50,844 I don't want anybody hurt. 955 00:41:53,514 --> 00:41:57,017 - That totally diverts the police 956 00:41:57,518 --> 00:42:00,896 investigating at the time on two different tangents. 957 00:42:00,896 --> 00:42:02,189 - So we're running one way, 958 00:42:02,189 --> 00:42:04,650 and he's-he's running outta the city with everything he's got. 959 00:42:05,275 --> 00:42:09,196 ♪ thrilling music playing ♪ 960 00:42:09,196 --> 00:42:13,075 [inaudible dialogue] 961 00:42:13,075 --> 00:42:16,411 ♪ 962 00:42:16,411 --> 00:42:19,373 - You know, it's Gerald Daniel Blanchard, uh, from Edmonton. 963 00:42:19,373 --> 00:42:20,541 Who is he? 964 00:42:20,541 --> 00:42:22,584 We didn't have any intelligence on him. 965 00:42:22,584 --> 00:42:24,044 - So, we make a phone call 966 00:42:24,878 --> 00:42:27,506 to the Canadian Bankers Association, and we say, 967 00:42:28,799 --> 00:42:30,384 "Have you ever had anything similar?" 968 00:42:31,635 --> 00:42:32,761 "Similar? 969 00:42:32,761 --> 00:42:35,138 Well, as a matter of fact, Larry, yes, there have been." 970 00:42:36,014 --> 00:42:38,851 We learned that similar events happened in Edmonton, 971 00:42:38,851 --> 00:42:42,521 similar events happened, uh, out east in Etobicoke. 972 00:42:42,521 --> 00:42:45,941 OFFICER HAEGEMAN: The, uh, Scotiabank in the Branford, Ontario area. 973 00:42:45,941 --> 00:42:47,860 OFFICER MCDONALD: Went to the Alberta Treasury Board. 974 00:42:47,860 --> 00:42:49,820 OFFICER LEVASSEUR: An additional CIBC. 975 00:42:49,820 --> 00:42:52,364 TRACY OLIVER: Two or three at least there were in Edmonton. 976 00:42:52,364 --> 00:42:54,575 OFFICER LEVASSEUR: Scotiabank in British Columbia. 977 00:42:54,575 --> 00:42:57,744 - B.C., we had in Alberta, we had teams locally here in Winnipeg. 978 00:42:57,744 --> 00:42:59,580 - It started to get bigger and bigger. 979 00:42:59,580 --> 00:43:01,248 - And we had banks callin' us. 980 00:43:01,248 --> 00:43:03,959 - I would say probably in the dozens. 981 00:43:03,959 --> 00:43:05,335 ♪ 982 00:43:05,335 --> 00:43:07,337 - I don't think there's a number you can say. 983 00:43:08,046 --> 00:43:09,089 [chuckles] 984 00:43:09,089 --> 00:43:11,884 You can see the smile to my face, it was very good. 985 00:43:11,884 --> 00:43:12,718 [chuckles] 986 00:43:12,968 --> 00:43:14,261 - More details tonight from police 987 00:43:14,261 --> 00:43:17,097 on the organized crime ring with Winnipeg ties. 988 00:43:17,097 --> 00:43:19,391 - As we started to move along, 989 00:43:19,391 --> 00:43:22,060 it, uh, it really started to expand. 990 00:43:22,060 --> 00:43:23,979 - A sophisticated operation, 991 00:43:23,979 --> 00:43:26,356 Winnipeg Police can't help but marvel at. 992 00:43:26,773 --> 00:43:28,275 BLANCHARD: I was out of control. 993 00:43:28,275 --> 00:43:30,611 I just wanted every bank that was being done 994 00:43:30,611 --> 00:43:31,445 as much as I could. 995 00:43:32,154 --> 00:43:34,406 And that's why I went from the bank in Winnipeg, 996 00:43:34,406 --> 00:43:37,701 right to the bank in Toronto, from the bank in Toronto, 997 00:43:37,701 --> 00:43:39,119 back to the bank in Edmonton. 998 00:43:39,578 --> 00:43:41,830 I was just a wild man at the time. 999 00:43:43,165 --> 00:43:44,791 I flew back to Winnipeg, 1000 00:43:44,791 --> 00:43:48,170 and there was a Royal Bank ATM machine sitting outside 1001 00:43:48,170 --> 00:43:49,254 of the drive-through. 1002 00:43:49,254 --> 00:43:51,089 I put the tarp over the machine, 1003 00:43:51,089 --> 00:43:54,510 and I took circular saw and I bought a diamond blade 1004 00:43:54,510 --> 00:43:56,720 that will cut through an inch of steel like butter. 1005 00:43:56,720 --> 00:43:59,932 [saw blade whirring] 1006 00:43:59,932 --> 00:44:01,600 BLANCHARD: The door popped right open. 1007 00:44:01,600 --> 00:44:03,519 There's $200,000 right there. 1008 00:44:03,519 --> 00:44:04,353 [sirens wailing] 1009 00:44:04,353 --> 00:44:07,606 BLANCHARD: So, I look out the tarp, and I'm being surrounded by the police, 1010 00:44:08,190 --> 00:44:10,025 but I had a backup plan. 1011 00:44:10,025 --> 00:44:12,569 I'm wearing a vest with six smoke grenades. 1012 00:44:13,070 --> 00:44:15,405 I pull the two grenades off of my vest, 1013 00:44:15,405 --> 00:44:18,617 throw them out from underneath the tarp toward the police officers. 1014 00:44:18,617 --> 00:44:19,993 Smoke everywhere. 1015 00:44:19,993 --> 00:44:21,745 I run a couple blocks away, 1016 00:44:21,745 --> 00:44:23,747 and I hide under this car 1017 00:44:23,747 --> 00:44:25,916 and before you know it, there's a dog. 1018 00:44:25,916 --> 00:44:28,001 Dog has me, I'm arrested. 1019 00:44:28,001 --> 00:44:30,671 ♪ tense music playing ♪ 1020 00:44:30,671 --> 00:44:34,633 So I go to jail, and as I'm walking in the jail, 1021 00:44:34,633 --> 00:44:35,884 I look to my left 1022 00:44:35,884 --> 00:44:38,595 and I see this room and it's like a classroom. 1023 00:44:38,595 --> 00:44:40,430 It has my picture at the very top, 1024 00:44:40,430 --> 00:44:43,642 and it has like all my relatives, and all my associates underneath. 1025 00:44:43,642 --> 00:44:46,979 And I realize there's a big investigation going on regarding me. 1026 00:44:47,521 --> 00:44:50,691 And the detective, like, yanks me and tells me, 1027 00:44:50,691 --> 00:44:52,651 "Mind your own business," as I'm walking by. 1028 00:44:53,861 --> 00:44:58,657 Strange thing is they give me, like, $2,000 cash bail. 1029 00:44:59,116 --> 00:45:01,076 - He was interviewed and then released 1030 00:45:01,076 --> 00:45:02,995 on what we call promise to appear on paper. 1031 00:45:02,995 --> 00:45:04,496 And he used an alias. 1032 00:45:04,496 --> 00:45:07,207 So, his true identity never ever came out 1033 00:45:07,708 --> 00:45:09,960 until later when we found-- we started running names 1034 00:45:09,960 --> 00:45:11,545 and-and doing background, and then we went, 1035 00:45:12,087 --> 00:45:14,173 "Holy crow. He's upstairs." 1036 00:45:14,173 --> 00:45:15,716 I mean, he was just upstairs. 1037 00:45:16,216 --> 00:45:17,759 That's when things came up 1038 00:45:17,759 --> 00:45:22,890 that, you know, Gerald had at least 22 aliases and different names. 1039 00:45:24,600 --> 00:45:27,019 - He wouldn't say it was Daniel Blanchard that did it. 1040 00:45:27,019 --> 00:45:31,315 It was one of his aliases, that would again, have no record. 1041 00:45:31,315 --> 00:45:34,318 He would be released shortly thereafter 1042 00:45:34,318 --> 00:45:36,737 of-of doing that break-in, 1043 00:45:36,737 --> 00:45:38,864 and then he's back on the street again. 1044 00:45:38,864 --> 00:45:40,616 PERSON 1: Down there. PERSON 2: You can see the green tower there? 1045 00:45:40,616 --> 00:45:41,658 [indistinct chatter] 1046 00:45:42,326 --> 00:45:43,744 BLANCHARD: It's not like the U.S. 1047 00:45:43,744 --> 00:45:44,953 Everyone knows here in Canada, 1048 00:45:44,953 --> 00:45:47,831 non-violent crime is a slap on the hands. 1049 00:45:48,498 --> 00:45:51,960 In the U.S. I was looking at 160 years in prison. 1050 00:45:51,960 --> 00:45:53,545 [siren wailing in distance] 1051 00:45:53,545 --> 00:45:57,382 ♪ 1052 00:45:57,382 --> 00:46:00,969 ♪ 1053 00:46:00,969 --> 00:46:02,638 BLANCHARD: I knew the police were investigating me, 1054 00:46:03,388 --> 00:46:06,517 and they were getting in the way of my goals. 1055 00:46:07,267 --> 00:46:10,187 So, I would always antagonize them 1056 00:46:10,187 --> 00:46:12,022 if they caused an issue with me. 1057 00:46:14,024 --> 00:46:16,527 - Very early on, Gerald wanted to talk 1058 00:46:16,527 --> 00:46:17,903 to the people running the squad. 1059 00:46:17,903 --> 00:46:19,279 He knew our names. 1060 00:46:19,279 --> 00:46:21,073 I don't know how he knew our names, but he knew our names. 1061 00:46:21,073 --> 00:46:22,616 [phones ringing] [indistinct chatter] 1062 00:46:22,616 --> 00:46:24,785 OFFICER MCCORMICK: He phoned down to the major crimes unit, 1063 00:46:24,785 --> 00:46:26,119 posing as Winnipeg Police, 1064 00:46:26,119 --> 00:46:28,121 said that Gerald Blanchard was a friend of his 1065 00:46:28,121 --> 00:46:31,083 and give him preferred, uh, treatment, to treat him right. 1066 00:46:31,083 --> 00:46:32,876 He's just playing with me, right? 1067 00:46:33,418 --> 00:46:36,713 At one point in time, he sent me a-a text message 1068 00:46:36,713 --> 00:46:39,633 with a whole bunch of pictures of him sitting on a yacht 1069 00:46:39,633 --> 00:46:41,552 and, uh, driving a Ferrari 1070 00:46:41,552 --> 00:46:44,304 and, you know, money on a ATM, 1071 00:46:44,763 --> 00:46:47,057 just to kinda poke me again, you know? And just like-- 1072 00:46:47,057 --> 00:46:49,268 - Pokin' the bear, I suppose. 1073 00:46:49,268 --> 00:46:50,185 [BlackBerry chimes] 1074 00:46:50,185 --> 00:46:51,854 OFFICER LEVASSEUR: He likes to tease a little bit. 1075 00:46:51,854 --> 00:46:54,273 He sent pictures when he was in China 1076 00:46:54,273 --> 00:46:55,732 and he's at an ATM machine. 1077 00:46:55,732 --> 00:46:59,778 He had piles of cash piled up, you know, wrapped. 1078 00:46:59,778 --> 00:47:00,612 [BlackBerry chimes] 1079 00:47:01,613 --> 00:47:02,739 OFFICER MCCORMICK: It's the game he plays. 1080 00:47:02,739 --> 00:47:04,116 It's the challenge he likes. 1081 00:47:04,992 --> 00:47:06,493 You know, he likes that challenge. 1082 00:47:06,493 --> 00:47:08,787 Much like we or I like the challenge 1083 00:47:08,787 --> 00:47:11,748 of trying to figure it out and catch him, you know? 1084 00:47:12,916 --> 00:47:13,750 So, 1085 00:47:15,085 --> 00:47:17,045 different challenges, but we all-- 1086 00:47:17,045 --> 00:47:18,422 That was the most enjoyable thing, 1087 00:47:18,422 --> 00:47:21,925 is trying to match wits with whoever you're trying to arrest. 1088 00:47:23,635 --> 00:47:24,636 BLANCHARD: Well, Larry and Mitch, 1089 00:47:25,220 --> 00:47:27,055 they had sleepless nights. 1090 00:47:27,055 --> 00:47:29,224 They had no vacation, they told me. 1091 00:47:29,224 --> 00:47:32,603 They worked 24 hour days sometimes, 1092 00:47:33,353 --> 00:47:35,856 exhausting days, to catch me. 1093 00:47:36,315 --> 00:47:38,442 So, they put so much effort into me, 1094 00:47:38,442 --> 00:47:41,445 they felt like they knew me better than they knew their own wife. 1095 00:47:43,155 --> 00:47:45,115 OFFICER MCCORMICK: I hate to say it, but it's a game. 1096 00:47:45,908 --> 00:47:47,034 It becomes a game. 1097 00:47:47,826 --> 00:47:51,288 We're always thinking, trying to plan on how to, how we're gonna catch him. 1098 00:47:51,288 --> 00:47:53,498 How are we gonna get evidence on this guy? 1099 00:47:53,498 --> 00:47:56,877 How are we gonna bring him to, to the courts and-and prosecute him? 1100 00:47:56,877 --> 00:47:58,212 - Conditions of the courtroom, 1101 00:47:58,212 --> 00:48:03,675 all the rules around accusing people, finding them guilty, 1102 00:48:03,675 --> 00:48:05,135 that's a different world. 1103 00:48:05,135 --> 00:48:08,222 - If you don't have your evidence, you're done. 1104 00:48:09,139 --> 00:48:10,557 OFFICER LEVASSEUR: There wasn't a lot there. 1105 00:48:10,557 --> 00:48:13,769 There was a few little snippets of good information. 1106 00:48:13,769 --> 00:48:16,146 This file was really calling for it. 1107 00:48:16,146 --> 00:48:17,606 It was just screaming 1108 00:48:18,357 --> 00:48:20,817 wiretap, wiretap. 1109 00:48:20,817 --> 00:48:22,903 - I-I lost the jug of whiskey besk-- 1110 00:48:22,903 --> 00:48:24,821 betting that he wouldn't say two words on the phone 1111 00:48:24,821 --> 00:48:26,240 and it'd be a waste of time. 1112 00:48:26,865 --> 00:48:28,075 And he never shut up. 1113 00:48:29,034 --> 00:48:31,078 [static] 1114 00:49:04,278 --> 00:49:06,154 - The same day that we hooked up, 1115 00:49:06,154 --> 00:49:09,324 he was already active and involved in crime 1116 00:49:09,324 --> 00:49:11,952 and that's really when everything just took off, 1117 00:49:11,952 --> 00:49:14,705 because when you listen to somebody on a wiretap, 1118 00:49:14,705 --> 00:49:16,206 you really get to know them. 1119 00:49:16,206 --> 00:49:19,668 ♪ upbeat music playing ♪ 1120 00:49:19,668 --> 00:49:21,587 - He was livin' the life of Riley, you know? 1121 00:49:21,587 --> 00:49:23,630 He had money, lots of it. 1122 00:49:24,131 --> 00:49:27,843 He was keepin' company with, uh, the rich and famous... 1123 00:49:27,843 --> 00:49:29,553 ♪ 1124 00:49:29,553 --> 00:49:30,888 ...beautiful women. 1125 00:49:30,888 --> 00:49:32,514 ♪ 1126 00:49:32,514 --> 00:49:33,807 [screams] 1127 00:49:34,474 --> 00:49:37,311 - Yeah, he was, he had the-the world by the tail. 1128 00:49:37,311 --> 00:49:39,479 [crowd cheering] 1129 00:49:39,479 --> 00:49:41,106 ♪ 1130 00:49:41,106 --> 00:49:42,608 OFFICER MCCORMICK: The aha moment would be 1131 00:49:42,608 --> 00:49:44,610 is that he just continues to commit crime. 1132 00:49:44,610 --> 00:49:45,819 It's not the money. 1133 00:49:45,819 --> 00:49:47,821 And you start to think, "Well, why is he doing this? 1134 00:49:47,821 --> 00:49:50,782 He doesn't-- He can't use the money. He doesn't, he doesn't need the money." 1135 00:49:50,782 --> 00:49:52,784 - Some of his crimes seem very petty, 1136 00:49:52,784 --> 00:49:54,494 actually almost comical. 1137 00:49:54,494 --> 00:49:57,748 [race car zooms] 1138 00:49:57,748 --> 00:50:00,209 - He would fabricate badges indicating 1139 00:50:00,209 --> 00:50:04,213 he was the press or, um, he was a special VIP 1140 00:50:04,213 --> 00:50:06,507 and get into Indy races. 1141 00:50:07,174 --> 00:50:08,759 OFFICER LEVASSEUR: Or get a bird's eye view 1142 00:50:08,759 --> 00:50:10,594 of a Stanley Cup final game. 1143 00:50:10,594 --> 00:50:12,513 [crowd cheering] 1144 00:50:12,513 --> 00:50:15,265 ♪ 1145 00:50:15,265 --> 00:50:17,434 [fans cheering] 1146 00:50:17,434 --> 00:50:19,019 - He was traveling the world. 1147 00:50:19,019 --> 00:50:22,689 ♪ 1148 00:50:22,689 --> 00:50:24,274 - So as you listen to him more, 1149 00:50:24,274 --> 00:50:26,693 you start to get a sense of who you think he is, 1150 00:50:27,319 --> 00:50:28,904 and-and what he's all about. 1151 00:50:28,904 --> 00:50:30,322 ♪ 1152 00:50:34,493 --> 00:50:36,036 [Blanchard laughs] 1153 00:50:36,036 --> 00:50:37,996 - He does things just for the thrill of it. 1154 00:50:37,996 --> 00:50:40,040 He did a-a break into our bank 1155 00:50:40,040 --> 00:50:43,710 and got $600,000 and then very shortly thereafter, 1156 00:50:43,710 --> 00:50:45,671 he's shoplifting a toaster. 1157 00:50:45,671 --> 00:50:50,843 - There was this little wheel going round and round and round and it never stopped. 1158 00:50:50,843 --> 00:50:54,721 In my experience, the more you commit this type of crime, 1159 00:50:54,721 --> 00:50:59,101 the more you are in fact addicted to the high that it gives you. 1160 00:50:59,101 --> 00:51:01,645 ♪ 1161 00:51:04,022 --> 00:51:07,651 And you hear him on the wiretaps saying, 1162 00:51:07,651 --> 00:51:09,736 "I know I am being taped," 1163 00:51:09,736 --> 00:51:12,406 and then going into the details of the crimes 1164 00:51:12,406 --> 00:51:15,033 that he has committed or potentially will commit, 1165 00:51:15,033 --> 00:51:18,036 knowing full well that there is a police officer 1166 00:51:18,036 --> 00:51:20,956 on the other end of that listening device. 1167 00:51:20,956 --> 00:51:24,001 By way of saying, "I can fool you big boys. 1168 00:51:24,001 --> 00:51:26,211 I'm just a little guy, but watch me run." 1169 00:51:26,211 --> 00:51:27,045 ♪ 1170 00:51:27,045 --> 00:51:30,382 - He deals with an, an adrenaline rush. 1171 00:51:30,382 --> 00:51:32,509 That's what it is. It's a challenge. 1172 00:51:33,343 --> 00:51:34,511 I have it, too. 1173 00:51:34,511 --> 00:51:36,054 I'm a professional fighter. 1174 00:51:36,054 --> 00:51:38,140 ♪ groovy funk music playing ♪ 1175 00:51:38,140 --> 00:51:39,349 I've said to people, 1176 00:51:39,349 --> 00:51:41,476 "I wouldn't be afraid to bite your eyeball out 1177 00:51:41,476 --> 00:51:43,854 "if it came down to it, or bite your nose off. 1178 00:51:43,854 --> 00:51:45,314 I'm not out to lose." 1179 00:51:45,314 --> 00:51:50,277 ♪ 1180 00:51:50,277 --> 00:51:52,404 BLANCHARD: While they're trying to chase me all over the globe, 1181 00:51:52,404 --> 00:51:53,906 I actually kind of enjoy it. 1182 00:51:54,615 --> 00:51:57,117 I see them there, they know that I see them. 1183 00:51:57,117 --> 00:52:00,370 I gave chase a few times to the undercover detective cars, 1184 00:52:00,370 --> 00:52:02,998 letting them know like, "Hey, I know who you are." 1185 00:52:03,582 --> 00:52:06,126 And it's like, "Catch me if you can." 1186 00:52:06,126 --> 00:52:08,545 That's my th-- my thought at the time. 1187 00:52:11,757 --> 00:52:16,220 PHEGLY: I wanna tell this story to let people know 1188 00:52:16,845 --> 00:52:21,391 that there is another side to my son and not just the criminal side. 1189 00:52:22,142 --> 00:52:26,813 When my son got sent back to Canada was when he met Ramona. 1190 00:52:27,314 --> 00:52:28,774 [Ramona laughs] 1191 00:52:29,316 --> 00:52:30,776 RAMONA: That's so funny. 1192 00:52:30,776 --> 00:52:33,195 - As you see, Mother, I'm doing good. 1193 00:52:33,195 --> 00:52:34,947 And this is my friend. 1194 00:52:34,947 --> 00:52:36,990 And your name is? - Ramona. 1195 00:52:36,990 --> 00:52:38,575 BLANCHARD: Ramona? - Poss. 1196 00:52:38,575 --> 00:52:39,701 BLANCHARD: Poss? 1197 00:52:39,701 --> 00:52:41,078 And she's flying to where? 1198 00:52:41,078 --> 00:52:42,079 - Germany. 1199 00:52:42,079 --> 00:52:44,122 BLANCHARD: For how long? - For four months. 1200 00:52:44,122 --> 00:52:45,457 BLANCHARD: That must be nice. 1201 00:52:45,457 --> 00:52:46,500 [Ramona laughs] 1202 00:52:46,959 --> 00:52:47,793 - Hello? 1203 00:52:48,460 --> 00:52:51,839 BLANCHARD: And-and how can you afford all these lovely vacations? 1204 00:52:52,589 --> 00:52:53,966 - Through my parents. 1205 00:52:53,966 --> 00:52:55,676 BLANCHARD: And what do your parents do for work? 1206 00:52:57,010 --> 00:52:58,720 - Why do you wanna know that? You know all that. 1207 00:52:58,720 --> 00:53:02,474 BLANCHARD: They're a real estate ki-- kicoon, kitoon-- 1208 00:53:02,474 --> 00:53:04,184 What's that word? - Owners? 1209 00:53:04,184 --> 00:53:06,812 BLANCHARD: No. Real estate ki-- 1210 00:53:06,812 --> 00:53:08,230 Cut. Do it again. 1211 00:53:08,230 --> 00:53:09,898 - We own estate, you know? 1212 00:53:09,898 --> 00:53:10,983 [Blanchard laughs] 1213 00:53:10,983 --> 00:53:13,235 - I had no idea that my son 1214 00:53:13,235 --> 00:53:16,697 was living a double life, basically. 1215 00:53:17,406 --> 00:53:19,741 I was extremely happy that my son 1216 00:53:19,741 --> 00:53:23,996 had found a young woman that I really liked, 1217 00:53:23,996 --> 00:53:26,331 and he seemed extremely happy with her. 1218 00:53:26,331 --> 00:53:31,670 He felt confident, and he was getting to live a life 1219 00:53:31,670 --> 00:53:34,256 that I couldn't imagine living myself. 1220 00:53:34,256 --> 00:53:36,592 ♪ whimsical music playing ♪ 1221 00:53:37,009 --> 00:53:40,846 They started, you know, scuba diving, they went snorkeling, 1222 00:53:40,846 --> 00:53:42,556 they went skiing. 1223 00:53:42,556 --> 00:53:44,349 They were doing all kinds of things 1224 00:53:44,349 --> 00:53:47,144 that I never had the opportunity to do. 1225 00:53:47,144 --> 00:53:49,521 I really, really liked Ramona. 1226 00:53:49,521 --> 00:53:53,400 I grew to love her, and she became a part of our family. 1227 00:53:53,400 --> 00:53:57,321 So, I saw my son being happy. 1228 00:53:57,321 --> 00:53:58,488 ♪ 1229 00:53:58,488 --> 00:53:59,448 [camera shutter clicks] 1230 00:53:59,448 --> 00:54:00,824 ♪ 1231 00:54:00,824 --> 00:54:05,245 ♪ 1232 00:54:05,245 --> 00:54:09,208 PHEGLY: According to my son, financially then, 1233 00:54:09,917 --> 00:54:14,755 her father was helping them establish real estate. 1234 00:54:15,547 --> 00:54:18,258 So, there was no question 1235 00:54:18,258 --> 00:54:23,222 about my son being involved in any kinda crimes. 1236 00:54:24,431 --> 00:54:27,142 I mean, why would I even think that 1237 00:54:27,142 --> 00:54:30,103 when he got established with this family 1238 00:54:30,896 --> 00:54:32,147 who had money? 1239 00:54:34,441 --> 00:54:36,985 BLANCHARD: So I was married to a German lady, 1240 00:54:36,985 --> 00:54:40,656 and her father was quite wealthy, so we took a tour across Europe. 1241 00:54:40,656 --> 00:54:42,324 Ramona, nice? 1242 00:54:42,324 --> 00:54:45,911 And he received a private tour of the castle in Austria. 1243 00:54:45,911 --> 00:54:48,997 And that's when I saw the Sisi Star on display for the first time. 1244 00:54:48,997 --> 00:54:51,250 ♪ Shining Star by Earth, Wind & Fire playing ♪ 1245 00:54:51,250 --> 00:54:53,752 - It's the romantic part of it, of the whole story. 1246 00:54:53,752 --> 00:54:55,212 It-it truly is. 1247 00:54:55,212 --> 00:54:59,299 Which comes along kind of out of the blue to us, right? 1248 00:54:59,299 --> 00:55:00,968 Uh, we do an Interpol check 1249 00:55:00,968 --> 00:55:04,012 because, you know, that's, uh, w-what you would do 1250 00:55:04,012 --> 00:55:07,057 in a, in a high-profile file like this. 1251 00:55:07,057 --> 00:55:08,934 Uh, and lo and behold, 1252 00:55:08,934 --> 00:55:11,687 you know, we received this information back that says, 1253 00:55:12,646 --> 00:55:14,773 "Gerald Blanchard of Canada 1254 00:55:14,773 --> 00:55:18,193 is a person of interest in the theft of the Sisi Star." 1255 00:55:18,193 --> 00:55:22,739 - That would've been in, eh, in-in like '98, '98, '99. 1256 00:55:23,657 --> 00:55:24,950 That's a long time ago. 1257 00:55:24,950 --> 00:55:28,203 ♪ Blue Danube Waltz Op. 314 by Johann Strauss II playing ♪ 1258 00:55:28,203 --> 00:55:30,998 ♪ 1259 00:55:30,998 --> 00:55:33,208 ♪ 1260 00:55:33,208 --> 00:55:35,043 CHRISTOPH KOECHERT: It is so much known and it's so famous, 1261 00:55:35,043 --> 00:55:38,088 these diamond stars because there's such a story behind it. 1262 00:55:38,088 --> 00:55:43,343 Uh, It's such an important, beautiful story behind it. 1263 00:55:44,094 --> 00:55:47,306 They're very rare and this precious, uh, piece of jewelry 1264 00:55:47,306 --> 00:55:51,435 was-was stolen and everybody was shocked, like, "How can this happen?" 1265 00:55:51,435 --> 00:55:54,479 ♪ 1266 00:55:54,479 --> 00:55:58,066 Sisi, the famous empress, 1267 00:55:58,066 --> 00:56:01,695 she was a wonderful, beautiful lady with long, long hair 1268 00:56:01,695 --> 00:56:05,032 and she used to adorn her hair with diamond stars. 1269 00:56:05,032 --> 00:56:09,745 And she was painted with her long hair with the stars in her hair. 1270 00:56:09,745 --> 00:56:11,788 And so, this got somehow iconic, 1271 00:56:11,788 --> 00:56:13,916 and these diamond stars are very much known. 1272 00:56:15,042 --> 00:56:17,503 - After Sisi's death and then after the monarchy, 1273 00:56:17,503 --> 00:56:20,172 it was not quite clear where all these stars went. 1274 00:56:20,172 --> 00:56:21,006 They were gone. 1275 00:56:21,006 --> 00:56:22,090 ♪ 1276 00:56:22,090 --> 00:56:24,968 We had one of the stars. We had one of the original stars, 1277 00:56:24,968 --> 00:56:26,428 which Elisabeth wore. 1278 00:56:26,428 --> 00:56:29,515 It was just, um, a highlight of the exhibition. 1279 00:56:29,515 --> 00:56:30,891 ♪ 1280 00:56:33,560 --> 00:56:34,394 BLANCHARD: Alright. 1281 00:56:35,729 --> 00:56:37,689 Birdie, who are you talking to? 1282 00:56:37,689 --> 00:56:39,149 Let me see your walkie-talkie. 1283 00:56:39,900 --> 00:56:40,943 And how does it work? 1284 00:56:41,652 --> 00:56:42,486 - Play. 1285 00:56:43,487 --> 00:56:45,739 And then it explains what it is. 1286 00:56:45,739 --> 00:56:47,824 AUTOMATED VOICE GUIDE [on device]: Empress Elisabeth from Austria, 1287 00:56:47,824 --> 00:56:51,370 nicknamed Sisi, was known for her impossibly thin waist, 1288 00:56:51,370 --> 00:56:53,455 and incredibly long hair. 1289 00:56:53,455 --> 00:56:55,499 One of the most famous depictions of her 1290 00:56:55,499 --> 00:56:57,835 is a portrait with her hairs decorated 1291 00:56:57,835 --> 00:57:00,170 in a series of diamond and pearl stars. 1292 00:57:01,046 --> 00:57:04,049 What you see now is the last of Sisi's famous stars. 1293 00:57:06,552 --> 00:57:08,345 BLANCHARD: I just couldn't pass up the Sisi Star 1294 00:57:08,345 --> 00:57:09,471 because it was so beautiful. 1295 00:57:09,471 --> 00:57:12,266 Like, it was shining under the light, sparkling, 1296 00:57:12,266 --> 00:57:14,476 and I knew I needed to take it with me. 1297 00:57:15,894 --> 00:57:18,230 ♪ Strauss II's Blue Danube Waltz resumes playing ♪ 1298 00:57:18,230 --> 00:57:20,774 [reporter speaking German] 1299 00:57:27,030 --> 00:57:30,158 [museum employee speaking German] 1300 00:57:32,744 --> 00:57:34,705 [continues speaking German] 1301 00:57:38,876 --> 00:57:41,837 - Reported to the police, the police came, and the police searched the whole thing, 1302 00:57:41,837 --> 00:57:44,173 um, and, uh, no, there was nothing. 1303 00:57:44,756 --> 00:57:45,841 Nothing. 1304 00:57:45,841 --> 00:57:50,345 [speaking German] 1305 00:57:50,345 --> 00:57:54,308 ♪ 1306 00:57:54,308 --> 00:57:57,436 FRANZ SATTLECKER: If you can't say what exactly happened, 1307 00:57:58,687 --> 00:58:03,942 there was a lot of kind of mysterious, um, stories going around. 1308 00:58:03,942 --> 00:58:05,861 - The Star was stolen, it's terrible. 1309 00:58:05,861 --> 00:58:08,864 But at least, uh, it's a very good story how it was stolen. 1310 00:58:08,864 --> 00:58:12,034 And, uh, all-- in all the newspapers, uh, 1311 00:58:12,034 --> 00:58:14,328 and it's still in-in the head of everybody in Austria. 1312 00:58:15,996 --> 00:58:17,873 - Okay, I have to be careful on how I say that 1313 00:58:17,873 --> 00:58:20,918 because if I outright say I stole it-- DIRECTOR: Right. 1314 00:58:20,918 --> 00:58:23,629 - then I could be charged in Austria for the theft. 1315 00:58:24,213 --> 00:58:26,006 So it was reported in the newspaper 1316 00:58:26,006 --> 00:58:28,258 that I had jumped out of this airplane 1317 00:58:28,258 --> 00:58:30,344 and landed on the roof of the castle. 1318 00:58:30,344 --> 00:58:31,553 ♪ dramatic music playing ♪ 1319 00:58:31,553 --> 00:58:32,930 This is the Hollywood version. 1320 00:58:32,930 --> 00:58:34,473 ♪ 1321 00:58:34,473 --> 00:58:35,724 OFFICER LEVASSEUR: He said he was flown 1322 00:58:36,934 --> 00:58:39,978 over top of the museum, and he parachuted out. 1323 00:58:39,978 --> 00:58:42,231 ♪ 1324 00:58:42,231 --> 00:58:43,357 SATTLECKER: No, no, no, no, no. 1325 00:58:43,649 --> 00:58:44,483 No, no, no. 1326 00:58:44,483 --> 00:58:48,820 It would be absolutely crazy to jump down with a parachute. 1327 00:58:48,820 --> 00:58:52,324 - I know there was a parachute found in the garbage in the castle, 1328 00:58:52,324 --> 00:58:55,410 and the guards have a record of the-- finding a parachute. 1329 00:58:56,078 --> 00:58:57,538 - No. No, no, no. 1330 00:58:58,664 --> 00:59:01,416 We never, no, got any information about this. 1331 00:59:01,416 --> 00:59:04,127 OFFICER LEVASSEUR: He climbed down the side of the museum, 1332 00:59:04,127 --> 00:59:06,505 he went in through a window. 1333 00:59:06,505 --> 00:59:09,091 I don't particularly believe that part of the story. 1334 00:59:09,091 --> 00:59:12,761 - The State Department has secured from the outside. 1335 00:59:12,761 --> 00:59:15,305 So if somebody would break in the windows, 1336 00:59:15,305 --> 00:59:16,557 if you opened the windows, alarm. 1337 00:59:16,557 --> 00:59:18,350 If you walked in the room, alarm. 1338 00:59:18,350 --> 00:59:19,726 ♪ 1339 00:59:19,726 --> 00:59:21,687 OFFICER LEVASSEUR: The glass case housing it 1340 00:59:21,687 --> 00:59:23,730 with the security screws were removed, 1341 00:59:24,857 --> 00:59:27,401 a pressure-sensitive, uh, device underneath 1342 00:59:27,401 --> 00:59:29,069 was somehow cheated in a way 1343 00:59:29,069 --> 00:59:31,530 that it could be replaced with a fake. 1344 00:59:31,530 --> 00:59:35,033 - It was only until two or three weeks later 1345 00:59:35,492 --> 00:59:38,370 it was determined that it was a replica from a gift shop. 1346 00:59:38,370 --> 00:59:42,875 ♪ 1347 00:59:42,875 --> 00:59:44,877 - Yeah, it was sold in the shop. [scoffs] 1348 00:59:45,586 --> 00:59:48,589 It was a, a shop item, best seller. 1349 00:59:49,548 --> 00:59:52,634 - I'm quite astonished that it took them such a long time 1350 00:59:52,634 --> 00:59:54,803 because, uh, 'cause it's-it's quite obvious. 1351 00:59:54,803 --> 00:59:56,180 They look really different. 1352 00:59:56,180 --> 00:59:58,515 - Um, they must have had help 1353 00:59:59,016 --> 01:00:01,935 from probably-probably even inside the palace. 1354 01:00:01,935 --> 01:00:03,520 But we-we still don't know exactly 1355 01:00:03,520 --> 01:00:07,608 because Mr. Blanchard says he kind of did something different. 1356 01:00:07,608 --> 01:00:08,942 - Which one do I believe? 1357 01:00:08,942 --> 01:00:12,279 I believe he shoplift the, the-the gem 1358 01:00:12,279 --> 01:00:15,115 and-and, and went and switched it out. 1359 01:00:15,115 --> 01:00:19,369 I think the other thing is just to sell newspapers as they say. 1360 01:00:20,037 --> 01:00:22,497 - Actually I took it because I knew maybe someday 1361 01:00:22,497 --> 01:00:26,627 this could be a bargaining tool for future crimes that I had planned. 1362 01:00:27,419 --> 01:00:29,755 And it was a priceless item from a museum 1363 01:00:30,255 --> 01:00:31,673 and that's why I took it. 1364 01:00:31,673 --> 01:00:32,591 Plus, it looked nice. 1365 01:00:32,591 --> 01:00:34,259 ♪ 1366 01:00:37,095 --> 01:00:39,264 KOECHERT: It's boring to steal money, 1367 01:00:39,264 --> 01:00:42,309 but to steal a piece like that, who is doing that? 1368 01:00:42,309 --> 01:00:43,477 Nobody else in the world. 1369 01:00:43,477 --> 01:00:46,230 So you get famous if you steal the Mona Lisa, 1370 01:00:46,230 --> 01:00:47,773 if you steal a Van Gogh, or whatever. 1371 01:00:47,773 --> 01:00:51,109 There-there are maybe hundred of pieces in the, in the world 1372 01:00:51,109 --> 01:00:53,028 which are really special. 1373 01:00:53,028 --> 01:00:54,404 Everybody knows them. 1374 01:00:54,404 --> 01:00:57,324 In Austria everybody knows the Sisi Stars. 1375 01:00:57,324 --> 01:01:00,369 So, you-you get somehow immortal. 1376 01:01:00,369 --> 01:01:02,412 You get, you-you-- [stammers] 1377 01:01:02,412 --> 01:01:05,415 You might get famous through-through doing that. 1378 01:01:05,415 --> 01:01:07,751 And he did get famous, of course. 1379 01:01:08,585 --> 01:01:09,419 [chuckles] 1380 01:01:11,755 --> 01:01:15,634 ♪ jazzy espionage music playing ♪ 1381 01:01:15,634 --> 01:01:17,636 SYBERG: We went to his grandma's house 1382 01:01:17,636 --> 01:01:20,889 and he was like, "I need to show you something." 1383 01:01:20,889 --> 01:01:21,890 And I was like, "Okay." 1384 01:01:21,890 --> 01:01:23,851 So he pulls out the diamond and he was like, 1385 01:01:23,851 --> 01:01:25,644 "This thing's worth a lot of money." 1386 01:01:25,644 --> 01:01:26,812 And I was like, "It--" 1387 01:01:26,812 --> 01:01:28,480 To me it didn't really look-- 1388 01:01:28,480 --> 01:01:31,024 Like, it looked old and kinda like grandma's jewelry, you know. 1389 01:01:31,024 --> 01:01:33,902 I was like, "Alright, well, let's get it up into the ceiling 1390 01:01:33,902 --> 01:01:35,028 "so we could get back out 1391 01:01:35,028 --> 01:01:37,614 and do whatever we were up to before that," you know? 1392 01:01:37,614 --> 01:01:39,408 I was like-- I wasn't really-- 1393 01:01:41,034 --> 01:01:43,120 I wasn't really too interested in it but I figured, 1394 01:01:43,120 --> 01:01:45,747 like, he told me, "If we ever get arrested, 1395 01:01:45,747 --> 01:01:48,375 this is our ticket outta jail, so keep it between us." 1396 01:01:48,917 --> 01:01:51,545 - It wasn't until later that Interpol got information, 1397 01:01:52,045 --> 01:01:53,589 um, that he was responsible. 1398 01:01:53,589 --> 01:01:56,550 "A guy by the name of Gerald Blanchard from Canada." 1399 01:01:56,550 --> 01:01:57,676 That's all they had. 1400 01:01:57,676 --> 01:02:02,347 But it was right around that time that him and his then wife separated. 1401 01:02:02,347 --> 01:02:06,977 So, you can probably figure out where that information came from. 1402 01:02:07,561 --> 01:02:11,648 - Things changed for him pretty drastically at that point 1403 01:02:11,648 --> 01:02:15,319 after he and Ramona were divorced. 1404 01:02:15,319 --> 01:02:18,864 ♪ solemn music playing ♪ 1405 01:02:18,864 --> 01:02:20,365 BLANCHARD: At that time I was married to my wife, 1406 01:02:20,365 --> 01:02:21,992 where she really didn't know 1407 01:02:22,659 --> 01:02:25,370 the type of person I was deep down inside. 1408 01:02:25,370 --> 01:02:26,872 ♪ 1409 01:02:26,872 --> 01:02:29,249 She found out about my criminal past 1410 01:02:29,249 --> 01:02:31,710 and it was, uh, shocking to her and her family. 1411 01:02:31,710 --> 01:02:36,381 - He ended up getting into, uh, relationships 1412 01:02:36,381 --> 01:02:39,593 that, um, were more one-sided, 1413 01:02:39,593 --> 01:02:42,596 and I could tell 1414 01:02:42,596 --> 01:02:45,891 that my son looked worried and stressed. 1415 01:02:45,891 --> 01:02:48,560 ♪ 1416 01:02:48,560 --> 01:02:52,356 - He actually wanted me to join his Mission: Impossible team. 1417 01:02:52,356 --> 01:02:55,651 But I was too into my martial arts instead. 1418 01:02:57,236 --> 01:02:59,029 Like, uh, Canadian Wolverines. 1419 01:03:00,155 --> 01:03:01,532 Chuck Norris of Canada. 1420 01:03:01,532 --> 01:03:03,283 ♪ 1421 01:03:06,119 --> 01:03:09,498 BLANCHARD: I would probably say my right hand person was Angela James. 1422 01:03:10,082 --> 01:03:13,710 She was my girlfriend from the past. We trusted each other. 1423 01:03:13,710 --> 01:03:16,755 We had good chemistry and we worked pretty well. 1424 01:03:17,548 --> 01:03:18,924 And she was an hon-honest girl. 1425 01:03:18,924 --> 01:03:19,925 What's wrong? 1426 01:03:19,925 --> 01:03:21,176 - Get outta here. 1427 01:03:22,719 --> 01:03:24,555 Get that thing outta my face. 1428 01:03:24,555 --> 01:03:26,014 BLANCHARD: Fuck, you do this to everyone else. 1429 01:03:26,014 --> 01:03:27,182 It can't be done to you? 1430 01:03:27,182 --> 01:03:28,517 - I don't do it to nobody. 1431 01:03:28,517 --> 01:03:29,726 - It's sitting right there. 1432 01:03:29,726 --> 01:03:30,686 [friend laughs] 1433 01:03:36,233 --> 01:03:39,069 BLANCHARD: I could've stopped a long time ago, 1434 01:03:39,069 --> 01:03:40,988 but you always need that thrill. 1435 01:03:40,988 --> 01:03:42,781 It's-it's actually an addiction, 1436 01:03:43,490 --> 01:03:45,951 because I've had tens of millions of dollars 1437 01:03:45,951 --> 01:03:49,371 throughout my life, and I continued doing crimes. 1438 01:03:50,664 --> 01:03:52,791 But then started spiraling out, 1439 01:03:52,791 --> 01:03:55,502 once I met Sergei, or I call him the Boss. 1440 01:03:55,919 --> 01:03:59,381 ♪ suspenseful music playing ♪ 1441 01:03:59,381 --> 01:04:00,924 OFFICER MCCORMICK: We had gone for the day, 1442 01:04:00,924 --> 01:04:04,136 and the girls in the monitoring room immediately phoned us. 1443 01:04:04,136 --> 01:04:07,764 I received a, a phone call from, uh, the United Kingdom. 1444 01:04:07,764 --> 01:04:12,603 The person had a, uh, English accent and, uh, he said, 1445 01:04:12,603 --> 01:04:14,813 "How quick can you get your crew together, Danny? 1446 01:04:15,397 --> 01:04:18,775 I need you to do somethin' for me in Cairo." Right? 1447 01:04:18,775 --> 01:04:21,695 And, whoa, what's that all about, right? 1448 01:04:21,695 --> 01:04:23,947 ♪ 1449 01:04:47,054 --> 01:04:49,556 - He's in Vancouver, she's in Edmonton. 1450 01:04:49,556 --> 01:04:51,517 Aaron Syberg's in Manitoba. 1451 01:05:15,874 --> 01:05:18,418 - "The Boss" is the only name we ever get, 1452 01:05:18,418 --> 01:05:21,380 but we understand him to be very, very involved 1453 01:05:21,380 --> 01:05:24,007 in-in credit card fraud all across Europe. 1454 01:05:24,007 --> 01:05:26,009 And that he, this is a big fish. 1455 01:05:26,009 --> 01:05:27,052 [phone line beeps] 1456 01:05:40,941 --> 01:05:42,317 OFFICER LEVASSEUR: This was a trip like, 1457 01:05:42,317 --> 01:05:44,903 "I want you moving tomorrow." 1458 01:05:44,903 --> 01:05:48,073 That's the level of urgency that there was to that call. 1459 01:05:48,073 --> 01:05:50,576 - As soon as he hung up the phone with the Boss, 1460 01:05:50,576 --> 01:05:52,953 he was on his-- he was the phone to Angela James. 1461 01:05:59,960 --> 01:06:01,920 - She's, uh, you know, a little bit beside herself, 1462 01:06:01,920 --> 01:06:03,380 doesn't know what to do, 1463 01:06:03,380 --> 01:06:05,632 and Danny says, "Well, put your mom on the phone." 1464 01:06:05,632 --> 01:06:10,679 And perfectly describes what they're going to be doing. 1465 01:06:35,913 --> 01:06:39,291 - He also included a, a person by the name of Balume Kashongwe. 1466 01:07:01,313 --> 01:07:04,274 - From the time the phone call came in from the Boss 1467 01:07:04,274 --> 01:07:08,362 to the time he was on a plane on his way to Heathrow and then Cairo 1468 01:07:08,362 --> 01:07:10,364 was probably within days or hours. 1469 01:07:10,364 --> 01:07:12,658 Now we're scrambling, trying to cover that, 1470 01:07:12,658 --> 01:07:14,701 trying to, to gather the evidence 1471 01:07:14,701 --> 01:07:17,454 and not really having enough time to put everything in place. 1472 01:07:17,454 --> 01:07:19,665 [ambient traffic noise, horns honking] 1473 01:07:24,002 --> 01:07:25,337 [indistinct chatter] 1474 01:07:29,508 --> 01:07:30,509 - Alright, thank you. 1475 01:07:32,678 --> 01:07:35,347 BOSS' ASSOCIATE: They find Saddam Hussein underground. 1476 01:07:35,347 --> 01:07:36,473 - We'll catch him. 1477 01:07:36,473 --> 01:07:38,058 BOSS' ASSOCIATE: They will catch the rat. - Yeah. 1478 01:07:38,058 --> 01:07:39,393 BOSS' ASSOCIATE: The rat, they will catch the rat. 1479 01:07:39,393 --> 01:07:43,105 - We'll catch the rat, we'll kill the enemy. [chuckles] 1480 01:07:43,105 --> 01:07:45,440 BOSS' ASSOCIATE: Kill them. You know? 1481 01:07:45,440 --> 01:07:48,569 America, it's like a movie, Hollywood. BALUME "KEN" KASHONGWE: Yeah. 1482 01:07:48,569 --> 01:07:52,030 - They believe the magic more than the truth. KASHONGWE: Eh. Eh. 1483 01:07:52,030 --> 01:07:54,867 [indistinct chatter] 1484 01:07:55,492 --> 01:07:56,743 BLANCHARD: What are you looking at? 1485 01:07:58,036 --> 01:07:58,912 - My ticket. 1486 01:08:00,873 --> 01:08:02,124 BLANCHARD: And where are you gonna go? 1487 01:08:02,624 --> 01:08:04,626 - Back home. BLANCHARD: Ha, ha, that's what you think. 1488 01:08:05,961 --> 01:08:07,588 So we land in Cairo. 1489 01:08:07,588 --> 01:08:09,882 We contacted the Boss back in England, 1490 01:08:09,882 --> 01:08:12,634 and we're all going to start hitting these ATM machines 1491 01:08:12,634 --> 01:08:14,011 using these debit cards. 1492 01:08:14,011 --> 01:08:15,721 LEINBURD: They had credit card recorders 1493 01:08:15,721 --> 01:08:18,140 that they had machines that imprinted credit cards, 1494 01:08:18,140 --> 01:08:21,935 and he went with people to ATMs across Cairo... 1495 01:08:21,935 --> 01:08:24,229 ♪ 1496 01:08:24,229 --> 01:08:26,690 ...stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars. 1497 01:08:26,690 --> 01:08:30,360 ♪ 1498 01:08:30,360 --> 01:08:32,821 BOSS' ASSOCIATE: There goes Dan the man. 1499 01:08:33,530 --> 01:08:35,532 PERSON: That's him? BOSS' ASSOCIATE: With the master plan. 1500 01:08:37,075 --> 01:08:40,120 ♪ uptempo percussive music playing ♪ 1501 01:08:40,120 --> 01:08:41,205 BLANCHARD: And we were just standing there 1502 01:08:41,205 --> 01:08:44,583 for hours and hours until the machines ran out of money. 1503 01:08:44,583 --> 01:08:46,001 ♪ 1504 01:08:46,001 --> 01:08:49,087 After we went for the day, we'd bring all these duffel bags in, 1505 01:08:49,087 --> 01:08:50,672 empty them in the bathtub. 1506 01:08:50,672 --> 01:08:53,300 The bathtub was completely filled with money. 1507 01:08:53,300 --> 01:08:55,886 There was a lot, there was a pile of money. 1508 01:08:56,512 --> 01:08:58,805 - Obviously they were very successful. 1509 01:08:59,890 --> 01:09:02,976 There's video that shows an individual 1510 01:09:02,976 --> 01:09:05,145 sitting in a closet counting money 1511 01:09:05,145 --> 01:09:08,315 and, uh, as the camera veers in you can see, 1512 01:09:08,815 --> 01:09:13,403 uh, you know, a pile like three feet by three feet high of stacked money. 1513 01:09:14,154 --> 01:09:15,697 Uh, they were obviously having fun. 1514 01:09:15,697 --> 01:09:17,950 - Uh, we got some pretty specific information 1515 01:09:17,950 --> 01:09:20,077 in that Danny was dressed in a burka, 1516 01:09:20,077 --> 01:09:23,497 which is the typical customary dress of, uh, Muslim women, 1517 01:09:23,497 --> 01:09:27,042 so that he wouldn't be identifiable on any of the video that might exist. 1518 01:09:27,626 --> 01:09:30,462 LEINBURD: So there was this man from small-town Omaha 1519 01:09:30,462 --> 01:09:33,549 committing frauds that were fairy-tale like. 1520 01:09:33,549 --> 01:09:35,342 He dressed in a burka. 1521 01:09:35,342 --> 01:09:36,552 - So everything was good. 1522 01:09:37,219 --> 01:09:39,805 But Balume Kashongwe decided to 1523 01:09:40,764 --> 01:09:42,474 take some of the Boss' cards, 1524 01:09:43,308 --> 01:09:45,227 take some of the Boss' money, 1525 01:09:45,227 --> 01:09:49,356 and skedaddle off to, uh, another point in Africa. 1526 01:09:49,356 --> 01:09:52,317 This didn't sit well with the Boss, right? 1527 01:09:52,317 --> 01:09:55,654 And, uh, you know, Danny was gettin' some pressure for this. 1528 01:09:55,654 --> 01:09:56,864 ♪ tense music playing ♪ 1529 01:09:56,864 --> 01:09:58,198 BLANCHARD: We should go see if Ken's here. 1530 01:09:58,198 --> 01:10:01,201 ♪ 1531 01:10:01,201 --> 01:10:02,035 MAN: The door. 1532 01:10:02,035 --> 01:10:05,372 ♪ 1533 01:10:05,372 --> 01:10:06,832 [indistinct chatter] 1534 01:10:06,832 --> 01:10:08,041 [phone line beeps] 1535 01:10:26,101 --> 01:10:28,437 BOSS' ASSOCIATE 2: I said, what, did Mom and Dad grab my money? 1536 01:10:28,437 --> 01:10:30,772 - Ken took that money and bought blood diamonds. 1537 01:10:30,772 --> 01:10:34,735 He jumped on a plane to Paris and was thrown in immigration jail. 1538 01:10:34,735 --> 01:10:37,362 They found the diamonds and they got seized. 1539 01:10:38,113 --> 01:10:40,240 Now, I had no idea where Ken was. 1540 01:10:40,240 --> 01:10:42,701 He just stopped answering the phone. He just vanished. 1541 01:10:42,701 --> 01:10:44,036 - Blanchard was very amped up. 1542 01:10:44,036 --> 01:10:45,370 He was-- He sound concerned. 1543 01:10:45,370 --> 01:10:49,374 He said the guy that he was with had taken off with the credit cards, 1544 01:10:49,374 --> 01:10:52,836 that the Boss didn't know where he was, and he was now threatening 1545 01:10:52,836 --> 01:10:55,756 both Blanchard and Balume with physical harm. 1546 01:11:10,479 --> 01:11:11,313 - Oh, he's scared. 1547 01:11:11,313 --> 01:11:13,440 He's scared that, you know, "If they don't find him, 1548 01:11:13,440 --> 01:11:14,983 they're gonna find me." 1549 01:11:14,983 --> 01:11:17,778 - I'm sure he figured that Balume would be killed 1550 01:11:17,778 --> 01:11:18,987 because now there was guns 1551 01:11:18,987 --> 01:11:22,950 and now there was things where he felt uncomfortable and threatened 1552 01:11:22,950 --> 01:11:24,993 and was worried for his safety. 1553 01:11:24,993 --> 01:11:26,745 BLANCHARD: The Boss, he was freaking out thinking 1554 01:11:26,745 --> 01:11:28,747 maybe we were going to stiff him 1555 01:11:28,747 --> 01:11:31,124 for millions of dollars we had from Cairo. 1556 01:11:31,124 --> 01:11:35,546 So he sent another crew in from Cairo to babysit us. 1557 01:11:36,255 --> 01:11:37,214 BOSS' ASSOCIATE 2: Sit down. 1558 01:11:37,214 --> 01:11:38,590 ♪ tense music playing ♪ 1559 01:11:38,590 --> 01:11:40,217 [Blanchard breathing heavily] 1560 01:11:40,217 --> 01:11:41,510 BLANCHARD: They're basically his muscle. 1561 01:11:41,510 --> 01:11:43,220 They're like gangsters, you could call them. 1562 01:11:43,220 --> 01:11:45,138 Like, they look like killers. 1563 01:11:45,138 --> 01:11:47,266 ♪ 1564 01:11:47,266 --> 01:11:48,559 OFFICER LEVASSEUR: It was pretty clear to him 1565 01:11:48,559 --> 01:11:52,396 that the London boss was more than just a fraudster. 1566 01:11:52,396 --> 01:11:56,525 I learned that he was the figurehead, 1567 01:11:56,525 --> 01:11:59,111 the leader of a criminal organization 1568 01:11:59,111 --> 01:12:03,031 to fund terrorist activities in the Middle East. 1569 01:12:03,031 --> 01:12:04,074 That's what I learned. 1570 01:12:04,074 --> 01:12:06,535 ♪ 1571 01:12:06,535 --> 01:12:08,620 OFFICER MCCORMICK: So Gerald's stuck in Cairo now. 1572 01:12:08,620 --> 01:12:10,497 The Boss not letting him go. 1573 01:12:10,497 --> 01:12:13,792 They let Angela go home, but they kept Blanchard there. 1574 01:12:13,792 --> 01:12:15,502 So I think he was pretty worried. 1575 01:12:21,466 --> 01:12:22,718 BOSS' ASSOCIATE 2: Sit down! 1576 01:12:28,849 --> 01:12:31,518 - I think he appreciated that the Boss was not fooling around 1577 01:12:31,518 --> 01:12:33,812 and not making vacant threats. 1578 01:12:33,812 --> 01:12:37,357 - He's got himself into something now and he doesn't know how to get out of it. 1579 01:12:37,357 --> 01:12:41,320 - And what he had to do was figure out another scheme to steal money. 1580 01:12:41,945 --> 01:12:42,779 [phone line beeps] 1581 01:12:55,209 --> 01:12:57,711 He was upset and he didn't know if he could trust us. 1582 01:12:57,711 --> 01:13:01,840 I said, "There's just so much more money we could make than fighting over 1583 01:13:01,840 --> 01:13:05,052 a lousy $100,000 that's missing from Ken." 1584 01:13:21,568 --> 01:13:26,782 [plane engines roaring] 1585 01:13:26,782 --> 01:13:30,661 [ship horn blaring] 1586 01:13:30,661 --> 01:13:32,204 OFFICER LEVASSEUR: He lands in Vancouver, 1587 01:13:32,204 --> 01:13:36,959 but he doesn't do what we expect and-and go to his residence and sleep. 1588 01:13:36,959 --> 01:13:40,003 He actually drives 90 miles inland, 1589 01:13:40,003 --> 01:13:42,923 and he attends to a bank there that's under construction. 1590 01:13:43,841 --> 01:13:47,094 And we know this because he receives a phone call from the London Boss. 1591 01:13:47,094 --> 01:13:52,140 The London Boss is very upset. Very upset because the three guys 1592 01:13:52,140 --> 01:13:56,687 that he just flew from Heathrow to Montreal, 1593 01:13:56,687 --> 01:13:59,022 he learned are now being deported. 1594 01:13:59,022 --> 01:14:03,068 ♪ tense music playing ♪ 1595 01:14:03,068 --> 01:14:03,902 [phone beeps] 1596 01:14:03,902 --> 01:14:04,987 [tape static] 1597 01:14:54,453 --> 01:14:56,413 - And now that call, 1598 01:14:56,955 --> 01:14:59,333 'cause now he's doing somethin' in Canada 1599 01:14:59,333 --> 01:15:01,919 and he's also doing something like what we're trying to investigate. 1600 01:15:01,919 --> 01:15:03,003 - It's beautiful. 1601 01:15:03,003 --> 01:15:07,424 It's absolutely-- It was our crown jewel. 1602 01:15:07,424 --> 01:15:10,844 Here he was in a venting system 1603 01:15:10,844 --> 01:15:14,014 in the process of doing another bank. 1604 01:15:14,014 --> 01:15:16,266 And we wanted to catch him in the act, 1605 01:15:16,975 --> 01:15:20,687 and I found out exactly where that cell phone tower was 1606 01:15:20,687 --> 01:15:22,147 and made a circle. 1607 01:15:22,147 --> 01:15:25,776 - And lo and behold, here's this Scotiabank under construction. 1608 01:15:25,776 --> 01:15:26,818 OFFICER LEVASSEUR: We were able to confirm 1609 01:15:26,818 --> 01:15:29,112 that there was a projected grand opening 1610 01:15:29,112 --> 01:15:31,198 about eight weeks down the road, 1611 01:15:31,198 --> 01:15:34,034 and everything fit that fit his MO. 1612 01:15:34,034 --> 01:15:36,870 - So we start formulating a plan on how we're gonna take him down 1613 01:15:36,870 --> 01:15:38,288 and how we're gonna surveil him. 1614 01:15:38,288 --> 01:15:39,748 - It just cemented everything for us. 1615 01:15:48,131 --> 01:15:49,550 - There was lots of things going on with Gerald. 1616 01:15:49,550 --> 01:15:52,052 I know he-he was talking about how he couldn't sleep. 1617 01:15:52,052 --> 01:15:53,971 He was so anxious and I'm sure he was worried 1618 01:15:53,971 --> 01:15:57,641 about, you know, the Boss, who is really not this nice guy. 1619 01:15:57,641 --> 01:16:00,227 "But I'm pretty much, now I'm entrenched with him. 1620 01:16:00,227 --> 01:16:01,728 Like, what do I do?" 1621 01:16:01,728 --> 01:16:04,022 And he must be thinking in the back of his head that, 1622 01:16:04,022 --> 01:16:07,109 "The police may know more and-and I'm on a short leash." 1623 01:16:07,109 --> 01:16:09,278 ♪ tense suspenseful music playing ♪ 1624 01:16:13,532 --> 01:16:14,950 [siren wailing] 1625 01:16:23,542 --> 01:16:26,170 - His, uh, future would've looked very bleak 1626 01:16:26,170 --> 01:16:28,755 either paying a debt to the London Boss 1627 01:16:28,755 --> 01:16:31,258 with either his skin or money, 1628 01:16:31,258 --> 01:16:35,053 and/or worrying about, uh, law enforcement. 1629 01:16:35,053 --> 01:16:37,931 - This was serious stuff, and, and I think at that point in time 1630 01:16:37,931 --> 01:16:39,224 that's really scared him, 1631 01:16:39,975 --> 01:16:42,561 and, uh, it was way over his head. 1632 01:16:42,561 --> 01:16:44,521 ♪ 1633 01:16:48,358 --> 01:16:50,110 [siren wailing] 1634 01:16:50,110 --> 01:16:52,154 AUTOMATED VOICE [on recording]: Thank you for calling Canada Police. 1635 01:16:52,154 --> 01:16:55,324 - Oh, I felt the pressure closing in, and I felt the doors closing in, 1636 01:16:55,324 --> 01:16:58,744 being followed 24/7, your phone acting strangely. 1637 01:16:59,494 --> 01:17:01,747 So you just basically, you're waiting 1638 01:17:01,747 --> 01:17:03,540 for an endless day for them to come. 1639 01:17:04,791 --> 01:17:06,668 - And we wanna take him down 1640 01:17:06,668 --> 01:17:09,505 inside the bank in the process of breaking in. 1641 01:17:09,505 --> 01:17:11,548 But then we're blindsided by this information 1642 01:17:11,548 --> 01:17:13,175 that comes in through his text messages. 1643 01:17:13,175 --> 01:17:15,677 He's now involved in trafficking of firearms. 1644 01:17:15,677 --> 01:17:17,846 - Yeah, that's right. We got blindsided a little bit. 1645 01:17:17,846 --> 01:17:20,098 We intercepted some more information, 1646 01:17:20,098 --> 01:17:25,729 and it, it was very clear that Danny was middle-manning an arms deal. 1647 01:17:25,729 --> 01:17:28,524 ♪ 1648 01:17:28,524 --> 01:17:30,651 OFFICER MCCORMICK: And the information continued to come in. 1649 01:17:30,651 --> 01:17:32,653 "When are you getting 'em? When are they coming?" 1650 01:17:32,653 --> 01:17:36,740 And at some point in time we even saw pictures of the AK-47s. 1651 01:17:36,740 --> 01:17:39,201 [projector whirring] 1652 01:17:39,201 --> 01:17:41,078 OFFICER MCCORMICK: And we ended up having eventually 1653 01:17:41,078 --> 01:17:43,705 seeing that Blanchard was buying ammunition. 1654 01:17:43,705 --> 01:17:45,999 - Well, when I started reaching out 1655 01:17:45,999 --> 01:17:48,377 to the so-called Boss from England, 1656 01:17:48,377 --> 01:17:51,630 I started branching out into different types of crimes. 1657 01:17:51,630 --> 01:17:53,298 My motivation was greed. 1658 01:17:54,174 --> 01:17:56,760 Other people's motivations in the UK 1659 01:17:56,760 --> 01:17:59,972 were to help their own people regarding a war, 1660 01:17:59,972 --> 01:18:01,598 which I had nothing to do with. 1661 01:18:01,598 --> 01:18:05,352 - He turned the tables on us by being involved in this arms deal. 1662 01:18:05,352 --> 01:18:08,230 - So Larry and Mitch thought this arms deal 1663 01:18:08,230 --> 01:18:10,899 was illegal, and it wasn't. 1664 01:18:10,899 --> 01:18:13,861 I was never charged with shipping ammunition. 1665 01:18:13,861 --> 01:18:18,240 I was never charged for possession of unregistered firearms. 1666 01:18:18,240 --> 01:18:20,868 - We couldn't take the chance of those guns ending up 1667 01:18:20,868 --> 01:18:22,494 in the streets of Winnipeg. 1668 01:18:22,494 --> 01:18:24,454 What if people would've died from that? 1669 01:18:24,913 --> 01:18:27,124 DIRECTOR: They'd also said that you had a rocket launcher? 1670 01:18:28,250 --> 01:18:30,794 - [chuckles] I have no comment. 1671 01:18:31,086 --> 01:18:32,045 [chuckles] 1672 01:18:32,880 --> 01:18:34,756 - We wanted to catch him in the act 1673 01:18:34,756 --> 01:18:37,259 the night before the, the grand opening. 1674 01:18:37,259 --> 01:18:39,761 - The plan was that we would wait 1675 01:18:40,387 --> 01:18:43,390 till Gerald drove to the bank, got in the bank, 1676 01:18:43,390 --> 01:18:45,392 and then that we would arrest him, 1677 01:18:45,392 --> 01:18:48,520 which would be the-the-the signal 1678 01:18:48,520 --> 01:18:51,356 that everybody else would now execute their search warrants 1679 01:18:51,356 --> 01:18:52,900 and arrest all their people. 1680 01:18:52,900 --> 01:18:56,069 And it would go simultaneously so nobody could contact the other. 1681 01:18:56,069 --> 01:18:57,529 So at a certain time in the morning, 1682 01:18:57,529 --> 01:19:00,407 I can't remember if it was 5:30 Vancouver time or what it was, 1683 01:19:01,116 --> 01:19:03,410 it was obvious that he wasn't driving to Chilliwack. 1684 01:19:03,410 --> 01:19:06,038 ♪ 1685 01:19:06,038 --> 01:19:08,916 BLANCHARD: I noticed there was a lot more police presence 1686 01:19:08,916 --> 01:19:11,084 around that particular bank. 1687 01:19:11,084 --> 01:19:13,879 There was always an undercover car sitting close by, 1688 01:19:13,879 --> 01:19:16,590 so I decided to not do anything. 1689 01:19:16,590 --> 01:19:18,759 OFFICER MCCORMICK: We found out later that he actually was able to tap 1690 01:19:18,759 --> 01:19:22,596 into the bank surveillance cameras at the bank 1691 01:19:22,596 --> 01:19:24,223 and saw somebody that looked like a cop. 1692 01:19:24,223 --> 01:19:25,432 ♪ 1693 01:19:25,432 --> 01:19:27,601 OFFICER LEVASSEUR: So a decision was made at that point 1694 01:19:27,601 --> 01:19:29,102 that we would arrest him 1695 01:19:29,686 --> 01:19:32,648 on, uh, on the evidence that-that we had. 1696 01:19:32,648 --> 01:19:35,484 - The authorization was to go-- is to hit his place, 1697 01:19:36,652 --> 01:19:38,820 arrest everybody across Canada, 1698 01:19:38,820 --> 01:19:40,614 and do the search warrants all at the same time. 1699 01:19:40,614 --> 01:19:41,573 Bang, bang, bang. 1700 01:19:41,573 --> 01:19:44,368 ♪ House of the Rising Sun by Chase Holfelder playing ♪ 1701 01:19:44,368 --> 01:19:47,871 - ♪ There is a house ♪ 1702 01:19:48,622 --> 01:19:51,416 ♪ In New Orleans ♪ 1703 01:19:52,626 --> 01:19:58,632 ♪ They call the Rising Sun ♪ 1704 01:20:00,843 --> 01:20:05,013 ♪ And it's been the ruin ♪ 1705 01:20:05,013 --> 01:20:09,059 ♪ Of many a poor boy ♪ 1706 01:20:09,059 --> 01:20:11,019 ♪ And God ♪ 1707 01:20:11,019 --> 01:20:13,105 ♪ I know ♪ 1708 01:20:13,105 --> 01:20:14,815 ♪ I'm one ♪ 1709 01:20:17,276 --> 01:20:19,570 ♪ My mother... ♪ 1710 01:20:19,570 --> 01:20:21,405 BLANCHARD: The first time I met Larry and Mitch 1711 01:20:21,405 --> 01:20:24,783 was when the emergency task force 1712 01:20:24,783 --> 01:20:28,787 broke down my apartment door and they pulled me outta bed, 1713 01:20:28,787 --> 01:20:30,664 stuck their knee in my neck. 1714 01:20:30,664 --> 01:20:33,208 And they were like, "You're going back to Winnipeg with us." 1715 01:20:33,208 --> 01:20:34,543 And I was like, "For what?" 1716 01:20:34,543 --> 01:20:39,381 And they were like, "For theft of the money from the CIBC Bank." 1717 01:20:39,381 --> 01:20:42,259 - ♪ ...gamblin' man ♪ 1718 01:20:42,259 --> 01:20:48,140 ♪ Down in New Orleans ♪ 1719 01:20:48,140 --> 01:20:50,142 ♪ 1720 01:20:50,142 --> 01:20:52,352 [crickets chirping] 1721 01:20:54,730 --> 01:20:57,524 ♪ solemn music playing ♪ 1722 01:20:57,524 --> 01:20:59,276 - I had no clue that morning 1723 01:20:59,276 --> 01:21:03,614 that that was gonna be a life changer for, for all of us. 1724 01:21:04,323 --> 01:21:06,909 And it was. When he called and said, 1725 01:21:07,659 --> 01:21:09,328 "Mom, I've been arrested." 1726 01:21:11,121 --> 01:21:12,456 I was terrified, 1727 01:21:13,916 --> 01:21:15,626 and I was desperate. 1728 01:21:15,626 --> 01:21:16,668 [shallow breaths] 1729 01:21:17,503 --> 01:21:21,882 It was difficult for me to try and carry on life 1730 01:21:23,467 --> 01:21:27,971 as usual or as normal with him there. 1731 01:21:29,681 --> 01:21:30,682 Sorry. 1732 01:21:30,682 --> 01:21:34,353 ♪ 1733 01:21:34,353 --> 01:21:35,521 [heavy sigh] 1734 01:21:36,396 --> 01:21:38,273 [sniffles] 1735 01:21:39,191 --> 01:21:40,776 BLANCHARD: The best sleep was the first night 1736 01:21:40,776 --> 01:21:42,986 in jail after I was arrested. 1737 01:21:42,986 --> 01:21:44,988 All the pressure and the stress of 1738 01:21:44,988 --> 01:21:48,116 playing cat and mouse was over. 1739 01:21:49,326 --> 01:21:51,453 - Sad, I find it very sad. 1740 01:21:51,453 --> 01:21:55,958 But on the other hand, he lived the life that he chose, 1741 01:21:56,667 --> 01:21:59,711 uh, which many people cannot do and never do do. 1742 01:21:59,711 --> 01:22:02,631 Um, he came across on his fantasies. 1743 01:22:02,631 --> 01:22:05,592 He actually realized them in many, many ways, 1744 01:22:05,592 --> 01:22:07,177 which most people don't. 1745 01:22:07,177 --> 01:22:08,470 And who caught him? 1746 01:22:08,470 --> 01:22:10,722 A Walmart security guard. 1747 01:22:10,722 --> 01:22:12,474 [director laughs] - That's what it comes down to. 1748 01:22:13,100 --> 01:22:15,727 One Walmart security guard. 1749 01:22:16,353 --> 01:22:17,479 BLANCHARD: It's not true. 1750 01:22:17,479 --> 01:22:20,148 I feel like I'm very confident at what I do, 1751 01:22:20,148 --> 01:22:22,568 and I knew they didn't have any information 1752 01:22:22,568 --> 01:22:25,779 other than that might be the guy who stole the money from the bank. 1753 01:22:26,780 --> 01:22:30,033 The police made it seem like, "Oh, it was the license plate of the Walmart." 1754 01:22:30,617 --> 01:22:32,244 It wasn't. It was John Doe. 1755 01:22:33,871 --> 01:22:36,748 John Doe was actually the one that went into the bank with me 1756 01:22:36,748 --> 01:22:38,417 to unload the ATM machines. 1757 01:22:38,417 --> 01:22:40,586 He went behind everyone's back at that time, 1758 01:22:40,586 --> 01:22:42,004 and to make a deal with the police 1759 01:22:42,004 --> 01:22:45,174 to get off on his federal gun charges in the States, 1760 01:22:45,174 --> 01:22:47,384 telling the police how the bank happened, 1761 01:22:48,010 --> 01:22:51,013 and that gave them enough information to get warrants, 1762 01:22:51,013 --> 01:22:52,306 tap our phones. 1763 01:22:52,306 --> 01:22:56,101 But the police can't discuss that because he's a confidential informant. 1764 01:22:56,101 --> 01:23:00,189 One day he'll have his day in street court, we can call it. 1765 01:23:00,564 --> 01:23:02,024 [chuckles] 1766 01:23:02,441 --> 01:23:04,693 I think he'll be left in a field somewhere. 1767 01:23:04,693 --> 01:23:06,528 ♪ ominous sting ♪ 1768 01:23:06,528 --> 01:23:08,030 [distant traffic noise] 1769 01:23:08,030 --> 01:23:10,741 SYBERG: My lawyer said it was one of the most intense interrogations 1770 01:23:10,741 --> 01:23:12,034 that he had seen, 1771 01:23:12,034 --> 01:23:14,953 but they were willing to, like, completely destroy my family's life 1772 01:23:14,953 --> 01:23:17,998 to get me to talk about... about Dan. 1773 01:23:18,790 --> 01:23:19,750 [phone line rings] 1774 01:23:19,750 --> 01:23:20,584 [phone line beeps] 1775 01:23:25,047 --> 01:23:26,715 ♪ tense music playing ♪ 1776 01:23:39,978 --> 01:23:41,146 AARON'S MOM: Well, I know, Aaron. 1777 01:23:42,523 --> 01:23:43,565 [tape clicks] 1778 01:23:44,191 --> 01:23:47,486 - I think it's Mitch, the shorter one with the mustache. 1779 01:23:47,486 --> 01:23:50,489 He took me in the hallway and he said, "Look, man, I wish you the best of luck." 1780 01:23:50,489 --> 01:23:53,450 He-he said to me, "You know, we really thought that you were gonna be the one 1781 01:23:53,450 --> 01:23:56,119 "to-to crack and give us what we want, 1782 01:23:56,119 --> 01:23:58,664 but, uh, I guess you're not, you know?" 1783 01:23:59,206 --> 01:24:01,166 [siren wailing] 1784 01:24:14,429 --> 01:24:15,264 [Angela sighs] 1785 01:24:36,618 --> 01:24:39,288 - Well, I felt betrayal when it came to Angela 1786 01:24:39,288 --> 01:24:41,373 cooperating with the police. 1787 01:24:41,373 --> 01:24:44,126 But you know what? I'm a forgiveful type of person. 1788 01:24:44,126 --> 01:24:45,127 [chuckles] 1789 01:24:46,753 --> 01:24:51,008 And then once everybody was arrested, when Angela James spilled the beans, 1790 01:24:51,425 --> 01:24:53,135 that was the nail in the coffin. 1791 01:24:53,552 --> 01:24:55,304 Had she kept her mouth shut, 1792 01:24:55,304 --> 01:24:58,682 I really don't think they would've really had a case against any of us. 1793 01:24:59,349 --> 01:25:02,019 But it only took one leak-- one weak chain 1794 01:25:03,520 --> 01:25:06,940 in the link and it all crumbled. 1795 01:25:08,400 --> 01:25:10,861 [sobbing] 1796 01:25:23,165 --> 01:25:24,374 [Angela gasps] 1797 01:25:31,882 --> 01:25:37,554 ♪ tense music playing ♪ 1798 01:25:38,472 --> 01:25:42,893 - So Angie was scared after she cooperated with the police and told them 1799 01:25:42,893 --> 01:25:45,771 that she feels that she could be in danger. 1800 01:25:45,771 --> 01:25:49,650 And the reason why she felt that is 'cause she knows the type of person I am. 1801 01:25:49,650 --> 01:25:51,485 If somebody double crosses me, 1802 01:25:51,485 --> 01:25:53,904 I'll get them back one way or the other. 1803 01:25:53,904 --> 01:25:55,364 She said to the police, 1804 01:25:55,364 --> 01:25:58,325 "I saw Dan crawl into a mirror in the middle of the night 1805 01:25:58,325 --> 01:26:00,369 "and come out with all this money 1806 01:26:00,369 --> 01:26:02,329 and all this electronic stuff." 1807 01:26:02,329 --> 01:26:04,998 So the police smashed all my mirrors and all my drywalls 1808 01:26:04,998 --> 01:26:07,459 and found the safe room hidden behind a mirror. 1809 01:26:07,459 --> 01:26:11,255 - But what we found was that he actually had two hidden rooms. 1810 01:26:11,922 --> 01:26:14,842 OFFICER LEVASSEUR: The entry to it was concealed behind a mirrored wall. 1811 01:26:14,842 --> 01:26:17,761 Uh, you know, there was a pressure switch to-to get in there, 1812 01:26:17,761 --> 01:26:19,721 and it was full of evidence. 1813 01:26:20,514 --> 01:26:22,599 OFFICER MCCORMICK: He kept records of everything he had done 1814 01:26:22,599 --> 01:26:23,684 and what he bought. 1815 01:26:23,684 --> 01:26:27,062 OFFICER LEVASSEUR: He had literally thousands of physical keys. 1816 01:26:27,062 --> 01:26:30,399 MITCH MCCORMICK: Video and memory sticks and phones, and-- 1817 01:26:30,399 --> 01:26:33,068 OFFICER LEVASSEUR: There was cash and lots of it. 1818 01:26:33,068 --> 01:26:35,612 He had the security guard uniforms. 1819 01:26:35,612 --> 01:26:38,031 OFFICER MCCORMICK: All his ID, all his phony ID. 1820 01:26:38,031 --> 01:26:40,534 OFFICER LEVASSEUR: Files on all the different aliases. 1821 01:26:40,534 --> 01:26:43,620 - We had cops driving a U-Haul van back 1822 01:26:43,620 --> 01:26:46,790 from Vancouver to Winnipeg loaded with exhibits, right? 1823 01:26:46,790 --> 01:26:49,459 - But more importantly, what the gem were was all his video. 1824 01:26:49,459 --> 01:26:51,336 He videotaped everything. 1825 01:26:51,336 --> 01:26:52,171 - 'Cause he-- [laughs] 1826 01:26:52,171 --> 01:26:55,215 He recorded everything to his own detriment. 1827 01:26:55,215 --> 01:26:56,508 That's his downfall. 1828 01:26:57,426 --> 01:26:58,677 He kept everything. 1829 01:26:58,677 --> 01:27:00,554 - I picked the strongest charges, 1830 01:27:00,554 --> 01:27:05,267 the most undermining in terms of his criminal organizations, 1831 01:27:05,267 --> 01:27:07,436 uh, the ones that carried the greatest sanctions. 1832 01:27:07,436 --> 01:27:09,438 - He was going to be convicted, 1833 01:27:09,438 --> 01:27:13,108 and he was gonna be convicted of a number of significant charges. 1834 01:27:13,108 --> 01:27:17,946 - The maximum sentence on, on some of those charges-- 1835 01:27:17,946 --> 01:27:19,364 - The phrase the judge used 1836 01:27:19,364 --> 01:27:22,534 is, uh, the total, uh, number of years he could face. 1837 01:27:22,534 --> 01:27:24,119 - Life imprisonment. 1838 01:27:24,828 --> 01:27:26,705 - One hundred and sixty eight years. 1839 01:27:26,705 --> 01:27:28,207 [laughs] 1840 01:27:28,457 --> 01:27:30,542 [prisoners yelling indistinctly] 1841 01:27:31,710 --> 01:27:33,337 OFFICER MCCORMICK: The first time I talked to Gerald, 1842 01:27:33,337 --> 01:27:35,923 it was in a, uh, interview office setting. 1843 01:27:35,923 --> 01:27:38,300 And you're thinking, "Well, this guy's gonna have the weight of the world. 1844 01:27:38,300 --> 01:27:39,760 "He's, you know, he's gonna go to jail a long time. 1845 01:27:39,760 --> 01:27:40,928 The police have--" 1846 01:27:40,928 --> 01:27:42,429 No, it was just kind of like, 1847 01:27:43,138 --> 01:27:46,058 kinda matter of fact and-and feeling good about everything, 1848 01:27:46,517 --> 01:27:48,227 kinda jovial almost. 1849 01:27:48,227 --> 01:27:51,355 - We had amassed an incredible amount of evidence against him 1850 01:27:51,355 --> 01:27:53,398 that came from various jurisdictions. 1851 01:27:53,398 --> 01:27:56,652 We had individuals who were prepared to testify against him. 1852 01:27:56,652 --> 01:27:59,530 So we had a very, very strong case against Mr. Blanchard, 1853 01:27:59,530 --> 01:28:00,739 and he knew it. 1854 01:28:00,739 --> 01:28:02,366 [inaudible dialogue] 1855 01:28:02,366 --> 01:28:04,076 GUNN: Look, we've got troubles here, 1856 01:28:04,076 --> 01:28:07,454 so, you know, what is it that we have 1857 01:28:08,038 --> 01:28:11,250 that the prosecution might be interested in? 1858 01:28:11,250 --> 01:28:13,210 And at that point he said, "Well, you know, 1859 01:28:13,210 --> 01:28:16,713 what about full restitution and, uh, a diamond that was stolen?" 1860 01:28:17,798 --> 01:28:20,926 Well, you know, I-- he hadn't told me about that yet. [laughs] 1861 01:28:20,926 --> 01:28:24,179 - So we ended up going to, uh, his grandma's house 1862 01:28:24,680 --> 01:28:27,432 where he said he had the, uh, Sisi Star hidden. 1863 01:28:27,432 --> 01:28:31,103 ♪ downbeat funk music playing ♪ 1864 01:28:31,103 --> 01:28:34,189 GUNN: I made sure that he understood 1865 01:28:34,189 --> 01:28:36,024 that if it wasn't there, 1866 01:28:36,024 --> 01:28:39,444 we were gonna have a lot of trouble securing cooperation 1867 01:28:39,444 --> 01:28:41,154 from that point forward. 1868 01:28:41,154 --> 01:28:42,573 - Well, I didn't have very much money, if any, 1869 01:28:42,573 --> 01:28:45,033 but I would've bet that he didn't have it. 1870 01:28:45,033 --> 01:28:48,745 You've gotta think that this guy is notoriously an escape artist. 1871 01:28:48,745 --> 01:28:50,289 So, like, he was handcuffed. 1872 01:28:50,289 --> 01:28:51,832 There was one guy sittin' beside him 1873 01:28:51,832 --> 01:28:54,126 and-and, you know, two in the front 1874 01:28:54,126 --> 01:28:56,003 and he wasn't gettin' away. 1875 01:28:56,461 --> 01:28:58,422 [indistinct chatter] 1876 01:28:58,422 --> 01:28:59,256 BLANCHARD: Hello, Grandma. 1877 01:28:59,256 --> 01:29:00,674 - There's something behind. 1878 01:29:00,674 --> 01:29:01,800 BLANCHARD: This is my Grandma from-- 1879 01:29:01,800 --> 01:29:04,011 OFFICER MCCORMICK: We knocked on Grandma's door and we go in there. 1880 01:29:04,011 --> 01:29:07,723 But Gerald immediately goes to the far end of the crawl space 1881 01:29:07,723 --> 01:29:10,434 and he starts pulling out the Styrofoam. 1882 01:29:11,018 --> 01:29:14,229 There was a cutout where something was. 1883 01:29:14,229 --> 01:29:16,690 Larry pulled that out and there was that Sisi Star. 1884 01:29:16,690 --> 01:29:20,944 ♪ 1885 01:29:20,944 --> 01:29:24,823 - There was certainly a media release that we had recovered this item, 1886 01:29:24,823 --> 01:29:27,576 and that sparked interest all over the world. 1887 01:29:27,576 --> 01:29:30,245 ♪ Strauss II's Blue Danube Waltz resumes playing ♪ 1888 01:29:30,245 --> 01:29:34,208 ♪ 1889 01:29:34,208 --> 01:29:36,668 OFFICER LEVASSEUR: There was a theft of a royal crown jewel, 1890 01:29:36,668 --> 01:29:41,173 and it was recovered in Winnipeg and we had it, right? 1891 01:29:42,174 --> 01:29:45,344 So it absolutely was, it was notorious. 1892 01:29:45,344 --> 01:29:46,678 ♪ 1893 01:29:46,678 --> 01:29:48,222 [inaudible dialogue] 1894 01:29:48,222 --> 01:29:49,890 ♪ 1895 01:29:49,890 --> 01:29:51,266 BLANCHARD: Larry and Mitch were excited 1896 01:29:51,266 --> 01:29:54,561 because they never had anything like this in their life. 1897 01:29:54,561 --> 01:29:57,064 So they wanted to let the media know that, 1898 01:29:57,064 --> 01:29:59,316 "Hey, here are these two cops from Winnipeg 1899 01:29:59,316 --> 01:30:01,735 "that caught this international jewel thief, 1900 01:30:01,735 --> 01:30:04,988 man of mystery, criminal genius," et cetera, et cetera. 1901 01:30:04,988 --> 01:30:09,034 And that's why there was so much worldwide attention regarding my case. 1902 01:30:10,202 --> 01:30:13,247 - Look, normally when you do this job, 1903 01:30:13,247 --> 01:30:15,832 you don't want the press. 1904 01:30:15,832 --> 01:30:18,377 But if you imagine yourself as this romantic figure 1905 01:30:18,377 --> 01:30:20,337 that I-I think he did, 1906 01:30:20,879 --> 01:30:22,840 that sense of-of being known 1907 01:30:23,465 --> 01:30:27,010 was very, uh, intoxicating for him. 1908 01:30:27,010 --> 01:30:29,680 ♪ 1909 01:30:29,680 --> 01:30:32,391 Now, he had this audience that was 1910 01:30:32,391 --> 01:30:36,186 aware of some of his capacity, 1911 01:30:36,186 --> 01:30:39,064 and, uh, he-he could not help himself, 1912 01:30:39,064 --> 01:30:41,984 but had to talk about everything. 1913 01:30:42,484 --> 01:30:44,862 Things that the police didn't know anything about, 1914 01:30:44,862 --> 01:30:46,321 he was telling them about. 1915 01:30:46,321 --> 01:30:47,865 OFFICER MCCORMICK: He told us all how he did it, 1916 01:30:47,865 --> 01:30:51,785 the planning, what he used, why he did things. 1917 01:30:52,286 --> 01:30:54,371 - We still didn't know about the covert cameras 1918 01:30:54,371 --> 01:30:55,455 or listening devices. 1919 01:30:56,039 --> 01:30:58,292 He explained where they were. 1920 01:30:58,792 --> 01:31:00,544 - You know, you talk to a guy and he admits to it, 1921 01:31:00,544 --> 01:31:01,879 that-that's one thing. 1922 01:31:01,879 --> 01:31:03,881 But when he goes into the finite details 1923 01:31:03,881 --> 01:31:06,383 of all the preparation and that he did, 1924 01:31:07,009 --> 01:31:08,510 that's something you don't see. 1925 01:31:08,510 --> 01:31:11,680 [inaudible dialogue] 1926 01:31:11,680 --> 01:31:14,474 GUNN: It's-it's all about that ego, 1927 01:31:14,474 --> 01:31:19,688 that desire to be known as, uh, the best and most interesting. 1928 01:31:19,688 --> 01:31:22,983 And, uh, that he was a, a success, 1929 01:31:22,983 --> 01:31:27,279 and he wanted to be a success that was recognized by the world. 1930 01:31:28,447 --> 01:31:30,449 - In the end I think I won 1931 01:31:30,449 --> 01:31:33,202 because it was my public persona 1932 01:31:33,202 --> 01:31:37,164 and my image that they created that got me where I am today. 1933 01:31:38,415 --> 01:31:40,709 So when I was in prison, I was a superstar. 1934 01:31:41,210 --> 01:31:42,044 [chuckles] 1935 01:31:42,044 --> 01:31:43,337 ♪ 1936 01:31:43,337 --> 01:31:45,464 REPORTER: He's been described as a criminal mastermind, 1937 01:31:45,464 --> 01:31:46,840 an international jewel thief. 1938 01:31:46,840 --> 01:31:50,886 OFFICER LEVASSEUR: There was this persona of Gerald Blanchard 1939 01:31:50,886 --> 01:31:54,348 being a mastermind thief. 1940 01:31:54,348 --> 01:31:56,808 And I think it really captured 1941 01:31:56,808 --> 01:32:00,521 the-the, the imagination is because it was real. 1942 01:32:01,647 --> 01:32:03,106 It was real. 1943 01:32:03,106 --> 01:32:05,526 ♪ 1944 01:32:05,526 --> 01:32:07,945 LEINBURD: I think also his ego is enormous. 1945 01:32:07,945 --> 01:32:11,031 And I think satisfaction was given to that ego 1946 01:32:11,031 --> 01:32:12,407 and fueled that ego. 1947 01:32:12,407 --> 01:32:14,993 He knew that he was notorious. 1948 01:32:14,993 --> 01:32:16,703 And it's my understanding 1949 01:32:16,703 --> 01:32:19,623 that he tried to author a book about this. 1950 01:32:19,623 --> 01:32:23,460 He's more than happy to contribute his name to, uh, films. 1951 01:32:23,460 --> 01:32:26,046 - Well, when Warner Brothers did the option agreement, 1952 01:32:26,046 --> 01:32:28,340 Zac Efron, was supposed to play me. 1953 01:32:28,340 --> 01:32:31,093 But when that movie got shelved, I was okay with it. 1954 01:32:32,261 --> 01:32:33,762 - Documentaries. 1955 01:32:33,762 --> 01:32:35,514 I mean, I think you can see that yourself. 1956 01:32:35,514 --> 01:32:39,893 He-he is very good at showing off what he did and who he is. 1957 01:32:39,893 --> 01:32:41,854 ♪ epic music plays ♪ 1958 01:32:41,854 --> 01:32:45,524 You can rob five or six banks and never become famous, 1959 01:32:45,524 --> 01:32:48,318 but do what Gerald Blanchard did, and you're a star. 1960 01:32:48,944 --> 01:32:51,154 You'll be remembered, you'll be documented, 1961 01:32:51,154 --> 01:32:54,992 you'll be filmed, you'll be in every newspaper in the world as he was. 1962 01:32:55,993 --> 01:32:59,079 So, I mean, he got exactly what he wanted. 1963 01:32:59,079 --> 01:33:00,747 Notoriety, fame, and money. 1964 01:33:00,747 --> 01:33:02,875 ♪ orchestral music playing ♪ 1965 01:33:02,875 --> 01:33:08,005 ♪ 1966 01:33:08,005 --> 01:33:11,842 ♪ gentle piano music playing ♪ 1967 01:33:11,842 --> 01:33:17,264 ♪ 1968 01:33:42,080 --> 01:33:44,333 OFFICER MCCORMICK: You are curious as to where he's gone from here. 1969 01:33:46,168 --> 01:33:48,086 I don't think he has the ability to stop. 1970 01:33:48,837 --> 01:33:52,508 If it's, if it's not, uh, actively doing it, 1971 01:33:52,508 --> 01:33:57,179 he's tied into some organized crime or something. You know? 1972 01:33:57,179 --> 01:33:59,431 It-it's not all legit. Can't be. 1973 01:34:00,098 --> 01:34:02,100 He just, he doesn't know anything else. 1974 01:34:02,643 --> 01:34:06,730 - He's never personally taken anything from anybody 1975 01:34:06,730 --> 01:34:11,985 that he knows personally or family members. 1976 01:34:11,985 --> 01:34:15,697 It's always been more like corporate America. 1977 01:34:16,657 --> 01:34:20,452 And, yes, I'm gonna say banks because his attitude, 1978 01:34:20,452 --> 01:34:22,120 and quite honestly, my attitude, 1979 01:34:22,120 --> 01:34:25,707 has always been the banks are legal criminals 1980 01:34:25,707 --> 01:34:27,918 because they can do anything they wanna do, 1981 01:34:28,502 --> 01:34:30,921 and they take money from people all the time. 1982 01:34:30,921 --> 01:34:32,881 ♪ 1983 01:34:32,881 --> 01:34:34,174 OFFICER LEVASSEUR: I mean, I don't have any proof 1984 01:34:34,174 --> 01:34:36,760 that he, that he is doing anything criminal, 1985 01:34:36,760 --> 01:34:38,345 but I'd be very surprised 1986 01:34:38,345 --> 01:34:40,848 if he wasn't, if he wasn't. 1987 01:34:40,848 --> 01:34:43,016 I think that challenge, 1988 01:34:43,016 --> 01:34:48,272 that, that, uh, need to conquer, 1989 01:34:48,939 --> 01:34:51,358 uh, is probably still there. 1990 01:34:51,358 --> 01:34:56,864 - Well, my drive to fight is similar to Dan stealing. 1991 01:34:56,864 --> 01:34:58,073 I'm a survivor. 1992 01:34:58,782 --> 01:35:02,035 And I'm very proud to say that's my boy. 1993 01:35:02,035 --> 01:35:05,873 ♪ 1994 01:35:05,873 --> 01:35:08,208 ♪ 1995 01:35:08,208 --> 01:35:11,211 LEINBURD: In my experience, it's my belief 1996 01:35:11,211 --> 01:35:14,131 that reform has no place in Gerald Blanchard's life. 1997 01:35:14,923 --> 01:35:17,176 I don't think he's reformed. 1998 01:35:17,176 --> 01:35:19,511 Um, I don't think he ever will reform. 1999 01:35:19,511 --> 01:35:25,475 I think he is the kind of man who revels in this type of behavior. 2000 01:35:25,475 --> 01:35:27,144 And I don't think, frankly, 2001 01:35:27,144 --> 01:35:29,021 he could live without this kind of behavior. 2002 01:35:29,021 --> 01:35:32,608 ♪ 2003 01:35:32,608 --> 01:35:34,902 BLANCHARD: And when all the cards came falling down, 2004 01:35:34,902 --> 01:35:36,445 it was a sense of relief, 2005 01:35:37,029 --> 01:35:39,615 because I knew I would go do my jail time, 2006 01:35:39,615 --> 01:35:43,535 and then I would be free someday to start over. 2007 01:35:43,535 --> 01:35:45,829 ♪ 2008 01:35:45,829 --> 01:35:46,872 [chuckles] 2009 01:35:46,872 --> 01:35:49,208 - ♪ Shining star for you to see ♪ 2010 01:35:49,208 --> 01:35:51,168 ♪ What your life can truly be ♪ 2011 01:35:51,710 --> 01:35:57,341 ♪ Dream Your Little Dream by The Braun Brothers featuring Lady Blackbird playing ♪ 2012 01:36:16,902 --> 01:36:22,866 - ♪ Look into your future ♪ 2013 01:36:26,537 --> 01:36:32,417 ♪ You will see your past ♪ 2014 01:36:36,046 --> 01:36:39,091 ♪ Look into ♪ 2015 01:36:39,091 --> 01:36:43,387 ♪ The crystal ball ♪ 2016 01:36:45,430 --> 01:36:50,936 ♪ The light is dimming fast ♪ 2017 01:36:54,022 --> 01:36:57,818 ♪ Dream your little dream ♪ 2018 01:36:58,819 --> 01:37:03,657 ♪ Dream of starting over ♪ 2019 01:37:03,657 --> 01:37:07,870 ♪ Dream your little dream ♪ 2020 01:37:08,370 --> 01:37:13,375 ♪ Dream, dream ♪ 2021 01:37:13,375 --> 01:37:16,461 ♪ Dream ♪ 2022 01:37:28,974 --> 01:37:31,852 ♪ Look into ♪ 2023 01:37:31,852 --> 01:37:34,813 ♪ My hazel eyes ♪ 2024 01:37:38,442 --> 01:37:43,405 ♪ Dream with me if you dare ♪ 2025 01:37:48,243 --> 01:37:51,079 ♪ Hear the truth ♪ 2026 01:37:51,079 --> 01:37:54,541 ♪ It never lies ♪ 2027 01:37:57,544 --> 01:38:01,924 ♪ Follow me, I'll take you there ♪ 2028 01:38:08,388 --> 01:38:12,601 ♪ Dream your little dream ♪ 2029 01:38:13,227 --> 01:38:18,023 ♪ Dream of starting over ♪ 2030 01:38:18,023 --> 01:38:22,069 ♪ Dream your little dream ♪ 2031 01:38:22,819 --> 01:38:27,866 ♪ Dream, dream ♪ 2032 01:38:27,866 --> 01:38:31,078 ♪ Dream ♪ 2033 01:38:31,078 --> 01:38:32,371 ♪ vocalizing ♪ 2034 01:38:32,371 --> 01:38:37,251 ♪ Dream, dream ♪ 2035 01:38:37,251 --> 01:38:41,380 ♪ Dream ♪ 2036 01:38:42,047 --> 01:38:47,010 ♪ Dream, dream ♪ 2037 01:38:47,010 --> 01:38:49,972 ♪ Dream ♪ 2038 01:38:49,972 --> 01:38:51,640 ♪ vocalizing ♪ 2039 01:38:51,640 --> 01:38:56,436 ♪ Dream, dream ♪ 2040 01:38:56,436 --> 01:38:59,940 ♪ Dream ♪ 2041 01:38:59,940 --> 01:39:01,233 ♪ vocalizing ♪ 2042 01:39:01,233 --> 01:39:05,612 ♪ Dream of starting over ♪ 2043 01:39:06,071 --> 01:39:10,784 ♪ Dream of starting over ♪ 2044 01:39:10,784 --> 01:39:16,123 ♪ Dream of starting over ♪ 2045 01:39:16,123 --> 01:39:20,878 ♪ Dream of starting over ♪ 2046 01:39:22,671 --> 01:39:26,967 - For sure my friends and family were trying to steer me on the correct path, 2047 01:39:27,801 --> 01:39:29,970 but... and I say, "But," 2048 01:39:30,596 --> 01:39:32,264 that doesn't pay the bills.